may 2011 hyattsville life & times

Included: The May 11, 2011 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section

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A sWEET TREAT ON ROUTE 1Hyattsville gets its own frozen yogurt shop, Yogi Castle, where you can add healthy – or not so healthy – toppings to your creation. PAGE 3

BUDGET continued on page 12

gETTINg INTOTHE ACTHyattsville is home to many artists -- and not only the kind that paint and sculpt. Meet four local actors. PAGE 6

Think kids on their skateboards are a new nuisance? Try being a resident in 1908, when roller skates were banned. PAGE 2

NO sKATERs ALLOWED

HyattsvilleMay 2011Hyattsville’s Community NewspaperVol. 8 No. 5

Life&Times

by Paula Minaert

Th e annual Historic Hyatt sville House Tour takes place on Sun-day, May 15. It’s a venerable city tradition, now in its 32nd year, that draws both city residents and visitors from all over the re-gion to walk through our show-case residences, businesses and other landmark buildings. One year the 1930s-era post offi ce

Behind the scenes of the house tour

New council to face tough budget questions

by Susie Currie

Two sons of Hyatt sville’s oldest families lost their council seats to fi rst-time candidates in the city elections on May 3, while Marc Tartaro captured 63 percent of votes cast in the mayoral race.

Wards 3, 4 and 5 were uncontested, returning representatives Tim Hunt, Paula Perry and Nicole Hinds Mofor, respectively, to the dais for another four-year term.

Councilmembers-elect Candace Hollingsworth (Ward 1) and Shani Warner (Ward 2), in their fi rst civic elections, unseated incumbents whose ties to Hyatt sville go back generations. In Ward 2, Bill Tierney is the great-nephew of Hyatt sville’s fi rst mayor; Doug Dudrow, whose family started some of the fi rst businesses on Route 1, began represent-ing Ward 1 before Hollingsworth was born.

by Karen J. Riley

Higher expenses and a fl at tax rate will likely translate into lean-er times for the Hyatt sville city government in the next year.

Preliminary briefi ngs by staff suggest that the 2012 budget will include litt le room for new spending on city services. In fact, the need to address deferred cap-ital improvements will require some budget cuts next year, pre-dicts outgoing Mayor Bill Gar-diner.

Key factors in the city’s tight fi scal times include steeper debt service payments and much higher benefi t costs — including an estimated 5 percent increase for health care insurance and a whopping 63 percent increase for worker’s compensation insur-ance, Hyatt sville City Adminis-trator Gregory Rose told the city council on April 18.

At the same time, he said, a fl at economy means that tax revenue is litt le changed, despite the ex-pected infl ux of new businesses. In 2012, the city expects to col-lect $15.8 million in revenue compared to $15.3 million this year.

Both the real property tax rate

Hyatt sville’s own all-star police offi cer

by Paula Minaert

Detective Suzie Johnson of the Hyatt sville Police Department is a fi nalist in America’s Most Wanted All-Star Award for 2011.

Sponsored by the popular tele-vision program, the award hon-ors every year the country’s fi rst responders – the police offi cers, fi refi ghters, and paramedics who serve on the front lines in emer-gencies.

Th e winner will receive $10,000 and an all-expenses-paid week-end in Charlott e, N.C. for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Challenge.

Johnson, a Hyatt sville native,

Detective Suzie Johnson nominated for national honor

ALL-STAR continued on page 10

TOUR continued on page 13

Voters choose Tartaro for mayor, two newcomers for council

ELECTION continued on page 12

THE CHANGING OF THE

GUARDIncoming Mayor Marc Tartaro with newly-minted city councilmembers Shani Warner (center) and Candace Hollingsworth.

Hyattsville Life & Times | May 2011

A community newspaper chronicling the

life and times of Hyattsville

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonpro� t

corporation. Interested reporters should send their e-mail addresses to

the editor to be reminded of deadlines and receive internal news. Articles and

news submitted may be edited. The deadline is the last week of the month for the following month’s issue. Letters to the editor and opinions are encour-aged. For all e-mail correspondence

with HL&T: news, features, tips, adver-tising and business write to [email protected]. To submit

articles, letters to the editor, etc., e-mail [email protected].

Executive Editor Paula Minaert

[email protected]

Managing EditorSusie Currie

[email protected]

ProductionAshley PerksAdvertising

[email protected]

Writers & ContributorsVictoria Hille

Bart LawrenceValerie Russell

Kimberly SchmidtHugh Turley

Board of Directors Julia Duin - President

Chris Currie - Vice PresidentJoseph Gigliotti - General Counsel

Paula Minaert - SecretaryPeggy Dee

Karen J. RileySusie Currie - Ex O� cio

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address

in Hyattsville. Additional copies are dis-tributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the

city. Total circulation is 8,000.

HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association.

FromTheEditor

by Susie Currie

Let me start by saying that I know that we’re not in Kansas anymore. Or, in my case, Ala-bama. But I hope you’ll bear with me just this once if I write about a city other than Hyatt sville.

By now, of course, you’ve heard about the record-sett ing torna-does that ripped through the South during Easter week, killing hundreds of people and leveling thousands of houses, businesses, churches and schools.

Much of that destruction was in my hometown of Tuscaloosa. Maybe you’ve seen the pictures

Sometimes you can’t go home again

by Kimberly Schmidt

In 1908, a Hyatt sville city or-dinance was passed to prohibit roller skating on the sidewalks of Maryland and Johnson avenues and Spencer Street (now Balti-more Avenue and Farragut and Gallatin streets). Elderly walk-ers and shoppers were beset by traffi c problems along Hyatt s-ville’s main shopping district, the Route 1 corridor, and “many packages went fl ying.”

Order needed to be restored. Ac-cording to the book Hyatt sville, Our Home Town, speed limits were imposed on “locomobiles and any other kind of vehicle whether pro-pelled by gasoline, electricity or any other kind of power; of horses att ached to carriages, wagons, or buggies; and of bicycles or any vehicle traveling the city streets.” Another ordinance outlawing “boisterous” gatherings on street corners was also passed.

Th ese ordinances speak to an active commercial and commu-nity life found in turn-of-the-century Hyatt sville. Th e city, about to mark its 25th year since incorporation, was in the midst

of a building boom brought about by advances in transporta-tion. Th is article marks the third and fi nal installment focusing on the history of Route 1.

Well-established transporta-tion routes already existed when Christopher C. Hyatt purchased his tract of land in 1845 at the intersection of the Washington and Baltimore Turnpike (which became part of Route 1) and the B&O Railroad. Th e railroad had served the area since 1833 and Hyatt wisely chose to es-tablish a small store, which also functioned as a post offi ce, along these transportation lines. Over the years, he and other develop-ers continued to purchase and subdivide land in the area.

By the 1880s, Hyatt sville expe-rienced its fi rst building boom as a summer resort for those with means from Washington, accord-ing to a 2003 study produced by University of Maryland students.

Post-Civil War Washington, D.C. was beset with sewage problems. Th ose who could escaped the heat and disease brought about by an infrastructure unable to keep pace with the population boom.

It wasn’t until the early 1900s that Hyatt sville became a “classic rail-way suburb,” with residents pur-chasing homes for year-round use and commuting to Washington for downtown jobs.

By 1893, a trolley line connected Hyatt sville to downtown Wash-ington, D.C. Initially service was sporadic but by 1899 the trolley ran every two minutes to its ter-minus at Fourth Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW. By 1909, steam rail lines served Hyatt sville, with service every fi ve minutes. Th e railway station, built in 1884, was said to be “one of the largest and most ornate on the D.C. line,” according to the 2003 study.

Trolleys and trains continued to serve the community until the 1950s, when the trolley line, which by this time extended as far north as Laurel, was fi nally discontinued due to the automo-

bile’s ascendance. Hyatt sville’s historic downtown suff ered when Prince George’s Plaza, the library and other services were built on the city’s periphery.

Incorporated in April 1886, Hyatt sville turned 125 last month. We continue to be a city of commuters who fan out into the Washington metro region every morning, many of us us-ing the Metro or traveling down Route 1 into the city.

Our history and workaday lives are still tied to transportation networks, although one cannot easily walk to West Hyatt sville’s green line from the city’s residen-tial historic core. Perhaps a trolley line is still needed, such as the one currently being constructed on H Street in Washington, D.C., to once again ferry commuters along historic Route 1 and into the Dis-trict.

