Now that chilly days have settled upon us in earnest, many of us are hunkering down indoors. If you’re like me, you’re spending more time in the kitchen — and if your cooking adventures are anything like mine, you’re generating a lot of food scraps
We had a major house fire in 2005 caused by an electric surge. We were out at the time, but after receiving the call from a neighbor, we rushed home in panic, and the scene of firefighters, neighbors and us, the shocked homeowners, played out. Our next-door neighbor, Kay, took me aside that afternoon. “In a year, this will be ancient history,” she said. Hearing these words from my wise neighbor put me at ease. “My house is yours; no need to knock. Use the phone, bathroom, food
— whatever you need.” Is this not the complete picture of what a perfect neighbor is? Kay Dunn is now in her 80s and has lived in the neighborhood since she was a 2-year-old girl. I have been fortunate to call her my neighbor for 23 of those 80-plus years she has been here in Calvert Hills.
I’ve always loved Kay’s stories. She told me that when she was young, she played in a stream (long gone) that ran near our house. Her family used to have a horse. Her father owned a bowling alley in town that went on to become the (now closed) Milkboy Arthouse. She went with
that can be composted. Thanks to a new program here in College Park, recycling food waste is easier than ever, thanks to inexpensive compost containers and free weekly collections.
Composting is one of the easiest and most productive things individuals can do for the environment. Such a simple process, and it is effective on many levels, from the most basic — your kitchen wastebasket won’t
A year and a half ago, Joan Oberholtzer was exercising on her own, mostly at home, but was itching to be more active. Her sister, Ellen, was already involved with College Park parkrun, the free 5K run/walk that's held on the Paint Branch Trail every Saturday. Ellen would sometimes volunteer as a tailwalker, too, the person who brings up the rear, ensuring that no one is left behind. Ellen invited Joan to join her as a tailwalker. That first week, they walked the 5K in a little under an hour and a half, together with Joan’s dog, Murphy. Joan caught the bug and kept coming, returning almost every week. “I had been trying to exercise on my own, at home,” she said. “But it was walking the parkrun in College Park that gave me the confidence and en-
couragement to make walking longer distances a regular part of my routine.”
Many of us make resolutions when the new year rolls around. Many of those promises we make involve our health and well-being — getting more exercise, losing weight, eating better, improving our mental health, spending less money, spending more time with friends and family. But many of us struggle to keep the resolutions we make. We let our new gym memberships go unused. Those unhealthy snacks we said we’d swear off prove too tantalizing to resist. Life gets in the way. Winter weather makes it harder to get outside.
Fortunately, College Park’s natural environment offers great resources to support a healthy, active lifestyle. We have a fabulous
My wife and I have lived all over the DMV: Arlington, Columbia Heights, Takoma Park. We moved to Hyattsville to start a family, and around the time we were expecting our third child, we started our search for a permanent home in the area. Given that I lived so close to Berwyn for so long, you’d think I would have known the neighborhood that’s nestled just two miles north from where I was living in Hyattsville. And if you knew more about my life, you’d expect me to
know Berwyn because I spent so much time on the University of Maryland campus and in town, taking advantage of College Park’s amenities.
But if you’d asked me, back when I still lived in Hyattsville, if I knew Berwyn, I would have said, “Sure, I know Berwyn Heights.” And with that, I would have been on board with a running joke in the neighborhood. Even the most famous Berwyner, baseball player Billy Werber, is listed in Wikipedia as hailing from Berwyn Heights.
But really, I didn’t know that this neighborhood I now call home even existed.
We only discovered Berwyn because my son began taking karate classes at Kim Studio. In 2018, we bought our house a block west of that studio; we live in a 1903 Victorian which was home to renowned entomology professor Arthur Gahan’s family for 100 years.
We love living here. Things are low key and very community-oriented. Our kids bike to the park. We hand-deliver our Christmas cards and exchange cookies with neighbors over the holidays. The best communities, I’ve found, are sometimes those that are hardest to discover.
I chanced on the opportunity to launch
the Here & Now just 18 months after moving to Berwyn. I agreed to take on the challenge because Berwyn was such a great place to live, filled with so many great stories, and I wagered that the rest of College Park would have its own hidden gems, too. I was right.
As it turns out, the city we live in — a city with twice as many civic organizations as municipal districts — is, indeed, teeming with a thriving and diverse culture all of its own. Reporting about the city for the past two and a half years has been one of the most rewarding endeavors of my
We now have 18 more reasons to visit Lake Artemesia: a new exercise center with a view of the lake. The eightin-one Thrive 450 fitness training system is covered by a big blue sunshade and is surrounded by 10 additional fitness stations. The new fitness center is next to the trail on the west (train track) side of the lake, just a brisk walk from the main entrance. The equipment offers people at any fitness level as many as 18 ways to exercise. Despite its similarity to playground equipment, posted signs make it clear that the center is for users who are over age 13. But with all those exercise options, you can play, too.
At the main station you can swing on the variable monkey bars (so named because the bars are at different angles); work your quads on three step-up platforms that are 12, 18 and 24 inches high; and
A nationally-recognized community newspaper chronicling the here and now of College Park. Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781
The College Park Here & Now is published monthly by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Editors welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted using the mailing address above or the email addresses provided. StreetcarSuburbs.News
tone your arms and abs by aiming for the target at the ball-slam station.
The remaining stations
Managing Editor Mark Goodson mark@streetcarsuburbs.news
Associate Editor Nancy Welch nancy@streetcarsuburbs.news
Writers & Contributors Robert Craig Baum, Rick Borchelt, Mary C. Cook, Renee Domogauer, Lily Fountain, Mary Anne Hakes, Janet Hawley, Michael Kusie, Julia Kyles, Victoria MacDonald, Eric Maring, Colin Phillips, Nan Roche and Mady Segal
Layout & Design Editors Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris Web Editor Jessica Burshtynskyy
include an inclined sit-up bench, a Swedish ladder, a knee-lift dip station, a variable press station that allows
Advertising Sales Manager Miranda Goodson
Business Manager Catie Currie
Board of Directors Joseph Gigliotti — President & General Counsel Melanie Dzwonchyk — Interim Secretary Stephanie Stullich — Treasurer Gretchen Brodtman, Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Maxine Gross, Joe Murchinson, T. Carter Ross Katie V. Jones, Mark Goodson— Ex Officios Circulation:
users to do planks and pushups at different heights, and a variable pull-up station.
Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to use any of these stations; each has a sign with instructions and tips. You can also follow a link on the signs to access a 22-page booklet with beginner, intermediate and advanced workout plans. Or use your own creativity — there are endless ways to stretch and flex, improve strength and balance, and tighten your core.
So grab your water bottle and a couple of towels — one for the equipment and one for yourself — and head on over. Bring a ball if you want to use the ball slam station and get ready for a great workout in the great outdoors. Remember to stretch when you fin-
ish your workout and take a moment to relax on one of the benches or or flat boulders beside the fitness center. While you savor your fitness accomplishments you can admire the lake; it’s one of College Park’s true treasures.
As of press time, the county’s webpage for the new fitness center indicates that the equipment has not been fully installed, but as you can see from our photo, everything is ready for residents and visitors to fulfill all our resolutions to get fitter, stay flexible and have some fun!
Don't worry if you're not sure how to use any of these stations; each has a sign with instructions and tips. You can also follow a link on the signs to access a 22-page booklet with beginner, intermediate and advanced workout plans.
Last year proved that normalcy and civility are not the same thing. The end of the pandemic only ushered in the Age of Rage. Just how did we get here?
Was it when the sons of Paul Wellstone (DFL-Minn.) did not accept the White House offer to have Dick Cheney attend their father’s memorial in October 2002?
