We wanted to make sure you heard the exciting news: On May 27, 2010, the Montgomery County Council voted to formally establish the Old Blair Auditorium Re-use project and fund it in the Fiscal Years 2011-16 Capital Improvements Program (CIP)! (Note that construction projects are funded from the capital budget, which has increased this year, and is not subject to the constraints of this year's reduced operating budget.)
Architectural planning and design will take place in FY12 and the construction work is planned for FY16. "Option 3" of the feasibility study was selected. This option, which calls for a 750-seat auditorium, four adjacent multi-purpose rooms, and an elevator to provide accessible access to the 2nd floor multi-purpose rooms, was the option recommended by the community.
The county's FY12 funding ($600,000) will serve as matching funds for the 2005 state bond bill funds of $600,000.
We are extremely grateful to Councilmember Valerie Ervin, who proposed the community oriented multi-use solution and pressed for full funding. We also thank Councilmembers George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro, and Duchy Trachtenberg, who voted for the project in committee, and Councilmember Marc Elrich for his strong support, as well as the full council for passing the final budget that includes this project.
Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin and Maryland Delegates Sheila Hixson, Heather Mizeur, and Tom Hucker also deserve our thanks for ensuring that the state bond bill funding was extended to meet the project schedule.
Special thanks also to former Senator Ida Ruben who, along with Delegate Hixson in the House of Delegates, who got the bond bill process rolling in the state Senate in 2005.
Visit our web site (http://oldblairauditorium.org/) to learn more about the selection renovation option.
Thanks for all your wonderful support over the years!
Stuart Moore
President
Old Blair Auditorium Project, Inc. Board of Directors
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. to Produce "Opening Day" Celebration at new Silver Spring Civic Building - July 8, 2010
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to announce the line-up for its “Opening Day” production at the new Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Plaza. Our performances begin at 1:30 pm at the Civic Building’s “Portico.”
On July 8th at 6:30 pm, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett will preside over a inaugural ceremony ribbon cutting for the new building located at the intersection of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, the public is invited to come inside the building and experience the wonderful new community space. The festivities continue with the first "Silver Spring Swings Summer Concert" featuring a performance by the Fabulous Bel Airs 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.’s (SSTCi) “Opening Day” celebration will feature local dancers, dramatic performers, choral groups, and jazz, blues, and latin musicians from early afternoon until the beginning of the official inaugural program for the new building. We welcome the participation and support of Round House Theatre as co-producers of this event.
6:00 to 6:30 Washington Revels
5:30 to 6:00 Memphis Gold Band
5:00 to 5:30 Contradiction Dance
4:30 to 5:00 Los Charlys Nativos
4:00 to 4:30 Hey Dey Players - Mighty Shock
3:30 to 4:00 Jonny Grave
3:00 to 3:30 Truu Soul
2:30 to 3:00 Truth
2:00 to 2:30 Groove Jet
Alan Bowser of Silver Spring is Executive Producer of the SSTCi’s “Opening Day” celebration. “We are enormously gratified at the strong community support that we have for our opening day program. Thanks to all of our Silver Spring neighbors and the non-profit groups that have generously offered their time and support for this historic program. The Silver Spring Civic Building will be our community’s “living room, so this is a great way to celebrate its opening,” said Bowser.
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is a community non-profit organization to provide arts & entertainment program for the Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Plaza.
Parking is available at the Town Square Garage on Ellsworth Drive. The Silver Spring Metro is three blocks away.
For more information please visit www.silverspringdowntown.com
On July 8th at 6:30 pm, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett will preside over a inaugural ceremony ribbon cutting for the new building located at the intersection of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, the public is invited to come inside the building and experience the wonderful new community space. The festivities continue with the first "Silver Spring Swings Summer Concert" featuring a performance by the Fabulous Bel Airs 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.’s (SSTCi) “Opening Day” celebration will feature local dancers, dramatic performers, choral groups, and jazz, blues, and latin musicians from early afternoon until the beginning of the official inaugural program for the new building. We welcome the participation and support of Round House Theatre as co-producers of this event.
6:00 to 6:30 Washington Revels
5:30 to 6:00 Memphis Gold Band
5:00 to 5:30 Contradiction Dance
4:30 to 5:00 Los Charlys Nativos
4:00 to 4:30 Hey Dey Players - Mighty Shock
3:30 to 4:00 Jonny Grave
3:00 to 3:30 Truu Soul
2:30 to 3:00 Truth
2:00 to 2:30 Groove Jet
Alan Bowser of Silver Spring is Executive Producer of the SSTCi’s “Opening Day” celebration. “We are enormously gratified at the strong community support that we have for our opening day program. Thanks to all of our Silver Spring neighbors and the non-profit groups that have generously offered their time and support for this historic program. The Silver Spring Civic Building will be our community’s “living room, so this is a great way to celebrate its opening,” said Bowser.
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is a community non-profit organization to provide arts & entertainment program for the Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Plaza.
