SSTCi's December 2023 Newsletter

Volume 11, Issue 12

Let There Be Peace On Earth

Kindness is like snow -- it beautifies everything it covers

~ Khalil Gibran

Northern Lights by Bob Ross

Dear Friends,

As the year comes to a close, we reflect back on our 100+ arts and entertainment programs and events that helped to keep our community connected and creatively engaged.

Thank you to all who helped us honor our local vets at the 15th Annual Tribute to America's Veterans Concert featuring the Gigi Mac Band (below) at Post 41, especially Commander Dan Bulis and our keynote speaker Major General Richard Thomas. (Above) See more photos below - most of which are courtesy of Alan Bowser who founded our annual Veterans Concert.

We had a wonderful time doing Qi Gong at the Koiner Farm last month with QiGong with Robin Carnes. This ancient Chinese practice is estimated to be 4000 years old and brings an array of benefits including "It increases the supply and flow of energy throughout the body, can have a variety of rejuvenating effects and is believed to increase longevity, and it induces calm mental and emotional states." (Wikipedia)

We have a few more exciting programs coming up this month including our European Culinary Traditions on Monday, December 11th. If you have knowledge of European Culinary Traditions via family or having lived in a country in Europe, please come join us and share your food stories. And as with everything else, everyone is welcome to join us for the program.

Our next Culinary Traditions program will put a spotlight on African American family food traditions hosted by comic Haywood Turnipseed Tuesday, February 6th!

Be sure not to miss a Book Launch of the newly released Creative Resilience with Author Erica Ginsberg Thursday, December 14th 7pm-9pm. The event will be in person in the Spring Room of the Silver Spring Civic Building. Books will be available for purchase and signing.. More details below. RSVP: [email protected]

Then on Thursday, December 21st, I hope you will join us for A Winter Solstice Community Art Show. All artists should consider submitting their work to share. More details below.

SSTCi's Safety Committee led by Board Members Brenda Bunting and Adam Koons recently met with Commander David McBain with Montgomery County Police Department. SSTCi has always aimed to activate public spaces helping to make a safer family-friendly Downtown Silver Spring.

Be sure to also check out work by some of our favorite local artists in "Our Creative Community" below. Here (left) is one example by the amazing artist Mark Behme who carves magic from wood!

And, if you are a local artist, consider submitting some of your work for our Winter Solstice Community Art Show on Zoom Thursday, December 21st. More details below.

Also don't miss our SSTCi Star of the month Board Member Mita Paul who is the understudy for Pishimoni in Public Obscenities now through December 23rd at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

Finally, I hope you will include SSTCi in your year-end giving. Your investment goes a long way to help us keep our community filled with vibrant creativity and meaningful connections! Donate Today!

On behalf of SSTCi, we wish you a peaceful holiday season!

With Warmest Holiday Greetings,

LISA MARTIN

Executive Director

Silver Spring Town Center Inc.

Tel: 240.595.8818

Left:: SSTCi Executive Director with long-time friend and honorable Vet Juanita Bailey who served in the US Army throughout her career.

A Look Back at Our 15th Annual

Tribute to America's Veterans Concert

featuring Brazilian music with the Gigi Mac Band and Keynote Speaker Major General (ret) Richard Thomas

Photos by Alan Bowser & Lisa Martin

Thank you to Nothing Bundt Cakes (Silver Spring, MD) for once again generously donating their delicious cakes to our 15th Annual Tribute to America's Veterans Concert! Highly recommend enjoying their cakes and cupcakes throughout the holiday season!

Share Your Family Food Memories & Traditions with us!

Culinary Traditions of Europe

A Delicious Panel Discussion Hosted by SSTCi Executive Director Lisa Martin

featuring a diverse array of panelists

Monday, December 11th 7pm-9pm

What is the secret to your Italian grandmother's spaghetti sauce?

What exactly are tapas? How does your family make shashlik or pelmeni?

Do they really eat fermented shark, sheep's head and sour ram testicles in Iceland?

From Haggis to Hummus, we will explore an array of dishes found across the European continent and beyond!

