All roads lead back to College Park for singer Johnny Seaton
By KATHY BRYANT
When he was 5 years old, College Park native Johnny Seaton’s aunt took him to the former Perpetual Savings Bank near Prince George’s Plaza. In the car on the way to the bank, the two listened to Wayne Newton on the radio, singing “Red Roses for a Blue Lady.”
When the pair arrived, Seaton’s aunt asked him to sing the song for the bank president.
Everyone applauded. Seaton, now 64, credits that performance with launching a singing career that has lasted nearly 50 years.
“My aunt said, ‘You can sing,’” Seaton recalls. Then, when Seaton, still in elementary school, attended a performance of “The Wizard of Oz” at the University of Maryland (UMD), he realized, “That’s what I want to do.”
Over the years, Seaton, an Elvis Presley lookalike, toured with singer Donny Osmond and traveled the world as an Elvis impersonator.
After living and singing Elvis songs in Las Vegas and California, he said, actor James Garner once told him, “You could have been Elvis’ son.”
Seaton returned to College Park in 2004, where he lives on Metzerott Road not too far from where he lived as a boy.
Seaton’s rockabilly and classic-rock band, Johnny Seaton & Bad Behavior, draws sell-out crowds at the the American Legion, Knights of Columbus and Moose Lodge in College Park, at The Jetty, a Kent Island restaurant, and at venues all over Maryland. Every year the band channels Elvis,
City works toward age-friendly designation
By MADISON KORMAN
College Park is working toward achieving a designation from the AARP that indicates the city offers a good quality of life for older adults.
Membership in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities means elected leaders have worked with residents and local advocates to make their community a friendly place to live for aging residents, according to Jen Holz, the Maryland AARP representative for the Age-Friendly Community designation.
“This is a tried-and-true program that has worked in other jurisdictions,” College Park City Councilmember Maria Mackie (District 4) said. Hyattsville became the first Maryland city to become a member of the network in 2017, and Greenbelt, like College Park, is working toward membership.
In its fiscal year 2025 budget, the College Park City Council approved
Virtual kitchen offers international fare for delivery
By BODE RAMSAY
The owner of a College Park virtual kitchen — a carry-out and delivery-only restaurant — has added a chai tea shop to its se-
lection of Pakistani, Mexican, Indian and American-inspired food.
Virtual X Kitchen, at 5110 Roanoke Place, is the hub for four restaurants owned by College
Park chef Nomie Hamid. Diners can order their food online, in person from a kiosk, or through delivery services like DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats – but the venue has no table service.
“It’s great,” Hamid, who lives in College Park, said of the virtual kitchen business model.
“It’s successful, and I feel like more people should be doing it because it makes so much more sense.”
Hamid opened the business after his lone sit-down restaurant, Krazi Kebob, in downtown College Park, closed at the be-
COLLEGE
Singer Johnny Seaton performs at a local American Legion. He settled in College Park, his hometown, after touring the world as an Elvis impersonator. COURTESY OF JOHNNY SEATON
Lakelanders gather for reunion, focus on history
By SAM GAUNTT
Dozens of current and former residents of College Park’s Lakeland community reunited on Aug. 24 for the neighborhood’s annual Lakeland Day celebration.
Some hadn’t seen each other in decades.
“It keeps the connection there, and allows us to come together one more time,” Fannie Buchanan-Featherstone, a commissioner on the College Park Restorative Justice Commission, said.
The event, which featured speeches by city and community
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leaders, live music, games and barbecue, celebrated the history of Lakeland, a historically African American community.
The event also prompted a discussion of the damage done to the neighborhood when approximately two-thirds of it was destroyed in an urban renewal project.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, according to the Lakeland Community Heritage Project’s website, urban renewal efforts displaced 104 of the 150 households in Lakeland, and replaced many of the single-family homes with higher-density housing
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complexes. Many of the residents who were forced out of their houses weren’t able to return to the neighborhood, so they left.
Much of the land that was once part of the neighborhood’s east side is now part of the Lake Artemesia Natural Area.
“Right now is your opportunity to make something that was wrong, right,” Maxine Gross, founding chairwoman of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project, told a crowd at the Lakeland Day celebration. “This is your opportunity to have your voice listened to. This is not a
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time for you to look the other way.”
Gross added: “Lakeland will not be the same as it was for me, but it can be a place where your children, your grandchildren and their children can make a good home for themselves. That is what we owe our ancestors.”
Efforts to preserve Lakeland’s history include the creation of the Lakeland Legacy Scholarship Fund as well as the Lakeland Legacy Center, a planned community space on the bottom floor of a housing complex that will be built at the site of the former Campus Village Shoppes on Baltimore Avenue.
Several attendees, including College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir and Lakeland Civic Association
President Robert Thurston, delivered speeches at the event.
In an interview with College Park Here & Now, Thurston, a member of the city’s Restorative Justice Commission, said one of his biggest goals is for College Park residents and leaders to be able to recognize Lakeland as a community within the city.
“Even though we’ve lost a great amount [of Lakeland], we do have a remnant of that left that I’d like to make sure that remains,” he said.
Many longtime Lakeland residents attended the celebration.
Some former Lakelanders traveled across the country, from as far away as New York and Fort Worth, to attend the event, Keith Webster, a member of the Restorative Justice Commission, said.
“Everybody comes back here to remember what Lakeland used to be, a community that goes back to 1890,” Webster, who grew up in Lakeland, said. “This was one of about the safest communities that you can live in.”
Webster said before the urban renewal projects, Lakeland had everything a community needed, including a town hall, stores and a tavern.
He emphasized the tight-knit environment of the neighborhood.
“When people built homes, everybody helped,” he said. “You put on a fish fry, and the whole community came in to buy your fish. … That’s how we did it.”
Buchanan-Featherstone has been a part of the Lakeland community since she was 6 years old. After leaving Lakeland for some time she returned to raise her children in the neighborhood. She said one of the best steps the commission has taken so far is creating the Lakeland scholarship.