Parking is available at the Town Square Garage on Ellsworth Drive. The Silver Spring Metro is three blocks away.
For more information please visit www.silverspringdowntown.com
Friday, June 4, 2010
Opening Night for the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts at Montgomery Blair HS
The Thunderbolts open the 2010 season tonight at 7:00 pm against Youse's Orioles. As always, there will be concessions, raffles, a trivia contest, races around the bases and great college baseball. Fans will also be given a chance to vote on whether the MLB Commissioner should award a perfect game to Armando Galarraga!
On Sunday, June 6, the T-Bolts opponent will be the Rockville Express. It is Silver Spring International Middle School Teacher Appreciation Night. The School's Advanced Band will be in attendance to provide live music! Game time is 6 pm.!
On Sunday, June 6, the T-Bolts opponent will be the Rockville Express. It is Silver Spring International Middle School Teacher Appreciation Night. The School's Advanced Band will be in attendance to provide live music! Game time is 6 pm.!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring offers wares not found at big-box stores - Washington Post
Friday, May 21, 2010
Scenario One:
"Cool necklace! Where did you get it?"
"Ann Taylor Loft in Silver Spring."
Scenario Two:
"Cool necklace! Where did you get it?"
"The Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring."
If the idea of being a hip consumer, one who supports artisans and independent businesses, appeals, then this weekend go shopping where you can be sure to walk away with something you won't see anyone else in the neighborhood wearing.
The new Fenton Street Market is just a few blocks from downtown Silver Spring and yet miles and miles from the brand-name stores that line the city's walking mall. On a recent Saturday, onetime graduate school English majors Heather Rellihan and Kelley Squazzo sold their casual and fun handbags, cutely called "Pocketful of Posy," Julianne Fuchs-Musgrave sold her "wearable art," bags, accessories and shirts made from reclaimed material, and Layla Niebrugge sold silver jewelry with a nature theme. Hand-painted note cards, antique tables, leather baseball hats, old LPs, a crocheted poncho: Unique is the word for this market.
Variety is another word. Every week, about half of the 50 to 60 vendors are new. Prices run from a couple of dollars to a couple of hundred dollars.
Don't miss the food. You might have to wait in line for a homemade doughnut or crepe, but do it. Sweet or savory, the crepes are fresh and the doughnuts sweet. (Ask for chocolate sauce on your doughnut for a supreme sugar rush.)
If that's not enough, the market features a different local band every week to complete the community feeling.
This is the first full season for the market, which was started by Silver Spring resident Hannah McCann in the vacant parking lot that is slated to become a Marriott Hotel. This week, architects will be at the market to discuss the future of Silver Spring. Bring your ideas along with your wallet.
Continue your corporation-free day and buy a non-Starbucks cup of joe at Highland Origin Coffee across the street from the market. Or for something a little different, and a lot refreshing, try Highland's Italian cream soda, flavored any way you want.
-- Moira E. McLaughlin
Where is it? The corner of Silver Spring Avenue and Fenton Street, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. every Saturday. Free neighborhood parking is available around the market.
How much? Free -- until you buy something of course!
What else? Want to eat local as well as wear local? Walk to the Silver Spring mall for fresh produce. The Silver Spring Farmers Market runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday on Ellsworth Drive between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue. For another opportunity to check out (and buy) unique crafts, stop by Handmade Mart from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday also on Ellsworth between Fenton and Georgia.
Scenario One:
"Cool necklace! Where did you get it?"
"Ann Taylor Loft in Silver Spring."
Scenario Two:
"Cool necklace! Where did you get it?"
"The Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring."
If the idea of being a hip consumer, one who supports artisans and independent businesses, appeals, then this weekend go shopping where you can be sure to walk away with something you won't see anyone else in the neighborhood wearing.
The new Fenton Street Market is just a few blocks from downtown Silver Spring and yet miles and miles from the brand-name stores that line the city's walking mall. On a recent Saturday, onetime graduate school English majors Heather Rellihan and Kelley Squazzo sold their casual and fun handbags, cutely called "Pocketful of Posy," Julianne Fuchs-Musgrave sold her "wearable art," bags, accessories and shirts made from reclaimed material, and Layla Niebrugge sold silver jewelry with a nature theme. Hand-painted note cards, antique tables, leather baseball hats, old LPs, a crocheted poncho: Unique is the word for this market.
Variety is another word. Every week, about half of the 50 to 60 vendors are new. Prices run from a couple of dollars to a couple of hundred dollars.
Don't miss the food. You might have to wait in line for a homemade doughnut or crepe, but do it. Sweet or savory, the crepes are fresh and the doughnuts sweet. (Ask for chocolate sauce on your doughnut for a supreme sugar rush.)
If that's not enough, the market features a different local band every week to complete the community feeling.
