Salsa on the Plaza - Video

Ricardo Loaiza leads the Salsa on the Plaza program. Mr. Loaiza, a native of Colombia, is the originator the Latin Dance Company DC SALSEROS/LATIN VIBES which was launched in 1996 in Washington, DC. Ricardo has taught, choreographed and performed in more than 500 events in the Washington DC Metropolita, area as well as in over 20 cities in the USA. He has taught and Performed in various major SALSA international events in Holland, England, Germany, Dubai, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Japan, Aruba and Colombia. Currently he teaches Salsa-Aerobics (Dance Aerobics) at various Washington Sports Clubs, as part of a High and Low exercise program, for young and old.

For the last 10 years, he has helped organize and host the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Latin Dance Competition which has had as many as 10 schools participate in the past. As a result of this competition in November of 2010, he co-founded “The After School Latin Dance Fund”(ASDF), a non-profit organization that provides artistic, technical and financial support for the establishment of after school Latin dance programs with the hope of expanding the program to all 25 MCPS.

After School Dance Fund provides artistic, technical and financial support for the establishment After School Latin Dance Programs in all Montgomery County Public Schools (“MCPS”). ASDF offers its programs in an effort to combat the troubling prevalence of preventable social and health issues; particularly in the Latino community, including childhood obesity, teen pregnancy, high rates of high school drop-outs, and the devastating influence of gangs in our communities. The ASDF initiative aims to create a permanent space for participating MCPS students to be involved in a positive group activity with their peers after school. The GOAL is for students to learn to showcase popular Latin dances, as well as the importance of living a healthy mental and physical life style. To this end, dance becomes a vehicle for increased cultural awareness and pride, while fostering exercise and having fun. In addition, participants learn teamwork and gain leadership skills in preparation for competition with individuals dancers and dance teams from other schools. The artistic progress and continuous improvement in dance technique will have a positive impression in each participant's personality, manners and etiquette. Also, by participating in a structures program, students learn to be part of a team, to be responsible, on-time, respectful to their team members, adults and their parents.

As a result of last year MCPS High School 11th Annual Latin Dance Competition, which was held at the Strathmore, The ASDF proudly partnered with HIPtv, who produced a Documentary “The Road to Strathmore” which features the lives of four students from two different schools and their sponsors. The documentary will be PREMIERE in Silver Spring this Fall 2011 and will be submitted to local, regional, national and international film festivals. The Documentary elaborates on the struggle, success and importance of students to be involved in a positive group activity with their peers.


This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.

Visit their blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/8305814081/

See our Plaza videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTownCentre

See our Plaza pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/collections/72157626644003377/

Salsa on Veterans Plaza! Starting Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 7 pm. Free!

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. invites you to "Salsa on the Plaza," a multi-week Salsa dance class for all. And it's free! Starting Wednesday, September 7th--and continuing into October--Ricardo Loaiza and Elba Garcia will teach you how to dance the Salsa or help you improve you style!

What: Salsa Dancing on the Plaza
Where: Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD 20910
When: Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 7-9 pm.
Experience: No experience needed! Experienced dancers welcome!
Cost: Free!

Want to learn how to dance the Salsa? Want to improve your Salsa dancing? Join Ricardo, Elba and friends on Veterans Plaza for free Salsa classes, every Wednesday in September and on into October!

About Ricardo and Elba. Ricardo Loaiza, a native of Colombia, is the originator the Latin Dance Company DC SALSEROS/LATIN VIBES which was launched in 1996 in Washington, DC. Ricardo has taught, choreographed and performed in more than 500 events in the Washington DC Metropolita, area as well as in over 20 cities in the USA. He has taught and Performed in various major SALSA international events in Holland, England, Germany, Dubai, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Japan, Aruba and Colombia. Currently he teaches Salsa-Aerobics (Dance Aerobics) at various Washington Sports Clubs, as part of a High and Low exercise program, for young and old.

Joining Ricardo, the father of Esperanza Loaiza, in instruction is Elba Garcia, his life-long dance partner, wife and mother of their other 3 children--Ricardo Rey, Leonardo and Lorenza.

