Silver Spring Art & Entertainment Cart Debuts at Veterans Plaza

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 4, 2018

The Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District debuted its new Art & Entertainment Cart this week on Veterans Plaza at the Silver Spring Civic Building, located at One Veterans Place.   The Cart offers visitors and residents the opportunity to borrow a free board game, card game, or art and craft project to enjoy at the plaza.

Managed by Montgomery County, the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District was designated as an Arts and Entertainment District by the State of Maryland.  Maryland’s Arts & Entertainment (A&E) districts help develop and promote community involvement, tourism and business revitalization through tax-related incentives that attract artists, arts organizations and other creative enterprises.  Silver Spring is now home to over 150 popular entertainment venues, arts and humanities organizations, attractions, interactive public art pieces, and entertainment businesses, etc., which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.  For more information, visit the district's website.

The Art & Entertainment Cart is intended as a creative and fun respite for visitors to the Plaza.  The Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza host hundreds of festivals and events each year, including the Silver Spring Jazz Festival, Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade, PanAfrica Fest, KIDfest, and other popular festivals every weekend from May through October.

The Cart will be available during the week and other quiet times at the Plaza when visitors can enjoy the hot summer days with friends or family as they converse over a game.  The Art & Entertainment Cart will also be available during Silver Spring’s family-oriented Thursday night concert series beginning in June.  To find out when the cart is available, check the website.

The Cart offers over 40 board and card games for both adults and children to enjoy from Candyland and Uno to Bunco and Pinochle.  Several giant outdoor games were donated by Montgomery Planning Department, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to assist in the placemaking efforts of Silver Spring.  M-NCPPC donated oversized chess, checkers, and Connect Four as well as some board games for young children. 

Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Center, was behind the idea for the games at the Plaza.

“Veterans Plaza is our neighborhood living room,” said Rodriguez. “What better place to play a game with your family or friends?”

When asked his favorite game, Rodriguez said: “Dominoes!  I am going to be donating a new set to the Art & Entertainment Cart so I can play a round during my free time.”

Coloring pages for adults and children are always available and the art project rotates each day. The first craft project was a penguin, the unofficial mascot of Silver Spring. The penguin is popular in Silver Spring because of the public art piece, the Penguin Rush Hour mural by artist Sallie Callmer.

Volunteers are needed to help with the Silver Spring Art & Entertainment Cart. For more information, visit the County’s Volunteer Center website. For more information about the Cart, call 240-777-5300.

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Release ID: 18-544
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gallauresi 301-793-2928