Maryland Community Newspapers Online
Two Hyattsville Middle School students will attend the presidential inauguration and other inaugural events as part of the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference.
Eighth-graders Carlisha Garner and Natalie Pierson will attend the conference in Washington, D.C. from Saturday until Wednesday.
Junior Inaugural Scholars, which are middle school students accepted to the program, will spend the week rubbing shoulders with White House officials, congressional staff members, political experts and others including former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell and former Vice President Al Gore.
After watching the inauguration, Garner and Pierson will be able to watch the inaugural parade and then attend an inaugural ball.
The program is designed to teach students about the history of the electoral process and inaugural traditions.
Garner is in the Junior National Honor Society at Hyattsville Middle School and both students are in the school's Creative and Performing Arts Program.
Hyattsville-based steel drum group celebrates inauguration
The Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra will premiere its newest production on the eve of the presidential inauguration.
The Hyattsville-based group has performed in competitions and exhibitions around the world.
Its new production, "A Celebration of Change: From Emancipation to Presidency," uses music, dance and poetry to chronicle various periods of African-American history, from the Harlem Renaissance to the fight against segregation.
The youth, who mostly hail from Prince George's County, will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Harman Center for the Arts, located at 450 7th St. N.W. For tickets, visit www.shakespeare
theatre.org or call 202-547-1122.
Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration in Chillum
The Rollingcrest-Chillum Recreation Council is holding a special event to honor the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will include a guest speaker.
All ages are welcome to the free event, which is from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday.
The event will take place at the Rollingcrest-Chillum Community Center, located at 6120 Sargent Road in Chillum. Call 301-853-2005.
Northwestern alum completes training with U.S. Navy
Curtis J. Jefferson recently completed basic training with the U.S Navy at its Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.
Jefferson graduated from Hyattsville's Northwestern High School in 2000.
He spent eight weeks during the Navy training learning a variety of skills including first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. He also was trained in physical fitness and participated in a boot camp event called Battle Stations.
Inauguration watch party gives residents a way to celebrate
An inauguration watch party in Hyattsville will give an alternative to local residents who don't want to brave the crowds and the weather in order to attend the inauguration on Tuesday.
The event is sponsored by Del. Justin Ross (D-Dist. 22) of Greenbelt and County Councilman Will Campos (D-Dist. 2) of Hyattsville. There will be some complimentary food, non-alcoholic drinks, American flags and Barack Obama calendars for some of the attendees.
The watch will start at 11 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. at Hank's Tavern and Eats, located at 6507 American Blvd. in Hyattsville's University Town Center.
Space is limited for the event. Attendees can RSVP at www.justin
ross.us/obama.
Hyattsville residents' daughter inducted into honor society
The daughter of Hyattsville residents Charles Taylor and Ann Taylor was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at Prince George's County Community College.
Linda Lee Smith was inducted into the Tau Pi Chapter of the honor society on Dec. 5. The Mitchellville resident is majoring in education and teaching and is married to Troy Smith.
Phi Theta Kappa is the oldest honor society at a two-year college. In order to be inducted, students must rank in the top 20 percent of their classes and be invited. The honor society has more than 1.7 million members and 1,100 chapters.
St. Jerome School
holds open house
St. Jerome School and Child Center is holding an open house for interested parents.
The event is open to the public and will take place from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Jan. 25.
The school is located at 5207 42nd Place in Hyattsville. Call 301-277-4568.
Two meetings left concerning county's historical preservation
Residents who missed the Jan. 13 meeting in Oxon Hill but still want to give input about the county's goals for future historic preservation have two more chances to participate. The county's Planning Department is revising the county's 1992 Historic Sites and Districts Plan. The plan was meant to preserve historic properties and integrate them into the county's 2002 Approved General Plan. Residents can attend the meeting scheduled from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 22 at Laurel's Montpelier Cultural Arts Center at 9650 Muirkirk Road, or 9:30 a.m. to noon Jan. 24 at Upper Marlboro's Union United Methodist Church on 14418 Old Marlboro Pike. Call 301-952-3680, e-mail Historic
Preservation@ppd.mncppc.org, or visit www.mncppc.org/preservation
plan.
