From Hardcore to Horse Fields: The Garage’s Battle to Stay Open

On April 27, 2025, The Garage was to host its first-ever multi-stage, all-day festival. The music venue, located in Boyds, Maryland, on Honey Acres Farm, set out to host over 20 bands across three different stages alongside more than 50 local artists and food vendors.

The event would serve as a catalyst for concertgoers and musicians alike to come together and appreciate not only their local music scene but also the broader agricultural scene in the outskirts of Maryland, which often goes unacknowledged. Unfortunately, this day never came. 

Owners Grace Cotting and Levi Hebeisen in front of venue sign. Photo by Roxie Jenkin.

The Garage owners, Levi Hebeisen and Grace Cotting, had requested and been issued a permit by the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services to put on the festival; however, shortly before it was supposed to happen, their permit was rescinded by the County. Additionally, they were issued a cease and desist order, with the County claiming that the venue had no connection to agriculture. However, according to Hebeisen and Cotting, the County could not be any more wrong.

Before moving to the farm, The Garage was just that — a literal two-car garage at Hebeisen’s parents’ house, doubling as his band’s practice space and a casual hangout. Quickly, however, what started as band practice turned into a local hotspot. 

Cotting: The more shows that we had, the more people would ask for it, honestly. 

Their first official show was on Halloween 2022, and by the spring of 2023, they were consistently booking bands, establishing themselves as "The Garage." The venue eventually grew so popular that they could no longer fit the volume of concertgoers in the garage space. They had to find a new location, leading them to Honey Acres in Boyds. The farm is run by some longtime friends of Hebeisen's family, which made the move easier. They fully moved onto the farm in January of 2024.

Honey Acres Farm sign at exit gate. Photo by Roxie Jenkin.

Since the venue's relocation, its popularity has continued to rise. Before the threat of shutdown, they were putting on a show four to five nights a week. Even now, with limitations such as only being able to host shows on weekends, they consistently present new and unique bills. 

With their remote location and the recently imposed restrictions, it can be hard to imagine how the venue would be able to cultivate and maintain as large a following as they have thus far. Through their unique space and access to bands, however, they’re able to attract a large number of concertgoers to shows. 

Cotting: The community we have here is certainly just word of mouth. I mean, there's not any other venue where you can come and pet a horse and also listen to live music. 

It is true that the owners initially had no intention of aligning themselves or their venue with agriculture. However, with the move, Agri-tourism, defined as entertainment or education on working farms, became part of the experience. 

One of the many horse fields on the farm. Several of them surround the venue. Photo by Roxie Jenkin.

Hebeisen: I do think [agriculture has] always been, you know, a unique part of The Garage. It's just that we're located in Boyds, and it's the first time you can see a show and actually see stars out, you know.

Not only has agriculture become beneficial to the owners and their music scene, but the music scene has been incredibly beneficial for local agriculture, especially that of Boyds. Hebeisen was born and raised in Boyds and, as a native, has noticed that the impact of their venue has been monumental for the town. 

Hebeisen: Before this started, I hadn't seen a congregation inside of Boyds bigger than 12 people. The city of Boyds is honestly tiny, if you can even call it a city. [...] We have a convenience store, a post office, and that's all…and a lot of churches. But yeah, no, I would 100% believe that it brings people out here more than anything.

Cotting is from Silver Spring, Maryland, which is about 45 minutes from Boyds. She now lives with Hebeisen, but before she moved there, she rarely visited Boyds.

Cotting: The last time I visited before I was living here, I was probably six years old. My parents took me to pick strawberries at Homestead Farms. I think that that's what a lot of it is geared towards right now, is just adults and very young children, so I think we're catering to a specific audience that nobody else really looks at or wants to bring in.

Cotting brings up an interesting point—Why is it that the County is blatantly ignoring an entire age group? Young people have the potential to create a bright future for agriculture, yet they are often overlooked as a valuable resource. By limiting what is considered "agri tourism," the County is limiting agriculture's reach. According to a report in the National Library of Medicine (NLM), "Young people tend to leave rural areas in the search for alternative activities in urban areas." Hebeisen has first-hand experience with this phenomenon. 

Hebeisen: I'm a huge fan of music and always wanted to go see shows and stuff, but as a kid, I'd have to drive an hour to D.C. or Baltimore or wherever. So we're kind of bringing something to the other kids in Boyds like who don't have anything else is.

For the agriculture industry to be successful, it requires both a thriving workforce and demand from tourists to visit these rural areas. Youth engagement helps rural economies diversify and thrive, according to the same NLM report. 

What Hebeisen and Cotting are trying to do is drive this youth interest in Boyds agriculture by promoting a spot for entertainment that is enveloped in agricultural scenery. There appears to have been some confusion on the County's part, however, as they have decided that The Garage does not fall under the intended use of the Agricultural Reserves, claiming the venue cannot be considered Agritourism. Cotting and Hebeisen disagree. 

Hebeisen: More than anything, I think what we do is we just bring people to the Ag Reserve to experience agriculture, that's a definition set by the County in and of it itself. That's why weddings are allowed out here is it's just bringing people out and experiencing agriculture. I don't even think we need to do all that much to have it be so agriculture-based, just getting them out here to stand in this field and listen to music is enough, honestly.