Roller skating not allowed on Route 1

of President Obama’s visit there, where he promised federal aid and toured mind-numbing piles of debris (which later became even more surreal with the addi-tion of Charlie Sheen).

Aerial maps show what looks like brown chalk tracing a surprisingly linear path diagonally through town. It goes right through my old neighborhood. Only one house was left standing there on April 27 – and it wasn’t the brick colonial built by my great-grandparents, where I lived until transferring to the University of Maryland.

In the South I grew up in, the sense of place and home was con-sidered a bedrock value. When my husband, a native of Detroit, heard about our family’s frequent headstone-clearing pilgrimages to a tiny Mississippi cemetery, he

accused us of ancestor worship. (He was kidding at the time – I think – but that was before he learned of the same ancestors’ unspoken naming rights down through several generations.)

So, instead of watching the Royal Wedding, I was studying with growing horror the Facebook updates and photos from friends who still live or have family there. One, who now lives in Atlanta, wrote: “I was there today and your old neighborhood (and your old house) is GONE,” and then listed several other decimated neighbor-hoods we knew as well as our own. Others posted pictures of areas so mangled that even with the cap-tions I still can’t tell where they are or what they show.

Over the next few days, news sto-ries of looters were vastly outnum-

bered by the ones featuring volun-teers and donations. I knew help would come, though, because of what happened to our family there during a much earlier loss.

My mother was the last of our family in Tuscaloosa. Aft er she died, we had a week to sell the house and everything in it, and I’ll never forget that time.

People we’d never met came to our estate sale, and returned dai-ly until we left town, bearing cov-ered dishes or gallon jars of sweet tea, just to visit. Th e woman who bought my bedroom furniture said she felt bad for being so hap-py about her new purchase, and hugged us before taking it home.

On the last day of the sale, a woman who stopped by to rum-mage through the terra cott a pots in the garage took one look at our

bleary, numb faces and told us to sit right down, that she was going to bring over some homemade gumbo she had in her freezer.

It was then that I learned it takes more than bricks and mortar to build community. Th at’s some-thing Hyatt sville knows, too. In January, when a local family lost two of their four daughters and all their belongings in a house fi re, neighbors and strangers alike immediately sprang into action. Th ey organized vigils, fundraisers and donations from businesses and residents eager to help; some eff orts continue to this day.

Th at’s just the most obvious exam-ple that comes to mind, but there are many more that happen under the radar. Daily, if I had to guess.

My children will never know my hometown as I did. But I’m glad that their hometown is teaching them some of the same lessons I learned, about place and home and community. Legend an

dLORE

herb harWood collectionA trolley near Crittenden Crossing around 1957, shortly before the line’s operation ceased.


by Susie Currie

When Jenna Kwan was a stay-at-home mom in Rockville, she says, “I was Yogi Castle’s best customer!”

Now, as the Beltsville-based chain’s first franchise owner, she might have a hard time picking her own best customer. In April, Yogi Castle became the second business to open in the EYA re-tail area, at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Route 1, and some people have been coming in nearly every day since.

It’s easy to see why. The décor is a cheerful mix of apple green, wa-termelon red and white, balanced with black S-chairs, chrome counters and gray adjustable barstools. The walls are blank for now. But Kwan said that in keep-ing with her Arts District loca-tion, she’s considering putting up local artists’ work instead of the posters of menu items that adorn her sister stores.

Go in, and you’ll be greeted by employees – many of them area students – eager to explain the system. Order a fruit smoothie off the menu or take a cup (which come in 16- and 20-ounce sizes) and help yourself to one of the 16 flavors of frozen yogurt from the row of self-serve machines against the back wall. The flavors will ro-tate, says Kwan, since the parent company offers 60 choices.

Can’t decide between Cake Bat-ter, Red Velvet and Pistachio? Have all three; as many local children have already figured out, your options are limited only by the size of your container (and your budget – at 45 cents an ounce, it can add up fast). On the way to the checkout scale, if there’s room left, you can add toppings ranging from Cocoa Pebbles and caramel turtles to kiwi and coconut.

The treat can be as healthy as you want to make it, and that’s one thing that attracted Kwan to the business. “When I re-searched all of the franchise op-tions,” she said, “I realized that not all yogurt places have the same product.”

Yogi Castle’s is certified by the National Yogurt Association to contain a minimum amount of live and active cultures; the con-tainers carry the same logo you’ll find at the supermarket on Dan-

non, Yoplait and Chobani, but not on, say, yogurt-covered rai-sins or pretzels.

Bringing that to the retail space, she said, seemed like a “perfect fit. There’s a healthy trend to the merchants here – Yes! Or-ganic Market, Elevation Burger, Chipotle. Even Big Bad Woof [the pet supply store opening next month] is organic. ”

Kwan, 35, is a native of Bethes-da, and her parents have owned Bradley’s Deli there for 27 years. But she’s found something unique in Hyattsville.

“I wasn’t expecting the strong community,” she said. “People take time to introduce them-selves and they all seem to know

each other. It feels like we’re in a small town.”

One of her employees, De-Matha High School senior Jas-

per McElrath, is from this “small town.” Growing up, he never thought of Hyattsville as a des-tination. “My friends all wanted to hang out in University Park or College Park,” said McElrath, 17. “But now, this is the up-and-coming area. I see students from a lot of the high schools here.”

Howard County businessmen Peter Jung and Jin Kim opened the first Yogi Castle, in Gaith-ersburg, in 2009. Kwan’s is the fourth location, with two more Maryland locations coming this month. In June, a Dupont Circle branch is scheduled to open.

Yogi Castle, 5501 Baltimore Ave. Open noon to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. Fri-day and Saturday. 301.656.4803. yogicastle.com.

susie currieJenna Kwan owns Yogi Castle, a frozen yogurt shop that opened last month in the EYA shopping center.

— Jasper McElrathYogi Castle employee

“Now [Hyattsville] is the up-and-coming area. I see students from a lot of the high schools here.”

QueenCastleof the

One Rockville mom tastes sweet success by bringing frozen yogurt to Hyattsville

A third business, Essential Day Spa, opened April 30, and is running a grand-opening special of 20 per-cent off all services through May. It’s the second location for owner Kevin Nguyen, whose first is near IKEA in College Park.

UPCOMING EYA OPENINGS

5/31/2011

MayChipotle

JuneBusboys & Poets Tara ThaiBig Bad Woof

AugustYes! Organic Market Bank of America ATM

Here’s what else is opening when at EYA:


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MissFloribundaDear Miss Floribunda,

My wife and I recently returned fr om the Riverdale Park Farmers’ Market with some asparagus, eggs and honey, which we shared with the young couple next door. Th ey accused of us of being “locovores,” and when I indignantly asked what they meant by that, they laughed and told me to ask you. I don’t know if those are fi ghting words or not. It sounds like a combination of “loco” (meaning “crazy”) and some voracious beast. Please tell me whether I should be insulted.

Curmudgeon on Critt enden Street

Dear Curmudgeon,

You should feel complimented, not insulted. Locavores (not “locovores”) are responsible citi-zens who eat food grown locally, which is a good thing for a num-ber of reasons.

Th e term locavore literally means “local eater” and was put together from the Latin words “locus” (“place”) and “vorare” (“to swallow”). It was coined in 2005 by Jessica Prentice, direc-tor of education of the Ferry Pla-za Farmers’ Market in San Fran-cisco, and author of the book Full Moon Feast. She was part of a group encouraging people to eat food produced within a 100-mile radius of San Francisco, and the movement to encour-age local agriculture spread rap-idly throughout the country. In 2007, locavore was the Word of the Year in the Oxford American Dictionary.

Not only do locavores buy fruit,

vegetables, eggs, wines and ci-ders, cheese, honey, jams and preserves, baked goods, meat and seafood from nearby farm-ers’ markets, waterfronts and farms, but they oft en grow their own food and share with neigh-bors who also keep vegetable gar-dens and orchards, bake bread, raise chickens or have colonies of honeybees. Th ey freeze and can their produce for the winter.

Th ey also lobby local restau-rants and supermarkets to ac-quire food from nearby farms rather than the factory farms that exploit animals and pollute the environment. Many join CSAs, which are Community Support-ed Agriculture cooperatives in which consumers pay for a week-ly delivery or pickup of locally grown produce. A whole column could be devoted to these alone.