Tickets available
for inaugural balls
Tickets are available online for the Ancestor's Dream Inaugural Ball Monday at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill.
Tickets for the black-tie event now cost $250. Basic tickets include admission to the event, access to the ballroom and hors d'oeuvres. Events start at 9 p.m.
VIP tickets are also available and now cost $700. These tickets include access to all ballrooms, a VIP reception, free valet parking and additional hors d'oeuvres. VIP events start at 8 p.m.
Ten-seat tables are also available for $10,000.
President-elect Barack Obama (D), Vice President-elect Joe Biden (D) and state and county officials have been invited to the event at 201 Waterfront St.
To buy a ticket, visit www.pgcpic.org. To reserve a table, call 202-550-2782.
The Keller Williams Preferred Properties Obama-Biden Inauguration Ball is also offering tickets for its event Jan. 20 in Upper Marlboro.
The event, which will go from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., will include dinner, dancing and a video feed of other inauguration balls presented on a large screen. Tickets for the event, at 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 102, cost $50. Call 240-737-5000.
Doctors and nurses from United Medical Center will hold a Celebrate the Dream Inaugural Ball on Jan. 20 at the Lake Presidential Golf Club in Upper Marlboro.
Tickets for the event, which starts at 8 p.m., cost $125. Activities include jazz performances, a disc jockey and dinner.
The club is at 3151 Presidential Golf Drive. Call 301-379-9612 or 901-573-2058.
Homeownership seminars
held in county libraries
Neighborhood Stabilization Program seminars are available from 6 to 8 p.m. at county libraries throughout January. Using $10.8 million the county received through the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, NSP rehabilitates abandoned and foreclosed county homes. The same money will assist first time home buyers with down payments and closing costs. Seminars will be held Wdnesday at Beltsville Library, 4319 Sellman Road; Jan. 22 at Bowie Library, 15210 Annapolis Road; Jan. 26 at Oxon Hill Library, 6200 Oxon Hill Road; Jan. 28 at Greenbelt Library, 11 Crescent Road; and Jan. 29 at Surratts-Clinton Library, 9400 Piscataway Road. Call Brian Austin at 301-350-3333 or e-mail Brian@Royal
RealtyUS.com.
Franklin's brewery to host animal welfare event
The College Park Animal Welfare Committee is holding a fundraiser at Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery and General Store on Tuesday.
Franklins is located at 5123 Baltimore Ave., and will run from 11:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. Franklin's closes at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.
During that time, 20 percent of all proceeds at Franklin's will go to the Animal Welfare Committee. The committee will use the funds to help provide care for sick, abandoned, homeless and stray animals in College Park.
"By showing up, it helps us to provide the animals we take in with veterinary care," College Park Animal Control Officer Abigail Lightning said. "Without fundraising efforts we wouldn't be able to provide for as many animals as we do. It's what keeps our programs running."
Contact Lightning at alightning@collegeparkmd.gov or at 301-864-8877.
Awards ceremony in Glenarden will bring out county leaders
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation will hold its Awards Dinner and Celebration tonight from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the James R. Cousins Municipal Center's Gold Room at 8600 Glenarden Pkwy. The keynote speaker is Pastor Anthony E. Moore of Carolina Missionary Baptist Church. Also featured are County Council Chairwoman Marilynn M. Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton, Prince George's County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Craig Muckle, Capitol Heights Mayor Darrell Miller and the county's Commission for Veterans Chairman Henry C. Turner Jr. Call 301-875-1083 or e-mail contact@
mlkfoundationpgc.org.
Police and youth
kick off service project
A community service partnership between the Prince George's Police Athletic League and the Metropolitan Washington American Youth Football League called the Responsible Service Initiative will join forces Monday to honor the work and life of Martin Luther King Jr. and to take part in President-elect Obama's National Day of Service. RSI is a community service based project in which both groups will coordinate and sponsor community service projects every quarter throughout the year.