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Historic Takoma finds new home

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006

By this time next year, members of Historic Takoma should have a new space to call home, a building on Carroll Avenue that was once both a Piggly Wiggly grocery store and Barcelona Nut Company.

The group was able to purchase the building in Takoma Junction for $485,000 through a combination of state bond funding, an Arts and Humanities Council grant from the county and an endowment fund built up by the group over the years, said Sabrina Baron, president of Historic Takoma. This will be the first time the group is able to house its archives in one official space.

‘‘The building is fundamentally sound. It just needs a little tender loving care,” Baron said. ‘‘We had gone through six other potential sites by the time we got to this building. It just all came together.”

Baron said the group will embark on a campaign to raise funding for some capital improvements at the site, such as upgrading the HVAC system and repairing the roof. She hopes the building will not only serve as a place for residents to reminisce among the preservation group’s Takoma Park relics and keepsakes, but a way to bring the community together as well.

‘‘We hope it will be able to serve as a meeting space for other groups to use,” Baron said. ‘‘Meeting space is very much at a premium in this community. There’s a lot of activism here.”

Call 301-270-2831 or visit www.historictakoma.org.

Joke Fest for Kids

Joke-master and Takoma Park resident and author Edward Allan Faine will host a book signing and Joke Fest 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29.

All kids ages 3 to 12 will receive a free autographed book, after telling a joke. The event is free for children.

‘‘This is not an event where some percent of the kids are reluctant to participate,” Faine said. ‘‘The parents help out too, because they want their kid to get some mic time.”

Faine has been hosting Joke Fests for about three years now, after several years of tagging it on the end of his How-To Cowboy shows, where he teaches kids how to play hand trumpets or talk like Donald Duck.

Although the most popular jokes are knock-knock jokes, Faine said, he does get 8- or 9-year-olds who have begun to master irony and double entendres. As for any favorites, Faine does know of a zinger that has been making the rounds on the kid joke circuit: Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!

The event will be held outside Middle Eastern Cuisine, 7006 Carroll Ave. in Takoma Park if weather permits, and in the banquet room of the restaurant in case of rain.

Call 301-587-1202, e-mail efaine@yahoo.com, or visitwww.howtocowboy.com.

Halloween Saturdayin Takoma Park

The Saturday before Halloween is packed with tricks and treats for those in Takoma Park, young and old.

Oct. 28 will begin with a howl. Dogs big and small are invited to don their spookiest attire for a canine costume contest 3 p.m. in the parking lot next to Bank of America and the Big Bad Woof on Carroll and Laurel avenues. Their handlers are welcome to participate in a costume contest 5 p.m. at that same intersection.

Immediately after the costume contests, a Halloween parade will follow the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department truck past the firehouse and down Philadelphia Avenue to Piney Branch Elementary School, 7510 Maple Ave.

For night ghouls who want activities after dark, a free Halloween Bash in the multipurpose room of Piney Branch Elementary School will have refreshments and music by the Dixie Power Trio, a New Orleans Cajun and swing band, beginning at 6:15 p.m.

For more information on any of these events, call 301-891-7290.

Get in the Halloween spiritat Long Branch

The Long Branch Community Center will hold its annual pumpkin carving day 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at 8700 Piney Branch Road. There will be arts and crafts, games, music and prizes for the best pumpkin. Bring a pumpkin or choose one at the center. The event is for children up to 13 years old.

The center will hold a Halloween party 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 27 for children up to 13 years old. Kids can dress in costume and celebrate in a safe environment. There will be arts and crafts, games, and prizes for the best costume. Call 301-431-5702.

Boy Scouts hostpancake supper

Takoma Park Boy Scout Troop 33 will host and serve an all-you-can-eat Pancake Supper 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 28. This is the scouts’ one fundraiser of the year, at $5 a plate. The supper will be held in the gym of the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, 310 Tulip Ave. between Maple and Willow avenues. Visit http:⁄⁄bsa-troop33.net⁄ for more information.

SAT info session

The Takoma Park Maryland Library will host an SAT informational session 7 p.m. today with Dr. Ilhan Cagre and her son Yahya Mokhtarzada. Cagre is a linguist who has taught and designed SAT preparation classes for Montgomery County Public Schools, private schools and as a private tutor. Parents and high school students are invited, but should call to reserve a spot. The library is located at 101 Philadelphia Ave. Call 301-891-7259.

Book club

The Takoma, D.C., library will host a book club meeting on ‘‘The Whole Truth,” by Nancy Pickard 7 p.m. Tuesday. The novel is a fictional mystery tale of a true-crime writer covering a murder trial, at which the accused escapes. Pickard is a winner of the Anthony Award, a literary award named after the founder of the Mystery Writers of America Anthony Boucher, and is best known for her suspense novels starring character Jenny Cain. The library is located at 416 Cedar St. NW. Call 202-576-7252.

Poetry series

The Arts and Humanities Commission and Poet Laureate Don Berger will present another round of readings of the Takoma Park Poetry Series 7 p.m. Thursday featuring residents Matthew Salomon and Mary Carter Williams.

All readings are held at the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave. For more information, contact the Arts and Humanities Commission at ahc@takomagov.org or 301-891-7224.

Lewis and Clark talk

Montgomery College Professor Michael Petty, who gave a successful series of talks last spring, is returning this month to talk about his journey along the Lewis and Clark trail. His next talk will be held 10 a.m. Friday at the school’s Macklin Tower Building, rooms 212-213 of the Campus Commons Suites, 51 Mannakee St. in Rockville.

For more information, contact Francine Jamin at 301-650-1385 or francine.jamin@montgomerycollege.edu.

Housing fair

A First Time Home Buyer Seminar will be held 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium, 7500 Maple Ave. The free will include a guest speaker from the statewide ‘‘More House for Less” program and a representative from a participating bank. Topics discussed will include the advantages and disadvantages of buying a home, your credit history, the closing process and the role of the real estate agent. To register or for more information, e-mail Linda Walker at LindaW@takomagov.org.

Blood drive in memory of Silver Spring firefighter

A blood drive in memory of county firefighter Carlos Alfaro Jr. will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Silver Spring Fire Station 16, 111 University Blvd. E.

Alfaro served in the fire service for 18 years. Along with his father, also a firefighter, he served the Hispanic community by translating, recruiting and educating, as well as collecting and sending protective gear and fire apparatus to firefighters in Peru.

To donate blood, make an appointment in English by calling Steve Mann at 301-440-9294. To make an appointment in Spanish, call Stephanie Herrera at 301-467-7867.

Send Takoma Park news to Agnes Jasinski at The Gazette, 8650 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. The fax line is 301-562-3262. Items can be e-mailed to ajasinski@gazette.net. Deadline is one week prior to publication.