Snow piles, potholes linger in storm’s wake

By Jennifer Deseo | Jan 5, 2010

A few days after December’s snowpocalypse, a middle-aged man using an electric wheelchair was spotted on East-West Highway in South Silver Spring, attempting to navigate a narrow strip of bare sidewalk. He wasn’t having much luck.

Photo: Dude, whats the deal here? Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

Photo: Dude, what's the deal here? Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

After squeezing past snow piles nearly as high as his head, he encountered unshoveled sidewalk too sloppy for his wheelchair to manage. He was forced to throw the wheelchair in reverse, back the way he came, to find a clear path.

That particular sidewalk has since been cleared, but one downtown sidewalk (photo) remains unshoveled two weeks after the snowpocalypse buried the hood under 20 inches of snow.

Along Colesville Road, outside a short office building and yards from a bus stop, a snow pile blocks passage for peds on foot and wheels. Ironically, the sidewalk around it and an adjacent parking lot are clear slabs of concrete and asphalt.

The storm’s cleanup left a nasty, metallic taste on the palettes of some, including council member Valerie Ervin (D-District 5). Soon after the storm subsided, she requested a council hearing on why the county’s volunteer center wasn’t dispatched to help shovel sidewalks. (more…)

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New year brings extended calendar to downtown’s outdoor markets

By Jennifer Deseo | Jan 4, 2010
Photo: How do you like them snowy apples? From the Dec 5, 2009, farmers market in downtown Silver Spring. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

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…)

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The Early Bird

By Jennifer Deseo | Jan 4, 2010

The new year brings big change to Penguin HQ. After three years of attending civic meetings and public hearings, scoping out new businesses and restaurants, and causing trouble in general, Penguin editor Jennifer Deseo (read: me) is leaving the publication.

It’s not that hyperlocal news doesn’t turn me on. In fact, I like to think I’ve made a life (though not a living) of it. Instead, what prompts me to leave The Penguin is the same thing that brought me to Silver Spring in the first place: a wonderful out-of-state career opportunity for my spouse. Ain’t love grand?

My relocation means The Penguin will end its run on Friday, Jan 15, 2010. After that date, the content will remain online for readers’ reference, though individual posts will no longer accept comments in the “Holler back” section. If you’ve got something to say, get it in before next Friday.

As you digest this information, don’t forget to check out this week’s other offering:

Thursday

9:30 a.m. The county’s planning board discusses the early stages of its sector plan for the Long Branch neighborhood. This free event takes place inside the board’s auditorium (8787 Georgia Ave) and is open to the public.

 
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This Weekend

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 31, 2009

Here at Penguin HQ, we like to do New Year’s Eve in a quiet way. In keeping with tradition, we’ll chow down on rice, beans, cornbread and collard greens as a shout out to my Lowcountry brothers and sisters. We’ll huddle around the DVD player for a little “District 9″ and “Star Trek”. And then we’ll go to bed.

That’s just how we roll.

If you’re hitting the bottle this New Year’s Eve, be sure to take advantage of the SoberRide program, or designate someone to stay straight. Have a good time!

Thursday

10:00 p.m. The Washington Regional Alcohol Program offers free cab rides home (up to a $50 fare) until 6:00 a.m. Friday. To request a ride, phone (800) 200-8294. Service cannot be reserved in advance, and all requests must be routed through the phone number provided in order to qualify for the free ride.

Click here for more information.

Friday

All day. The county observes New Year’s Day. All county offices, courts, libraries and liquor stores are closed. Parking at county-operated garages, lots and curbside meters is free; mass transit operates on a Sunday schedule.

 
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Zombies infect Silver Spring with scares, satire

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 31, 2009

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.

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…)

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Vendors, visitors flood Fenton Village craft mart

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 30, 2009
Photo: A jewelry vendor at the Fenton Street Market. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

Photo: A jewelry vendor at the Fenton Street Market. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

Editor’s note: Fenton Village scored a sweet deal in September when the Fenton Street Market opened. Part craft mart, part yard sale, it was popular enough to spawn weekly sales starting spring 2010.

Saturday morning was all about baubles, bicycles and hand-knit scarves at the inaugural Fenton Street Market.

About 40 vendors set up shop in a paved parking lot on Fenton and Silver Spring Avenue. Many sold beaded jewelry, scarves and wool yarn, while others peddled paintings and photographs. A few offered used tchotchkes, Hawaiian shirts and VHS tapes. (It’s what people used to watch before they streamed shows off Hulu.)

Meanwhile, a steady stream of people snaked around vendors’ tables and inspected da goods. Dozens more in their cars circled the block and spilled onto East Silver Spring’s residential streets in search of coveted parking. (more…)

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