February 2015 Hyattsville Life & Times

GANG PREVENTION

TOBACCO PIPES

DEMATHA ANNIVERSARY

As school resource officers, Hyattsville Police Sgt. Michael Rudinski and Cpl. Jim Denault work with students to prevent gang activity. PAGE 5

Brendon Pinkham makes each of his artisan tobacco pipes by hand. Join him in his workshop as he prepares a new piece for the Chicago Pipe Show. PAGE 3

In 1965, the DeMatha Stags ended Power Memorial Academy’s 71-game winning streak and propelled themselves into the headlines. PAGE 7

City seeks residential parking program overhaul

by Rebecca Bennett

On Jan. 20, staff from the City of Hyattsville solicited feedback from the Hyattsville City Council on near-term proposed changes to the residential parking program. Early ideas include requiring parking permit renewal every two years, reducing the permit-less grace period to park in a residential parking zone from two hours to 15 minutes, and limiting the number of permits per household.

“Our focus will be to ensure that the program is effective for both residents and their guests, while also ensuring that the program can be administered by the city,” Assistant City Administrator Jim Chandler said. “Understanding it’s not one particular issue, but a series of issues that’s creating this problem.”

If implemented, Chandler said the changes would only apply to areas that have existing residential parking zones in place.

“The biggest issue for us is that there is no way to keep track of [existing residential parking] permits after the car has been disposed of,” Chandler said, adding that there

Hyattsville Life&Times

Vol. 12 No. 2

Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper

Rollers race nights heat up

by Scarlett Salem

PARKING continued on page 12

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID EASTON MD PERMIT NO. 43

February 2015

SCARLETT SALEM Participants bike on trainers during one of Arrow Bicycleʼs weekly winter rollers race nights.

The average cyclist is likely to avoid the roads when confronted by plummeting temperatures, snow, and ice. But as an alternative to locking the bike away until the spring, Arrow Bicycle, located on Route 1 across from Franklin’s, offers indoor training to keep cyclists in shape — and no — it is not a spin class.

Arrow Bicycle hosts a weekly rollers night during the cold season, during which devices called “trainers,” securely lock bikes in place so that participants can cycle indoors. Unlike a spin class, where bikes are stationary, a set of rollers does not afford riders the luxury of stability. Rollers test a cyclist’s balance and cadence (peddling speed), and they require more attention and focus than a spin class would.

Usually, beginners keep something within arm’s reach for balance like a wall or a chair.

“When I first started out [on rollers], I rode with one hand on a table until I got the hang of it,” said Arrow Bicycle co-owner and Hyattsville resident Chris Davidson.

ROLLER continued on page 13

Locals organize forum on loose aggressive dogs Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781

by Caroline Selle

When Joanne Kirsch asked participants on a local listserv to report experiences with loose dogs in the Arts District, she received details on 10 attacks, 17 incidents of threatening behavior, 11 accounts of dogs that were loose but not aggressive, and two descriptions of encounters where dogs were loose and unaggressive but still caused injury. One woman, Kirsch said, fell and broke her shoulder after a loose dog approached her and she became tangled in her dog’s leash.

“It was a common enough occurrence it was worth pursuing,” Kirsch told the attendees of the Jan. 27 Loose Aggressive Dog Forum.

Kirsch organizes the Gateway Dog Club, which sponsored the event along with the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation. Speakers included Joseph Mattingly, the Field Supervisor for the Prince George’s County Animal Control Office (and the City of Hyattsville’s former and last animal control officer), Sgt. Mike Rudinski of the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD), and Laura Costas of 1 on 1 Dog Training.

Residents expressed their frustrations both with loose dogs and officials’ inability to rectify the issue.

“When I’m afraid to walk in my own street … then all of a sudden my feeling about living here really changes,” said Nancy Meyer.

The speakers also gave attendees suggestions on how to deal with aggressive canines.

Based on his 30 plus years of experience in animal control, Mattingly said his best advice is to stay calm. “Always carry something in DOGS continued on page 13

Included: The February 9 2015 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section

Page 2

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

MyTwoCents

Ten years of business in Hyattsville

by Douglas R. Thompson

When my wife Gloria and I moved into our Hyattsville home in 1976, it was the unique community that attracted us both.

Everybody, it seemed, knew everybody else. Everyone looked out for each other. The local population was diverse. It was, in a word, “perfect.”

I became a yoga teacher in 1996 in order to share all the benefits of Yoga with my community. I

A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 http://HyattsvilleLife.com http://facebook.com/HyattsvilleLife http://twitter.com/HvilleTimes Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(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 below.

Managing Editor Caroline Selle caroline@hyattsvillelife.com 410.991.9209 Editor and Web Manager Rebecca Bennett rebecca@hyattsvillelife.com Editor Mark Goodson Production Ashley Perks Digital Archives Manager Susie Currie Copy Editor Sean Bennett Advertising advertising@hyattsvillelife.com 301.531.5234 Writers & Contributors Gretchen Brodtman, Katy JuneFriesen, Julia Gaspar-Bates, Lauren Kelly, Andrew Marder, Gray O’Dwyer, Kit Slack,Scarlett Salem, Fred Seitz, Board of Directors Joseph Gigliotti - President and General Counsel Chris Currie - Vice President Caroline Selle - Secretary Peggy Dee, Karen J. Riley, Rosanna Landis Weaver, Gretchen Brodtman, Debra Franklin, T. Carter Ross Rebecca Bennett - Ex Officio Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 9,300.

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envisioned a studio that would be more than just a yoga studio: a clean, quiet, non-competitive environment where everyone felt welcome, whether they had never taken yoga before, or were well-seasoned yogis. It would be the perfect place to meet residents from all over the city and surrounding communities.

It took nearly ten years to realize that dream. While I searched for the perfect place to open a studio, the City of Hyattsville let me hold classes in the Prangley Room in the Municipal Building.

While I could only have the room for a few hours each Sunday, the space let residents experience my classes. It was here I built the

foundation for my future studio.

Finally, in the summer of 2004, I found it! The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, who have been meeting in Hyattsville since 1896 and built their own building in 1920, were renting out a space. It must have been destined for yoga, because I saw the “for rent” sign only 15 minutes after it was put in the window. We scouted and secured the space that same day. In January of 2005, we opened Yoga Space to the public.

The dream that Hyattsville inspired has, without a doubt, come true. The teachers we have at Yoga Space are dedicated individuals that bring their own uniqueness to the studio, and I

feel the community spirit in the air each time I teach. The classes are filled with young and old alike. There are students using yoga to deal with cancer, the loss of a loved one, or other kinds of pain, both physical and psychological. Yoga Space has served the deaf, and people with Multiple Sclerosis or other ailments.

Inside these doors, everyone is free to just be themselves. When a chemotherapy patient who has lost her hair feels so at home in Yoga Space that she takes off her kerchief without thinking anything of it, I know what we have is special.

So here it is, 10 years later. The community has grown signifi-

cantly with the advent of the Arts District, and all the new development along Route 1. I see more young people with children moving here, which makes me happy. To me, that means Hyattsville will continue to thrive, and Yoga Space will continue to attract future Yoga students.

But you know what? As our community expands, it retains the same spirit that Gloria and I fell in love with back in 1976.

Thirty-nine years later, Hyattsville is still diverse. Everybody still knows everybody else. Everyone still looks out for each other. And ten years later, Yoga Space is still here — where it plans to remain!

Nostalgia and good food live at Glut

by Shauntrice Martin

Beyond the store’s sometimes dusty shelves and laid back staff beats the heart of Mount Rainier — Glut Food Co-op. Glut is the neighborhood’s lone grocery store, and it’s the place where artists, church folk, Metro drivers, executives, and families come to stock up on affordable herbs, bulk items, cheeses, and freshly ground nut butters.

