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loni monroe: hi, welcome to "metro focus." we have a lot planned for you in this septemberepisode. we'll be at some fascinating locations thatare sure to get you out of that seat and on to the next metrobus or train. we are gonna take the red line or a z linebus and head over to silver spring and visit a famous venue that has been keeping the communitydancing and singing with their favorite artists for the past 40 years. next, we are going to explore the arts andtheater at a historic venue that has been in the silver spring community since 1938.
you just might want to grab your popcorn andcandy for this one. and lastly, we're gonna visit a monumental,ground-breaking, never-before-seen smithsonian museum that will open its doors in dc thisseptember. of course we are going to get an up-to-datestatus of all that's going on with metro's year-long maintenance program known as safetrackand what that might mean for your upcoming commute. i hope you are excited because i sure am. so sit back, get comfortable, and let's enjoythis "metro focus" ride. sean heitkemper: i'm sean heitkemper, assistantgeneral manager.
the fillmore silver spring is actually a partnershipwith the montgomery county government. they've decided to help us with this buildingand bring to this neighborhood an incredible, world-class venue so that we can cater topeople of silver spring and greater dc. and this is an arts and entertainment district. we're right across the street from the afiand we're part of revamping and revitalizing the neighborhood. people who come here to visit us from otherparts of the country have told us that this neighborhood is pretty wonderful with theconvenience of the red line, the restaurants, the hotels.
we have, again, a lot of places for peopleto move into with all of these new apartment buildings. silver spring is a pretty cool neighborhood. i think that's one of the reasons this venuewas put here because of its proximity to the red line and some of the other facilitieslike the metro bus center that we have right next to the red line. we're only four blocks away. we have a lot of residence in this area. i think part of the reason that we have somany residents is because of the metro and
it's--as we all know, good public transportation. it increases the quality of life having avenue like this, having restaurants, having sort of a live, play, work area. i think people enjoy that and it brings valueto this part of the greater dc area. so when you come in here, you really don'thave to worry too much about protecting your ears, but you can hear everything. vertigo lounge downstairs is a vip lounge. we have upstairs our premium seats sectionwhere you can get service from a cocktail waitress.
order food-- we have delicious food. in addition to that stuff, we do a lot ofcultural events. we do private events as well. people have used vertigo lounge for smallevents or they can use this entire facility for, say, a wedding, award ceremonies, beautypageants, you name it. the fillmore silver spring is very committedto using this facility for the entire community. the fillmore is synonymous with a gentlemanby the name bill graham who started the fillmore back in san francisco in the mid-60s. his whole point for the fillmore was friendliness,community, and bringing world-class entertainment
and performers to the community where therewas, you know, no separation because at one point you had all these stars and, you know,bill graham decided to open up the fillmore and sort of create some sort of conduit betweenthe community and those stars. we've also been, in the same spirit as billgraham, devoted to bringing local artists onstage. and trying to discover as many artists aspossible. and that is why we do some of these children'sevents. we have bach to rock and moco's got talent,where we bring young kids onstage, give them an opportunity to be on a world-class stage,and demonstrate their talent.
we're only four blocks away from the red lineand also the metro bus center. i take the metro almost on a daily basis. i hear from our guests as they come throughthe doors that one of the best parts about coming to the fillmore in silver spring isthat it's so convenient. i think without the metro this part of dcmight be, sort of, forgotten because you'd have to get here by car only. i think people really do want to use the metroas much as possible, just better quality of life not having to be in traffic. we do beauty pageants.
we do awar--a lot of award ceremonies. we have a very diverse community out herein silver spring-- and the greater dc area, but specifically out here. lot of african cultures. we have latino cultures as well. we have the african awards just last weekend. this facility--this venue-- the fillmore isvery committed to, sort of, serving all of the cultural communities throughout silverspring and the whole dmv for that matter. well, one highlight, actually, is seeing alot of young professionals that are in the
community who want to get in the music business,we have a internship program for college students. if they want to be a fillmore brand ambassadorthey can learn about the marketing side of the business. we also have our fun house folks. a lot of them are aspiring young professionalstrying to learn about the operation side. you can go to fillmoresilverspring.com oryou can take the red line down here, visit us and go to our box office. which is open every day. and we can always help you when you come toa show.
