CALENDAR OF EVENTS DECEMBER 2023

AREA EVENTS

 

COLLEGE PARK AVIATION MUSEUM

Address: 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr., College Park, MD 20740. Phone: 301.864.6029. Fax: 301.927.6472. Regular hours of operation: Open Tuesday – Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Some events may have special hours of operation. Cost: Adults/$5; Seniors/$4; Children/$2 (1-year-old and under, free). The museum exhibit area highlights 10 unique aircraft and objects relating the history of early aviation at the College Park Airport.

 

SANTA FLY-IN

Sat., Dec. 2. Santa lands at the airport between 10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Activities and photos begin afterwards and last until 4 p.m. Enjoy crafts and activities in the museum and photos with Santa. Photos will be scheduled by reserved time slot. To reserve a slot, please send an email to collegeparkaviation@pgparks.com. Ages: All. Cost: $5 per person (all guests over the age of 2 must have a ticket) To register: www.tinyurl.com/CPAMSanta2023. Field of First Foundation members are free and do not need to reserve a ticket, but do need to reserve a photo slot.

 

TRAINS AND PLANES WEEKEND

Hours of operation: Fri., Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: enjoy extended evening hours and activities as we kick off this annual tradition. Advance registration not required. Sat., Dec 16 and Sun., Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The National Capital Trackers bring their fleet of model trains to the museum for the holiday season! Explore the magical displays and chat with train enthusiasts as you learn about the connection between trains and the College Park Airport. Cost: Free with museum admission.

 

NATIONAL WILDLIFE VISITOR CENTER      

Main phone: 301.497.5772. Address: 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD 20708. The entrance is accessed from Powder Mill Rd. between the Baltimore–Washington Pkwy. and Rt. 197. Free admission and free parking. All dogs must be kept on a leash (no longer than 6 feet) for their own safety as well as that of other visitors and wildlife. Regular hours of operation for the trails and grounds are: Open daily from sunrise to sunset, except for federal holidays. See the Friends of Patuxent website for more information at https://friendsofpatuxent.org/.

 

THE BUILDING & BOOKSTORE

Contact the Visitor Center for updates. Main phone: 301.497.5772. Join our e-mail list by contacting timothy_parker@fws.gov. More information can be found at www.fws.gov/refuge/patuxent. The Visitor Center is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed on Sunday, Monday, and federal holidays. The bookstore is open Tuesday – Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

ART GALLERY

The featured artist for December is nature and landscape photographer Bill Reichhardt. The regular hours of operation for the art gallery are the same as those for the Visitor Center. The gallery is adjacent to the bookstore.

 

KIDS DISCOVERY CENTER

Tue. – Sat. at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 noon. Duration: 35 minutes, each session. Ages 3 – 10*; Parents are required to work with their child at each of the parent-led activities. Registration is strongly recommended; call 301.497.5760. Children will explore and learn about nature and the environment through engaging, age-appropriate activities, crafts, and games. Older siblings are welcome to join with parents and work with younger siblings to help them understand and complete the activities. *NOTE: The Kid’s Discovery Center is neither baby-proofed nor appropriate for children younger than 3-years-old, due to small items featured in the exhibits and activities.

 

 

LAUREL–BELTSVILLE SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER

Masks are optional. Contact the center for updates. Membership is free for Beltsville residents who are 60 years old or older. Closed on Sundays and most major holidays. Address: 7120 Contee Rd., Laurel, MD 20707, around the corner from the University of Maryland Medical Center. Phone: 301.206.3350. Fax: 301.206.3387. Maryland Relay 7-1-1 for customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability.

 

LAUREL SENIOR FRIENDSHIP CLUB (LSFC)

Our next meeting will be Wed., Dec. 13 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting room doors open at 9:30 a.m.

This will be our Holiday Party and will feature holiday tunes by the Sara Jones Duo.

• Every Tuesday Bingo: 12 noon each Tuesday (doors open at 11 a.m.); fee for cards, NO admission fee.

Interested people can contact the LSFC office for more details on Mon., Tue., Wed., and Fri. from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 301.206.3380.

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BELTSVILLE EVENTS

 

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY (NAL)

Address: 10301 Baltimore Ave. in Beltsville. Main phone number: 301.504.5755. NAL is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/National_Ag_Lib. We continue to serve our customers remotely during regular business hours. Online information products are always available at NAL.usda.gov and Nutrition.gov. Get MyPlate nutrition information for babies and toddlers via the free Amazon Alexa app. To learn more, visit www.myplate.gov/myplateassistant.

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YOUNG AT HEART CLUB

Thur., Dec. 21 at 10:30 a.m. Address: the Beltsville Community Center, 3900 Sellman Rd., Beltsville, MD 20705. Since it’s so close to Christmas, we’ll have a goodies dessert table with holiday sweets. Then we’ll have a Crazy Santa gift give away. Bring a wrapped gift (not over $10.00 value) and you’ll have a chance to get one if you bring one. Please mark if for male or female. We'll sing Christmas carols if people want, but no entertainment will be provided. We will have 50/50, Ways & Means, and membership fees of $15.00 for 2024 for those who need to pay. A reminder about our snow policy: if P.G. schools are late or closed, we DO NOT meet. This will go for winter 2024 also.

• Save the Date: Our Jan. 18, 2024 meeting will feature entertainment by Beltsville man Johnny Seaton. If you’ve never seen or heard him, come and enjoy his great voice.

• The Beltsville Young at Heart Club is for residents who are 55 years of age and older. Contact Lois at 301.498.9736 for more information.

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BELTSVILLE LIBRARY EVENTS

Address: 4319 Sellman Rd., Beltsville, next to the police station. The main phone number is 301.937.0294. TTY: 301.808.2061. Ask a Librarian telephone reference available when the library is open; call 240.455.5451. Regular hours of operation are Mon., Thur., and Fri. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tue. and Wed. from 12 noon to 8 p.m.; Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sun. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; closed on most major holidays. Contact the library for updates and late changes. See www.pgcmls.info/location/Beltsville for online services.

 

PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN

 

TAIL WAGGIN’ TUTORS:

Sat., Dec. 9 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Build your child’s confidence as they read to a specially trained therapy dog. Bring a book or choose one from the library. Each child will read for 15 minutes. First come, first served.

 

KIDS ACHIEVE CLUB

Meets from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday through Dec. 12. Volunteers provide homework help for 1st graders through 6th graders. Please register online at https://ww1.pgcmls.info/events.

 

PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

 

SPANISH–ENGLISH READY-2-READ STORYTIME

Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. for ages 3 – 5 years old.

 

PROGRAM FOR FAMILIES

 

FAMILY ART TIME

Sat., Dec. 2 from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Specifically for children who have autism or other exceptional needs and their families. Presented by Kyle’s Art for Autism World, Inc., this program aims to spread autism awareness throughout the community while offering a creative and welcoming space for individuals with exceptional needs to express themselves through art.

 

PROGRAM FOR ADULTS

 

NEEDLEWORK SOCIAL

Mon., Dec. 11 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Are you interested in getting to know more people in your community with similar interests? Join us for Needlework Social where you can bring in any needlecraft you are working on while getting to know those around you.

 

UPSTAGE ARTISTS PRESENTS THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!

In this hilarious Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids--probably the most inventively awful kids in history. You won't believe the mayhem - and the fun - when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on! This is the perfect show for families. It's a great way to introduce your children to the joys of live theater! December 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 7:30 pm and December 3 and 10 at 2 pm. Tickets are $10 and can be bought online at www.upstageartists.com/tickets or at the door.