One long-time customer is Mount Rainier’s former mayor, Fred Sissine. Sissine can generally be found in great spirits and great conversation when he visits us.

“Glut is like an antique gem. It has survived the emergence of larger organic food store chains — and it still shines as one of the few remaining “original” organic food stores. More than 30 years since my first visit, Glut is still my main food store — and it still has the best food, best prices, best music, best ‘vibes,’ and the coolest people,” he said.

Founded in 1969 by a group of conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War, Glut has remained stubbornly principled. It is still cheap, still funky. Granted, Glut is tip-toeing into the 21st century, but its old school charm is what people seem to enjoy about the store.

You don’t need to be a member to get lower prices. Glut is a workers’ co-op, which means that the 11 collective members make all the decisions together. That includes inventory, policies, payroll, and maintenance. In order to be a collective member, all you need is an application, some experience, and the magical ability to convince 11 different personalities that you can handle the diverse requirements of the Glut Co-op.

In an economy that has dissolved worker cooperatives, the collective at Glut voted to decrease our own salaries in order to maintain low prices.

Some workers, including myself, have even volunteered their time rather than clock-in to save money. Who in their right mind would do that?

A group of people who are invested in their com-

SHAUNTRICE MARTIN Fresh produce at Glut Food Co-op.

munity, that’s who. Unlike big chains, we know many of our customers by name, and we notice when they go out of town or when their children graduate or when they have an addition to the family. Some Glut customers, like Sissine, have been shopping with us for 30 years or more.

That’s the thing about Glut—it exists for the people, not for the profit. Whether it’s the volunteer program that offers food credit in exchange for bagging-up bulk items or the compost list that promotes sustainable living, Glut’s mission has always been sought more than just the bottom line.

Musician and father of two, Malcolm Ras said that the volunteer program helped him feed his family when he was out of work. “Glut has survived because of the supportive community mentality,” he said. “Glut is like an extended family. No matter how long you have been gone, when you come back, it feels like home.”

The same is true for me. Before I became a collective member, I was a volunteer. When I moved to Mount Rainier after my mother passed away, I was underemployed and unhealthy. As I got to know the workers at Glut,

I started to feel more connected to the community. It was at Glut that I was inspired by collective members Raquel and Ziah to start performing poetry at the Will Work For Food open mic. I joined the collective last Spring after volunteering for about three years.

Fifteen year member Kim Peterson is one of Glut’s advocates. She has seen every kind of customer and remembers her time at Glut fondly, writing, “People come from far away and near for our special shopping experience. Many folks ripe ‘n ready to learn about alternative health, supplements, self-care and self-growth. We have fans of good fair trade organic coffee and tea at great prices! Glut is great for fun and lively conversation.”

Recently, a “cash mob” decided to shop at Glut because of the uncommonly large proportion of products supplied by African-American distributors. Glut carries more of these products than any store in the DC metro area, including Dallas Popcorn, Salaam Bakery, Sweet & Natural, Dr. Sebi, Motisola, Moore Health, In the Raw with Soul, Zuresh, and Middle East Bakery.

Pavarottishakur, organizer of the cash mob and creator of www.PoliteConversation.com, said he was impressed with the effects of the store’s cooperative structure. “When, from the future, we look back and explain how we got this far and how we did so well, not as individuals but as a community, [we] will find that Glut was more than a store; it was a historically significant idea,” he said.

Glut is open seven days a week, Tuesday Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday - Monday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you want to join in on our community meetings, they are held every other Monday at the store from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. Glut will celebrate its 46th anniversary this summer. For more details, please visit the website: www.GlutFood.weebly.com.

You can follow @GlutCoop on Twitter for sales, recipes, and new products and ‘like’ the fan page: www.

Facebook.com/GlutFoodCoop. Glut is located at 4005 34th Street Mount Rainier, MD 20712.

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Page 3

Hyattsville home to artisan tobacco pipe maker

by Mark Goodson

For Brendon Pinkham, owner of 363 Pipes, handmade means that each piece of his artisan tobacco pipes is cut, drilled, sanded, or otherwise shaped by hand.

Pinkham is usually commissioned by pipe enthusiasts seeking high quality craftsmanship, or making a pipe for his autism line, whose proceeds support autism awareness. But in the garage — turned workshop — of his grandmother’s Hyattsville home on a January weekend, he is making a classic, premier Dublin pipe to take with him to the Chicago Pipe Show in May. It’s the largest pipe showcase in America, “maybe the world,” Pinkham says.

The Dublin he envisions for Chicago begins with raw material for the stem: a rod of Japanese Ebonite, brown-spotted rubber, cylindrical in shape. The next day, he will disregard the shaped and sanded Ebonite to start fresh with a German Cumberland Ebonite, having decided that the stem dipped slightly where it connected to the wood, which would have given the handler the feel of separate pieces.

“You never make a perfect pipe.

Nothing is ever fully right,” he says, filing the button, the pipe’s lip. “ The second you make a perfect pipe, you have nowhere to go.”

Though he disliked the first time he smoked a pipe — he de-

mark goodson Left: Sandpaper smooths the inside of the tobacco chamber.

Above, Pinkham working on a pipe.

Pinkham’s own auburn beard extends down to his chest. When he observed independent pipemaker John Hines in Charlottesville create a pipe out of a shapeless block of wood, Pinkham said he was hooked.

“That’s the best part. It’s taking an idea for a design and pulling it out of a block of wood,” he says. He cleaned out his grandmother’s garage and slowly transformed it into a pipe workshop by incorporating gifts and donations from family and friends: a band saw from his brother, a 1950s heavy Metal Lathe he hauled in from a friend’s father in New York. A recently installed homemade air filter, a purchased dust collector, and insulation for these winter months have made scribes it as “too much work” — the pastime grew on him, especially when he found a Facebook group of bearded pipe smokers.

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The crafting of a single pipe takes hours, as Pinkham demonstrates. He is vigilant at each production stage. A sand pit in the wood is a small black imperfection: Pinkham sands the tobacco chamber down one more layer. A whistle in the airway?

Pinkham carves a better funnel for a smoother draw. He drills out the pipe’s bowl until it is flush with the airway. A millimeter too deep and he starts over with a new block of Italian Briar. This is what you pay for with an artisan pipe.

“A factory pipe will have five or six hands on it. They shape the chamber with an all-in-one drill,” he says. To make a name for himself in the competitive craftsman pipe industry, Pinkham does not let any imperfection go unaddressed.

The finishing of the Dublin includes five rounds of sanding with increasingly finer grit. Each round is accompanied by a staining, using an alcohol-based leather dye.

The result is Japanese or German Ebonite and Italian, Algerian or Grecian wood merged to form one truly American product.

The result prompted customer Chris Green to post a ten minute review on Youtube, concluding, “I don’t think you’ll find (an artisan pipe) more beautiful than this. Just gorgeous craftsmanship…And at the price [they’re] going for right now, you gotta go get one … because at a quality like this, he’ll have to raise the price.”

Pinkham’s pipes come with a bag, hand-sewn by his wife, Katie, a seamstress. A photo gallery of the Dublin pipe production is available to view online at www.HyattsvilleLife.com.

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Page 4

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Is Hyattsville the next Hollywood?

Behind the scenes of a local film

by Jackita D. Bass

While controversial films such as “The Interview” and “Selma” create national headlines, the short film “All is Calm” creates buzz that is a little closer to home.

“All is Calm” was filmed in the Arts District in five hours on a cold Sunday night in December. A Christmas card of sorts,

the seven-minute film presents themes prominent in American news today—racial profiling and police relations in the community—but the underlying message is optimistic.

