Winter Wonderland gets holidays started
By JALEN WADE
Hundreds of College Park residents and visitors welcomed the holiday season on Saturday as the city hosted its annual Winter Wonderland festival and lit a Christmas tree on the plaza at city hall.
The three-year-old tradition featured events to ignite holiday cheer among participants, including an ice sculpting demonstration, free hot chocolate and cookies, and booths for shopping from Maryland small businesses.
“It’s a wonderful event to celebrate community, the holiday season and kind of just bring everyone together,” Ryna Quiñones, the city’s communications and events manager, said.
Santa Claus made an appearance, charioted to the party aboard a fire engine courtesy of the Branchville Volunteer Fire Department.
“We have a great holiday market with lots of vendors … all kind of representing different Maryland vendors, which is amazing,” Quiñones said.
As families bundled in coats and scarves sat on the plaza to listen as the rock group Surf Jaguars rocked out to Christmas jingles and, in a sense of irony, beach music, the festivities spilled over into Knox Road, where the vendors sold holiday gifts, food, craft beers, jewelry, art and candles.
One of the vendors, Magnolia Baez of Magnolia Candles and Soap, said the event brings shop owners and artisans closer to customers.
By JALEN WADE and SHARON O’MALLEY
Shoppers looking for one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family this holiday season might be able to find them down the street instead of at the mall or online.
From favorite comic books to funky outfits to fancy popcorn, small businesses in College Park are stocking an array of holiday gift items that could tempt shoppers to spend their holiday money locally.
“They can find one-of-a-kind special products that are hard to find in chain stores,” University of Maryland marketing professor Jie Zhang said. “Those products are made by local merchants, local artists,
By IJEOMA OPARA
Lutheran chaplain Ray Ranker sat on an old couch beneath a large painting that hangs on the wall of his office on the University of Maryland (UMD) campus.
The painting portrays a wooden bridge in sepia tones, evoking unreal memories of a journey, much like Ranker’s real-life reflections on his path from studying government and politics at UMD to becoming a pastor at the institution.
“I was thinking more of doing government and policy work when I came in” as a student in 2000, Ranker said. “That was a big passion of mine.”
As a student, he was active in both religious and political institutions on campus. He interned with Maryland Del. Dan Morhaim, of Baltimore County, for a while. Following his 2004 graduation, he spent a year working in a Reformed Church in Argentina. He traveled to Brazil in 2006 and served as a steward at the Assembly, an interdenominational meeting organized by the World Council of Churches. These experiences sealed his decision to pursue ministry, Ranker said.
The Grinch and Santa Claus made appearances at the city’s annual Winter Wonderland on Saturday. GIUSEPPE LOPICCOLO
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Support hyperlocal College Park news
By KIT SLACK
In an age of misinformation, polarization and digital distraction, College Park Here & Now brings you news you can trust about what’s happening in your city.
When I first moved to the area, it was the first time I had ever lived anywhere where the newspaper was all about what was happening within a few miles of my home. I loved getting to read about local people, as told by local voices, rather than regurgitated syndicated news. I wanted to learn more about my city, and to support its newspaper, so I volunteered to write about arts programming at the local elementary school and about park service mosquito control.
Before I was on staff, I assumed that if I wanted to find hard news about how local government worked, there were larger newspapers with full-time reporters providing it. Turns out there
SUPPORT COLLEGE PARK HERE & NOW TODAY
Now and through the end of the year, your taxdeductible single gift or new monthly contribution will be matched, up to $1,000, by NewsMatch, a collaborative fundraising movement to support independent, public service journalism.
aren’t. To give the county context on a city issue, we generally have to do original reporting and research. And if we don’t explain who the local candidates are on your ballot, who is backing their campaigns, or what they do
once they are elected, often it just doesn’t happen.
The Washington Post closed its local paper, The Prince George’s Gazette, in 2015, and now only sporadically covers our area. Other historical local outlets have dwindled into online aggregators. Like newspapers across the country, they were unable to sustain the revenue to keep printing newspapers, or pay reporters with limited revenue from online advertising.
Without access to reliable information and insights into what local government officials are doing, fewer residents vote and participate in local government, and corruption increases.
Still, not all the news about local news is bad. Here’s where our model comes in: Our nonprofit was founded in 2004 by committed retirees in Hyattsville who wanted to give back. They hoped a newspaper that went to every door would help build a culture of volunteerism, allow broad par-
Council approves $7.3M for Duvall Field
By SHARON O’MALLEY
The College Park City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 19 to spend $7,354,000 to renovate Duvall Field and hire a Waldorf contractor to start the work. The vote came 19 years after councilmembers proposed the amenity-laden renovations in 2005, but the work was delayed because funds were not available. In the meantime, the project’s price tag has increased by $1.7 million since 2019, when the city estimated the upgrades would amount to $5.6 million.
A nationally-recognized community newspaper chronicling the here and now of College Park.
Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 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
“Making greatness in our city costs, and the longer we wait, the more it’s going to cost,” Councilmember Alan Hew (District 1) said as councilmembers engaged in a debate about adding and cutting amenities. “We really need to move forward on this. I encourage you to not prolong this any longer.”
Councilmember Llatetra Brown Esters (District 2) agreed.
“The longer we wait, it is going to cost that much more money, and what I would hate to see is for us to vote against this, and then it not happen,” Esters said.
The plan for the seven-acre
Managing Editor Sharon O'Malley sharon@streetcarsuburbs.news
Associate Editor Jalen Wade jalen@streetcarsuburbs.news
Columnists Donna Chacko, Kit Slack
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Audrey Bengtson, Lillian Glaros, Josephine Johnson, Giuseppe LoPiccolo, Ijeoma Opara, Katelynn Winebrenner
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park, created in the 1960s, is to add soccer and baseball fields, an event amphitheater with a band stage, a basketball and pickleball court, space for playing cornhole and bocce ball, a walking trail and a picnic pavilion, as well as lighting, landscaping and signs. In addition, the project requires stormwater management work.
The city added a concession stand, restrooms and a recreation plaza to the park, located at 9119 Rhode Island Avenue, in 2018. The space already includes three lighted ball fields and a
Advertising Sales Manager Miranda Goodson
Business Manager Catie Currie
Executive Director Kit Slack
Board of Directors
President: Marta McLellan Ross
Vice President & General Counsel: Michael Walls
Treasurer: Joe Murchison
Secretary: Melanie Dzwonchyk
Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Joseph Gigliotti, Maxine Gross, Merrill Hartson, T. Carter Ross, Stephanie Stullich
Ex Officios: Katie V. Jones, Griffin Limerick, Sharon O'Malley, Kit Slack
Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. mail to every address in College Park. Additional copies are distributed to popular gathering spots around town. Total circulation is 9,600. CPH&N is
ticipation in local government, and help local businesses thrive. They relied on revenue from small business advertising as well as a contract with the city to use the center pages of the paper for information on city services. They kept costs down by publishing only once a month and leveraging strong community connections to get news tips and volunteer reporting.
