The Silver Spring Penguin

Now that The Penguin newsroom’s Guac Watch is over, we’ve shifted into election mode and are prepping for our coverage of Tuesday’s primaries. That includes our round-the-clock Obama Watch in downtown Silver Spring.

If the good senator from Illinois, the good senators from New York and Arizona, or the good former governor of Arkansas wanna hit the lunch buffet at Ghar-E-Kabob, holler at your Penguin! Hell, I’ll even have lunch with Ron Paul if he buys.

Otherwise, feel free to take in these fine events:

Friday

12:00 p.m. NOAA’s Bruce Terrell and Chris Grech, with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, describe the wreck of the dirigible USS Macon, one the largest flying objects ever built. The lecture is part of NOAA’s Heritage Week series and “Shipwrecks!” exhibit. This free event takes place at the NOAA auditorium and science center (1301 East-West Hwy) and is open to the public.

1:00 p.m. The National Museum of Health and Medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (6900 Georgia Ave, The District) rolls a free screening of “Glory” (1989). While you’re there, check out the museum’s exhibit “To Bind Up the Nation’s Wounds: Medicine During the Civil War”. That’s free, too, as is the parking.

6:30 p.m. Kefa Cafe’s Space 7:10 (963 Bonifant St) hosts a reception for painter Bobbi Kittner. This event is free and open to the public.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. Montgomery College’s Health Sciences Center (7977 Georgia Ave) holds an information session on the campus’s new undergraduate program in radiology. The program allows students earning their associate’s in radiology to keep on keepin’ on for the bachelor’s degree without schlepping to Baltimore’s College of Notre Dame.

10:00 a.m. The Silver Spring Public Library (8901 Colesville Rd) holds its used-books and bake sale. Score a homemade brownie and a gently used copy of “Naked Lunch” until 3:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. Swap ‘em if you got ‘em at Impact Silver Spring’s Swap-o-rama. Ditch your tired threads and score some gently used clothes in the process. Hit it at the First Baptist Church of Silver Spring (corner of Fenton and Wayne) until 2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. The Long Branch Public Library (8800 Garland Ave) hosts games, stories, music and dance from Ghana. This event is free and open to the public.

2:00 p.m. Class Acts Arts presents “Nego Gato”, showcasing African influences on Brazil’s music and dance traditions. The show hits the Woodside United Methodist Church (8900 Georgia Ave) and sets you back $10.

2:00 p.m. The National Museum of Health and Medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (6900 Georgia Ave, The District) rolls a free screening of “Glory” (1989). While you’re there, check out the museum’s exhibit “To Bind Up the Nation’s Wounds: Medicine During the Civil War”. That’s free, too, as is the parking.

3:00 p.m. Author David Matthews discusses his memoir, “Ace of Spades”, about growing up the child of a black father and an absent white mother. The Silver Spring Public Library (8901 Colesville Rd) hosts this free, public event.

Sunday

11:00 a.m. It’s your last chance to catch “Shipwrecks!”, a free exhibit on — you guessed it — shipwrecks. Hit it at NOAA’s science center (1301 East-West Hwy) before 4:00 p.m.

3:30 p.m. Takoma Park poet laureate Anne Becker signs copies of her new collection, “The Good Body”, at Kefa Cafe’s Space 7:10 (963 Bonifant St). The onomatopoeia is free, as are the coffee and cookies.

5:00 p.m. The Quarry House (8401 Georgia Ave) debuts “Queery House: Out of the Closet and Into the Basement”, starting at 8:00 p.m. No cover, cheap drinks — it’s fun for the entire family!

Updated Feb 9, 2008, at 11:00 a.m.