Aside from the obvious en-vironmental benefi ts and the economic help given to small farms, locally grown food is more healthful and tastes bett er. For ex-ample, the kinds of fruit and veg-etables to which we’ve become accustomed are oft en chosen for their ability to withstand the rigors of transport and frequent handling. Th ey are picked before they are fully ripe and artifi cial coloring is oft en added to make them look palatable. More deli-cate – and delicious – varieties are oft en passed over. Also, there is much anecdotal evidence that eating honey made by bees from pollen in one’s own area is the best preventative for allergies.

We are fortunate that we now have a community garden be-ing developed in Hyatt sville. If you don’t have a plot, you can

make friends with those who do. To meet some, please come to the next meeting of the Hyatt s-ville Horticultural Society at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 18, at the home of Marsha and Jeff Moulton, 6122 42nd Street.

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Don’t want to grow your own? Here’s a list of the area farmers’ markets, which are now open for the season except where noted. If you’re willing to travel, you can visit one every day of the week except Monday. All of these mar-kets have websites with addresses and maps.

Tuesday: Beginning June 14, you can shop from 2 to 6 p.m. at our own Hyatt sville Farmers’ Market at the Queens Chapel Town Center (Queens Chapel Road and Hamilton Street), or at the nearby Brookland Farmers’ Market (10th and Otis streets NE, Washington, D.C.) from 4 to 7 p.m.

Wednesday: Two choices in Washington, D.C.: At the Foggy Bott om Metro station (on the orange and blue lines) from 3 to 7 p.m., and at Georgetown’s Rose Park (26th and O streets NW), from 4 to 7 p.m.

Th ursday: In Beltsville, the USDA Farmers’ Market (5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Parking Lot B), runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Riverdale Park Farm-ers’ Market (4650 Queensbury Road) is open from 3 to 7 p.m.

Friday: If you don’t mind crossing a bridge, you can go to the McLean Farmers’ Market(1659 Chain Bridge Road) in Virginia, which is open from 8 a.m. to noon.

Saturday: Th e College Park Farmers’ Market – the oldest in Maryland – is open 7 a.m. to noon in the Herbert Wells Ice Rink/Ellen Linson Swimming Pool parking lot. On May 21, two markets open for business: in Mount Rainier (3200 Rhode Island Avenue) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and at the Cheverly Com-munity Center (6401 Forest Road), open every other Satur-day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. And the Silver Spring Farmers’ Market(Ellsworth Drive at Georgia Av-enue) is open year round from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sunday: Th e Greenbelt Farm-ers’ Market, which opened for the season on Mother’s Day, runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Roosevelt Center Parking Lot. Th e Takoma Park Farmers’ Market, at Carroll and Laurel avenues, is open year round from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.


SummerCamps

beginning June 20The City’s Summer Camp programs are a great way for kids ages 3 to 13 to enjoy their vacation!

Camps Tiny Tots, Jamboree, and Discov-ery each offer age-appropriate traditional camp activities like arts & crafts, and sports. Camps Jamboree and Discovery take field trips and visit the Hamilton Park Splash Pool weekly. Each two-week session has a theme, and concludes with a special celebration.

For hours, fees, and registration information, please call 301-985-5020 or visit http://www.hyattsville.org/camps

Camp Tiny Tots meets at the City Municipal Building,4310

Gallatin StreetCamp Jamboree meets at

Magruder Park, 3911 Hamilton St.Camp Discovery meets at

Hyattsville Elementary School, 5311 43rd Avenue

Winner of the Maryland Parks & Recreation Association innovative programming award in 2010!

by Fred Seitz

For the past four years, residents of Oglethorpe Street have enjoyed (for the most part) the company and child-rearing of a group of Yellow-crowned Night Her-ons. Considerably smaller than the Great Blue Herons who frequent the Northwest Branch, they are 25 inches long and weigh 1.75 pounds.

Th e herons generally roost in colonies. Four years ago, say neighbors, there was only one pair living there; now, three pairs perch in the trees along Oglethorpe.

Over the years, they have roosted in sev-eral trees along the street and have raised chicks each year. Human residents report that once the chicks fl edge, the adults usu-ally chase them from the nest.

Th e herons feed at night on crustaceans and frogs. While the humans enjoy watch-ing the birds, the pieces of crayfi sh shell and other droppings are an unpleasant downside of their summer residence. In the fall, the birds may migrate to Central America or Florida; others may overwin-

ter in this area. Yellow legs and red eyes give the birds a distinctive look, and they have an unusual “quonk” or “quark” call.

Other avian residents, who have lived in Magruder Park for the past fi ve years, are a pair of Barred Owls, also known as hoot owls. Perhaps most notable for their vo-cal musings, the owls have “entertained” human residents with their familiar “who cooks for you” calls. Th e pair has not al-ways conformed to owl-calling stereo-types, as they are heard not only at night, but also sometimes in early aft ernoon or in early morning.

Common in suburban areas, Barred Owls feed on voles, mice and occasionally squirrels, as well as frogs, snakes and some larger insects. At about 18 inches long and between 1 and 2 pounds, they are much smaller than the Great Horned Owl — which has been seen occasionally in the park where this couple makes their home year-round (and raised chicks at least once in the fi ve years). Th ey will oft en live in tree cavities, but will also opportunisti-cally occupy old nests of Red-shouldered

Hawks, another frequent avian resident of Hyatt sville.

Th ese hawks, with their distinctive “kee-yah” call, frequent the sky over Magruder Park and along the Northwest Branch. Th ree years ago, a pair raised their chicks at the end of Critt enden Street and both parents took turns hunting for and feed-ing the young. Th eir nests are oft en on a branch close to the tree trunk and may be anywhere from 10 to 200 feet up.

Th e Red-shouldered Hawks have frequent disagreements with crows that are in the park. Th e crows will oft en “mob” the hawks to steal food, and sometimes the roles are reversed. In addition to easily being heard, they oft en perch quite visibly in trees along the Northwest Branch, where they will hunt for amphibians, birds or small mam-mals. Th ese hawks are up to 2 feet long and 1.5 pounds, with reddish patches on their shoulders and a whitish tail.

Th e three att ention-gett ers described here are only a few of our feathered neigh-bors who can be enjoyed during even the most casual walk around town or the park.

Fred Seitz is a 24-year resident of Hyatt sville and a 58-year critt er fan. Nature Nearby is an occasional column about our neighbors in nature.

Avian att ention-gett ers in our city

NatureNearby

fred seitzOne of three pairs of Yellow-crowned Night Herons that can be found in trees along Oglethorpe Street.


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by Paula Minaert

We all know that Hyattsville is part of the Gateway Arts District. What isn’t as well known is that along with writers, dancers, jewelers and other artists, Hyattsville also has ac-tors. Here is a look at some of them.

Jennifer Mendenhall and Michael Kramer, husband and wife, are both actors. She is a company member at Woolly Mammoth and has performed at Studio The-atre, Arena Stage, Theatre J and the Shakespeare Theatre, among others, and won a Helen Hayes Award in her role as Lemon in

Aunt Dan & Lemon. Kramer has acted at Ford’s Theatre, African Continuum Theatre, The Round-house Theater, Olney Summer Theater, and the Kennedy Center – again, a partial list.

Mendenhall calls acting “a union of geometry and psychol-ogy. It’s dedicated to expressing the human condition – that’s psychology – and to the physical manifestation of it. That’s where the geometry comes in.”

Kramer is fascinated with the-ater’s connection to story and myth (and religion). “Theater explores the deepest issues of life but in a less restrictive way, with-

out an institution around it. The best theater doesn’t make pro-nouncements but simply says, ‘I’m just showing you what is.’”

They describe themselves as very lucky, because their day job allows them to pay the bills, raise their children and continue to do the-ater. They are an audiobook nar-rating team, working from sound studios in their house. They’ve recorded the books of popular fan-tasy writer Robert Jordan, to take just one example, and their names can be found on the backs of many audiobooks at the Hyattsville li-brary. (Mendenhall goes by the name of Kate Reading).

Actors among us

Actors among usclinton brandhagen


SummerJam 2011

presents

Admission is free; delicious food for sale

The second Friday of every month, May through September, 6:30 to 8:30 PMCity Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin StreetRain or Shine!

May 13 - The Fabulous Bel AirsJune 10 - SuperflydiscoJuly 8 - The Beach BumzAugust 12 - JP McDermott & Western BopSeptember 9 - N2N

BIG GREEN TRUCK DAY

Kids can get up close and explore everything from a Street Sweeper to a Police Cruiser, plus eco-friendly vehicles like our Police Department’s Segways. The event is free and open in the public.

