Magical Montgomery

Walking along Wayne Avenue on September 26 in downtown Silver Spring, it was hard to imagine anyone wanting to be outside at all. The sky was dark and gloomy, the streets barren and wet, and the rain was coming down in a depressing drizzle. One block over on Ellsworth, though, the mood was upbeat and the people were out.

The Magical Montgomery Festival of art and culture may have been slightly dampened, but, on a rainy Saturday afternoon (12-6 pm), it was a sight to behold. Throngs of people strolled through the streets in twos and fours. Crowding together on the corner of Ellsworth and Fenton, they formed little streams of multicolored umbrellas, which moved from tent to tent. Children ran through the streets with no care for the rain, while their adults – slightly more put off - huddled under tents and umbrellas for a while, but the sights, sounds, and art of all flavors (one tent was representing a brewery) were enough to get even the most delicate grown-ups to tolerate the damp.

The event featured two stages. One was on Ellsworth, across from the Ellsworth fountain, and was turned around- audio equipment and performers turned to face the parking garage, protecting listeners from the rain. Another was on the corner of Ellsworth and Fenton- a few brave patrons standing out in the rain- with or without raincoats- but more watched from the relative comfort of two small tarps put up around the event. The majority of the people walked between these stages, viewing displays representing art from our very own Gandhi Brigade to the Symphony of the Potomac, whose French horns resounded through the air, a soft, sometimes haunting, ambience amid the steady chatter and light raindrops. It blended in nicely with the two concerts on either side of it.

Turnout was fairly good overall, but there was a key age group missing. Our group! I had a few words with one of the few youth at the event: 16-year-old Sharell Austin, who was quite a character. She goes to Northwood High School, and had been soliciting donations at the festival for a little over half an hour when I talked to her. “The weather is kind of a downer,” she said, “And there’s not enough cute boys.” She also told me, that she enjoyed the costumes (“at least I hope they’re costumes,” she added), and that she was there with her sister, who shared her opinions on both the rain and the demographics.

Jim Voorhees, 57, was also present- his group, the Washington Revels, were scheduled to play on the Ellsworth stage. He had been at the event for a few hours, and was watching the performance of Cheick Hamala Diabate when I spoke with him. He had watched two other music groups from Montgomery County, and found them all very good. “If it were dryer it would have been great,” he said, but was enjoying himself nonetheless.

There were some grumbles about the rain, and the 13-25 age range wasn’t particularly well represented, but people were clearly having a good time. The turnout was more than decent, considering the circumstances, and the art, of course, was very impressive. I give Magical Montgomery, on Saturday, September 26, a 6 out of 10.

Photos by Adame Lemma