Our panelists include:

ESTONIA - Rebecca Sears, Phd, IMAGO Relationship Therapist & Trainer

GEORGIA - Maya Hall, Caterer & Owner of Georgian Feast

GERMANY - Raymond Fudge, Medical Imaging Technologist, Photographer & US Army Veteran (Germany 1972-74)

GERMANY - Jutta Hennig, Journalist & Chief Editor of Inside US Trade (ret)

IRELAND - Jackie Hoysted, Artist www.jackiehoysted.com

ITALY - Madeline Caliendo, Retired Civil Rights Attorney, Executive/ Life Coach & SSTCi Board Member

THE NETHERLANDS - Daniel Meijer, Small Business Owner

SLOVENIA - Lynn Koiner, Award-winning Urban Farmer / Owner of the Koiner Farm

SWITZERLAND - Maya Teitelbaum, Horticulturist (ret)

Plus other surprise guests!

About Our Host

SSTCi Executive Director Lisa Martin will facilitate this discussion. Growing up in San Diego in a family of talented Italian cooks, Lisa wishes she had learned more from her grandmother and great-grandmother. Lisa has lived in three European countries: Ireland, Sweden, as well as in the then newly-independent Republic of Estonia (96-98) where she served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer. As a member of the Baltimore-Washington Estonian Choir, she returns to Estonia every five years for their magical song festival the "Laulupidu," which features over 30,000 singers singing together on one stage at once! She lives in Foggy Bottom with her partner Towfik, originally from Bangladesh, who is an excellent cook himself.

If you are from Europe or have lived there or grew up with a European culinary tradition and would like to share, please contact [email protected] to join our panel

SPARKLE: Senior Programs Aimed at Re-Kindling Lifetime Engagement

SPARKLE: Union Army Surgeon Dr. Edward Stonestreet & His Civil War Hospital in Rockville

Wednesday, December 13th 2pm-3.30pm

Join us for a special SPARKLE History talk: Union Army Surgeon Dr. Edward Stonestreet & His Civil War Hospital in Rockville with author and interpretive docent Clarence Hickey with Montgomery History.

Dr. Edward Stonestreet of Rockville served as Montgomery County Examining Surgeon in 1862, performing physical examinations on local Union Army recruits and draftees. He also served two terms as Acting Assistant Surgeon with the Union Army. He was in charge of a temporary Army General Hospital in Rockville, treating the wounded after the Battle of Antietam (1862), and also treated the ill soldiers of the 6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment in Rockville (1863) prior to its heroic efforts during the Battle of Gettysburg. Civil War medicine is discussed in relation to medical education of that era and in relation to 19th century medicine before and after the War.

This presentation, based on the speaker’s 2009 book Send for the Doctor, is available as a first person portrayal of Dr. Stonestreet or as a PowerPoint slide show. The speaker brings a doctor’s bag from 1885 containing example medical instruments of the Civil War and the 1800s for show and tell. Book sales and signings can be included, with all of the sales proceeds going to Montgomery History.

About Our Presenter

Clarence Hickey is an interpretive docent with the Montgomery History’s Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine in Rockville, MD, and a re-enactor with the Speakers Bureau. He portrays historic Rockville physician Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet, who practiced medicine for 51 years (1852-1903) and was a Civil War Surgeon with the U. S. Army. Clarence’s living history portrayals, some in first person Chautauqua format, discuss the Doctor’s life and times, medical education, medical practice, and Civil War service; 19th-century medicine; and Civil War medicine and its effects on civilian medical practice. The Chautauqua format includes a first-person appearance and presentation by Dr. Stonestreet (in 19th-century attire), question and answer by the doctor in the 1800s, and question and answer by Clarence, stepping out of character. The performance draws from Clarence’s book Send For the Doctor: The Life and times of Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet, published by the Montgomery County Historical Society in 2009.

Montgomery History—the County’s historical society—has been serving residents and the region through its research library, adult programs, educational activities, publications, exhibits, and conferences since the organization was founded in 1944. As the only organization addressing the entire scope of county history, we serve a unique role in creating a shared sense of place and building safer and more welcoming communities. Montgomery History is where the stories of who we are, rooted in where we have been, are collected, preserved, and shared.