Saturday, May 21, 2011Magruder Park40th Avenue & Hamilton Street

10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

www.hyattsville.org/recreation

301-985-5020

Actors among us

“It’s the best of all possible worlds,” said Mendenhall.

Her next show is Clybourne Park at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, July 18 to August 14.

Peggy Yates’ parents were a sing-ing team and had a career in the 1940s and 1950s. After their nine children started coming, her fa-ther developed a children’s theater company, which still operates. Ev-eryone in the family was part of it.

“We traveled and performed in schools and theaters in New Jer-sey, New York, Connecticut, Mas-sachusetts. We did adaptations of children’s stories that were musi-cals. So theater is in my blood.”

She came to this area to tour with the National Players and got a graduate degree. She also met her husband in the theater.

Yates divides her time now be-tween doing theater, teaching act-ing at the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, directing shows with middle and high school stu-dents, and teaching speech at Prince George’s Community College.

“I keep very busy. It’s a constant negotiation between theater work and teaching and getting my kids where they need to go. It’s a bal-ancing act but we all do it.”

She is currently in The Apple Cart, by George Bernard Shaw, at the Washington Stage Guild. It runs Thursdays through Sundays until May 22.

Shawn Perry has been perform-ing since he was five years old, when, as he put it, it was discovered he could carry a tune. He started by singing in church in a men and boys’ choir and has been singing ever since.

“I guess everyone has that first theatrical experience that gives them that bug that never goes away. When I played Ebenezer Scrooge in eighth grade, it was the first time I’d ever gotten ap-plause. It’s an intoxicating thing.”

He majored in speech and dra-ma at Catholic University and performed there, but stopped be-ing in shows when his children started arriving. As with many ac-tors, he had to take a day job. He did sing in a coffeehouse group in the 1990s, and has sung in the St.

Jerome’s folk group for more than 30 years.

When Perry’s youngest child was 14, he auditioned for and sang in the Washington Savo-yard’s production of Iolanthe. He fell in love with performing all over again, and began working in community theaters all over the region: the Victorian Lyric Op-era Company in Rockville, the Little Theater of Alexandria, the Prince George’s Little Theater, the U Street Atlas Theater in D.C. and theaters in Laurel and Bowie.

“Some places I get paid a little bit. Most places I don’t. I do it for love of it and enjoy the heck out of it,” he said. “My wife will tell you when-ever I’m in a show I’m a much more alive person than when I’m not. I seem to be more alert, attentive to

everything, and generally happier and more enthusiastic about life. I think that’s pretty good. I didn’t no-tice it, but she did.”

Perry played Big Tim Sullivan and other roles in Rags, which just closed at the Theatre Lab in Washington, D.C.

Maureen Roult says she got into performing almost by accident. She hadn’t done any theater in college, focusing more on danc-ing. Then she saw a local com-pany’s productions of some Gil-bert and Sullivan operettas, and ended up auditioning and get-ting into the chorus. It was the Victorian Lyric Opera Company. Since then, she’s been in all 13 of the G&S operettas and has per-formed with about 20 communi-

ty theater companies in the area. All this is in addition to her day

job, which is at the Department of Defense – a very different world, she admits.

“After sitting at a computer all day, it’s nice to get up and do something different. Theater is a nice break. A lot of people I work with have hobbies that have nothing to do with work – quilt-ing or Irish step dancing.”

Roult has a lot of fun with her hobby. She likes meeting new peo-ple and making new friends. Some of her favorite roles were Pitti-Sing in The Mikado and Ruth in The Pi-rates of Penzance. She especially en-joys Gilbert and Sullivan because, she says, she can play dress-up. She also likes working backstage, hav-ing moved sets, done costuming and acted as assistant stage manag-er. She often finds herself between scenes hemming someone’s dress or repairing a rip. It’s a way to learn new skills, she says.

As well as Gilbert and Sullivan, she has acted in Bye, Bye, Birdie and The Sound of Music and is currently in Burial at Thebes, a modern adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone. It’s her first tragedy.

“It’s all for fun. I don’t see my-self making any money from it; I need my day job to support my theater habit.”

Burial at Thebes is playing week-ends at the Greenbelt Arts Cen-ter until May 21.

drake soreyFrom left to right: Peggy Yates in The Apple Cart, with Brit Herring; Maureen Roult in HMS Pinafore; Shawn Perry as King Gama in Princess Ida. On opposite page: Jennifer Mendenhall and Michael Kramer in their home recording studio.

kirk kristlibas amy pondolfino

GOING GREEN IN 2011:TWO WHEELS, NOT FOURThis is the fourth in a series of stories about how City residents can make small changes to have a posi-tive impact on our environment. May is National Bike Month Thanks to the Washington Area Bicyclist Asso-ciation for their work coordinating Bike to Work Day on May 20, 2011. A wealth of resources for bike commut-ers is available at www.waba.org.

Rising prices at the pump got you down? Worried about the environmental impact of all those cars stuck in traffi c? Need to work more exercise in your day?

If you’re willing to think differently about transporta-tion, bike commuting could be for you. It’s affordable, healthy for the rider and the planet, and, depending on your destination, could be easier than you imagine.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association offers plenty of resources for current and prospective commuters, including route maps. Rookie riders and experienced cyclists alike can meet up with a commuter convoy on Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 20, at the Magruder Park Pit Stop and throughout the region. Riding an estab-lished route with a guide is a good fi rst step for pro-spective bike commuters.

Other tips include:

• Keep an eye on the weather forecast. Remember that most Metro buses have bike racks attached, and the metro allows bikes during non-peak hours, provid-ing some options if you’d rather not ride in the rain.

• Consider keeping an extra set of clothes at work.

• Layer! Your morning and evening commutes will require different clothes during different seasons. Also, gloves and socks are important.

• Carry a small bicycle tool and a tire patch kit, just in case.

• Plan to park your bike before taking that fi rst ride. Look for a well-lit place with lots of foot traffi c and fi xed, immovable object to secure your bike. Lock your bike every time!

• In the event of an emergency, bike commuters can call Commuter Connections at 1-800-745-RIDE or visit www.commuterconnections.org for information on their Guaranteed Ride Home program.

It’s not just about getting to work, either. Beginning in April, the City’s Offi ce of Code Enforcement and the Department of Recreation and the Arts began piloting the use of bikes in their travels within the City.

Learn more at www.waba.org or http://www.hyattsville.org/greenblog

MAY 2011

CALENDAR

Hyattsville Reporterthe

No. 216• May 11, 2011www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000

Page HR1 Hyattsville Life & Times | May 2011 Hyattsville Life & Times | May 2011 Page HR2

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Outback Steakhouse Summer Jam featuring � e Fabulous Bel Airs6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Historic Hyattsville House Tour1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

City Council Meeting8:00 PM

Planning Committee Meeting7:30 PM

Big Green Truck Day10:00 AM - 1:00 PMMagruder Park

City Council Meeting7:30 PM

Public Hearing: FY12 Budget8:00 PM* Note: � e Council meeting will be-gin at 7:30 PM, recess for the Public Hearing, and then return to regular session following the Hearing.

Memorial Day HolidayCity administrative o� ces closed. No yard waste, white goods, or tire pick-up, City-wide.

* Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the City Municipal Build-ing, 4310 Gallatin Street.

NEW MAYOR, COUNCIL TO TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE ON MONDAY, MAY 16

City o� cials elected in the City Election of Tuesday, May 3, 2011 will take their seats during the Council Meeting of Monday, May 16, 2011. Results are below. A “**” indicates the winner of each race.

Certi� ed results, including all write-in candidates, may be viewed at http://www.hyattsville.org/election.

MayorChristopher Michael Brophy (135)LaVonne Leslie (155)** Marc Tartaro (572)

Ward 1Douglas S. Dudrow (77)** Candace B. Hollingsworth (107)William Jenne (7)Scott D. Matirne (20)

Ward 2William F. Tierney II (171)** Shani Warner (223)Connor Wilkinson (32)

Ward 3** Timothy P. Hunt (169)

Ward 4** Paula J. Perry (51)

Ward 5** Nicole Hinds-Mofor (41)

STREET SWEEPING

Street Sweeping is currently underway. See the schedule online at http://www.hyattsville.org/DPW

BUDGET HEARING

� e City will hold a Public Hearing on the City’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget on Monday, May 23 at 8:00 PM. See the complete calendar and details online at http://www.hyattsville.org/budget.