It “encourages the children and lets them know that they can do it,” she said.
Louis Briscoe, center, celebrates his 100th birthday during the Lakeland Day celebration on Aug. 24. SAM GAUNTT
Greene Turtle restaurant coming to College Park
By SAM GAUNTT
City residents will have a new casual dining option when The Greene Turtle, a sports bar and grill, opens in College Park in late September.
The popular franchise, which opened its first restaurant in 1976 in Ocean City, will debut its new location in the College Park Shopping Center, on the corner of Knox Road and Baltimore Avenue, joining more than 30 Greene Turtle franchises along the East Coast.
Representatives for the company presented their plans at a College Park City Council meeting on Aug. 7.
“We’re happy and we’re really excited to be in College Park,” Mike Wells, senior director of franchise operations for The Greene Turtle, said during the meeting. “College Park has always been a location that we’ve had expressed interest in returning back to.”
Wells said that about 15 years ago, The Greene Turtle closed its franchise in Laurel, where
many guests from College Park would visit.
He added the restaurant has long partnered for marketing with University of Maryland Athletics.
“The Greene Turtle and Terps kind of go hand in hand,” Wells said.
College Park City Councilmember Susan Whitney (District 2) told College Park Here & Now it is “always great to have another restaurateur that’s interested in coming to the city.”
“They definitely have the experience to be successful,” Whitney said. “The fact that they have strong roots in Ocean City, which is a very seasonal economy, I would hope would give them, you know, even more knowledge to really succeed in College Park, which is also kind of seasonal.”
During the council meeting, Wells said food sales account for approximately 70% of the business at most Greene Turtle locations, and alcohol sales make up 30%.
But Whitney said she has some concern about the restaurant
staying within its allowed limit of alcohol sales.
Under the business’s Prince George’s County Liquor Board agreement, alcohol can only account for up to 35% of the location’s
sales. According to Whitney, at Greene Turtle franchises in nearby college towns like Towson, alcohol makes up about 40% of sales.
“They know the Maryland market very well, and many of the folks
that live in College Park, when they come here to be at the university, might have a Greene Turtle back at home,” City Councilmember Stuart Adams (District 3), said. “And so we look for them to be successful.”
NEWS BRIEFS
Welcome aboard. College Park Here & Now has a new associate editor.
Jalen Wade, a graduate of the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Philip Merrill College of Journalism and Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, will begin his part-time job on Sept. 9.
Wade replaced Nancy Welch, a founding editor of College Park Here & Now, who will continue on as associate editor for
College Park Here & Now’s sister publication, The Laurel Independent
Wade is a frequent contributor to The Bowie Sun and has worked as an associate producer for a New Orleans TV station.
In addition to copy-editing articles for College Park Here & Now’s print and digital editions, Wade will write stories, compile the newspaper’s monthly calendar of events and work closely with the newspaper’s managing editor, Sharon O’Malley.
Contact Wade at jalen@ streetcarsuburbs.news.
What do you think? The publisher of College Park Here & Now is distributing a survey to readers to ask for opinions about improving its three monthly newspapers.
Streetcar Suburbs Publishing also publishes Hyattsville Life & Times and The Laurel Independent. The three newspapers publish articles about local news, events, issues and people.
The papers are mailed to every residential address in those cities. In addition, Streetcar Suburbs Publishing puts out an email newsletter, Streetcar Spotlight, and has a website, StreetcarSuburbs.News.
To take the survey, go to https://tinyurl.com/jhwvkv84.
Quiet down. The College Park City Council in August made it easier for residents to request a Noise Control Board hearing when their neighbors get too loud.
The council amended the city’s noise ordinance to allow a single resident to file an affidavit asking for a hearing rather than requiring two.
In addition, the council raised penalties for tenants and owners who refuse to give their names to code officials or law enforcement officers who respond to noise complaints from neighbors. And they authorized the city’s public services director to initiate a hearing if an owner is suspected of advising tenants to falsely identify themselves or if the
city has received three or more complaints about the property over the past year. That hearing could lead the city to revoke the permit that allows the owner to rent out the property.
Local star. A former College Park resident will be the headliner on ABC’s inaugural edition of The Golden Bachelorette, which will premiere on Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. and run on Wednesdays.
Joan Vassos, a University of Maryland graduate who lives in Rockville, could choose a husband from among two dozen suitors—most 60 or older— who will compete for her affections.
ABC decided to run The Golden Bachelorette as a spin off of last fall’s successful The Golden Bachelor. Bachelor Gerry Turner, 72, proposed to contestant Theresa Nist during the show’s finale. The pair married two months later, in January, split in April and settled their divorce in June.
Vassos, the mother of four,
was a contestant on The Golden Bachelor but quit the show early because of a family emergency.
ABC announced Vassos as The Golden Bachelorette’s star in May.
Big decision. UMD made international headlines in late August when administrators said they would allow pro-Palestinian student groups to use a campus space for a vigil on Oct.7—the anniversary of the Hamas-led ground invasion of southern Israel that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. It made the news again a few days later when university officials rescinded the permit, saying no student groups would be allowed to hold events on that date.
In a letter to the campus community on Sept. 1, UMD President Darryll Pines said the day “opens emotional wounds and evokes deeply rooted pain.” He said the campus would host “only university-sponsored events that promote reflection on this day.”
Journalist Jalen Wade will become the associate editor of College Park Here & Now on Sept. 9. COURTESY OF JALEN WADE
Nando’s PERi-PERi closes; Raising Cane’s coming
By MADISON KORMAN AND SHARON O’MALLEY
Nando’s PERi-PERi, a casual flame-grilled chicken restaurant on the corner of Knox Road and Baltimore Avenue, closed its doors on July 29 after nearly a decade of serving College Park customers.