tell you what's coming up next. loni munroe: metro is adjusting the schedulefor safetrack, the year-long maintenance program. intense heat and severe weather has causeddelays to the original schedule and we've added new maintenance projects to improvethe overall safety across the metro rail system. this month, riders on the blue and yellowline travelling to or from northern virginia will be impacted. from august 27th through september 11th trainswill single-track between franconia-springfield and van dorn street. in addition to that, the franconia-springfieldstation will be closed for three consecutive
weekends. and for labor day weekend, saturday throughmonday, franconia-springfield and van dorn will both be closed. this means king street will be the last stopoutbound on the blue line. shuttle busses will replace trains duringthe weakened shutdowns to help you get around the closures. on september 15th, metro begins the longestmaintenance surge to date. orange line will share a track at all timesbetween vienna and west falls church. three stations will also be shut down eachweekend.
vienna, dunn loring, and west falls churchstations. those that travel at the affected stationsshould seek alternate travel options. metro will announce the safetrack schedulefor the rest of the year soon. you can take a look online at wmata.com/safetrack. forrest hainline iv: my name is forrest hainlineiv. i am the studio manager and music directorof school of rock silver spring. so school of rock silver spring is the area'spremier performance based music education program. what that means is we get kids onstage atevery age from five years old-- we had five-year-old
students that played "rock and roll hotel"just last fall and we had 45 year olds also played that very same stage with all the tweensin between. we have been serving this area since 2006,i believe, as a school of rock. and we just encourage the future generationsto look back, learn about the history of rock and roll and learn how to express themselvesand just give them a positive way to interact with their community and the kids that arein their community. school of rock began as the paul green schoolof rock music. we started teaching kids, "here's your scales,but check it out, this is also this aerosmith song."
"why don't we learn the whole led zeppelinsong rather than just the intro?" one thing led to another, he opened up a lotof schools. he opened up this location here in silverspring in this very building, but we've been school of rock silver spring since 2009 iwant to say, but it's been a music school for rock music since, i want to say 2006. there are no official affiliations with anyschools. we are a for-profit after-school activity. but it is all word of mouth-- through neighbors,through friends, and through social media. sometimes kids literally see a show or theysee a video and they say, "oh, my god, i'm
old enough to do that. "what do ya say, mom and dad? how about some drums?" and they say, "how about keyboards? okay, good." one thing that's been lost to younger generationswith the way technology changes, with the way culture changes, how are they going todo this themselves? we have dc, a hotbed in the '80s especially. late '70s with bad brains, '80s with minorthreat and dischord, '90s, fugazi, you got
this whole diy thing. so the youth culture had an opportunity indc at that time to make a lot of noise 'cause there weren't a lot of neighbors. so to speak. and, of course, it was a little cheaper toexist in this area. fast-forward, you still have the same kidswanting to express themselves in the same way, resources change, opportunities to makenoise change. i hear all the time when visitors come toschool of rock silver spring-- neil fallon included, kim coletta from jawbox included,sean saley from pentagram and government issue
included, "where was this when we were kids?" first of all, these kids are staring at, like,seven years old and they can play "highway to hell" and their parents think it's great. think about when they get to 16. they're incredible. and this is just an opportunity for kids tocome together. yes, there's a structure, there's a curriculum. it's the only place your kid's gonna get yelledat for not learning their black sabbath. sorry, but they gotta get "war pigs" correctif they want to really rock it, but this is
an opportunity to just make noise. in my opinion, the greatest bands are theones that could afford to make the most noise together and learn together. eddie van halen puts it best where he says,he dislikes people's, "oh, well, you can just sing." he says, "no! you have no idea "how hard we worked to makevoices that can sing. to have hands that can play guitar. we worked our butts off," and that's the onlything that's stopping anybody from doing this
is "are you willing to do the work? do you have the means to do the work?" so we just try to really encourage them tolet it rip, here's your opportunity, hopefully it'll stick with you through the week so you'llcome back next week. and just keep it going. how has metro affected our ability to functionas a business? it is the reason we can function as a businessin the way we have functioned. our teachers can get here by metro. we have teachers that don't own cars, or justdon't want to mess with cars.
