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From the City’s website:

2008 Independence Day Celebration Weekend

Staying in town this Fourth of July?  Join in some local fun as the City of Gaithersburg and 97.1 WASH-FM present a Big Bang Weekend Celebration Thursday, July 3 through Monday, July 7.  All concerts are free. 

The weekend kicks off with a children’s concert featuring the ever-popular Mr. Ray on Thursday, July 3 at 10:30 a.m. at the City Hall Concert Pavilion, 31 South Summit Avenue in Olde Towne Gaithersburg. Mr. Ray brings a unique, brand of cool, hip, positive entertainment for the entire family to enjoy.  This concert is also sponsored in part by www.tots2tweens.com.

The festivities continue on Friday with Gaithersburg’s Fourth of July Fireworks and Concert at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 16 Chestnut Street. Gates open at 5 p.m. Walk in at Chestnut or Dalamar Streets; Perry Parkway itself and the Perry Parkway entrance will be closed. No cars will be allowed in the Fairgrounds. WASH FM starts the night off at 6 p.m. with fun and games for the whole family, followed by a concert featuring Powerhouse at 7 p.m. A special City ceremony will take place at 8 p.m., with more concert to follow.  The City’s spectacular fireworks display begins at dusk. A variety of food will be sold at this event. Absolutely NO alcoholic beverages, glass containers, rollerblades, skates, bikes, pets, or fireworks of any kind will be permitted.  The rain date for the fireworks is Saturday, July 5.

Get whisked away to little latitudes on Saturday, July 5 when B2B, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, performs at the City Hall Concert Pavilion at 7 p.m.  You’ll feel like you’re on a tropical island as the band plays Jimmy Buffett favorites that will sweep you away to paradise.  Note that if the July 4 fireworks are postponed until July 5, this concert will take place at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

The exciting spirit known as “Beatlemania” is alive again in The Return, the world’s most authentic Beatles tribute band.  Enjoy this amazingly energetic concert on Sunday, July 6 at 5 p.m. at the City Hall Concert Pavilion.  Note that this concert was originally scheduled for May 31 but was cancelled due to inclement weather that day. 

One more exciting concert rounds out Big Bang Weekend.  Girl Authority, a group of real girls with different personalities and interests, come together to sing, dance and put their own spin on girl power hits when they perform on Monday, July 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the City Hall Concert Pavilion.  This concert is sponsored in part by www.tots2tweens.com.

Click on the links below for more information or call 301-258-6350 or email parksrec@gaithersburgmd.gov.

• Big Band Weekend Events
• On Stage Summer Concert Series

Following the “Big Bang Weekend” link:

Big Bang Weekend - July 3 - 7

On Stage celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Free concerts begin at 10:30 a.m.
at the City Hall Concert Pavilion. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket, lawn chairs and a picnic.

A parking garage is located across the street from pavilion.

 

Thursday, July 3, 2008 - 10:30 a.m. * City Hall Concert Pavillion Mr. Ray Mr. Ray brings his brand of cool, hip, positive entertainment for the whole family to Gaithersburg. www.mrray.com
Friday, July 4, 2008 Independence Day Fireworks and Concert Montgomery County Fairgrounds Concert with Powerhouse - 7 p.m. Fireworks at Dusk Food available for sale Raindate — Fireworks and Concert by B2B at Fairgrounds Sat., July 5
Saturday, July 5, 2008 City Hall Concert Pavillion B2B — Jimmy Buffett Tribute Band If fireworks are postponed until July 5, this concert will take place at the Fairgrounds The main ingredient in any B2B performance is the same laid back, tropical attitude that Jimmy Buffett displays whenever he performs. So kick off your shoes and let us take you away to the little latitudes. www.b2bband.com
Sunday, July 6, 2008 - 5 p.m. City Hall Concert Pavillion The Return — The Beatles Tribute Band The exciting spirit known as “Beatlemania” is alive again in The Return — the world’s most authentic Beatles tribute band.  Music fans from every generation can experience the same thrill felt by those who saw the Beatles live in the ’60’s. www.thereturnonline.com            View a preview of The Return (use Windows Media Player)
Monday, July 7, 2008 - 10:30 a.m. * City Hall Concert Pavillion Girl Authority Girl Authority is a group of real girls with different personalities and interests coming together to sing, dance and put their own spin on girl power pop hits you know and love. www.girlauthority.com

*sponsored in part by www.tots2tweens.com

The City’s annual Winter Lights Festival opened for the season yesterday. This is a popular event, although personally I don’t usually get inspired to go until we get a blanket of snow to give the lights a white background. The event is held at Seneca Creek State Park, on Clopper Road west of Quince Orchard Road. Open from 6:00 to 9:00 pm Sunday through Thursday and 6:00 to 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, admission is by the vehicle: $10 per car Sunday through Thursday and $12 per car on Friday and Saturday. Large vans and Buses cost more. $2 discount coupons — good only Sunday through Thursday — are available at Lakeforest Mall, and all proceeds go to the charities listed on the City’s website.

This year there will be six opportunities — twice on each of three dates — to ride the City’s open-air “trolley” through the display. The first chance at this is this coming Monday, November 27, at 6:30 and 7:30. Tickets to the trolley rides are $5 each. The trolley is also scheduled to run December 4 and December 11. Obviously you’ll need to dress to be outside for an hour in whatever weather those dates bring. According to the City, “Seating is limited, and is available on a first come, first served basis.”

Update: ABC News has also done a story in this.

Car salesman Jim Sell said he also was deceived by the lure of cold-hard cash when the producers of Borat approached him to participate at the Criswell Chevrolet car dealership in Gaithersburg, Md.

“They put [the release] in front of me right when they were giving me the $150,” Sell said.

He didn’t read through the release because the crew had already started filming. Sell also worries that his reputation as a dealer of fine vehicles will be tarnished by the implication that he sold Borat an ice-cream truck. (For the record, he did not.)

Parts of the new movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan were filmed in Gaithersburg, at Criswell Automotive. From a story in the Baltimore Sun:

Others featured in the film, including a Gaithersburg car salesman, found out about their roles in similar ways.

At Criswell Automotive, a Chevrolet dealership in Montgomery County, salesman Jim Sell has been interviewed by several national entertainment reporters, operations manager Tony Bartolomeo said yesterday.

Sell wasn’t working yesterday, but Bartolomeo said that Sell “is just not sure what he said” in the film. So, Bartolomeo said, his colleagues planned to see the movie last night.

Also featured in the film is Perry Hall driving instructor Mike Psenicska.

The Borat movie is in somewhat limited release. According to Google Movies, it is currently showing locally at Rio, Regal Germantown and Regal Rockville. The movie is receiving rave reviews; the website Rotten Tomatoes, which tabulates reviews from other sources, calculates that 96% of reviews — 123 out of 128 — have been positive.

Update: As of 11/13/06, the positive review count is up to 145 out of 157 (92%) with 100% of the 36 top-tier reviewers giving positive reviews. Release has expanded fourfold and it has also led the box office two weekends running, with a total take after less than two weeks of release of over $67 million.