A Brentwood food hall will hold a vegan cuisine festival in November to help kick off World Vegan Month.

On Saturday, Nov. 4, miXt Food Hall at 3809 Rhode Island Ave. will host the Vegan Curious Festival, featuring plant-based offering from its regular vendors as well as local guest vendors selling vegan foods and products.

While vegans and vegetarians will have plenty of options, those who are just curious can order a full meal or try a sample with the “dollar-bites special.”

In addition, there will be a pop-up farmers market outside on the patio.

The festival, which runs from noon to 6 p.m., will host a panel at 1 p.m. called “The Future of Food Is Vegan” moderated by Naijha Wright Brown, executive director of the non-profit Black Veg Society.

Panelists include Michael Jantz Moon, founder of D.C. Vegan; Sabina Jules, chef/owner of Motherland Kitchen in Frederick; and Chelse Williams, owner of Smoky Mmm Eats plant-based meats.

There will be a chef demonstration at 5 p.m., by Tarik Frazier of MushDC, a miXt vendor that makes vegan sandwiches.

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A Japanese mindfulness practice called “forest bathing” has become a hot new trend on the Route 1 corridor.

Developed in the 1980s, the technique known as shinrin-yoku involves spending time in nature, often in a group or with a guide, focusing on sensory engagement: listening to birds and insects, touching the ground, smelling flowers and even tasting the air.

Studies have found it leads to a decrease in blood pressure and stress hormones, possibly due to organic compounds known as phytoncides released by plants.

A Silver Spring company called Raindancer Healing Arts regularly offers guided forest bathing tours at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the National Arboretum. Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society) has also offered forest bathing tours at Tanglewood Park in Riverdale Park.

The University of Maryland also offers training sessions for students in its public health program in a dense forested area of campus, while the group Defensores de La Cuenca has offered forest bathing tours in Spanish and English at Hyattsville’s Driskell Park.

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Mount Rainier is turning a 114-year-old building next to City Hall into a community center.

Located at 3405 Rhode Island Ave., next to the city library, Star-Potts Hall was the site of some of the city’s first council meetings and long a community meeting place.

The $6 million project will build a long glass canopy linking the building with City Hall next door and add an audiovisual room, multipurpose area and potential retail space on the first floor.

The building was built in 1909 by Robert E. Potts, a local widower who had not previously been involved in real estate. He marketed it as “the largest place of meeting in Mount Rainier.”

Over the years, it was home to a movie theater; a pool hall; a duckpin bowling alley; Baptist, Methodist and Episcopalian church services; a local women’s group; a Masonic lodge; and a luncheonette called the Terminal Snack Bar, among other things.

It was also the site of some of the city’s biggest public meetings, including a hearing on the high-profile murder of Robert Laupp, proprietor of the Ram’s Horn Inn, in 1910, and a city council meeting in 1911 that was so heated the mayor came armed with a pistol.

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The Washington Glass School in Mount Rainier will work with veterans and active-duty military this winter to help address post-traumatic stress.

Under the innovative Hot Shop Heroes program, current and former members of the military will be able to take glassmaking classes at no cost, allowing them to develop their art, overcome stress or learn new job skills.

Co-director Erwin Timmers said that the intense concentration and camaraderie required for glassmaking can be “profoundly therapeutic” for combat veterans, especially.

The program started at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Wash., in 2013 and has helped more than 750 servicemembers since then. The collaboration with the Washington Glass School is its first expansion outside Washington state.

The eight-week program will end with a special exhibition of the artwork at the same time as the Washington Glass School Holiday Open Studio on Dec. 9.

The Mount Rainier nonprofit has long had a therapeutic undertone. It was founded in 2001 by glass artist Tim Tate, a former therapist who got into glass art when he learned he was HIV positive.

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The historic Prince George’s Bank building in Mount Rainier is slated to be converted to an inclusive arts education center.

Located at 3800 34th St. just off the Mount Rainier circle, the building is being restored by Compass Inc., a Beltsville-based nonprofit that supports people with developmental disabilities.

They are raising money to turn it into a center where people of all abilities can make art and share it with the public.

Built in 1922, the building is one of Route 1’s best surviving examples of neoclassical architecture from the early 20th century, along with the other Prince George’s Bank branch at 5124 Baltimore Ave. in Hyattsville.

The first “Raise the Roof” fundraiser for the arts center will be held at Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co. in Olney from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, featuring live music by Kat and the Curious.

The nonprofit is also looking for sponsors and individual donors.

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The City of College Park will host its signature event, College Park Day, on Saturday, Oct. 7, from noon to 6 p.m. at the College Park Aviation Museum and Airport.

The event features live music, food and drink vendors, a kids and family zone with a dedicated stage, attractions, games, free entry to the aviation museum, community exhibitors, and a helicopter fly-in.

Live entertainment on the main stage features performances by Laundry World, Starlight Anthem, So Fetch, and Black Masala.

This year will feature an even bigger kids and family area with a dedicated family stage with performances by Mad Science of Washington, The Great Zucchini Magic Show, Bridgette Childrens’ Music, Zig Zag Magic Show, and Silly Goose & Val.

New this year will be Big Wheel races for children 50 inches and under with various race times set throughout the day.  There will also be live performances by Gymkana, stilt walkers, jugglers and more.

Visitors are encouraged to check out fun activities, crafts like pumpkin painting, insect petting zoo, bounce houses and obstacle courses, games (for kids and adults), and giveaways from community groups as well.

College Park Day will feature more food and drink vendors than before. Food vendors this year include: Taqueria Habanero, Virtual X Kitchen, Jas & Fam Caribbean Flavor, Cocineros, London Chippy, Catalyst Hot Dogs, Maria’s Kitchen, Kona Ice, Tatak Pinoy, Aunt Titty’s, Jet Set BBQ, Cakelady Desserts, Lameera Ice Cream, and Thai Amity Kitchen.

Beer and wine options (for those 21+) offered by Streetcar 82 Brewing Co., Denizens Brewing Co., Maryland Meadworks, and Franklin’s Brewery.

Aviation enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy browsing the airport museum’s extensive exhibits, for free only on College Park Day.  There will even be a helicopter and plane fly-in.

This is a family-friendly event, but organizers ask that visitors leave pets at home.

The event will take place at the College Park Aviation Museum at 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. Free parking is available at nearby lots and the College Park-UMD Metro Garage. A free shuttle service will be available from the UMD Campus, City Hall (free parking will be available at the Downtown College Park Parking Garage), & CP-UMD Metro Garage. Bike racks will be available for those using local trails to get to the event.

Find more information at www.collegeparkday.org.

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The city of Hyattsville is using colorful art to improve pedestrian safety.

On Saturday, Baltimore-based Graham Projects will paint a series of colorful murals around the intersection of Church Place and Gallatin Street.

The asphalt art, which stretches from the sidewalk about the width of a car into the street, is designed to make the road feel narrower for drivers and focus their attention on the potential for foot traffic in the area.

Research from the Asphalt Art Initiative shows that these kinds of projects lead to a 50 percent decrease in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians, a 37 percent decrease in the rate of crashes that lead to injuries and a 17 percent decrease in overall crashes.

Drivers are asked to be careful when passing by the area on Saturday. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center will be holding a free art activity from 1 to 3 p.m. for families.

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