The Good Week | September 24, 2026

I feel like this is the week we’ve all been waiting for. Sweater weather is finally here!

And the timing couldn’t be better. Outdoor food and arts festivals are filling the weekend, and we can enjoy them without wondering how long we’ll last in the humidity.

I’m also loving how much of this week’s fun is homegrown, from local artists opening their studios to former employees bringing a neighborhood brewery back to life. There’s something especially nice about getting to know the people behind the places we enjoy.

So grab a sweater, find something that catches your eye, and enjoy a little more of what’s happening close to home.

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Art, music, performances, and a few reasons to spend the evening out.

Wonderland Books is bringing 30 local authors together for an evening of books and conversation at The Cordell, just around the corner from the bookstore. Meet the people behind the stories, discover new reads, and maybe find your next favorite author living closer than you think.

Books will be available for purchase, and a cash bar will be open throughout the evening. Bring a friend and leave with a few additions to your reading list. Free admission.
👉 Get details for the Local Author Showcase

If Fleetwood Mac is part of your personal soundtrack, this one's for you. Tribute band Silver Springs brings the harmonies and unmistakable sound of Fleetwood Mac to Rockville for a night filled with the songs that defined a generation.

Expect favorites like “Dreams,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Landslide,” “Rhiannon,” and “Everywhere,” plus plenty more from the band’s legendary catalog. Bring someone who knows all the words. Tickets $49–$69.
👉 Get tickets for The Fleetwood Mac Experience

Set in Louisiana in 1963, Caroline, or Change tells the story of a Black single mother working as a maid for a Jewish family while the Civil Rights Movement gathers momentum outside their home. When her employer offers her the coins left in the pockets of the family’s young son, a seemingly small decision brings questions of dignity, race, money, and change into sharp focus.

Rockville Musical Theatre brings this Tony-nominated musical to the stage with a score by Jeanine Tesori that blends blues, gospel, and traditional Jewish melodies. Eight performances are scheduled, including an ASL-interpreted performance on November 6. Tickets $23+
👉 Get tickets for Caroline, or Change

Food experiences, tastings, and classes that make the week revolve around something delicious.

Rio’s biggest culinary celebration returns with an afternoon of food, cocktails, and live music along the lakefront. Sample dishes from participating restaurants, including Kareem’s Lebanese Kitchen, Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, Han Spot, Guapo’s, and True Food Kitchen. DJ entertainment, foodie competitions, and live ’90s and 2000s hits from Run For Cover round out the afternoon.

The festivities begin early with Taste Restaurant Week, featuring special menus and dining deals through September 26. Bring a receipt from a participating restaurant to Sunday’s festival and receive a free tasting ticket while supplies last. Festival admission and entertainment are free; tasting tickets are $5 each, sold in packages.
👉 Explore Taste of rio and get tasting tickets

Saints Row has long been the kind of neighborhood brewery where people came for one beer and somehow ended up knowing everyone at the bar. Now, with many former employees among its new owners, the brewery is reopening its doors and inviting longtime regulars, neighbors, and newcomers to celebrate its next chapter.

The grand reopening promises beer, food, new merchandise, and a full day of festivities. Whether you’ve missed your old spot or have never been, this is a good day to pull up a chair.👉 Get details for Saints Row Brewing’s grand reopening

Hands-on classes and social activities where you can learn something new or step a little outside your comfort zone.

Perisphere is casting two productions for its 2027 season: Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw and Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play. Both will be staged at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, with a variety of roles available and a $1,200 stipend for each performer.

Actors should submit a headshot, résumé, and a 60–90-second contemporary monologue via self-tape. In-person callbacks will take place in October.
👉 View the audition breakdown and submit your self-tape

Who says Halloween crafting is just for kids? Local entrepreneur Sam, the creative force behind The Acorn Craft Studio, is bringing a little spooky-season fun to 7 Locks Brewing with a beginner-friendly needle felting workshop. Turn fluffy wool into your own adorable bat, give it some personality, and enjoy a drink while you craft.

All materials and instruction are included, plus extra wool to make another bat at home. Come solo or bring friends; buy three tickets and get a fourth free. Drinks available for purchase separately. $45.
👉 Get tickets for Needle Felting Bat Craft & Sip

A little cha-cha, a little rumba, and a chance to try something new on the dance floor. MOM-entum Dance Troupe is offering Latin dance classes that explore the rhythms and playful steps of cha-cha, rumba, samba, jive, and more in a relaxed, non-performing setting.

