‘HOLLA’ POINTS
&
Sinbad talks about his life, influences and new show. A-11
The Gazette OLNEY
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
25 cents
Fears of fair fleeing unfounded Executive director: ‘The fairground is not for sale’
n
BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
Imagine retail stores where the carousel spins, cafés instead of piglet races and a 12-story apartment building where Old MacDonald’s Barn now stands. It could happen, thanks to last spring’s rezoning of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds. But the executive director of the fair, Martin Svrcek, says there are no plans to scrap the fair in favor of a
neighborhood with more than 1 million square feet of commercial and office space and 1,350 homes, as outlined in the rezoning documents. “The only new plans are the construction of the new Old MacDonald’s Barn,” Svrcek said. The Montgomery County Agricultural Center owns the 63 acres. “The fairground is not for sale.” Last June, Gaithersburg leaders approved an application from the Montgomery County Agricultural Center to rezone the fairground. The zoning had been
See FAIR, Page A-6
Serving up a record The Big Cheese surpasses goal of 10,000 sandwiches n
BY KRISTA BRICK STAFF WRITER
It’s not every Friday night that you eat the record-breaking grilled cheese sandwich. But on Friday at precisely 9:50 p.m., one day before the wrap-up of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, Gina Consumano of Rockville ordered and ate the 10,000th
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
The 65th fair at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds.
NewSAME buildings, SPIRIT
grilled cheese sandwich made at The Big Cheese. That sandwich put the fair past the 10,000 sandwich goal set by The Big Cheese’s operator Ed Hogan. In all, 11,772 gooey, toasted sandwiches were sold this year. For Consumano, 25, the $3.50 sandwich lived up to its hype. “Grilled cheese is just the all-American food. I wouldn’t say I am a connoisseur but when I ate it I thought it was good,” she said, adding that this
See RECORD, Page A-10
Changing how people think of ink Sandy Spring shop clientele includes cancer patients, soldiers, professionals
n
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
tary schools, Herbert Hoover Middle School and Paint Branch High School. A number of elementary schools will open Aug. 26 with new additions, including Bradley Hills, Georgian Forest, Viers Mill, Westbrook and Wyngate. Though Gaithersburg still was in prep mode on Monday, it already showed signs of the activity it will hold starting this fall. As varsity and junior varsity football players practiced on the new turf field and a group of band members practiced in an open commons area of the hallway, teachers trained in the new
Leslie Kern of North Potomac never thought she would be a “tattoo person.” Then again she never thought she would be faced with breast cancer. While she said she tried not to be judgmental of others who had them, she never thought that she’d find herself in a tattoo parlor, but she said her experience has changed her life. Like other breast cancer patients, Kern was referred to tattoo artist Tina Marie, owner of Tantric Tattoo and Boutique in Sandy Spring, by her reconstructive surgeon, following a bilateral mastectomy. The doctor mentioned nipple reconstruction to her several times, but she wasn’t interested in restoring something “that had tried to kill her.” A friend who had also had breast cancer revealed her 3-D nipple tattoos, done by Marie. “They were amazing, so I went to visit Tina,” said Kern. “I fell in love with her right away; she’s such a neat person, extremely compassionate, very professional, and amazingly talented.” She ended up with flowers tattooed on her breast, with a little bumblebee. “The bee is to ward off future cancer, and as a reminder that I got stung, but didn’t go down,” Kern said. She said the experience took her from being self-conscious to being proud. “In the locker room, I used to be the one huddled in the corner afraid someone would see my scars, and from there I became a flasher,” Kern said. “It has totally changed how I feel about myself.” Kern said her mother was totally against the idea of her getting a tattoo. “Now she wants to meet Tina, since she totally changed my life,” she said. Working on cancer patients, particularly those who have had breast cancer, has become a large part of Marie’s business. Several area surgeons refer patients to her. Marie said she tries to work with each of the patients in terms of cost to get the tattoo. Sometimes, if the procedure is done in a doc-
See SCHOOLS, Page A-10
See INK, Page A-10
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
The entrance of the new Gaithersburg High School on Tuesday as teachers and students prepare for the start of the school year next week. BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
While Gaithersburg High School students are making their final preparations as the academic year draws closer, their school continued its own steps this week to get ready for them. The high school’s new building showed signs of a long-term project undergoing its final stage: “Wet Paint” signs cautioned passers-by Monday, minor construction work produced whirs and beeps, and tables and other furniture stood ready for arrangement. As she walked through the 422,000-square-
n
SCHOOLS ACROSS MONTGOMERY WELCOME STUDENTS WITH CHANGE OF SCENERY
foot building on Monday, Dr. Christine Handy-Collins, the high school’s principal, said everything will be ready before school starts on Aug. 26. “We’ll be ready to rock ’n’ roll,” she said. Gaithersburg High students will be among a group of county public school students passing through new doors this fall, including those at Glenallan and Weller Road elemen-
NEWS
SPORTS
Elementary school welcomes Pinkowitz as new principal.
Baseline concussion testing is officially part of all Montgomery County Public Schools sports programs.
NEW FACE IN HALLS OF BELMONT A-4
MANDATORY TESTING FOR ATHLETES
B-1
Automotive Calendar Celebrations Classified Community News Entertainment Opinion Sports Please
RECYCLE
B-13 A-2 B-7 B-9 A-4 A-11 A-8 B-1
Check out our Services Directory ADVERTISING INSIDE B SECTION
1906605