This is the first full season for the market, which was started by Silver Spring resident Hannah McCann in the vacant parking lot that is slated to become a Marriott Hotel. This week, architects will be at the market to discuss the future of Silver Spring. Bring your ideas along with your wallet.
Continue your corporation-free day and buy a non-Starbucks cup of joe at Highland Origin Coffee across the street from the market. Or for something a little different, and a lot refreshing, try Highland's Italian cream soda, flavored any way you want.
-- Moira E. McLaughlin
Where is it? The corner of Silver Spring Avenue and Fenton Street, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. every Saturday. Free neighborhood parking is available around the market.
How much? Free -- until you buy something of course!
What else? Want to eat local as well as wear local? Walk to the Silver Spring mall for fresh produce. The Silver Spring Farmers Market runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday on Ellsworth Drive between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue. For another opportunity to check out (and buy) unique crafts, stop by Handmade Mart from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday also on Ellsworth between Fenton and Georgia.
Schedule of Performances - Silver Spring Blues Festival 2010
Harmonica Workshop 3pm - 4pm
Choo Choo Charlie teaches anyone to play!
Bring your harmonica (Key of C) to learn techniques and songs.
Under the Big Top 2pm - 6pm
Musical Instrument Petting Zoo by Dale Music
On the Fountain Stage*
2:00-2:20pm
Choo Choo Charlie Williams and Baltimore Red Jones – acoustic Delta, Piedmont, Ragtime, and Texas style blues featuring harmonica and guitar
2:25-2:55pm
Jonny Grave - acoustic blues from the Heartland, steeped in the traditions of R.L. Burnside, Fred McDowell and others.
3:05-3:50pm
Andy Poxon Band – get up and go with this 15-year-old who's writing his own blues songs and has a blues groove of his own!
4:00-4:50pm
Daryl Davis Band – a Montgomery County local performing nationally with legendary greats such as Chuck Berry – featuring festival MC / WPFW89.3fm "Don't Forget the Blues" Friday host, Ida Campbell.
5:00-5:50pm
DC Blues Society Band - DCBS brings you Clarence "The Bluesman" Turner and more entertainment coming from the local blues scene!
6:00-6:50pm
Mary Shaver and the Smokin' Polecats – Muddy Waters style with a female touch – featuring Pete Ragusa (Nighthawks drummer for 35 years).
7:00-7:50pm
The Nighthawks – world renowned and legendary blues group – WAMMIE winners of Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) best duo/group and best recording for 2009's "American Landscape," in the Blues/Traditional R&B category. Get your signed award-winning CD at the festival!
* Schedule Subject to Change
Website: http://www.silverspringblues.com/ Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ssbluesfest
Choo Choo Charlie teaches anyone to play!
Bring your harmonica (Key of C) to learn techniques and songs.
Under the Big Top 2pm - 6pm
Musical Instrument Petting Zoo by Dale Music
On the Fountain Stage*
2:00-2:20pm
Choo Choo Charlie Williams and Baltimore Red Jones – acoustic Delta, Piedmont, Ragtime, and Texas style blues featuring harmonica and guitar
2:25-2:55pm
Jonny Grave - acoustic blues from the Heartland, steeped in the traditions of R.L. Burnside, Fred McDowell and others.
3:05-3:50pm
Andy Poxon Band – get up and go with this 15-year-old who's writing his own blues songs and has a blues groove of his own!
4:00-4:50pm
Daryl Davis Band – a Montgomery County local performing nationally with legendary greats such as Chuck Berry – featuring festival MC / WPFW89.3fm "Don't Forget the Blues" Friday host, Ida Campbell.
5:00-5:50pm
DC Blues Society Band - DCBS brings you Clarence "The Bluesman" Turner and more entertainment coming from the local blues scene!
6:00-6:50pm
Mary Shaver and the Smokin' Polecats – Muddy Waters style with a female touch – featuring Pete Ragusa (Nighthawks drummer for 35 years).
7:00-7:50pm
The Nighthawks – world renowned and legendary blues group – WAMMIE winners of Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) best duo/group and best recording for 2009's "American Landscape," in the Blues/Traditional R&B category. Get your signed award-winning CD at the festival!
* Schedule Subject to Change
Website: http://www.silverspringblues.com/ Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ssbluesfest
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Great Performers at Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring, May 22
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to announce this exciting line-up of performers for the Silver Spring Blues Festival to be held Saturday, May 22, 2010 in downtown Silver Spring.
Come see some of the best blues in the DC area!
The Nighthawks
Silver Spring's Jonny Grave
Choo Choo Charlie Williams
The Andy Poxon Band
The Daryl Davis Band featuring Ida Campbell
The DC Blues Society Band
Mary Shaver and the Smokin' Polecats
Performances will be held at the Silver Fountain on Ellsworth Drive, between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The festival venue is close to Metro, and parking is free in area garages!
For festival information, visit www.silverspringblues.com
Come see some of the best blues in the DC area!