Raising Cane’s, a fast-food restaurant specializing in oversized chicken fingers and Texas toast, will open in the empty storefront in August or September 2025, according to a representative from the franchise.
Nando’s PERi-PERi did not renew its lease when it expired this summer, according to Eynar Martínez, a manager at the chain’s Silver Spring location.
“Most of these commercial lease agreements run in five- to 10-year terms,” Michael Williams, College Park’s economic development director, said. “They have to make a five- to 10-year commitment and right now, in this economic climate, a company has to think long and hard before they sign for another five to 10 years.”
Williams said the current economic climate has made it difficult for some businesses to justify renewing leases when they have multiple other locations in the area.
Nando’s PERi-PERi has more than 40 restaurants in the U.S. spread across Maryland, the District, Virginia, Georgia, Illinois and Texas. The chain has local eateries in Lanham, Laurel, Silver Spring and Wheaton.
Louisiana-based Raising Cane’s, with more than 700 U.S. locations, often draws long lines of hungry customers at some
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drive-through restaurants.
Regular patrons of Nando’s PERi-PERi said they will miss the store’s marinated chicken.
For Jonathan Orellana, a 23-year-old Greenbelt resident, the closure came as an unpleasant surprise.
“I had no idea they had closed,” said Orellana, who was hoping to grab lunch at the restaurant on a recent Friday afternoon. “It’s my favorite place to get chicken and it’s so close to my house. What a shame.”
Nando’s PERi-PERi has not only
been a destination for diners seeking peri-peri style chicken from the South African chain, but the restaurant donated $29,700 in proceeds from its soft launch in 2015 to the University of Maryland Campus Pantry.
“We appreciate all the support we’ve had from the College Park community,” Jim Popkin, a Nando’s PERi-PERi spokesman, said. “Especially our partnership with the Campus Pantry, which provides emergency food to University of Maryland students, faculty and staff in need.”
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The closure also affected students at the University of Maryland.
Aida Nyaenga, a sophomore who lives on campus, said she will miss the restaurant because it is easily accessible from campus.
“I know my friends and I are going to miss Nando’s,” Nyaenga said. “The food was always so good but the other locations aren’t easy to get to without a car.”
Nyaenga said she appreciates the diverse culinary options in College Park, and Nando’s PERi-
PERi was one of her favorites.
“I will say the city will miss them a lot,” Williams said. “We have a lot of residents and students who really liked Nando’s. I like it.”
Aside from welcoming Raising Cane’s to fill the now-vacant Nando’s PERi-PERi space next year, College Park will be home to a new Greene Turtle, a sports bar and grill, and Honey Pig, a Korean barbecue restaurant, which are both scheduled to open in the College Park Shopping Center later this year.
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Nando’s PERi-PERi on Route 1 is closed for good. Fast-food chicken restaurant Raising Cane’s is slated to take its place. MADISON KORMAN
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Our calendar includes many events and meetings sponsored by the City of College Park and local nonprofits, including arts organizations and performance venues. For additional events and meetings organized by the city, see the College Park Post newsletter in this paper’s centerfold.
Please send notices of events taking place between Oct. 10 and Nov. 13 to jalen@streetcar suburbs.news by Oct 1.
SEPT. 12
Book Club Meeting
Come and discuss author Sylvia Plath’s famous novel, “The Bell Jar.” 7 to 8:30 p.m. Meet outside in good weather or inside during rain. Church of the Nazarene (9704 Rhode Island Ave.). For more information, visit https://tinyurl. com/3ay44p98.
SEPT. 13
Indian Classical Music Concert
The Sarod and Tabla Quartet host a night of Indian classical instrumentals. Suggested donation of $25. 6 to 11 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Road). For more information, visit https://tinyurl. com/35zpwand.
SEPT. 15
College Park Food Bank Benefit Recital
Help support and raise awareness for the College Park Community Food Bank with this benefit recital hosted by the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Music. Suggested donation of $25. 7 to 8 p.m. Gildenhorn Recital Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit https://tinyurl. com/5x83jn3n.
SEPT. 20
Let’s Dance | Vamos a Bailar Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with dancing, food and live music from the Joe Flero Latin Band. 5:30 to 10 p.m. Duvall Field (9119 Rhode Island Ave.). For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n8jrv9m.
Clarice Presents: Mavis Staples Experience the “quintessential American voice” of multiGrammy award winner Mavis Staples in a powerhouse performance. Tickets range from $10 to $60. Show at 8 p.m. Dekelboum Concert Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/ mue2rxcv.
SEPT. 24
Creating Connections: A Conversation with Maryland’s First Lady Dawn Moore
Join three UMD deans, Stephanie Shonekan, Susan Rivera and Kimberly Griffin, as they discuss arts and culture, women’s economic empowerment and children’s mental health with Maryland’s First Lady Dawn Moore. Free. Tickets required. 5 to 6 p.m. Gildenhorn Recital Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/bdkzfr86.
SEPT. 28
Berwyn Day
Listen to live music, play games and raffles, make crafts, meet Park Police horses and more at the 2024 Berwyn Day celebration. 12 to 4 p.m. Rain date: Sept. 29. Berwyn Neighborhood Park. For more information, visit https://tinyurl. com/4c5bxsss.
SEPT. 29
2025 Miss College Park Competition
Do you think you could be the next Miss College Park? The winner of this competition will receive a $2,000 cash scholarship and be crowned Miss College Park. Crowning ceremony at 1 p.m. Free. College Park American Legion Post 217 (9218 Baltimore Ave.). Deadline to apply for the competition is Sept. 15. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/mre2d6xk.
OCT. 5
College Park Day
Enjoy live music, wandering performers, games, bounce houses and more during the city’s annual College Park Day celebration at the College Park Aviation Museum. Free and open to the public. 12 to 6 p.m rain or shine. 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/3rezmzvc.
OCT. 6
munity. Learn about fire safety and enjoy fire truck rides, vendors and food trucks. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Branchville Firehouse (Intersection of University Blvd. and Rhode Island Ave.).
