The towns of Brentwood and North Brentwood will replace an ugly symbol of segregation with art dedicated to racial reconciliation.

On Saturday, June 29, the two towns — one founded by Black veterans of the Civil War, one historically white — will unveil a sculpture to replace the highway segregation barrier that long separated them on Windom Road.

“Growing up in North Brentwood, I know the offense schoolchildren and families have felt with having to cross this barricade to walk to school,” said North Brentwood Mayor Petrella Robinson, who is Black. “We honor the residents who fought against this blatant discrimination, and we pave the path for unity and equity.”

Erected in 1957 in response to the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the barrier was one of a number of “segregation walls” or “race walls” built during segregation in cities such as Miami, Detroit, Atlanta and Fort Worth. It was featured in historian James Loewen’s book “Sundown Towns,” named for the fact that Black residents were at risk of violence after sunset if they crossed these barriers.

The two towns decided several years ago to finally tear down the barrier, working together to hire the artists Nehemiah Dixon III and Wesley Clark to build a memorial sculpture inside of a new town park on Windom Road.

“This is the culmination of the deep partnership between the towns and proof of what happens when communities fight racism together,” said Brentwood Mayor Rocio Treminio-Lopez. “As an immigrant who grew up in this community, today’s unveiling cements a commitment to pave the way for a future of inclusion and rights for anyone who lives here.”

The sculpture will be unveiled at a town event from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the new Windom Road Historic Barrier Park.

You can read more about the history of the Brentwood Windom Rd segregation barrier here.

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A popular Mexican taqueria in Mount Rainier has opened a stall at Le Fantome food hall in Riverdale Park.

With two locations at 3237 Rhode Island Ave. in Mount Rainier and the Brightwood neighborhood in D.C., J&J Mex-Taqueria added a third at the Riverdale Park food hall across from MOD Pizza at Riverdale Park Station earlier this month.

The restaurant was started in 2015 by Jose “Papa” Tovar and Jose Tovar Ibarra, a father and son originally from San Luis Potosí in central Mexico.

The extensive menu includes 12 types of tacos, including trendy birria tacos made with slow-cooked beef stew, burritos, enchiladas, tortas, carne asada, and fajitas. There are also a number of breakfast items, including huevos rancheros, a breakfast quesadilla, and machaca, a dish made with shredded beef and eggs.

J&J is also moving into the Commas food hall, which is planned for downtown Silver Spring.

You can order online from J&J at Le Fantome here.

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DC-owned dessert stop Ice Cream Jubilee is coming to College Park.

Located at 4430 Calvert Rd., near Trader Joe’s, the shop will serve small batch ice cream with seasonally rotating flavors, many of which are Asian-inspired.

The shop started in 2014 when owner Victoria Lai quit her job as a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security. In 2022, Food & Wine magazine named it the 24th best ice cream shop in the U.S.

Ice Cream Jubilee offers standards such as vanilla, cookie dough, salted caramel and marionberry, along with a seasonal flavors such as Thai Iced Tea and Cherry Blossom Cheesecake.

It’s now expanding around the D.C. area, including locations in Georgetown, Ballston and Navy Yard and upcoming locations in Reston, Tenleytown and West Falls Church.

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For Paul Hrusa, the large blocks of foam left after you remove a package from a box have their own value.

The Hyattsville artist began using foam core to make sculptures in high school before studying how to use marble, clay, and bondo in college.

However, a few years ago, he returned to the medium after experimenting with using objects found in his studio.

In May, Hrusa even held an exhibition of his found-art sculptures at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. in Hyattsville with help from the Creative Supply Social Club, a local arts advocacy group.

Because the packaging foam sculptures tend to be large, Hrusa said Streetcar 82’s outdoor area was one of the few places it could all be displayed.

Hrusa, who moved to Hyattsville in 2007, said he’s found the local art scene “talented, optimistic, and resilient,” but he wishes it were more supportive of fine and experimental art.

When he needs supplies he heads to Artist & Craftsman Supply, Community Forklift and local hardware stores. But when it’s time to find new material for his art?

“Anyplace there is a recycling bin,” he said.

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Residents around the Route 1 corridor will be out to celebrate the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail on Saturday, June 8.

The third-annual Trolley Trail Day will feature live music and activities from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. stretching from Hyattsville all the way up to College Park.

Activities include a morning fun run led by RunnersHy starting at Vigilante Coffee in Hyattsville, three separate bike rides sponsored by Route 1 bike companies, live music at a Porchfest front yard, and family-friendly activities at parks along the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail.

Most activities will run from noon to 4 p.m., but there will be a Night at the Museum rock concert featuring College Park band Laundry World and the College Park Chorale at the College Park Aviation Museum from 5 to 8 p.m.

With the completion earlier this year of a long-missing segment, the Trolley Trail now extends from Melrose Park in Hyattsville 3.8 miles north to Greenbelt Road in Berwyn Heights and connects to the Northwest Branch Trail, Northeast Branch Trail, Anacostia River Trail and Paint Branch Trail.

You can see a complete listing of events on the Trolley Trail Day website.

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Hyattsville resident Jamie McGonnigal used to be a Pokémon character.

McGonnigal got his start working as a musical theatre actor in New York for about 15 years, when someone he was working with said she thought he would be great at voice acting and passed his name along.

His first voice acting gig was in the title role in the flash cartoon “Barbarian Moron.” One of his co-stars recommended him to someone else and soon he was working regularly on 4Kids series such as “F-Zero,” “Kirby,” “Viva Piñata” and “One Piece.”

He also played some smaller roles in early seasons of “Pokémon” before being cast as Barry in the “Diamond & Pearl” seasons, along with smaller roles such as Trip and Grumpig. In all, he was in about 40 or 50 episodes.

McGonnigal moved to Hyattsville in 2014 because his husband Sean grew up here and his in-laws live nearby. He recently surprised the kids on career day at Hyattsville Elementary, where his son goes to kindergarten.

“I had them get up and practice doing voices and they all did great with it,” he told the Wire. “Most didn’t realize they’re already getting practice when they’re giving voices to their stuffed animals and toys while playing — that’s where it all starts.”

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John McKinley-Ward disputes the criticism that the greater D.C. area lacks good bagels.

“Well, if that was true, it isn’t true anymore!” he told the Hyattsville Wire.

In March, the Mount Rainier resident launched Towne Bagels to bring top-quality sourdough bagels to the Route 1 corridor.

McKinley-Ward sells about 80 bagels weekly from home, and another 300 or so on Saturdays at the new Gateway Farmers Market on the border of Brentwood and Mount Rainier. He’s now sold out five weeks in a row.

Previously, he worked at nearby Pennyroyal Station, in a horse barn, and as a line cook and pizza chef, but he taught himself how to make bagels.

“I learned in the school of DIY,” he said.

For now, Towne Bagels sells plain, sesame, poppy seed and everything bagels, with the latter being the most popular. McKinley-Ward says he’s planning to add more bagels when the timing feels right and after he finds a commercial kitchen that will allow him to increase his volume.

His ultimate goal is to open up his own shop in the area and sell bagels to local coffee shops and delis as well.

“Ideally, I’d like to run a business operated by crafts people, people from baking and other disciplines, to create a model for sustainable, green bakeries and restaurants that others can follow,” he told the Wire.

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