Led by instructor Diane, each session focuses on body movement, timing, hip action, and arm styling, with short combinations to help build confidence. Beginners and experienced dancers are welcome.
👉 Explore Latin Dance Basics at MOM-entum Dance Troupe

Ever tried drawing with heat instead of ink? Discover pyrography, the art of decorating wood with a heated tool, in this two-session beginner workshop at VisArts. Learn to create patterns, shading, and texture as you turn an ordinary wooden object into something entirely your own.

Choose from a spoon, tray, box, or wall hanging, and leave with a finished piece and a new creative skill. No experience needed; all materials provided. $100.
👉 Explore the Woodburning Workshop at VisArts

The Compass Atelier is offering a six-week oil painting class where students learn to create depth, dimension, and realistic detail while developing their own artistic style. Work from a still life or bring a favorite photograph to turn into a painting, with individualized instruction and feedback along the way.

Open to beginners and experienced painters alike, with everyone working at their own pace. Commit to the full six weeks or try a single class. $300 for the series or $65 per drop-in.
👉 Register for Oil Painting at The Compass Atelier

First dates, marriage, kids, in-laws, and everything you’ve ever secretly thought about relationships. Kentlands Community Players is casting its January production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, a musical comedy that follows the many stages of love through 20 songs and 40 characters, all performed by a cast of just four.

Auditions are open to performers of all backgrounds and ages who can portray characters ranging from their 20s to 60s. Prepare two 16–32-bar song selections: a love song and a comic Broadway belt. Bring a headshot, résumé, and list of scheduling conflicts. Advance sign-up preferred; callbacks October 8.
👉 Explore Kentlands Community Players auditions

Move your body, get outside, and stay active this week.

Trade the usual weekday routine for a leisurely walk along the C&O Canal with Nature Forward. Led by a naturalist, this outing moves at what the organization calls a “naturalist’s shuffle,” with plenty of stops to notice migrating birds, fall wildflowers, butterflies, turtles, and whatever else the season brings.

The flat towpath makes for an unhurried morning exploring the natural world along the Potomac River, though some sections may be muddy or uneven. $33 for Nature Forward members; $46 for nonmembers.
👉 Register for the Midweek Meander at Pennyfield Lock

Earlier picks still ahead — and still worth catching.

📖 Open Reading Night at Second Story Books — Thu, Sept. 24, 7–8 pm — Hear local writers share fiction, poetry, comedy, screenplays, and works in progress in Rockville.

🎬 Manhattan Short Film Festival — Thu–Sat, Sept. 24–26, 7:30 pm — Watch ten international short films at Arts Barn in Kentlands and vote alongside audiences around the world. $15.

🛶 Beginner Kayak Tours on the Potomac — Sat, Sept. 26, 9 am or 2 pm — Learn the basics while exploring a serene stretch of the Potomac near Pennyfield Lock.

🌿 Native Plants, Food & Fungi at Kensington Sanctuary — Sat, Sept. 26, 10–11 am — Explore an urban farm and restoration project while learning about edible and medicinal native plants and mushrooms. $10.

🛍️ Vintage & Artisan Market at Wildwood — Sat, Sept. 26, 11 am–3 pm — Browse vintage finds and local artisan goods, with additional shopping specials throughout Wildwood all weekend.

🛍️ How Bazaar! LGBTQIA+ Vendor Market — Sat, Sept. 26, noon–5 pm — Shop LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-owned businesses and enjoy crafting and skills workshops at MoCo Pride Center in Bethesda.

🧗 New Climbers Day at Carderock — Sun, Sept. 27, 8:30 am–1 pm — Try outdoor rock climbing with Potomac Mou1ntain Club. No experience necessary, and equipment is provided. Free.

🙌 Volunteer at Taste of Bethesda — Sat, Oct. 3, shifts from 7 am–4 pm — Help with setup, restaurant teams, drink tents, visitor information, and other roles at Bethesda’s annual food festival.

🎨 Rockville Public Art Tours — Sat, Oct. 3, 10–11 am or 2–3 pm — Explore downtown Rockville’s public art on a guided walking tour with the city’s Arts and Culture Program. Free.

💌 Card Making for Empty Nesters — Tuesdays, Oct. 6–27, noon–1:30 pm — Make handmade cards and connect with other empty nesters during four lunchtime gatherings at FiberArt.STUDIO in Bethesda.

🍸 Free Wednesday Cocktail Classes at The Lady Vintner — Wednesdays, 6:30 pm — Learn a little mixology, then stay for a drink at this woman-owned wine bar in Rockville. Free.

📚 Volunteer with Friends of the Library — Ongoing — Help sort and organize donated books at local library branches or explore Board of Trustees opportunities supporting Montgomery County libraries.

If you stop by any of this week’s spots, let them know you heard about it in The Good Week.

If something landed well—or if we missed a place you think deserves attention—tell us at [email protected].

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See you next week.

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