The Silver Spring Penguin

I don’t know about your place of work, but The Penguin newsroom has its hurricane survival plan in place. The pantry’s stocked with enough water, cranberry juice and vodka to last at least three days. The Chinese restaurant’s phone number has been programmed into our main switchboard’s speed dial. And our CrackBerry batteries are fully charged in case of a power outage.

So I say this to the weather gurus at NOAA: Bring it on. The stalwart Penguin staff is ready for anything:

Thursday

7:00 p.m. The Skins head to New Jersey’s Meadowlands for their season opener against the New York Giants. Pack a hazmat suit and head north on the Turnpike (exit 16W), or just catch the game on NBC-TV.

Friday

5:30 p.m. Folk singer Doris Justis performs at South Silver Spring’s Arts Alley (8030 Georgia Ave). The outdoor gig is part of the weekly Arts Alley Fridays series of free performances and hinges on good weather.

6:00 p.m. The Downtown Silver Spring shopping center hosts an outdoor concert (weather permitting) to benefit scholarship programs for girls in Mali and the United States. The free gig hits Silver Plaza (The Fountain) and is open to the public.

8:00 p.m. The Open Circle theatre company presents “Story Theatre”, a new spin on old tales. The gig rocks the Roundhouse Theater (8641 Colesville Rd) and costs $25 per seat. Score a break when you flash convincing military, student or senior ID.

9:30 p.m. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) rolls a series of films by modernist director Michelangelo Antonioni, starting with “Blowup” (1966). Tickets for the flick are $10 each and include admission to the 11:00 p.m. after-party.

10:00 p.m. Event producer 88 drops thick digital beats at “Loda”, a music-and-multimedia event. Hit it at Gallery Lounge (1115 East-West Hwy) with $10 each and convincing ID for the guy at the door.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. Freshfarm holds its weekly farmers market on Ellsworth Drive, between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue. There is no admission fee.

10:00 a.m. Members of the Silver Spring Historical Society lead a two-hour walking tour of Georgia Avenue. Hook up at the B&O rail station (8100 Georgia Ave) with five bucks in hand. Heavy rain puts a lid on the deal.

10:00 a.m. Impact Silver Spring holds its fall Swap-O-Rama. Drag your gently used clothes to the First Baptist Church of Silver Spring (8415 Fenton St) and trade them out for someone else’s gently used clothes. Leftovers are donated to charity. This free gig is open to the public.

10:00 a.m. Kefa Cafe (963 Bonifant St) holds a customer-appreciation event until noon, though whether that involves price breaks is unclear. Hit it anyway — the food and joe are pretty damned good.

POSTPONED UNTIL SEP 20. The Downtown Silver Spring shopping center unveils its “very important pet” (VIP) park with giveaways, demonstrations and McGruff the Crime Dog. Walk Fido around Silver Plaza (The Fountain) if the rain isn’t too bad and take in the free festivities.

7:00 p.m. The Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave) hosts a CD release party for guitarist Patrick Smith. The scene is free and open to the public.

7:00 p.m. The University of Maryland football team hits the road and gets terpalicious against Middle Tennessee State University’s Blue Raiders. Find yourself lost in the middle of Tennessee, or just catch the game on Comcast SportsNet.

8:00 p.m. The Open Circle theatre company presents “Story Theatre”, a new spin on old tales. The gig rocks the Roundhouse Theater (8641 Colesville Rd) and costs $30 per seat. Score a break when you flash convincing military, student or senior ID.

Sunday

2:00 p.m. The Open Circle theatre company present “Story Theatre”, a new spin on old tales. The gig rocks the Roundhouse Theater (8641 Colesville Rd) and costs $15 per seat. Score a break when you flash convincing military, student or senior ID.

Lead photo by Jennifer Deseo for The Silver Spring Penguin.

Updated Sep 4, 2008, at 12:30 p.m. to include Saturday’s walking tour of Georgia Avenue.

Updated Sep 5, 2008, at 6:20 p.m. to reflect rescheduling of Saturday’s dog event.