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This year Abby da Silva, 14, a freshman at Walt Whitman High School was given her 100th prize at Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, a collection rivaled by her younger sister, Clara, 11, who has collected 76 ribbons.

"They just love to do it," said Anne Gallagher of Bethesda, their mother.

Abby earned her first ribbon at the fair at the age of four with a wall mural featuring a dinosaur parade, a piece of art now utilized as a shower curtain by her grandmother, Gallagher said. Her ribbons entries focus on Home Arts, Fine Arts and Crafts, and the Farm and Garden categories.

Clara has been contributing art, kitchen, and garden entries for the past five years and could be on track to meet her sister's triple-digit standings, Gallagher said.

Abby also recently completed a year-long project with the Girl Scouts of America. With the help of the student government at Pyle Middle School and others, she has collected 85 backpacks and school supplies for children. They were donated to children in need in Washington County, Maine, where her grandmother lives.

Both girls intend to continue to submit artwork and crafts in next year's fair.

Potomac chef cooks to finals

Cheer on Dennis Friedman, 31, of Potomac in the final round of the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament. Friedman, the owner of Bezu restaurant in Potomac, has made it through rounds of the competition that began with 32 master chefs competing for $25,000. He graduated from Walt Whitman high school in Bethesda in 1997 and opened the French-Asian fusion restaurant Bezu in 2006 at 9812 Falls Road.

"Organization and details are critical to being a chef and succeeding in this competition," Friedman said. He and his sous-chef Ryan Kowlaski plan their meals days ahead and do practice "run throughs" so they can move seamlessly, and almost wordlessly during the one-hour challenge.

Having a good presentation is important because 30 audience members will be amongst the judges.

"They're impressed with the way it's almost like a symphony, we work side by side," Friedman said.

Friedman scored a 95.6 out of 100 possible points in the semi-final round, partially in thanks to his banana caramel spring roll, to earn his place in the finals, according to tournament organizer Erik Folkart. Friedman will have to make six appetizers, four entrees, six desserts, and 30 small entrees in one hour to win the competition.

The final cook-off will take place at 6 p.m. Monday at the Belvedere Hotel Baltimore, 1 East Chase St. For more information, visit masondixonmasterchef.com.

Get antiquated

The Woman's Club of Chevy Chase will this weekend hold its 50th annual Antiques Show & Sale, featuring more than a dozen dealers who are new to the area.

The club's largest fundraiser of the year will kick off with a gala preview party 5 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the clubhouse, 7931 Connecticut Ave.

The show and sale will continue 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $10, and gala admission is $50 by reservation.

The woman's club contributes to local community organizations that help children and women and funds scholarships for academic, music and art studies.

Last year, the club raised a total of $22,805 from fundraising events.

To make a gala reservation, call Tony Glaser at 301-652-8480 or e-mail info@wcccmd.org.

Tails wag at

Bethesda nursing home

ManorCare Heath Services in Bethesda was flurry of furry faces when 15 dachshunds showed up to surprise resident Amy Prugh on Aug. 31.

Staff teamed up with the Dachshunds of Montgomery County club to surprise her after they learned she was a dog lover. Prugh had two "wiener dogs" growing up named Max-a-Million and Stinky and was overjoyed by the visit, said Bethesda ManorCare administrator Rachel Kruth.

"It's a way to do something special for the residents to get them to forget a little bit about their recovery," she said. "It's an emotional healing we need to go through as well."

The visit was organized as part of the ManorCare Heart's Desire program designed to brighten the day of people in treatment, Kruth said.

Prugh and her new two-legged and four-legged friends also enjoyed "dachshund-inspired" foods and décor provided by the staff as well as a dog fashion show.

Family fun day in Chevy Chase

The Chevy Chase Library has scheduled a Family Fun Day for Saturday, complete with face painting, balloon sculpting and a puppet theater.

The program is free and is being funded by the Friends of the Library, Chevy Chase Chapter. It has been scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The library is located at 5005 Connecticut Ave.

Volunteers are still wanted to help at Family Fun Day. For details, call 240-773-9590.

Share your good news! Send items to Bethesda/Potomac reporter Cody Calamaio at ccalamaio@gazette.net, Bethesda/Chevy Chase reporter Sarah Gantz at sgantz@gazette.net and Kensington/Garrett Park reporter Alex Ruoff at aruoff@gazette.net. They can be reached via fax at 301-670-7183 or snail mail to 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Don't forget to send in photos!