Mr. Loaiza has been a pioneer in his field and has facilitated many firsts throughout his career. Ricardo was the first local Latin Dance Instructor to start a Dance Company and to be invited to represent Washington, DC in various National and International events. The first in the DC Metropolitan area to provide students with progressive group and performance classes with a carefully planned syllabus and evaluation process. And the first to open a Latino Owned Latin Dance Studio in Silver Spring, MD in 2000. Ricardo is also a promoter of Salsa, Mambo and other Latin dances through WEPA Productions, who are the organizers for the International Salsa Conventions. Mr. Loaiza has paved the way for the many Dance Instructors and Dance Companies that currently exist in the DC Metropolitan Area. He is well known for his Group classes and ENERGETIC and FUN presence when teaching. Ricardo considers himself "a student of SALSA and Mambo" and takes every opportunity to learn new things everywhere he teaches.

For the last 10 years, he has helped organize and host the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Latin Dance Competition which has had as many as 10 schools participate in the past. As a result of this competition in November of 2010, he co-founded “The After School Latin Dance Fund”(ASDF), a non-profit organization that provides artistic, technical and financial support for the establishment of after school Latin dance programs with the hope of expanding the program to all 25 MCPS.

After School Dance Fund provides artistic, technical and financial support for the establishment After School Latin Dance Programs in all Montgomery County Public Schools (“MCPS”). ASDF offers its programs in an effort to combat the troubling prevalence of preventable social and health issues; particularly in the Latino community, including childhood obesity, teen pregnancy, high rates of high school drop-outs, and the devastating influence of gangs in our communities. The ASDF initiative aims to create a permanent space for participating MCPS students to be involved in a positive group activity with their peers after school. The GOAL is for students to learn to showcase popular Latin dances, as well as the importance of living a healthy mental and physical life style. To this end, dance becomes a vehicle for increased cultural awareness and pride, while fostering exercise and having fun. In addition, participants learn teamwork and gain leadership skills in preparation for competition with individuals dancers and dance teams from other schools. The artistic progress and continuous improvement in dance technique will have a positive impression in each participant's personality, manners and etiquette. Also, by participating in a structures program, students learn to be part of a team, to be responsible, on-time, respectful to their team members, adults and their parents.

As a result of last year MCPS Hih School 11th Annual Latin Dance Competition, which was held at the Strathmore, The ASDF proudly partnered with HIPtv, who produced a Documentary “The Road to Strathmore” which features the lives of (4) students from two different schools and their sponsors. The documentary will be PREMIERE in Silver Spring this Fall 2011 and will be submitted to local, regional, national and international film festivals. The Documentary elaborates on the struggle, success and importance of students to be involved in a positive group activity with their peers.

About Althea Grey-McKenzie. Assisting Ricardo and Elba for "Salsa on the Plaza" is Althea Grey-McKenzie, the Artistic Director for the White House Studios. Althea is an awarded artist and visiting scholar in dance and cultural event management for her work as a performer, instructor, educator, and grant committee panelist. In addition to her work for The White House Studios in Downtown Silver Spring, she is Choreographer for Caribbean Dance Traditions (CDT), a resident performing group at the studio that performs in the Washington Metro area and has been seen at The Takoma Park Folk Festival, Magical Montgomery, World of Montgomery Festival, Taste of Wheaton and Montgomery County Public Libraries. She currently serves as Chair for the National Caribbean-American Heritage Month Steering Committee for the Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce in the Greater Washington Area and has coordinated several successful programs regarding Caribbean culture which were featured in the Washington Post, ‘Montgomery Extra ‘ section, the Silver Spring Gazette, and the Rockville Patch.

Ms. Grey-McKenzie directed successful programs including: the Caribbean Dance Genre Program for several years at the Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity in Wheaton, Maryland, and co-directed the Caribbean Cultural Youth Association in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Both programs brought folk and traditional dance and cultural workshops representing Caribbean and Latino Heritage to underserved families in the Washington Metro area. She was also instrumental in bringing theatrical arts and workshops to The CaribFest in Richmond, VA, The Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center at Indiana University and the Murphy Fine Arts Center at Morgan State University for a wide range of audiences. Ms. Grey-McKenzie continues to bring the awareness of this rich artistic culture to audiences in the Washington Metro area and Baltimore and produced “Caribbean Carnival Experience” for a 750 audience assembly of elementary school and middle school agers in July 2011.

As a professional dancer, member performer and former member of two dance companies, Ms. Grey McKenzie has an extensive background in dance. She was member of La Musicale Dance Works (DC) for eleven years, Soul in Motion Players, Inc. (MD) for five years and currently a member of the Zomema Dance Ensemble in Prince George’s Maryland, and a continuing five-year member of Carivision Community Theatre, a Caribbean theatrical company in College Park, Maryland, Althea has a passion for dance and the arts, as well as celebrating the interrelated aspects of African, Caribbean, Hispanic, European, Asian and African-American dance, musical, and theatrical art forms and traditions.