Or was it Patrick Buchanan’s summer 1992 culture-war declaration against Bill Clinton? Was it Watergate? Did it start while the nation grieved the slaughter of national leaders like King and both Kennedys, in the ‘60s?
Perhaps it’s all of the above, and that too many political skirmishes have weakened our national immunity against hate. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of coming together, everyone locked down and trenched in on their side. Republicans peddled election lies designed to distract us as our constitutional rights vanished on state and federal levels. Democrats responded with snark and sass but no substance.
With so much leaning into rage, just how do we break the spell, the you started it/ no, you started it charade? We can’t go back. But we need to try to pull these recent threads through history to unravel our deeply entangled political views. We need to walk away from dead-end thinking, logical dissonance and baseless accusation. We need to exit the Age of Rage. Maybe one way out is to stop believing everything we read or see on social media. (We know better. We do. So, stop acting like we don’t.) Maybe when we find that article or meme or viral TikTok video that provokes outrage, we should pause for a moment and ask how that very particular mediated bit of content — content that has been sieved through an algorithm to incite us to click — got to our screens in the first place. Another way out is for us to stop empowering biased people and news organizations and shameless influenc-
ers, all of whom are paid to embellish the truth and to excite.
In order for the human experiment to continue — and maybe even flourish — we must establish a baseline for what we accept as acceptable. Maybe when we find ourselves reacting to a post, we need to revisit Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative and act only according to universal truths. Or, as my wife, Michelle Mielewski Baum, just said, “Act like your mother is in the room.” Maybe revisit the timeless axis of rhetoric — the axis of feeling, logic and reason.
Maybe it starts by all of us admitting we are all broken in some fundamental ways, just like our systems.
Or maybe it’s simpler than all that. Maybe we should do what Jonah of the “VeggieTales” movie told the Ninavites to do: “Stop it!”
Foster parents aren’t replacements — they’re extra support for children and their families in need.
If you live in Prince George’s County and want more information on becoming a foster parent, call:
301-909-2300 or 301-909-2347.
almost 40 years on the planet. The Here & Now has a lot to boast about. My partner in this endeavor, Nancy Welch, and I have received national recognition for our work. Streetcar Suburbs Publishing partnered with NewsMatch again this year to raise funds for our operating budget; that organization matches donations, dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000. Thanks to you, our readers, Streetcar will receive every penny of NewsMatch’s $10,000 promise. Three College Park residents — Maxine Gross, Stephanie Stullich and Nora Eidelman — now sit on our publisher’s board, ensuring that the city’s stake in this paper is sturdy and strong.
But what I want to make most clear is that for all the hard work we do to bring the Here & Now to you, our success belongs not to me or Nancy, or even to Streetcar. Our success is all about you; you make College Park a newsworthy city. And for all we’ve been able to crow about since we launched, I am proudest of the issue you are holding in your hands. This issue is filled entirely with your stories — a first for us. Yes, this is an issue for the people, about the people, and entirely by the people. Nancy and I are so grateful to be part of this community!
Mark Goodson is the managing editor of the College Park Here & Now
temporal no son reemplazos. Representan una ayuda adicional para niños y familias que lo necesitan.
Los
We need to walk away from deadend thinking, logical dissonance and baseless accusation. We need to exit the Age of Rage.
When we each moved here in the ‘80s, our immediate community was a food shopping desert — look at us now! We have six supermarkets to choose from: Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Giant, Safeway, Lidl and Shoppers Food Warehouse. In preparation to write this piece, we visited each store to check out the scene. We also pushed our carts around Costco, even though its wellstocked shelves are a bit further outside the city limits.
Our reporting here is based on our experiences and opinions. We didn’t agree on a favorite store, which is based, in part, on how each of us shops. Nan prefers Whole Foods, despite the expense, and Janet, who is more of a comparison shopper, leans to Lidl and Giant. That said, here’s how we think all of these stores stack up.
Let’s start with Whole Foods. It definitely ranks as the most expensive but makes up for it with a wide range of offerings, including a great hot bar and huge salad spread, a pizza oven, sushi bar, terrific cheese selection, fresh pastas, and an in-store bakery that turns out great artisanal breads and pastries with hard-to-beat variety and
quality. The store’s welcoming, though often crowded; the customer service and check-out workers were generally friendly. If you can afford the expense, we think it’s an especially good option for a couple or small family.
Trader Joe’s is the city’s newest grocery — what a fun place to shop! Lots
of interesting prepared foods, which we hear is one of Joe’s super powers. Fresh produce and a few other staples (like cheeses) are somewhat limited, but the snack aisles are burgeoning with bags of the most tantalizing chips, cookies and crackers, including lots that are TJ’s store brand. No self-checkout, but
the lines move quickly. We loved the playful ambiance, and staff members were upbeat and personable. The College Park store has underground parking, a real boon in bad weather. Try out the tofu teriyaki fried rice in the freezer section; we think it’s delicious.
Lidl had the best overall pricing but more limited offerings. This international discount retailer got its start in Germany, and even the chain’s U.S. stores offer a wide selection of European foods. The store’s inexpensive pastries and other baked goods were interesting, and we had fun coming upon some unexpected items, including Tshirts and kitchen tools. Lidl is a bit of a warehouse, and you bag your own groceries, but items are easy to find and staff was helpful. Download the Lidl app and you get discount coupons and special pricing on some items. Plenty of easy parking.
Safeway and Giant — what can we say?
You all know what they offer, including their store-brand items, and you probably even know where to find everything you need to make that Valentine’s Day dinner you’re already dreaming about. Not a thrilling ambience, but these stores do have just about everything, and with
When it comes to College Park’s restaurants, the only constant is change.
There was a time when my family and I chose to drive to New Jersey to get a slice of pizza that spoke to our taste buds. Oh, there was pizza here in College Park, lots of it, but it was college pizza. Pizza served in mega-slices, oozing oil and washed down with large quantities of cheap beer.
Ratsies, the beloved source of late-night pizza for some 30 years, was at the corner of Route 1 and Knox Road. One of the first pizza joints in town, it was your proverbial college hangout, its walls covered with aging university memorabilia, its floor less than pristine, its tables well-worn. Ratsies’ predictable fare fed generations of students who gathered with friends to root for UMD teams.
Time, along with the influx of other eateries, took its toll on Ratsies, which closed in 2015. Nando’s Peri Peri now stands in its place.
The pizza scene changed when Ledo Pizza moved from Adelphi to College Park in 2010.
Then came Slices, in 2013, which offered what its owners, the Di Benedetto brothers, called “from scratch, gourmetstyle” pizza. Their New York(ish) style pizza offered lots of choices, with the mushroom truffle toppings serving as evidence of the brothers’ high ambitions. I once asked a neighbor of mine, a UMD student, how he’d like to be paid for some work he did for me; he asked for a gift card to Slices, declaring their pizza the best in College Park. After only six years in business, Slices closed in 2019.
While College Park’s pizza and beer scene has always prevailed, the city’s seen alternatives come — and also go. Even our beloved Ledo changed management when Tommy Marcos Jr. sold it back to franchise ownership in 2020.
Jerry Guiterrez brought his mom’s Southern Californiastyle Mexican recipes to College Park in 1990. His 16-seat Taco Fiesta, in the Campus Village Shoppes, just north of campus, had a tiny open-to-view kitchen where Guiterrez prepared made-to-order dishes from authentic, fresh ingredients. Think fish tacos, quesadillas, Mexican beer and even a salsa bar.
Guiterrez left College Park in 2002 to open a new eatery in Baltimore, but College Park didn’t leave him. When asked about his memories of his days here, he immediately talked about his loyal customers: “No day goes by without someone from the College Park location stopping by, not one day!”
