Features
“Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul.”
— Emily Dickinson
In the zillion years that I’ve been writing this column, I’ve probably written about the sin of Hope at least fifty billion times. Why does “the thing with feathers” keep popping up as a Sin of the Month? I guess it’s because I’m one of those people who can’t help looking on the bright side of things, i.e., hoping, no matter how bad things get. Which technically makes me an idiot.
For example, until quite recently, I was pretty good at taking anything President Obama did and putting a positive, hopeful spin on it. Why? Because I liked him. Why did I like him? It wasn’t just the fact that he’s cute. There were people who thought George W. Bush was cute, though I didn’t, and I think it’s safe to say that some of our better presidents were not the least bit attractive (no offense, Mr. Lincoln).
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The community remembers a man who made things happen
Takoma Park and Silver Spring residents report on their recent travels
Click photo to watch parade slideshow
by Annie Denenberg
Bag lunches, scraping your knees, baseball caps and a Popsicle at the end of the week remind most people of the good old days of summer. Takoma SportsCamps likes to pride itself on providing the same type of old fashioned summer fun that kids get so rarely these days.
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by Mary Stella Donovan
Getting a child to eat healthily can require coaxing, threats or bribery. This summer, professional chef Monica Corrado and musician Rachel Cross have a different approach. The two friends have partnered to create an interactive culinary camp that teaches kids to both cook and enjoy nutritious foods.
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by Howard Kohn
When Jeff Campbell told his board directors he planned to produce a CD of baseball songs as a way to fund his do-gooder organization, Hungry for Music, they were more than a tad skeptical. Songs they could understand, but baseball songs? “Yeah, they thought it was a little nuts,” Jeff said the other day at his Takoma Park office, reflecting on the release of his twelfth baseball CD.
All twelve have raised a surprising amount of money and scored hits with the critics, but for Jeff they have also been an affair of the heart.
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by Howard Kohn
Ward Six looks a lot better now than when Doug Barry was first elected to the City Council almost six years ago. There are evergreen shrubs and bright flowers in new traffic circles. There is a fine-looking black metal fence along newly bricked medians on University Boulevard. There is a new park with plans for stone walls.
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by Diana Kohn
A few happy tears were shed when Kay Daniels-Cohen was announced as one of the Azalea Award winners in April. Since last summer she has battled breast cancer even as she kept to an unflagging schedule of volunteerism--doing the nitty-gritty to reopen the Piney Branch pool, leading the campaign to start a new winter basketball league, resurrecting the SS Carroll Neighborhood Association, decorating McGinty's for an inaugural ball and pitching in whenever anyone asked.
The Azalea ceremony got more emotional when her baby brother, Buddy, surprised her with a handmade award—a sparkplug mounted in a box frame—for being, as he said, "the spark that makes everyone want to go out and do something for others."
Kay and Buddy grew up in a special Takoma Park family, the children of Opal Daniels—the first woman to have a local park named in her honor—and her husband Henry C. Daniels.
They arrived with their four-year-old daughter Kay in 1946 and took up residence at 19 Sherman.
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A mural on the side of Kefa Café recognitizes the various refugees who have made Silver Spring their home. See a soundslide show by clicking on the image above.
On Saturday, May 30, Impact Silver Spring held a free outdoor community dance party and recognized some of the unsung heroes who are helping carry out their Neighbors Campaign. This was a departure from previous award ceremonies, which were held as formal fundraisers. Voice photographer Veronica Melendez captured the sights and sounds of the party. Click on the photo above to see a soundslideshow.
Roscoe's Neapolitan Pizzeria
by Elizabeth Brinkama
Judging by the number of people waiting to get in, word has spread that there is a new sit down restaurant in town worth a look see. The word on the street has been one of great anticipation, coupled with enthusiasm that Roscoe’s Neapolitan Pizzeria is finally here and open for business. Early reviews from those lucky to get a table have been nothing but positive, even as the understandable opening kinks are being worked out. It would seem to make this review completely unnecessary, but then there would go my excuse to eat copious amounts of food over several visits.
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Ruan Thai
by Katie Dozier
When you arrive at a strip mall in Wheaton, you may not even notice Ruan Thai sandwiched between a dry cleaner’s and a used car lot. But with one bite of the Yum Watercress appetizer, you will know that you have stumbled upon the best Thai restaurant in our area, despite its dreary locale. Ignore the stained drop ceiling and mostly bare walls; instead, focus on the art that appears on every plate.
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by Sat Jiwan-Khalsa
With the economic downturn still weighing heavy on many families, how can we continue to eat well, or even eat better, while saving money? Do you believe the Whole Foods slogan, "More of the good stuff for less", or do you feel like the unofficial nickname, "Whole Paycheck", more accurately reflects shopping there?
This month we take a quick survey of some of the natural and organic food prices at some local stores. Who has the best deals? Where CAN you get the good stuff for less? And what are some other tips for saving money with different shopping and eating habits?
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Just beside Holy Cross Hospital on Forest Glen Road, the Capitol beltway crosses over the Sligo Creek trail. This forms a funny place to enjoy nature. You go under the bridge into a huge echo chamber. If I’m riding bikes with my kids we bellow in low long notes and cause funny sound waves to cascade over us as we speed through. The clicks of our gears become huge and rhythmic, and we can’t help but laugh as we come out again into the sunshine.
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On May 18, Friends of the Voice gathered at Roscoe's to show support for their hometown paper. Julie Wiatt and Veronica Melendez brought their cameras to the party. Click on the image above for a slideshow.
Charlie Pilzer and an assortment of Morris dancers, musicians, and spectators gathered in predawn Takoma Park on May 1 with the aim of waking up the sun. Though she hid behind a grey blanket, the sun did indeed rise. A grateful city thanks the Morrisfolk. Click on the photo above for a sound slideshow by Voice photog Ann-Marie VanTassel and a slideshow by editor Eric Bond.
The annual Thai New Year celebration was held at Wat Thai in Silver Spring on April 12. Voice photographer Tooky Bunnag was on hand to capture the event. Click on the image above for a slideshow.
A cadre of Blair graduates are doing everything they can to make it big. The Echo Boom is releasing a new CD, "No Morning in Mind" in April. Voice photographer Ann-Marie VanTassell hung out with the guys and created this slideshow. To see her photos, click on the photo above.
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