This program is a production of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.

Visit their blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/8305814081/

See our Plaza videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTownCentre

See our Plaza pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/collections/72157626644003377/

"One" - A Performance by the Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts

Performing on the Veterans Plaza Stage, Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts students presented a musical review of Broadway show tunes, coupled with exciting hip-hop songs and dance.

The Broadway Meets Hip-Hop musical review is produced and directed by Dr. Rickey Payton, Sr., assisted by Artistic Director, Sherion Cosby, Acting Coach Lyndsay Rini, Music Director Glenn Pearson, Choreographer Shawn Cosby, Assistant Choreographer Roslyn Ramseur and Children's Coordinator Tomasena Allen. The performance band includes Glenn Pearson and Rickey Payton on keyboards, Kush El-Amin on bass and Michael Nicholas on percussion.

Broadway Meets Hip Hop - The Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts - Photos

Performing on the Veterans Plaza Stage, Urban Nation Academy students presented a musical review of Broadway show tunes, coupled with exciting hip-hop tunes and dances.

The Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts is both a music and dance performing arts school located in the heart of the Arts District in Downtown Silver Spring, Md. They are dedicated to providing quality music and dance lessons to children and adults alike in a professional, nurturing, and student oriented environment. For information, check out their website at http://www.urbannationacademy.com

The Broadway Meets Hip-Hop musical review was produced and directed by Dr. Rickey Payton, Sr., assisted by Artistic Director, Sherion Cosby, Acting Coach Lyndsay Rini, Music Director Glenn Pearson, Choreographer Shawn Cosby, Assistant Choreographer Roslyn Ramseur and Children's Coordinator Tomasena Allen. The performance band includes Glenn Pearson and Rickey Payton on keyboards, Kush El-Amin on bass and Michael Nicholas on percussion.

See more pics at

Slide Show http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/sets/72157627299204307/show/

Detail http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/sets/72157627299204307/detail/

Thumbnails http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanbowser/sets/72157627299204307/

Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist Gina DeSimone & the Moaners on Veterans Plaza, Tuesday, August 9 at 7 pm. Free

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza. On Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 7pm, we welcome Gina DeSimone to the Plaza Stage.

Born and raised in the Silver Spring area, Gina picked up the guitar at age 9 and began taking lessons at a local music store. “I wanted drums,” she explains, “but my parents gave me a guitar instead. Turns out I love playing guitar, but I think my songs are so rhythmically oriented because there’s a bit of drummer in me.” As a teenager, Gina broke the stereotype of the female folk guitarist by playing lead guitar in rock bands. Today she backs up many of the area’s finest songwriters and bands. She began a lifetime of guitar teaching when the same local music store where she learned guitar called to ask if she was interested in teaching. In addition, to running a studio of dedicated students, she continues honing her skills by taking lessons from master guitarists like Al Petteway, Del Rey, Steve James and Mary Flower.

This year, Gina DeSimone was the featured acoustic blues player at the 3rd Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival. She also joined the Archie Edwards Blues Ensemble at the Festival's Market Stage.

Check her out online at http://www.myspace.com/ginadandthemoaners or at http://mysite.verizon.net/gina.d/gina/index.htm


Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza is located at the intersection of Fenton Street & Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/8305814081/

Broadway Meets Hip-Hop! On Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza, August 10-12, 2011

Please join us for another exciting Plaza Performance on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 7 pm, when we welcome students from the Urban Nation Academy For the Performing Arts Summer Camp to Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza.

Performing on the Plaza Stage, the Urban Nation Academy students will present a musical review of Broadway show tunes, coupled with exciting hip-hop tunes and dances.

The Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts is both a music and dance performing arts school located in the heart of the newly refurbished Arts District in Downtown Silver Spring, Md. They are dedicated to providing quality music and dance lessons to children and adults alike in a professional, nurturing, and student oriented environment. For information, check out their website at http://www.urbannationacademy.com/

The program will also be presented at 12 noon on Wednesday, August 10, 2011, Thursday, August 11, and Friday, August 12.