I was driving north on Route 1 one day, back in 2000, when a sign signaling Burmese food caught my eye. Hold on, I thought; isn’t that hole-in-thewall University Donuts? Yes, as a bit of investigating proved, it was. In the shop’s early days, workers turned out donuts in
the morning, and then the magic began: Hla Hum, the owner’s mom, began to cook, turning out exotic, delicious meals unlike anything we had ever before seen in College Park. Dishes like pork in mango pickle, shrimp in sour mustard and mouth-watering ginger salad. The shop soon abandoned its namesake donuts to focus on mom’s wonderful cooking and renamed themselves Mandalay. After keeping the city well fed for about a decade, Mandalay relocated to Silver Spring.
Calvert House Inn, in Hyattsville, provided atmosphere and decent food a step (or several)
up from pizza and beer. Opening in 1963, the restaurant was best described as old-fashioned, with its tablecloths and weekend musicians, along with chef-prepared steak and seafood. A 2013 Washington Post article described the inn as a “timeless reminder of an earlier dining culture.” After 51 years in business, the inn closed in 2014. The end of an era.
Plato’s Diner opened in 1994 at the corner of Route 1 and Guilford Road and quickly became the place to meet and greet in College Park. County Councilman Eric Olson (District 3), who held many career gatherings at Plato’s, declared, “If you want to see anyone in College Park, you come here.” My very dear, now deceased friend Dora Kennedy often held court there in a corner booth, with long conversations about the city’s many challenges, while her husband, Ed, battled with his cronies at a booth across the room. That’s the kind of place it was. Plato’s closed in 2016, after a fire, and was demolished in 2019 to make way for the Aster apartment complex.
Bagel Place offered up freshly baked bagels and speedy service, along with a friendly vibe, for some 40 years before abruptly closing in November
2021, after extensive lease negotiations with the landlord. Family owned and community-minded, the popular eatery could always be counted on to generously support local projects. And the community did its best to give back; when Bagel Place announced that it was closing, locals created a GoFundMe campaign and raised $46,000 to help keep them afloat. UMD students Emma Kelley and Peter NorthHoy, who were regulars at Bagel Place, were so saddened by the loss of their very favorite eatery that they framed the bill from their last meal there.
We’ve been lucky to have good food options here in College Park, but we’ve rarely been able to retain those quality establishments that we loved. The restaurant industry is known for fluctuations, and our city is experiencing growth and evolution. With new restaurants like Taqueria Habanero and College Park Grill planting roots here, I’m sure many residents are happy. We should welcome these establishments with open arms and eager forks; let’s hope they are signs of even more delicious days to come.
Renee Domogauer has lived in Calvert Hills for 41 years. She is affectionately known by her neighbors as the mayor of Carleton Terrace.
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While College Park's pizza and beer scene has always prevailed, the city's seen alternatives come — and also go. Even our beloved Ledo changed management when Tommy Marcos Jr. sold it back to franchise ownership in 2020.
trail network and a bike infrastructure that’s improving, along with more public transportation on the way. Nowadays we have more places to buy healthy food, too.
For many of us, doing things with other people can be the key ingredient for maintaining resolutions. When getting more active includes enjoyable social connections, we’re more likely to stick with it. This is where College Park parkrun/parkwalk can help. It’s simple, predictable and free. Saturday morning at 9 a.m., all year round. No need to plan ahead.
The parkrun is community-led, and it’s social. It’s not a race with prizes and swag. Some people come out to test their fitness. Others simply enjoy the chance to run or walk with friends. And it’s a friendly, welcoming crowd: After you come a few times, there’s a good chance that somebody will remember your name and will be cheering for you along the trail. Participants range in age from under five to over 80. Many people come with kids in strollers and bring a dog along. It’s a chance to be outdoors, getting some exercise and having fun.
At first, the weekly events catered mostly to runners. Nowadays more and more walkers and run-walkers take part. So the name parkwalk is increasingly used alongside parkrun. That helps everyone to feel like they belong.
Parkrun is a UK-based nonprofit that provides the backend IT and insurance, and there are now about 100 parkrun events in the U. S. and Canada. (A number of cities also host similar events, such as New York City’s Open Runs.) But the biggest of them all is right here in College Park — indeed, our weekly run/ walk is the largest event of its kind in North America.
Around 150 people show up on a typical Saturday morning for the College Park run/walk. Since 2016, more than 30,000 finishers have participated in the nearly 300 events we’ve held here. Five hundred people have served as volunteers.
Joan Oberholtzer recently completed her 50th 5K with us. She volunteers, too, and she has invited along friends who now participate regularly, as well.
“Nowadays, we both sometimes jog portions of the course,” she said. “But what keeps us coming back is the knowledge that we can always go our own speed – which is often a walk –and we will still be celebrated when we finish.”
We encourage you to register online before coming to your first parkrun; you’ll get a downloadable barcode you can bring along anytime you participate that you can scan to track your time.
For more information about parkrun and to register, go to parkrun.us/collegepark
The Urgency of Now: One Community, One Love; Panel discussion on January 16; Book Giveaway; Food Drive
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a time set aside each year for us, as a country, to work together in serving others and making our communities more equitable. His legacy inspires us to passionately fight against discrimination in all forms and uplift the most vulnerable in our communities.
Every year, the City hosts a tribute to Dr. King. This year’s theme, “The Urgency of Now: One Community, One Love,” explores the connection between racism and inequality and how discrimination creates vulnerable communities in need.
The City of College Park is providing multiple ways our residents can honor Dr. King’s legacy on January 16th and beyond.
Join us and our panelists on January 16th, 2023 from 7:00-8:00pm for a thought-provoking discussion on Dr. King’s teachings and legacy. Registration is free. Join the zoom at https://zoom.us/j/98187966180.
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we would like to hear about how Dr. King’s legacy has
impacted your life. This art, visual arts, and essay competition is open to kindergarten through 12th grade students who live in the City of College Park. Students must submit their entry by Monday, January 30, 2023.
The artwork contest is open to students in Kindergarten through 6th grade and must be 2D or 3D works that convey a visual illustration of MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech. The video and essay contest is open to students in 7th through 12th grades.
For the prompts along with all details and rules for entry, visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ mlktribute.
Submissions will be judged on creativity, clarity, content, coherence and adherence to theme. Only one entry per student allowed. All entires must include a cover page with the student’s first and last name, grade level, email, full school name, home address, and contact phone number.
Throughout January, the City of College Park will honor the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin
Luther King Jr. with a canned food drive starting Monday, January 8th through Tuesday, Jan. 31. A collection box will be available at the City Hall Building, 7401 Baltimore Avenue for collection during business hours (8am-5pm).
The City will accept donations of clean, non-dented canned & boxed non-expired, non-perishable food items, (no homemade items accepted) to support the College Park Community Food Bank.
PREFERRED ITEMS:
• Beans
• Soup
• Tuna
• Canned Fruit (in juice or light syrup)
• Canned Veggies (no salt added or low sodium)
• Peanut Butter
• Pasta
• Canned Tomatoes
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Rice
As part of our tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the month of January, the City giving away free copies of three books that educate and inform about Dr. King’s life and his work toward Civil Rights:
• “Martin’s Big Words” by Doreeen Rappaport (grade range: k-3)
• “We March” by Shane W. Evans (grade range: 1 –2)
• “The Civil Rights Movement” by Jennifer Zieger (grade range: 4-6)
City residents can receive one copy of one or each of the three books, while supplies last. To request a copy of any of these books, please complete the application at https://bit.ly/MLKBookGiveaway
Registered participants will receive an email when your book(s) are available for pickup. The requested books must be picked up at City Hall (7401 Baltimore Ave) during business hours.
Up to one copy per book per household, while supplies last. City residency is required. Please bring a copy of your submitted form and proof of residency. You must pick up your book(s) by March 1st, 2023.
