Downtown Silver Spring offers residents the perfect walkable lifestyle with easy access to Metro, shopping, dining and more. In the coming years, residents will have even more retail choices and green spaces to enjoy with the redevelopment of the Blairs apartments complex.

The Old Town Boutique District is gearing up for a Black Friday extravaganza! Many of your favorite shops will be opening early on November 28th and offering once-a-year deals on clothes, accessories, home goods and more. Early bird shoppers will be rewarded with the best deals as many stores will be featuring 30% off starting at 6 AM, 20% off starting at 8 AM, and 10% off starting at 10 AM. View the list of participating shops and their special offers here.

It’s time to kick off the holiday season! Stop by Fountain Plaza in downtown Silver Spring on Saturday, November 15th for the annual Re-Imagining the Holidays Tree Lighting Celebration. Not your traditional tree lighting ceremony, this event features “Silver Symphony,” a 35-foot tall public art installation made of chimes, bells, pinwheels and ribbons! Starting at 6 PM, the celebration will also include live entertainment, giveaways, hot cocoa, shopping and dining deals and more. Musical instrument donations will be collected to benefit local area schools.

It’s coming! The annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade will make its way through downtown Silver Spring on Saturday, November 22nd. The parade will feature over 100 attractions including floats, giant balloons, fire engines, classic cars, marching bands, colorful dance troupes and more. This year, a brand new 12-foot inflatable turkey will make its debut and as usual, the parade will conclude with a special appearance by Santa.

On Friday, October 24, 2014, EYA employees gathered for their annual Day of Service in Washington, DC. This year's recipient of giving was Byte Back, a DC-based non-profit which provides computer training and employment readiness classes to low-income individuals.

Photo courtesy of Flickr's tawest64. Looking for some Halloween fun? From the Silver Spring Zombie Walk to trick-or-treating at the local boutiques, check out these ghoulishly good events taking place in your EYA neighborhood.