Learn more about how Montgomery History was founded and evolved into the organization it is today in the Montgomery County Story article: The County’s Historian: The Montgomery County Historical Society at 75 Years.

Book Launch

Creative Resilience

with Author Erica Ginsberg

Thursday, December 14th 7pm-9pm

in the Spring Room of the Silver Spring Civic Building

RSVP: [email protected]

Join author Erica Ginsberg for the launch of her new book CREATIVE RESILIENCE, published by Bold Story Press. The evening will include a reading of the book and signing. Paperback copies of the book will be available to purchase onsite for $19.99, but you do not need to purchase a book to attend.

We hope you can join us for this exciting event in the Spring Room of the Silver Spring Civic Building Thursday, December 14th 7ppm-9pm. Be sure to let us know we can expect you there with a quick RSVP to [email protected].



As someone who has lived and worked in Silver Spring at earlier stages of her life, Erica is thrilled to partner on this event with Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.

ABOUT CREATIVE RESILIENCE

The roller coaster of the creative process can be both exhilarating and exhausting, but it is a lot more manageable when you know you are not alone. Creative pursuits—whether a paid profession, a side hustle, or a leisure activity—can bring joy and meaning to the lives of artists and audiences. But they also bring challenges of motivation, confidence, blocks, and the realities of rejection. In her book Creative Resilience, Erica Ginsberg provides guidance for anyone navigating these challenges from those who have been there. The book features relatable real-world examples from creatives across disciplines, ages, and stages of their careers, including dancers, musicians, writers, painters, and filmmakers interviewed specifically for the project. Erica cites her experiences as an artist and arts administrator along with a mix of humor, linguistic reframing, and reflective exercises to give readers tools to manage aspects of the creative process and creative life, including time management, dealing with creative blocks, procrastination, self-confidence, and many other such challenges. She will join us to talk a bit about some of the key themes of the book in this combination reading and book signing. Books will be available for purchase on site and light refreshments will be served.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Erica Ginsberg has drawn on creativity in a variety of different roles: writer, documentary filmmaker, arts administrator, and international exchanges program officer. After growing up in Silver Spring, she came back to her hometown to co-found the documentary film organization Docs In Progress and served as its founding executive director until 2019. She co-hosts The D-Word, a peer-to-peer global community for documentary professionals. In addition to working in the arts, Erica has organized professional development study tours to the United States for mid-career professionals from around the world. She has a BA in international affairs and an MA in film and video. She finds joy in travel, painting, collage, reading, nature walks, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog. 

A Winter Solstice Community Art Show

A Virtual Gathering Hosted by SSTCi Executive Director Lisa Martin

Thursday, December 21st 7pm-9pm

Northern Lights by Bob Ross

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!

SSTCi Star Spotlight

Mita Paul

"I am pleased to work closely with SSTCi in promoting a safe environment that generates dialogues and fosters diversity and inclusion for all residents," says Mita Paul who has lived in Maryland since 2012 and joined SSTCi's Board of Directors earlier this year.

By profession, she is a retired Program Manager for IBM. Her passion is reaching out to different communities to work together to build a diverse platform to showcase the vast wealth of cultural talents that our diverse communities possess. 



Since 2014, Mita has been an active founding member of Ebong Theatrix, a community theater team, that believes in and promotes diversity and inclusion through cross-cultural activities.

Over the last 40 years, she has been actively involved with the promotion and execution of theater and theater-related activities, which started during her university days in India. What started as a way of expressing herself during her student days (various forms of street and folk theater) led to professional theater training that guided her throughout.

Coming to a new country, she found theater arts as the tool that best communicated and helped bring together different communities. Ever since coming to the US, she has been an active volunteer in community theater and cross-cultural activities in every state where she has lived. This year, her team presented a weekend-long drama festival called DiversET the theme of which was diversity and inclusion.

Mita is currently the understudy for Pishimoni in Public Obscenities now through December 23rd at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

Our Creative Community

Art by Mark Behme

Photography by Ray Fudge

Other Local Happenings