For the full list of this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration activities, please visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ mlktribute.
The responsibilities we have in our lives change daily and sometimes can feel overwhelming.
Earlier this year, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was activated across the country. The threedigit number will make it easier for Marylanders to access 24/7 crisis prevention care and connect veterans to the Veterans Crisis Line.
Maintaining positive mental health is important because it allows us, as individuals, to cope with challenges and setbacks in our lives, both at work and at home.
• Take Steps to Stay Safe: Take steps to stay healthy and safe during this season (and all others). COVID-19 continues to pose a severe risk to communities, as well as the flu, RSV, and other viruses.
• Exercise Daily: Schedule time to walk outside, bike or join a dance class. Whatever you do, make sure it’s fun. Daily exercise naturally produces stress-relieving hormones in your body and improves your overall physical health.
• Be Realistic: Even prepandemic, the happy lives of the people shown in holiday commercials are fictional. We all have struggles and it’s not realistic to expect otherwise. Sometimes, it’s simply not possible to find the perfect gift or have a peaceful time with family.
• Gratitude: As we near the end of the year, it’s a good time to reflect back on what you are grateful for, then thank those who have supported you. Gratitude has been shown to improve mental health.
• Accept your Needs: Be kind to yourself! Put your own mental and physical wellbeing first. Recognize what your triggers are to help you prepare for stressful situations.
• Manage your Time: Prioritizing your time and activities can help you use your time well. Making a dayto-day schedule helps ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed by everyday tasks and deadlines. It’s okay to say no to plans that don’t fit into your schedule or make you feel good.
• Set Boundaries: Family dynamics can be complex. Acknowledge them and accept that you can only control your role. If you need to, find ways to limit your exposure.
• Practice Relaxation: Deep breathing, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation are good ways to calm yourself. Taking a break to refocus can have benefits beyond the immediate moment.
• Prioritize Self-Care: Schedule time for activities that make you feel good. It might be reading a book, going to the movies, getting a massage, listening to music you love, or taking your dog for a walk. It’s okay to prioritize alone time you need to recharge.
• Volunteer: The act of volunteering can provide a great source of comfort, you can also feel less lonely or isolated and more connected to your community.
• Eat Well: With dinners, parties, and cookie trays at every turn, our eating habits are challenged during the holiday season. Try to maintain a healthy diet through it all. Eating unprocessed foods like whole grains, vegetables, and fresh fruit, is the foundation for a healthy body nad mind. Eating well can also help stabilize your mood.
• Get Enough Sleep: Symptoms of some mental health conditions, like mania in bipolar disorder, can be triggered by getting too little sleep.
• Avoid Alcohol and Drugs: They don’t actually reduce stress: in fact, they often worsen it.
Read more tips for manging your mental health at www.collegeparkmd.gov.
Ride Shuttle - UM
Save money, hassle, and the planet!
Did you know residents of the City of College Park can ride ShuttleUM buses for free? In fact, the City pays the University $6,000 annually for this service for residents.
Operated by the University of Maryland, Shuttle-UM features 21 routes with stops throughout the city and UMD campus, including weekday commuter routes that run between 7:30am and 9:00pm on a regular schedule to and from Silver Spring, Adelphi, Greenbelt, New Carrollton, and Hyattsville.
City residents can pick up free bus passes during business hours from City Hall, Davis Hall, and Youth and Family Services by showing an ID and proof of city residency.
More information on ShuttleUM including route maps and schedules can be found at https:// transportation.umd.edu/shuttleum#schedules.
And, there’s an app providing realtime arrival information for ShuttleUM routes! Find more information at https://transportation.umd. edu/shuttle-um
Fixed-route schedules are updated on a semesterly basis. During exams, breaks and inter-semester periods (including December 21-January 24), buses run on modified schedules. Transit buses have ADA seating in the front of the bus and are equipped with wheelchair ramps.
From the City’s Committee for a Better Environment
As you begin planning your garden this spring, why not keep pollinators in mind?
A simple way to help bees, butterflies, and moths is to replace a portion of the lawn area with native plantings that will provide food and shelter for wildlife.
Plants grow in certain climatic temperature zones; the hardiness zone for plants in this area is 7. Selecting plants that will survive within this hardiness zone or a lower hardiness zone will enable
them to survive from year to year.
Plants that have a higher hardiness zone rating (above 7) may not survive the winter from one year to the next as they prefer a warmer climate.
In addition to a plant’s hardiness zone rating, also consider the garden site’s characteristics when planning for a new planting area, such as sun exposure and soil conditions to ensure the success of new planting. Most sun-loving plants require 6 hours of sunlight a
day; if the proposed planting area does not receive that much sun, then select plants that will tolerate partial to full shade depending on the exposure of the location.
Soil moisture is another critical component to consider when selecting plants. Avoid selecting moisture-loving plants for planting in a dry area or you’ll be fighting a losing battle. Conversely, plants that prefer drier soil conditions more than likely will not flourish if the soil moisture is too wet.
When designing the plant layout, plant similar types of plants together for visual impact in odd number groupings to create an aesthetically pleasing result.
Select various types of plants, with a different flower or foliage colors, bloom times, heights, and fruit or seed pods to sustain interest throughout the growing season as most native perennials do not bloom all season long.
From the City’s Bee City Committee
More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov
All City facilities will be closed on Monday, January 16th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. All collections will slide forward one day this week, and special collections will only be scheduled on Friday.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Deck the City contest! These homes were nominated for their decked-out holiday decorations:
• 1st place: 5005 Muskogee St.
• 2nd place: 4610 Amherst Rd.
• 3rd Place: 9402 Rhode Island Ave.
• Mayor’s Choice 1st place: 4804 Lackawanna St.
• Mayor’s Choice 2nd place: 5005 Muskogee St.
• Mayor’s Choice 3rd place: 8312 49th Ave.
Check out all the nominees at www. collegeparkmd.gov/deckthecity.
Preparation is beginning on the FY2024 Proposed Budget, which will be published in March 2023. The Mayor & Council invite residents to submit suggestions, requests and/or recommendations that will assist the City in fulfilling its mission.
Please complete the online form by January 31, 2023 at www.collegeparkmd. gov/2023BudgetProposals
The Community Service Grants provide partial funding for community-based programs and projects within the City of College Park that promote enhanced
community opportunities for its residents. Community Services Grants are only awarded to organizations, not to individuals. Learn more and complete the online form before January, 27, 2023 at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ CommunityServicesApplication
Are you interested in serving on a City Advisory Board?
Serve your community, lend your talents, and meet your neighbors by applying to serve on a City Advisory Board:
· Bee City USA Committee
· Tree and Landscape Board
If you are interested in volunteering, please complete and submit an application (Spanish application) to jsmiller@collegeparkmd.gov or to your City Council representative by Friday, January 20, 2023. The next round of appointments will be in January 2023 for three-year terms.
Bee City USA Committee
Individuals interested in serving on the Bee City USA Committee should have interest in enhancing community awareness of urban pollinators in the City of College Park. The Committee will follow the guidelines established by Bee City USA to maintain the City’s affiliation with this organization.
Tree and Landscape Board
Individuals interested in serving on the Tree and Landscape Board should have interest and knowledge of trees, landscaping and gardening, and the benefits they provide to urban infrastructure, as well as local ecological and environmental benefits provided to an urban community.
Details & Calendar at www.collegeparkmd.gov
Monday, January 16, 7:00pm
Join the City and our panelists for a thought-provoking discussion on Dr. King’s techings and legacy. Tune in to the virutal panel on January 16th from 7:00-8:00pm. Join the zoom at https://zoom. us/j/98187966180.