RECURRING
Hollywood farmers market. Shop for the season’s best local produce every Saturday until November from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 9803 Rhode Island Ave.
Community Meals. Each Tuesday and Thursday, 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. Pick up reserved meals at 9601 Rhode Island Ave., between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 301.345.1010.
College Park Community Library Children’s Story Time. Meet on the lawn for a children’s story time on sunny days. In rainy conditions, the event will be held inside. Free. Wednesdays, 9:30 to 10 a.m. College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave.
Tai Chi Class. In another College Park Arts Exchange offering, learn the ancient Chinese form of slow-moving meditation with Maureen Stone and Mark Grisar every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. $10 for one class; $35 for four. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd. For more information or to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/28cf82bb.
Branchville Day
Come and celebrate the Branchville Fire Department’s 100th anniversary of serving the com-
Walk with an Arborist & Your Baby. Learn about trees and plants while connecting with other new parents in a safe space every Friday at 10 a.m. Register online. UMD Memorial Chapel (7744 Regents Dr.). For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/ hyaw7vv2.
SEPTEMBER 2024 THE CITY OF COLLEGE PARK
COLLEGE PARK POST
College Park Day
Don’t miss the festive fun at College Park Day on October 5, 2024 from 126PM at the College Park Aviation Museum
College Park Day is on Saturday, October 5th from 12:00 to 6:00 pm at the College Park Aviation Museum and Airport (1985 Corporal Frant Scott Drive)! This annual festival has free activities and entertainment for all ages.
This year we’ll have live entertainment on two stages, plus a community performance area! On the main stage, bands will play live music; the family stage features fun for children and families. The new community performance area will highlight local cultural dances and traditions throughout the day.
The day’s other special guests include clowns, mimes, jugglers, stilt walkers, and face painters. There will also be a climb wall, bounce houses, inflatable obstacle course, pumpkin painting, and big wheel races for kids up to 8 years old or shorter than 50 inches.
Aviation enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy browsing the College Park Aviation Museum’s exhibits (for free on College Park Day) and a helicopter fly-in!
The event features a wide variety of food and drink vendors with local restaurants, food trucks and breweries in attendance.
Free parking will be available nearby, along with a free shuttle service from select locations, and bike racks. The event site is minutes away walking from the College Park-UMD Metro Station (on the Green Line).
For more information, including parking, performance schedules, and more, visit www. collegeparkday.org.
FAMILY STAGE
Guava Jelly Duo
Eric Energy
Kangaroo Kids
Milkshake
Homer Twigg the Bubble Monger
The Great Zucchini
MAIN STAGE
Zydeco Jed
The Dead Flowers
Hair Force One
Mama Moon and the Rumpshakers!
Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrate the contributions of Hispanic and Latino cultures!
Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized from September 15 to October 15 each year to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic and Latino populations around the world. The City of College Park joins the nation in recognizing the rich histories, diverse cultures, and significant contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities across the United States.
Originally began as Hispanic Heritage Week by President Johnson in 1968, the holiday was expanded to a month-long celebration by President Reagan in 1988.
Clean Up Saturdays
October 12* & 19 | 7:30AM - Noon |
The City of College Park Public Works facility will be open on selected Saturdays this fall for City residents to drop off bulky trash, white goods, electronics recycling, brush, and yard trim.
Bulk trash brought on Clean Up days does not count toward bulk trash limits, nor are any fees applied for appliances, televisions, or monitors.
You must be a resident of the City of College Park and bring proof of City residency to participate. For Clean Up Saturday details, visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ CleanUpSaturdays.
Smartleaf® compost and wood mulch are available for anyone to purchase and pick up as supplies last – residency is not required.
DISPOSE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
• Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes (small quantities) –must be intact. Includes LED lamps, U-shaped or circular fluorescent lamps, High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps, Ultra Violet (UV)
Public Works
lamps, Halogen or Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL’s).
• Household batteries (small quantities). This includes rechargeable batteries such as Li-Ion, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, NiZn; Single-use alkaline such as AA, AAA, 9V, C, D button cell, and lithium primary. No damaged batteries; no automotive batteries.
• Block Styrofoam (coolers and large blocks of packing material).
• There is a $4 fee for all tires.
NOT ACCEPTED:
• Bricks, concrete, rocks, hazardous materials such as shingles, propane tanks, car batteries, paint, etc.
DOCUMENT SHREDDING
Document shredding is one day only, on October 12, 2024 from 8:00AM to noon. Bring your old tax records, medical paperwork, and any other confidential information to be shredded while you wait!
This timeframe is significant because many Central American countries– like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Chile, and Belize– celebrate their independence days during this time. By honoring the independence movements of Latin American countries, we recognize the resilience and determination of the Hispanic community.
The term “hispanic” refers to individuals who live in or have ancestral roots from Spanishspeaking countries. This includes people of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American origin.
Join the City of College Park in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on September 20th at Let’s Dance | Vamos a Bailar, from 5:30 to 10pm at Duvall Field (9119 Rhode Island Ave.)! This event features live music, dance performances, traditional foods, and fun. Immerse yourself in the sounds, flavors, and traditions of Latin American countries, showcase your salsa or bachata dance moves, and feel the rhythms of mariachi, reggaeton, and other genres!
This celebration serves as a reminder of the enduring contributions and profund resilience of Hispanic and Latino communities, and encourages each of us to contribute to a society where diversity is valued.
All paper will be recycled. You must be a City of College Park resident and bring proof of residency to participate. Every Saturday 10AM - 2PM April - November
LABOR DAY CLOSURE
All City of College Park offices will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2024 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Refuse and recycling will occur one day later than normal during this holiday week:
• Monday collections will occur Tuesday, September 3
• Tuesday collections will occur Wednesday, September 4
• Wednesday collections will occur Thursday, September 5
Special collections for brush and bulky items will only be scheduled for Friday, September 6, of this holiday week. You must call 240487-3590 or email publicworks@ collegeparkmd.gov to schedule a pickup before setting your items out to the curb.
