The Silver Spring Penguin

The spring rains have stopped in time for Saturday’s farmers market, the first of the season. It’s guaranteed to be chock full o’ essential vitamins and minerals, but the big question is: Who’s rocking the chocolate croissants this year?

Previously, it was some dude from who knows where, and he always packed his clear plastic bins full of fat, tasty pastries. (His apple croissants were also the bomb.) Then things shifted — out went my main dude, in came some frou-frou bakers from Bethesda. Sure their stuff was good, but the vittles were much smaller and much more costly.

Who’s going to deliver the goods this season? That remains to be seen. In the meantime, nosh on this:

Friday

6:30 p.m. Jackie’s Restaurant (8081 Georgia Ave) hosts a reception for artist Alicia Kersting, whose collection of abstract portraits is on display there. This event is free and open to the public.

8:00 p.m. The Happenstance Theater troupe performs the original play “FarFar Oasis” at the Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd). Tickets are $15 each.

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents the drama “Columbinus”. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

10:00 p.m. Events producer 88 hosts “Loda”, a showcase of electronic music and digital art, at Gallery Lounge (1115 East-West Hwy). There is a $10 fee for this over-21 event.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. Freshfarm Markets holds its weekly farmers market until 1:00 p.m. on Ellsworth Drive between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue. There is no admission fee.

9:00 a.m. Montgomery County sponsors its annual cleanup of the Long Branch stream, a tributary to the Anacostia River. This free event starts at the Long Branch Community Center (8700 Piney Branch Rd) and is open to the public. For more information, call Cynthia Butler at (240) 777-3652.

8:00 p.m. The Happenstance Theater troupe performs the original play “FarFar Oasis” at the Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd). Tickets are $15 each.

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents the drama “Columbinus”. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

Sunday

8:00 a.m. Pacers Running Store (8535 Fenton St) hosts an Earth Day 5K run to benefit The Nature Conservancy. Walk-up registration takes place at the store and costs $30. Click here to view the race course, which starts and ends in downtown Silver Spring.

2:00 p.m. Create Arts Center holds an Earth Day celebration and crafts workshop at the Pyramid Atlantic community arts store (924 Ellsworth Dr). No admission fee was available at press time.

2:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents the drama “Columbinus”. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Happenstance Theater troupe performs the original play “FarFar Oasis” at the Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd). Tickets are $15 each.

7:00 p.m. The Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music presents a performance by digital ensemble Brown Wing Overdrive. This event takes place at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave). Admission is $7 per person.

Photo by J. Deseo/SSP.

A working vacation is always a waste of time. First, it’s not a real vacation. There’s definitely no rest or relaxation involved. At the same time, no work gets done because all time and energy are consumed in that raging resentment for having to work while on vacation. It’s a big crock of shit.

Still, I managed to get one thing done: a Twitter feed dedicated to fun stuff in Silver Spring’s arts and entertainment district. Hit it at twitter.com/SilverSpringMD for the full scoop.

When you’re done screwing around on Twitter, check out what else is on this week’s calendar:

Monday

9:30 a.m. The county council’s transportation committee discusses a resolution to replace brick sidewalk pavers in neighborhoods like downtown Silver Spring. This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), seventh floor, and is open to the public.

7:00 p.m. Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board holds its monthly meeting at the Silver Spring library (8901 Colesville Rd). This event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday

2:15 p.m. The county council’s economic development committee considers a bill that will allow real-estate developers to defer the costs of building permits for up to one year. This free event takes place at the council’s office building (100 Maryland Ave, Rockville), seventh floor, and is open to the public.

Wednesday

7:00 p.m. Silver Spring’s economic and commercial development committee holds its monthly meeting at the Silver Spring Regional Center (8435 Georgia Ave). This event is free and open to the public.

Update: This event has been postponed until Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009. For more information, see comment #1 in the “Holler back” section below. — JD (Apr 14, 2009)

Thursday

3:30 p.m. Silver Spring’s urban-district advisory committee holds its monthly meeting at the urban-district office (8110 Georgia Ave, third floor). This event is free and open to the public.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user chiacomo.

It’s been a quiet week in Da Sprang — chalk it up to Christian-Judeo holidays, spring break and a general disinterest in current events. (Trust me, the economy will still suck tomorrow.) So I’ve made the executive decision to give everyone at Penguin corporate HQ the rest of the week off.

We’ll be back next Monday, bright eyed and bushy tailed, with the comprehensive snark that you demand from the crew. Until then, soak up what Silver Spring has to offer:

Wednesday

1:00 p.m. New York artist Ivan Schwartz discusses sculpture and the visual storyteller, with a focus on his new sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. This free event takes place at Montgomery College’s resource center (New York Ave, between Chicago and Takoma Aves), first floor auditorium, and is open to the public.

Thursday

4:00 p.m. The Pyramid Atlantic community arts store (924 Ellsworth Dr) hosts happy hour with crafts activities. There is a $5 fee that covers materials and brief instruction.