Monday, January 9, 7:30pm
Don’t miss our next Public Safety meeting on Monday, January 9 at 7:30pm! Learn how to best protect yourself from cyber and financial crimes with Detective Minnich of the PGPD Financial and Cyber Security Crimes Unit. Join the zoom at https://zoom.us/j/96168994626.
Curb food waste; register at www.collegeparkmd.gov/foodscraps
College Park’s average weekly food scrap tonnage has increased from 0.5 ton to 1.25 tons since starting curbside food scrap collections!
This new voluntary program diverts organic materials, that are not waste, out of our landfill and will reduce harmful greenhouse gases emitted from organic decomposition in landfills, which contributes to climate change.
Residents can sign up on a rolling basis. Join and purchase containers at www.collegeparkmd. gov/curbsidecollectionapp. Pick up your container(s) at Public Works, 9217 51st Avenue, College Park, Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Once you pick up your containers, your collection will start the following week.
Getting started is easy!
1. Source separate food scraps and food-soiled paper products from your regular household waste. Place food scraps in a tight-fitting container (coffee can, kitchen pail, or whatever works for you.)
2. When the container is full, empty the contents into the
larger collection container (lined with a compostable bag). Only city-issued 5-gallon buckets or 12-gallon carts can be used.
3. On your collection day, place the cart or bucket at the curb by 7:00 a.m. Please ensure your collection container is visible and accessible from the street.
Tips for a successful collection:
• Place your container out before 6:00 a.m. or the night before your scheduled pick-up to avoid a missed collection.
• Keep your container away from trash and recycling carts, or other obstacles.
• If you run out of compostable bags, you can use a paper bag, or put food scraps loosely in the container.
• If you will be away and want to skip a week, please email publicworks@collegeparkmd. gov and let us know the week(s) you would like your service suspended.
• Check out our Youtube channel for how-to videos.
Don’t forget to recycle discarded holiday decorations this year!
Batteries can and should be recycled. If batteries, especially lithium-based, are thrown into the trash, they can cause a spark that could endanger individuals and surrounding property. Certain types of batteries, such as Nickel Cadmium rechargeable, can contaminate the environment if not properly disposed of. Batteries are valuable and recycling them can reduce the need to mine for virgin materials along with transforming reclaimable materials into other useable products. Consumer awareness is key to changing behavior and ensuring more batteries are recycled the right way. MOMs Organic Market and IKEA accept single-use batteries. Home Depot and Lowes accept
rechargeable batteries.
Block Styrofoam is collected in the drop-off container at the entrance to the Department of Public Works (9217 51st Avenue). No peanuts, cups, plates, or egg cartons are accepted.
Christmas Trees are collected by appointment only. Please remove ornaments, tinsel, and decorations before placing them at the curb. If using a plastic bag, please remove the tree from the bag. To schedule a collection, email publicworks@ collegeparkmd.gov or call 240-4873590.
Holiday String Lights, working or non-working, are accepted for recycling at MOM’s Organic Market (9801 Rhode Island Avenue) through the end of January.
The City of College Park’s priority during a snow event is public safety. Our goal is to clear snow and ice as quickly and efficiently as possible, restoring safe travel for emergency crews, motorists, and pedestrians. Snow and ice removal are considered an emergency operation and takes precedence over other Public Works tasks.
The snow plan will go into effect upon the order of the City Manager or the Director of Public Works. The plan consists of an Alert Phase and an Operation Phase. The alert phase may include pre-treating designated streets with salt brine to prevent snow and ice adhesion to the road surface. Snow or icy precipitation, which requires roadway treatment, will be considered an emergency under the operational phase.
These steps will be followed during a snow emergency:
• Snow removal equipment will be dispatched to predetermined routes when snow or ice is imminent. Salting operations usually begin at the onset of precipitation, depending on pavement temperature and the forecast.
• First application of salt will be ordered by the Director or Assistant Director. Plowing operations will commence when there is accumulated snow or slush on the roadway.
Property owners, occupants and merchants are reminded of the City requirement to remove accumulated snow and ice from all walkways, driveways, parking lots and other areas used by pedestrians or automobiles. The owner or occupant of any property that abuts the sidewalk must clean public sidewalks of ice, sleet and snow for their full width. It is required that snow and ice be removed within the first 24 hours after the winter weather event ends. These requirements are listed under City Code Section 1415, and County Code 23-150.
Ensuring that public sidewalks are cleared of snow and ice is an important safety and accessibility consideration for pedestrians. It is especially important for students who walk to school, senior citizens,
young children, and people with accessibility needs.
Though City code enforcement officers may not cite all such violations immediately after a storm, failure to comply with this regulation in a timely manner could be used as evidence by anyone injured in a fall on or adjacent to your property if you are sued for such injuries.
Be prepared! Keep snow shovels and salt ready for the next storm, and plan to have help available if necessary to make your walkway safe as soon as the snow stops falling.
For more information about the City’s Guide to Winter Weather, please visit www.collegeparkmd. gov/snow.
• Initially, one lane will be plowed on all streets followed by widening of the plowed lane. All streets will be plowed curb to curb, as conditions allow.
• Designated crews will be dispatched to clear sidewalks, bus stops, RRFB cross walks, and the trolley trail locations throughout the City
• Snow and ice-clearing operations will be carried out in accordance with established priorities as circumstances permit.
Public Works crews plow and salt city streets and city parking lots to clear snow and ice. Things you can do to help include:
• Move parked cars off the street so the snow plows can clear snow to the curb.
• If off-street parking is not available during predicted snowstorms, park on the EVEN side of the road (EXCEPTION: if your address is odd-numbered and the area across from your house is undeveloped, park on the odd side of the street)
• The City is not responsible for clearing snow from driveways or driveway aprons - this is the resident’s responsibility. If you begin to remove snow before the trucks are finished, be mindful that your driveway may need to be cleared more than once.
• After the snowplows have finished cleaning your street, clear snow and ice from the sidewalks, storm drains and fire hydrants in front of your residence.
• Have patience: crews work around the clock during snow emergencies to clear the streets. Although your street may not be plowed as quickly as you would like, our crews will make their way to you. Your patience is appreciated during these times.
• Always plan to set your refuse and recycling carts out for your regularly scheduled day during snow events. Refuse and recycling collections may occur later in the day than normal, or they could be delayed a day
Be prepared for winter- visit the Public Works webpage, for information related to snow removal operations at www. collegeparkmd.gov/snow. For more information, call 240-4873590 or email publicworks@ collegeparkmd.gov.
By Mady Segal
Our lives have all changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning, most of us experienced isolation and uncertainty unlike anything we’d felt before. But new technologies (such as Zoom) have helped in many ways, including allowing many people to work from home and others to congregate without being in the same room.
As a grandma-wannabe with no grandchildren of my own, I personally missed spending quality time with the children on my street, here in College Park. I used to spend a lot of time with my neighborhood children on my lap, often reading to them. When the pandemic started, I had to let that go, and I felt awful that I had to tell my neighbor kids that we couldn’t hug any more. Now that even the children can be vaccinated, I can interact with them more.
I live on an amazing street. My neighbors are diverse in race, religion, ethnicity and age. Families in the neighborhood come from India, China, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Ukraine and the Philippines — and from some number of countries in Africa, too. Some of my neighbors belong to interracial families. My husband, David, and I are now the only Jewish people on the street; fortunately, we have not experienced any antisemitism, despite what is happening elsewhere.
As neighbors, we all get along and help each other in times of need. I like to think that we are
a model of how a neighborhood should be. When a family has a crisis, we all do things to help, such as bringing food. When one family had a house fire, many of us were able to open our homes to them until they were able to rent another house in the neighborhood while their home was being reconstructed. Our neighborhood is a cohesive community. We frequently get together outside when the weather cooperates, and now that the pandemic is easing, we are getting back to visiting in each other’s homes again.