ELDERLY TAX CREDIT
Effective starting FY 2024, the City of College Park will provide a $150 credit of the City portion of the property tax bill, for up to 5 years. To be eligible for this credit, you must meet all of the following criteria:
1. At least one homeowner is age 65 or over by June 30, 2024 AND
City Announcements
More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov
2. the eligible homeowner has resided at the property the credit is sought for at least the previous 10 fiscal years AND
3. the assessed value of your property does not exceed $515,000 on July 1 (adjusted July 1, 2024 for new applicants by the lesser of the CPI or 3%).
4. Applications must be received by October 1, 2024.
Learn more and apply at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ elderlytaxcredit25.
NOW HIRING: PART-TIME CONTRACT SECRETARY
The City is seeking a part-time Contract Secretary to attend and record evening Board and Committee meetings.
This position requires a reliable person with strong grammar and secretarial skills to prepare a summary of the proceedings, make approved revisions, and provide a final set of minutes in a timely manner.
This assignment does not require word-for-word reporting. Meetings
are conducted by Zoom or at public facilities in College Park on weekday evenings. Contract rate is $25.00 per hour, guaranteed two hours per meeting, plus preparation of minutes at $12.50 per half-hour. We estimate six to twelve hours per month to start, depending upon Committee assignments.
Please submit cover letter and resume to: College Park City Clerk’s Office, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 201, College Park, MD 20740, or email cityclerk@collegeparkmd. gov.
GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY
Good Neighbor Day is on October 26, 2024! Make a difference in the College Park community by volunteering for one of 25 community-led projects. Learn more at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ gnd24.
CHAIN LINK FENCE GRANT PROGRAM
Transform your home’s curb appeal with a brand-new fence and receive up to $3,500 in funding! Replace your old chain link fence with a stylish picket, elegant wrought iron, or modern
open-concept design. Not only will you enhance your home’s charm, but you’ll also stand out in the neighborhood! Learn more at collegeparkmd.gov/chainlinkapp.
Eligibility Requirements:
• Your property must be located within College Park City limits.
• Should you decide to install a new fence, it must be located in the front yard or along a public street. Additionally, applicants may apply to remove an existing chainlink fence from these areas without replacing it.
BIKE STRESS MAP & CRASH REPORTER
Navigating College Park just got easier! Our stress map helps you find the safest and most comfortable biking routes. Plus, you can report crashes and stay informed about incidents around the City.
Advocate for safer streets and make your daily commute smoother with the College Park Bike Stress Map & Crash Reporter. Let’s work together for a safer biking community!
Halal restaurant caters to Muslims, other diners
By LILLIAN GLAROS
Just off of the University of Maryland (UMD) campus on the first floor of the Domain College Park apartment building, Legends Halal Grill serves halal food from a multitude of cultures.
Halal is an Arabic word meaning “permissible.” As it relates to food, that means meat comes from animals slaughtered and prepared according to the laws of Islam. In addition, halal dishes may not include alcohol, pork or other restricted products.
Halal food is a staple of the Muslim diet.
“The purpose is that there are not enough Halal restaurants for Muslim students,” Irshad Khan, the operator of the College Park franchise, said. “And
not [only] Muslim, a lot of other nations also like halal.”
The best-selling meal at the year-old restaurant is a combo featuring rice with chicken and lamb. The menu also includes chicken nuggets, falafel and burgers, and offers other dishes, “which give you the flavor of a little bit Indian style, Pakistanis, Mediterranean,” Khan said.
The franchise is part of a tworestaurant chain, with a separate location in Windsor Mill in Baltimore County. Diners may eat in or carry out their food, or order with delivery apps, such as Grubhub, DoorDash or Uber Eats.
Khan, who is from Pakistan and lives in Pikesville, previously ran a Mexican-style halal restaurant, South Coast Tacos, in Baltimore. He also cooks for large groups at several Muslim
community centers in Baltimore.
Khan worked in retail for years before becoming a restaurateur, a career he started after his son said he wanted to be an orthodontist when he grew up.
“I asked him, ‘Why?’” Khan said. “He said, ‘Three reasons.’ I said, ‘What’s the three reasons?’ He said, ‘Dad, first, they make the most money.’ So, OK, what’s the second reason? He said that they work Monday to Friday, nine to five. [I] said, ‘OK, what’s the third reason?’ He said, ‘Dad, they have a family life. They spend time with their family. You didn’t have time.’”
After Khan’s first restaurant closed during the pandemic, he opened his franchise in August
2023, a process that took two and a half years.
A year in, business is “pretty good,” Khan said, although he noted that construction, a road closure and a lack of students cut into summer sales.
With the start of the fall semester, some UMD students, like Nate White, a sophomore business major, are dining at the restaurant.
White and his friend Patrick Gaffman, a senior at Northwest High School in Germantown, agreed the food, which ranges from 99 cents for falafel to $13.99 for a meat-filled gyro with fries, is fairly priced and that portions are well-sized.
“It’s pretty good,” White said of the restaurant’s food.
Khan does more than serve halal food to College Park diners. He also supports orphaned youth in Pakistan.
He said he donates his tips, around $150 to $200 a month, to help Kafi Orphan Center, an orphanage for boys in Sindh province.
The center teaches the 8- to 15-year-old boys the Quran and skills like rug-making, which eventually can lead to jobs with the government’s ministry of religion, Khan said.
Khan said he donates because of his religious beliefs.
“I don’t know if I’m here today, if I’m not here tomorrow,” he said. “I have to think what’s going to happen when I leave this world.”
Irshad Khan operates Legends Halal Grill, which serves meals that comply with the food prep standards of Islam. LILLIAN GLAROS
SCIENCE
Motor scooters: A new job for an old technology
This article is part of a series.