In 2014, the nonprofit launched a website, now StreetcarSuburbs.News. Community volunteers brought our model to College Park in 2020, and to Laurel in 2022. Last year, we started publishing an email newsletter, Streetcar Spotlight, to keep readers informed throughout the month.
When we surveyed our readers in September, we learned you want more from us—more in-depth city reporting, more county news, and more curated listings of local events. We want
to bring you that in 2025. What we can do will depend, as it always has, on the generosity of our community.
Please join the donors whose support connects and informs College Park.
We are a little less than halfway to our goal of $17,000 in local donations from at least 220 donors before the end of the year. Because $15,000 will be matched, this will give us $32,000 to provide more indepth local reporting.
A broad base of donors keeps us strong and independent. Every little bit helps. We also welcome ideas for stories and editorials on topics of local interest, as well as your tips, volunteer reporting and feedback.
Thank you!
Kit Slack is the executive director of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, the nonprofit that publishes College Park Here & Now.
playground and draws approximately 26,000 visitors a year, according to city documents.
Over the years, councilmembers have discussed adding amenities like a splash pad, storage around the stage and audio-visual equipment.
Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1), who expressed concerns about the high cost of the project, asked if the group could again reconsider removing some of the amenities to reduce the price.
But City Manager Kenny Young said value-engineering the project—tweaking the design or amenities to lower the cost—would set the start date back by at least another year, during which time the price could continue to inflate and the city would have to put the contract out to bid again.
“We do incur costs in value-engineering the project,” contractor
Rick Hoehn, who worked on the proposed design, agreed. “I recommend against it.”
Hoehn noted that the project team already made design changes in response to community input.
Councilmember Susan Whitney (District 2) reminded councilmembers that they suffered “a lot of stress” over the cost of building a new city hall, which opened in 2021, and compared the benefit of that structure with the potential good a renovated Duvall Field will do for the community.
She said councilmembers had agreed at that time that city hall would become a communitygathering place. “We have seen that happen,” she said. “I think the same thing will happen with Duvall Field.”
Renovations are expected to begin in 2025 and finish by spring or summer 2026.
Renovations on Duvall Field in North College Park are slated to begin in 2025, 20 years after the city council started considering the project.
KATELYNN WINEBRENNER
Preparing for family con ict during holidays
By DR. DONNA CHACKO
If you’re concerned your holiday get-together this year may be less-than-merry because of family conflict, now is the time to start planning your strategy to create holiday goodwill.
This strategy involves an inside job and an outside job.
First, the inside job. It starts in your head and your heart. You decide that you will do your part to make a family dinner, a holiday brunch, or even a visit with overnight company turn out better than during Christmases past.
Spend some time well before the date of your family event thinking about what you will do to keep your cool when your mother-in-law becomes critical after her third cocktail or Uncle Joe starts spouting off about a political position that you will
never, ever agree with.
Recall what went wrong last year. To help you avoid reacting to any unpleasantness that crops up this year, be ready with a prepared and rehearsed response.
For example, you could practice a breathing exercise if you start to feel triggered by a conversation. Or select a word like “peace” or a phrase like, “I love my crazy family” to play over and over in your mind. Or rely on your favorite prayer, which you can recite silently to yourself. These practices will reduce your stress and reactivity—which often can ease tension in the room.
Be proactive by rehearsing your best response to stressful conversations, planning ways to change the subject, preparing a list of distracting or humorous questions you might ask, and even consid-
ering how you can physically remove yourself from an untenable situation.
In short, prepare ahead how to bring your best self to the holiday gathering. Remember, you can only change yourself. Take charge of your emotions and reactions and use your breathing or special words when your stomach starts to clench. Know your boundaries. Have a plan for keeping them in place when others try to cross them.
The outside job involves other people and the circumstances of the gatherings. Maybe you can invite a favorite relative or two to step away from the party for a
long walk. Other ideas are taking the host’s dog out for a jog, planning a small-group trip to a bowling alley or movie theater to break up the constant togetherness, or turning on a football game.
When the togetherness starts to feel stifling, your prep will remind you to react in a graceful way and use your planned distractions and activities.
Another idea is to enlist the support of the hostess or the family matriarch to set some ground rules for the day, such as, “No political talk.” In some families, an alcohol-free event could save the day. And in the extreme, perhaps Uncle Joe shouldn’t get an invita-
tion this year. Or you could decide not to attend yourself.
The bottom line: Don’t just wish for a drama-free holiday; plan for one.
University Park resident Donna Chacko is a retired radiation oncologist and family doctor. A blogger and author, Chacko (serenityandhealthdc@gmail. com) facilitates Centering Prayer groups on Wednesday morning at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in College Park and Monday evening at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Hyattsville.
The holidays could be less stressful if you plan for the challenges in advance. ADOBE STOCK PHOTO
RJ Bentley’s owner dies
By JALEN WADE
College Park has lost a community icon with the death of RJ Bentley’s co-founder and owner John Brown III, who died from heart failure on Nov. 9. He was 77.
Employees at the restaurant and bar called the University of Maryland sports booster “friendly” and “a mentor.”
“It’s definitely been a shock to a lot of people,” Ginger Schmidt, a bartender at the 46-year-old Rhode Island Avenue landmark, said. “He touched a lot of lives in College Park, so his legacy is definitely being remembered throughout the area.”
Brown and two former University of Maryland (UMD) classmates, Richard MacPherson, a food broker, and Bill Knight, an attorney, opened Bentley’s in the building that used to house a barbecue restaurant and, before that, a filling station, in 1978.
The name “RJ Bentley’s” is a
combination of the initials of MacPherson’s and Brown’s first names and the British luxury car Bentley.
The bar, decorated with its signature antique gas pumps, old license plates and Pennzoil sign, is known for displaying large amounts of UMD sports team memorabilia all over the walls.
The décor reflects Brown’s love of UMD sports. Aside from being a fervent sports fan, he was chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority from 1999 to 2003.
His attachment to Maryland athletics was also evident through his friendship with longtime UMD basketball coach Gary Williams, who retired from coaching in 2011.
Williams told College Park Here & Now that he met Brown for the first time a few days after he became the coach in June 1989. Williams said Brown was a friend to everyone.
“Certainly, he was a big part of
our basketball program, the university, the city of College Park, in the whole state of Maryland, I mean,” Williams said. “There were so many people that had different situations, but John was always consistent. You know, he was always there to help make people feel better. You know, he was just one of those people that you like to be around.”
Williams recalled how after the Terps suffered crushing losses on the court, Brown would check in. “And I’m sure he did that with, you know, a lot of people, but you know, he was certainly important to me, you know, looking at it selfishly, that was somebody I
could trust,” Williams said. “And when you’re coaching, you know, you kind of circle the wagon sometimes, especially when things aren’t going well. And John was always one of those people you didn’t have to worry about. He was going to be your friend. Good, bad, didn’t matter.”
