Sunday, June 8, 2008
11AM to 5PM
at Kennett Street

The event will showcase the best of our community with festivities of interest for all ages and families including over 15 live music acts, 80 arts and crafts vendors, children’s activities, food and drink, amazing raffle prizes, fire engine, moon bounce, featuring Acorn Market. Bring family and friends to celebrate and build a strong community.

Download and print the flyer to spread the word!

This Friday is the annual Bike To Work Day, hosted by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Be sure to register for the pit stop at One Discovery Place for breakfast and more.

If you are unfamiliar with bicycle routes into DC, grab your bike and join one of the bicycle convoys going from Silver Spring to Downtown DC, or from Silver Spring to Bethesda. No registration is required for the convoys. An experienced cyclist will be leading the convoy, who will also be able to assist with safe riding and equipment tips for those of you unfamiliar with commuter cycling.

For those without a bike, Bike and Roll will be offering free rentals with pickup from 5 to 7 on Thursday evening. For more info call them at 202-842-2453.

For those of you unable to attend the meeting on the Days Inn & Travelodge motels, let me give a quick recap and explain what the next steps are.

Assistant State's Attorney Maura Lynch and MCPD's 3rd District Lt Eric Burnett explained to us that they have been gathering evidence against the motels in an attempt to get management to significantly improve their business practices, with possible legal action down the road if they do not comply. They have compiled a long list of crimes that have either occurred inside the buildings or have been linked to criminals using the motels as safe havens.

In order for the motels to improve, either on their own accord or by court order, we as individuals in the community need to send an email highlighting our own accounts in dealing with the motels: whether it is seeing prostitutes enter/exit the buildings; drug paraphernalia on or around the perimeter; being harassed by hotel guests; or simply any emotion/reaction you feel when you walk near them.

I have personally been told stories by members of our community that are shocking and sad. The only way to improve the situation for all of us is to convey your thoughts and experiences to the local authorities.

Lt Eric Burnett has asked that all complaints be sent to him: Eric...@montgomerycountymd.gov . Please put "Days Inn Motel" in the subject line.

The only way we can fix this problem is by publicly voicing our outrage with the poor and dangerous business practices at the Days Inn & Travelodge motels. This affects everyone in South Silver Spring (Eastern Village Cohousing, 8045 Newell, the Aurora, the Silverton, the Gramax, the Mica), East Silver Spring, Shepherd Park and the greater community.

Please take a few minutes to send an email to Lt Burnett. Your email is the easiest and most efficient way to make our neighborhood safer.

May 9, 2008
7PM to 3AM
$3
Backroom at Jackie's, 8081 Georgia Ave

On Wednesday May 14th, 2008, Manna Food Center, in partnership with Whole Foods Markets and Ride On Montgomery County Transit, will hold a Stuff-A-Bus event at the Whole Foods Markets in Bethesda, Rockville, Kentlands, and Silver Spring. The goal of this event is for shoppers to fill Ride On buses with non-perishable food to help feed our hungry
neighbors.

On this day, Whole Foods Markets will also hold a 5% Day and donate 5% of sales from those four Whole Foods Markets to Manna Food Center.

Manna Food Center is experiencing a twenty percent increase in the number of families turning to Manna for food assistance. You can help fight hunger and feed hope by doing your grocery shopping at Whole Foods Markets
on May 14 and by helping to fill a Ride-On bus with donated nonperishable food.

For more information, contact:
www.mannafood.org
i...@mannafood.org
301-424-1130.

You can drink your caffeine or absorb it through your skin. But now you can also read your caffeine! Mayorga has launched a blog to keep their drinkers up-to-date. From the first post:

As you can see, this is a new addition to our website. I know, I know, we’re totally behind the curve on the whole blogging “thing”. Well, we might be a little late, but we’re still excited about this new medium for keeping our customers and potential customers up-to-date.

My goal is to update this blog at least once per week with information pertinent to the activities of Mayorga Coffee–and anything else that might have to do with coffee, origin issues, and sustainability. I hope that this blog gives insight about our company to those of you who are not too familiar with us and I hope that it contributes to the elevatation of coffee knowledge in the marketplace.

Subscribe to their RSS Feed or bookmark the page.

Slate V recently published their video podcast of stupidest bike lanes in the country. And Silver Spring got first place.

View Larger Map

Saturday, May 3rd, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The Silver Spring Historical Society sponsors a FREE open house of the historic 1945 B&O Railroad Station, 8100 Georgia Avenue (at Sligo Avenue) in downtown Silver Spring, MD.

Bring the young ones to play with our Thomas the Train set (they can also watch real trains go by outside)!
Limited free parking is available in front of the station (please do not park next door at the fire station!) with ample street parking and a parking garage available nearby. The railroad station is also an easy four block walk from the Silver Spring Metro
station on the Red Line.
Information 301-495-4915

The Montgomery County State's Attorney's office informs me they are moving forward with their legal case against the Days Inn and Travelodge motels. But in order for the lawsuit to be successful, they need our help.

On Thursday May 8 at 7:30p, SSSNA will hold a meeting with Assistant State's Attorney Maura Lynch to discuss the matter. The meeting will take place at Eastern Village Cohousing.

I know we are all in agreement that the seedy motels are a blight on our community because of the illegal behavior conducted and allegedly condoned there. Montgomery County is now empowering us to change that--and hopefully close the motels.

What: Discussion about lawsuit against Travelodge & Days Inn motels
Who: Assistant State's Attorney Maura Lynch
When: Thursday May 8 at 7:30p
Where: Eastern Village Cohousing (enter through the courtyard)

For the betterment of our community, I hope to see you at the meeting.

Your neighbor,

Evan Glass
President, South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association

You're invited to the next South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association social event at Mayorga on Thursday April 24. This will be an exciting event featuring the jazz quartet "Aire Lune" and is also being co-sponsored by the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.

So come have some coffee, food or drink, listen to live jazz and meet the people in your neighborhood.

What: Community Social
When: Thursday, April 24, 2008 from 6 to 9 pm.
Where: Mayorga Coffee Factory
Cost: Free!

There will be no admission charge for this event, but there will be a "cash bar."

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization which has been formed to provide community-based arts, entertainment and educational programming for the new Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza.