Homeowners are legally required to clear the sidewalk in front of their home within 24 hours of the end of a weather event. Need help shoveling your sidewalk, driveway, and/or walkway? Or know of a neighbor who does? Contact the North Woodside Snow Patrol Group.*
Interested in joining the neighborhood “Snow Patrol”? The group communicates via a listserv subgroup. If you are a neighborhood resident who subscribes to the main neighborhood listserv, click here for directions on how to subscribe to the subgroup.
* Note: delivery of emails from addresses not subscribed to the main neighborhood listserv may be delayed for moderation.
Join us for holiday cheer, caroling, hot apple cider, and a visit with Santa at our annual North Woodside Community Tree Lighting (corner of Glen Ross Rd. and Luzerne Ave.) on Sunday, December 12th at 4:45 pm.
In the spirit of giving, we will have a bin available for donations of non-perishable food items for the Capital Area Food Bank. If you prefer to make a cash donation to the food bank, please click here.
We will also be collecting cash donations to support the Community Tree Lighting.
Please help support Capital Area Food Bank by making a donation through our neighborhood virtual food drive page. Last year, we set and reached the goal of $2021, so this year we’re aiming for $2022. Can you help us reach this amount? Thank you for any contribution, small or large, that you can make!
Note: there will also be a bin for donations of nonperishable food items at the Community Tree Lighting, which will take place at 4:45pm Sunday, December 12, 2021 (triangle at intersection of Luzerne Ave and Glen Ross Rd)
Begun in 2018, the Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk is an annual local community event that weaves together neighborhoods once divided by racial segregation. All are welcome! Come join us in shining our lights in the darkness, promoting unity over division, remembering the past and taking steps toward a brighter future…
WHEN:Saturday, November 13, 2021 Gather at 5:15pm, Lantern Walk will commence at 5:30pm
WHERE:4th Avenue and Hanover Street (North Woodside) to Talbot Avenue and Lanier Road (Lyttonsville), via Brookville Road See below for three different ways to participate View route
BRING: Warm clothing, a lantern, and a bell to ring, if you have one Any type of lantern will do, from a tea light candle in a glass jar to something more elaborate, either handmade or store-bought. You can find many ideas online. If you have the time and energy, you are encouraged to get creative! Extra lanterns and tea light candles will be available for anyone who needs them.
For more information, any event updates, and to RSVP for this event visit: bit.ly/TABLanternWalk
Questions? Contact the Talbot Avenue Bridge Committee (consisting of Lyttonsville, North Woodside, and Rosemary Hills residents): talbotavenuebridgecommittee@gmail.com
WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
1) Join for the whole lantern walk. As the route is again not a loop, as in previous years, this means that North Woodside residents will need to walk back or have someone pick them up in Lyttonsville.
2) Join for a portion of the lantern walk. For example, some North Woodside residents could join for the portion that goes through the neighborhood (e.g. 4th Ave -> Warren St/A Wider Circle)
3) Watch the lantern walk pass by. Neighbors who live along the route can come out of their homes to watch, wave, and hold a candle or lantern of their own in solidarity. Neighbors who live elsewhere can come stand along the lantern walk route and do the same.
Safety Precautions: Any young children who participate should be closely supervised by adults. And all participants are encouraged to RSVP ahead of time, so we have a good sense of expected numbers and can adjust safety precautions accordingly.
Video of the inaugural Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk (2018):
North Woodside now has a gardening interest group! You might ask, why create a group now, months before the next growing season? Well, I say why not? In the midst of winter, why not get our imaginations and our green thumbs itching to grow prize-winning tomatoes! Or find out why a particular crop (e.g., my potatoes) had a low yield last year? The North Woodside Gardening group exists so that all gardeners (novice and experts) can learn, share ideas, get advice, and (most importantly) grow relationships within the community.
Who can join? Anyone on the NWCA listserv who is interested in gardening is welcome! Our gardens appear as various types, planted in the ground or in pots or planters. Some may grow plants for fundraising, as a hobby, or for food. Some might be interested in the naturalistic approach by planting native flora and herbs to attract butterflies and birds. If this sounds like something you are interested in, please go to the NWCA subgroup and follow directions to subscribe.
Singing following the lighting of North Woodside’s Community Tree on December 13, 2020
This year’s Tree Lighting program, organized by Holiday Committee Co-Chair Julie Lees, opened with an alto sax version of Let It Snow, followed by a small group of physically distanced singers blending their voices together for Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace).
After a few words of welcome by NWCA President David Cox, the Community Tree was lit and O Christmas Tree sung. Then it was time for a certain white-bearded man’s arrival to the tune of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. Neighborhood children came, by appointment, to greet Santa and pick up treats. The event was streamed live and can be viewed below.
Thanks to Snider’s for once again donating a box of oranges for Santa’s treat table.
The intersection road changes came to conclusion in record time due to reduced traffic during the last 10 months. A few items remain:
Montgomery County put in wrongly named street signs. On a walk through the intersection, neighborhood representatives and the county agreed on the correct signage, which should be installed in the next few months. Thanks to Gus Bauman for his help on getting the county to focus on this mistake.
The Linden Civic Association and the NWCA worked together to obtain a sidewalk behind Sniders on the south side of Seminary Place. That sidewalk should also be installed in the next few months.
NWCA is following up on county plans for maintaining the new plants and trees placed around the intersection. Phyllida Paterson of our Tree Committee will be working on this.
Montgomery County arborists are partnering with local nonprofit Casey Trees to offer us expedited planting of free street trees in spring 2021. New street trees are planted in the right-of-way at least 25 feet from existing street trees and 10 feet from driveways. If Pepco distribution lines stretch overhead, trees must be “minor,” or small; otherwise they must be “major,” or shade trees.
Homeowners eligible for new trees may choose a first and second choice of species from a fairly broad list, which includes native species and a range of heights within the tree categories.
Since last year, COVID-related budget constraints have limited the tree-planting budget. Usually the county hires contractors to plant our trees. However in 2020, county arborists began partnering with nonprofit Casey Trees, which planted 15 saplings in our neighborhood (four others are pending) at low cost to the government. This arrangement continues in spring 2021. Casey Trees has provided excellent service to NWCA residents who received their trees, and consistently works hard to increase tree canopy throughout the DC area. Please keep Casey Trees in mind if you are donating to environmental causes this year.
If you think you are eligible for one or more new street trees and want to participate in our group request, contact the Tree Committee as soon as possible. Quantities may be limited. If you have a dead or dying street tree, please call 311 to request removal, which will open space for a replacement in the future.
On December 10, 2020, Merrie Blocker, NWCA Vice President, led a traditional lighting for the first night of Hanukkah at the new outdoor menorah on the island where Glen Ross and Luzerne meet. Afterwards, neighbors came, by appointment, to pick up latkes (potato pancakes) and Hanukkah gelt (chocolate coins). The event was streamed live and can be viewed below.
Welcome to North Woodside 