The Broadway Meets Hip-Hop musical review is produced and directed by Dr. Rickey Payton, Sr., assisted by Artistic Director, Sherion Cosby, Acting Coach Lyndsay Rini, Music Director Glenn Pearson, Choreographer Shawn Cosby, Assistant Choreographer Roslyn Ramseur and Children's Coordinator Tomasena Allen. The performance band includes Glenn Pearson and Rickey Payton on keyboards, Kush El-Amin on bass and Michael Nicholson on percussion.

Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza is located at the intersection of Fenton Street & Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/8305814081/

Warner Williams & Joyce Ettingoff Play Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza

Guitarist and songster Warner Williams is one of the greatest unsung heroes of the Piedmont blues—an Eastern seaboard style that incorporates fiddle tunes, ballads, country and popular songs, ragtime, and gospel. With a jaunty rhythmic finger-picked guitar style and an eclectic repertoire that ranges from blues to honky-tonk, jazz crooning to children's songs, Warner Williams is an old-style community entertainer of national significance. Joining Warner Williams on the Plaza is harmonica player Joyce Ettingoff from Silver Spring.

In this clip, Warner and Joyce play Take It Slow, Danny Boy, Honeysuckle Rose, and One Day at a Time.

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. See more Plaza Performances at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTownCentre#grid/user/54B3D9F47094BE13

Visit our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza is located at the intersection of Fenton Street & Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.

Trip to Pakistan - The Eclectiks on Veterans Plaza

The Eclectiks are a local electric string band, whose instrumentation includes three violins, one cello, one guitar, a keyboard and flute. The music they play is a blend of modern and old. Some of the folk tunes on their play list date to the 18th century.

The Eclectiks are Mike Cohen, Violin; Regina Koenig, Violin; Charles Tolbert, Violin; Frances Eargle, Cello; Simona Patange, Flute; Pete Stover, Guitar; Steve Soroka, Keyboard; Gary Daum, Bass Guitar.

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

The Thrill Is Gone - Boomerang

Boomerang is an old-time rock & roll band whose set list includes such classics as Walkin' the Dog, Devil with the Blue Dress On, Slow Down, Don't Fight It, Love Rocket, You Can't Do That, Gimme 3 Steps, Rainy Night in Georgia, Mustang Sally, Sharp Dressed Man, Money, Louie Louie, Pretty Woman, Let It Bleed, Burnin' Love, Little Sister, and Feelin' Alright. Boomerang is John Brown (bass and vocals), Cap Pendleton (guitar and vocals), Hank Burnett (drums and vocals), and Gary Garvin (guitar).

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

I'll Get To Heaven On My Own - Cooking with Gas

Cooking With Gas serves fine acoustic music featuring generous portions of blues spiced with jazz, gospel, swing and folk. CWG has played at the Washington Folk Festival and the Silver Spring Blues Festival. The members of Cooking with Gas are Jim Bunch (washtub bass, washboard), Marcus Childs Moore (fiddle, vocals), David Oziel (guitar, vocals), David Rothman (harmonica, vocals), Bob Sherman (guitar, vocals) and guests. For more information, visit their website at http://www.facebook.com/cookingwithgasmusic

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

House of the Rising Sun - The Traveling Bluejayes

The Traveling Bluejayes performed on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza on July 3, 2011. They're a great band that plays folk, rock, rockabilly, originals, and blues. The band members are Arlene Jaye, George Hardman, Karen Hardman, Rick Kanton, Michelle Murray, and Joyce Ettingoff.

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

The Second String Bluegrass Band - Emmett Overstreet, Earl Williams & Paul Young

Emmett Overstreet, Earl Williams, and the late Ron Krupka formed the Second String Bluegrass Band over 30 years ago. The band, which was active from 1981 to 2004, has had from three to five members and instrumentation including rhythm guitar, five-string banjo, Dobro guitar, lead guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and string bass. Paul Young joined the group in the late 1990s. The band's repertoire is heavily influenced by the music of bluegrass pioneers such as Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe. Folk songs, country songs, and instrumentals round out the repertoire.

For more Plaza Performances videos by the Silver Spring Town Center, visit our YouTube Channel here.

SwagFunk, Cloud 9 Return to Veterans Plaza, Sunday, July 31,2011. Free!

Please join us for more exciting Plaza Performance on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza! On Sunday, July 31, we welcome "SwagFunk" to the Plaza Stage, at 6 pm. And we welcome "Cloud 9" back to the Plaza Stage for a repeat performance. These performances are free!

