The last two months have been a whirlwind for retired Army Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee of Bethesda, who turned 100 in December, participated in the coin toss at Super Bowl LIV in Miami, received an official promotion to general and was honored by President Donald Trump—along with his great-grandson Iain Lanphier—during the State of the Union address.
The Silver Spring Post Office’s move to a permanent location, postponed in January, is now scheduled to take place on Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 15–17. The post office has been in a temporary location on the first floor of the Silver Spring Library at 900 Wayne Ave. The new location will be 940 Thayer Ave., Suite 100 on the ground floor of Thayer & Spring Apartments.
Takoma Park’s Mid-Winter Folk Fest highlights the upcoming weekend. There are opening receptions this week for art exhibits at CREATE Arts Center and Locavino Café, as well as several events marking the beginning of Black History Month.
The Silver Spring Timebank hosted its 4th annual Skill Share event on Sunday, Jan. 19 at the Silver Spring Civic Building on Veterans Plaza. The event ran from 1–3 p.m. and attracted a crowd of curious individuals looking to learn something new for 2020.
Live Garra Theatre presents opening night of Sartre’s “No Exit” on Friday, while comedian Irene Tu performs the same night at Montgomery College in the Cultural Arts Center. Friends of the Library will be collecting used books on Saturday at the Silver Spring Library. On Sunday, Azalea City Recordings plans a record release party featuring songs from local musicians. Area singers will have two chances to participate in community sings this week, one on Wednesday and one Thursday evening.
The 10th annual Community Stories film festival from Docs in Progress is this week, as is the annual Community Bridges Girl Legacy gala. Other highlights include a fundraiser for veterans at UP studios, several recitals at Levine Music, a census workshop, and an online chat with the county executive.
Bud Skeleton fans will have two chances to hear the band this week, at the American Legion (with friends) tomorrow night and then at the Hell’s Bottom VFW post in Takoma Park next Friday night. The Legion will also host a garage rock night on Saturday. There are also several other types of musical performances in the area throughout the week. A highlight coming up—the initial screening of the latest work from Gandhi Brigade Youth Media at Montgomery College Tuesday evening.
Detectives from the 3rd District Investigative Section are still investigating two September incidents and are seeking the public’s help to identify a suspect, according to a press release. The department reports that about 1:27 a.m. on Sept. 17, the Children’s Hospital Foundation office located at 801 Roeder St. was burglarized.
There is no shortage of opportunities for civic or charitable involvement this week. The Victim’s Rights Foundation and Passion4Learning are both holding gala celebrations, while there are fundraisers planned for WOWD Radio and Shepherd’s Table and Takoma Park Library’s fall sale. On the civic side, there are meetings about saving trees in downtown Silver Spring, PEPCO’s ongoing work, and the Countywide Pedestrian Master Plan.