City of Bowie Warns of High Winds

The City of Bowie issued the following alert at 5:00pm today.

High winds with gusts up to 60MPH possible tonight and tomorrow.
Power outages are possible. Residents should secure lightweight items that
may become airborne in the wind, such as lawn furniture and trashcans.

Seen Around Town #5

We previously posted this picture of a prank seen on Stonybrook Drive. According to an article in the Bowie Blade, someone driving by dialed 911 because they thought that there was a real emergency, and the fire department responded. If I thought that someone was really stuck in the snow like this, I think I might try to pull them out myself before dialing 911.

I stopped in at MOMs Organic Market again last Saturday, and the parking lot was packed once again. I overheard a customer say to one of the cashiers something like, "I'm so happy that you're here in Bowie!" There seems to be a lot of excitement about the new Bowie store.



I also noticed that the McDonald's building is now gone from Hilltop Plaza. The restaurant closed the location last November.



Volunteers shoveled the sidewalk along Old Chapel Road in Bowie on Saturday. Parents and some children from Whitehall Elementary School and Samuel Ogle Middle School participated.

Bowie Briefs #7

Student Dies at Bowie High School
A Bowie High School football player, Jonathan Nolon, died Thursday afternoon in the school's gym after running laps. The cause of death is not yet known. Additional details can be found by following these links: Gazette/Bowie Star article, Washington Post article, Fox News article, WJLA article and WJLA video. A Facebook page called Prayers for Jonathan Nolon was created for friends to share their thoughts and memories.


Bowie Woman is Contestant on Reality Television Show
Shawne Morgan of Bowie joined with her friend Monique Pryor to compete in this season of the CBS reality TV show The Amazing Race. Additional details can be found by following these links: Washington Post article and Gazette article. The pair's bios are available on The Amazing Race Web site.


Bowie Artist Featured in Gazette Article
Bowie artist Gina Reininger was featured this week in a Gazette/Bowie Star article. Reininger prefers working with chalk pastels. The Belair Mansion, the Belair Stables and the Bowie Train Station Museum are just a few of the subjects for her many drawings, and the Old Line Bank in Glenn Dale recently purchased eight of Reininger's pastels featuring various locations in Bowie. Reininger was featured as the artist of the month at the Bowie Senior Center last November. Examples of Reininger's work, including a drawing of the Belair Mansion, can be seen by following these links: Art N Deed and the Prince George's Artists Association.


City of Bowie Estimates Latest Snow Removal Tab
The City of Bowie may pay $600,000 for the snow removal associated with the last two storms, according to Bowie City Manager David Deutsch. Additional details can be found in a Gazette/Bowie Star article. David Deutsch reported to the City Council on January 4th that $192,600 was spent on the big storm from December 19th and 20th, and he reported that $90,000 was spent on the storm from January 30th/31st. A previous attempt to procure federal funds to cover costs for the December storm failed. I imagine the City will attempt to recoup costs for the latest series of storms, although each storm may be considered a separate incident.


Bowie Training Center Auction Delayed for Fourth Time
Magna Entertainment, the current owner of the Bowie Training Center, successfully delayed the auction of Pimlico, Laurel Park and the Bowie Training Center. The auction is now scheduled for March 25th. Although the three properties are being auctioned off as a package, at least one of the bidders has no interest in keeping the Bowie Training Center. Additional details can be found in a Daily Record article.

Where in Bowie? #4 - Answer revealed

In a previous post, I asked where this picture was taken in Bowie.

This was the most challenging Where in Bowie post yet. The first three featured pictures in common locations in Bowie. This spot is a little off the beaten path for most people. As a result, Bowie Living didn't receive any guesses at all.

This Where in Bowie picture features a 1930s to 1950s era F.E. Myers well water pump located on the property of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church off Annapolis Road in Bowie. The pump sits in the woods to the right of the road leading around the church. It's more easily seen with the snow on the ground, but I first spotted it back in January before Bowie received the recent series of snowstorms.