Francis Abbey, a DeMatha Catholic High School and University of Maryland graduate, wrote the script in less than seven hours. Though he usually pro-

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With deep roots in Hyattsville and memories of bustling Baltimore Avenue, Abbey said his filming location in the Arts District was familiar territory. He properly notified the Hyattsville Chief of Police regarding the taping schedule, and then filmed the movie with six crew members and two actors. Hyattsville resident Matthew Creger played one of the main characters and other residents can be seen in the background. This “guerilla style” of filmmaking elicited a few curious stares and inquiries from Arts District residents.

Abbey plans to enter the short film into competitions giving Hyattsville and the Arts District

greater exposure in the world of cinema.

Excited and happy about the ongoing development in the Arts District, Abbey said, “I hope that the Hyattsville Arts District can cultivate a vibrant community for filmmakers and that homeowners and business owners will open their doors as shooting locations.”

“It would be awesome to open a film studio in the Arts District,” he said.

The filmmaker mentioned that he would love to see the Arcade building at 4318 Gallatin Street turned into an independent theater where up-and-coming filmmakers can display their work.

The film can be viewed at www.HyattsvilleLife.com.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Page 5

City police officers work in schools to prevent gang activity

by Kit Slack

“Nobody should think that our schools are a place to feel fearful,” Prince George’s County Schools CEO Dr. Kevin Maxwell said following a gang-related murder in Langley Park this past spring, in which suspects were middle school students.

“Gangs don’t organize around schools, they organize around communities.”

Hyattsville police officers Sgt. Michael Rudinski and Cpl. Jim Denault work to make sure students are safe at school, and to keep gangs from organizing in schools.

The two are school resource officers. Rudinski is stationed at Northwestern High School, and Denault works at elementary and middle schools across the city.

School resource officers counsel and mentor students, coordinate onsite security, and serve as a liaison between schools and the police department. They are police officers with extensive additional training, and they go to work uniformed and armed. Though every high school in Prince George’s County now has a school resource officer, Sgt. Rudinski was the first in the county, brought to Northwestern in 1998 when Dr. Maxwell was serving as principal.

Gang issues in one form or another have plagued area high schools at least as far back as the late 1990s. At that time, Dr. Maxwell called an after-school peace summit of non-student gang leaders in order to calm disputes that were spilling over into the school.

Today, according to FBI reports, Prince George’s County has high gang membership. However, according to the School Climate Survey for Northwestern — the school where Sgt. Rudinski spends most of his time — over 60 percent of students say they are “not aware of a gang problem at the school.”

School resource officers work with school administrators to identify students who are at risk for gang recruitment and address the factors in those students’ lives that make them vulnerable.

Sgt. Rudinski believes his most important task is to build relationships with students, with a focus on “latch-key kids from one-parent families.” He and Cpl. Denault work to build student confidence and leadership skills. They provide “positive mentorship, time, and extra attention.”

They help students set goals and then hold them accountable. They connect students with resources like peer mediation and

after-school programs. In some cases, they have helped students find jobs.

For the past two years, Cpl. Denault has also taught six-week gang prevention courses to students in local elementary and middle schools, and he plans to do so again this year. He uses a curriculum developed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives called Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.). In 2012, a long-term study suggested that G.R.E.A.T. reduces gang membership among participants by an average of 39 percent a year after completion and 24 percent over a four year period.

As Sgt. Rudinski tells other officers in training, gangs become active in schools because students are vulnerable targets for crimes like extortion and drug sales.

Extortion at area high schools was among the crimes listed in a federal indictment of Hyattsville-area members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang this past summer.

While major national gangs like MS-13 are active in some of the neighborhoods that feed into area high schools, smaller, less well-known neighborhood “crews” have also proliferated.

Neighborhood kids band together for protection from extortion, or new immi-

grants join gangs with more established immigrants from the same home countries, to avoid humiliation and bullying from their assimilated peers. Sgt. Rudinksi believes students experience pressure to join gangs, due to bullying and often stay for the money.

According to Sgt. Rudinski, for the current generation of students, the bullying can seem inescapable. Through social media, the bullying follows them into their homes. Officer Rudinski also notes a statewide trend against expelling students. As a result, a victim’s attacker may return to school after only a few days of suspension, leaving the victim to feel he or she has little choice but to seek protection through gang affiliation.

Rudinski notes that schools are reluctant to expel students for violent behavior because in Maryland, too many expulsions or long suspensions can result in a school being designated a “Persistently Dangerous School” under the [AP ITAL] No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Once a school has that label, parents must be notified, and students given the option to transfer.

Despite the challenges facing a school resource officer, 17 years later, Sgt.Rudinski is still enthusiastic about what he does. He says that working with students is more rewarding than the regular police work he did for more than a decade before he became a school resource officer.

In that work, he would often see the same adults sent to prison over and over again.

Now Sgt. Rudinski can see that his work “changes kids’ lives.”

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Rights Real: Activists, inthe Comparative Perspective, which won the C.Making Herman Pritchett Award of West Hyattsville or Prince Bureaucrats, and the Creation of the Legalistic State, which wasActivists, named an the American Political Science Association.

Making Rights Real: orGeorge’s Prince Plaza, Charles R. Epp’s research focuses on law as an instrument of reform. He Hyattsville is the author of several books published by the University of Chicago Press Hyattsville Busboys & and Poets such as The Rights Revolution: Lawyers, Activists, Supreme Courts Busboys & Poets 02.17.2015 in Comparative Perspective, which won the C. Herman Pritchett Award of 02.17.2015 the American Political Science Association.

Making Rights Real: Activists, 7-9pm Bureaucrats, and the Creation of the Legalistic 7-9pmQ State, (with & A) which was named an Outstanding Academic Title by the American (with QLibrary & A) Association.

Page 6

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

mandy sheffer From left to right, clockwise: Mandy Sheffer and son Atlas prepare the first shipment of Curated Tees; Atlas wearing February’s design; Atlas illustrating.

Curated Tees hit Hyattsville

by Scarlett Salem

Mandy Sheffer’s life is a mix of art, entrepreneurial spirit, and education. Sheffer, Hyattsville resident, said she finds the flexibility of an online business particularly appealing. She cofounded The Curated Tee, a subscription based t-shirt company, with her business partner, Vanessa Ragland. In addition to running the business, she is a full-time mom to her son, Atlas, who is nearly 2 years old.

Sheffer, who originally hails from Australia, formally launched The Curated Tee with Ragland, a Los Angeles resident,

in January.

Ragland adds, “Mandy and I have been friends for years and have gone from fun-filled college days to being mamas together — and we’ve loved every incarnation of our friendship. Starting this business together is so exciting.” Ragland’s son, Oliver, is almost 10 months old.

Each monthly t-shirt features a unique design presented by a guest artist. “We have a great line up of artists for the year, with new people approaching us almost weekly saying they’d like to be involved. We started out by asking friends and family, and from there we were introduced

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Subscribers sign up for a three month, six month, or ongoing subscription, and the target audience is children aged one to four.

Those who prefer to purchase a single shirt have to wait until the first of every month, when the remaining shirts from the previous month are made available to non-subscribers.

“At this point all our sales have been subscribers only because we haven’t released any shirts for individual sale yet,” Sheffer said. The t-shirts are printed by Triple Stamp Press in Richmond, Va. and orders are packaged and

mailed by Sheffer and Ragland.

The t-shirts come with a digital download of the design, accompanied by educational activity ideas that parents can do with their children. For example, a medical illustrator designed the picture of a heart on January’s t-shirt. They recommended parents identify where the heart is in the body on stuffed animals (stethoscope optional), or parents can print out the design and color in the heart with their child.

