Snowstorm in Bowie, January or February, 1974

Hear are pictures in the aftermath of a small snowstorm in Bowie in January or February, 1974. Click each picture to see a larger image.

About 7 1/2 inches of snow.

These pictures were posted as part of the Bowie Blade Pic Project, I've been posting pictures taken by Arnie Miles for the Bowie Blade between 1973 and 1975.

Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License

Other Bowie Blade Pic Project Posts

• Previous: Belair National Bank at Bowie Plaza, Fall, 1973
• Next:  House Explosion in Pointer Ridge, January, 1974
• Complete Listing

Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Shakes Bowie

Buildings shook, pictures fell off walls, and items fell off shelves in Bowie today as a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the city. The quake was centered about 100 miles away in Mineral, Virginia. There are no reports of any major damage in the city at this time, although Prince George's County Police have reported multiple incidents of structural damage to buildings, including one in Oxon Hill, one in National Harbor and a Target store in Forestville.

The City of Bowie sent employees home early, and closed city buildings.

Prince George's County Schools canceled Tuesday evening activities , and canceled Wednesday classes. Thirty-two public schools in the county remained closed on Thursday, including Bowie's Yorktown Elementary School.

A 3.6 magnitude quake centered in Gaithersburg, MD shook the city a little over a year ago on July 16, 2010.

Click here for the USGS information on the quake, and click here for a USGS list of recent earthquakes.

UPDATE

The following aftershocks have occurred:

• Magnitude 2.4: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 11:27:47 AM
• Magnitude 2.3: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 02:37:31 AM
• Magnitude 4.5: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 01:07:50 AM
• Magnitude 2.5: Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 12:06:47 AM
• Magnitude 3.4: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 12:45:26 AM
• Magnitude 4.2: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 08:04:36 PM
• Magnitude 2.2: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 03:20:26 PM
• Magnitude 2.8: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 02:46:50 PM

Click on image for larger image

Share your Bowie Memories!

The City of Bowie is encouraging current and former Bowie residents to come and share their Bowie memories in an informal setting on Wednesday, August 24th from 10am to noon at the Bowie Senior Center, 14900 Health Center Drive in Bowie. Refreshments will be served.

Bowie's Historic Property Manager, Pam Williams, will be on hand to facilitate the discussion. The city has created a historical timeline of events, and participants are encouraged to fill in any gaps. A sign-up sheet will also be available for people interested in being interviewed for an oral history of Bowie.

Click here for more information.

Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License

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Railroad Inn's Brother Conway Passes

Arthur "Brother" Conway, owner of the shuttered Railroad Inn, passed away on Thursday, August 18th, 2011. Click here to see the death notice, calling hours and funeral details in the Washington Post. Click here to view or sign the guest book on the Robert E. Evans Funeral Home site.






Below is a collection of memories of Brother Conway and the Railroad Inn from the Bowie Blade-News.

• After 56 years, Old Bowie's Railroad Inn closes, Bowie Blade-News, July 6, 2006. You'll notice in this article that Brother Conway isn't quoted. I've heard that he generally disliked talking to the media.

• Take a dip into Railroad Inn famous pizza, bleu cheese, Bowie Blade-News, January 25, 2007.

• Readers' views, Bowie Blade-News, July 13, 2006.
  

Brother Conway

This is not a letter about politics, high gas prices or increases in electricity. This is about the passage of time and many memories of the robust gray-haired guy with a twinkle in his eye - Brother Conway - the owner of Railroad Inn.

When visiting Railroad Inn, children were always welcome, you were greeted with a big smile and escorted to a table in this family eating place. A recent Blade-News obit for Thelma Ameling, a longtime Bowie resident, highlighted her enjoyment of weekly dinners with friends at Railroad Inn.

Twenty years ago when our daughter got married, pizza was on the menu for her bridal luncheon. When our kids and their families return to town, Railroad Inn pizza was always on the list of do's. One pair of grandkids was convinced that Santa ate there and took a long route to the exit to avoid him. We have been regulars along with others for years. After dinner we sat back and my husband enjoyed a beer while Brother and I had coffee and solved worldly problems.

Railroad Inn along with our favorite "maitre-dooo" will be missed.

You can always visit the Brother's Railroad Inn at Independence, Kan.

LYLE & PAT VERBEEK
Glenn Dale



Bear's last call

On June 30, after 56 years of continuous service to the community, the Railroad Inn gave last call and closed its doors.