We often have special events on our street, such as concerts by very talented people who are part of the College Park Arts Exchange (CPAE). CPAE also provides interesting and useful interactive virtual workshops; my favorite explored ideas for writing fiction. (A special thank you to our teacher, Melissa Sites.)
We are truly blessed to live in College Park — David and I hope to be able to stay in our home for the rest of our lives. We thought about going to a retirement community, but David said, “No, because our neighbors wouldn’t go with us!”
Mady Wechsler Segal, Ph.D., is professor emerita of sociology at the University of Maryland.
For weeks, the droning sound of chainsaws and wood chippers started early in the morning and lasted until dusk. After cranes carefully removed limbs and even entire trees off homes, blue tarps dotted the roofs and draped over entire
sides of homes in the Berwyn neighborhood. In late fall, a felicitous integration of insurance money, contractors and homeowners finally began to patch what had looked like a tarp nation up and down Berwyn Road. Dumpsters parked in front of homes like so many iron caskets holding the discarded remnants of families’ lives. Most of those steel containers signaled catastrophic damage.
It has been six months since a massive storm hit College Park last July, and in the Berwyn and Lakeland neighborhoods, we are still in the long process of rebuilding and healing. We’re living with fewer tarps, and the stumps of uprooted trees are being ground down, but visible and invisible signs of trauma linger here. In the initial month or two after the storm, residents looked anxiously at the sky and their still-standing trees when summer storms kicked up; strong winds sparked a collective form of anxiety that permeated the neighborhood. People whose homes remained largely intact were grateful the damage was not worse, though thoughts lurked in the back of their minds that their luck might also run out. Some limbs still hung up in trees could fall with a brisk breeze — maybe onto sheds, homes, pets, or even us. While it was the wind that caused so much damage, it is our love-hate relationship with the trees, themselves, that marked the storm. College Park does a lot to ensure that the city has a healthy tree canopy, but for many of us, the July 12th storm changed and colored the relationship we have with trees. The rational side of our brains might have told us that the storm was a once-in-a-thousandyear event. But the emotional side of our brains — the side that experienced sweltering days without power, the damage to our homes and the prolonged closure of the Berwyn Park playground — was tuned to the danger our trees might hold in store.
Because the storm was localized in such a small area, the media’s interest and attention was fleeting. Indeed, friends and family members who personally saw the depth and breadth of damage were shocked at the lack of attention beyond our city limits. Was it because College Park is in Prince George’s County? While comparisons between
our county and Montgomery County run deep and can sometimes provoke historical antagonisms based on race and class, if these 100 mph winds had sliced through Chevy Chase, I suspect that coverage would have been more in-depth and sustained. Repairs to some homes are wrapping up, but the status of others remains unclear. On Potomac Avenue, a home was leveled to its foundation and has yet to be reframed. Along Patuxent and Osage, at least two homes appear in need of major repairs. Berwyn is a caring community, but residents here also respect privacy and personal pride. In the case of total losses like this, though, more proactive assistance from caring neighbors is sometimes called for. And this sort of assistance — from people with a genuine interest in the strength of the neighborhood — is not easy to find at the civic level.
I am interested in forming a group of neighbors to fill in the gaps left by governance. Americans have always organized
I am grateful for our communityCOMIC BY MICHAEL KUSIE Michael is a 16-year College Park resident (Go Hollywood!) and professional doodler.
The Here & Now is ringing in the new year with reflections from residents. We would like to thank Robert Craig Baum, whose Wisdom 1096 project inspired us to reach out to our readers for their contributions.
It has been six months since a massive storm hit College Park last July, and in the Berwyn and Lakeland neighborhoods, we are still in the long process of rebuilding and healing.
FROM PAGE 4
to support one another when government assistance falls short. That is how democracy develops and works. If you are interested in joining a neighbors’ collective for Berwyn restoration, please email me at vmmpm83@gmail.com.
Berwyn resident Victoria-María MacDonald is a public historian, writer, and retired UMD faculty member.
As we now truly ease out of COVID-19 restrictions, I have been reflecting on the generosity of our community over the past two years. Not only have we had the gig economy bringing everything to our doorsteps, but we have also had kind, caring neighbors who checked on each other. People have called and Zoomed to stay in touch, churches have offered services online, museum exhibits have
been available from all over the world, travel consultants have taken us on virtual trips, entertainment has been only an app away, and many of us have participated in meetings in our sweats — and without having to find parking. Now, finally, we again have the joys of seeing whole faces, bumping elbows and even getting a hug.
As co-chair of the College Park Seniors Committee, I have experienced how the pandemic has underscored some of the issues we have been addressing. Our goal is to make College Park an age-friendly community that offers affordable housing, transportation services and opportunities for socializing
through partnerships with the university and local clubs, businesses, faith communities and civic associations.
We want to strengthen the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program to assist seniors, reduce their isolation and encourage intergenerational cooperation. And we recognize opportunities to share our homes with graduate students in exchange for companionship and assistance.
We have all benefited from better public health measures, and I hope we will continue to wash our hands, keep our distance and wear masks when advised. The pandemic has encouraged so many of us to develop camaraderie in new ways as we stayed at home,
and we can cherish and encourage virtual opportunities to connect. We have learned to work together over distances, share ideas and opinions, become entrepreneurial and, I hope, listen to each other and accept different viewpoints. We are stronger together, and I think we have realized the value of that.
So as we approach the new year, I trust we will continue to think of others, do all we can to strengthen our ties and make College Park an even better place to live — not in spite of, but because of our differences.
your store card, you can snag some good prices. Of the two stores, Janet prefers Giant for its quality and affordability.
Shoppers Food Warehouse is next on our list, with moderate pricing, moderate variety and moderately okay ambiance. We hear that their doughnuts are some of the best in the area, though some of us would drive to Ocean City’s Fractured Prune on a Saturday morning for about the best donuts we’ve ever had.
Costco – what can we say, part 2? Terrific prices, terrific quality, terrifically large quantities. An experience! If you shop to feed a family, diaper a newborn or outfit your office, the prices — and especially the monthly bargains — can more than offset the cost of that membership card. We think it’s worth it.
Whichever grocery store you prefer, it’s a gift to have such variety to choose from. And be sure to look for extra copies of the Here & Now at each of College Park’s grocery stores — and scoop a few copies to share with a friend!
We have all benefited from better public health measures, and I hope we will continue to wash our hands, keep our distance and wear masks when advised. The pandemic has encouraged so many of us to develop camaraderie in new ways as we stayed at home, and we can cherish and encourage virtual opportunities to connect.
Here in central Maryland, we can see woodpeckers all year long. In College Park, we regularly count on the two small woodpecker lookalikes, Downy (Dryobates pubescens) and Hairy (Leuconotopicus villosus), and their larger cousin Red-bellied (Melanerpes carolinus) to be everywhere in the neighborhood — especially if you have suet feeders out.
Red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) sometimes move right on through, but these woodpeckers are more typical residents of rich, bottomland forests along the Chesapeake Bay. We’re as apt to see northern flickers (Colaptes auratus) on the ground around stumps and anthills as we are in the trees. We’ve even been treated recently to a pair of immense pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) that have been feasting on insect-infested limbs, trunks and stumps of our most mature trees.
But there is one kind of woodpecker that we see only in winter, if we see it at all. What usually tips us off to the presence of this shy bird are rows of precision-drilled holes in tree bark from which sap exudes — this tells us we have a yellowbellied sapsucker spending the winter with us.
