ULTIMATE FRISBEE
CALI CONNECTION
MAYAPPLES IN BLOOM
Colin Riggs has been holding Ultimate Frisbee games for over ten years, joined by an enthusiastic group in Magruder Park most Saturday mornings. PAGE 3
From the East Coast to the West Coast, arts districts are revitalizing downtowns. Hyattsville might have more in common with Venice, California than we think. PAGE 5
Also known as the witches’ umbrella, the American mandrake, and the hog apple, mayapples boast beautiful flowers and edible fruits in the spring. PAGE 8
36th Annual Hyattsville House Tour to include University Hills by Caroline Selle
Before Mary Kay and Joe Giunta agreed to let their Farragut Street home be part of the first Historic Hyattsville House Tour (HHHT) in 1980, Mary Kay said she told the organizers, “You have to call us a ‘before’ house.” This year will be the tour’s 36th anniversary and the Giuntas’ sixth time participating in the self-guided event presented by the Hyattsville Preservation Association (HPA). The 2015 tour visits ten structures. When the Giuntas purchased their 19th century home in 1977, “it was a wreck,” Mary Kay said. Water damage had disfigured walls and ceilings; the kitchen was all in shades of green; and the second floor bathroom was a garish purple and red. “We called it Casper,” she said, because the outside was as white as the friendly ghost. Joe did much of the remodeling work himself. An architect, he also designed the first logo for the tour. There was no year
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 12 No. 5
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
May 2015
ELECTION RESULTS
Ward and Warner win; city celebrates high voter turnout by Rebecca Bennett
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID EASTON MD PERMIT NO. 43
TOUR continued on page 12
ANDREW MARDER Kevin Ward shakes hands after winning the Ward 1 election.
When all was said and done on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, more than a thousand registered voters in the City of Hyattsville came out to the polls or otherwise cast their vote for their next mayor and city councilmembers. It was a short—yet intense— campaign season for many candidates, particularly those in Ward 1. Seven residents put their hat in the ring to take the seat vacated by Mayor-elect Candace Hollingsworth. The new councilmember for Ward 1 will be Kevin Ward. “I am excited to get to work for the people of Hyattsville,” he said. Even though it was a seemingly incontestable victory with Ward’s 232 votes after the unofficial count, there was no clear victor in the days leading up to the election. Ward, who picked up endorsements from both Hollingsworth and Councilmember Bart Lawrence (Ward 1), had ELECTIONS continued on page 13
Bike to work day rolls through Hyattsville Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
by Scarlett Salem
Ever consider biking to work when you are sitting in the DMV’s notorious traffic? On Friday, May 15, the League of American Bicyclists will incentivize your urban commute when Bike to Work Day (BTWD) hits Hyattsville. Organized regionally by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicy-
clist Association (WABA) this 20th annual BTWD has garnered local support. The City of Hyattsville offers a pit stop in Magruder Park for the morning commute, from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. It is one of nearly 80 registered BTWD pit stops in the District, Maryland and Virginia. Resources at each pit stop vary, offering raffles, music, food, drinks, bike maintenance assistance, a chance to meet up and travel with other riders and
more. Most pit stops take place during the morning commute and a few open on the commute home. Cheri Everhart, recreation event coordinator for the City of Hyattsville, will arrive early on May 15 – around 5 a.m. – for set up and will not leave until the event is over. The city, which has been offering BIKE continued on page 10
Included: The May 13, 2015 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section