Route 1 residents are already voting in the 2024 presidential election.

Early voting kicked off Thursday in Maryland, where voters are also making their choices in a U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Larry Hogan and former Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, state judges and a ballot measure that would enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution.

Early in-person voting, which lasts through Oct. 31, can be done at the voting center at the College Park Community Center at 5051 Pierce Ave. It is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

Voters can also request a mail-in ballot through Monday, Oct. 29. You do not need a reason. You can sign up to receive one online here, but they must be postmarked, put into a ballot drop box or hand-delivered by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

If you are stressed about your mail ballot, you can track whether it has been received, processed and counted online here.

If you have not yet registered to vote, you can sign up and cast your ballot right up until Election Day, including at an early voting center. You can find a helpful voters’ guide from Maryland Matters here.

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Sports apparel store Rally House opened in College Park earlier this month.

The Kansas-based retailer, which specializes in official college and pro sports-licensed merchandise, moved into the first-floor retail space under the Landmark Apartments.

The space was previously occupied by a Target Express, which closed in May of last year.

Rally House, which is the official retailer of the Big Ten NCAA conference, has more than 250 locations in 22 states, including a number of college towns.

In addition to shirts, hats and other gear for the University of Maryland and Baltimore and Washington’s pro sports teams, the company said the store also has “locally inspired” merchandise for “area destinations and landmarks.”

The city of College Park gave Rally House a business development grant of up to $130,000 to pay for renovating the 13,000-square-foot retail space.

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One of Route 1’s smallest art galleries is the size of a small window display case.

Located in Hyattsville on Gallatin Street between the SoHy Arts Building entrance and Gremlins Tattoo Lounge, the Peep Show gallery showcases a single artist for a month or two.

The small hexagonal display window, marked by a bright neon sign, is currently showing collaborative pieces by Katie Aldworth and Francisco Rosario of the Material Things studio in North Brentwood.

The gallery got its start during the pandemic, when Bronwyn King and Krissi Humbard, the co-curators of Studio SoHy, lost access to the small space where they were displaying art inside Vigilante Coffee. The two looked for spaces that could be viewed from outdoors during Covid restrictions and came across the display window.

“We drew inspiration from peep shows of old: the traveling boxes that offered glimpses into the strange, the exotic and the out-of-the-ordinary; and the coin-operated machines that showed beautiful women and forbidden scenes,” Humbard told the Hyattsville Wire. “We wanted to flip what was once seen as exploitative and create a playful space for artists. We thought the window created a perfect environment for that.”

Many artists whose work is displayed come from the closely-knit Route 1 arts community, but they’ve been approached by other artists outside Route 1. And one of the goals with the project is to highlight woman and minority artists.

“The studio’s goal is to reflect the community of artists working and living in the DMV area,” Humbard added.

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Celebrate the autumn harvest with farmers and friends at the Gateway Farmer’s Market “Fall Fest” on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 3716 Rhode Island Ave.

The event will feature music, games, farm-fresh food giveaways, free arts programming for kids, and portrait photography.

Attendees can get a photo for their holiday card, for free. Professional portrait photography will be provided by Nicholas London from FTLA For the Love Of Art.

Kids can drop in to paint reusable tote bags for trick-or-treating, courtesy of the Creative Workshops DC.

Visitors can sample recipes demonstrated by a chef from MiXT Food Hall, featuring seasonal, local market produce, and receive fall food giveaways.

Music will be provided by a local DJ, and the event is produced by Tia Kane from ArtBoxDC. The event will also feature games and prizes for all ages.

The Gateway Farmers’ Market  hosts a weekly lineup of exceptional producer-only farmers from across the region, such as many vendors and artisans from along the Route 1 Corridor.

Recurring local vendors include:

Manifest Bread
The Waterhole Juice
Tae-Gu Kimchi
Zeke’s Coffee
Cocineros Latin Eatery
MiXt Food Hall
Purple Rose Wellness
Finesse Essential Body
Nalim’s Aroma

The Gateway Farmers’ Market runs every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 30, 2024, and will reopen in Spring 2025.

The event is made possible by the generous support of sponsors like the Town of Brentwood, the Mount Rainier Recreation Committee, Prince George’s County Councilmember Wanika Fisher, #ArtBoxDC, FTLA For the Love of Art, the Creative Workshops DC, and the Coalition Property Group.

For more info or to become a vendor, email the Gateway Farmers’ Market here.

Volunteers will plant trees around Hyattsville for several hours Saturday morning.

Through an effort led by Casey Trees, volunteers will meet at the Hamilton Manor Apartments on Queens Chapel Road at 8:30 a.m. to get training and then plant trees from 9 a.m. to noon.

The D.C.-based nonprofit has already planted hundreds of trees through its work with the city of Hyattsville, including a similar volunteer event in May at the Duck Pond.

It has a similar arrangement with Mount Rainier and a larger effort in Prince George’s County funded by a grant from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Spokesman Vincent Drader told the Hyattsville Wire that residents of the Route 1 corridor may be eligible to have a tree planted for free on their property as well. You can find out if you are eligible online here and see a list of trees here.

“Casey Trees now plants 7,000 trees per year, and we expect to reach over 10,000 trees per year soon,” Drader told the Wire. “All of the trees we plant are urban-hardy trees, meaning they are selected species that can thrive in the urban environment.”

A study found that Hyattsville lost 30 percent of its tree canopy between 2009 and 2018, for a net loss of 236 canopy acres, enough to shade Driskell Park seven times.

You can sign up to volunteer at the event here.

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A well-organized group of Route 1 residents is trying to stop a McDonald’s from replacing a locally owned restaurant near Hyattsville.

The Stop McDonald’s group has set up a website and is gathering letters from residents who oppose the project to present to the planning board of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission on Oct. 17.

The group opposes a plan to build a McDonald’s drive-thru at 6543 Ager Rd., near the intersection of Riggs Road, Ager Road, and East-West Highway, just past the Home Depot.

The property is currently home to La Doñita, a popular restaurant serving Central American cuisine.

Stop McDonald’s argues that a drive-thru would lead to back-ups on the already well-traveled road, which gets about 42,000 cars per day at that location, according to Maryland Department of Transportation data.

They also argue that there are already 14 McDonald’s locations within a 10-mile radius, with seven more planned, and that the franchise would be selling unhealthy food in an area that lacks access to healthy foods, according to a 2019 county report.

For more information on how to write a letter about the project, sign up to speak at the Oct. 17 meeting or call and email local elected officials, go here.

Get $10 off your next 2 orders at H & Chicken in Hyattsville!
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A new pilates studio is set to open in November at the Station at Riverdale Park.

Located at 6710 45th St., next to District Taco, Club Pilates is part of a national chain founded in San Diego.

The studio specializes in Reformer Pilates, which uses a specialized piece of equipment called a reformer, which uses springs and straps to provide resistance.

A spokeswoman for the chain told the Hyattsville Wire that they were drawn by the Whole Foods Market grocery store, which attracts “like-minded people” who are focused on health and wellness. She said the location is also a central spot for Prince George’s County residents who live farther out.

The studio will have 12 reformers for smaller classes, with trainers offering more individual instruction. It already has over 250 members and is offering pre-opening specials.

The Station at Riverdale Park is also home to a Gold’s Gym, with Bikram Yoga Works and a Crunch Fitness location nearby.

Get $10 off your next 2 orders at H & Chicken in Hyattsville!
Hyattsville Wire readers use the code HCHICKENMWL on Uber Eats.