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The pace of development continues to hurtle forward in Bethesda. The downtown area blossoms almost daily with new restaurants of every stripe as well as boutiques and renovated office buildings and the inevitable traffic and parking problems it all brings.

More than 200 restaurants are open in Bethesda's heart, making the downtown a virtual city of restaurants.

Yet with all the expansion and commercial hustle that is under way, the scale of the area still remains manageable, with small mom-and-pop eateries on many corners and little espresso shops where friends can meet and chat.

Local services
Bethesda Urban Partnership
7700 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20814-3004
301-215-6660
Fax: 301-215-6664
www.bethesda.org
Bethesda Urban Partnership is a publicly funded, nonprofit organization devoted to maintaining the appearance of and promoting downtown Bethesda.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
240-777-8200
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/bcc

Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board
Bethesda-Chevy Chase
Services Center
240-777-8200
The Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board has 15 members that advise the county executive and the County Council on topics such as transportation, human services, environment, public safety and other issues of local importance. Meets at 7 p.m. the third Monday of the month.

Town of Glen Echo
6106 Harvard Ave.
Glen Echo, MD 20812
301-320-4041
www.glenecho.org
Mayor: Deborah Beers
Town Council: Eve Arber, Steve Matney, Daniel Macy, Robin Kogelnik
Clerk-Treasurer: Cathie Polak
The Town of Glen Echo, chartered in 1904, has approximately 250 residents, the smallest town in Maryland. It is located along the Potomac River, inside the Capital Beltway, near Bethesda.

Local events
Dance Bethesda
Downtown Bethesda
Although only in its fourth year, this annual weekend dance festival was nominated for a 2005 Metro D.C. Dance Award. The March event featured a formal dance showcase concert at the Round House Theatre, a night of free dance lessons and ballet master classes.

Literary Festival
Downtown Bethesda
The 2008 festival featured nearly 20 free community events, including poetry slams, book parties and discussions with high-profile journalist Helen Thomas and baker and cookbook author Warren Brown. The annual weekend program, sponsored by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, celebrates the diversity of literature.

Imagination Bethesda
Downtown Bethesda
Local children and their families come out every year for this June festival featuring street performers, dance troupes, actors and roaming characters in costume. The annual children's street festival, now in its 14th year, sponsored by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, highlights Bethesda's arts in an entertaining and educational way.

Taste of Bethesda
Downtown Bethesda
Thousands of community members attend this annual October food and music festival in the heart of Woodmont Triangle where Bethesda restaurants feature their best dishes.

Turkey Chase
Downtown Bethesda
For more than 20 years, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington has held this 10K race Thanksgiving morning.

Local organizations
Bethesda Big Train
Bethesda Community Base Ball Club
301-983-1006
www.bigtrain.org
Bethesda Big Train is an amateur team in the Clark C. Griffith Baseball League, a Washington-area league for college players younger than 21. The team's home field is at Shirley Povich Field at Cabin John Regional Park.

Bethesda Cares
301-907-9244
www.bethesdacares.com
For 19 years, Bethesda Cares has served the area's homeless and working poor through programs offering free meals, clothing, job search assistance and eviction prevention help. More than 450 volunteers help implement the nonprofit organization's programs, but volunteers are always needed. Donations of clothing, food and toiletry items are always accepted.

Local schools
Bethesda is served by the Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman clusters, which include 19 elementary schools, four middle schools and three high schools. For a full list of schools, with addresses and phone numbers, see page 30.

Police
Bethesda is served by the Bethesda District. For a full list of police stations, with addresses and phone numbers, see page 11.

Fire services
The Bethesda area is served by the Bethesda Fire Department, the Cabin John Park and Glen Echo volunteer fire departments and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. For a full list of stations, with addresses and phone numbers, see page 20.

Libraries
The Bethesda, Davis and Little Falls libraries are part of the county system. For a list of libraries, with addresses and phone numbers, see page 22.

Business
The town is served by the Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce. For a full list of chambers, see page 14.