By now you may recognize the names Tucker Canary, Johanna Lopez and Delante Gaskin (Blair's most outstanding varsity basketball players). But have you ever heard of Rudy Carson or Dennis Li? They are among the lesser-known, but still highly successful Blair athletes making an impact this winter season. Check out the top five below. 1. Dennis Li, SwimmingLi, a senior, is among Blair's most dominant male swimmers this year. Over the weekend in a meet against Northwest High School, he placed first in the 200-yard medley relay, first in the 200-yard free and third in 50-yard free.  2. Rudy Carson…

It's not even February and the political debates in Takoma Park are vibrant as ever this year. Whether it's issues that carried over from last year (or the year before that) or issues that have sprung up recently, here are the five political issues that have been most visible in the first month of 2011. 1. Leaf Blower Ban - The ordinance was passed to ban city employees from using gas powered leaf blowers, but the debate is not over. The council will evaluate whether the ban makes sense over the coming months. 2. Trees Versus Solar - It's typical Granola Park. Environmentalists debate other …

This weekend there's all kinds of stuff to do. From the Takoma Park  Farmers Market to local basketball, there are myriad things to do. With both Blair girls and boys basketball playing a virtual battle of the boulevard with the boys at Northwood and the girls at home against Northwood. And even though it's not local, I added a performance of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony at the Strathmore, because he is one of my favorite composers and the Fifth is absolutely stunning. 1. Blair v. Northwood Varsity Boys Basketball Game: Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Northwood High School, 919 University Blvd W, Silver …

Halfway through the high school basketball season, here are the top moments so far: 1. Blair girls beat Kennedy at the buzzer The Blazers' second game of the year came down the last shot, a buzzer beater by Johanna Lopez. 2.  Blair coach's father honored with tournament in his nameBlair Coach Mark Destefano's father, Al Destefano, was the coach at Kennedy for many years. This year, they honored the late coach with a tournament in his name. The Blazers lost in the championship of the holiday affair. 3. Blair girls beat Springbrook in overtimeLopez scored 33 of her team's 58 points in the come-…

I've come to find that living in the Takoma Park area I'm surrounded by writers. So I made a list of my favorite authors that live in Takoma Park. This list is certainly not comprehensive so comment or e-mail with your favorites, and I'll check them out for future lists. 1. David Corn – Political journalist extraordinaire, Corn is someone I've looked up to as a reporter since college. His columns for The Nation, Politics Daily and Mother Jones are part of my daily digest of news and opinions. There has been no dearth of tomes excoriating former President Bush, but Corn's book on the …

This weekend there is no dearth of things to do around the city. And with most people having Monday off, you have even more time to get out. 1. Gaithersburg v. Blair Varsity Boys Basketball Game: Friday, Jan. 14, 5:15 p.m. at Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. E in Silver Spring 2. Mr. Gabe at Capital City Cheesecake: Friday, Jan. 14 10 a.m. at 7071 Carroll Ave. in Takoma Park 3. Blood Drive in Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Saturday, Jan. 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mid-County Regional Services Center, 2424 Reedie Drive in Silver Spring 4. King: A Filmed Record... From …

With the new year, the Takoma Park Recreation Department has unveiled its new lineup of athletic programs. See the list below for ideas to keep your kids active in the winter and spring months. Registration has already begun, so click the link above to get your children involved. 1. Go Deep Flag FootballAges: 8-13Date/Time: Wednesdays, Mar. 23-Apr. 20, 3:30-4:30 p.m.Details: This program is free to Takoma Park residents and teaches kids the fundamentals of flag football.  2. Double DutchAges: 6-14Time/Date: Ongoing, Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m., Saturdays, 10:45-11:45 a.m.Details: Swing by the rec …

It's going to be cold this weekend, but here are some things to check out. Featured this week is the Friday night basketball matchup of Blair vs. Sherwood. 1. Blair v. Sherwood Varsity Boys Basketball Game – Friday, Jan. 7, 5:15 p.m., Sherwood, 300 Olney Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring. 2.Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School 2011-2012 Enrollment Information Sessions – Saturday, Jan. 8, 1 p.m. Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School, 8204 Flower Ave. 3. Electric Maid – Peggy Brennan/Rob Bost, Saturday Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. t0 11 p.m., Electric Maid, 268 Carroll St., NW, Washington, D.C. 4. Takoma…

When it gets cold out, you need a place to keep warm. And let's face it, you're going to get stir crazy if you stay in the house all day. Next week could dip into the 20s so here are five places in Takoma Park to keep warm. You notice that all of the places recommended, save for one, are eateries and that's because I associate warmth with food. 1. Mark's Kitchen - This Takoma Park staple makes a lot of our lists and there's a reason for that. Simply put, it exudes Takoma Park. It's a place you can hang out, meet people and eat great food. 2. Capital City Cheesecake - The hot chocolate and …

Calendars have reached January once again and that means it's time for some sporting resolutions. 1. Watch the Giants win their second straight World SeriesIf you remember, back in November I gave several reasons why Takoma Park residents should be on board with this. 2. Take advantage of the Recreation Department's winter programsThe Rec Department offers youth and adult sporting programs including a coed softball league starting in April. 3. Get more community members to attend Blair sporting eventsMontgomery Blair high school athletic contests are sadly under-attended. All of their …

New Year's Eve is just about on us so I'm going to let you take this Takoma Park Five, faithful Patch readers. Tell me what you're doing for the holiday. I'll be spending it at a friend's house, but do you have plans to go all out? Let us know in the comments and we'll list our five favorite.