The family-owned restaurant has served generation after generation of Bowieites its famous pizza. It has been the meeting place for birthdays and weddings and funerals for almost as long as I've been alive and that is no small feat.

My name is Bear and I've tended bar there since 1977. Some of you might know me. I have been standing behind that bar since I was 28 years old; turned 30 behind it, then 40, 50 and seven more years to boot. I grew up there and it has been a part of my life for more than half of it. I've laughed and cried and flirted and socialized with people. Mostly, though, I opened beers for them and poured drinks and sold pints of liquor. If I told all the stories I knew, I'd have to leave town.

Don't worry, however, the secrets are safe with me. That is what a good bartender does. I just want to take this opportunity to thank each and every person I ever waited on or worked with in that old joint. Drive safely and be well. It's been a real pleasure having known each and every one of you. This chapter is closed and life in the "Smoke Laden Room" is gone but not the memories and good feelings I have about the good people of Bowie. I'll be around and we will see each other again, I hope. In the meantime, here's to ya.

BARRY HARRIS
Bowie

• Aunt Agatha on Politics, Bowie Blade-News July 13, 2006
  

Oh dear, the end of an era: The Railroad Inn has shut its doors in Old Bowie. Now that's a loss!

Auntie remembers the fare at Brother Conway's establishment with fondness. It was basic, reasonably priced food served with a smile (well, not by Brother, who was as cheerful as a winter blizzard) by the personable waitresses.

Not too many newcomers to Bowie will know about the eatery since Brother never advertised, refused all requests for interviews and had no signs pointing the way to the inn hidden behind a bank and adjacent to the railroad tracks.

But we old-timers will miss it. Auntie wishes Brother the best of luck in his leisure days.

Elevation Burger Coming to the Bowie Area

Elevation Burger is opening a Bowie area restaurant in the Vista Gardens Marketplace (Martin Luther King Jr Highway at the intersection of Routes 450 and 704). The organic burger joint will open in about five weeks (near the end of September) in the group of stores across from Home Depot (near Chipolte, Quiznos and Ledo's). Elevation Burger touts their burgers as 100% USDA certified organic, from 100% grass fed cows, 100% free range beef and the beef is ground in the same location where the burgers are sold. They also have fresh cut fries cooked in olilve oil with no trans or saturated fats. My family visited the Hyattsville location on Route 1 today. The burgers and fries were very good. The manager came by to see if we needed anything. He said that he recognized that we were new customers, and he asked us to let him know if there is any suggestions that we had for the restaurant. It was a very nice experience. Visit the Elevation Burger web site for more info: http://www.elevationburger.com/ (the Hyattsville location is pictured here).

We took some time to check out some of "downtown" Hyattsville when we visited the restaurant. The Elevation Burger opened in April, 2011 in a new building that houses a Chipolte and a Tara Thai restaurant (opening soon). There's also a frozen yogurt store around the corner, the Hyattsville Arts District across the street, and a lot of new development nearby. It's a blend of old and new.

Elevation Burger in Hyattsville

Hyattsville Arts District

Hyattsville Arts District

Townhouses under Construction in Hyattsville

The former Lustine Chevrolet building is now the Lustine Center with an art gallery and a gym

Your wife is hot!

Did you see this Belair Engineering ad on Patch?

Bang Bang Mongolian Grill Coming to Bowie

A Mongolian grill/stir-fry all-you-can-eat restaurant is coming to the former Pomogrille location in the Free State Shopping Center. The BangBang Mongolian Grill has plans to open six restaurants in Maryland, and the first two will open this fall in Bowie and in Baltimore's Canton neighborhood. According to the Washington Business Journal, there are a handful of restaurants offering similar fare ...in the D.C. region, but BangBang plans to differentiate itself by providing fast service and only healthy options (no fried food). Customers pick their own food on a buffet-style "makeline," and then the food is stir-fried on a grill. Separate grills are used for customers with food allergies. The first BangBang opened in West Des Moines, Iowa in 2010. It looks like the Maryland locations will be the first BangBang restaurants outside of Iowa. On-line reviews of the West Des Moines BangBang are mixed. For more information, see the restaurant's web site: http://bangbangmongoliangrill.com/

UPDATE:  As of December, 2011, Bang Bang Mongolian Grille estimates the opening date to be late February, 2012.