SwagFunk! Formed in the 1990s, SwagFunk's original band name was "Equinnox and the Mary Groove." The band consisted of the current lead singer/drummer Danny Gorman, guitarist/bassist Brian A.C. Williams, and Thomas Johnson on guitar. With the departure of Thomas Johnson from the group, the band took a break for a while until Danny decided to hold a jam session with a few new musicians. Al Warren was immediately recruited, based on previous projects with Brian. Guitarist Mike Sutton came on board to replace Thomas Johnson. Scott Eister soon joined to hold down and work the bass guitar. The band has been playing at large and small venues since 2008. The present band consists of: Deirdra Harris Vocals, Daryl Braxton: Vocals & Keys, "Funk Master" Mike Sutton: Rhythm & Lead Guitar, Back Vocals, "Smokin" Al Warren: Drums & Percussion, "The Funk Doctor" Scott Eister Bass & Percussion, Brian A.C. Williams Guitar. The band has recently been featured at the Fenton Street Market.

Cloud 9! We're pleased to announce that Cloud 9 will return to perform on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza on Sunday, July 3 at 2 pm as part of the Plaza Performances series.

"From the ever growing urban setting of the DMV (Laurel, Maryland to be more specific) comes a new iconic band, Cloud 9. Cloud 9 is a group that embodies positive change and advocates artistic integrity. Opposing the negative impact of commercial music in today's world, Cloud 9 ironically brings a fresh down to earth sound. Their music can hardly be classified, as they merge different genres to create music that appeals to the masses. The group started in April 2009 as 4 teens trying to win their high school talent show, and has now evolved into a 6 member super group.

On the roster they have: Michael "TK" Akinlosotu - Lead Vocals; Adam Dunbar - Electric Guitar ; Jason Zamora - Piano and Synth; Jonathan Livas - Drums; Timm Cruz - Bass Guitar and Jordan McRae - Saxophone.

Cloud 9 played Veterans Plaza for SSTCi in April 2011.

Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza is located at the intersection of Fenton Street & Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring.

These performances are productions of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Visit our blog at www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter or on Facebook.

Plaza Performances on YouTube! Click Here!

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is on YouTube!

SSTCi has been privileged to present exciting arts & entertainment programming for the greater Montgomery County community. You can see some of our Plaza Performances on our Youtube Channel by clicking here

Our SSTCi performers have included Groove Jet, Cloud 9, the 2nd Story Band, Snakehead Run, Warner Williams & Joyce Ettingoff, the Greater U Street Jazz Collective, Luisa & her Imaginary Orchestra, the Capital Accord Chorus, Mary Amato & Bill Wiliams, Hays Dowdy & Friends, Harmonic Blu Express, Garry Elders & Garrick Alden, Nathan Foley & Midnight Express, The Wharf Rats, the Second String Bluegrass Band, the Jazz Stimulus Project, the Traveling Bluejayes, and Cooking with Gas.

Visit our YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/thetowncentre

Check out blog at silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com, our website at www.silverspringtowncenter.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sstowncenter, or on Facebook!

Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Supports Silver Spring's Re-designation as an Arts & Entertainment District

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. supports Silver Spring's re-designation as an Arts & Entertainment District. Interested parties were invited to provide comments on the re-designation of the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District at a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, July 5 at 7 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring.

Silver Spring was designated an Arts and Entertainment District in 2002 for a 10-year period and the designation will expire in 2012. As the designation proved to be highly successful, the County intends to apply for re-designation. In 2001, the State of Maryland enacted legislation that authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) to designate arts and entertainment districts in which tax and other financial benefits will be available for arts and entertainment enterprises and qualifying resident artists. Each year, DBED may create six districts, with no jurisdiction having more than one district designated in a single year. In Montgomery County, the central business districts of Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton have each been designated an Arts and Entertainment District.

Comments will be heard by representatives from Montgomery County who will submit a recommendation to the County Executive and County Council. The Executive and Council will then submit a request to the State to apply for a re-designation.

Testimony of
Alan S. Bowser, President
Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.
Support Re-designation of the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District
July 5, 2011

My name is Alan Bowser, a Silver Spring resident and local business owner, and currently, President of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. I am also a member of the County Executive’s Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District Advisory Committee.

The Silver Spring Town Center Inc. (SSTCi), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is the result of a long process of community involvement and engagement to support the development of downtown Silver Spring. It was created to infuse community spirit and involvement in the new Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza.

