Bryan East, co-founder of the Boogie Bots, featured on MTV’s America Best Dance Crew, will teach hip-hop master classes on February 27, 2010. Two classes will be held, one youth and one adult. Classes are open to the public for all beginner to intermediate dancers. Classes are $25 and registration is required.

These Hip-Hop Master Classes are part of Dance Bethesda, a weekend celebrating dance that includes free dance parties and lessons held at Bethesda dance studios and a professional dance concert featuring the region’s best dance companies. Tickets are on sale now for the concert, which will take place Feb. 27 at Round House Theatre. So come shake your groove thing at Dance Bethesda.

Location: Joy of Motion Dance Center, 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 180E
Free parking can be found in the Waverly Street garage at the corner of Waverly Street and Montgomery Avenue.
Contact: For additional information please contact Lauren Hamilton at 301/215-6660.

Bethesda Literary Festival 2010
Adult & Young Adult Writing Contest
Deadline: February 26

The Bethesda Literary Festival, scheduled for April 16-18, 2010 will feature an adult and young adult essay and short story contest. The Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Magazine have partnered to honor writers with cash prizes and publishing opportunities.

Adult winners receive: $500 and published short story & essay in Bethesda Magazine, first place; $250, second place; $150, third place; $75, honorable mention. The first place winner will also receive a gift certificate to The Writer’s Center.

Young adult winners receive: $250, first place; $100, second place; $50, third place. Bethesda Magazine will print the first place Essay & Short Story.

Please join the NIH community for a special Happy Hour at CADDIES ON CORDELL
Wednesday, December 16th
6:00 – 9:00 pm
to benefit

The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health

A $10 donation entitles you to extended Happy Hour specials including:
$3 Blue Moon, Stella, Bass, & Sam Adams & Half Price Appetizers

Buy $2 raffle tickets for a chance at a $50 gift card to Caddies!

All donations and raffle sales go to The Children’s Inn at NIH.

The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health, is a private, non-profit,
residential “place like home” for sick children and their families. Children come from across the country and around the world to stay together with their families in The Inn’s healing environment while receiving groundbreaking medical treatments at the NIH, the world’s leading biomedical research center. While the NIH takes care of the child’s medical needs, The Inn tends to the child’s heart, soul and spirit.

On Monday, December 7, Morton’s The Steakhouse is hosting the Redskins for a Meet-and-Greet.  Chat with your favorite athletes, get autographs, and enjoy Morton’s Bar Bites, all for free!  The players will be around from 6:30pm to 8:00pm before heading into the boardroom to watch Monday Night football.

Morton’s The Steakhouse
7400 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD
301.657.2650

On Thursday, December 3, celebrate the Grand Opening of Flippin’ Pizza and get two free slices (cheese or pepperoni) and a drink during these special hours:
Lunch – Noon to 2:00pm
Dinner – 5:30 to 7:30 pm

Flippin’ Pizza Bethesda
10400 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20815
240.333.2490

Bethesda, and the DC area overall, continues to have a transportation problem, be it the congestion, lack of necessary infrastructure and, despite Metro’s assertions to the contrary, poor public transportation.  The transportation issue was one of McDonnell’s platform issues in his win over Creigh Deeds for Virginia Governor.  These problems were highlighted in last week’s 2 day traffic light debacle that double or tripled people’s work commutes.

Also discussed at the Council hearing was the ongoing debate between Montgomery County Light Rail or Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).  This same debate continues for the Purple Line or BRT.  The Council will vote on the I-270 widening next week, but given Maryland’s fiscal problems, don’t expect too much movement on these projects in the near term, regardless of what plan is ultimately approved.

Does this mean a move the the company?  It’s hard to say so early in the process, but it can be taken as a sign of a potential economic upswing in the works.  Scripps CEO Ken Lowe said in a statement on the deal that Scripps can “build on Travel’s strong brand identity and leverage the successes achieved to date by the top-notch team at Travel Channel and our new partners at Cox Communications.”  It’s also a sign that the Bethesda area continues to be a strong economic center in the DC area.