By PAUL RUFFINS
Judging from the popularity of battery-powered scooters and bicycles, it seems the future of microtransportation is high-tech and electric.
But buzzing along Route 1 and clustered outside of College Park’s restaurants is another fast-growing form of micromobility that completely bucks this trend: gasolinepowered motor scooters with an engine design old enough to collect Social Security.
Gus Manzur, owner of Scooter Solutions and Cycles on Rhode Island Avenue, has seen the market explode in the past decade.
“Now, there are more than 70,000 scooters in the DMV, and the number is growing fast,” Manzur said.
“Gas-powered scooters have become more popular than motorcycles because they’re cheaper to buy and easier to ride,” said Sean Rashid, the owner of College Scooters on
Roanoke Place in College Park, which claims to be the biggest scooter store in Maryland. Both agree that a factor in the popularity of gas-powered scooters was the expiration of Honda’s patents on its GY6 aircooled, four-stroke motorcycle engine, which the company introduced around 1958. The engine was a tremendous improvement on the two-stroke engines that produce clouds of bluish smoke because they burn the lubricating oil that is mixed into their gasoline.
By using Honda’s proven design for free, Chinese manufacturers can produce scooters for about the cost of a high-quality bicycle.
Manzur’s scooter options begin at about $1,600, but Walmart lists an X-Pro brand 50cc scooter for less than $1,000.
Rashid explained that the increase in scooters is driven by delivery drivers using them for work. Five years ago, college students were his main customers, but now, he said, they are 25% students, 25% commuters and 50% delivery drivers.
Manzur estimates that 90% of his customers are delivery drivers.
Deliveries have shifted to motor scooters rather than motorcycles, cars or electric bikes because of the online food delivery model of apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash, according to Silliam Lee, the service manager for College Scooters.
Before COVID-19, drivers would typically work for one specific restaurant, often delivering pizza or Chinese food, and they only had to travel fast enough so customers didn’t complain.
Now, more restaurants use delivery services, and drivers compete for the best-paying deliveries. Motor scooters can weave through traffic and are easier to park than cars, leading to quicker deliveries.
“But,” Lee insisted, “it’s only working because everyone is ignoring the massive scam
with all those illegal tags people buy that say ‘49cc No license required.’”
Lee said many people believe they don’t need a license or registration for a vehicle with an engine smaller than 50cc or that doesn’t go faster than 30 mph, but that’s been false since 2012.
Local laws are ambiguous about electric bicycles, but Maryland, the District and Virginia require every gaspowered scooter driven on the street to be registered and insured. Drivers also are required to wear helmets and possess a standard driver’s license or a motor scooter/moped operator permit.
Drivers of scooters with engines bigger than 150cc require a motorcycle license. However, many scooters displaying 49cc plates have larger engines and can reach speeds up to 60 or 70 mph.
Competition from underground dealerships is cutting
into sales at local shops, the operators said.
“Guys from New York are ordering shipping containers full of scooters from China, then bringing them here and selling them cheap because they don’t pay taxes or [pay] for the business licenses that I need to stay open,” Manzur said.
Manzur mentioned another fraudulent practice among some of the delivery drivers who have immigrated to the U.S. and can’t find work anywhere else.
“Sometimes one person with a license and insurance joins a service like Grubhub or Uber Eats, and then gets a lot of other people to do the deliveries [using the same account],” he said.
Where are the police? Well, scooters are hard to catch, and most local police departments only chase drivers for serious crimes.
The Washington Post noted another reason the police don’t seem too upset about violators is that, so far, the huge increase in scooters hasn’t caused substantially more accidents.
To Manzur, this is good news.
“The drivers need to eat,” he said, “and if the police start cracking down, I’m afraid that it will force them to start committing crimes a lot worse than not registering their rides.”
Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and professor of curiosity.
Scooters displaying 49cc plates can reach speeds up to 60 or 70 mph. PAUL RUFFINS
The audacity to slow down and choose what matters most
By J. GERALD SUAREZ
Visualize you are on a speeding train, looking out the window and observing the blending and blurring of tree branches, signs and buildings as you accelerate. Now, picture this train as a metaphor for your life. Think about what you saw. Are you appreciating the view, or is it also a blur?
It is not uncommon for people to get caught up in daily demands and become oblivious to all else. We may get so caught up in the pace that we lose sight of the purpose of our original direction. Many people are riding fast on the wrong train. They are making good time in terms of accomplishments, but they are no longer thinking about the fundamental questions that would reassure them of the rightness of their direction. Much like the train’s speed, their lives gain momentum, but they surrender to the flow and forfeit their joy with it. Seeing our lives holistically, including the physical, logical and emotional domains, is essential if we seek work-life harmony. These dimensions are not mutually exclusive. Gandhi noted, “One man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole.”
Therefore, if you find yourself working on weekends and late at night to catch up with work; if you are postponing physical and social activities because you are too busy; or if work is becoming a source of chronic stress or if you cannot afford to take time off, then it’s a sign that you are on an unsustainable life path. We must heighten awareness that speed and progress are conceptually distinct and experientially intertwined. We easily confuse means with ends when absorbed by contemporary life’s rapid pace and expectations. Finding work-life balance is an elusive proposition, but it is not a good reason to surrender.
It is essential to slow down and mindfully iterate our definition of success, reaffirm our life purpose, reconnect with our values and
recognize that rediscovering our sense of direction will give us the ultimate foundation to move in the direction of the life we want to live.
Modern work’s evolution and amplified pace have only necessitated the need for work-life balance among today’s professionals.
The interactions of external expectations, economic necessity
and personal aspirations of success have paved the way for people to juggle the tensions of succeeding in all departments of life.
We’ve become prisoners of doing more of everything well, fueling our fire and, along the way, burning out. As a result, we experience disharmony, disengagement, exhaustion, inefficacy, frustration and disappointment, all warning signs of an imbalanced life.