The Nighthawks
Silver Spring's Jonny Grave
Choo Choo Charlie Williams
The Andy Poxon Band
The Daryl Davis Band featuring Ida Campbell
The DC Blues Society Band
Mary Shaver and the Smokin' Polecats
Performances will be held at the Silver Fountain on Ellsworth Drive, between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The festival venue is close to Metro, and parking is free in area garages!
For festival information, visit www.silverspringblues.com
Friday, May 7, 2010
Silver Spring Civic Building & Veterans Plaza - Grand Opening Conversation
Message from the Silver Spring Regional Center--
The date for the opening is set for Thursday, July 8th, coinciding with our first of six summer concerts (starting at 7pm.) Our opening of the facility will also include honoring our veterans and the dedication of Veterans Plaza.
But we need your ideas; and we need you!
Please come help us plan this unforgettable evening:
TUESDAY, MAY 11, 7:00 p.m.
Round House Theatre Education Center in the Orange Room
925 Wayne Avenue
Silver Spring, MD (parking available at the Wayne Avenue Garage)
Come ready to share what you'd like to see for the opening; and come ready to offer how you'd like to help... We are counting on you!
Many of you have already provided wonderful advice and guidance in the various sessions and meetings we've had recently... And to you we say "thanks!"
Also, if you feel you can't wait till next Tuesday, we welcome your comments and ideas on our blog:
http://silverspringspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/05/sscb-grand-opening-seeking-input-help.html
The date for the opening is set for Thursday, July 8th, coinciding with our first of six summer concerts (starting at 7pm.) Our opening of the facility will also include honoring our veterans and the dedication of Veterans Plaza.
But we need your ideas; and we need you!
Please come help us plan this unforgettable evening:
TUESDAY, MAY 11, 7:00 p.m.
Round House Theatre Education Center in the Orange Room
925 Wayne Avenue
Silver Spring, MD (parking available at the Wayne Avenue Garage)
Come ready to share what you'd like to see for the opening; and come ready to offer how you'd like to help... We are counting on you!
Many of you have already provided wonderful advice and guidance in the various sessions and meetings we've had recently... And to you we say "thanks!"
Also, if you feel you can't wait till next Tuesday, we welcome your comments and ideas on our blog:
http://silverspringspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/05/sscb-grand-opening-seeking-input-help.html
Sunday, April 18, 2010
A New Library for Silver Spring Is On the Way
For design details, including beautiful pictures and floor plans, visit the County’s web-site at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/DGS/DBDC/RegionalProjectPages/SilverSpringProjects/sslibrary.asp
Plans for the New Library
► It will be about 63,000 square feet—three times larger than the current library!
► It will be centrally located adjacent to the new Downtown Silver Spring and across from the Wayne Avenue Parking Garage.
► It will include an expanded circulating collection, more computers, more study and meeting space, and an expanded children’s section and activity space.
► A countywide disability resource center with expanded services for disabled county residents will be housed in the new library.
► More services for foreign language and immigrant residents, and more services for businesses will be available.
What’s Happening Now?
► The County has acquired the land at the site—the southwest corner of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue and has started clearing the old buildings.
► Funds for the facility are in the current County Executive’s Capital Improvement Program budget.
► Groundbreaking for the new Library facility will be this summer.
Mixed-Use Concept
The building housing the new library will face Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street. It will be a joint use project that includes:
► A Purple Line Station running through the site from Bonifant Street to the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street
► Ground floor retail space
► An Arts Center on the ground and first floors
► The Library occupying the third, fourth, and fifth floors
► County office space on the sixth floor.
Sharing the site facing Bonifant Street will be a residential building with approximately 160 apartment units. Parking for the Library facility will be provided across the street in the Wayne Avenue Garage.
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY:
Friends of the Library and Silver Spring Library Advisory Committee,
Kathlyn Smith, Chair kathinbernie@rcn.com
Plans for the New Library
► It will be about 63,000 square feet—three times larger than the current library!
► It will be centrally located adjacent to the new Downtown Silver Spring and across from the Wayne Avenue Parking Garage.
► It will include an expanded circulating collection, more computers, more study and meeting space, and an expanded children’s section and activity space.
► A countywide disability resource center with expanded services for disabled county residents will be housed in the new library.
► More services for foreign language and immigrant residents, and more services for businesses will be available.
What’s Happening Now?
► The County has acquired the land at the site—the southwest corner of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue and has started clearing the old buildings.
► Funds for the facility are in the current County Executive’s Capital Improvement Program budget.
► Groundbreaking for the new Library facility will be this summer.
Mixed-Use Concept
The building housing the new library will face Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street. It will be a joint use project that includes:
► A Purple Line Station running through the site from Bonifant Street to the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street
► Ground floor retail space
► An Arts Center on the ground and first floors
► The Library occupying the third, fourth, and fifth floors
► County office space on the sixth floor.
Sharing the site facing Bonifant Street will be a residential building with approximately 160 apartment units. Parking for the Library facility will be provided across the street in the Wayne Avenue Garage.
