HERE’S A STORY, OF
&
A MAN NAMED BRADY
Multitalented performer brings his act to Bethesda.
The Gazette
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GAITHERSBURG | MONTGOMERY VILLAGE
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
25 cents
Watkins Mill project gets key funding
I-270 interchange to receive $125 million from gas tax increase n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
65
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Dale Geary of Gaithersburg puts up a display for the Dairy Department at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair grounds in Gaithersburg on Saturday.
See PROJECT, Page A-11
C
Gazette part of $250M sale to Amazon founder
200,000 expected for annual county fair in Gaithersburg
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AND GOING STRONG BY
PEGGY MCEWAN STAFF WRITER
hoose the thrill of the Tilt-a-Whirl, enjoy the beauty of a ripe red tomato or watch the miracle of a calf being born. Those are just a few of the many activities, exhibits and experiences that make up the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, which opens its 65th annual run at 3 p.m. Friday. The fair, which is open from 10 a.m. to midnight through Aug. 17, offers something for everyone and a lot for most, said Martin Svrcek, executive director. “We are rated internationally as one of the top fairs in the country,” Svrcek said. “It’s clean, well organized and diverse, with foods and attractions for kids of all ages.” The whole operation — which expects to host 200,000 visitors, depending on the weather — is organized and run with fewer than a dozen full-time employees because of the dedication of about 1,000 volunteers, Svrcek said. “Our volunteer cohort is huge,” he said. “During the fair, a thousand people will log volunteer hours.”
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DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
(From left) Gregory Frazier, facilities work leader for the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, and volunteers Daniel Herrera and Minh Le, both of Germantown, roll a 500-pound wheel of cheese into cool storage at the Montgomery County Fairgounds.
Fair celebrates 60 years of The Big Cheese A new Old MacDonald’s Barn PAGE A-10
ONLINE
n For daily coverage of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, go to www.gazette.net/mocofair
Readers of The Gazette can expect to continue hearing the familiar thump of the weekly newspaper hitting their driveways after the planned sale of parts of the Washington Post Co. to Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos. “This is exciting news. We won’t see any immediate change,” said Ann McDaniel, a senior vice president at the Washington Post Co. who started her career as a journalist. “There’s always a future for compelling, accurate journalism at the community level.” The sale, announced Monday and expected to be completed in 60 days, ends the Graham family’s four-generation ownership of the flagship Post newspaper. In addition to The Gazette and the Post, the $250 million deal includes the Express newspaper; Southern Maryland Newspapers; the Fairfax County Times in Northern Virginia; the Spanish-language El Tiempo Latino newspaper; the Robinson Terminal Warehouse and the Post’s adjoining printing plant in Springfield, Va.; the Comprint printing plant in Laurel; and several military-base publications. Bezos, whose tech-savvy business sense made him one of the world’s richest men — he has a reported net worth of $25 billion — has said he is committed to quality journalism,
See SALE, Page A-11
NEWS
SPORTS
New TV show follows Gaithersburg’s Bridget Edell as she takes on projects step by step.
College recruiters spend more time on teams than they do high school.
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Newspapers will continue as usual for now BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
See FAIR, Page A-11
‘LIP GLOSS AND A SANDER’
New state funding for the Watkins Mill Interchange could be the key to getting the project off the ground, Gaithersburg and county officials said Monday, as Maryland’s governor talked about $1 billion in transportation funding for Montgomery County. The anticipated $165 million interchange will connect two unfinished portions of Watkins Mill Road over Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg, less than a mile northwest of the Md. 355-Montgomery Village Avenue intersection. Local officials hope the new interchange will relieve gridlock at the busy intersection. Standing above the Bethesda Metro station on Monday, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) announced the transportation investments, which included $125 million for the Watkins Mill Interchange. The projects will bring needed jobs and traffic relief, he said. Led by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), Montgomery pushed for an increase in the statewide gasoline tax in the 2013 legislative session. It sought a cash commitment from
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