Greenbelt Park: A History

Greenbelt Park provides an urban oasis, a 1,100-acre green space that local residents, along with visitors and guests from the nation’s 50 states and many foreign countries have enjoyed. Situated 13 miles from Washington, D.C., and bisected by the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the park offers a campground and nine miles of trails, where guests can enjoy […]
Variety of Electric Vehicles Sparked First EVent Here

Electric vehicles produced by nine different automakers were showcased at Greenbelt’s first EV EVent, hosted by Greenbelt’s Green Team and the City of Greenbelt at Schrom Hills Park on September 17. Thirteen EVs were all-battery electrics (BEVs) and four were plug-in hybrids, including the only plug-in minivan on the market. Owners Barrett and Anna Bedford-Dillow charge […]
Council Looks at ARPA Funds, Signatures, Pumpkins, SPACE
On Tuesday, September 27, Greenbelt City Council presented a proclamation to representatives of five of the city’s seven cooperatives, reaffirming council’s support at the start of Cooperative Month, and also recognized Hispanic Heritage Month and the city and library activities taking place to celebrate them. A major item concerning results of a space study are […]
Celebration of Public Lands Day Brings an Awareness of Nature
Volunteers celebrating National Public Lands Day at Springhill Lake Recreation Center Saturday cleared Greenbelt’s Food Forest of pandemic overgrowth and damage from summer storms. Uprooting invasive stilt grass, they revealed native ferns. With gloves and shears, they freed trees of choking vines. “Look, I have dreams about porcelain berries strangling me,” said Carolyn Lambright-Davis, convener […]
Susan Ives, Living New Deal Editor, Visits Greenbelt Sites
Susan Ives, who works with the Living New Deal (livingnewdeal.org), came to visit Greenbelt from Berkeley, Calif., and visited many historic Greenbelt institutions, including the Forest Preserve, New Deal Café, Greenbelt News Review, Old Greenbelt Theatre, Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket, Greenbelt Museum, Greenbelt Community Center and Greenbelt Access Television (GATe) – all coordinated by her friend, […]
Crazy Quilt Music Festival Has Something for Everyone
On Saturday, October 8, Roosevelt Center treats the community to music, dancing, quilts, special family activities and bubbles, bubbles everywhere. This year’s Crazy Quilt Music Festival marks a special celebration of the New Deal Café’s 27 years of being Greenbelt’s community living room by providing a festival of eclectic music: drums, folk, bluegrass, blues, world, […]
Recovering from the Pandemic, Beltway Plaza Looks to the Future
Beltway Plaza continues to make a recovery from the pandemic, while facing its ongoing challenges. At the Greenbelt City Council worksession on September 7, Mayor Emmett Jordan said that Beltway Plaza, which began phased construction 57 years ago, is the city’s “strongest corporate partner.” Marc “Kap” Kapistan, from Quantum Companies, the entity that handles managing […]
Board of Ed. Race: Joshua Thomas Withdraws, New Candidate Enters

Joshua Thomas, current Board of Education member for District 2 and an Eleanor Roosevelt High School graduate, has withdrawn his name from the ballot as of August 15. Thomas, who is finishing his first term and fourth year on the board, said he would be releasing an official statement in the next couple of weeks, […]
Major Repairs to City Pool May Require ARPA Readjustments
At the September 14 worksession, the Greenbelt City Council continued in its efforts to prioritize how the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will finally be spent. An urgent new addition to the list was the needed infrastructure repairs to the city’s outdoor pool, built in 1937. A recent inspection at the mechanics area, separate […]
Springhill Lake School Has Retained Key Staff Member
Springhill Lake Elementary (SHL) has retained Special Education Coordinator Chris Wichtendahl. The News Review reported in June 2022 on the challenge the school faced to retain Wichtendahl (Springhill Lake School at Risk of Losing a Key Staff Member, June 16 issue), as did the Washington Post (washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/06/29/maryland-teachers-fight-for-educator). At the time, the Prince George’s County Public […]