they can just throw their guitar on theirback, head on in. when the kids start to get a little older,their parents start to let them take the bus and that means the world to these kids. that's a big deal. they come in early, practice, just hang out,see the kids they don't go to school with, and then when they're done, they can justtake the bus home. it's like their big boy or big girl day ofthe week and it really means a lot to them. it's really neat to be in a downtown wherethe metro is just two blocks south of us. it makes a huge difference.
i couldn't be more psyched that it's silverspring. this is where the city's growing, there'sall kinds of development coming in. this area in the metro-dc area-- i grew upin this area and i remember at 13 thinking my life was "anywhere, but here." we're on rock block right now. we have the fillmore, the record exchange,fattys tattoo shop, ward 9 urban apparel, school of rock. i don't know if there are any other schoolof rocks out there that have a tattoo shop and a record store and the fillmore withina stone's throw.
i mean, we're literally doors down. so silver spring-- why silver spring? i can't answer that, but thank god, silverspring. the minute they opened up that bus depot...this year, i had to rub my eyes walking off the metro. for so many years i was used to walking offthe metro and seeing this eye sore covered by a chain link fence, and then one day tohave, "oh, my god, fence is gone," there's all this grassy area, there's busses comingand going, street's aren't as-- they're not as congested with city busses, you don't havethat nightmare of a stretch of road on 2nd
avenue between colesville and georgia. metro, i think, has-- it's the reason there'slife here. in downtown silver spring. i like that silver spring... it's not dc,but i like that it has-- it has some high rises, it's got some big buildings, it's gotthe metro. it has a concert venue, it's got some greatbars, it has some record stores and right now it looks like it got a great shower anda shave and it looks amazing. like, it looks like it’s ready for peopleto come in and build and live. and it's just a great place to be at the moment.
tiffany graham-golden: i'm tiffany graham-golden. i'm the senior manager of marketing, membership,and events at afi silver theater and cultural center. we actually are the flagship theater of theamerican film institute. we're an art house theater and film educationplace. afi's been in the dc era for many, many years. exhibiting films at a theater at the kennedycenter for a long time. back in the late '80s, montgomery county waslooking for way to revitalize silver spring. i asked if we could run the theater as a non-profitand decided to use afi-- this theater as the
anchor for the revitalization and now it'sthriving. when afi first re-opened none of what yousee out here was here. so the best-- this entire community has completely--as they call it silver spring, we say it has "sprung." so we have, you know, live music across thestreet. we have, you know, afi and the prestigiousfilms that we're able to bring here and the guests and the talent that, um-- and specialpeople that... are unusual to have in this area. as well as, you know, many restaurants, newbusinesses, the civic building.
so the community's completely changed. warren sharon: my name is warren sharon andi'm the senior manager of theater operations here at afi silver theater. we do a number of curated festivals each year. in fact, coming up in september and octoberis our latin american film festival and in december is our european union film showcaseand then we have caribbean and it seems like all year long they just keep coming around. plus, we do special events and rentals. we always like to give added value to ourpatrons, so when you come here we don't want
you to think that you're just coming to seea movie or going to the cinema. we like to have, like, q&as, directors, talentcome to speak to the people not only about the film that they made, or the film makingprocess, but just answer any questions that people have, but we also like to add, sortof, value in terms of, like, performances or concerts. we have a silent series with musical accompanimentwith original scores written by pretty well-renowned musicians both locally and from around thecountry who come in and perform. and i just think that's the type of thingthat people really get here that they don't get elsewhere.