MULCH AVAILABLE

Mulch is now available at three City parks: Magruder, Heurich, and University Hills Duck Pond. If you notice a pile is running low, please let us know at 301/985-5032.

BIG GREEN TRUCK DAY

� e City’s popular Touch-a-Truck event is back and big-ger than ever! Kids can get up close to everything from a street sweeper to a police cruiser, plus eco-friendly ve-hicles like our Police Segways. � e event is free and open to the public. Join us at Magruder Park on Saturday, May 21 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Questions? Visit http://www.hyattsville.org/recreation or call 301/985-5020.

SUMMER CAMP ENROLLMENT OPEN

Enrollment is open for the City’s MRPA-award winning summer camps for kids ages 3 through 13. Camps run in two-week sessions beginning Monday, June 20. Camp Tiny Tots, for ages 3 and 4, meets at the City Municipal Building. Camp Jamboree, for kids ages 5 through 9, meets at Magruder Park. Camp Discovery, for kids ages 10 through 13, meets at Hyattsville Elementary School. Contact Jacquay Plummer at 301/985-5027 or [email protected].

NATIVE PLANT SALE

The Hyattsville Elementary School PTA will hold its second annual Native Plant Sale on Saturday, May 14 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday, May 15 from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The sale takes place at Hyatts-ville Elementary School, 5311 43rd Avenue, rain or shine. Types of planta available will include the ink-berry, ostrich fern, buttonbush, fall phlox, and much more! View a complete list at www.nativeplantsale.org. Patrons are asked to bring bags or boxes to carry away their purchases.

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE SUMMER JAM SCHEDULE

� e � rst Outback Steak-house Summer Jam of the season is Friday, May 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM featuring the Fabulous Bel Airs. Join us, rain or shine! Admission and kids’ activities are free; food, in-cluding beer and wine, are available for purchase. � e menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken, all grilled up by the Outback Steak-house at Prince George’s Plaza. Questions? Visit http://www.hyattsville.org/summerjam or call 301/985-5020.

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

Are you on Facebook? You can now keep up with City events and happenings at www.facebook.com/cityof-hyattsville. When you see Vainglorious, the silver metal bird sculpture at Centennial Park, you’ll know you’re in the right place. He is kind enough to serve as the City’s wall photo.

RECREATION NEWS IN YOUR INBOX

� e City’s Department of Recreation and the Arts o� ers a year-long calendar of programs for the whole family. To stay up-to-date, residents can now subscribe to the Department’s monthly eNews. Packed with details on upcoming events, it is a must-read if you’re looking for a� ordable family fun in Hyattsville. Visit http://www.hyattsville.org/eNews to subscribe.

32nd Historic Hyattsville

� e 32nd annual Historic Hyattsville House Tour takes place Sunday, May 15, 2011 from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Presented by the Hyattsville Preservation As-sociation, and in celebration of the City of Hyatts-ville’s 125th anniversary, the self-guided tour will include ten unique sites: a castle-like stone armory listed on the National Register of Historic Places that is now home to a church; several charming homes with unique collectibles, art, and restored interiors; an organic � ower and plant garden fea-tured in an upcoming Smithsonian TV special; another beautiful stone church; and a large 1800s manor undergoing major renovations.

Advance tickets are available at Franklins Gen-eral Store, 5121 Baltimore Avenue or the City Mu-nicipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, for just $10/adult. Day of Tour tickets are $12/adult. Self-guid-ed tours leave from the City Municipal Building, First Floor, on Sunday. Doors open at 12:30 PM. � e City’s Department of Recreation and the Arts o� ers a shuttle between addresses.

For additional information please contact Krista Atteberry at 301/524-6082.

Happy Memorial Day!

house tourtakes place May 15

The lanceleaf tickseed is just one of the many native plants available at the Native Plant Sale on Saturday.


Helping Sell HyattsvilleAnd our Neighboring Community

Salesperson, Long & Foster

Real Estate, Inc.

9094 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740cell: 240-938-6060 office: 301-441-9511 ext. 261

email: [email protected]

web: ANNBARRETT.LNFRE.COM

5209 42nd Ave. Hyattsville Gorgeous

Updated Victorian 3+BRs, 2 full baths

Ann Barrett, Realtor®

6803 Dartmouth Ave, College Park - Lovely 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, cape cod with family room. Backs to park and

close to Metro $369,000

6002 Reed St., Cheverly

Charming Cape near Metro. 3 BR 1

1/2 baths

4501 30th St. Mt. Rainier

3BR/2Bath, nice condition,

great fenced yard

Don’t miss this year’s 32nd Annual Historic Hyattsville House Tour, Sunday May 15th from 1-5pm. Looking

forward to seeing you around our wonderful town!

UNDER CONTRACT

Honored As:Top Producing Agent

Long & Foster College Park2009 & 2010!

UNDER CONTRACT

5002 42nd Ave., Hyattsville - Gracious 3 bedroom, 1 bath

victorian-era colonial.

COMMUNITY CALENDARMay 14 and 15The Hyattsville Elementary School Parent-Teacher Associa-tion is holding its Second An-nual Native Plant Sale. Admis-sion is free, but please BYOB (bring your own bags or boxes). Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 8 a.m. to noon. 5311 43rd Avenue. Call 301.312.9170 or visit nativeplantsale.org for more information.

Rome at Riversdale reminds visitors of how the classical world influenced early 19th-century America. Participate in Roman-themed activities and watch battle demonstra-tions by Legion XX on the lawn; inside the museum, get a glimpse into neoclassical pas-times. Begins Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at noon. $5 ($3 for students); admission to grounds includes all activi-ties. Riversdale House Mu-seum, 4811 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420.

May 15If you love historic houses, you won’t want to miss the Hyatts-ville Preservation Association’s 32nd Annual House Tour, which will showcase homes, gardens, businesses and civic organizations throughout the city. $10 in advance (from Franklins) or $12 on tour day; $2 for children. 1 to 5 p.m. On tour day, pick up a detailed bro-chure guide at the municipal building, 4310 Gallatin Street. 301.699.0847.

May 19 For summer, A Tangled Skein has lined up a new class: A Sum-mer Lace. The class, intended for advanced beginners and up, will cover the basics of lace knit-ting, how to read your knitting (so you can correct mistakes) and blocking. Four sessions start tonight and continue Thursdays, 7 to 9 p.m., through June 9. $80 for 4 sessions plus materials.

5200 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 101. 301.779.3399.

May 21An A-May-Zing Animal Fest for all ages features birds of prey, reptiles, farm animals, a puppet show, food vendors, arts and crafts, and much more. Free. Noon to 4 p.m. Bladens-burg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg. 301.779.0371.

May 21 and 22 Celebrating 10 years, Edge-works Dance Theater brings an evening of works by men in American concert dance to Joe’s Movement Emporium. Mixer will feature programs by EDT company members and guest artists. $20, $15 students and seniors, and $7 youth. May 21 at 8 p.m. and May 22 at 7 p.m. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mt. Rainier. For more information,

call 301.699.1819 or visit their website: joesmovement.org. June 4 The Caribbean Council of Prince George’s County sponsors A Taste of the Caribbean, a fes-tival with performances, food, crafts, boat rides, and more. All ages welcome. Free. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg. 301.779.0371.

Marking National Trails Day, the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area

sponsors a Heritage Bike Ride. Actually, there are four rides, ranging from a spin around Lake Artemesia for the youngest rid-ers to a “power ride” through the countryside for seasoned cyclists. Entry fees range from $25 for in-dividuals to $60 for families, and include breakfast, barbecue lunch, and a T-shirt. Rental bikes will be available on site for an additional fee. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. All tours begin from the parking lot of the for-mer 94th Aero Squadron restau-rant, 5240 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park. To register, visit athabikeride.eventbrite.com.

isaac oboka/edgeWorks dance theaterEdgeworks Dance Theater, at Joe’s Movement Emporium on May 21 and 22, specializes in works choreographed and danced by men.

Hyattsville Life & Times | May 2011 Page 9

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

University Town Center • Next to PG Plaza 6504 America Blvd. #105 Hyattsville, MD 301-887-1818

OLD DOMINION BREWHOUSE & RESTAURANT

University Town Center • Next to PG Plaza 301-887-1818301-887-1818301-887-1818301-887-1818

Daily Happy Hour Specials Mon. - Sat.

4-7 pmAppetizers

as low as $2.00

Come enjoy all the games on our 25

HDTVs!

