🌷🐰🎉 Happy spring! Get ready to hop into the season with our North Woodside Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 6th. Activities will start at 10:00 am, with the egg hunt starting at 10:30 am. We will also have spring crafts and the Easter Bunny. Feel free to bring along a picnic or some goodies to share with your fellow neighbors or just stop by to say “hi”. And please share this invite with all our neighbors, all are welcome to join the festivities.
If you have items you want to donate (eggs, candy, crafts) please drop them off at 2009 Glen Ross Rd.
Please let us know how many kids will be coming via this RSVP which is appreciated but not required.
75th Holiday Tree Lighting and 6th Hanukkah Celebration When: Monday, December 11 at 7:00 pm Where: Intersection of Luzerne Ave. and Glen Ross Rd.
The dual event features latkes (potato pancakes), hot cider, music, and Santa.
Fyi, the following streets will be closed to traffic, starting at 6:45 pm: * Luzerne Ave. between 2nd Ave. and Columbia Blvd. * Glen Ross Rd. between 2nd Ave. and Columbia Blvd. Note: As the first night of Hanukkah this year is Thursday, December 7, the menorah will be put up before the 7th, and each evening the appropriate number of lights will be lit.
The new Talbot Avenue Bridge remains an active construction zone. The bridge is not currently completed, nor open to pedestrians and cars, and will not be so by the date of the Lantern Walk. The Purple Line team has confirmed that Lantern Walk participants may cross the bridge within a designated area and limited time frame, in order to access and participate in the event. Participants may cross, but NOT hang out and linger on the bridge. Please be respectful of these guidelines. After the community reception at Rosemary Hills ES has concluded and the lights on the bridge have been turned off, anyone entering the construction site will be considered trespassing. Please review the full safety guidelines on the Lantern Walk webpage and visit it for any last-minute updates.
Special this year: New route, new bridge, and the first time the community will have an opportunity to cross this historic space in 4 1/2 years! In observance of Montgomery County’s “Remembrance and Reconciliation Month,” be part of marking the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship of the communities connected by the bridge. Many special guests will be joining us, including members of Washington Revels’ Jubilee Voices.
WHEN: Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 5:00p Gather: 5:00 – 5:15 pm Short Program & Lantern Walk: 5:15 – 6:00 pm Community Reception: 6:00 – 7:30 pm
WHERE: Intersection of Talbot Ave. & Lanier Dr. (Lyttonsville) The route will start and end at the same place, crossing over the new Talbot Avenue Bridge twice and going around the two blocksclosest to it, one in North Woodside and one in Lyttonsville.* (scroll down to view map) BRING: Warm clothing and good walking shoes, and a lantern (and a bell to ring, if you have one) Note: 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: bit.ly/HomemadeLanterns. If you have the time and energy, we encourage you to get creative! Extra lanterns and tea light candles will be available for those who need them.
* The Lantern Walk will conclude with an indoor community reception at Rosemary Hills Elementary School. All participants are invited to join us for refreshments, music, and warm mingling! The reception will be held in the school’s all-purpose room, which is accessible from the Lanier Dr. side of the school, right next to where the Lantern Walk will start and end.
Event organized by the Talbot Avenue Bridge Committee and co-sponsored by the Lyttonsville Civic Association, North Woodside Citizens Association, and Rosemary Hills Neighbors Association
Pat Tyson (Lyttonsville), Genevieve McDowell Owen (North Woodside), and Eva Santorini (Rosemary Hills) light a community Unity Lantern at the 2022 Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk. Photo by Jay Mallin
by Genevieve McDowell Owen
As the crisp air and falling leaves signal the arrival of autumn, our neighborhood is beginning to glow with the enchanting colors of the season. Fall and winter bring back beloved North Woodside traditions, both new and old, along with change.
The opening of the new Talbot Avenue Bridge is one of the changes coming. This important link between the North Woodside, Lyttonsville, and Rosemary Hills neighborhoods is scheduled to be finished and open to traffic around the new year. Residents will hopefully get a chance to walk the new bridge before that, though, during the upcoming Lantern Walk. I especially enjoy this newer neighborhood tradition; walking and singing in the warmth of candlelight and community. Plus I enjoy the opportunity to talk with the local elected officials who typically attend.
The Lantern Walk, scheduled for November 11 at 5pm (rain date November 12), commemorates the historic Talbot Avenue Bridge and serves as a bridge of remembrance that connects our past and future. I encourage everyone to participate in this event, which not only honors the historical importance of the bridge but also fittingly takes place during Montgomery County’s Remembrance and Reconciliation month, a time to “remember the past and dedicate ourselves anew to the work of justice and reconciliation through action.”
Just across the bridge another change is in the works: a new Lyttonsville park*, situated just on the other side of the Purple Line tracks from North Woodside. This welcome addition promises to be a space where neighbors can come together, play, enjoy the outdoors, and see restored parts of the historic bridge. I also look forward this time of year to seeing neighbors new and old at one of our long-time traditions, the Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting festivities. Keep an eye out for more details about these events coming up in December. In the meantime, happy Halloween!
Genevieve McDowell Owen is President of the North Woodside Citizens Association. This “Letter from the President” ran in the Fall 2023 issue of NWCA’s neighborhood newsletter, The Beacon.
*On September 7, 2023, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to approve the design of the future neighborhood park in Lyttonsville, which, when completed, will be the closest park to many North Woodside residents. Pat Tyson, President of the Lyttonsville Civic Association, and Anna White, a NWCA board member, were among the many community members and groups who provided oral and written testimony in support of the park. It will feature a Bridge Memorial made from the historic Talbot Avenue Bridge’s steel girders. For more information, including NWCA’s written and oral testimony, click here.
