February 25, 2026 |  | 🖼️ Merritt Gallery Takes Its Final Bow | | Good morning, Bethesdan! I have a friend who's a personal trainer. He said, "Name one exercise you do regularly." I said, "I jump to conclusions." Apparently that didn't count. In today's Bethesda Loop, - Merritt Gallery closes after 40 years - Grab coffee at Latte with a Cop - Bach to Rock Bethesda Band Showcase at Pizzeria Da Marco Let's Loop. | | 🖼️ Merritt Gallery closes after 40 years. |  Merritt Gallery | After four decades as a fixture in the local art world, Merritt Gallery & Renaissance Fine Arts has announced it is closing all locations, with a final sale now underway. Browse the closing sale |
| | 🚨 Potomac Riverkeeper lays out five actions ahead of DC Water meeting. Ahead of tonight's Community Meeting with DC Water on the Potomac Interceptor Response, the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, citing independent sampling with University of Maryland researchers, confirmed dangerously high levels of E. coli and pathogens in the river and has recommended 5 essential actions local leaders should take. Read the full statement | | 🏅 WJ junior wins national remodeling award. A Walter Johnson High School junior took home the inaugural Rising Star Award at the Professional Remodeling Organization's Annual Awards Gala in Gaithersburg, recognized among more than 200 industry professionals. Read the story [MoCo Show] | | 🥩 Silver and Sons teams up with Z&Z Bakery. In an email to supporters, Silver and Sons BBQ is collaborating with Rockville's Z&Z Bakery this week only on two limited items: a Nashville Harissa Hot Chicken Pita available at the Bethesda shop today through Sunday, and a Smoked Lamb Manoushe at Z&Z today through Friday. Scope the specials | | 🎹 New piano school opens on Wisconsin Ave. Payam Music has set up shop at 8311 Wisconsin Ave with private piano lessons for all ages and a proprietary method that swaps traditional sheet music for alphanumeric notation. Check out the studio | | 🎭 BLT holds open auditions for new musical. Bethesda Little Theatre is casting "American Dream Deferred" with open auditions March 23 and 28 at the Palisades HUB, seeking singers and dancers 18+ for six June performances at Montgomery College's Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring. Get audition details | | 📖 Book club meets craft night at DabbleLab. District DabbleLab's new "Plot Twisted" series kicks off April 22 with Marie Bostwick's *The Book Club for Troublesome Women*, pairing each read with a hands-on craft like painted canvases and quote art for $50 a session, BYOB encouraged. See the lineup | | 👟 Beginner ballroom classes start in March. Capital Ballroom Dance Studio on Wisconsin Ave kicks off a 9-class beginner series on March 3, with Viennese Waltz at 7pm and American Swing at 7:45pm, priced at $160 per person or $25 drop-in. Sign up for classes | | 🔧 KID Museum recruits teen inventors for spring challenge. KID Museum in Bethesda is signing up middle schoolers for its Invent the Future Challenge, a 7-week after-school club starting March 11 (Wednesdays, 4:30–6 p.m.) with an Expo showcase on May 31 open to 650+ students from across the region. Register your team | | 🚆 Purple Line reaches 90% complete. The Purple Line is now nearly 90% complete, with virtual community advisory meetings planned for April 14 through 28 to update residents on construction progress, bridge completion, and expanded light-rail vehicle testing. See the meeting schedule [Bethesda Magazine] | | 🐸 County Parks wants your help listening for frogs. Montgomery Parks is training volunteer FrogWatch scientists to track breeding calls of 14 local frog and toad species at county wetlands, with a virtual session on February 27 at 7 p.m. Sign up to volunteer |
| | Support the Loop by mentioning it when you attend. | | Latte with a Cop 8:30am-10am · La Gelatteria Bethesda police officers set up shop at La Gelatteria for casual, off-the-clock conversation over coffee (no agenda, just neighbors talking). | Max's Mic Night 6pm · Max's Best Ice Cream Max's Best Ice Cream and Best Buddies host an inclusive karaoke night with fan-favorite scoops and a $25 gift card raffle on the line. |