Karaoke every Wednesday

night!

china buffetchina buffetchina buffetall you can eat

Shrimp • Snow Crab Legs • Sushi Salmon • Mussels • Fish • Salad

Fruit Salad • Seafood • Soup • General Tso’s Chicken • Seafood Delight • Ice Cream • Cake • And MUCH MORE!

University Town Center, across from Royal 14 Theaters 6504 America Blvd. #105 Hyattsville, MD 301-887-1991

15% OFFEntire Dinner Check

(Min. $20)Valid only at Old Dominion Brewhouse. Discount does not apply to daily specials or happy hour. Coupon may not be combined

with any other offer. Expires 5/31/2011.

15% OFFEntire Dinner Check

(Min. $15)Coupon valid only at Tokyo Sushi and

China Buffet. Coupon may not be combined with any other offer. Expires 5/31/2011.

June 14Opening day for our own Hyattsville Farmers’ Market, open today and every Tuesday through the season from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Queens Chapel Town Cen-ter, Queens Chapel Road and Hamilton Street. 301.627.0977.

Ongoing The producers-only Riverdale Park Farmer’s Market is open for the season, with a variety of local vegetables and fruits, honey, baked goods, meat, jams, flowers and more. Free. Thursdays, 3 to 7 p.m. Riverdale Park, 301.332.6258.

Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, the Peter Pan Club for preschoolers in-cludes storytime and hands-on craft ac-tivities. Free with museum admission of $4 for adults ($2 for children). 10:30 a.m. College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Drive, College Park. 301.864.6029.

Spring means it’s time again for the free Anacostia River Boat Tours, held Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 12:45. All ages are welcome to join a park naturalist on a pontoon boat to search for birds and other wildlife. And begin-ning May 7, evening rides will be held on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 5 p.m. Free; registration required for groups of 12 or more. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladens-burg. 301.779.0371.

Grab the binoculars for a guided bird-watching hike along the Luther Gold-man Birding Trail, part of the 38-acre Lake Artemesia. Sponsored by the Prince George’s Audubon Society, the walk is for beginners and experts alike and bird checklists will be available. Free. Held on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of

the month from 6 to 7:30 p.m. through August 6. Starts from the parking lot at Berwyn Road and Ballew Avenue in Ber-wyn Heights. Call 301.459.3375 or visit www.pgaudubon.org.

Browse clothing, housewares and more at reasonable prices at St. Andrew’s Episco-

pal Church Thrift Shop, Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 4512 College Avenue, Col-lege Park. 301.864.8880.

This isn’t your toddler’s Sit & Spin. At A Tangled Skein yarn shop, the name refers to fourth-Friday gatherings where drop-spindle and spinning-wheel users can work on individual projects, guided by spinning expert Anne O’Connor. Free. 7 to 9 p.m. And if you need more chances to unwind, come to the twice weekly Sit & Stitch sessions: Wednes-days, 7 to 9 p.m., and Thursdays, 1 to 3 p.m. They’re open to knitters and cro-cheters of any experience level. Free. 5200 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 101. 301.779.3399.

The Hyattsville library offers a variety of storytimes. Space is limited; free tickets avai0lable at the Children’s Desk. Ages 9-23 months with caregiver: Mondays, 10:15 a.m. Ages 2-3: Mondays, 11 a.m. and Tuesdays, 10:15 a.m. Ages 3-5: Tues-days, 11 a.m. Ages 3-6: Wednesdays, 7 p.m. English-Spanish Storytime for ages 3-6: Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. 6530 Adelphi Road. 301.985.4690.

Community Calendar is compiled by Susie Currie. It’s a select listing of events happen-ing in and around Hyattsville from the 15th of the issue month to the 15th of the follow-ing month. To submit an item for consider-ation, please e-mail [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781. Deadline for June submissions is May 23.

courtesy of riversdale house museumOn May 14 and 15, the grounds of Riversdale House Museum become a backdrop for Roman revelry.

The Hyattsville Farmers Market opens June 14.

HYATTSVILLE VACUUM CLEANER SERVICEHome of

THE CLEANERS CORNERVacuum Cleaner Sales and Service

Sewing Machine RepairJanitorial Equipment and Supplies

Carpet Cleaning Equipment and Supplies5219 Baltimore Avenue • Hyattsville, Maryland 20781

Tel: 301-277-3553 • Fax: 301-277-7142e-mail: [email protected]

Page 10 Hyattsville Life & Times | May 2011

Tiger Lilly Florist & The Basket Gourmet Shop

Full Service Florist • Gift Baskets • Balloon Decorations • Gifts

301-699-83125101 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781

www.basketgourmetfl orist.com • Local & Worldwide Delivery

10% OFF In-Store Purchase Exp 5/31/11

came to the HPD in 1993 after serving on the D.C. Metropoli-tan Police Department. She now heads up our city’s Criminal In-vestigative Division.

But it is for her involvement in the life of the community that most residents know her. She initi-ated the Sonny Frazier Toy Drive, which is named for councilmem-ber Ruth Ann Frazier’s late hus-band and continues his tradition of providing toys for needy children at Christmas; coaches local sports teams; and for several years headed the police department’s Commu-nity Action Team.

Recently, Johnson led Hyattsville’s efforts to respond to one of its great-est tragedies: a house fire that killed two sisters and left the family home-less. She raised more than $8,000 for the relief fund.

In her interview with America’s Most Wanted, Johnson said, “I didn’t become a police officer to arrest people. I became one to help people.”

The All-Star winner was an-nounced May 9, after this issue’s printing. But for Hyattsville resi-dents, Detective Johnson will al-ways be an all-star.

ALL-sTAR continued from page 1

city of hyattsvilleHyattsville detective Suzie Johnson was one of seven finalists for a national award.

Want to search a back issue?

E-mail an article to a friend?

Find an advertiser?

Included: The October 6, 2010 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section

HyattsvilleLife&Times

October 2010

Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper

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NEW PLAYGROUND AT MAGRUDERMagruder Park is undergoing a nearly complete playground renovation, with

four new play structures. PAGE 3

By Paula MinaertAt a September city council meet-ing, several Hyattsville residents held up yellow signs that read “No more traffi c” and “No commuter thoroughfare,” hoping to draw at-tention to what they call serious long-standing traffi c problems on their streets.They were worried about a re-

cent traffi c study done by consul-tants Sabra, Wang & Associates estimating that city streets will have more than 3,500 new morn-

ing and more than 4,500 new af-ternoon peak-hour vehicle trips, based on current traffi c and pro-jected development. Nina Faye, who lives on Queens-

bury Road, said that she ques-tioned the numbers Sabra, Wang presented to the council in July. “One day I was [at Queensbury

and 41st] for six minutes at 3:30 in the afternoon. And I saw more traffi c than they claimed in a half-hour. If I can’t trust this number, how can I trust any of them?” Other residents questioned the

recommendation to lift that road’s current traffi c restriction on west-bound traffi c between Route 1 and 43rd Avenue during peak morning traffi c hours. Cheri Fulton has lived on Queens-

bury since 1987 and was involved in the effort that led to the Do Not Enter sign being posted. She said that traffi c on the street is better now but is still bad – and drivers routinely ignore the sign. Another point of contention was

the recommendation to make Queensbury one-way westbound

during peak hours, if traffi c there continues to increase and if im-provements to state roads are de-layed. “Why facilitate traffi c into my

community from a state road?” asked resident Margaret Hayes at the Sept. 13 city council meeting. Hugh Turley, a columnist for the

Life & Times who lives on Queens-bury, said, “One-way shouldn’t be even a last resort.” He believes the goal for Queensbury should be to

Residents complain about traffi c

By Lara BeavenHyattsville police collected dozens of unused medications from resi-dents Sept. 25 as part of a fi rst-time national initiative to prevent prescription drugs from falling into the wrong hands or entering the water supply.“I thought no one would want

to go out of their way to return drugs,” said Sgt. Chris Purvis, the Hyattsville police offi cer who tal-lied the donations. But by the end, he said, residents had deposited — anonymously – a total of 8.8 pounds (approximately 60 con-tainers and a few bags of pills). Hyattsville Communications

Manager Abby Sandel said the city is open to holding a similar event in the future if there is com-munity interest.Spearheaded by the federal Drug

Enforcement Agency and backed by a number of national law en-forcement and public health or-ganizations, National Take Back Day aimed to reduce the risk of prescription drugs being con-sumed inappropriately. Prescrip-tion drug abuse, a growing prob-lem nationally, is a major focus for the DEA. An additional benefi t of the

take-back effort was preventing unused prescription drugs from being fl ushed down the toilet,

Police collect unwanted medications

by Kara RoseBeginning Oct. 16, an unusual reef will be

displayed in the Ocean Hall of the National Museum of Natural His-tory. Various knitters and crocheters,

including more than 100 from Hyattsville’s A

Tangled Skein, used yarn and fi bers of all sorts

to make the reef. The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibit runs through April 24, 2011. Curators

Margaret and Christine Wertheim,

DRUGS continued on page 10

TRAFFIC continued on page 12SPINNING AYARN

YARN continued on page 13

PHOTO BY CHRIS CURRIE

Some of the pieces handmade by Hyattsville

residents for the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral

Reef, an exhibit opening at the Smithsonian

later this month.