From Jason and the Argonauts: Orpheus charming the serpent that guards the Golden Fleece. Photos by Barry Galef
As a boy, I loved Halloween—especially the part where you carved a pumpkin. I wanted my jack-o’-lanterns to be special, but never felt like they stood out. Then in 1970 I tried something a little different: I added some delicate details carved just through the surface of the skin but not the flesh. To my surprise, they showed up in the dark, even though the only light I was using was a candle. It turned out that only the skin of the pumpkin is opaque; the flesh is very translucent and lets light through even if it’s an inch or two thick.
I used that idea the next year, and the next, adding more and more surface detail and minimizing the places where I carved all the way through. Eventually, I realized I was mimicking the technique of woodcut or linoleum block prints—and started using the gouge-like tools designed for that art. Now I can get as much detail as I want, and if I use a bright LED bulb the design shows up to brilliant effect.
From Kalevala: Ilmarinen, a hero of the Finnish epic, forging a key to unlock the prison of the sun and the moon
I take my time in planning an image on paper before transferring it to the pumpkin. It takes only a few hours to cut around the shapes and carve away the areas I want to show up bright on the jack-o’-lantern. Once I have the design, it takes perhaps ten hours of work to finish the job.
Rather than showing just a single face or monster, I like illustrating complex and dramatic tales. That gives me a chance to tell a story. And if I take good care of them, the jack-o’-lanterns can last surprisingly long—a month or even two! I’ve found that it’s important to keep them cool, to spray them occasionally with a weak solution of bleach to avoid mold, and to cut away any bad areas as they appear.
In recent decades, I’ve tied the story on my jack-o’-lanterns to the theme of the Christmas Revels, a pageant-like show presented each December at GWU’s Lisner Auditorium. This year, the connection is particularly close: We’re both using Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It’s a story of honor, wonder, danger, and redemption in King Arthur’s court, perfect for both Halloween and Christmas.
In addition to showing the jack-o’-lanterns at parties and rehearsals for the Revels, I display my jack-o’-lanterns outside my door at 2020 Lanier Drive for the night of Halloween. Come by to see it this year—and then come see the show that shares the same story. You can get tickets to see the show at www.revelsdc.org and see more of my jack-o’-lanterns (and other art) at www.barrygalef.com.
From Beowulf: A thief stealing gold from a ship burial that is part of a dragon’s treasure hoard. I’ve used my own face as the thief.
On Oct 21, 2023, our neighborhood hosted our eighth Home Tree Care 101 class, offered via Conservation Montgomery and taught by arborist Jack Pond. Ten neighbors attended, as well as one guest from Bowie, another from Rosemary Hills, and Conservation Montgomery board member Lauren Brown.
We addressed tree questions at five different yards. Topics covered included: pruning street trees to ameliorate or prevent damage caused by passing vehicles; general guidelines for pruning large and small trees; cabling; powdery mildew on a beloved dogwood; a crepe myrtle with scale insect infestation; a magnolia tree declining due to increasing overhead shade; identification of a mystery tree; proper use of mulch around trees (keep it away from the trunk!) and more. Jack demonstrated pruning techniques on several trees. Reviews for the class were highly complimentary. Thanks to NWCA, which kicked in $5 per neighbor to reduce the cost of the class for the purposes of community building.
Please join our third tree watering party of the summer this Saturday, September 2, 2023 from 9:00 am-10:00 am, at the Warren St pocket park next to Woodlin Elementary School, and meet some neighbors too!
We gave the trees a boost last week but they are still stressed and there’s no rain in the forecast. If we can pull these beeches, American sycamores, and dogwoods, plus witch hazel and spicebush shrubs, through the drought, the park will be lovely in a few years.
We’ll have hoses from two homes available to us. Bring large or small buckets or watering cans if you have them but I will have plenty to share as well. Wagons for hauling buckets welcome.
RSVP to me if you can so I have a general idea of who’s coming, but it’s fine to show up on the spur of the moment too. Projections show the temperature should be pleasant, after a cool overnight.
Thanks! Phyllida Paterson Chair, NWCA Tree Committee
Keeping up our more than thirty-year tradition, the 2000 block of Luzerne Avenue will be closed from 2-8 on Monday, September 3 for Labor Day.
Wander on by–it’s pretty low-key, but it’s a fun opportunity for kids to play in the street and grownups to get to know our neighbors.
Libby Sander is coordinating a potluck, so let her know if you can bring food to share or a table and chairs.
And if you have some ideas for fun things to do, now’s the time to organize them.
During the years the block party has changed a lot–some years there are lots of activities. Some years it’s just been a chill time to relax. The folks who used to organize it are stepping back to allow a new generation of leaders to come forward and make it their own. So think of it as a blank canvas that you can fill up with sidewalk chalk (which will be in plentiful supply).
On June 15th, Kellie Cox of Strawberry Fields, LLC presented her Landscape Design Master Plan for the “Community Tree Triangle” located at the intersection of Glen Ross and Luzerne. The virtual walk-through of the design was followed by a Q&A session.
Missed the presentation? No worries! You can watch a recording of the presentation* or scroll through the presentation slides below. After viewing, you are invited to send any questions or comments about the project to the Community Design Committee’s Chair, Cheryl Copeland, or the NWCA Board.
Please note that the committee would really love to connect with a neighbor with grant-writing experience for the next phase of the project. If that’s you or you can suggest someone, please contact Cheryl at the link above.
Welcome to North Woodside 