Brown was a figure within city hall as well, according to Bentley’s manager Evan Behrendt, who described Brown as a constant within the city even through different incarnations of city councils and officials.
“They [city officials] might turn over quickly over there,” Behrendt said, “but no matter what, John’s
been here for 46 years with this establishment. They all knew John.” Brown was a managing partner of the College Park Professional Center, president of the Downtown College Park Management Authority and chair of the Government Relations Committee of the Restaurant Association of Maryland.
He served on the board of directors for the Maryland Business School Alumni Chapter, the board of governors for the University of Maryland Alumni Association, and the board for the University of Maryland Medical System. He was also president of the Terrapin Club.
John Brown III, the owner of downtown icon RJ Bentley’s, died in November. Shown, the 46-year-old Rhode Island Avenue landmark. JALEN WADE
Dog named for local pub is social media famous
By AUDREY BENGTSON
A 7-year-old goldendoodle with a fan base of almost 2 million social media followers was named after a popular College Park night spot: R.J. Bentley’s.
The pup’s owners met at Cornerstone Grill & Loft as University of Maryland (UMD) students in the early 2010s, and in 2017, the newly engaged couple, Kelly and Brandon Madsen, adopted their pooch. But “Bentley just had a better ring to it” than Cornerstone, Kelly said, so they stuck with that.
Pre-Bentley, the goldendoodle-obsessed pair, who moved to Mariottsville, Maryland, frequently exchanged dog videos on social media, but, Kelly noted, “I definitely never expected that I was going to be like, a social media person.”
Bentley changed that after the Madsens adopted him through a dog breeder they met online.
Bentley’s social media career began when the couple started to post cute, funny videos of their new puppy on an Instagram account with the handle @ minidoodlebentley. Shortly after, a well-known Instagram gym influencer, Kayla Itsines, posted a picture of Bentley on her own account and tagged him. By the next day, Bentley’s account had gained almost 30,000 followers. Kelly, a mathematician, posts Instagram Stories on Bentley’s behalf several times a day and videos at least once a week. The dog also has TikTok, Facebook and YouTube accounts.
Bentley inspires the post ideas himself, being quite a “quirky and goofy” dog, Kelly said.
With the rising popularity of
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TikTok and Instagram Reels, Kelly said she has found that shortform videos, which she personalizes for Bentley, reap the most views, likes and followers.
The Madsens don’t have anyone helping with the posts, although they did try hiring an extended family member at one point — which turned out to be an unnecessary expense, Kelly said.
Kelly said Bentley’s most popular posts are the ones that show off his personality as he interacts with the Madsens’ two children, Tyler, 3, and Rachel, 1, who adore their dog. These posts are often about what the kids teach Bentley, and what he teaches them.
Other times, they can just post Bentley in a silly outfit and that will blow up, too.
Still, Kelly said it has been harder to keep up with posting since her children were born. However, she said she doubts she will ever get tired of posting, saying Bentley “does so much in a day that it’s not hard for me to just, like, film 10 seconds of him doing something and post it to a story.”
The Madsens make “quite a bit of money” from Bentley’s social media channels by promoting products for children and dogs. Kelly said she turns down most other offers and puts the profit in their kids’ college funds.
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Over time, Bentley has been climbing the ladder of success, reaching closer to the fame of other furry influencers like Doug the Pug, who has 6.1 million TikTok followers and 3.6 million on Instagram, and Grumpy Cat, with 2.6 million Instagram fans.
And while there are many highly followed and adored pets like Bentley on social media, his mom said she doesn’t worry about competition and just posts content people seem to like.
Overall, Bentley’s fans are mostly females in their 20s and 30s, or goldendoodle owners, Kelly said.
Over the years, the followers have been encouraging and positive, with Bentley receiving kind and funny comments
on the posts. The only negative comments are about the Madsens’ choice of purebred dog — which they selected because goldendoodles are hypo-allergenic and both are allergic to most dogs — or criticize the pet owners for dressing up Bentley. Bentley’s social media fame has been a positive experience for the family, Kelly said, something they enjoy doing, not just for themselves but for their audience. “I never knew this would happen to be, like, how much joy you get out of bringing happiness to other people,” Kelly said. In fact, she noted, because of their journey with Bentley, they are considering adopting another dog in the near future.
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UMD grads Kelly and Brandon Madsen named their dog, Bentley, after a College Park bar. The pooch has 2 million social media followers. COURTESY OF KELLY MADSEN
Police stop scooters for traffic violations
By JOSEPHINE JOHNSON
Crime involving electric scooters is increasing on the University of Maryland campus and along Route 1, police said.
“We do stop a lot of scooters,” Maj. James Keleti of Hyattsville Division 1, told College Park City Councilmembers at an Oct. 15 meeting.
Those stops, at least on campus, have involved failure to stop at a stop sign, riding on the sidewalk, riding in the road with headphones over both ears and failure to obey lane directions.
Plus, University of Maryland (UMD) Police Chief David Mitchell noted at the meeting, “We have charged people for intoxication on a scooter. We will continue to do that.”
And of 269 reported thefts on campus this year, at least 70 were of e-scooters, according to Lt. Rosanne Hoaas of the University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD).
Deputy Chief Stephen Boehm of the Metro Transit Police said the most frequent crimes at the College Park station are auto, bicycle and scooter thefts, noting that motorized scooters are considered by Metro Transit Police as autos.
“It is a challenge, to say the least, for all [area police agen-
cies], specifically on campus,” Mitchell said at the meeting. But offenders riding scooters are hard to pull over, police officers said at the October meeting.
The Prince George’s County Police Department does not chase speeding scooters, which ride at average speeds of 15 mph to 17 mph, although some models can go as fast as 25 mph, because of safety con-
cerns, Keleti said.
“If they decide not to pull over, we have to terminate that vehicle stop,” Keleti said at the meeting. “Our general orders prohibit [chasing scooters in cars].”
“If they’re on the roadway we can’t chase them,” agreed Maryland-National Capital Park Police Assistant Chief Yasmin Brown. “But on the trails, we’re trying to utilize our officers on those same types of vehicles
that may be able to deter.”
Mitchell expressed hope that UMPD will be able to put more officers on bicycles to patrol the campus.
“I have to weigh out, you know, is it worth me going into opposing traffic to try to stop that e-scooter, who’s probably now already half a mile down the road?” Hoaas said. “But it does make it easier if you’re on a bicycle, as a bicycle officer.”
Hoaas said some scooter drivers don’t realize they have to follow the same traffic rules as cars.
“The reality is, oftentimes, they don’t realize that they need to be in the road and that they need to follow the rules of the road, like in a car, truck or SUV,” Hoaas said.
Maryland legally classifies low-speed e-scooters and ebikes as bicycles, which also must obey local traffic laws when on the road, even though a license is not required.