We are governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, representing all facets of the civic and business community in Silver Spring. Our current officers were elected in February 2010. The officers are myself; Dr. Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, Vice President; Mary Ann Zimmerman, Secretary; and David Fogel, Treasurer. Our website is www.silverspringtowncenter.com, our blog is www.silverspringtowncenter.blogspot.com; you can follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and on Facebook!

The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. very strongly supports the re-designation of the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District for the following very important reasons.

First, our work in Silver Spring is not yet done. The economic redevelopment and community revitalization process that is evident in Silver Spring has made great strides in recent years, but clearly much more work needs to be done.

We need to expand the area of economic progress and advance beyond the CBD center to other parts of Silver Spring, and re-designation of this area as an Arts & Entertainment District will help to achieve this important goal.

While we currently have many valuable cultural amenities such as the American Film Institute, Round House Theatre, Pyramid Atlantic, the new Montgomery College Performing Arts Center, The Bonifant Theatre Space, the Urban Nation Academy for the Performing Arts, and the soon to open Fillmore facility on Colesville Road, we believe that we need more art, more entertainment, more artists, more entertainers, and more creative venues to support our lively arts environment.

Second, re-designation will help us support our local artists and those individuals and business which help them survive and thrive.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of creative personalities are proud to call Silver Spring their home. We are blessed with an abundance of creative energy in the form of many singers, songwriters, musicians, actors, actresses, playwrights, graphic artists, printmakers, painters, sculptors, photographers, among others. Re-designation helps support our artistic community by providing valuable tax breaks and incentives for artists and supporting businesses to locate and remain in Silver Spring. Re-designation helps us by supporting a “critical mass” of creative energy that will nurture existing artists and new artists in exciting new ways.

Third, re-designation will help us to build and strengthen our community, by educating our neighbors and visitors, and fostering ties between people and communities.

As you know, Silver Spring is one of the most diverse communities in the metropolitan Washington area, indeed in the United States. People speaking scores of different languages attend our schools, shop in our businesses, worship in our churches, mosques and synagogues, ride our buses and enjoy our rich arts & entertainment offerings. In this cultural mosaic, we have seen hundreds of people come together to celebrate the arts from every corner of the globe.

Recently, the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., in cooperation with Montgomery County, has begun the production of a number of community-centered arts & entertainment productions on Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza. Since we began our 2011 performance season in April, we have hosted nearly twenty free performances for the benefit of the entire Montgomery County community, and have scheduled nearly forty more. We have brought to the Plaza Stage jazz, blues, bluegrass, country & western music, rock, folk and choral music, and look forward to spoken work, dramatic productions, and dance performances. And as we have brought this tapestry of performance to the Plaza, we have seen very enthusiastic audiences—large and small—or every color and hue—unite to celebrate these performances that reflect our community’s diversity. We have seen the music bring our neighbors together, and make our community safer.

Fourth, re-designation will help us to strengthen the local economy in Silver Spring and in greater Montgomery County.

We know that fostering and promoting “arts & entertainment” can bring millions of dollars into our community and into our community. One has only to look at the success of the Silver Spring Jazz Festival, AFI’s & Discovery’s SilverDocs, and our own Silver Spring Blues Festival to see that quality art & entertainment attracts tens of thousands of customers to local businesses. Our Silver Spring Blues Festival, with the support of local merchants, has promoted local restaurants and clubs, and has economically benefitted a host of businesses, in Silver Spring and throughout Montgomery County. Re-designation will help us to build on this progress and provide an even much greater stimulus to the County’s economy, and particularly, local small businesses.

Fifth, re-desigation will help us enhance our community’s statute as an important arts & entertainment destination.

Many of us in the community have worked tirelessly to enhance Silver Spring’s reputation as a go-to place for fun, recreation, relaxation and education. We feel proud of our collective accomplishments in this area and look forward to even greater achievements. Already, Silver Spring is seen as an important regional arts & entertainment destination, and this perspective will only increase as we continue our efforts to embrace the local creative community and the thousands of our neighbors who support it.

In conclusion, the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is pleased to support the efforts to secure re-designation of our community as an Arts & Entertainment District. Our organizational motto is “Celebrating Diversity, Creating Community.” An Arts & Entertainment District supports this objective. We still have important work to do, and this mechanism can help us achieve our goals.

Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony this evening.

Thanks to Alan Bowser and Jazs!

Many thanks to our Executive Producers of the Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown Silver Spring--Alan Bowser of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. and Jazs of the DC Blues Society!