Courtesy of Flickr user Johnny Dollar. Reposted with permission.
On Monday, the Public Broadcasting System announced that “The Antiques Roadshow” will be rolling through Washington, DC, this August. For the uninitiated, the program brings tchotchke collectors out of the woodworks to have their stuff appraised by professional antique dealers. Some of it is crap, some of it is big money, all of it is entertaining.
So what would “Roadshow” pros think of the tiki mugs above? (more…)
Photo: How do you like them snowy apples? From the Dec 5, 2009, farmers market in downtown Silver Spring. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
Resolved to eat more fruits and veggies in the new year? Silver Spring’s farmers market can hook you up starting this weekend. Want some cool tchotchkes for your crib? The Fenton Street Market hits you with that in the spring.
On Saturday, FreshFarm holds its first installation of a year-round farmers market in the Downtown Silver Spring shopping center. Expect the locally grown goods to hit Ellsworth Drive at 10:00 a.m., one hour later than usual, a market spokesperson told The Penguin.
FreshFarm considered a year-round market last summer, when it surveyed local shoppers with an informal “pin the dot” poll. Most respondents seemed to dig the idea of 12 months of markets, though a few felt cold weather would make shit out of the experience, according to The Penguin’s unofficial tally of survey results.
Some of that wintry weather already made its presence known to market patrons on Dec 5, 2009, when a relatively small snowpocalypse dropped four inches of slush on apples and greens. The weather that day drew fewer shoppers than usual onto Ellsworth, despite a concurrent crafts fair on that street. (more…)
Editor’s note: Kudos to fellow bloggers Sligo (of SilverSpringSingular.com) and Eric (of ThayerAvenue.com), who planned October’s second-annual zombie walk. Not sure how they’re going to top this year’s walk, but it should be killer.
Photo: Braaaiiins would have helped me focus this shot. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
The mob outside the Quarry House Tavern on Bonifant Street got ugly Saturday night. They snarled like rabid animals. They gnawed on brain matter and “smoked” severed fingers. Hey, you would too if you got up on the wrong side of the grave like these people. Don’t judge.
Eventually the crowd for this year’s Silver Spring Zombie Walk grew to a guesstimated 500 heads (not including the disembodied ones) as they dragged themselves up Georgia Avenue to Colesville Road. Participation in the impromptu parade of undead more than doubled since the first rally last year.
“We’ve got two cop cars now,” blogger and event co-organizer Sligo quipped of the event’s security detail. “That’s a measure of our success.” (more…)
Photo: A girl and her dog hit Ellsworth Drive. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
Editor’s note: One of the coolest (and toughest) tasks I’ve ever had as Penguin editor was to judge a people-pet lookalike contest in September. It’s harder than you think.
It wasn’t the bright sun or delirious craving for Chick-Fil-A waffle fries that had people doing double takes Sunday on Ellsworth Drive. It was the Dog Days of Downtown Silver Spring, which brought out people and their lookalike pets.
The street fair drew a steady crowd of humans and canines, and featured dog-food vendors and rescue leagues. But the highlight of that warm afternoon was the pet-people lookalike contest, during which Penguin editor Jennifer Deseo (yeah, that’s me) and two others passed vicious judgement on dogs and their dopplegangers. (more…)
Credit: R. Pace/SSP.
Editor’s note: Penguin photog Ron Pace first spotted this piece of street art going up outside Fenton Village’s Kefa Cafe in early June, but the real eye grabber was the artist’s tricked-out car.
At first glance, some people notice bright colors and broad faces beaming from the dingy alley off Bonifant Street. Others notice the kid carrying an AK-47 over his shoulder.
Either way, the mural sprouting outside Kefa Cafe in Fenton Village has drawn the neighborhood’s attention. Each figure on that brick wall has a story to tell. So does the guy painting them.
Joel Bergner has painted murals in San Francisco, Chicago and The District, most with a nod to the immigrants who make up those neighborhoods. They also reflect his peripatetic life, as he rolls from one city to the next in his pimped-out ride. (more…)
Photo: Sari at Chaubara Studio. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP
Editor’s note: Honestly, I don’t know whether the term “slumdog” is derogatory, as suggested in this article’s “Holler back” section. What I do know is that movie execs gave the green light to use it in the title of Danny Boyle’s Oscar winner “Slumdog Millionaire”. The flick took home eight statuettes, including one for best picture, in February 2009.
The day after the Academy Awards ceremony was a busy one for Mahima Poddar. The phone at her downtown Chaubara Fashion Studio rang incessantly with calls for Bollywood bling and the latest in Indian-inspired fashions.
It seemed “Slumdog” fever — the condition that triggers spontaneous bhangra moves and cheers of “Jai ho!” — had hit Silver Spring.
“Indian jewelry has an ancient style and intricate patterns drawn from history,” Poddar said of South Asian shine. “There are no simple, straight-out designs.” (more…)
Read The Penguin's coverage of a mass-transit project that might roll through downtown Silver Spring.
What the hell are they building now? Learn more from The Penguin's development coverage.
Boxed wines and rosés are back in vogue. Just ask The Penguin's sommeliers.
