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

Silver Spring Heritage Trail Dedication, April 17, 2010

Pictures from the Fenton Street Market

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

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
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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

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!