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY:
Friends of the Library and Silver Spring Library Advisory Committee,
Kathlyn Smith, Chair kathinbernie@rcn.com
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Silver Spring's Homegrown Fenton Street Market Opens The Season on April 17th!
Fenton Street Market, the exciting new outdoor market that made its Silver Spring debut last fall with two highly successful test runs, kicks off its inaugural weekly season on Saturday, April 17th from 9 am to 3 pm. Created by resident Hannah McCann as a way to bring together and celebrate the eclectic and vibrant Silver Spring community, Fenton Street Market promises fun and excitement from week to week! There will be 60+ vendors selling antiques, imported goods, crafts, art, and food, including delicious hot donuts and crepes. The Market Stage will keep shoppers entertained with live music and a DJ spinning excellent oldies.
A new addition to Fenton Street Market this season will be the exciting Village Square. Sponsored by Downtown Silver Spring, the Village Square will feature fresh and inventive cultural programs that share one key idea: interaction. By showcasing the diverse and mulit-faceted talents, knowledge, and skills of area residents, businesses, and institutions, the Village Square will provide a space where the community can come together to learn and explore. The wonderful Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center will be there opening day from 11 am to 2 pm to demonstrate and instruct shoppers how to screen print and letterpress their own items! All shoppers are encouraged to bring their own blank printable items such as tee shirts and tote bags to print with a special image created for the occasion.
Fenton Street Market is held at the corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring. The Silver Spring Metro is a short walk away, and there is free parking in the public lots across Fenton Street. A number of wonderful independent stores and restaurants are in the immediate area for shoppers to visit and support while they're in the neighborhood, and Fresh Farm market runs a weekly Saturday farm market 4 blocks away.
What: Fenton Street Market
When: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 9 am to 3 pm
Where: The corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue, Downtown Silver Spring, MD
Info: www.fentonstreetmarket.com
_______________________________________________________________________
For more information contact Debbie Lee at debbie@fentonstreetmarket.com
Hannah McCann
Market Advisor
Fenton Street Market
www.fentonstreetmarket.com
cell: 301-787-6749
Twitter: @FentonStMarket
A new addition to Fenton Street Market this season will be the exciting Village Square. Sponsored by Downtown Silver Spring, the Village Square will feature fresh and inventive cultural programs that share one key idea: interaction. By showcasing the diverse and mulit-faceted talents, knowledge, and skills of area residents, businesses, and institutions, the Village Square will provide a space where the community can come together to learn and explore. The wonderful Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center will be there opening day from 11 am to 2 pm to demonstrate and instruct shoppers how to screen print and letterpress their own items! All shoppers are encouraged to bring their own blank printable items such as tee shirts and tote bags to print with a special image created for the occasion.
Fenton Street Market is held at the corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue in Downtown Silver Spring. The Silver Spring Metro is a short walk away, and there is free parking in the public lots across Fenton Street. A number of wonderful independent stores and restaurants are in the immediate area for shoppers to visit and support while they're in the neighborhood, and Fresh Farm market runs a weekly Saturday farm market 4 blocks away.
What: Fenton Street Market
When: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 9 am to 3 pm
Where: The corner of Fenton Street and Silver Spring Avenue, Downtown Silver Spring, MD
Info: www.fentonstreetmarket.com
_______________________________________________________________________
For more information contact Debbie Lee at debbie@fentonstreetmarket.com
Hannah McCann
Market Advisor
Fenton Street Market
www.fentonstreetmarket.com
cell: 301-787-6749
Twitter: @FentonStMarket
Silver Spring Heritage Trail Signs Unveiling Ceremony - April 17, 2010 at 1 pm
The Silver Spring Heritage Trail is the first official Montgomery County Main Street Heritage Trail—A joint endeavor between the County Executive's Office, the County Council, the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, the Silver Spring Historical Society, and the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission Staff.
The Silver Spring Heritage Trail is the County's legal mitigation requirement from the 1998 loss through demolition of the historic 1927 Silver Spring National Guard Armory on Wayne Avenue for redevelopment of the core of Silver Spring's Central Business District.
Stroll One of Silver Spring's Original Main Streets, Georgia Avenue! Discover where Silver Spring's Central Business District was born! and Its First Newspaper, "The Maryland News"! Discover where Silver Spring's first Department Store was located! Discover where Silver Spring's first Bank was located! Discover where Silver Spring's first Bakery was located! These Pioneering Structures are Enlivened "now and then" by multi-cultural small independent businesses and a variety of institutions! Experience Adaptive Reuse at Its Best! Heritage Tourism is economic development, also known as "Sense of Place Economics!”
