silver spring "mayor" jumping ship?

TODAY: Henry from Silver Spring Scene and I are heading up to the newly Silver Sprung-ified Rockville to meet with Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Mostly South of Randolph Road). TOMORROW: Doing it again - sitting down to meet Councilman Marc Elrich (D-At Large).

ANYWAY: As the "Silver Sprung"-ification of Rockville Town Center (at right) continues, Silver Spring booster Susan Hoffmann, dubbed our "mayor" by some, might be seeking a more legitimate mayoral position.

Due to matters of geography, Just Up The Pike hasn't been following the Rockville mayor's race, but our friend and Forest Glen resident Adam Pagnucco points out that Hoffmann (who is apparently a Rockville city councilwoman already) has thrown her hat in the ring to replace current mayor Larry Giammo.

East County residents may not mourn her departure from Silver Spring as much as we did for former "mayor" Norman Lane, but we'll be happy if she beats out head Neighbor Drew Powell, who's considering bringing his NIMBY superpowers to the mayor's office as well. Rockville had better watch out!

YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE BIRCHMERE . . . But in the meantime, folk fans can look forward to singer Pete Seeger (pictured in 1944; courtesy of Wikipedia) and family performing Saturday, March 17 at the Woodside United Methodist Church at 8900 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring.

If you're not a folk enthusiast, Seeger's name might draw a blank, but you've probably heard the 1960's standards "Turn, Turn, Turn," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Where Have All The Flowers Gone," all written by him. The concert is sponsored by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, and you can visit their website for more information.

I'm not going to attempt to figure out the FSGW's motives, or if Woodside Church is especially significant to Seeger and his family, but it's pretty cool that we're seeing more famous faces in Silver Spring. (I know, he's not Ben Stein or Lewis Black, but like all Communists, he was spied on by the government, which is still pretty neat.) In this case, we're probably hosting Seeger because of the Silver Spring-Takoma Park area's granolaness - but I am proud to have him nonetheless.