GLASS HOUSEDC GlassWorks is a public-access glassblowing studio that fosters a

strong sense of community. PAGE 4

GETTING YOUR KICKS ON RT. 1Legend and Lore asks: Why all the romance surrounding the famed Route 66 when its cousin

Route 1 is almost as long and just as storied? PAGE 2

Local knitters and crocheters donate

their pieces to Smithsonian exhibit

see current and archived editions of the Hyattsville Life & Times atwww.issuu.com/hyattsvillelifeandtimes

subscribe for free and get notified of each monthly issue before the

print version arrives in your

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Included: The November 10, 2010 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section

HyattsvilleLife&Times

November 2010

Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper

Vol. 7 No. 11

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A STREET PAVED

WITH GREEN

Decatur Street in Edmonston is the

greenest street on the East Coast, and

maybe even the U.S. PAGE 3

DIRECTOR continued on page 12

AT THE DRIVE-IN

Postcards from the Past talks about the days

when drive-in movies and restaurants were

popular in Hyattsville. PAGE 5

by Krista Atteberry

With less than one week on the job,

Steve Yeskulsky, the city’s new Rec-

reation and the Arts Director, hit

the ground running by helping out

at the Hya� sville Volunteer Fire

Department’s 5-mile run on Octo-

ber 23. He was impressed with the

more than 60 volunteers and the

community spirit at the � rst annual

event, in which dozens of runners

ages 10 to 75 competed.

Before coming to Hya� sville,

Yeskulsky served as a program co-

ordinator for six years with Florida’s

Sarasota County Government Parks

and Recreation Department, where

he “did a thousand things . . . includ-

ing mostly overseeing larger special

events.” Originally from San Diego, he

graduated from San Diego State

University with two Bachelor of

Arts degrees in art history and cul-

tural anthropology. During his time

in San Diego, he was instrumental in

organizing an art exhibition, “Salon

de San Diego,” to help raise funds

for an AIDS charity. Yeskulsky also

enjoys writing for the Parks & Rec

Business magazine and is a certi� ed

Park and Recreation Professional

and Playground Inspector.

First on his agenda is ge� ing accli-

mated to the area and meeting more

folks in the community. Also, once

the city council approves the city’s

Parks Master Plan, which is expect-

All work and all play

by Paula Minaert

In the not-too-distant future, the

area around the Mall at Prince

Georges and Northwestern High

School could look very di� erent,

because some major development

projects are in the works there.

Some of these projects are within

the city’s borders and some fall just

outside. All will have an impact on

life in Hya� sville.

1. � e Landy Property

Landy is owned by Marvin Blum-

berg, a major developer in the Wash-

ington region. He owns a 33.94-

acre parcel of land located south

of Northwestern High School and

north of the mall. Most of this land

is wooded and lies outside the city

limits, except for a small portion at

the northeast corner.

� e District Council – which

is the arbiter for development in

Prince George’s County − recently

approved a Landy proposal for

residential construction on part of

that land: an apartment building of

about 400 units that would be on the

street line of Belcrest Road.

� e building would include the

portion of land that is within the

city. � is has led to discussion on

the city council of the city annex-

ing the unincorporated portion so

that the entire building would be

in Hya� sville, said council member

Tim Hunt (Ward 3). His ward bor-

ders the area of the proposed devel-

opment and includes the portion

within the city.

� is is Phase One of the project and

Mall at Prince

Georges area

planning fornew, major development

Where the wild things are

by Fred Seitz

Hya� sville is frequently identi� ed as an arts community,

but there is also a community of wildlife that lives both

in our parks and backyards. Some residents have actively

worked to encourage this by participating in the National

Wildlife Federation’s Certi� ed Wildlife Habitat program.

NWF started the program in 1973 to help wildlife and

“give people a way to connect with the natural world,” ac-

cording to David Mizejewski, a NWF wildlife biologist.

Since then, 135,000 homes across the country have been

certi� ed as wildlife habitats. Hya� sville has 23 of them. FRED SEITZ

Nicola Hainʼs small pond is part of a certified habitat.

SPOOKYFESTThe cityʼs annual Halloween party

drew about 200 people of all ages.

MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 10

Local residents get their heirlooms

evaluated at Hyattsville’s version

of the Antiques Roadshow.

PAGE 2

HABITAT continued on page 12

DEVELOPMENT continued on page 13

IS THAT TRASH OR TREASURE?

VINE CRAWL

susie currieIn a twist on the progressive-dinner idea, the Vine Crawl on May 7 brought locals together for a wine-tasting tour of the neighborhood. Before setting out, guests gathered for a backyard potluck.


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by Hugh Turley

With CIA director Leon Panett a poised to take over as Secretary of Defense as soon as next month, I was put in mind of the fi rst man to hold that job, James V. Forrest-al. He was appointed in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman aft er holding the post of Secretary of the Navy for three years.

Several years ago I interviewed his chauff eur, John Spalding, at his home in Litt lestown, Penn-sylvania. In 1944, the fi rst class boatswain’s mate was an instruc-tor assigned to the ROTC pro-gram at Princeton University. A

call came that the Secretary of the Navy would soon arrive at nearby Mercer Airfi eld and Spalding was ordered to pick him up.

Spalding drove Forrestal to a meeting with the Princeton Uni-versity president and continued to chauff eur him around for sev-eral days. When Forrestal invited him to New York to be his driver, Spalding initially declined, say-ing that he would be lost there. But Forrestal told him, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”

Spalding was impressed by For-restal’s kindness. When they fi rst met, the secretary instructed the chauff eur never to open the car

door for him, a situation that others found puzzling, to say the least. Spalding recalled what hap-pened once when he pulled up at the Waldorf Astoria, got out of the car, and just stood there.

“A Navy captain came over and gave me hell, and said, ‘Who do you think you are, an enlisted man, not opening the door [for the Secretary of the Navy]?’ And Forrestal heard him and he re-ally laid into that captain, saying, ‘Don’t you ever tell him what to do.’ ”

When Forrestal became Secre-tary of Defense, Spalding contin-ued as his driver. In that role, he

“Always have a lookout”saw many famous people, from fi nancier and presidential advi-sor Bernard Baruch to Bishop Fulton Sheen. “Bishop Sheen was one of his most trusted advi-sors,” recalled Spalding.

Spalding only saw Truman once, when the president met with Forrestal for a tour of the Bethesda Naval Hospital, but it was a memorable occasion. Th e hospital’s commandant, Captain B. W. Hogan, off ered to show them the presidential suite – where, as it turned out, there was illegal gambling in progress.

When the elevators opened onto the suite of rooms, recalled Spalding, everyone could see that “there was a craps game going on! Th e sailors were there, you know, and I’ll never forget the guy who was throwing the dice – his arm just stuck out,” frozen in mid-motion.

“Truman asked, ‘What’s going on here? You guys ought to have

a lookout. You sailors are dumb as hell.’ ”

Truman, noted Spalding, “was an Army man.”

“I never saw such a nervous bunch of sailors in all my life. Nobody knew what to say. … Truman said, ‘Give me the dice.’ Nobody wanted to hand him the dice but he fi nally took the dice and said, ‘Give me ones’ [dollar bills], and he signed every one of those bills and gave them to each guy,” said Spalding.

“Th en he shot the dice and said, ‘Remember: Next time act like somebody is in the Army and always have a lookout.’ And we walked out.” Forrestal and the others who were present did not say a word about the incident.

On March 31, 1949, President Truman dismissed Forrestal, who soon returned to the naval hospital, this time as a patient. He died there less than two months later, on May 22.


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When the new City Council is seated on May 16, half will be women. (The tiebreaker will come in the special election to fill Tartaro’s seat in Ward 1 – likely to be July 17, according to city spokesperson Abigail Sandel.)