The University of Maryland lowered the campus speed limit to 15 mph at the start of the fall semester, and UMPD will continue with a program in which officers once a month target scooter drivers who break traffic rules.
Riders receiving citations on campus can expect a fine.
For example, failure to stop at a stop sign can result in a $90 fine, according to Hoaas.
Anh Le, a UMD senior, had been riding an electric scooter to class along Route 1 since 2020 but stopped after receiving her first citation, a parking fine for $35, last academic year. She had locked her scooter to a hand rail instead of to a bike rack or in a designated scooter lot.
“UMD has strengthened the rules for using electronic vehicles,” she said. Le cited a lack of storage space and charging ports on campus and along Route 1 as other reasons she stopped riding her electric scooter in College Park.
Le has owned two electric scooters since her freshman year. Her first one was stolen from campus and never recovered.
E-scooter riders are increasingly being cited for traffic violations on Route 1 and on campus. GIUSEPPE LOPICCOLO
COLLEGE PARK POST
DECEMBER 2024
Deck the City Holiday Decorating Contest
Nominate your home or a neighbor’s by December 16
‘Tis the season to get festive - the City’s annual Deck the City Holiday Decorating Contest is back!
Nominate your own home, your neighbor’s home, or any of the awesomely decorated homes you see in College Park! Nominations will be accepted until December 16, 2024.
The contest is open to residential addresses within the City of College Park only. Each person can submit more than one entry for nomination. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on December 16, 2024 at www. collegeparkmd.gov/deckthecity. All entries must have photos of the decorations in order to be entered.
Submitted entries will be posted on the City’s Facebook page for voting. Online voting will occur on the City’s Facebook page on December 17th through December 19th. The photo with the most likes will be the online digital winner! Winners will be determined by the total number of likes/reactions on individual pictures posted on Facebook.
Awards will be given to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Winners of the online voting will receive a gift card to their favorite College Park business for $100, $50, and $25 for first, second, and third place. There will also be a Mayor’s Choice award. Winners will be announced online on December 20th. Winners for both online voting and Mayor’s Choice will receive yard signs to show off their accomplishments.
Nominate a festive College Park home today! Visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/deckthecity to enter a submission or learn more.
Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 20, 2025 with the City of College Park! Watch his legacy come to life with a stunning laser show, a thought-provoking movie screening, and a book giveaway. Don’t forget a donation to our food drive to be a part of the change!
Black History Tribute Laser Program
January 20 | 1:00 & 2:00PM | City Hall (7401 Baltimore Ave.)
Blast into the past and honor the incredible contributions of African Americans to our nation’s history! This dazzling 40-minute program combines an enchanting laser light show with an inspiring soundtrack, transporting students through time and highlighting the profound impact of African Americans on our culture and history. Perfect for students of all ages, this engaging show is a fantastic way to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Book Giveaway for Students
January 20 | 1:00 & 2:00PM | City Hall (7401 Baltimore Ave.)
As part of the program, we will be giving away free books focused on Black history and the life of Martin Luther King Jr. to children attendees! This is a wonderful opportunity to inspire young minds, promote literacy in our community, and learn about African American history.
Movie Screening: Selma
January 20 | 4:00PM | City Hall (7401 Baltimore Ave.)
After the laser show, join us for a special screening of the powerful lm “Selma” at 5PM. This critically-acclaimed movie chronicles the historic 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, highlighting the struggle for civil rights and the enduring legacy of Dr. King.
Support Our Community
January 1-31
Throughout the month of January, we will be collecting food donations at City Hall and Davis Hall to support the College Park Community Food Bank. Please support those in need by donating perishable food items.
Duvall Field Revitalization
Revitalizing a community hub in College Park
In the heart of northern College Park lies Duvall Field, a place that has been bringing neighbors together for decades. Since its creation in the 1960s, the park has been a hub for local sports teams, family outings, and community events. Over the years, it has seen its share of updates, including an ADA-compliant playground in 1998 and a new concession and restroom building in 2017. But now, the City of College Park is embarking on the next phase of it’s ambitious plan to reimagine the park, making it a vibrant space for everyone to enjoy.
The transformation is rooted in community input. Through a series of workshops, public forums, and meetings with residents and local organizations, the City integrated the community’s vision into the design of the neighborhood park. From better athletic fields to shaded picnic areas and more family-friendly features, the message was clear: Duvall Field should be a place where everyone feels welcome and can find something to do.
The new design will replace the worn-out fields with a flexible multiuse turfgrass field, perfect for soccer, rugby, and cricket, as well as a new baseball field, complete with bleachers for spectators. For those who prefer a relaxing walk, the park will include a perimeter trail, an outdoor amphitheater for concerts or movie nights, and upgraded playgrounds for children of all ages. Shaded picnic areas and gardens will provide quiet spots for relaxation or small gatherings. The park will also see improvements to ADA accessibility. The park will also retain the existing 76 parking spaces.
Beyond its amenities, the redevelopment reflects a deep commitment to sustainability. Bioretention centers, native pollinator plants, and eco-friendly materials are part of the plan, helping manage stormwater and create a greener, more inviting environment.
Additionally, improvements to ADA accessibility will incorporate best stormwater management practices, taking a holistic approach to enhancing stormwater control across the entire property. These features aren’t just practical—they signal a future where Duvall Field is as much about preservation as it is about play.
Duvall Field may be smaller than some of its neighboring county parks, but it is packed with amenities and poised to become a central hub for entertainment in the City. Phase 2 development costs are projected to total approximately $8 million, and the City is actively seeking grants to help offset a portion of these costs. Despite the significant investment, the vision is to create a park that stands out as a defining feature of College Park—a place that brings people together, celebrates the community’s diversity, and serves as a gathering space for generations to enjoy.
By Spring/Summer 2026, Duvall Field will have a fresh new look and feel, while staying true to its roots as the community’s backyard. Whether you’re there for a game, an afternoon walk, or a movie night under the stars, the reimagined park will be a place to create memories, share laughter, and celebrate everything that makes College Park so special.
Spay & Neuter Services
Free services available for eligible residents
Hey, pet parents of College Park! The City is rolling out an amazing program to help you and your furry friends live your best lives.
We’re offering free spay/neuter services to eligible residents, making it easier than ever to keep your pets healthy and prevent stray litters from roaming our streets.
Spaying or neutering your pet reduces health risks and curbs unwanted behaviors. Your pet can also recieve their rabies shot, or be microchipped.
Who’s eligible?
If you live in the City of College Park or reside within the 20740 zip code and meet certain income or benefit criteria (such as EBT, Medicaid, or VA Disability), you’re in!
Fill out an application at www. collegeparkmd.gov/pets. Remember to bring proof of income and residency.
Let’s work together to reduce stray pets and make College Park a pawsitively awesome place!
City Announcements
More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov
CHRISTMAS DAY
HOLIDAY CLOSURE
All City of College Park offices will be closed on Wednesday, December 25 in observance of the Christmas Day holiday. All City offices will close at 1pm on Tuesday, December 24.