Technology has enabled us to multitask, expand our sphere of influence and absorb a greater volume of things to do, like a sponge, but are we really accomplishing more? We find ourselves reaching a saturation point. This dripping manifests in missed deadlines, inability to attend family events, increased stress and much more.
Research suggests busyness hinders our capacity to discern and ignore irrelevant informa-
tion. The thrill for heavy multitaskers is getting more and more of it, and the high volume of work becomes a badge of honor. Yet, slowly and gradually, this tendency becomes a silent killer, leading to physical and mental exhaustion and the feeling of being excessively burdened.
It is important to step back, zoom out of our daily routines, and ask ourselves if our engagement is sustainable over time. We often think we are in an extraordinary situation and only need to push harder to find a better flow. But in reality, the pace just keeps accelerating around us.
J. Gerald Suarez, Ph.D., is a professor of practice at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and author of Leader of One: Shaping Your Future through Imagination and Design.
ginning of the pandemic. He had owned the restaurant for more than a decade.
“Our lease was ending for Krazi Kebob downtown, and so we had to move and I just took a shot at it and it worked,” Hamid said about switching to a virtual kitchen model.
After making the change, the business was instantly profitable, largely because Krazi Kebob already had a following of loyal customers, Hamid said.
Since then, Hamid has opened three additional virtual restaurants within Virtual X Kitchen, including Krazi Burrito, Krazi Chick and The Kabob Joint. He added Boba Chai Barista, the tea shop, to the group in late July.
“Hey, if you’re busy, you’re sitting in a meeting and you just want to go online and order something, or you’re home, you don’t feel like talking to someone and you want to go and place an order, go ahead,” Hamid said. “But if you want to talk to us, you pick up the phone and call us.”
Krazi Kebob, the most popular of the restaurants, features
Indian and Pakistani flavors “served in a Mexican way,” according to Hamid. He serves the kabobs Mexican style with the meat chopped up in a line on top of rice and other toppings instead of on a skewer like a traditional kabob.
The Kabob Joint, on the other hand, offers Pakistani-style kabobs on skewers with naan, veggies or samosas – spicy potatoes stuffed inside of fried dough.
Customers who don’t want kabobs can order from Krazi Burrito, which has a Tex-Mex menu, or Krazi Chick, which serves wings, fried chicken and chicken sandwiches.
Virtual X Kitchen also offers beverages from Boba Chai Barista, which serves teas and fruit slushies.
Additionally, Hamid caters. He also ships coffee beans roasted in the kitchen through Coffee Editor.
Maya Hoover, the marketing manager for Virtual X Kitchen, said she has “a very enjoyable job.”
“It always keeps you on your toes. Each day is always different,” Hoover added. “There’s just an amazing hands-on experience of creativity mixed with
problem-solving. You always have something interesting to do within the day.”
Hamid said he and Hoover are “identical foodies” and love “people service.”
“We love helping people and we love food,” he said.
Hamid is well-known for his charity work, which the College Park City Council recognized with a proclamation in his honor on June 11.
“Nomie Hamid has made outstanding contributions toward inspiring and nurturing a welcoming and inclusive community,” Mayor Fazlul Kabir said at the meeting.
Hamid said he is considering opening a second Virtual X Kitchen location but “we have also been focusing on the nonprofit side to help youth and immigrants to get into the culinary trade.”
The chef also volunteers for Rotary International, a service organization that focuses on community health and development.
His kitchen also organized a back-to-school drive, offering a free menu item to anyone who donated school supplies from a Prince George’s County-approved list.
COMMUNITY
funds for a new staff member to help the workgroup with its effort to earn the AARP designation.
“I’m just so happy I can’t even begin to tell you,” Gail Lovelace, the co-chair of the Age-Friendly College Park initiative, said. “I’m just thrilled that the city is still committed to moving forward with this designation.”
According to Holz, membership in the network “provides cities, towns, counties and states with the resources to become more age-friendly by tapping into national and global research, planning models and best practices.”
The city’s volunteer Senior Advisory Committee (SAC) began working toward the designation in 2020, with a focus on five of AARP’s eight domains of livability: housing, transportation, social participation, respect and social inclusion, and communication and information.
Members of the Age-Friendly College Park workgroup, an arm of SAC, have said they hope the city will earn the designation by next summer.
It takes approximately five years to complete the steps required to earn the designation, Holz said.
“I think that we need, as a city, to make College Park a place that people want to retire to and people want to continue living here,” Mackie said. “And unfortunately, we’ve lost a lot of really good, active people because they’ve gone to live in other senior communities. So this is helping College Park to embrace the senior community.”
Mary Anne Hakes, SAC’s cochair, said the committee’s goal is “to make College Park an age-friendly community for all ages … to allow people to age in place and a secret desire to make College Park a retirement destination.”
To that end, Hakes said, the workgroup created a series of “did you know” articles on local resources for seniors for publication in local media; reached out to every College Park civic association and city committee, offered feedback to city officials about the redesigned website, and partnered with the Youth, Family and Senior Services Department to teach line dancing classes.
Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Stray Cats and Jerry Lee Lewis at the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival.
From a young age, Seaton capitalized on his Elvis looks, which he said opened a lot of doors in the music world, starting with talent shows at High Point High School, where he played football and graduated in 1978.
“Secretly I had visions of singing,” said Seaton, who used to do imitations during football practice of Jimmy Stewart, Elvis, Johnny Mathis, Muhammad Ali, Richard Nixon and Donald Duck.
He participated in the “Bong Show” – a local version of the popular 1976 TV game show, The Gong Show, at the Paragon, a long-closed College Park club for UMD students. He won first prize for his rendition of “All Shook Up.”
Afterward, he sang all over Maryland and won prizes ranging from a bag of nickels worth $200 to $10,000 from radio station DC 101.1 FM for his performance in the Battle of the Bands.
