Bethesda Loop

February 13, 2026

🏗️ Friendship Heights Getting a Glow-Up

Good morning, Bethesdan!

Valentine's weekend idea:

"Babe, let's watch curling tonight." Nothing says romance like two people whispering "nice sweep" in a silent room.

In today's Bethesda Loop,

• Friendship Heights makeover plans

• Woman's Club of Chevy Chase Upscale/Resale

• NIH workers benefit concert at The Alley @ Bethesda Boards

Let's Loop.

🗞️ The Local Lowdown

📰 Friendship Heights is Getting a Makeover

Friendship Heights Sector Plan Preliminary Recommendations

The Montgomery County Planning Board is moving forward with a major rethink of the Friendship Heights neighborhood. Staff briefed the board yesterday on preliminary recommendations for the updated Friendship Heights Sector Plan, the first revision since 1998.

The plan's vision: transform Friendship Heights into a thriving regional destination where people of all ages and backgrounds can live, work and play. The area has seen rising retail and office vacancies in recent years, and its population has held flat at roughly 6,000 residents for the past two decades.

Planners say more housing, better pedestrian safety, new green spaces, and community amenities like a library and full-service pharmacy are among the top priorities that emerged from over a year of community engagement.

On the development side, a market study found that residential construction is the most feasible near-term path forward, with both townhomes and mid-rise multifamily buildings (6-7 stories) identified as viable. The plan also calls for preserving Friendship Heights' unusual cluster of medical office uses and strengthening the Wisconsin Avenue corridor as an economic center.

Read the full recommendations [Montgomery Planning]

🥗 Pura Vida Miami now open in Cabin John Village. Pura Vida Miami brings its cult-favorite açai bowls and green smoothies to the former Colada Shop space on Tuckerman Lane, with bright interiors and a plant-filled patio perfect for your next clean-eating Instagram moment. Check out the opening

📧 The sewage spill becoming the largest ever. What started as a Clara Barton Parkway pipe collapse has now appears to have become the largest wastewater disaster in U.S. history, with millions of gallons still flowing into the Potomac. Read the latest [The Hill]

🎨 Glenstone unveils America's story through art. Two powerful new exhibitions open today at Glenstone: 'Ties of our common kindred' explores America's 250th anniversary through the museum's collection in the Gallery, while three masterworks by Jasper Johns now command Room 9 of the Pavilions. Plan your visit [Glenstone] Full story [glenstone.org]

🏒 🏸 Winter Term II sports registration opens today at 6:30am. Grab your spot for ice skating and tennis classes starting February 21. The popular eight-week session fills fast, so set those alarms. Register here

✨ Young artists, your gallery debut awaits. VisArts wants DMV creatives aged 17-27 for NextGen 13.0, complete with mentorship, critiques, and that first professional show feeling. Applications close March 11. Submit your application

🐕 Animal shelter hosts Valentine's adoption event. Montgomery County Animal Services offers half-off adoption fees for large dogs this weekend (2/14-15), with nearly 80 dogs needing homes at critical capacity. See available dogs

🗳️ Time to throw your hat in the ring. Aspiring County Executive, Council, or School Board candidates must file in person by 9pm February 24, with campaign committees, financial disclosures, and fees ready to go. Learn about filing requirements

🥃 Your top-shelf dreams just got real. February's Highly Allocated drop lands Saturday with the new Old Fitzgerald 7-Year Bottled in Bond at both Bethesda stores. The real race? Hampden Lane, where Eagle Rare 10-Year is limited to just 6 bottles. Westbard got 18 Eagle Rares and a county-high 36 bottles of Weller 12-Year. First come, first served, two-bottle limit. See the full allocations

🗓️ The Social Calendar

Support the Loop by mentioning it when you attend.