Atlas helps his mom by trying out all the activities that are written for each month. For Sheffer, “It’s been really fun to see the way

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the designs have provoked his interest. [Because of January’s tshirt design,] we now spend a lot of our day using a stethoscope and playing doctor,” she said.

“My background is in early childhood education. I have worked in childcare and preschools, and was the director of a little school right before having Atlas,” Sheffer said. “Being able to bring an educational element into the business was really important to me. It’s been wonderful being able to use my background to create the downloads and to find ways to inspire young children to connect with and learn from the art on their shirt.”

The two work hard to produce a quality product. “[Triple Stamp Press] uses a water-based ink, which is what we really like. If [a printer] uses a standard screen print, you can feel the plasticy feel because the ink doesn’t sink into fabric,” Sheffer said. “With water-based, it does sink in, so it is soft and doesn’t have the plastic feel. You want kids to feel comfortable and feel free to move around.”

The duo uses both domestic and international artists for their designs. Currently, most of the subscribers are in the Washington, D.C. region and Los Angeles, but they hope to expand their consumer base.

“I’m so excited by the positive response our company is receiving on both coasts,” Ragland said.

Sheffer is enjoying the local support. “[Hyattsville] is the most amazing community,” she said.

“The Hyattsville mommy’s group is life saving and there was so much support when we first launched. I feel like I’ll see kids running around the park this spring with these t-shirts.”

For more information or to purchase a subscription, head to the www.thecuratedtee.com and check out their Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Page 7

Basketball victory 50 years ago continues to reverberate at DeMatha

by Chris McManes

Whether current members of the DeMatha Catholic High School basketball team know it or not, much of the success and benefits they enjoy today can be traced back 50 years to a basketball game played about three miles north of DeMatha in College Park.

On Jan. 30, 1965, the DeMatha Stags ended Power Memorial Academy’s 71-game winning streak at the University of Maryland’s Cole Field House and handed 7-foot-1 Kareem AbdulJabbar — then known as Lew Alcindor — the only loss of his prep career.

Suddenly, the small Hyattsville private school gained regional and national recognition.

The Washington Post, The Washington Star and The Washington Daily News all previewed the game with front-page stories. Every TV station in town featured the encounter before and after. Writers and photogra-

COURTESY OF DEMATHA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Morgan Wootten speaks with his team at Cole Field House.

phers from Time and Newsweek magazines showed up, and even The New York Times devoted space to it. The game sold out all 12,500 seats.

“Up until that point, high school basketball wasn’t really that well known throughout the nation.

Everything was kind of isolated,” said Morgan Wootten, 83, who coached DeMatha to victory that snowy Saturday night. “But this game just jumped up so high,

was so nationally covered, that all of a sudden high school basketball became more important.

“It took the game from a quiet locality and injected the great players and the great teams to national attention. So it was, in that way, the greatest high school basketball game ever played.”

On Jan. 30, DeMatha celebrated the 50th anniversary of that contest with an 84-44 victory over league opponent Bishop

Ireton. Most of the 1964-65 team members joined Wootten in attendance to reminisce about that seminal victory. CBS sportscaster James Brown came to help produce a feature story on Wootten for 60 Minutes Sports.

Brown played for Wootten before attending Harvard.

Friday’s festivities included a video commemorating the game and a half-time introduction of the players and staff. The former Stags should be proud of the current edition they helped lay the foundation for a half century ago.

DeMatha is ranked in the top six nationally and is No. 1 in the Washington area.

Mike Jones, who succeeded Wootten after the Hall of Fame coach concluded his 46-year DeMatha career in 2002, agrees that the win over the Panthers continues to reverberate throughout the program. The Stags play nationally prominent teams and have this year played in Arizona, Massachusetts, Georgia and Florida. The basketball program

is sponsored by the footwear, apparel and equipment giant Nike.

“Many people [say] that’s the game that put high school basketball on the map,” said Jones, who played and coached under Wootten. “So a lot of the things that we’re afforded today — the trips we’re taking, playing across the country, the games on TV, as well as a lot of people’s jobs with recruiting sites and things like that — a lot of that is owed to the Power MemorialDeMatha game back in 1965.

“It has definitely had a positive effect on the program.”

Wootten, who also coached the Stags football team for 13 seasons (1956-68) and won five basketball national championships, calls that 1965 game, “the greatest athletic victory in DeMatha history.”

Chris McManes (mick-manyz) coaches boys basketball at St. Jerome. His coaching philosophy is built upon what he learned from Morgan Wootten and the late Joe Gallagher.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Page HR2

el

the

Hyattsville Reporter Reportero de Hyattsville No. 304 • February 10, 2015

Parent and Child Dance, Circus Style

Join us as we clown around under the big top for this year’s Parent & Child Dance Party! This event will take place on Saturday, February 21, 5 - 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the City Building at 4310 Gallatin Street. We’ll have kidfriendly music and dancing, a fun photo booth and yummy refreshments. Circus clothes and costumes are welcome!

Tickets are $5.00 per person, payable at the door (cash/checks only please). Space is limited, so reservations are required. To make a reservation, call 301-985-5021 or visit our website at www.hyattsville.org/underthebigtop. All children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the event.

Improv Workshop and Performance

Three improv troupes are bringing their spontaneous comedy to Hyattsville on Saturday, February 28. At 2 p.m. the DC-

based troupe Press Play will hold an improv workshop for all ages and experiences. Then at 7:30 that night, Press Play and two other troupes will host a comedy review for ages 16 and older. Both events are free but require registration. A link for registration can found on the City’s website calendar. For more information or to register by phone contact Jake Rollow at 301-985-5031 or jrollow@hyattsville.org.

nutritional expert. Participants will also receive a reusable shopping bag and a $10 Price Rite gift card. All participants will be picked up from and dropped off at their homes by the City’s Call-A-Bus. Space is limited to 15, and reservations must be made in advance by calling 301985-5020.

Nutritional Tour

The Hyattsville Police Department is offering a free, 11-week police academy for residents to increase communication, understanding, respect and collaboration among Hyattsville police and residents. It is the perfect opportunity to experience police officer training first hand and learn how law enforcement agencies operate.

The academy begins Thursday, March 5.

Residents of Hyattsville and surrounding communities ages 18 and over are encouraged to apply. For more information or an application form, please visit the City web-

Join us for a free nutritional tour of the Price Rite grocery store at the Shops at Queens Chillum on Feb 19 at 9:30 a.m.

The program is designed by Cooking Matters (cookingmatters.org) and led by a volunteer nutritional expert from the University of Maryland. Participants learn to read labels, compare unit pricing, find whole grain foods and add more fresh produce into inexpensive meals. The tour will last about an hour and afterwards participants will have the opportunity to shop with the

Police Academy for the Public

site or contact Corporal James Denault at 240-286-6047 or jdenault@hyattsville.org.

City Elections

On May 5, 2015, Hyattsville will hold elections for Mayor and five City Council seats. Vote-by-Mail applications are now available on the City website. If you are interested in running for office, candidate registration opens February 23.

The City is also plannig to hire election judges who will earn $50-$175 per day.

For more information, please visit www. hyattsville.org/elections or contact City Clerk Laura Reams at 301-985-5009 or lreams@hyattsville.org.

Stream City TV on Your Computer

You can stream City Council meetings and the City’s cable channel on your computer or tablet. To do so, visit the Hyattsville website: http://www.hyattsville. org/479/Communications-Video.