Participants: Montgomery County Executive Isiah (Ike) Leggett, Montgomery County Council Member Valerie Ervin, D-5th, Montgomery County Council Member Marc Elrich, D-At Large & Mara Parker, Elrich Staff Member, Montgomery County Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg, D-At Large, & Alan Bowser, Trachtenberg Chief of Staff, Former Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board Member, U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen Represented by Aide Julius West, Maryland State Representatives including State Senator Jamie Raskin, Delegates Sheila Hixson & Tom Hucker, D-20th , Silver Spring Historical Society Jerry A. McCoy, President & Founder, Marcie Stickle & George French, Marilyn Slatick, Board, Silver Spring Regional Services Center Representative Mel Tull, Historic Preservation Commission Staff Representative Scott Whipple, HPC Supervisor, & Tom Jester, Acting HPC Chair, Auras Design Inc. Representatives Rob Sugar & Sharri Wolfgang, Montgomery Preservation Inc. Representative Eileen McGuckian, Maryland Historical Trust Invited, National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Marcie Stickle, Silver Spring Historical Society, Advocacy Chair, 301-585-3817 (Voice Mail & Direct), MarciPro@aol.com
v
Silver Spring's Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival - April 23-25
The first ever Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival, a unique celebration promoting the arts and human rights, will be held throughout downtown Silver Spring, Maryland April 23-25. The festival will present over 400 artists and performers and more than 200 arts and advocacy events at 40 venues in downtown Silver Spring. The activities will begin at 4 pm on Friday, April 23 and run through late night on Sunday, April 25. All events will be free and open to the public.
The springtime festival will include art exhibits, film, theater, dance, music, poetry, photography, digital arts and a sculpture garden as well as dozens of workshops, book readings, performance art, a flash mob dance and activities for children. A dozen advocacy groups will also be running “Festivals within the Festival.”
“Since the founding of Amnesty International, art and artists have played a central role in Amnesty International’s fight for human rights,” said Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. “We believe the arts are a powerful way to further our goals,” he said.
For more information about the event, go to www.humanrightsartfestival.com
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The "Nighthawks” to Headline 2010 Silver Spring Blues Festival
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is very pleased to announce that the legendary blues group the "Nighthawks” will headline this year’s Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring.
The Silver Spring Blues Festival will be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010, on Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Over the last 30+ years, the Nighthawks have earned a reputation as one of the best and hardest working bands around.
They are among the top musical acts to come out of the Washington, D.C. area—and are still based here. They were a roots rock band before there was such a thing as “roots rock.”
They play a wide variety of music that has appeal to a diverse audience, mixing the blues, rock and soul—along with rockabilly and swing. They’ve played all over the U.S., with the East Coast and Midwest being particular strongholds. And they’ve toured around the world, establishing especially strong followings in Germany and Japan.
Three of the four band members have been playing together for 30 years, a stretch that few in rock or blues can match. They continue to bring great musical skills and energy to all that they do—it’s a remarkable road they’ve traveled and story they have to tell.
The Nighthawks were founded in 1972 by vocalist/harmonica player Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, and joined early on by bass player Jan Zukowski and drummer Pete Ragusa. Based in Washington, D.C., they built on their Chicago blues roots to create a unique musical repertoire that features blues, roots rock, rockabilly and soul.
They’ve played as the opening act or backing band for such legendary blues artists as Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Big Walter Horton and Elvin Bishop. They also played in the Rosebud Agency's blues all-star tours with Pinetop Perkins, John Hammond, Charlie Musselwhite and John Lee Hooker. Some of the guitarists who have played with the band over the years include Bob Margolin, Steuart Smith, Warren Haynes, Jim Solbery, Pete Kennedy, Phil Petroff and Ratso (Jim Silman).
Visit the Nighthawks at their website http://www.thenighthawks.com/
SAVE THE DATE: Silver Spring Blues Festival, May 22, 2010 in Downtown Silver Spring
The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Second Silver Spring Blues Festival will take place on Saturday, May 22, 2010 in Downtown Silver Spring!
Watch this space for news about the Festival bands, schedule, and list of Festival events.
This year's Festival will be sponsored by the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., the DC Blues Society, and Downtown Silver Spring.
For more information, check out our Blues Festival website at www.silverspringblues
Questions? Email silverspringtowncenter@gmail.com
It's gonna be a good, good time!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Harry Sanders dies; activist led Purple Line campaign - Washington Post
By Katherine Shaver, Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 12, 2010; B07
Harry Sanders, 63, a retired federal computer analyst and Montgomery County transit activist who led the campaign for an east-west rail link through the Maryland suburbs that eventually became the Purple Line project, died March 10 at Casey House hospice in Rockville of complications from kidney cancer.
Mr. Sanders, who lived in Silver Spring, co-founded the Action Committee for Transit in 1986 to rally public support for a trolley line between Bethesda and Silver Spring. The Maryland Transit Administration later expanded county plans for the four-mile trolley line into a 16-mile light rail Purple Line linking Maryland's spokes of the Metro system between Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
The state has begun to seek federal funding for the $1.68 billion project.
