Such a fun way to spend an afternoon...you can't find so many different types of art from jewelry…read moreto stained glass ornaments to paintings to photography. So many amazing things to look at and purchase...wish it happened more than just annually. Also wish there some more food options and a beer or wine garden so you could make an entire afternoon out of the event other than just walking through....

A-RTS is a world class art and crafts fair held in Rockville Town Square. You can't ask for a…read morebetter location outdoors because it's adjacent to metro, lots of free parking, and the atmosphere is low-key. The calibre of artists and craftspeople who are presenting their creations is truly top notch. You can acquire some incredible large-format sculpture and art (or just oggle at the inventiveness and craft of the artists). However, if you are simply dabbling in token gifts and small home decorations, this fair won't fail you either. With a broad variety of styles and of price points, everyone can score something unique and fanciful. By discussing the craft and choices with the artist, you can feel truly good about supporting local artists. This arts fair evokes the best of people-to-people markets which is frankly a dying experience given the prevalence of the mall retail world. If this festival was held in downtown DC it would be chockablock full of people and the atmosphere would feel a lot more pressured and crowded. I know that is good for the sellers, but as a buyer I couldn't have been happier with the mellow, small-town feel of Rockville Town Center. Nearby you have a plethora of restaurants in which to dine/relax after taking a turn through the stalls. See my review of Rockville Town Square for selections. While attending I learned about arts communities nearby, including a pottery crawl in Richmond VA which I will surely try to attend. This is a wonderful experience and I would recommend all to savor the riches of arts in our local community through this fair.

The 2015 Montgomery County Fair is wonderful. Worth every penny of the $10 admission fee…read more The agricultural exhibitions are heartwarming. Seeing the 4-H kids care for and show their livestock is a privilege. These youngsters are carrying on a tradition that the USA mightily needs. The farm animals are adorable and many can be petted. Just talking with the Maryland farm families is fabulous. This year's food and drink vendors do not disappoint. Here's my recommendations: Be sure and get a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich sold at The Big Cheese booth. They're made right before your eyes and come out hot and gooey. Hands down this is THE BEST food item this year. The meals for sale at two competing church booths--St. Francis of Assisi Catholic and Germantown United Methodist--feature some highly respectable pulled-meat BBQ sandwiches (both chicken and pork), along with some killer fries. There's a vendor selling large ears of freshly roasted corn that be can dipped (or not) in butter before purchase. A condiment table offers all kinds of salts, hot sauces and cheese toppings. The roasting of the corn makes it nutty-tasting and plumps up the kernels. I could not finish my ear because it was so huge, and was depressed beyond words. Freshly-squeezed lemonade for sale all over the fairgrounds is tart, refreshing and addictive. The free entertainment is out of the ordinary and fun: piglet races; magic acts; a "chainsaw chick" who creates impressive works of art from wood; local dance troupes, etc. You name it, it's here. Of course no fair is complete without rides and amusements and the "Carnival" section has something for all ages seeking thrills. The high-flying swing ride is wildly popular. But you better act fast. This edition of the Montgomery County Fair closes at midnight on Sunday, August 23, 2015.

The 2016 fair is so-so. It's kind of a scam if you're not really careful about how much you spend…read more You can park at Lakeforest Mall and take the ''shuttle'' to the fairgrounds (it's just a school bus), and then you pay $10/person to get in, plus payment for tickets OR a $15 wristband on wristband days to ride all the rides you want as long as you get there before 5:00PM. So if you get wristbands, you're already at $25/person. If you get food and drinks, that's easily another $20-$30/person extra because the food and drinks are crazy overpriced. Fries for $7? A corn dog for $8? Lemonade for $5? It's insane. The games are an entirely different ball game. AVOID them. The people running the games will taunt you as you walk by and make you want to play but don't. They're all rip-offs. $5/game seems reasonable but it's really not because you're tempted to keep playing until you win something and before you know it you've spent $30. Plus, that $5 doesn't even give you much - 3 basketballs at the shoot-out games and 3 darts at the balloon ones. Again, it's insane. The rides, on the other hand, are actually not bad. Some of them are uncomfortable and rickety, but the others are pretty smooth and thrilling. Getting the wristband is a good investment because getting tickets if you wanna ride a lot of rides ends up being more expensive. Expect lines. And if it rains, the rides will definitely close down. The agricultural stuff is okay. I didn't see a petting zoo this time, but there is a rabbit house and barns where they keep cows and pigs and chickens. It's cool and all but beware of the smell and the nasty pathways.