Friday

4:00 p.m. The Pyramid Atlantic community arts store (924 Ellsworth Dr) hosts a reception for emerging artists with the continuing-education program at Montgomery College’s School of Art and Design. This event is free and open to the public.

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents the drama “Columbinus”. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

10:00 p.m. Event producer 88 hosts “Loda”, a music and multimedia dance party, at Gallery Lounge (1115 East-West Hwy). There is a $10 cover charge for this over-21 event.

Saturday

10:00 a.m. Kefa Cafe (963 Bonifant St) hosts a clothing drive to benefit Progress Place, which offers social services to the homeless. This free event is open to the public and goes until 12:00 noon.

12:00 p.m. McGinty’s Public House (911 Ellsworth Dr) hosts an artists’ market until 3:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

7:00 p.m. The Synergy in Action theater company conducts a “playback” performance, where audience members recount personal stories and then choose cast members to play individual roles. This event takes place at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave). Admission is $10.

7:30 p.m. The Cavalcade of Schlock film club presents an evening of B movies with a post-apocalyptic theme. This event takes place at the Pyramid Atlantic community arts store (924 Ellsworth Dr). (An admission cost was not available at publication.)

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents the drama “Columbinus”. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

Sunday

Chow down on some marshmallow Peeps, chocolate gelt or whatever makes you happy.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user brettneilson.

Ah, I’ve been waiting all winter to hear my two favorite words: Play ball! Screw the cherry blossoms — baseball is the nation’s ultimate sign of spring. It doesn’t matter which team you root for, you know spring and, soon enough, summer are totally on.

The Orioles open their season at home if you’re up to the drive. Otherwise, the Nats get down locally next week.

Not into baseball? Well, then I can’t help you. Hook up with these other activities: 

Monday

All day. Baseball breaks out all over the country. The Nats go fishing in Florida at 4:00 p.m., while Da Boids host the Yankees at home starting at 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday

11:00 a.m. Montgomery College hosts a dance workshop on Middle Eastern debkah. This free event takes place at the college’s Falcon Hall (7600 Takoma Ave) and is open to the public.

Wednesday

1:00 p.m. New York artist Ivan Schwartz discusses sculpture and the visual storyteller, with a focus on his new sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. This free event takes place at Montgomery College’s resource center (New York Ave, between Chicago and Takoma Aves), first floor auditorium, and is open to the public.

Photo of Nats Stadium courtesy of Flickr user wfyurasko.

Update: “Penultimate” has been upgraded to “ultimate”. — JD (Apr 6, 2009)

There’s a lot of stuff kicking in Silver Spring this weekend, including the pollen. Make that Zyrtec dose a double, then check out what’s happening outside your front doorstep:

Thursday

7:00 p.m. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) presents the 2007 documentary“The English Surgeon”, with an appearance by director Geoffrey Smith. Tickets are $10 each.

9:30 p.m. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) presents the 2005 drama “The Proposition”, with an introduction by University of Maryland professor Torey Liepa. Tickets are $10 each.

Friday

5:00 p.m. The Pyramid Atlantic community arts store (924 Ellsworth Dr) hosts a screening of the documentary “Briars in the Cotton Patch”, about the birth of Habitat for Humanity. This event is free and open to the public.

6:30 p.m. Kefa Cafe’s Space 7:10 (963 Bonifant St) hosts a reception for photographers with the Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma. This event is free and open to the public.

7:00 p.m. The Lumina Studio performs “Revenge of the Surreal Plays” at the Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd). Tickets cost $15 each.

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents the drama“Columbinus”. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. The Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment removes trash and debris around the Potomac River’s Fenwick Tributary. This free, three-hour event starts at East Beach Drive and North Portal Drive in The District. For more information, email Clif Grandy at clifgmail-fenwick@yahoo.com.

3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The Lumina Studio performs “Revenge of the Surreal Plays” at the Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd). Tickets cost $15 each.

5:00 p.m. The Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave) celebrates its fifth anniversary in downtown Silver Spring with light refreshments, edible paper and a special prints sale. There is no admission fee.

8:00 p.m. The Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music presents performances byMichael Thomas Jackson, Vector Trio, Michelle Webb, and Janel & Anthony with Violet. This event takes place at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center (8230 Georgia Ave). Admission is $7 per person.

8:00 p.m. The Silver Spring Stage (10145 Colesville Rd) presents the drama“Columbinus”. Tickets are $13 to $18 each.

Sunday

10:00 a.m. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) hosts “Talk Cinema”, an independently curated sneak preview of previously unreleased movies, followed by discussions with critics and filmmakers. Titles are not announced prior to the screening. Tickets are $20 each (cash or check only).

3:00 p.m. The Lumina Studio performs “Revenge of the Surreal Plays” at the Round House Theatre (8641 Colesville Rd). Tickets cost $15 each.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Time Stands Still.