Every Tuesday and Thursday through April 2 10 AM - 12 PM Magruder Recreation Center, 3911 Hamilton Street More information: Tony Martinez, 240-299-8395, tmartinez@hyattsville.org

Ageless Grace Exercise Classes

Every Wednesday and Friday through February 27, 10 - 11 AM 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Colleen Aistis, 301.985.5057, caistis@hyattsville.org

City Council Work Session on City Budget Wednesday, February 11, 8 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Board of Supervisors of Elections Meeting Tuesday, February 17, 4 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Hyattsville City Council Meeting

Tuesday, February 17, 8 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Hyattsville Code Compliance Advisory Committee

Wednesday, February 18, 7 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Chris Giunta, 301-985-5017, cgiunta@hyattsville.org

Baile de Padres e Hijos, Estilo del Circo

Vengan y bailen con nosotros bajo la gran carpa en La Fiesta de Baile de Padres e Hijos de este año! Este evento será el sabado, 21 de febrero, 5 - 7 p.m. en el cuarto multi-uso del Edificio de la Ciudad en 4310 Gallatin Street. Tendremos musica para niños, baile, una cabina de fotos y refrescos ricos. Ropa del circo está bienvenida!

Boletas son $5.00 cada persona en la puerta (efectivo o cheque por favor). Espacio es limitado y reservas son requieridas. Para hacer la reserva, llame 301-985-5021 o visite nuestro sitio de web en www.hyattsville.org/underthebigtop. Todos los niños deben ser acompañados con un adulto en todo el evento.

Taller y Rendimiento de Improvisación

Tres compañías de improvisación

llevan su comedia espontánea a Hyattsville el sabado, 28 de febrero.

A las 2 p.m. la compañía de DC, Press Play, harrá un taller de improvisación para todos los edades y niveles. Después, a las 7:30 de la tarde, Press Play y dos mas compañías presentarán un rendimiento de comedia para todos con 16 y más años. Los dos eventos son gratuita pero requieren inscripción. Un link para inscripción se puede encontrar en el calendario de la Ciudad en su sitio de web. Para más información, o para inscribir por telefono, contacte a Jake Rollow en 301985-5031 o jrollow@hyattsville.org.

Gira de Nutrición

Acompáñenos para una gira nutricional gratuita del Price Rite tienda de alimentación en los Shops at Queens Chillum el 19 de febrero a las 9:30 a.m. El programa es diseñado por Cooking Matters (cook-

ingmatters.org) y liderado por un experto en nutrición voluntario de la Universidad de Maryland. Participantes aprenden a leer etiquetas, comparan precios de unidades, encuentran alimentos de grano entero y usan mas verduras frescas en comidas baratas. La gira dura una hora y después participantes tendrán la oportunidad a comprar con el experto nutricional. Participantes también recibirán una bolsa reutilizable y una tarjeta de credito de $10 en Price Rite. Todas las participantes serán recogido y dejado en sus casas por el Llama-Un-Bus de la Ciudad.

Espacio es limitado a 15, y requieremos reservaciones en avance por llamar 301-985-5020.

Academia de la Policía para el Publico

El Departmento de la Policía de

www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000

Hyattsville ofrece una academia gratuita de 11 semanas por residentes para aumentar comunicación, entendemiento, respeto y colaboración entre la policía y residentes de Hyattsville. Es la oportunidad perfecta a aprender entrenamiento de la policía y como operan sus agencias. La academia abre jueves, 5 de marzo. Residentes de Hyattsville y comunidades alrededores con 18 años y mas están invitada a solicitar. Para más información o una solicitud, por favor visite el sitio de web de la Ciudad o contacte a Corporal James Denault a 240-2866047 o jdenault@hyattsville.org.

Elecciones de la Ciudad

El 5 de mayo, 2015, Hyattsville tendrá elecciones para Alcalde y cinco puestos en el Consejo Municipal. Solicitudes de Votaciónpor-Correo ya están disponible en

el sitio de web de la Ciudad. Si usted tiene interés en hacer campaña, inscripción para candidatos abre el 23 de febrero. La Ciudad también planea en contratar jueces de las elecciones quien ganarán $50-$175 cada dia. Para más información, por favor visite www.hyattsville.org/elections o contacte a la Secretaria de la Ciudad Laura Reams a 301-9855009 o lreams@hyattsville.org.

Mira La Televisión de Hyattsville en su Computadora

Puede ver las reuniones del Consejo Municipal y el canal de la Ciudad en su computadora o tablet. Para hacerlo, visite el sitio de web de Hyattsville: http://www.hyattsville. org/479/Communications-Video.

CALENDARIO

CALENDAR Creative Minds Parent & Child Program

No. 304 • 10 de febrero, 2015

www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000

Hyattsville Planning Committee

Tuesday, February 18, 7:30 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Jim Chandler, 301-985-5013, jchandler@hyattsville.org

Invasive Plant Removal

Saturday, February 21, 9 AM - 1 PM Magruder Woods, 3911 Hamilton Street More information: 301-985-5057

Under the Big Top Parent-Child Dance

Saturday, February 21, 5-7 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Cheri Everhart, 301-985-5021, ceverhart@hyattsville.org

Candidate Registration Opens for City Elections

Monday, February 23 Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

City Council Work Session on City Budget Wednesday, February 25, 8 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Hyattsville Education Advisory Committee Thursday, February 26, 6:30 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Jake Rollow, 301-985-5031, jrollow@hyattsville.org

Improv Workshop

Saturday, February 28, 2-4 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Jake Rollow, 301-985-5031, jrollow@hyattsville.org

Improv Comedy Review

Saturday, February 28, 7:30 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Jake Rollow, 301-985-5031, jrollow@hyattsville.org

Hyattsville City Council Meeting

Monday, March 2, 8 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Spring Sports Field Permitting Meeting

Wednesday, March 4, 7 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street More information: Cheri Everhart, 301-985-5021, ceverhart@hyattsville.org

City Council Public Hearing on City Budget Wednesday, March 11, 7 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

City Council Work Session on City Budget Wednesday, March 11, 8 PM Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin More information: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Mentes Creativas Programa de Padres e Hijos

Comité de Planeación de Hyattsville

Miércoles, 18 de febrero, 7:30 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Jim Chandler, 301-985-5013, jchandler@hyattsville.org

Taller de Improvisación Sabado, 28 de febrero, 2-4 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Jake Rollow, 301-985-5031, jrollow@hyattsville.org

Gracia sin Edad Clases de Ejercicio

Sábado, 21 de febrero, 9 AM - 1 PM Bosque Magruder, 3911 Hamilton Street Más información: 301-985-5057

Eliminación de Plantas Invasivas

Rendimiento de Comedia de Improvisación

Cada martes y jueves, hasta el 2 de abril, 10 AM - 12 PM 3911 Hamilton Street.