Cotting explains that they have begun to utilize the farm's assets to further promote agriculture. 

Cotting: In the field by the exit, there's six bee colonies, and so we package that into cute little honey bottles for everybody, and then recently, since it's spring and summer, we've been having fresh bouquets of flowers out, and you know there's always horses available. They're always out there, and especially for our bigger events, you'll see there's a little pen set up way out in the field that we put goats in and let everybody go in and out and pet them. 

The location of the venue even promotes agriculture alone. It does not stick out like a sore thumb on your drive-up. Not only do you have to drive on country roads surrounded by farmland to even get to the venue, but once you arrive at the farm, the venue is at the back of the land, ensuring you must drive through the farmland to get to the music— In a way, it forces any attendee to appreciate the local agriculture. 

One of the roads visitors drive on through the farm. Photo by Roxie Jenkin.

Cotting and Hebeisen claim that if the County shuts out the niche market that The Garage is bringing in, they are not only hurting Boyd's agriculture but also directly contradicting their motto – the Ag Reserve is for all. Agri Tourism cannot happen if the terms and guidelines only apply to things like weddings and breweries, which, in Boyds, is what the term does. 

Cotting: Everything out here is private land, so it's not like you're going to be able to just come out and have a picnic somewhere. You need to be invited. We're trying to open this space up to invite people to come do that, to come recreate and to come enjoy these open spaces that they otherwise wouldn't have access to. 

Interestingly, according to Cotting, the reason the County allows  weddings and private events and not The Garage is that they "bring people [to Boyds] to recreate and enjoy the scenery." This is exactly what The Garage is doing. 

The County's decision is doing more than just limiting people's desire to immerse themselves in Montgomery County's agriculture fully. They are stripping away a safe space for alternative crowds. DIY scenes have always been spaces where people, young and old, can fully express themselves, regardless of race, gender, or class. Since they are built by people for the people, they are vital for keeping generations of alternatives not only safe but creatively enriched. 

Concertgoers hanging out outside the venue. Photo courtesy of Grace Cotting.

In recent years, especially with the return of the Trump administration, young people need these fleeting spaces more than ever. Through police raids and high rent prices, the system has been set up to attack and diminish these spaces directly. Montgomery County is actively participating in this attack.

Hebeisen: Even if it isn't a direct connection that they're looking at us and they're saying, oh yes, DIY venue, you know, big bad, I do think that it is relevant and tied to all the other venues that have been shutting down, you know. And not just here but all down the East Coast. 

The two owners believe that the County has a fundamental misunderstanding of what exactly The Garage is. The County doesn't even understand what they're attacking. Not only have the council members not physically visited The Garage, but Hebeisen and Cotting also recall having to explain what DIY even stood for. 

Cotting: They think that we are just a bunch of 16, 20-somethings having a party, and I'm pretty sure that that's all they really think it is, and they're not able to see the greater impact. Yes, people are here having fun, but I don't know, [Levi] can attest, no one's leaving trash here, no one's coming and making a scene. This is a safe space. 

The interior of The Garage features walls adorned with signs that owners and audience members have collected from the sides of the street. Photo by Roxie Jenkin.

This is not just an assumption. Hebeisen has been shown the positive impact of the venue forest hand. 

Hebeisen: I've had people come up to me and say this is the first time that they've performed or even spoken in front of people, and, you know, how much it helped them. So I truly do believe it's a beneficial thing [...] It perfectly ties together with the outdoors and also community, and being around like-minded people your age.

If Cotting and Hebeisen lose The Garage, it'd be more than just them losing their jobs. They would lose their purpose: giving people a second home. 

Cotting: If you didn't know what to do with yourself, you could show up here and make a new friend, just like that. So, I think that's a lot of what we personally have been missing from it, too. Just not being able to give all these people a space.

Even with all of the uncertainty and pushback they have faced from the country, The Garage's strong, close-knit community has shone through, making the process at least a little less painful. Cotting and Hebeisen have been asking their audience to mail in letters of support. Although initially intended to encourage the County to keep the venue open, it has truly become a way for them to understand The Garage's impact in a way deeper than ever before. 

Mosh pit at one of The Garage's shows. Photo courtesy of @evanwalser on Instagram.

Cotting: We have this spot, open our doors, and people have, in those letters, people were like, this is where I met my partner. This is where I met all of my best friends to this day. This is where I come to feel safe. I don't know. This is the only place I don't feel judged by everybody.

Hebeisen: Yeah, I truly do think it's a second home to them.

Currently, the two are attempting to label the venue as an event space so that they can be included under the umbrella of Agri-tourism; however, they have also started a petition to include music under this category. 

Hebeisen: I think those are the two biggest things that we've been petitioning for people to do. And like Grace said, just showing up to shows, you know, keep being supportive and showing out when we can host, you know, music even if it is significant or less frequent.

If you would like to help in keeping this important space alive, you can sign the petition here.

They have also drafted an email template for supporters to use when emailing local council members in an attempt to save The Garage. You can find this template here.