Sapsuckers do exactly what their name suggests: They drill shallow holes and feed on the carbohydrate-rich sap that leaks out. But rich as it is, sap would be a boring and not entirely sufficient diet for a woodpecker. Luckily, the sap has the added benefit of attracting insects to feed on the sugary stuff. The sapsucker feeds on these insects, too.
North America is home to five species of sapsuckers; only the yellow-bellied is found east of the Mississippi River. These woodpeckers nest in the boreal forests in northern New England and Canada, although occasional nesting pairs can be found in high elevations of the Appalachians, including in Maryland's far-western Garrett County. These robin-sized woodpeckers move south in winter, where temperatures are moderate enough to support sap flow most of the year.
Sapsuckers are pretty particular about the trees they
drill for sap; usually, they pick young, deciduous trees with smooth bark. And often as not, when sapsuckers drill for sap, they create a pattern of what we call wells, on the west-facing side of the tree; the afternoon sun warms the bark on this side and encourages sap flow.
The sapsuckers’ wells can be of two kinds, depending on which sap system they’re tap-
ping. They drill deep, circular holes that go into the tree’s xylem system or shallow, rectangular holes that tap into the phloem network, which is closer to the bark’s surface. Sap flows up through the
xylem in the spring and summer from the tree’s roots to its budding leaves; the phloem system carries food downward from the leaves to the roots — and there’s usually sap in the phloem all year long. When it’s really cold, though, the phloem system freezes up, but in the warmth of afternoon winter sun it thaws, and sap accumulates in the wells.
Local sapsuckers prefer to drill wells in beech, birch, elm and maple. They’re also fond of orchard trees like apples, crabapples, plums and cherries.
Sapsucker wells seldom damage the trees they’re drilled in, and in any event, the wells heal over during the summer, when the sapsuckers are away doing family duty. You can see the results of sapsucker wells that were drilled decades ago; on these older trees, the pattern looks more like complicated Morse code messages from birds long dead.
Sapsuckers usually pick a dozen or so trees in their winter territory to drill their well fields. They spend their days moving from one tree to the next, drilling and expanding the wells so the sap keeps flowing. But you won’t see the industrious birds themselves unless you look carefully. Sapsuckers are bashful creatures, unlike the loud and boisterous members of the woodpecker clan we’re used to seeing and hearing. Their tapping is soft, and their call sounds more like a complaining meow from
a cat than it does a bird call. When they are spotted, sapsuckers take great care to keep the trunk of the tree between themselves and their observers, flying away if you get too close.
In recent years, naturalists have noted just how important sapsucker wells are to other animals in winter. Chickadees, nuthatches, kinglets and even overwintering warblers get a lot of nutrition from the sap in these wells, which can be as much as 10% sugar. Bats and squirrels, including flying squirrels, also visit the wells for an energy boost. And come spring, the region’s first butterflies and north-bound migrating birds depend on the sap flowing up through the xylem. Even hummingbirds get in on the act as they migrate through.
Walk the neighborhood on a warm winter’s day, and you’re sure to see one or more well trees. If you’re lucky, you might also see the wildcatter drilling the wells, a yellow-bellied sapsucker — if it doesn’t see you first!
Have questions for Rick about the world of nature in and around the city, or suggestions for future College Park Wild columns? Drop him a note at rborchelt@gmail.com.
SAVE THE DATE
College Park Community
Library Book Club. The library’s book club will discuss The Man Who Could Move Clouds, by Ingrid Rojas Contreras, on Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m. Outdoors, weather permitting, or indoors on the lower level, with masks and social distancing required. College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave. For more information, email Carol Munn at donkinc@ msn.com
College Park Aviation Museum’s Women in Aviation Tour. Hear stories showcasing achievements of our foremost female aviators. Free with museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2 (1 and under free). Jan. 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. For more information, email collegeparkaviation@ pgparks.com
Blue Sky Puppets. Your local puppet production team tells the story of Rufus, a lost and lonely dog who finds friendship and learns about acceptance and inclusion. Free. Jan. 14 at 11 a.m. Old Parish House.
College Park Aviation Museum’s Airmail Tour Discover how airmail got off the ground right here in College Park! Free with museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2 (1 and under free). Jan. 21 from 1 to 2 p.m. 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. For more information, email collegeparkaviation@ pgparks.com
Needle Arts Club. Convene with fellow needle-art enthusiasts at the Old Parish House on Jan. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. Free.
Jazz Jam at The Hall. The Hall welcomes D.C.-based jazz saxophonist Elijah Balbed for a free concert on Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Bring your instrument to jam with Balbed after the concert. This event is organized by The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. The Hall is located at 4656 Hotel Dr.
College Park Aviation Museum’s Women Airforce Service Pilots Tour. Learn how local pilot Elaine Harmon overcame great obstacles to become a pilot in World War II. Make-your-own-medal craft session after tour. Free with museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2 (1 and under free). Jan. 21 from 1 to 2:45 p.m. 1985
Corporal Frank Scott Dr. For more information, email collegeparkaviation@ pgparks.com
ONGOING
Community Meals. Each Tuesday and Thursday, the College Park United Methodist Church’s kitchen staff cook healthy and delicious meals for all who are interested. You can reserve meals in advance and also donate a meal. For every meal donated, the church gives a meal to a family in need. To receive the weekly menu and reserve a meal, call 301. 345.1010 or email cpumccommunitymeals@ gmail.com
College Park Community Library Story Time. Story time with Micki Freeny every Wednesday from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. The group meets in the Blue Room on the lower level of the church. Masks
for a duplicate order and share with others in need. Deliveries available to homebound residents. Pickups between 12:30 and 3 p.m. at a central location. For more information, or to volunteer to deliver, call 301.864.5267
Food Assistance Available
Help by Phone Ltd. operates food pantries across Prince George's County, with local locations at Berwyn Presbyterian Church (Greenbelt Rd.) and University Baptist Church (Campus Dr.). To schedule a pickup, call 301.699.9009, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
are recommended but not required. The library will follow Prince George’s County Public Schools for weather-related closures. College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave.
Friday Dance Workshops
Join instructor Karen Stewart, of Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers, every Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. for step-by-step instruction and dance along to soul, gospel and pop music. For more information, go to cpae.org
Indian Dance Workshops
Sujata (Sue) Chavan will teach traditional Indian dance classes to a new generation. $15 per class. Jan. 14, Feb. 11 & 25 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Old Parish House. For more information, go to cpae.org
Saturday Tap Dance Workshops. Free virtual tap workshop with instructor Elizabeth Gardner every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. For more information and to register, email info@cpae.org.
Calling All Gamers. Have extra time this holiday season? Game Kastle’s winter calendar is filled with opportunities to connect with fellow D&D enthusiasts and board gamers of all sorts. For more details, go to gamekastle.com/stores/ collegepark
Produce Available Every
Third Thursday. Sponsored by Community Connect Calvert Hills. Make your reservation by emailing your contact information (your name, street address, email and phone) to connectporfavor@gmail.com at least one day in advance of distribution. You can register
Yarrow Civic Association
Membership is free. For more information, email Wendy Kelley at wendybird85@yahoo. com
College Park Estates Civic Association. For more information, email Ray Ranker at rayranker@gmail.com
West College Park Citizens Association. Membership is open to all residents of West College Park age 18 and over. For more information, email Suchitra Balachandran at cp_woods@ yahoo.com
Berwyn District Civic Association. The next meeting will be on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and on each third Thursday of the month after that. To register, email president@myberwyn.org
North College Park Community Association. The NCPCA will meet on Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to myncpca.org
Lakeland Civic Association
Next virtual meeting will be on Jan. 12 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For login information, email lakelandcivic@gmail.com
Old Town College Park Civic Association. For more information and to add your name to the listserv, email Kathy Bryant at kdbryant20740@gmail.com
Calvert Hills Citizens Association. When new meeting information is available, it will be posted at calverthills.weebly.com. You may email the board at calverthillscitizensassn@ gmail.com
a group of many neighbors in the Calvert Hills neighborhood to ski in Vermont, calling themselves the College Park Ski Club. She remembers the dirt roads in our neighborhood, the streetcar, the downtown before there were walls and gates between the sidewalk and the road.
