For those participants who just want to participate in the walk and leave afterwards:

• About 150 surface lot spaces are available at Lot 3 which is located on Fenton Street in between Thayer Avenue and Silver Spring Avenue.
• About 900 parking garage spaces are available at parking garage 5 located at the intersection of Bonifant Street and Dixon Avenue.
• About 100 parking garage spaces are available at parking garage 4 located on Fenton Street in between Silver Spring Avenue and Sligo Avenue

For those participants who want to stay in the Downtown Area on Ellsworth Drive and remain to the later hours 10:30 – midnight

• Wayne Avenue Garage located between Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue
• Townsquare Garage located on Ellsworth Drive between Cedar Street and Fenton Street
• (Be mindful that these garages are the most commonly used and that the parking garages may experience temporary closures)

For those participants who are attending the AFI movie screenings and want to remain late and grab a bite to eat at Tastee Diner before going home:  11:30 p.m. and beyond

• About 1300 parking spaces are available at parking garage 7 located on Cameron Street located between Fenwick Lane and Camerons Street by the Courthouse
• About 1300 parking spaces are available at parking garage 2 located on Cameron Street located between Georgia Avenue and Spring Street

In the event that someone locks their keys in their car, needs a jump start because of a dead car battery, or wants a buddy escort back to their car they can call our Redshirt Hotline until midnight.  The number is (240) 876-2911.

A map of the area with parking garages and surface lots is available on the Downtown Silver Spring web site.

Two easy ways to get yours:

1. Hop on over to the Official Site and order with credit card or PayPal. You can also contact us directly for special shipping, direct (local) pickup, etc. All the info is on the order page.
2. Buy one the night of the walk at AFI. Warning – the lines stand to be long.

Also, we’ll be liquidating our t-shirt inventory from last year, so if you’re one of the first couple dozen or so to order, we’ll throw in a t-shirt. Sizes and quantity are limited. Visit the site for more info.

Get ready!

It’s finally here, and it rocks. Screen-printed on heavy, archival-quality paper and measuring 19″ x 25″, these commemorative works of art will be available for sale at the AFI box office and online for $25 (plus S&H for online orders).

They’re being printed now, and as soon as we have a delivery date, we’ll announce it and set up a storefront for easy ordering. Quantities are limited, so be ready.

The Zombie Walk is ON

And bigger than ever. We’re still waiting on confirmation on street closures, potential vendors, and the imminent commemorative poster design (via El Jefe Design), but it’s shaping up to be another spectacular event. The walk route is basically the same as last year:

We’ll begin near Sligo and Georgia again, but we’re hoping to have additional space for much cooler stuff this year. We’ll wait to post that once it’s nailed down. Festivities begin about 8:00 PM with the actual walk starting at 8:45. Be sure and get there even earlier if you want any room at one of the local establishments. And while you’ve heard about this year’s movie selection (Dead Snow), AFI has also added another fantastic movie for a double feature. Dead Snow will start up at 9:45, and Shaun of the Dead will play immediately after at midnight. Tickets are already on sale at the AFI web site, so get them early. Both shows WILL sell out before the end of the walk.

For all the up-to-date details, check out the official Silver Spring Zombie Walk web site. Many more exciting things to be revealed in the coming days and weeks.

The Return of my Beloved ESSCA

Yes, boys and girls, it’s that time again. ESSCA just had its first meeting of the season on Monday night. For better or worse, I wasn’t there, having just returned from some extended time in warmer, sunnier climates. Tony Thompson of the U.S. Postal Service was scheduled to speak about the future of the Silver Spring post office (and the non-future of its current location). If anyone was there and stayed awake, please regale us with stories.

From here on out, meetings will be the third Monday of each month (except for January & February when it’s the fourth Monday due to holidays).

Also from the ESSCA listserv, the Department of Recreation is having a meeting tonight (Wednesday) from 7-9 PM at the Civic Building about the Thanksgiving Day parade. Lots of Fenton Street businesses got hosed when they changed the parade route last year to focus on the downtown area, and they’re keeping the same route this year. There will, no doubt, be lots of bitching and moaning and gnashing of teeth.

Thanks to AFI for helping us secure the film. And this one should prove to have many opportunities for audience interaction. As more details emerge, we’ll continue to promote them here and at the Silver Spring Zombie Walk official web site. There you can also find links to photos and video from past years, as well as other resources for zombie preparedness and a list of people who have died over the past year (fodder for costumes of course). Any bets on how many Osama bin Zombies/Ozombie bin Ladens will show up?

Collector’s Edition Zombie Walk Posters

Another bonus for this year will be spectacular posters direct from El Jefe Design, one of the best design shops around. These will be collector’s items, screen printed on heavy paper and available for sale before, during, and after the event. I think you’ll agree that anyone who does something like this as part of their M.O. will be doing something spectacular for the Zombie Walk.