it feels like we're always doing somethingnew and exciting. we had a documentary film about cambodianrock and rollers and when the khmer rouge heir drove them out or kept them from doingwestern rock and roll, they--the documentary's all about that period in time. and a lot of the rockers are still aroundand came to the documentary and performed a concert after for the guests and it wassold out. it did really well and that's just the kindof unique and different thing that we do here. tiffany graham-golden: there's been a lotof special moments with our documentary film festival because, you know, it started fromnothing, and so to see-- i mean, we had, you
know, so many different special guests i couldn'teven name who've been here that i've got the opportunity to meet. you know, jane fonda, martin scorsese, somany different people. metro is so important for us because we dosuch a diverse amount of programming. from 35 millimeter prints of "looney tunes"cartoons to silent film with live musical accompaniment and first-run films of, youknow, woody allen's new movie and the movies that we show and the things that we bringhere sometimes they're things that you can't see anywhere else. so it's really important that people who livein northern virginia who want to come here
be able to assess us pretty easily. so metro's really important for that becausewe get people from all over the regional area who are able to come here if they don't havecars. warren sharon: we have a lot of really affordableparking here, but should you choose not to drive, it's really accessible. it's only two blocks from the metro station. in fact, when you get off the metro you canturn and see our marquee. so it's a very recognizable destination. really close to the metro and i know becausei take the metro most times.
the biggest impact is that it allows it tothrive with all the local businesses. it allows it to be vibrant. like, the businesses do really well becauseit's always active here. even when i leave late at night there arepeople on the streets because they know they can get home. and they're coming from the fillmore, therestaurants are open. so i think that it makes it more city likeand more vibrant. tiffany graham-golden: i would say quite afew people, you know, come here from, you know, all different metro lines and, you know,we're right off the red line, but they rely
on it. so whenever there are changes or updates inthe metro schedule, we try to inform our customers via social media because we know that that'simportant to them. warren sharon: i believe that a good amountof our clientele take metro to the business and they find it very easy to get here becausewe're so close to metro. tiffany graham-golden: if the theater wasnot metro accessible, that would be terrible for us. you know, we also get a lot of students, peoplewho don't have cars, and so it's really important that we are accessible to everyone.
warren sharon: because a lot of what we dois we--i mean, we show movies, which speak to all people and we show a lot of moviesthat you can't see elsewhere. so we're a destination for people becauseof that, they wanna come and see movies that they can't see locally elsewhere and theytake the metro and they get here. tiffany graham-golden: i love the sense ofcommunity in this neighborhood. everyone knows everyone. all of the--we're close with all of the managersof the local businesses. we're always looking for ways to partner andlook out for one another. we use a lot of local vendors.
so, you know, there's so much to offer andwe try to look within our community first to see how we can support each other. we're happy to be part of what we think tobe, you know, one of the essential parts of this regional area and destination for peoplejust beyond the local silver spring community. warren sharon: i like old movies. i like musical movies. so to get to see them on the big screen isreally neat for me and, well, i'll say maybe it's not my favorite, but recently we opened"absolutely fabulous" and i got to-- along with one of my colleagues here at work, dressup as edina and patsy and put on a little
bit of a pre-show and do a tribute contestwith a lot of swag and stuff like that for the patrons. it went off really well and, like i said,i don't know if it's my favorite because--because i was a little nervous and embarrassed dressingup as edina and doing an impersonation, but it was a lot of fun. we like to support local vendors here andi think that they really appreciate that. so we sell a lot of local beer from localbreweries, we sell-- oh, and that's a nice thing that people also get to experience hereis you get to see a movie and, you know, all the added value, but you also get to drinka glass of wine while you do it or have a
beer. and we also sell local cookies, local chips...and premium chocolates and so i think that-- we also work with whole foods locally. we have whole foods selections here for thepeople to-- wraps and paninis, and i feel like that-- it's a benefit for them-- forthe local vendors, because they are reaching these people who are coming from all aroundthe metro area via metro to get visibility with their product and get awareness abouttheir product. so they're really happy to be carried herebecause afi is sort of a destination. tiffany graham-golden: our website is afi.com/silver,we're also on facebook at afisilvertheater,
on twitter @afisilver and on instagram atafisilvertheater as well. seeing a movie here is nothing in comparisonto seeing a movie at your home. the experience of the theater itself, thegigantic screen, the comfort of our seats, and then what we're able to bring in termsof or special guests and live-- we call it "cinexperience." that's what makes us different. you know, there's a lot of talk about fearof missing out and we try and create that experience for people so that, you know, youcan see, "man, i should've made that, you know, truck to afi."