El Centro Recreativo de Magruder Más información: Tony Martinez, 240-299-8395 o tmartinez@hyattsville.org Cada miércoles y viernes hasta el 27 de febrero, 10 - 11 AM 4310 Gallatin Street Más información: Tony Martinez, 240-299-8395 o tmartinez@hyattsville.org

Reunión de Trabajo del Consejo Municipal sobre el Presupuesto de la Ciudad Miércoles, 11 de febrero, 8 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Reunión de la Mesa de los Supervisores de Elecciones Martes, 17 de febrero, 4 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Reunion del Consejo Municipal de Hyattsville Martes, 17 de enero, 8 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Comité de Cumplimiento de Codigos de Hyattsville Miércoles, 18 de febrero, 7 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Chris Giunta, 301-985-5017, cgiunta@hyattsville.org

Bajo La Gran Carpa Baile de Padres e Hijos Sábado, 21 de febrero, 5-7 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Cheri Everhart, 301-985-5021, ceverhart@hyattsville.org

Abre Inscripción de Candidators para Elecciones Municipales Lunes, 23 de febrero Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Reunión de Trabajo del Consejo Municipal sobre el Presupuesto de la Ciudad Miércoles, 25 de febrero, 8 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Comité de Educación de Hyattsville

Jueves, 26 de febrero, 6:30 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Jake Rollow, 301-985-5031, jrollow@hyattsville.org

Sabado, 28 de febrero, 7:30 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Jake Rollow, 301-985-5031, jrollow@hyattsville.org

Reunion del Consejo Municipal de Hyattsville Lunes, 2 de marzo, 8 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Reunión Sobre Permisos de Canchas para Deportes de la Primavera Miércoles, 4 de marzo, 7 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Cheri Everhart, 301-985-5021, ceverhart@hyattsville.org

Audiencia Publico sobre el Presupuesto Propuesta de la Ciudad Miércoles, 11 de marzo, 7 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Reunion del Consejo Municipal de Hyattsville Miércoles, 11 de marzo, 8 PM Edificio Municipal de Hyattsville, 4310 Gallatin Más información: Laura Reams, 301-985-5009, lreams@hyattsville.org

Page 8

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

CulturalConnections

Cuban immigrant comes to Hyattsville

by Julia Gaspar-Bates

Cuban immigrant Osbel Susman-Peña discovered Hyattsville after he and his American wife, Tara, happened upon an article in the Washington Post promoting the town as an artistic community in transition. They were sold on the city when “… we saw children walking by themselves in the street,” Susman-Peña said.

“This gave us confidence that it’s a safe area where we could raise our children. We also liked the diversity with lots of multiracial and gay couples. I really liked that I could walk down the street and people say ‘hi’ to you.

This reminded me of Cuba and I

felt at home.”

For Susman-Peña, home has been many places. Born into a diplomatic family in Havana in the post-Revolution years when Fidel Castro came into power, he left Cuba soon thereafter when his father was posted in Algeria.

“When I returned to Cuba in 1970 everything was rationed. I came from [Algeria] where there was a lot of prosperity. There was no possibility to access things that I was used to having in Algeria. [In Cuba,] I realized that you couldn’t eat certain foods that weren’t produced in the country… This deficit meant that people had to be creative.”

Susman-Peña believes Cubans

need to be pragmatic to survive and learn to enjoy the moment in simple ways.

“If meat is available in the market today and you need it tomorrow, you make a choice. Do I buy the meat and eat it today or do I take a risk and save it for several days knowing that we may not have electricity? People are psychologically conditioned to see things in the short term and make calculated risks for survival,” he said.

Despite the hardships, SusmanPeña said he misses aspects of life in Cuba.

Apart from the material needs, he said, “I lived a very happy life. There was virtually no vio-

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lence because the mentality was more to fraternize than to be violent. There were lots of parties. I miss small things — the sea, my friends, going to the cinema and seeing movies from around the world because movies in Cuba are very inexpensive, and the cultural life because there is a strong artistic community.”

Susman-Peña arrived in the U.S. in 2004 after meeting Tara, his future wife, in Havana, where she was doing anthropological research. The couple eventually moved to New York City.

“The contrast was huge between what I had lived in Havana and what I was beginning to see here,” Susman-Peña said. “For example, I didn’t speak any English so I felt like a baby because if you can’t communicate, you can’t ask for food. My first impression was that there was huge linguistic and cultural diversity.

Another thing that impressed me was going into a supermarket the first time. I was in shock for 20 minutes because I couldn’t understand all the choices.”

After Tara became pregnant, the couple realized that staying in New York City was not an economically viable option for raising a family. They relocated to Bethesda, Md., to be closer to Tara’s family before purchasing a home in Hyattsville a year later.

“In Hyattsville, I have met a community where I’m comfortable because it’s an open and artistic community. This helps me integrate a lot despite my linguis-

JULIA GASPAR-BATES Osbel Susman-Peña left Cuba soon after Castroʼs rise to power.

tic limitations,” he said.

Susman-Peña said he is optimistic about the recent shift in U.S.Cuban relations.

“Cuba can’t remain separate from the rest of the world and it’s important for change,” SusmanPeña said. “The youth in Cuba today will find more integration and have more opportunities to develop the country. People can’t blossom now — they have a lot of knowledge but they can’t do anything with it … The economic society is not structured in a way that people can develop.

This will be a part of the transition.”

Julia Gaspar-Bates is a crosscultural trainer and consultant.

“Cultural Connections” is devoted to bringing forth the voices of immigrants and other foreigners who have settled in Hyattsville.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Page 9

COMMUNITY CALENDAR February 13

Free. College Park Community Library, 9704 Rhode Island Avenue, College Park, 301.474.8044.

Enter the Hyattsville Library art contest and submit creative works to be displayed in the branch’s HeART Gallery on Valentine’s Day. The theme is “heart.” Bring paintings, drawings, sculptures, poems, or other artistic works to the Children’s Department on Feb. 13 and 14 to enter the contest. Prizes to be awarded. 10 a.m., Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Road, 301.985.4690.

March 10

The Prince George’s County Department of Family Services, State Health Insurance Assistance Program presents: Introduction to Medicare.

Free. 7 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library. 6530 Adelphi Road, 301.985.4690.

Ongoing

February 14

Joe’s Movement Emporium and Gottaswing presents a Valentine’s Day Swing Dance, which starts with an hour-long group lesson from professional swing dancers. Swing era attire encouraged. All proceeds benefit Joe’s educational services for county youth. Scrumptious desserts. $15 ($25 per couple) online, $20 ($30 per couple) at the door. 8 to 11 p.m. 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mount Rainier. 301.699.1819 or www.joesmovement.org.

Students age 10 to 17 are invited to whip up some Valentine’s Day Treats with the Prince George’s County Xtreme Teens. Free with M-NCPPC Youth ID. 7 to 10 p.m. Prince George’s Plaza Community Center, 6600 Adelphi Road, 301.864.1611.

Forgot it was Valentine’s Day? Don’t worry! Drop in and make a beautiful Hearts and Crafts handmade Valentine for that special someone. Use designer doilies

caroline selle A participant creates a card at Hyattsville Aging in Place’s Valentine-making party.

to delight your Dad and handprint hearts to make your honey happy.

Hearts and Crafts is hosted by the Hyattsville Library Teen Advisory Board, all ages are welcome. 7 p.m.

Free. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Road, 301.985.4690.

Hand Dancing is a great couples swing dance with a slower blues beat. Join the College Park Arts Exchange for a Valentine’s Day Dance whether you know hand dancing or just want to wing it! $$$ 7:30 to 10 p.m. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Road, College Park. RSVP to info@cpae.org.

February 16

Join ArtWorks from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for School’s Out...We’re In: Presidential Portraits. Are you the next President? Attendees will study portraits of past presidents

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and dress up and pose for photos to use as inspiration for a painting of themselves as Commander in Chief. $60, ages 5 through 12. Advance registration required. For more details, please contact Art Works directly at 301-454-0808 or by e-mailing Juliana Molina at juliana@artworksnow.org

February 17

Celebrate Black History Month with Our Voices at the Hyattsville Branch Library. A story will be read to illustrate Black History and a related craft or extension activity will follow the story and group discussion. All ages are welcome. 4:30 p.m. Free. 6530 Adelphi Road, 301.985.4690.

February 21

Please join the Hyattsville Preservation Association for Folk & Children’s Music at Vigilante Coffee featuring vocalist Audrey Engdahl. Coffee and refreshments available for purchase at a 10 percent discount. Free. 4 to 6 p.m.

4327 Gallatin St. For information call: 301.699.5440 or email hpahyattsville@hotmail.com.

The City of Hyattsville presents the Under the Big Top Parent and Child Dance Party with kid-friendly music, dancing, refreshments, photos and fun! 5 to 7 p.m. Reservations required. $5 per person. Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, 301.985.5021.