Kay is an icon in the neighborhood and is known by many for her legendary Halloween picture house — since the early 1990s, Kay and her family have welcomed any trick-or-treating family into their home to have their picture taken. Kay has displayed these photos with each passing year, to everyone’s absolute delight. I know I’m not alone when I can’t believe the power in seeing my children when they were young, the costumes they were wearing, the friends they were with — the times we dressed as a family. We’ve looked forward to Kay’s pictures each year and knowing that so many in the neighborhood do, as well, is unifying and deep. We need more of that old-timey media these days; pictures on posterboard find a place in our lives and are way more meaningful than some scroll of photos that disappears after you’ve seen them once.
For years every fall, the Dunn’s driveway and yard were covered with pumpkins, mums and pansies; it was the place to get flowers and also to visit Kay. From our house, we could see people heading to Kay’s simply for the chance to chat. Our out-of-town families even came to our house to get mums from Kay.
Did I mention Kay’s beautifully flowered backyard and pool, which she and her husband, Bob, have always generously kept open to the kids? This simple act has meant so much to my kids and has taught them generosity. Kay and Bob more than model what it means to be good neighbors.
Talking with the Dunns, I learned about how Bob, a plumber, didn’t always feel welcome in a neighborhood of professors. I appreciated hearing his honesty. I really admire Bob. He has always been a great teammate in Kay’s neighborhood passions and certainly doesn’t mind her getting the spotlight here.
Kay has had many joys, but she has had sorrows, too. I just learned yesterday that Kay had stage 4 cancer when she was helping us with the fire. “I’m sorry I couldn’t cook for you all at that time,” she said, thinking back, and she means it — as I have a total double take, not even having registered that fact before this
week. I say to myself, “May this be a reminder that there is joy and strength in deciding to help others, even when you are suffering.”
Hearing Kay’s stories puts the years I’ve been here in a different perspective. I’ve
gained so much insight on life in my 23 years here — the friends, the children and yes, the house fire. Wow, if that’s 23 years, imagine the wisdom and experience Kay’s gained in her 80-plus years of living in this neighborhood we’re both
lucky enough to call home.
Eric Maring, College Park’s Mr. M, is a music educator and performer, and author of Two Little Blackbirds. For more information, go to maringmusic.com
be so stinky — to the all-important ways composting combats climate change. Every morsel of food waste in a landfill produces methane, a greenhouse gas that’s highly dangerous and second only to carbon dioxide in how much is now in the atmosphere.
A recent study conducted by Prince George’s County officials indicated that more than a third of the food that ends up in the county landfill could have been composted, instead. And here in College Park, we can compost so much — virtually any food scraps, including meat and bones, and paper towels and bags that are soiled with food debris, pizza boxes, and even paper ice cream containers. In fact, the list of things that cannot be composted is short — cooking oil, coated paper (plates, cups and the like), plastics and metal, and personal care items like facial tissues, toilet paper and diapers. And along that same line, no pet waste.
So picture this: You’re in your kitchen making eggs and toast.
You crack the eggs into the pan and reach across the counter and drop the shells in your compost container — done! Your toast burns, so you drop that into the bin, also, along with those coffee grounds and the leftovers from your cat’s bowl. For dinner, you are making stew with lots of vegetable scraps — you got it — there go all those green tops and carrot bottoms, the peels and skins: Stew's on, and you’ve done right
by Mother Nature. That moldy cheese in the fridge? In the bin! On your pickup day morning or night before, you roll out the 13-gallon green cart or carry the 5-gallon bucket to the curb where you place your other trash cans.
The City of College Park has made their side of this very easy. Containers range in price from $5 for a kitchen caddy to $9 for a 5-gallon bucket and $13 for a 12-gallon cart. You can sign up
online and pick up your containers at Davis Hall (at 9217 51st Avenue). The contractor that does the pickups provides a compostable bag for your cart or bucket every week — you can pick up more bags at most hardware stores or buy them online, if need be (just be sure to buy compostable bags, as plastic totally defeats the purpose). I use my garden hose to rinse out my big container each week; my countertop bin is small enough that I can pop it in the sink for a quick rinse (I’m careful to rinse the lids, too). You can put paper or cardboard in the bottom of your containers to absorb liquids, if you wish.
You now know everything about composting kitchen
scraps; it isn’t rocket science, but it can take a few weeks before tossing scraps in your bin comes naturally — and then you’ll wonder why you waited so long! I look forward to seeing your bin on the street on collection day and hope you take pride in contributing to a cleaner, healthier community.
For more information about the city’s curbside food scrap collection program, go to collegeparkmd.gov/CivicAlerts.
aspx?AID=386
Lily Fountain is a longtime resident of College Park and a member of the Prince George’s County Sierra Club’s executive committee.
By Mary C. Cook
College Park’s first and only female mayor, Anna Latta Owens, was just five years old when she arrived with her family from Pcoline, (then) Czechoslovakia. As a girl, she lived in a rickety, wooden house, and in the evenings, as Anna studied at the kitchen table, her job was to catch the mice which scurried up from the cellar. There were few career choices for young women who left high school in the early 1940s. So following her graduation, she chose to become a nurse. Within months, however, she joined the State Department, where she worked in the human resources office while waiting for a posting overseas.
Before she could be sent abroad, Anna married Dermott Michael Owens, and they eventually settled in their brick home in College Park Woods with their children, Kerry and Steve. Anna became active with the West College Park Civic Association, and in time, with other neighborhood mothers, started up a pre-school at the College Park Woods club house.
As the years passed, Anna became more involved in city politics and was
elected to the city council from 1981 to 1987, during which time, she led a fight against a proposed garbage incinerator which was to be installed next to her neighborhood. Never doing anything halfway, Anna researched the negative impacts of such a furnace and was successful in swaying her colleagues to oppose the incinerator noting potential health concerns.
In 1987, she was elected mayor and
was subsequently elected twice more, serving until 1993. She immersed herself in the position studying College Park’s legislative history while following the political affairs in other local municipalities, the county and state. She was extremely proud she established strong, positive ties with the University of Maryland, then under the leadership of William E. “Brit” Kirwan. She kept a leather bookmark on a bookcase upon which the City of College Park and the University of Maryland—College Park emblems were intertwined with the following words below: “City of College Park Home of the Flagship Campus University of Maryland System.”
Anna always had an eye on the city’s independent living facility for seniors and persons with disabilities, Attick Towers. Following her tenure as mayor, she was appointed to the Housing Authority Board for several years. When she was in her 90s, she self-published “The Story of Attick Towers 1967-2012,” complete with an appendix of supporting documents. She provided copies to the Attick Towers executive director, board members, the mayor, and local community activists.
Over the years, her door was open to all city councilmembers, especially the women, who sought her insight. Anna’s knowledge of political affairs, as well as her astuteness and forthrightness sent them away with new ideas and viewpoints to ponder.
Anna Latta Owens will be remembered fondly by those who knew her. She touched so many lives, improving them with her measured thoughtfulness and caring.
Mary C. Cook is a former city councilmember. She currently chairs the Veterans Memorial Committee. She can be reached at: marycookcp@gmail.com
Anna Latta Owens will be remembered fondly by those who knew her. She touched so many lives, improving them with her measured thoughtfulness and caring.Anna Latta Owens was elected mayor in 1987 and was susequently elected twice more, serving until 1993. COURTESY OF MARY C. COOK