Everyone claims some grand New Year's Day resolution, but it's rare that anyone follows through. We at Takoma Park Patch take resolutions pretttayyy, pretttayyy seriously (in the words of Larry David). So here are our top five resolutions. And if there is something we should be doing better, then let us know. 1. More school coverage - Although we cover Blair High School extensively, we're resolving to better report the middle school and elementary schools as well. 2. More religion coverage - The Seventh-day Adventists are a huge part of Takoma Park's history. Beyond that, there are houses of …

This week, Wheaton's Kennedy High School will host the Al Destefano Classic, a basketball tournament in honor of the late coach who ran the sidelines at Kennedy 20 years ago. We care in Takoma Park for several key reasons, the first of which is that the Blair boys' team is one of the four squads participating in the two-day event. Here is all other pertinent information: 1. Games will be held on Dec. 28 and 29 at 1 and 3 p.m. each day. The championship will be the late game on Wednesday. 2. The Blazers will play the early game against Seneca Valley on Tuesday. 3. The tournament is named after…

I've been living in my current house for exactly a year now. I've lived in the Takoma Park/Silver Spring area for almost four years, but it's only in this last year — and more particularly, the last six months — that I've come to know and love Takoma Park. As I sit here writing this in New Jersey, I already miss the People's Republic. So here are the top five reasons I love Azalea City. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Takoma Park. 1. Mark's Kitchen — This is literally the first place I ate when I moved from New Jersey to the D.C. area, and it immediately endeared me to Takoma Park. I …

This weekend isn't terribly conducive to a fun event list because there is one event that dominates Friday, Saturday and Sunday, whether you celebrate it or not: Christmas. So here is your one event for the weekend. 1. Christmas — Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, spend some time with your family. If you're driving somewhere for the holiday, be safe. I'm heading back to New Jersey, but Patch will keep chugging along with new content on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas. So if you have a minute in between gifts, visit takomapark.patch.com for some holiday news.

I don't want a lot for Christmas. There are just five thing I need. 1. Some consistency from the Blair boys basketball team.The Blazers are 2-3 and have won two in a row, but by just seven total points. This Christmas I wish they could find it in their hearts to keep winning. 2. A sporting goods store in Takoma Park.Or Silver Spring for that matter... 3. For Carroll Ave to be renamed Fred Funk Lane.It has a nice ring to it. And who is Carroll anyway?  4. An Olympic-sized curling venue somewhere in town.Did you know curling is America's fastest-growing sport? Okay it's not, but next city …

As the snow starts to fall and the winter season is upon us, here are the top five songs I like to listen to when a chill is in the air. Tell us your favorites. 1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Bright Eyes This song is just haunting. Period. 2. Skinny Love - Bon Iver The album this song is on was written in a cabin in Wisconsin in the winter. And you can tell. "I told you to be patient/I told you to be fine/I told you to be balanced/I told you to be kind." 3. One of these Days - Owen Mike Kinsella, the sole man behind the Owen project, has been in some of my favorite Chicago …

1. Boys Basketball - Blair vs. Einstein, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. at Montgomery Blair High School. Blair is coming off their first win of the season Wednesday so come out and support the Blazers. 2. Takoma Park Community Band - Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., Takoma Park Auditorium, 7500 Maple Ave. 3. An Evening with OAR - If you want to hear "That Crazy Game of Poker" for the 8,000th time and don't feel like turning on your local college rock station, check out these local heros - Dec. 18, 8:30 p.m., Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike. 4. Takoma Park Farmers Market - Dec. 19, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Old Town Takoma…

A delivered package was stolen from a home on Willow Avenue Monday so the Takoma Park Police have offered some tips for protecting your packages. So here are five ways to protect your holiday gifts. 1. Track your orders online. 2. Report missing bundles as soon as possible. 3. Try to be at home when the package is expected to arrive. 4. If sending packages, make sure to the person know when it will be delivered. 5. Require a signature for an packages of high value.

The Blair boys basketball team had a tough opening week, losing both of their first two regular season games. The girls on the other hand, are 2-0 after beating Clarksburg and Kennedy. Between both rosters, a group of five athletes has emerged atop the rest, at least for now. 1. Johanna LopezLopez hit the game winner against Kennedy on Friday and is averaging 17 points per game.  2. Tucker CanaryCanary led his team in points in both of the first two games. The most impressive stat from Friday's loss to Kennedy though, was his 9-11 free throw shooting.  3. Myla SappAfter scoring 16 and 14 …