February 23

The Hyattsville Branch Library Independent Film Series presents “Free Angela, and All Political Prisoners.” This docudrama takes a gripping look at the historical incidents in the 1960s that created an international movement to free activist, scholar and author Angela Davis, and tells the story of social justice activism that landed her on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted

list. Sponsored by the Friends of the Hyattsville Branch. 7 p.m. Free. 6530 Adelphi Road, 301.985.4690.

February 28

In partnership with the Educational Opportunity Center at the University of Maryland, the Hyattsville branch locations is hosting College Goal Maryland sessions for teen and adult college bound students. Attendees will receive free, on-site assistance with Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms, an opportunity to talk with financial aid professionals, and more! Please bring financial documents including 2014 W-2’s and tax returns. 2 p.m., Hyattsville Branch Library. 6530 Adelphi Road, 301.985.4690.

DC-based improv comedy troupe Press Play is hosting a free improv workshop that will teach the basic philosophy and techniques of improv comedy. Participants will engage in fun group-based exercises that focus on agreement and building on the ideas of others.

No previous experience required.

Attendees should wear loose fitting clothing and come ready to have fun. 2 - 4 p.m., Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin St. Age 16 and up. Space is limited: RSVP via Facebook.

From 7:30 to 9 p.m., Press Play will bring you a night of improv comedy featuring The Improv Imps and Aboulia. Troupes will use an audience suggestion as inspiration for a completely improvised show that has never been performed before and will never be performed again. Recommended for ages 16 and up. Free. Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin St. More information is available on Press Play’s Facebook page.

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday with books read aloud, puppets, art projects, and treats! 10 am.

Vigilante Coffee hosts Coffee Cupping every Thursday this month! The series gives participants the opportunity to learn how to cup coffee and to taste the roastery’s latest offerings. February 12, 19, and 26, 1 to 2 p.m.

Held at the Vigilante Roastery, 4327 Gallatin St. Free.

Open Mic at Busboys and Poets, various hosts. Hear live spoken word poetry in the Zinn Room. Thursdays, 9 to 11 p.m.

Come on inside for the The Riverdale Farmers Winter Market from 3 to 7 p.m on Thursdays, followed by a coffee market on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Live music, farmers, food vendors, and crafts. 6204 Rhode Island Avenue, Riverdale Park.

Through March, naturalists will lead a guided hike around Lake Artemesia and the Luther Goldman Birding Trail on the first and third Thursdays of the month.

Lake Artemesia, 8200 55th Avenue, Berwyn Heights. Free. 3 to 4:30 p.m. 301.627.7755.

The Hyattsville library offers a variety of storytimes. Space is limited; free tickets available at the children’s desk. Ages 9-23 months: Mondays, 10:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Ages 3-5: Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Ages 2-3 Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.

English-Spanish Storytime for ages 3-6: Saturdays, 11 a.m. 6530 Adelphi Road. 301.985.4690.

Rise + Rhyme kicks off the week for the 5-and-under set with storytelling, performances and more. Suggested donation, $5.

Monday mornings from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Zinn Room, Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Avenue. 301.779.2787.

Community Calendar is a select listing of events happening in and around Hyattsville from the 15th of the issue month to the 15th of the following month. To submit an item for consideration, please e-mail tips@hyattsvillelife.com Deadline for March submissions is February 25.

Page 10

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

REBECCA BENNETT

DOUGLAS HOLLAND

REBECCA BENNETT

REBECCA BENNETT Clockwise from top left: Hyattsville City Police Chief Douglas Holland and his daughter, Desiree Holland, raised $11,910 for Special Olympics Maryland by participating in the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge on Jan. 23-4. The Hollands are members of the Super Plunge Team, which jump into cold Chesapeake Bay waters once an hour for 24 hours straight; The Palmer Building at 4327 Gallatin Street, home to Vigilante Coffee, used the Rain Check Rebate Program to address stormwater management on the property; The used bookstore run by the Friends of the Hyattsville Branch bookstore at the Hyattsville Library was closed for several days so that volunteers could reorganize it; The beer and wine newstand and drive-through in the 2900 block of Hamilton Street just got a makeover, including a new counter and an upgraded wine wall.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

Page 11

MissFloribunda Dear Miss Floribunda, After buying seeds at the Hyattsville Horticultural Society seed sale I went out and got peat pots and potting soil to start them in.

It was only then that I really read the backs of the seed packages. They tell you when to plant the seeds outdoors but they don’t tell you when to start them indoors. I have read that you start them six weeks before the last frost date in your area. Is that set in stone? Among the seeds that I bought for a vegetable plot are tomatoes, lettuce, beets, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, spinach, parsley, corn, beans, peas and zucchini squash. I also got flower seeds recommended by the experts at the sale: marigolds to put among my vegetables, impatiens for shady areas and many varieties of zinnias for the sunny areas. Can you tell me anything specific about starting them indoors?

Budding Beginner on Buchanan Street Dear Budding Beginner, In the Hyattsville area, the last frost date usually runs from April 15 to April 21. The backs of the seed packages should also tell you how long it takes the seeds to germinate.

This can vary greatly, and there are a number of other considerations. For example, some plants can go outside well before the last

light frost. Other plants don’t transplant well and their seeds should be planted directly in the soil, and those planting dates vary according to how warm the soil needs to be for that particular plant. Peas should be planted in March but beans not before May. Some plants germinate much faster than others.

In general, it isn’t a good idea to start seeds too early and just wait — most seedlings need to go outside in about a month from germination. Lettuce takes about a week to germinate. The seedlings need a week outside to harden off before planting, and to be whisked inside if frost threatens.

Here is a sample comparison. Both the seeds of broccoli and the seeds of tomatoes germinate quickly and the seedlings of both transplant well. However, broccoli seedlings need to be put out in the garden before March is over, as early as St. Patrick’s Day. They will go to seed once warm weather comes and so need an early start. Tomatoes, on the other hand, are very tender and they need warm soil. I never plant mine before May 1.

I decided to ask vegetable gardener extraordinaire Ivan Grozni for his advice. He starts his spinach and beet seeds indoors the first week of March but tender annuals like zinnias and marigolds not before the end of March. He says the most important thing is to consult weather forecasts and test soil temperatures before putting out seedlings. A hard frost can kill even cold-

tolerant spinach seedlings, and he would not plant tomatoes outside until the soil has warmed to 60 degrees. He also pointed out that some of your choices don’t tolerate disturbance. You should plant corn and beans directly in the soil about the time you put out the seedlings you started for tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and peppers. He added that most crucifers, including cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, transplant easily and can be started now. Lettuce germinates directly in the soil outside when the temperature no longer goes below 40 degrees and grows quickly so I learned that I waste my time in starting it indoors.

When I consulted Aunt Sioux, she reminded me that certain seeds germinate

much faster after soaking overnight in tea. Some of the larger and harder ones germinate best after scarification, or nicking with a knife. She gave morning glories and moon flowers as examples of toughshelled seeds needing both imbibition, as she deliciously terms soaking, and scarification. Spinach and beet seeds need only soaking. In addition, even some very small seeds need to be soaked in order to speed up exasperatingly slow germination. Carrots and parsley will take up to a month to sprout if not soaked first, she explained.

They should only be soaked for about half an hour though, and no seed should be soaked for more than twenty-four hours. Still other seeds, such as columbine, cone flower and poppy seeds, benefit from something called “stratification,” a method in which seeds are mixed with vermiculite or peat moss and kept moist in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. This mimics the cool but frostfree conditions they would need outside to germinate. Then, plant them in peat pots to put outside when it’s safe to do so.