The only time Seaton ever saw Elvis perform was at Cole Field House in 1974. When Seaton left the concert with his brother, Albert, whom Seaton said looked exactly like Elvis, fans rushed their Cadillac, thinking Albert was Elvis.
“That 20-minute concert was the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen. It was so electric,” Seaton told College Park Here & Now. “So Elvis was a very big, important part of my career.”
Two weeks after graduating from High Point, Seaton got a band job with a USO trip to the Mediterranean. He performed in Sicily, Greece, the Azores, Naples and in an extinct volcano with singer-songwriter Harry Chapin.
Seaton then recorded his first album, “Uptown,” with non-Elvis songs and went to New York City to promote it. As he was walking around Times Square after a disappointing day of trying to sell “Uptown” to MCA Records, he stopped for an impromptu audition for an Elvis character in an off-Broadway show. The owner of the theater told him auditions were closed, so Seaton responded, “But you haven’t seen me yet.”
He got the part and performed in “Elvismania” for 13 weeks.
“It was quite a success,” Seaton said.
Renegade Records eventu-
“That 20-minute [Elvis] concert was the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen. It was so electric,” Johnny Seaton told College Park Here & Now. “So Elvis was a very big, important part of my career.”
ally released “Uptown” in 1982 to “a great review from Cashbox,” an American music industry trade magazine, Seaton said. Two years later, a Dutch company noticed and invited him to tour Holland, which led to “a lot of play in the European market.”
But Seaton wanted something different and tried hard to move away from impersonating Elvis.
“I said, ‘I don’t want to do that,’” he recalled. “I don’t want to wear a jumpsuit,” but shows would pay him $2,000 to perform while wearing one.
In 1981, Seaton relocated to California after spending some time writing his own songs.
“Every time I tried to get away from Elvis, I got plunged back in,” Seaton said.
In 1988, People magazine featured Seaton in an article about Elvis. He also did an interview with Today show host Bryant Gumbel and multiple local news and magazine shows.
He later performed as Elvis in the long-running tribute show Legends in Concert and for six years as the Elvis-inspired Pharaoh character in a 1990s U.S.-Canadian tour of the play “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Osmond played the role of Joseph.
“I was the most frustrated guy,” Seaton said, because he had to sing the same song twice a day throughout the run.
Still, Seaton recalled, Andrew Lloyd Webber, who composed the music for the play’s songs, called him “brilliant” and praised his performance as the Pharaoh. When the musical closed, Seaton moved to Las Vegas and landed his own show at MGM Grand. There, he became friends with Newton, the singer whose song had inspired Seaton to sing at the bank as a child.
Seaton described a fond memory of Newton, who snuck into Seaton’s shows wearing glasses and a hat so fans wouldn’t recognize him. Meanwhile, Newton invited Seaton to appear as Elvis in a music video for “The (Elvis) Letter,” Newton’s song about a
handwritten note that a lonely and sleepless Elvis wrote and threw in a hotel room trash can. His maid found it and put it up for auction 10 years after Elvis died. Newton bought the note and wrote a song about it.
After performing 15 shows a week in Las Vegas for three years, Seaton returned to College Park in 2004 to, he said, find himself.
“The best thing I did was to come to be Johnny Seaton and not Elvis,” Seaton said. “I’ve recreated my life” in College Park. “I’m only a star to the people I love.”
Elvis impersonator Johnny Seaton takes a day off from his singing gigs. COURTESY OF CAROL-ANN ADAM
Brewery, UMD partner to launch beer brand
By MADISON KORMAN
The University of Maryland and UNION Craft Brewing teamed up to release Testudo Premium Lager, the official craft beer of the Maryland Terrapins, marking the official launch at an event at the Baltimore brewery in August.
The beer, donning a vintage Testudo logo from the 1980s and named after the University of Maryland’s (UMD) diamondback terrapin mascot, is already available in Prince George’s County and will soon hit shelves across Maryland, the District and northern Virginia.
“We just canned about 25,000 Testudo Premium Lagers today,” Adam Benesch, co-founder of UNION Craft Brewing and a University of Maryland alumni, said.
The launch event was a lively affair, featuring food, music, cornhole and a selfie station.
Many UMD alumni were present to support the launch.
“My husband and I love drinking beer,” said Whitney Hill, a
UMD alum who works in the university’s School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies. “So we figured, why not come here and drink beer?”
Hill said she hopes to see the beer at sports games.
“We see a lot of beers like Corona at games, but I am hoping to have this beer at games because it has a unique personality [and] flavor,” Hill said.
The beer will be available at the university’s SECU Stadium and the Xfinity Center.
“Whether you’re alumni or just a fan of the sports teams, or have friends and family that are Terps,” Benesch added, “it’s approachable, very high quality and very well made.”
Benesch, who discovered his passion for craft beer while studying at UMD in the mid90s, said the brewery has been working hard to perfect the brew.
“The beer is a beautiful 5%, crisp, clean lager,” Benesch said. “It’s made with the four basic ingredients of beer: That’s malted barley, hops, water and yeast. We love using
those four basic ingredients to come up with a super flavorful, crisp, refreshing lager that any Terp alumni or Maryland fan can enjoy, whether at a game, at home or with friends.”
Gregory Berkowitz, UMD’s director of trademarks and licensing, said the university chose to collaborate with UNION Craft Brewing because Benesch, an alum, was committed to perfecting a beer to represent the university.
“We’re always exploring new product categories to expand the brand and reach more people and connect with fans, alumni, students and just members of the community,” Berkowitz said. “Adam, being an alum who’s the CEO, was kind of an extra bonus. He understood what we’re trying to do and is committed to doing it.”
Berkowitz said the beer’s packaging is meant to connect with university alumni.
“This is for alum and community members who are over 21,” he said.
Adam Benesch, co-founder of UNION Craft Brewing, poses with cans of Testudo Premium Lager, which the brewery launched in August. MADISON KORMAN