Monday and Tuesday collections will happen as regularly scheduled, but Wednesday collections will occur on Thursday, December 26. Special collections will only occur on Friday, December 27 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.
NEW YEAR’S DAY
HOLIDAY CLOSURE
All City of College Park offices will be closed on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday.
Monday and Tuesday collections will happen as regularly scheduled, but Wednesday collections will occur on Thursday, January 2. Special collections will only occur on Friday, January 3, 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.
RECOGNIZE AND AVOID CYBER CRIME EVENT
Join the City of College Park’s Seniors Committee and AgeFriendly Work Group on January 10, 2025 at 10am at the Branchville Fire Department (4905 Branchville Rd.)!
This enlightening talk will explore how to recognize and avoid the rising threat of electronic fraud in today’s digital age. This talk is perfect for seniors looking to enhance their knowledge and confidence in navigating the digital world safely, and for all who want to learn more about the current threats and safeguards against electronic fraud.
HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS
This holiday season, remember to follow these safety tips:
• Stay aware of your surroundings, avoid distractions like phone use or music, and walk with purpose and confidence.
• Travel with others when possible and stick to well-lit, well-traveled areas, especially at night.
• Protect electronics by keeping them out of sight and use tracking systems if available.
• Avoid using ATMs in isolated areas; use those in busy, well-populated places during daylight.
• Don’t display large amounts of cash or excessive jewelry while in public.
• Keep your wallet in your front pocket or inside jacket for better security.
• For women, carry a small, secure handbag that you can hold close to your body.
• When shopping, stay alert, walk in well-lit areas, and avoid shortcuts.
• Park in busy, well-lit areas and avoid parking next to large vehicles.
• Lock your car, store valuables in the trunk, and avoid carrying large sums of cash—use cards instead.
TIPS TO AVOID BEING A CARJACKING VICTIM:
• Always lock your car
• Never leave your vehicle idling/running unattended –even if your key fob is on you, someone can still drive off with your car until it stops or gas runs out
• Always keep track of your keys, never leave them inside the vehicle
• Do not leave children unattended inside your vehicle
• Park in a safe spot, and
• Stay alert and aware of your surroundings
• If you are a victim of a crime, report it immediately by calling 911
REPORTING EMERGENCIES
Report Emergencies to 9-1-1 including any crimes or suspicious activities. Prince George’s County Police also accepts reports of non-emergency incident or issues (including fraud, traffic hazard, inside flooding, lost property, vandalism, etc.) online. You may complete a report here. Submit a report by phone at 301-352-1200.
Report Non-Emergency Issues to the City, call the 24/7 Hotline at 240.487.3588 or visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/tellus.
SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL
Be prepared for winter
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.
• 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.
NEWS BRIEFS
BUS SERVICE
A bus line from North Bethesda to College Park is a casualty of Metro’s first major overhaul of the Metrobus network in half a century.
The C8 bus route, which includes a stop at The National Archives at College Park, at 8601 Adelphi Road, will be eliminated in 2025 as part of Metro’s Better Bus Network Redesign project.
According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the initiative aims to make bus service more frequent and consistent.
College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir noted that the route is the only public transportation option for those visiting the National Archives at College Park.
“Eliminating this service would force more people into cars, exacerbating traffic congestion and increasing pollution in our area,” Kabir wrote in his blog, Kabir Cares, noting that the National Archives at College Park employs 1,100 and draws nearly 30,000 researchers each year.
“We hope that our advocacy will encourage WMATA to
reconsider their proposal and keep the C8 bus route operational.” Kabir wrote. “Residents and community members who are concerned about this issue are encouraged to stay engaged and support our efforts. Together, we can work to maintain a robust and accessible public transportation system for College Park and beyond.”
DOG PARK
More than 70 people have signed a Change.org petition asking the city to build a dog park in the Calvert Hills neighborhood of College Park.
Gavin Fox, the petition’s poster, said the city’s only dog park, located in the Hollywood neighborhood of North College Park, is too far for him to travel from his downtown home.
“Our pets need a space closer to home where they can run, play and socialize freely,” Fox wrote on the petition. “The lack of a nearby dog park hinders the normal daily exercise our pets require for their physical and mental wellbeing.”
College Park City Councilmember John Rigg (District 3)
briefly addressed the possibility of a dog park during a Nov.12 city council meeting.
“I can say that there will be both voices of support and voices of dissent in the community,” he predicted.
IF YOU LIVED HERE
The WETA PBS series “If You Lived Here” featured College Park on its Nov. 25 episode.
The house-hunter TV show’s hosts, Jen Osborn and Ricardo Frederick Evans, accompanied realtor Don Bunuan on visits to College Park homes. The trio toured a condo in Westchester Park, a traditional home in the Hollywood area and a fivebedroom Victorian house a few blocks from the University of Maryland (UMD).
Viewers also got a quick lesson in College Park history via visits to UMD’s Hornbake Library and the College Park Aviation Museum.
The series bills itself as a feature that “spotlights a wide array of neighborhoods and properties throughout the national capital area while celebrating each area’s history, culture,
notable places and flavor.”
“We’re excited to see how WETA captures the essence of what makes our city such a special place to live, work and explore,” College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir wrote on his blog.
NEW STUDENT LIAISON
One of the University of Maryland’s (UMD) student liaisons to the College Park City Council has stepped down.
Deputy liaison John Fahmy had been appointed by primary student liaison Erica Otte in June.
Fahmy was replaced by AnnaKaye McDonald, who attended her first council meeting on Nov. 19. McDonald’s first appearance as deputy liaison was at a meeting of the Lakeland community.
“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me as a deputy student liaison,” McDonald told the council. “You guys have been very gracious, and I appreciate that, and Erica has done a very good job keeping me up to date, so I appreciate that.”
MOM’s employees vote to stay in union
By LILLIAN GLAROS
Workers at MOM’s Organic Market on Rhode Island Avenue voted 22-9 on Nov. 19 to keep their union.
The vote came after an attempt by some unionized employees, aided by the anti-union National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, to decertify, or remove, the union as the workers’ bargaining representative.
“We’re ecstatic that the bargaining unit voted yes again for the union … and rightfully so,” Laura Jackson, a MOM’s employee, said. “They want job protections, they want livable wages and better health insurance. They voted yes for that today.”
According to Patrick Semmens, the vice president of the right-to-work foundation, decertification of the union would have stripped the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 400 of its ability to enter into a contract and charge member dues.
But Jonathan Williams, the communications director for the union, said without a union and its bargaining power, workers would have no control over their working conditions, wag-
es and benefits.
Still, Maria Sanya Dobbins, the MOM’s employee who led the effort to decertify, said the workers do not need a union, even though 80% of employees who voted in December 2022 on whether to unionize supported the effort.