Fri · Feb 13

Bethesda Estate Sale

9am-2pm · 5619 Oak Place

Friday 9am-2pm, Saturday 9am-2pm, Sunday 10am-1pm

Great Backyard Bird Count

9am-10am · Locust Grove Nature Center

Join Montgomery Parks naturalists to spot and count local bird species as part of this nationwide community science project. Bring binoculars or borrow theirs. Register in link

Bethesda Estate Sale

10am-3pm · 6204 Clearwood Rd

10am-3pm Friday through Sunday

The International Gem & Jewelry Show

12pm-6pm · Montgomery County Fairgrounds

America's Jewelry Marketplace celebrates 59 years with a three-day showcase featuring gemstones, jewelry, and accessories from numerous vendors. Friday 12pm-6pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

The Past, Present and Future of the Bethesda Meeting House

2pm-3:15pm · Connie Morella Library

Bethesda historian Hank Levine presents an illustrated tour of the 1820 Meeting House's history, from its rare slave gallery and Lincoln worship tradition to Confederate occupation and current restoration plans.

Middle School Maker Night

5:30pm · KID Museum

Middle schoolers tinker with tools and tech in this monthly hands-on workshop series. Register in link

Valentine's Salsa & Wine Night

6:30pm · Salsa With Silvia Bethesda

Silvia teaches romantic partner moves while you sip complimentary wine.

Sat · Feb 14

Burn Boot Burn Camp Bethesda MD Free Pop-up Camp

8:30am · 5471 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-3546, United States

Burn Boot Camp trainers lead a 45-minute Valentine's-themed workout mixing strength training, cardio intervals, and partner exercises for all fitness levels.

WCCC's Upscale/Resale

10am-4pm · The Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase

The Woman's Club of Chevy Chase 3rd annual fundraiser brings you designer clothes, fine jewelry, silver, crystal, art, and furniture at bargain prices with all proceeds funding local student scholarships. Saturday & Sunday 10am-4pm

Big Love, Little Paws Grand Opening Celebration

12pm-3pm · 5 Wisconsin Cir, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA

CityVet's new Chevy Chase clinic throws a pet-friendly grand opening with hot cocoa bar, pet-and-owner photo booth, bouquet bar, and live caricatures by a local artist.

Vintage Heart Cake Decorating Workshop

1pm-3pm · The Red Bandana Bakery

Learn cake carving, frosting tricks, and piping techniques from local bakers, then take home your vintage-style heart cake for your valentine or galentine. Register in link

Hyatt Regency Bethesda Valentine's Day Comedy Magic Matinee

2pm-3:30pm · Hyatt Regency Bethesda

Award-winning magician Mark Phillips and bubble magician Meadow Perry duel with mind-bending illusions and rapid-fire comedy, letting the audience vote for the victor while sipping two included drinks. Tickets in link

Parents Night Out

5:30pm · Bethesda Martial Arts

Drop the kids at this Valentine's pizza-and-play party while you enjoy a few hours of grown-up time.

Cupid's Cabaret

7pm-10pm · ON St. Elmo

Cirque performers weave through your three-course Valentine's dinner at this adults-only cabaret experience, followed by late-night dancing at ON Lounge. Reserve in link

Sun · Feb 15

Celebrate Lunar New Year

11am-3pm · Westfield Montgomery

Watch lion and dragon dances, martial arts demos, and traditional Chinese music performances presented by the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center to ring in the Year of the Horse.

👉 See every Bethesda event on our full calendar 👈

🎷 Live & Local-ish Music

Fri

Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival
Bethesda Marriott · 3-11:59pm · TIX

Three as One
Sala Thai · 7-9pm

Brent & Co.
Clyde's of Chevy Chase · 5:30pm

Ian Mabley: A Shrewdness of Apes
Gallery B · 6pm

Zachary Smith and the Mardi Gras Kings
The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer · 7pm

Lesson Zero
Tommy Joe's · 7pm-10pm

Kiti and the Drifting Valentines
Clyde's of Chevy Chase · 10pm

Sat

Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival
Bethesda Marriott · 8:30am-11:59pm · TIX