| | GBCC Women's Networking Group 4pm · Pink Moon The Greater Bethesda Chamber's women's networking group meets at Pink Moon for its regular roundtable on running a business, growing a career, and getting real advice from people who've been there. RSVP in link | Jeopardy: Black History Edition 4:45pm · Davis Library Davis Library hosts a team-based Black History Month Jeopardy tournament for middle and high schoolers, with prizes on the line and snacks on the table. Sign up in link | The Life and Legacy of Reverend Josiah Henson 6pm · Connie Morella Library The Josiah Henson Museum and Park presents a talk on the Montgomery County-connected abolitionist whose 1849 autobiography inspired Uncle Tom's Cabin and whose North Bethesda plantation site is now a museum and park just up the road. | Happy Hour for Newport Mill Middle School 6pm · Babycat Brewery Kensington A portion of your tab goes directly to Newport Mill Middle School, so drinking a beer counts as civic engagement. |
| | | | Bethesda Girlies: Mahj and Mimosas 1pm · Beth's The Bethesda Girlies group hosts an afternoon of mahjong paired with mimosas, a low-key way to pick up the game or sharpen your tiles alongside fellow players. | Parkinson's Revolution DC 2026 1:30pm · Soul Cycle Spin for a cause alongside the Parkinson's Foundation community in an indoor cycling ride - in-person or virtual - followed by the Sweat Social, a post-ride gathering with light refreshments open to riders, friends, family, and the PD community. Register in link | Play In A Day 8pm · Imagination Stage Six professional D.C.-area theatre companies each have exactly 24 hours to write, rehearse, and perform an original ten-minute play built around the same surprise themes and the results are as chaotic and genuinely impressive as you'd hope. Tickets in link |
| | Storytime with Kari Lavelle - Butt or Face? Volume 4: Ador-A-Butts 10:30am · Wonderland Books Bethesda Award-winning children's author Kari Lavelle reads from the latest in her animal-guessing series, where kids study close-up photos and decide: are they looking at a face or a butt? | Sahara Dance Spring Hafla Featuring Marta Korzun 4pm · Bacchus Of Lebanon Sahara Dance showcases its developing choreography students in an intimate performance, then brings in acclaimed belly dance artist Marta Korzun for a close-up set you rarely get outside a major stage. Tickets in link |
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| 👉 See every Bethesda event on our full calendar 👈 | | | Wed | Bill Baker Band
Hank Dietles · 5:30pm | Inn House Band
The Irish Inn · 6pm | Rick Whitehead Jazz Trio
Hank Dietles · 8pm | RENT in Concert
Strathmore · 8pm · TIX |
| | Thu | Bert Keith
Hank Dietle's · 5:30pm | Jeff Herbert
The Irish Inn · 6pm | Traditional Irish Music w/ Mike Winch
The Hunters Hound · 7pm | Miramar
Strathmore Arts · 7:30pm · TIX | The Thrills
Hank Dietles · 8pm |
| | Fri | Jonathan Sloane
Clyde's of Chevy Chase · 5:30pm | The Poor Ellen Smith Band
Hanke Dietle's · 5:30pm | SK Jazz
Sala Thai · 7pm | Blondie Meets Talking Heads
Tommy Joe's · 7pm | Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Strathmore · 7:30pm · TIX | Late as Usual
Rock Creek Mansion · 8pm | Kingpin ft. Keith Grimes
Hank Dietle's · 9pm | My Chemical Bromance
Caddies on Cordell · 9:30pm | Free Flowing Musical Experience
Clyde's of Chevy Chase · 10pm |
| | Sat | Bach To Rock Bethesda Band Showcase
Pizzeria Da Marco · 12pm | The Big Howdy Band
Afrio's La Trattoria · 7pm | Fat Nave ft. The Don Z Scheme
The Alley at Bethesda Boards · 7pm | Tom Blood & The Late As Usual Band
Tommy Joe's · 7pm | In Gratitude: A Tribute To Earth, Wind & Fire
Bethesda Theater · 8pm | Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: The Rite of Spring
Strathmore · 8pm · TIX | Paul Salfi Trio
The Hunters Hound · 8pm | Sarah Borges Band featuring Eric Ambel w/Ruthie Logsdon & Arch Alcantara
Hank Dietles · 9pm · TIX | Joe Falero's Band
On St. Elmo · 9pm | Rev 6
Caddies on Cordell · 9:30pm | King Moon Racer
Clyde's of Chevy Chase · 10pm |
| | Sun | Cathy Ponton King Band
Hank Dietles · 2pm | Annapolis Symphony Orchestra: Echoes of Heritage w/Olga Kern
The Music Center at Strathmore · 3pm · TIX | Seán Heely, Kevin Elam & Ellen Gira
St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church · 4pm · TIX | Brooks Tegler
The Irish Inn · 4:30pm | Sunny Mondays
Bach to Rock Bethesda · 5pm | Big Sandy & The Fly-Rite Boys
Hank Dietles · 6pm · TIX | Open Mic hosted by Jon Mann & Charlie Bryant
The Hunters Hound · 7:15pm |
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| *Dates & times subject to change | Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here |   | Thanks for reading! Colin & Jonathan Your neighbors at the Loop |
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