Supporters at that time said the store engaged in unfair workplace practices, offering employees no paid time off during their first two years on the
job, a restricted amount of sick time, low wages and dangerous work conditions, The Diamondback reported in October 2023.
“I have been working for MOM’s for 19 years,” Dobbins said in a press release published by the right-to-work group. “We have an understanding management team that has always been there for us and our families. We do not need a union to come and take money out of our paycheck when we have the best management team.”
But Jackson, who is part of the bargaining team, said store officials “simply don’t want to bargain over fair wages.”
Jackson said the effort to decertify the union started when negotiations between the union and store management got to the wage portion of the union contract, which has not yet been finalized.
Semmens said the decertification effort might have
stemmed, in part, from the fact that a union contract has not been reached nearly a year after employees voted to join the union.
But Williams said the contract effort often is a time-consuming process.
“This is a long process in most cases,” Williams said. “Often the first union contract takes well over a year to negotiate because you’re beginning from scratch. You’re not modifying an existing agreement. You’re starting with a blank page.”
Williams said the union is sympathetic to the concerns of some workers about the length of time it is taking to reach an agreement, but he said the union is making progress.
For example, Williams said, the union reached a tentative agreement with the market on a three-step employee disciplinary process and a 10-minute grace period for tardiness.
“What we can guarantee is that we will fight tooth and nail for what our members think is most important,” Williams said.
Williams also said the decertification effort was encouraged both by the store’s management and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation because of “dollars and cents.”
“This is all part of an effort to undermine the ability of these employees to exercise their rights and win a contract that improves their jobs,” Williams said.
The store has also engaged in some “union-busting” tactics, according to Jackson.
For example, Jackson said she was disciplined after posting flyers for the union shortly after she had received a positive performance review.
“It’s making people feel scared about being pro-union,” Jackson said.
Employees of MOM’s Organic Market march to support their union, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400. COURTESY OF UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
DEC.
1-16
Deck the City Competition. Nominate your own home, your neighbor’s home or any decorated homes you see in College Park. Nominations will be accepted from Dec. 1-16. All entries must have photos of the decorations in order to be entered. Online voting will occur on the city’s Facebook page from Dec. 17-19, and winners will be announced online on Dec. 20.
DEC. 12
Book club. Join this book club that meets on the second Thursday of each month. The Dec.12 book is “My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante. Free. 7-8:30 pm. College Park Community Library (9407 Rhode Island Ave.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/5n88wzmj.
Holiday Potluck. The North College Park Community Association is holding a potluck at Davis Hall (9217 51st Ave.) after its regular member meeting. Bring a friend. 7:30 p.m.
Time for Three, Home for the Holidays. Time for Three, featuring violinists and vocalists Nick Kendall and Charles Yang, with Ranaan Meyer on voice and double bass, are hosting a performance of movie soundtracks, playing new classics by composer Kevin Puts for the acclaimed Deutsche Grammophon label, catchy indie rock cuts like their breakout radio hit “Vertigo” and presenting Home for the Holidays, a winter wonderland of holiday favorite arrangements, including “The Christmas Song,” Edelweiss,” “Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and a special Hanukkah mash-up. Prices range from $20-$50. 7:30 p.m. (8270 Alumni Dr.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/5n6tmppb.
DEC. 13
Holiday Trains and Planes. Take part in this annual Trains and Planes program. Meet and greet fellow train hobbyists and go back in time experiencing the sights and sounds of their train displays. Free.10 a.m-4 p.m. (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr.). Repeating through the 15th. For more information and registry visit https://tinyurl.com/ bdeyuw64.
DEC. 14
Elves Workshop at community center. Make handmade gifts, including compact
mirrors and fridge magnets, decoupage tins, tissue paper stained glass, earrings and bracelets, peg doll angels, weaving coasters from yarn and more. Volunteer elves are welcome. Free.11 a.m - 4 p.m. College Park Community Center (5051 Pierce Ave.). For more info contact info@cpae.org.
Children’s Arts Drop-in printing wrapping paper. Bring kids in for fun, materials-based activities for children ages 3-8 with their caregivers, led by Ian Rogers, a local artist and early childhood educator with 30 years of experience. Free. 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/3wxa72sr.
DEC. 17
Book Club. “A Chance to Harmonize: How FDR’s Hidden Mu-
sic Unit Sought to Save America from the Great Depression — One Song at a Time,” by Sheryl Kaskowitz. Free. 7-8:30 p.m. College Park Community Library (9407 Rhode Island Ave.). For more information visit https:// tinyurl.com/ybm7stza.
DEC. 22
Christmas Caroling. Join the College Park Arts Exchange for an hour of caroling. Free. 7-8 p.m. Drexel and Rhode Island Aves. For more info email chorale@cpae.org.
DEC.
31
New Year’s Eve w/Johnny Seaton and Bad Behavior Band. Celebrate New Year’s Eve with the Johnny Seaton and Bad Behavior band. $50 paid by Dec. 29. 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. College Park American Legion Post 217 (9218 Baltimore Ave.). For more information call 301935-5308.
JAN. 4
Folding Paper Stars Workshop. Learn to fold beautiful paper stars as home decorations. $10. 1-4 p.m. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/yc68jccp.
JAN. 11
Art Drop-In beaded snowflakes. Come to this fun art drop-in activity. Free. 12:30-2 pm. Old Parish House (4711 Knox Rd.). For more information visit https://tinyurl.com/3hpkzsaj.
REPEATING
Line Dance. Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers offers a class with step-by-step instruction, and students then perform dances to soul, gospel and pop music. Free. Every Friday from 10 a.m -11 a.m. Zoom. For more information and the registration link email info@cpae.org.
ADOBE STOCK PHOTO
and they’re often tailored toward the local community and … focus on local food, culture, tradition. There’s a huge benefit of buying locally.”
Research bears that out. The American Independent Business Alliance estimates that for every $100 spent at a major retailer or chain store, approximately $14 finds its way back into the local economy. The same sum spent at an independent local store or restaurant, on the other hand, puts up to $50 back into community cash registers.
“Money gets to stay in the community and strengthens the local economy,” Zhang said. “And a strengthened economy benefits everybody.”
In a proclamation just before Small Business Saturday—the Saturday after Thanksgiving— College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir encouraged residents to keep their holiday dollars in the city. College Park is home to dozens of small shops that offer an alternative to shopping at the mall or online.
Game Kastle, at 4748 Cherry Hill Road, for example, specializes in board, card and tabletop games, ranging from Dungeons
& Dragons to Monopoly.
Store associate Anthony Johnson said so far this holiday season, shoppers are showing an interest in card games like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering, because the makers of both have recently released sets that make it easier for beginners to get into the games.
“It’s more so people looking into getting into games for the holidays,” Johnson said. “More so gifting things for people that are into games for the holidays, too.”
Plus, Johnson said, parents have been shopping for trading cards and dice sets to wrap up for their kids this season.