In 2002, Mr. Sanders co-founded the Coalition to Build the Inner Purple Line, and in 2007, he helped expand the group into Purple Line NOW, a coalition of business, environmental and civic groups. He was Purple Line NOW's president at the time of his death.
Although Mr. Sanders was a purple-shirted fixture at rallies, fellow advocates said the mild-mannered activist was most effective behind the scenes, quietly pressing government officials about the project's progress, particularly when the state's Purple Line plans stalled in the 1990s.
Henry Kay, the MTA's deputy administrator for planning and engineering, said Mr. Sanders encouraged planners under then-Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) to "think big" about expanding an east-west rail line beyond Montgomery.
"I think he saw the potential to link together communities all across the inner Beltway corridor," Kay said. "He was always there to remind us of how important that was."
The Purple Line has been controversial because under the state's chosen route between Bethesda and Silver Spring, trains would run along a popular jogging and biking trail, which would require cutting hundreds of mature trees. Opponents say a transit line would destroy the trail's wooded, park-like feel to benefit developers planning to build around future Purple Line stations.
Mr. Sanders, an avid walker, said he believed building a transit line would help complete the Bethesda-to-Silver Spring gravel trail as an extension of the paved Capital Crescent trail, friends said. He said transit lines focus growth and offer alternatives to driving, particularly for lower-income people.
"He saw [transit] as the key to a different kind of community that was more livable," said Ben Ross, president of Action Committee for Transit. "That was a much less widespread view 25 years ago than it is now."
Webb Smedley, a board member for Purple Line NOW, said Mr. Sanders was also active in the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring and pushed in the late 1980s for sidewalks to be installed near the Silver Spring Metro station. He was also interested in affordable housing issues and helped the needy through St. Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, family and friends said.
"The thread that tied them all together was a progressive 'help the little guy' outlook toward life," Smedley said. "I think transit just happened to be the issue that he thought he could make his mark on."
Harry Lee Sanders was a native of Springfield, Ill., and a 1968 graduate of the University of Illinois. He moved to the Washington area to work as a computer analyst for the National Security Agency from 1968 to 1976, said his wife, Barbara Marsh Sanders. He then worked as a computer analyst for the U.S. House of Representatives. He retired in 1997.
He also had served as his local Democratic precinct chairman since the early 1980s and as transportation committee chairman for the Montgomery chapter of the League of Women Voters, his wife said.
In addition to his wife, of Silver Spring, survivors include a son, Gregory S. Sanders of Ellicott City; and a sister.
Click here for Harry Sanders' obituary
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/11/AR2010031104513_pf.html
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
County Opens Final Segment Of Pedestrian Linkages Project In South Silver Spring
The South Silver Spring Pedestrian Linkages Project -- a key County project designed to enhance pedestrian safety, business development and overall livability in an emerging South Silver Spring community -- was completed today when officials opened Bottleworks Lane, a one-way street connecting East-West Highway and Kennett Street. The roadway runs beside Gramax Towers, the 15-story former office building that stood vacant for 15 years before being converted to 182 housing units.
Cutting a “ribbon” of plastic Canada Dry bottles, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett was joined by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), 8th District Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), County Council President Nancy Floreen, Council Vice President Valerie Ervin (Dist. 5), the County’s Department of Housing and Community Development Director Richard Y. Nelson Jr., County Transportation Deputy Director Al Roshdieh and John Marcolin, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Community Planner for the area. Also participating were Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center who emceed the event, and from the Community Planning and Development Division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were Senior CPD Representative Tasleem Albaari, Frances Bush and Lorraine Richardson.
Developed by the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) over a 10-year period, the project consists of eight segments of convenient, safe and attractive pedestrian walkways links through South Silver Spring. The objective of the project was to overcome the inconvenience and isolation created by the unusually large block pattern in the area.
“These pedestrian links are crucial to the character of South Silver Spring on many fronts,” Leggett said. “They improve connections between businesses, parking facilities, Montgomery College and recent commercial redevelopment and have already supported a significant increase in housing construction -- approximately 2,000 existing units nearby. And, there are more in the pipeline.”
“I am so pleased that Silver Spring has taken advantage of this opportunity for economic growth in an environmentally responsible manner. By making it easier and safer for people to get around South Silver Spring without their cars, the Pedestrian Linkages Project, including Bottleworks Lane, will help reduce carbon emissions, save people money and improve the public’s health and well being,” said Senator Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This project is a positive example of how federal investments through Community Development Block Grants can best be put to use to revitalize an entire neighborhood.”
Montgomery County has been a leader in ensuring communities are safe and accessible, and this pedestrian linkages project is an integral piece of this effort,” said Congressman Van Hollen (D-MD). “I want to commend the efforts and vision of the state, the county, and the community, and I am pleased we were able to secure federal funding to help complete this award-winning venture.”
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission reviewed the recommendations and required subsequent private development to include the recommended pedestrian linkages in their development plan.