or, "i should've come to see that becauseit's only showing once." or we have the only print in existence ofa film. and the only way to catch that 70 millimeterscreening is here. loni munroe: on september 24, 2016 the brand-newsmithsonian national museum of african american history and culture will open its doors. since 2003 the molding and developing of themuseum has been in place and now we are able to finally view more than 36,000 artifacts,nationally and locally recognized arts and sculptures, and plenty of other african americanhistory. the opening of the museum will mark the 19thsmithsonian museum to date.
at metro, we are constantly supporting ourcommunity and our customers and our beloved marketing department has created a partnershipwith the national museum of african american history, arts, and culture to develop specializedsmarttrip cards with unique designs catered to just the museum and the artifacts. you can purchase these smarttrip card onlineor at your local metro sales office. of course we have personalized merchandisethat you can also purchase online at wmata.com under metro gifts or at a metro sales office. be sure to visit the national museum of africanamerican history and culture by taking metro rail to federal triangle or smithsonian stationsor take metrobus a 30 line route to constitution
avenue. whether you're local or just in town the weekendof september 24th, be sure to check out the grand opening events for the museum. visit nmaahc.si.edu for more information. male: cirque du soleil is in washington. with a world of curiosities. where reality is relative. and seeing is disbelieving. kurios, cabinet of curiosities from cirquedu soleil presented by visa signature with
united mileage plus. now playing through september 18th at tysonsii. tickets at cirquedusoleil.com loni munroe: metro has a convenient way foryou to know when your bus is going to reach your stop. so stop checking your watch and tapping yourfoot, there are real time bus arrival signs located at high ridership bus stops throughoutdc, maryland, and virginia right inside the bus shelter. you'll find arrival times for metrobus andother regional providers.
here's how to read the signs: the first symbolis the abbreviation for the transit provider. "m" will display for metrobus. you'll find a full list of providers withcorresponding abbreviations at wmata.com/bus. the numbers following the transit providerindicate the bus route number. next, you'll see the bus destination. and, finally, the numbers at the far rightof the sign are the estimated arrival times for the next two consecutive buses. for example, metrobus route 70, destinationsilver spring station, will arrive in the next two minutes followed by the next busin 12 minutes.
arrival times are based off the informationsupplied from the bus eta system that many of our riders rely on. if the system is experiencing technical difficulty,the signs will pull information from the bus schedule. this information will be displayed with an"s" followed by the scheduled arrival time. the electronic next bus signs are also adacompliant. there's a push to audio button located tothe right of the shelter. press the button for audio of the messagedisplayed on the screen. electronic voice: metro.
route 70 to silver springs station. loni munroe: traffic congestion and road closurescan effect bus service, but the electronic next bus signs will keep you from wondering"what's holding up my bus?" metro alerts describing what's happening onyour route followed by the updated bus information will scroll across the screen. you can always get real time bus informationon your smart phone or computer by subscribing to metro alerts or by following our twitteraccount... @metrobusinfo. at metro, we're always exploring new waysto enhance the rider experience for you.
thank you for riding metrobus. loni munroe: welcome back. hope you enjoyed the ride and visiting someof the popular attractions in the silver spring how awesome is the african american museumof history and culture going to be? i know i sure can't wait to visit. till we meet again, "metro focus" viewers. i had a ball. thanks for hanging out.