John Staton, an employee at Third Eye Comics, at 4744 Cherry Hill Road, said gift-givers can find games, graphic novels, manga—
comics and graphic novels from Japan—and figurines at the store.
He said the store’s No. 1 gift for the holidays for comic book fans are the graphic novels, books that combine what he said is the equivalent of four to six issues of a typical comic into one book.
“It makes a nice, you know, good gift for your friend,” Staton said. “Give them a good bit of freedom.”
For smokers on a shopper’s gift list, The Bamboo Eater, at 9935 Rhode Island Avenue, offers pipes and cigars.
“It’s the holidays, so people like to go for a high-end cigar,” Bryan Haddad, the store’s owner, said. “There’s some really wonderful cigars … some very high-end cigars at, like, $30 apiece, and they’re killer gifts.”
For a traditional gift of cloth-
ing—even on a budget—the resale shop Uptown Cheapskate, at 9122 Baltimore Avenue, offers second-hand fashions, but the most popular item this season is sneakers, according to store owner Elizabeth Butler.
And while shoppers are buying gifts, they’re also looking for holiday outfits for themselves and, as the weather cools off, sweaters and other cozy pieces “to keep people warm at reasonable prices,” Butler said.
Food and flowers are appropriate gifts for co-workers and outof-town friends, some retailers said.
Capitol Kettle Corn, scheduled to open in the Hollywood Shopping Center on Dec. 19, sells what manager and founder JC Clark called “comfort confectionaries,” like mini-doughnuts, snacks, lemonade, and, of course, kettle corn.
“Most people are buying gift sets,” Clark said. “That’s what they’re looking for, something quick and easy they can either [give as gifts] or have at home.”
At Wood’s Flowers and Gifts, at 9223 Baltimore Avenue, poinsettias are, as expected, a popular purchase at this time of year.
Store manager Sage Williams said the florist also is selling a lot of Christmas-themed arrangements with greenery, pine cones
and holly berries.
“They have a really nice fragrance that people like to include into their home, to have that kind of Christmas spirit along with the flowers,” Williams said.
Other local shops sell holiday favorites as well. Proteus Bicycles, at 9827 Rhode Island Avenue, offers bikes, electric bikes and apparel, for example, and Smile Herb Shop, at 4908 Berwyn Road, specializes in herbs, teas and supplements for stuffing holiday stockings.
Shop Made in Maryland, on the street level of city hall at 7401 Baltimore Avenue, has a collection of hand-made jewelry, clothing, décor and cards created by Maryland artists and hobbyists.
“Those products are hard to find on the internet,” Zhang said.
Zhang advised shoppers to resist the temptation to buy massproduced gifts online simply because they’re on sale.
“Instead of being deal driven, [local merchants] are offering a one-of-a-kind product that incorporates the local culture or history,” she said. “That’s what drives shoppers to buy locally.”
Zhang added: “In addition, you are helping the local economy. You are helping your neighboring citizens who live in the neighborhood.”
q u a r a n t i k i i s c l o s e d f o r s e a s o n , b u t t h e
g o o d t i m e s r o l l o n i n s i d e . . .
P l e a s e c h e c k o u r F a c e b o o k & I n s t a g r a m f o r u p d a t e s !
N e w , f r e s h , s e a s o n a l f o o d a l l y e a r r o u n d !
c o m e g r a b a b e e r f r o m o u r f a n t a s t i c b r e w m a s t e r j e f f
h a n c o c k ! t h e r e ’ s a l w a y s s o m e t h i n g n e w t o t r y
g i f t s , t o y s , c a n d y , b e e r , w i n e , t h e u n i q u e & t h e o d d
a v a i l a b l e e v e r y d a y i n t h e g e n e r a l s t o r e !
r e s t a u r a n t h o u r s : S u n d a y - T u e s d a y 1 1 a m - 9 p m ,
W e d n e s d a y - S a t u r d a y 1 1 a m - 1 0 p m .
G e n e r a l S t o r e : o p e n e v e r y d a y 1 1 a m - 9 p m !
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Gifts like flowers and food are good choices for co-workers, bosses and outof-town friends. Shown, poinsettias at Wood’s Flowers and Gifts. JALEN WADE
“I think it’s mostly because you want to provide the public with the option of handmade products,” Baez said. “And we are all here for this event, and we feel that this is something that we like to do, just be one on one with the community and the customers that we have gathered throughout the years.”
Eleven-year-old Maya Christie and her 8-year-old sister Nevaeh said they were most excited about meeting Santa.
One of the more popular attractions with children was the petting zoo, which rested on the Knox Road vendor alley and had animals from Mary’s Go Round Petting Zoo. The zoo had four pens containing a miniature zebu cow, an alpaca, two sheep, two goats, and a donkey, rabbits and chickens.
“I think they [children] actually have a great time making friends,” Dean Watson, an employee with Mary’s Go Round, said. “Last year, there were a lot of kids that ended up bonding over this. So Mary’s Go Round loves doing this event.”
Children flocked to the various animal pens. They reached their hands into the cages to pet and feed the animals, which were dressed in festive sweaters.
The animals also attracted onlookers who weren’t visiting the festival.
Michelle Marmo, from Virginia, was leaving Ledo’s Pizza, which is across the street from city hall, with her two children Matthew, 7, and Allison, 2. The kids spot-
ted the animals but were afraid to touch them, because one of them was wearing an elf sweater and they are not allowed to touch the Elf on the Shelf their mom keeps at home.
“Pretty exciting,” Marmo said of the festivities.
The winter wonderland theme extended to the indoors at city hall.
In the main lobby was a table of ginger-
bread houses, created by the finalists of a month-long competition that ended on Saturday.
In the building’s community room, a dozen or so children watched a puppet show depicting a story about Rufus, a rednosed rain dog. Michael Cotter, a puppeteer with Blue Sky Puppet Theater, of University Park, said the festival is essential for the community.
“It’s really all about getting the family out and being part of College Park and just creating community,” Cotter said. “You know … the job of this organization, and my job, too, is to create community.”
College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir said the holidays are about family and community, and so is the festival.
“This is the time of the year when the people come together as a family, as a community, and they appreciate what we have and have a relaxed time and celebrate the community so that is the significance of this event,” Kabir said. “And also the appreciation of the businesses, local businesses, and local arts and the culture is another part of it.”
But whether pastor or politician, a common ground for both passions is his love for community.
“As a good Christian, you should love your neighbor,” Ranker said. “That means you should know them. It helps at least to know them to love them; to build relationships with them. I also think it’s what a good citizen should do. It’s what a good neighbor — it’s just what a good person should do. … Is that connected to my faith? Yes, but it is not exclusive to my faith.”
The first of three children, Ranker was born in Reisterstown, Maryland, in 1982. When he was 11, his father died in a car accident. Ranker said neighbors played a significant role in relieving the difficulties that followed.
“We were able to get by and do well because of our community,” he said. “Some of that was church community and some of that was our neighborhood. That was such an integral part of my childhood. ... I’m a better person because of those relationships.”