That’s not a record; Mayor Mary Prangley presided over one council in the 1990s in which 7 of the 11 members were women. But it does mark the first time that two coun-cilmembers will be mothers with young children. Warner is expect-ing her first child in August; Hol-lingsworth has two, ages 5 and 2.

“They definitely influenced my decision to run,” said Hol-lingsworth, who plans to finish her term as vice president of the Hyattsville Elementary School PTA. Her graduate work on the impact of urban renewal on pub-lic school enrollment, she said, “helped me decide … what ap-proach I would take when my children were school age.”

The link between the current city council and local schools, she said, was missing.

“There was no one to advocate with the school board and at the county level to better serve our local schools. So this is the best use of my energy.”

At press time, the county hadn’t yet released figures on voter turn-out, but preliminary indications show what might be a record low. “The turnouts are usually higher in a mayoral year,” said election judge Anna Frankle, who served on the city council for 15 years.

Though there were fewer votes to count, it took more than two hours to get the results — “maybe because of [all] the ab-sentee ballots,” said Frankle.

“And a lot of write-ins, more than I’ve ever seen before.”

In another unusual twist, more people (906) voted for council members than for mayor (901) – even though three incumbents were unopposed.

Those who did vote may repre-sent the changing face of Hyatts-ville. Dudrow had beaten back many challenges over the years.

“I think what made the dif-ference is new residents who hadn’t voted previously in city elections,” said Hollingsworth. “There were new voters who either hadn’t been here long enough to vote or who were here but not engaged.”

Warner also attributed her vic-tory to new voters, particularly mothers she’s gotten to know through a local listserv. In an in-terview, she said she would make responding to residents a prior-ity, with the goal of returning e-mails in 24 hours.

“Basic communication with constituents is very important,” said Warner.

Tartaro, Ward 1 councilmember since 2005, hopes to make some changes so that “meetings will re-flect the identity of the council, rather than the mayor.”

He’d like to rotate chairmanship of the meetings and encourage members to “take ownership” of certain issues that they’d become the go-to people for, researching and reporting on them to the rest of the council.

The new members take office in the middle of the budget process, which has to be completed by June 30. That’s likely to mean additional meetings, as the last one before then is scheduled for June 6.

“In the future, I’d like to pass the budget the first week of May,” said Tartaro. “I think it’s a prob-lem to expect people who were just elected to pass the budget if they haven’t been involved in, or at least aware of, the debate and the decisions.”

and the personal property tax rates will remain unchanged at 63 cents per $100 in assessed value and $1.15 per $100 in as-sessed value respectively.

“Despite the negative outlook, Hyattsville appears to be weath-ering the storm better than many communities, in part due to the significant pre-recession growth in the tax base,” Rose said. “Nev-ertheless, the financial crisis re-quires careful planning to balance the slowdown in available re-sources against required expendi-tures and long-term investment.”

Indeed, the need to repair Hyattsville’s aging infrastruc-ture is one perennial budget constraint. The city has been “playing catch-up” in capital improvements over the past de-cade, Gardiner told the HL&T, but more needs to be done. For 2012, Hyattsville officials are considering transferring about $1.7 million from the general fund – which pays for day-to-day expenses – to the capital im-provement fund to pick up a por-tion of the $6.2 million proposed

for refurbishing city parks, roads and facilities.

All told, city officials are propos-ing a $3.1 million increase in cap-ital spending over 2011. Some of the largest capital improvement projects proposed for 2012 are the University Hills street recon-struction and improvements to 40th Place and Crittenden Street, which Public Works Director Patrick Ryan told the council was “easily the worst road in the city.”

Shifting money from the gen-eral fund to the capital improve-ment fund means that the city won’t have to borrow as much. The proposed budget calls for $2.6 million in new borrowing, with most to come from bond financing.

But achieving a balanced bud-get under this scenario requires some budget cuts and little in the way of new spending outside of capital improvements, Rose said.

The permanent adoption of once-weekly trash pickup means that two public-works driver po-sitions can be eliminated. But un-less cuts can be found elsewhere, adding positions some have sug-gested, such as human resources manager, deputy treasurer and

part-time recreation coordinator, might not be feasible.

Other sources of potential bud-get savings are more painful, like no cost-of-living increase for city workers (although there is some council support for a 1 percent increase).

Nevertheless, a few noteworthy new expenditures are under con-sideration, including:

•One new police officer•Additional parking meters

(which may be financed via bond issue)

•Speed cameras•Streaming of city council

meetingsIt will all be sorted out later this

month. Incoming Mayor Marc Tartaro, currently representing Ward 1, is scheduled to introduce the 2012 budget to the Hyatts-ville City Council on May 23.

His ongoing concern, expressed at recent council meetings, is the lack of sufficient focus on the city’s long-term budget needs and his concern that current pro-jections are too optimistic.

“You are assuming numbers only in one direction,” he said. If they’re wrong, “it gets ugly really quickly.”

ELECTION continued from page 1

bUDgET continued from page 1

Mayor-Elect Marc TartaroWard 1 Councilmember-Elect

Candace B. HollingsworthWard 2 Councilmember-Elect Shani Warner

Ward 3 Councilmember Timothy P. HuntWard 4 Councilmember Paula J. Perry

and Ward 5 Councilmember Nicole Hindson their election to serve

the citizens of the City of Hyattsville

Mayor Bill GardinerWard 1 Councilmember Doug Dudrow

and Ward 2 Councilmember Bill Tierneyfor their many years of service

to the City of Hyattsville.

And thanks also to all who volunteered to run for office, offering their time and talents for the betterment of our City.

congratulates

Announcing May Open House Dates:• Every Wednesday, 8:30–10:30 a.m.

• Evening Presentation: Wednesday, May 25, 7:30–9:00 p.m.

Recent Media Coverage:

• Washington Post Magazine, April 10 “Embracing a Classical Education”• National Public Radio, April 12

And thanks thanks outgoing


on Gallatin Street was featured; this year, the old armory (better known as “the castle”) on Route 1 will be.

The tour is an opportunity for people to relax, see some beau-tiful buildings, and get to know Hyattsville better or be intro-duced to it. For the people whose houses are on the tour, however, it’s a rather different experience.

Few of the visitors know what goes into getting a house ready for the event. It’s a huge effort, according to some of those whose houses have been on the tour in the past and some doing it this year.

What to do with all your stuff is the first problem.

“You end up shoving stuff un-der the beds and in closets,” said Anna Frankle. “These old houses just don’t have much storage space.”

Terry McMann said she felt she was in an episode of the TV show “Hoarders.”

“I began throwing things away and taking stuff to Salvation Army and packing things up.

And I also found stuff I thought I’d lost and put it out for display. It’s a chance to enjoy what you collect.”

People also said a lot of house projects get done when you’re going to be on the tour, some ma-jor, some minor. And everyone agreed that the whole process causes a lot of stress.

“People get frantic,” said Ann Barrett, who is also on the house tour committee. “In November or December they think they have all the time to get projects done and then they realize there’s not enough time. I know it’s kicked me in the right direction to get things done that I should have done a long time ago.”

Kathy Black put it more bluntly. “It’s blood, sweat and tears. Lit-erally. When you try to repair things, you smash your finger with a hammer or you cut your-self. You sweat going under ra-diators cleaning up dust and dog hair. And you cry because you think no one will like your house.

“You have to be prepared as though you’re showing a house for sale. It has to be that perfect.”

There’s another side of that coin, though. Black added that her

house stayed clean for months. And Keith Feeley, whose

house has been on the tour sev-eral times, said, “I always kick myself for volunteering but once everyone’s in your house it’s over. Noon on the day of the tour, your work ends and then it’s fun. Your house is clean and you can enjoy it.”

Being on the tour means, too, that you meet people and get to know your neighbors better. Gloria Felix-Thompson told the story of a new neighbor running out of her house the day before the tour, muttering to herself, “I have to get a fern.” And Felix-Thompson, who hadn’t met her yet, said, “I have a fern. I’ll go get it.” She knew immediately why the woman needed a fern. They’ve been friends ever since.

When Felix-Thompson’s house was on the tour, neighbor Mary Stevenson came to her house the day before with garden gloves and a trowel, asking what she could do get the garden ready. And it was raining.

Remembering that day, she said, “I never appreciated any-thing more in my life.”

TOUR continued from page 1

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may 2011 hyattsville life & times

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