Save the Date: Zombie Walk 2011

There will be much more to come on this, but we’re in the initial stages of planning for this year’s Zombie Walk, set for Saturday, October 22, 2011. Mark your calendars. This gets bigger every year, and this year should prove to be no exception. Movie selection is being finalized, and other updates will be coming over the next few months. Gonna be a great one, but I wanted to get the date out there before you went planning some other silly event.

Fro-Zen-Yo

While we’re fortunate to now have a crêperie right around the corner (dutifully covered by SoCo Eats and Silver Spring, Singular), I’m really looking forward to the opening of the Fro-Zen-Yo in the old Cakelove spot next to Lebanese Taverna. My family has been singing its praises to me, and I wasn’t a real believer until I tried it for myself. Especially when I was given yogurt topped with Cap’n Crunch cereal. It may change your life.

FSM Returns!

Sadly, once again, not the pastafarians. One of my favorite fixtures of DTSS, Fenton Street Market, is back on April 30. And according to reports, it’ll be “supersized” for it’s inaugural 2011 outing.

Direct Wine Shipments

Thanks to Heather Mizeur, Tom Hucker, and many others for helping give Maryland a first step into realistic alcohol control laws. You can now have wine shipped directly to your home in Maryland. As I understand it, you can order and ship from wineries but not large InterWeb-type retailers. But whatever. It’s a start, and I can ship the other stuff to another location for the time being.

As you have no doubt heard, this year’s Zombie Walk (minus the broken window at Afrikutz) was a huge success. We’ll be updating the web site with links to all the media attention. In particular, we have this great piece from the Post Express and a short feature from the Washington Post. And from our staple photographer, Chip Py, here is one of my favorite photos of the night. (Thanks, Jackie!) There’s also a great post from Cynthia Cotte Griffiths on What’s So Special About the Zombie Walk. Thanks to everyone involved.

And yes, we still have shirts!
Remaining Zombie Walk t-shirts will be for sale at this Saturday’s Fenton Street Market (or FSM for you Pastafarians) on Veteran’s Plaza. Proceeds, as well as the two remaining donated gift cards that went unawarded, will go to the MCPD Santa Walk, benefiting the Children’s Inn at NIH.

Pharmspring

Pyramid Atlantic’s Artspring store has finally taken over the old pharmacy spot across from Whole Foods.

It’s certainly a smaller space than what they had before, but there’s a lot of good stuff. I hope they continue to get the foot traffic they used to get.

Silver Spring Library Book Sale

This Saturday is full of stuff, including the book (and bake) sale at the Silver Spring Library from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. We’ll certainly go, but if anyone who tries to sell me on the library bridge again, I may go postal.

Full Hunter’s Moon

I’m told that’s what the October full moon is called, and depending on what you read and where you live, the peak falls sometime between tonight and tomorrow night.

And for those of you who have played Left 4 Dead, this will take on even more significance.

Also, we have lots of door prizes to give away, courtesy of Downtown Silver Spring, Jackie Greenbaum, and others. Logistics to come.

Just over 24 hours until the blood begins to flow, and the excitement is palpable.

This year, we contacted MCPD in advance to see what we might arrange/do to ensure safety for what is shaping up to be a larger walk. I spoke to Sergeant Tom Harmon of the 3rd District Police Department, and they are dispatching one or two cruisers as the did last year. Perhaps that’s all we need, but even if we did need more, budget cuts in the county would prevent it. Just not enough money and resources to go around.

When I asked if we could donate to the cause to help facilitate things, Sgt. Harmon asked that we support the upcoming Santa Ride 2010 on December 20. Put on by the motorcycle division of MCPD, the Santa Ride (featuring Kris Kringle himself astride a Harley) raises funds to support the Children’s Inn at NIH. The Children’s Inn provides a nurturing place for children (and their families) to stay while receiving groundbreaking medical treatments at NIH. Families from all over the world travel to NIH for their children to receive treatment for illnesses such as cancer, heart, lung, blood, bone and growth disorders, mental illnesses, and HIV infection. Since 1990, the Children’s Inn has provided shelter, counseling, and emotional support for patients and their families during treatment.

We’ll be donating proceeds from t-shirt sales to the event, and we’re asking anyone involved to support however they can. Since the event tends to be a boon for local businesses, we’ll also be asking them to participate and give a portion of their proceeds from Saturday’s sales to Santa Ride 2010. For more information, please contact us at info@thayeravenue.com.

Because, after all, we need the next generation to grow up and provide tasty brains, too, yes? Three days and counting!

9 days and counting. I hope you’re ready. And as if the cover of the Weekend Pass section wasn’t enough…

I think we may be able to hit quadruple digits for attendance this year if we keep this media machine going. See you next weekend!