Ranker went to seminary between 2007 and 2011. He became Lutheran chaplain at UMD’s Interfaith Memorial Chapel in 2011 and got married the same year. He moved back to College Park with his wife, Karin Brown, where he restarted his neighborhood association and became its leader.
“You want to know and care about what’s going on in other places, but you also want to know: What is your next-door neighbor up to?” he asked. “What are they struggling with? How can I support them?”
But getting people to key into this has not always been easy,
and it got worse with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s harder to get people sometimes to dedicate time to something, if it’s a positive thing like that,” he said. “Because it’s harder to define. ... You can see it much more if it is a hunted rabid deer running through and eating everybody’s plants.”
In 2023, Ranker and his wife began weekly community potluck dinners at their home in College Park Estates to bring people together during the holidays.
“It was a good experience,” Andrew Vigliotta, the program coordinator for the campus Lutheran ministry, The Humble Walk, said of the dinners. “People were just happy to be there, happy to have that invitation.”
Vigliotta has worked with Ranker at The Humble Walk for nearly two years.
“He’s just so into community and relationships, and I think that’s the driving factor behind a lot of the things he does, even if it’s not religious,” Vigliotta said.
A significant part of The Humble Walk is a dinner and worship service every Sunday night. Students gather weekly at the Hope Lutheran Church and Student Center, on Guilford Drive, to share a meal, worship and listen to Ranker’s sermon. The ministry
also hosts interfaith events with students from other religions and organizes after-school programs designed to support elementary school kids from neighboring communities.
One such program, CARing Kids, founded 30 years ago by Ranker’s predecessor, Beth Platt, supports first- to fifth-graders from non-English speaking families in Langley Park, with school assignments. Twenty-four years after Ranker joined the program as a student volunteer in 2000, he now supervises it.
Each child is paired with a student volunteer, and after schoolwork, they play and share snacks prepared by retired dietician Paulette Thompson.
“He’s pretty phenomenal in the way he approaches his job and the students,” Thompson said of the pastor. “He makes it really engaging and educational.”
Ranker also supervises two similar programs: El-Camino and Start, which he said struggled during the pandemic. Tutoring sessions moved online, but some families lacked internet access for their kids.
He relied on partnerships with community members in Langley Park to provide internet services for the children. Collaborating with another organization, Casa de Maryland, he raised about $10,000 for a feeding program for the children and their families during the pandemic.
Although fully committed to the church, Ranker has remained drawn to politics. In 2018, he ran as an independent candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates.
“I lost by a lot,” he said.
Ranker knew that being an independent candidate could reduce his chances of winning, but felt that accepting huge do-
nations, a practice common with major-party candidates, might make him indebted to donors with unclear interests.
He also wanted to raise awareness over issues around money in politics and inspire a system more focused on solving problems for regular citizens.
“This was an attempt to try to change [the system] from the outside,” he said. “I do not fault anybody that tries to do it from the inside. Probably next time, if there was a next time, I would do it that way.”
Though he still feels passionate about it, Ranker said he is unsure he will run for political office any time soon.
“There’s certainly plenty of things I would have done differently if I had to do it over,” he said about life regrets. “But I think what I try to do in all things is to be loving and caring of my neighbor.”
UMD Lutheran Chaplain Ray Ranker makes community a part of his ministry. IJEOMA OPARA
The city’s Winter Wonderland festival featured a petting zoo with animals dressed in holiday sweaters. GIUSEPPE LOPICCOLO
Meals on Wheels to stay in Riverdale
BY JALEN WADE and IJEOMA OPARA
Meals on Wheels of College Park, which moved out of the city in 2021 into a larger space, is not scheduled to return any time soon.
Although Lisa Eally, the local chapter’s chair, said at the time that the move would be temporary, she said the organization has not found a College Park location with enough space for cooking, equipment, storage and parking.
“We’re doing whatever we can to find a location back in College Park,” Eally told College Park Here & Now. “We thought that we had a location in College Park, but ultimately we decided that would not be a good fit for us, so we did not go forward with that. [City] councilmembers still would like us to come back to College Park.”
That location was Flats at College Park, a 317-unit affordable apartment building under construction on Route 1 between Delaware and Cherokee streets, but the organization reportedly was unable to come to an agree-
MEALS ON WHEELS TURNS 50
By JALEN WADE
Meals on Wheels of College Park turned 50 this year.
The local chapter began in 1974 and worked out of the College Park United Methodist Church on Rhode Island Avenue until 2021, when it outgrew its space because of heightened demand for meals.
The organization moved in 2021 to the Elks Lodge building on Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale.
ment with the developer about the use of the space.
Meals on Wheels of College Park, which distributes meals to senior citizens who are unable to shop or prepare their own food, had operated out of the College Park United Methodist Church since it started in 1974. Its current location is the Elks Lodge building on Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale.
The College Park City Council had planned to tap $800,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation—federal
The group delivered 67,500 meals so far in 2024 to senior citizens who need assistance shopping for and preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to Lisa Eally, the chapter’s chair.
Beatrice Wallace, a volunteer who makes and bags sandwiches, said she joined to remain active when she retired. Working with Meals On Wheels has given her the chance to help and meet new people, Wallace said.
The group of 125 volunteers and two paid staff members delivers meals in College Park, Greenbelt, Beltsville, Berwyn Heights and Adelphi.
money granted during the pandemic—to help the organization pay for its move back to the city.
But by law, the council has to formally allocate all of its ARPA funds by the end of this year, so when the Flats deal fell through and the organization put its move on hold, the council reallocated the money to other city projects, including a renovation of Attick Towers, a public housing apartment building for senior citizens.
At the same time, however, the council set aside $400,000 out
of its general funds for Meals on Wheels to use if it moves during fiscal year 2025, which ends in June. That amount far exceeds the city’s usual annual donation of $10,000 to $15,000 to help pay for meals.
In addition, the council allocated $455,000 of ARPA money, which it divided among Meals on Wheels and four other local meal delivery services to spend over the next two years.
Councilmember Stuart Adams (District 3) said the council has “put emphasis [and] substantial
dollars” into supporting nonprofit food services. “The support that the city has pushed toward these types of services are magnitudes [more than] what it used to be. … The overall intent, the overall investment is just magnitudes greater, and it hasn’t faltered.”
Eally said the demand for meals skyrocketed during the pandemic from about 30 to 40 seniors to nearly 200. In addition, the organization’s staff has grown from 50 volunteers to 125.
City Councilmember John Rigg (District 3) said the city is evaluating how much support it can offer to meal services in the future, now that federal ARPA funding will no longer be available.
“The organization also needs to make sure that they’re sustainable from other revenue sources,” Rigg said. “They need to make sure they have diversified those revenue sources.”
Meals on Wheels operates on a mix of donations, government assistance and payments of $6 a day from clients, who get breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to Eally.
