A Bowie Christmas

The City of Bowie recently held the 28th Annual Holiday House Decorating Contest. I took pictures of some of the winning entries and some other Christmas sites around Bowie.

The list of addresses for the winning entries can be seen in this PDF file on the City Of Bowie's Web site, and pictures of all of the winning entries can be seen in this large PDF file.

Tony Begenwald received a Best of Bowie Award for this display on Medina Lane. Tony is a repeat winner.

The Norris Family on Moylan Drive received a Spirit Award.

The Galentine Family on Gradys Court received a Best of Bowie Award.

The Robey Family on Gradys Walk received a Spirit Award.

The Gradys Walk neighborhood in Bowie had more than their share of winners. The Westbrook Family on Gradys Walk received a Spirit Award.

More holiday decorations in the Gradys Walk neighborhood, although this house wasn't one of the contest winners.

Christmas decorations in the Whitehall neighborhood.

We came across this Santa on a motorcycle in the Whitehall neighborhood. This was my son's favorite.

This holiday display can be seen every year on Chelton Lane in Bowie's Chapel Forge neighborhood. My picture didn't come out that great, but this decoration appears to be a single strand of lights that hangs in a straight line along the trunk of a tree. It looks like there may be a small ball at the top. I'm not sure if there is any meaning behind the light. It doesn't really look all that festive. I can recall seeing this display for at least the last three or four years.

Santa and Mrs. Claus can be seen each year at the Bowie Train Station Museum on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That Sunday is known as Train Spotting Day in Bowie. The museum is located next to the train tracks that are used by Amtrak for runs between D.C. and points in the Northeast, and more train traffic can be seen near the museum on the Sunday after Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year.

This guy waves to people driving along the Crain Highway near Rips.

The Giant at Free State Mall on Christmas Eve afternoon. The parking lot was packed, and I had to park at the other end of the parking lot in front of Blockbusters.

I ran into this Christmas display on Good Luck Road in Lanham. Here's a little multiple choice test. Which one of the following was your first thought when you saw this?

A. Now that puts me in a holiday mood!
B. Where do they store all this stuff during the rest of the year?
C. How do the garbage men know what to take and what to leave on trash day?
D. I need to find a spot to pull over to take a picture for my blog.

Many Christmas trees remain unsold at this lot in Bowie Plaza on the day after Christmas.

Santa Rides Through Bowie

The sounds of sirens, air horns and bells can be heard throughout the early evening in Bowie this week. The Bowie Volunteer Fire Department is continuing their annual tradition of escorting Santa through the neighborhoods to pick up donations for the Bowie Food Pantry and to pass out candy canes to the kids. Click here to see the 2009 schedule.

Engine 192 (Huntington) escorts Santa through Bowie's Whitehall neighborhood.

Holiday Tree Lighting at Bowie City Hall

The City of Bowie held its annual holiday tree lighting ceremony last Sunday night at City Hall.

Bowie Mayor G. Fred Robinson introduces the City Council and other dignitaries.

Nichelle Fullen leads the crowd in holiday songs.

Local politicians sing. From left to right, Councilwoman Diane Polangin, Abba Polangin, Councilman Isaac "Ike" Trouth, Councilwoman Geraldine Valentino-Smith, Valentino-Smith's daughter and Maryland District 23 Senator Doug Peters.

From left to right, Kathy Brady, Councilman Dennis Brady, unknown, Mayor Robinson, Councilman Jimmy Marcos, Councilman Todd Turner and Anita Turner. Todd Turner looks like he might be enjoying a cat nap.

A small crowd gathers for the singing.

And finally, the lights are on.

Nichelle Fullen leads the crowd in a local rendition of Here Comes Santa Claus.

The Bowie Volunteer Fire Department escorts Santa and Mrs. Claus to City Hall.

Santa and Mrs. Claus are lowered from the fire truck.

Face painting and craft activities were held for the kiddies. Here is the craft room in City Hall.

Santa and Mrs. Claus listen to Christmas wishes and hand out candy.

Early Signs of Christmas in Bowie

Christmas tree at the Bowie Town Center.

Some decorations are hanging at the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad Station 39 (Belair/Free State Mall). They're getting ready to escort Santa and sell Christmas trees. We bought a tree from the Bowie VFD last year, and it was the best tree we've purchased in Bowie.

The Bowie Lions set-up their Christmas tree lot this weekend at the corners of Sussex Lane, Belair Drive and Annapolis Road. The trees are expected to arrive Thanksgiving weekend.

A Christmas tree lot at Bowie Plaza sits empty.

The sign at the Bowie Community Center advertises the upcoming Watkins Park Festival of Lights.

The City of Bowie hasn't made the transition to holiday decorations yet. The autumn banners are still hanging at City Hall. However, the city has posted their Holiday Happenings Brochure (click here for the PDF).

Halloween in Boo-eee

This house in Bowie's Tulip Grove neighborhood features a moving ghost on a runner. In December, Santa and his sleigh will be moving through this yard.

This house on Cherrywood Lane in Bowie's Chapel Forge neighborhood features a graveyard scene each Halloween.

A close-up of the graveyard on Cherrywood Lane.

Another house in the Chapel Forge neighborhood.

Bowie Plaza hasn't been this busy since Giant left. The Spirit Halloween store was crowded all week. I peeked in Saturday before dark, and there were more than forty people waiting in line at the registers. A sign in the window advertises a 50% off sale on November 1.

This scene was not actually in B00-eee. The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore hosted several Halloween related events on Saturday, October 24. This was the pumpkin smash with the adult elephants. The pumpkin smash with the young elephants took place earlier in the day, and a great picture of that event was published in many U.S. papers and the Telegraph in the U.K.

Halloween Spirit

Last month I posted about the Spirit Halloween store returning to Bowie Plaza in the old Giant space, and I poked a little fun at the politician masks. The store recently opened, and my kids and I stopped in for a little fun on Saturday morning.

That's right. We didn't buy anything. We just treated it like a free haunted house. For Christmas this year, we're just going to let the kids play in the toy section at Target, and next Easter, we're going to hide eggs at Giant.

They're still in the process of setting up some of the displays, but there was plenty to see.

Here is one of the automated displays. This guy looked a little too real.

Hmmmm. What is her size?

John and Kate plus ??????

Don't worry! Only a prop!

Who says we don't need universal health coverage for preventive care?

If fellow Bowietian and blogger, Dickster1961, had a Halloween nightmare, this is what it would be - more Obamas!