Update on Solaire Social food hall in Silver Spring

UPDATED - 2:00 PM:

Construction of the Solaire Social food hall, located in the ground floor of the Solaire 8200 Dixon apartment building in downtown Silver Spring, has been ongoing for over a year now. It's finally looking close to opening, with light fixtures in place, and tables and chairs being moved in. Solaire Social will have 11 vendor stalls, including Manna Sushi, ShugaxIce, Fire Pit Brazilian Barbecue, Just Chicken, Pau & Sophia's Thai Kitchen, Kati Roll Wala, Soko Butcher & Deli, Soko Oyster, and Kabab-2-Go. A spokesperson for the food hall advises me that plans for an indoor golf simulator were scrapped long ago. Solaire Social is expected to open in May 2024.

Montgomery County firefighter among 226 to be honored at National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend

A former Montgomery County firefighter will be among 226 fallen firefighters to be honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland on May 4 and 5, 2024. Master Firefighter Mark R. Fisher Jr. passed away on July 24, 2014 from illness related to his response to the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Fisher was also a member of the Maryland Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue Team, with whom he responded to other disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. He was with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service for 22 years, and also served as an instructor for the department. 

Fisher was a member of the Johnny Swamper Club, Frederick Elks Lodge No. 684, and the Loyal Order of the Moose No. 948 in Charles Town, West Virginia, and a life member of the United Steam Fire Engine Company, No. 3 Frederick. He left behind a wife, three children and five grandchildren. Fisher briefly played pro football with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was 59 years old at the time of his passing.

Two main events will be held on the memorial weekend at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park in Emmitsburg. The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service will be held on May 4 at 7:30 pm ET, hosted by Fire Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department. The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is on May 5 at 10:00 am ET, and will be hosted by actor Jeremy Holm. Both events are open to the public, but will also be streamed online live for those who cannot attend in person.

Royal Farms to open Silver Spring location

Royal Farms was the first mega-gas-station-convenience store to open in Montgomery County, beating competitors Wawa and Sheetz to the punch when it opened its Gaithersburg location in 2022. Ironically, it is now the last of the three to announce its second MoCo location. That will be at 9475 Georgia Avenue, in the Montgomery Hills area of Silver Spring, a prime "last gas" location just before the ramps onto the Capital Beltway. 

A Montgomery County construction permit for the new Royal Farms has been posted, but the location does not yet appear on the "Coming Soon!" section of the Maryland chain's website. There's a gas station on the property already, which will be demolished to make way for the Royal Farms. Expect an increase in the number of gas pumps, and wonderful fried chicken aromas.

Honduran restaurant for sale in Wheaton

Baleadas Grill at 2304 Price Avenue in Wheaton is available for sale. The asking price for the business is $100,000. Monthly rent for the space is $5600 a month, according to the online listing. The Honduran restaurant has been open for about a year, and has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating on Yelp. It remains open for business.

Chido's Tex-Mex Grill applies for liquor license in Silver Spring

Chido's Tex-Mex Grill is taking another step toward opening at 931 Ellsworth Drive at Downtown Silver Spring. The chain has applied for a liquor license from Montgomery County for this location. It now has a hearing on the license approval scheduled for May 2, 2024 at 10:30 AM. Chido's, which is filling the high turnover spot recently vacated by The Eleanor, is anticipated to open this summer.

New street art on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring (Photos)

The pedestrian-only block of Ellsworth Drive between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street is abuzz with new street art for (Silver) spring. Paint was still drying when these photos were taken. A honeycomb pattern of various colors is populated with insectoid and plant life. Not for the melissophobic!

Prodigal Comics now open in Silver Spring

Wonderful news for comic book fans and collectors: Prodigal Comics has opened in the former Alliance Comics space at 8317 Fenton Street in downtown Silver Spring. They're gradually getting up to speed in meeting the bar set by Alliance/Geppi's Comic World over the years, and are buying as well as selling comics. Here's a chance to restore that trifecta of incredible downcounty comic book stores - Barbarian Books (a.k.a. Barbarian Comics) in Wheaton, Big Planet in Bethesda, and now...Prodigal Comics? Stay tuned, true believers. Excelsior!