The 9th annual World of Montgomery Festival is held each year in October to celebrate the rich…read morediversity of Montgomery County through international music, food, dance, culturally authentic arts demos, hands-on activities, and more. It is visible that the county cares about this event and one of the many proofs is that they even created a "kids passport" where kids can get a stamp in one of or all of the international tents. There was enough food (7 different vendors) but I liked the best palak paneer from Tandori nights. The cheese actually had a defined taste that complimented the spinach. There was so much to do and see and maybe the only complain to post is that it was almost too much of it on a very small area. I would recommend having one stage instead of two. I know that is hard because there was so much to showcase and so little time but two loud concerts within 600 feet is too much - along with other sounds that were presents. The parade of the cultures was so much fun!! I wish we have a Holiday where all the ethnic fabric that America is made off would dance and present them like they did it at the World of Montgomery Festival. It was amazing to see a National Federation for Blind (live the life you want) to march along - they may have got the loudest applause. No entrance fee, plenty of stuff for the entire family, affordable ethnic meals, free parking all makes it very attractive and friendly festival. Besides waving the African basket or making Ukrainian bread you could have witnessed many science and STEM experiments (live) which emphasized the role of the education for all. Everybody was happy to contribute their piece for this great diversity event - as much as we participants enjoyed it watching it. The pictures will tell the rest of the story.

Very disorganized, as far as food service goes. People are scrambling to get in line, and when you…read moretell the food vendors what you want, someone else will take your same order and walk out. A 12oz can of Coke was $3 and a Capri Sun drink was $5

Salvadoran American Festival is a gathering of very happy people. I have felt their lust for life…read more I spoke with many and many more explained their customs to me. It felt like a true street festival with vendors inviting you in Spanish to try their best food. It was not crowded as much as expected. One Salvadoran person said that the reason is fear of deportation (a young man living nearby, who got a soccer college scholarship got to be deported to El-Salvador a few days before) and another person said that the venue is bigger hence it seems that the crowd is smaller. There were about dozen food vendors and half of those offered delicious pupusas. A lot of lemonade for $2 or pina colada for $4. The entertainment program was going well with various music, dance and comedy. The highlight was a man dressed as a women who made a lot of people laugh and was followed with the punchline siren in the background. Very happy and very safe event with at least half dozen police cars around (not sure if they were looking for MS-13 gang members). I liked that many folks spoke to me in Spanish so I felt like a (tall) Salvadorian for a moment and that made me happy. Eating at the very large communal tables was added bonus as you get to interact with others. One thing was very different - the organizer combines Salvadoran festival with Latin Health fair so there was a lot of free health clinic (small buses and tents) for people who may not have insurance like I do so that was very good for them.

HTH is the nickname for this 3-day festival that is held once a year during Memorial Day Weekend…read more Food - vendors from RTS and some neighboring restaurants - you need a ticket to get any of these tastes (all are between 1 to 5 tickets). You have to purchase the tickets at Ticket Booths, but they do accept cash & credit. Music - I am always discovering music at this festival and I love live music. Some performers I have become fans of since seeing them perform live at this festival: Shane Gamble - 2013. John Brown's Body - 2014. Taller Tales - today 2019. I also come back to listen to regulars like Jah Works (reggae) and Chopteeth Band (Afrofunk) - both always puts on a show whenever they perform. There is even a beach for the kids (sand and all), a kids area, and other non-food vendors. They also have a parade on Memorial Day as well. All of this make up this festival, so it is worth checking out each year. Tips: ** Bring a chair although it is not required and some stages provide chairs. ** I think the event is rain or shine as I have watched a performance in the rain. ** Get a HTH mug as a souvenir. ** Have fun.

I felt like I am going to a meeting of some secret society when I went to Latvian Christmas Bazaar…read morebecause it was not advertised except on the Latvian Lutheran church web site. That feeling grew stronger when I saw that there is no visible sign outside of the building about the bazaar inside the building. I saw all the people using one particular not-specially marked door so I followed the suit. All that changed when I entered the building seeing the children begging the parents to buy them Latvian chocolates and elderly people moving without any hesitation, exactly knowing where they are going. That was confirmed when one couple told me that this bazaar is their 47th Latvian bazaar in the row. I understand that sentiment of no advertising, the banquet hall is just a perfect size for the local Latvian community and more people could mean longer lines and less comfort. The market was very nice - cool shirts and stuff by ethnografix; traditional clothing, jewelry and Christmas decorations and lot of food to buy and take home. The kitchen and 6 Latvian ladies in it seemed very well organized. People nicely stood in the line and moved quickly to get Latvian winter food. I was reminded that the ethnic festivals offers only what was available at that time in the country of origins (no strawberries in Fall). They also have plenty of available free juice and water and the utensils were made of metal (it is almost always convenient plastic). The sausages were tasty and offer variation in taste; sauerkraut was almost sweet and I loved it; potato salad was made with eggs. The cakes were even better - both, cranberry and mocha cakes were great choices and any restaurant would be a proud proprietor to have them. There were moist and sweet but not too sweet - perfect. Latvian Christmas Bazaar was successful venture, enhancing my desire to visit Latvia one day and experience Latvian rich culture even more.