“With Bottleworks Lane, we’ve hit the trifecta,” said Floreen. “This project improves pedestrian safety, promotes business and helps to make Silver Spring a generally great place to live. That’s something to celebrate.”
The name Bottleworks Lane was selected for the final segment in recognition of the formal industrial history of the area and specifically, the Canada Dry Factory which was located near this link.
Bottleworks Lane includes pedestrian lighting, parking meters (administered by the Parking Authority) and a bifiltration structure that collects runoff before it enters the storm water management system.
“The construction of Bottleworks Lane is a symbol of the commitment that the County has made to ensure that our neighborhoods are accessible and walkable for all of our residents,” said Ervin, who serves as the Council’s representative on the County’s Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee and represents Silver Spring. “This connection will more easily enable residents in South Silver Spring to access downtown amenities and will help local small businesses in South Silver Spring attract new customers.
“The name Bottleworks Lane is extremely appropriate as we create this linkage near the Canada Dry Building, one of Silver Spring’s historic landmarks and an icon of the industrial building boom.”
Five of the segments were constructed through private redevelopment projects, and the remaining three were constructed by the public sector and funded by Community Development Black Grants. The project represents an investment of more than five million dollars from Federal Community Development Block Grant funds in South Silver Spring. The $1.5 million cost of the final segment included land acquisition, demolition and construction. The County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) built the roadway.
In 2006, Montgomery County received an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties for the Silver Spring Pedestrian Linkages Project.
More information about the project is available on the DHCA website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/DHCA/index.asp, click on Community Programs.
Cutting a “ribbon” of plastic Canada Dry bottles, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett was joined by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), 8th District Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), County Council President Nancy Floreen, Council Vice President Valerie Ervin (Dist. 5), the County’s Department of Housing and Community Development Director Richard Y. Nelson Jr., County Transportation Deputy Director Al Roshdieh and John Marcolin, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Community Planner for the area. Also participating were Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center who emceed the event, and from the Community Planning and Development Division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were Senior CPD Representative Tasleem Albaari, Frances Bush and Lorraine Richardson.
Developed by the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) over a 10-year period, the project consists of eight segments of convenient, safe and attractive pedestrian walkways links through South Silver Spring. The objective of the project was to overcome the inconvenience and isolation created by the unusually large block pattern in the area.
“These pedestrian links are crucial to the character of South Silver Spring on many fronts,” Leggett said. “They improve connections between businesses, parking facilities, Montgomery College and recent commercial redevelopment and have already supported a significant increase in housing construction -- approximately 2,000 existing units nearby. And, there are more in the pipeline.”
“I am so pleased that Silver Spring has taken advantage of this opportunity for economic growth in an environmentally responsible manner. By making it easier and safer for people to get around South Silver Spring without their cars, the Pedestrian Linkages Project, including Bottleworks Lane, will help reduce carbon emissions, save people money and improve the public’s health and well being,” said Senator Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This project is a positive example of how federal investments through Community Development Block Grants can best be put to use to revitalize an entire neighborhood.”
Montgomery County has been a leader in ensuring communities are safe and accessible, and this pedestrian linkages project is an integral piece of this effort,” said Congressman Van Hollen (D-MD). “I want to commend the efforts and vision of the state, the county, and the community, and I am pleased we were able to secure federal funding to help complete this award-winning venture.”
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission reviewed the recommendations and required subsequent private development to include the recommended pedestrian linkages in their development plan.
“With Bottleworks Lane, we’ve hit the trifecta,” said Floreen. “This project improves pedestrian safety, promotes business and helps to make Silver Spring a generally great place to live. That’s something to celebrate.”
The name Bottleworks Lane was selected for the final segment in recognition of the formal industrial history of the area and specifically, the Canada Dry Factory which was located near this link.
Bottleworks Lane includes pedestrian lighting, parking meters (administered by the Parking Authority) and a bifiltration structure that collects runoff before it enters the storm water management system.
“The construction of Bottleworks Lane is a symbol of the commitment that the County has made to ensure that our neighborhoods are accessible and walkable for all of our residents,” said Ervin, who serves as the Council’s representative on the County’s Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee and represents Silver Spring. “This connection will more easily enable residents in South Silver Spring to access downtown amenities and will help local small businesses in South Silver Spring attract new customers.
“The name Bottleworks Lane is extremely appropriate as we create this linkage near the Canada Dry Building, one of Silver Spring’s historic landmarks and an icon of the industrial building boom.”
Five of the segments were constructed through private redevelopment projects, and the remaining three were constructed by the public sector and funded by Community Development Black Grants. The project represents an investment of more than five million dollars from Federal Community Development Block Grant funds in South Silver Spring. The $1.5 million cost of the final segment included land acquisition, demolition and construction. The County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) built the roadway.
In 2006, Montgomery County received an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties for the Silver Spring Pedestrian Linkages Project.
More information about the project is available on the DHCA website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/DHCA/index.asp, click on Community Programs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