I hope this has been helpful. If you would like to discuss this further with the gardeners of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society, please come to our next meeting on Saturday, March 21 from 10 a.m. to noon.

It will be hosted by Heather Olsen in her home at 4915 42nd Avenue.

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Page 12

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

parking

continued from page 1

are more permits in play than can be supported by city streets.

Ward 5 resident Andrew Bishop said he has been working with the city to resolve issues on his street. “Residents often park along both sides of the street and because of the narrow right of way and drive aisle it makes traversing the streets difficult at times,” he said, adding that there have been multiple instances of emergency vehicles not being able to get through and parked cars being hit.

“Most of Hyattsville’s neighborhood roadways are fairly narrow and were not intended to support the relatively high quantity of cars that we see today,” Chandler said.

Ward 1 resident Cate Devereux said residents in her corner of the city park on the street instead of in their off-street parking spaces.

Bishop said he felt driveways are underutilized and that it appears many cars are unregistered or use guest tags for extra resident parking.

rebecca bennett The City of Hyattsville is considering changes to the residential parking program to address staff and resident concerns.

Ward 2 resident Melanie Mueller said her street is not a part of a residential parking zone and her family struggles with street parking. “When we do add a second vehicle to our household, it would be nice to be able to park at least close to our own house because I will be carrying a heavy baby and grocery bags, diaper bags, and all the gear that goes along with life,” she said,

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citing that most people on her street have driveways.

“Areas without driveways are going to be the most challenging of areas because of the physical limitations, which naturally create a higher demand for on-street parking,” Chandler said. The city is considering limiting the number of permits on a street based

on the physical space available, Chandler said. Being floated is an idea to limit the number of permits based on how much off-street parking a resident has available.

One cause for concern for residents and business owners is the parking grace period for residential parking zones. The city said it currently operates with a twohour grace period in a for cars parked without permits, but staff propose reducing that window to 15 minutes.

Hunt said he thought reducing two-hour parking to 15 minutes was too short. “I’d like to hear the rationale behind that,” he said.

A city memo included with the council agenda stated problems exist with residents using the grace period next to commercial businesses or to dodge getting a permit.

Yoga Space owner Gloria FelixThompson said reducing the twohour grace period would make the business “dead in the water.”

Chandler responded that while

the city does not want to jeopardize their operations, he doesn’t believe the exception to the rule should dictate city policy.

“We want to be friendly to people visiting Hyattsville. You don’t want to slap them with a ticket their first time here,” said Daniel Simon, owner of the Palmer Building which houses Vigilante Coffee.

The process for residents to petition to establish or withdraw a residential parking zone is on the city’s website.

Chandler said the topic would likely be in front of the council for discussion again in March or April.

“The longer we wait to make changes, the longer we have some residents and residential zones that are really living with a parking situation that is frustrating and negatively contributing to their quality of life,” he said.

There is much more to the story.

View the full article available online at www.HyattsvilleLife.com

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

rollers

continued from page 1

“I am facing my fear. That’s why I do it,� said College Park Resident and regular rollers night participant Jeff Travis. “I relearn every year.�

On rollers night, rollers and trainers are set up at various locations in the shop, and cyclists peddle to music played over the shop’s speakers. Some bikes are stationed in the storefront window, occasionally surprising passersby.

But the real action happens in the back of the shop. Two sets of rollers are set up, each connected to a sensor which feeds into a laptop, allowing two cyclists to race

Page 13

a set distance. “Cycling is a community and not a one-on-one sport. People who ride together, talk,� said Davidson. “In the winter, you can’t have a week night ride in the dark.�

Arrow Bicycle has hosted rollers nights even before the store opened in 2008. Around 1999, Hyattsville resident and Arrow Bicycle co-owner Chris Militello worked at College Park Bikes, now located further north on Route 1. College Park Bikes offered rollers nights in the winter, drawing many Route 1 Velo Club cycling members and University of Maryland students.

When Militello transitioned to Capitol Hill Bikes in 2001, the

dogs

continued from page 1

your hand,� he said. “Your umbrella, or your briefcase. It can be sacrificed instead of part of your body.�

According to Costas, “There really isn’t a magic bullet. If a dog wants to hurt someone, it will ‌ before you get to think about it or react, it’s done.â€? But the good news, she said, is that bites aren’t the most common scenario.

More than one loose dog intensifies a situation, she said, and anyone calling animal control should make sure to note the number of dogs involved, as well as any specific markings or tags, and the animals’ location.

Speakers told residents that there are several ways to report a loose animal, including calling animal control, 911 for emergencies, or and 311 for non-emergency situations.

Attendees learned that the city does not currently have an animal control officer, though Hyattsville code allows for the reappointment of one. The city’s code doesn’t clearly state what can be enforced, said

joanne kirsch Kirsch’s dog, Sadie, sits on her front porch.

Sgt. Rudinski, and though HCPD officers can enforce county law, they’re not experts all sections of the code.

Under the Hyattsville city code, animals can only be considered a public nuisance if they participate in “excessive, continuous or untimely barking, howling or making of other noises, molesting passersby, chasing vehicles, habitually attacking other domestic animals ‌â€? according to section 52-2. “So it’s very difficult for us sometimes to enforce these things,â€? said Rudinski. What exactly does ‘habitually’ mean? “Generally,â€? he said, “we defer to animal control.â€?

The county is too swamped to

Route 1 Velo Club went with him, and rollers night continued there. Chris Davidson began working alongside Militello in 2005. â€œâ€Ś The best thing about it [is] that everyone of all levels can ride their bikes together, chat, and hang out at night in the middle of winter. It’s super fun and a lot of times people hang out afterwards for food and beer,â€? said Brandon Lumm, who started attending in 1999 and commutes from Potomac.

Attendees ride for an hour or slightly more. After riding, participants stay to socialize. “People go to spin class,� said Militello. “This combines spin class with competition and beer drinking.� respond quickly to most calls, Mattingly said, because there are only one or two animal control officers on duty on a given shift. When residents are cited for violations, animal cases go before the Animal Control Commission. According to the county’s website, the Animal Control Commission “conducts public hearings to determine whether violations have occurred and recommends changes in the law regarding the control of animals.�

But few people know the process. “Until today,� Sgt. Rudinski said, “I had no knowledge there was an animal court.� “The burden is on you guys to speak to your elected officials,�

Mattingly said. “Get an animal control officer reinstated [in the City of Hyattsville]. The key thing is first response. ... You don’t need to rewrite the law. You need someone to respond in a timely fashion.

After the meeting, Kirsch created an email list to continue the conversation. The list is accessible through www.groups.yahoo. com with a search for “Gateway PG Loose Dogs.�

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Militello said that rollers night “builds camaraderie ‌ Everyone suffers together. It’s easier to motivate yourself with others around.â€?

Currently, anywhere from five to 15 riders regularly attend. Participants come from all over the Washington, D.C. metro area, though the event still struggles to attract local residents. “We would love to see more people from the community come out for this,� Militello said.

There is no cost for attending, and no experience is required.

Arrow has a few rollers and trainers available for people to use on rollers night, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own set in case the store runs out.

Militello said that rollers cost from $200 to $500 (for a “good� set), and he indicated that cheaper rollers were less fun to work with. Trainers, he said, cost $150 for a basic model to $1,500 for models that measure power output.

He advised riders to use a smooth tire with rollers or trainers, because it provides an easier and quieter ride. “The vibration from a knobby tire on a trainer, or on rollers would ‌ render your body numb after 10 minutes,â€? Militello said.

For announcements on Arrow Bicycle’s Rollers Nights, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/arrowbicycle.

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Page 14

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2015

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