My daughter was the only person who could correctly identify the location. I spoke with a few people who pass by the pump on a regular basis, and they never realized the pump was there.

The pump is located about 25 feet from the road.

The pump is visible just off the road leading around the church.

Another view of the road leading into the church. The top of the pump is visible over the snowbank. The Rectory can be seen on the hill to the left.

A closer look at the pump. It says:
MYERS
SELF-OILING
WORKING HEAD
8 IN. STROKE
PATENTED

A closer view of the Rectory.

The Chapel

A view of the historic cemetery at the church. According to the church's history page on its Web site:

Names prominent in the history of Prince George's County and the Bowie area in particular are readily found in the records of Holy Trinity Church and our cemetery: Ridgley, Lancaster, Duckett, Hall, Belt, Addison, Claggett, Lansdale, Bowie, Tasker, Darnell, Ogle, and many others.

A sign provides some of the history of the church. Mareen Duvall's well known descendants include President Barack Obama, President Harry S. Truman, Vice-President Dick Cheney and billionaire investor Warren Buffett. A future post will include more information about Mareen Duvall.

MOMs Organic Market Now Open in Bowie

MOM's Organic Market held a grand opening last weekend for its 6th store at the Hilltop Plaza in Bowie. The crowds showed up, and parking spaces were hard to find. Click here for the related company press release, store hours and directions.



The store is stocked with packages containing all the buzzwords and phrases you would expect to see in an organic grocery store: certified organic, no preservatives, no chemical additives, gluten free, wheat free, all natural, dairy free, vegan, kosher and meatless. Popular organic brands are available including Kashi, Cascadian Farm and MOM's own brand.

MOM's sells much more than fresh organic produce. Available for sale are dairy products, bulk foods, cereals, bread, baked goods, prepared foods, chips, cookies, ice cream, frozen foods (including pizza and other entrees), pet foods (including refrigerated chicken and beef offerings), health and beauty products and household cleaning products.


The employees are super friendly, and even the store manager, Nick, helps carry bags out to customers' cars.

MOM's has a mission to "protect and restore the environment," according to a mission statement on its Web site, and the press release announcing the opening of the Bowie store includes the following details about the new location.

MOM's mission is to protect and restore the environment, and the newest store was designed with that purpose in mind. Like all MOM's markets, it is fueled by 100% wind power. It also features highly efficient closed-door coolers with L.E.D. lighting; eco-friendly counter tops crafted from renewable bamboo and sunflower hulls; and energy-saving reduced wattage lightbulbs overhead. Underfoot, the site's original terrazzino flooring has been recycled, giving it a new lease on life at MOM's.

I was on my own for dinner last night, so I decided to check out MOM's selection of prepared foods. I chose a Buffalo Wing Sandwich.


I also bought a Chick Peas Salad. I'm not sure who determined that this 7 oz salad contains 8 servings. I pigged out and ate all eight servings.


Wait a minute! Check out the inside of my Buffalo Wing Sandwich. I don't think anything inside this sandwich ever clucked! It's best not to look at the faux meat. It did taste like Buffalo Wings, and I'm sure it's more healthy.



And for dessert...



I also picked up some organic produce, including my favorite apples - Fuji.



And some of MOM's own milk...



And all the way from Skagit Valley, Washington, Fruitful O's for the kids...




6824 Race Track Road, Bowie, MD 20715


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Schools Open in Prince George's County

Schools opened in Prince George's County on Wednesday. It was the kids' first day back to school since Friday, February 5th.

Two school buses got stuck in the snow on Wednesday, including a bus bound for Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie that was delayed for 45 minutes. Read the details in this Washington Post article.

It appears that City of Bowie crews have been busy clearing snow and widening streets near the Whitehall Elementary School. This equipment was seen in action near the school in the Whitehall neighborhood.

Where in Bowie? #4

The Where in Bowie posts are meant to challenge readers to identify a location in Bowie pictured in the post. I put a lot of empty space at the end of the post to keep the comments out of sight until the reader scrolls down.

Where in Bowie is this?

Click here for the answer.