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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The Station at Riverdale Park will soon have two new tenants: a frozen yogurt place and a tattoo removal shop.

Frozen yogurt shop Yogi Castle, which closed its location in Hyattsville’s Arts District, is slated to open on the first floor of the Pilot House apartment complex, the first retailer farther down Van Buren Street.

Next door will be the Removery, a laser tattoo removal chain with over 150 locations in the U.S., Canada and Australia. The closest location in the D.C. area is in Arlington.

Since opening in 2017, The Station at Riverdale Park has been home to a Whole Foods grocery store, several restaurants and service-oriented businesses such as a dentist, a gym, a bank and a hair salon, but little retail.

The two newest tenants fit the same “Amazon-proof” mold and are in growing markets. Frozen yogurt is expected to become a $2 billion industry by 2028, while tattoo removal has grown alongside the tattooing industry.

In fact, one study found that one in four people who have been tattooed regretted at least one tattoo.

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The National Arboretum, just off Route 1, normally closes at 5 p.m., but there are some options to see it after hours this summer.

Located at 3501 New York Ave. NE, the 446-acre park attracts more than 700,000 visitors annually, but usually only during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

But there are a handful of events at night sponsored by the Friends of the National Arboretum.

On Sunday, the group held a free “extended evening hours” event, allowing visitors through the entrance at 2400 R St. NE from 5 to 8 p.m. As part of the event, there was also a fishing night, which required free registration ahead of time, along the portion of the arboretum that borders the Anacostia River from 4 to 7 p.m.

If you would like to visit the park after hours, the Friends of the National Arboretum will be holding a concert in the meadow on Saturday, June 8; a movie in the meadow on Saturday, July 20; and another fishing event on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Tickets for some events are required, with donations recommended up to $25.

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It’s mulberry season again on the Route 1 corridor.

The berries of the deciduous tree can be found all over area streets and sidewalks, as well as the purple-stained fingers of kids in local parks.

Along with other berries in Maryland, mulberries generally ripen in June, although they came a little earlier this year. Though the red mulberry is native, the trees around the Route 1 corridor are mostly white mulberries, an invasive species from Asia.

The berries are edible, but they don’t last long, so it’s best to eat them within a day of harvesting, or else freeze them or use them to make pies, tarts or jams.

Ripened mulberries should come right off the tree, or you could lay a tarp or old blanket on the ground and knock them loose with a stick or a broom.

Along Route 1, you can find mulberry trees at Driskell Park in Hyattsville, along Wells Run in University Park, at Lake Artemesia in College Park and on a handful of residential streets. You can find exact locations using the Falling Fruit foraging map.

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