Meteor passes over Morningside

According to the American Meteor Society, more than 200 people reported seeing a meteor fly over D.C., Maryland and Virginia Wednesday night, Feb. 21.

One of them was longtime Skyline resident Jim Reilly.

Jim told me he was driving up Suitland Road and spotted the flashing orb over Morningside, above GI Market. He showed me actual footage on his phone, probably recorded by the Meteor Society.

I looked up meteor. “A meteor is a streak of light in the sky caused by a meteoroid crashing through Earth’s atmosphere. Meteoroids are lumps of rock or iron that orbit the sun. Most meteoroids are small fragments of rock created by asteroid collisions.”

Anyway, what I want to know is, did you see it? Let me know.

Capital Centre celebrated with new hardcover“Capital Centre: a Retrospective,” newly-issued 280-page hardcover history of the Capital Centre arena has been published to honor the Cap Centre’s 50th anniversary. It includes a wealth of photography, artifacts and anecdotes, much of which has likely never been seen before. It’s a visual scrapbook focusing on four aspects:

The building itselfThe concert experienceSporting events (Washington Bullets, Washington Capitals, pro wrestling, boxing)Other attractions (circuses, equestrian events, monster trucks)

The book includes a 60-page chronological appendix listing every event held at the Capital Centre!

It was published by The Laurel History Boys and produced by Richard Friend, Kevin Leonard, and Jeff Krulik with Forewords by Jim and Robert Pollin.

This project was funded through Kickstarter in September 2023 and a limited edition of 2,000 hardcover books have been printed. Some remaining copies will be available for pre-order on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $50.

I remember so many of my neighbors and friends who worked at the Centre, particularly the Diffells who lived down my street, Skyline Drive.

I attended many events at the Cap Centre, but the event I particularly recall happened during the awful winter storm on the day of President John Kennedy’s inaugural, January 20, 1961.

The Parade had to be cancelled and many of the celebration events were moved to the Capital Centre. Jack—who was County Chief of Police at the time— and I attended. I remember meeting some of the dignitaries and especially the entertainers.

I’ll always miss the Capital Centre. Prince George’s has never had its equal.

Vehicle auctionMorningside is auctioning vehicles from their fleet, a 20ll Ford Crown Victoria (mileage 116,498) and a Chevrolet Silverado LS Extended Cab and Dump Body Bed 4x4 with snowplow (mileage 47,835). Both sold As-Is.

Interested persons can submit their highest bid in a sealed envelope, with the vehicle listed on the outside of the envelope and drop it off at the Town Hall between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at which time the cars can be viewed (but not driven). The deadline is March 18. Bids will be opened March 19. The Town reserves the right to deny the highest bid if their threshold is not met.

Town of Morningside: Easter, meetings, catsMorningside has an Easter Extravaganza coming up Saturday, March 16, including lunch, egg hunt, and a visit with the Easter Bunny. More details in next week’s column.

The Town newsletter reports complaints about stray cats and “If you feed a cat for more than 30 days, you are considered its owner.” Also noted, in Maryland, “A person can’t own more than 4 cats without a Hobby Permit.”

Morningside March meetings: Tuesday, March 12, for the Town Work Session, and Tuesday, March 19, for the regular Town Meeting. Both beginning at 7.

Morningside VFD seeks new firefightersThe Morningside Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a Live-In Weekend at the firehouse: March 1-3. Ride along with their members. Learn about their Live-In Program. To register or for information, call 301-736-4342.

Neighbors and other good peopleMarian (Mellish) Thomas, 85, a teacher at Suitland High School back in 1962, died Feb. 14 in Charleston, S.C.

DaLawn Parrish, football coach at Henry A. Wise Jr. HS (attended by highschoolers in Morningside and Skyline) has resigned and is taking over at Westlake, where he lives and where his daughters attend. During his 16 seasons at Wise, the team won six Maryland state titles.

Kathy Elborne, formerly of Boxwood Drive in Morningside, dropped by for a delightful visit. We shared memories about our days when we both worked at St. Philip’s School, Kathy teaching 5th grade and me, Librarian. Kathy and Bob now live in Odenton. Daughter Karen teaches 1st grade at Meadowbrook School in Bowie. Son Paul lives in Florida where he is a bridge inspector, often as a diver.

Fr. Ryan Pineda will be Chaplain for a Pilgrimage to Portugal and Spain, Oct. 1-8, 2024. Information, 347-463-3998. (If I were a few years younger, I’d be going.)

Changing landscapeSports Card Heroes, on Main Street in Laurel, a popular shop for collectors of sports memorabilia, has changed hands. Rodney Currence, who founded the store in 1991 with brother Rick, has sold the business to Steven Jordon, of Ellicott City. The store is still there.

A home at 5301 Manchester Drive, in Suitland, has sold for $367,000.

MilestonesHappy Birthday to Jennifer Vilky, March 3; Amy (Schlor) Foster and Matthew Flaherty, March 4; Larry and Susan Frostbutter, March 5; Roy Derrick, March 6; Jon McKlveen, Shirley Dodgson and my grandson Richard Shearer, March 9; John F. Latimer, Karl Kaufman Jr., Alberta M. Smith and my son-in-law John Mudd, March 10; Karen Cordero, Blake James Shipman and Father Scott Hahn, March 11; Harold Wilson, Rebecca Turner, Marcy Richardson and Anita (Beall) Cook, March 12; Pamela Woodall, Kathy Elborne, Cordelia Bland, Shirley Carruth and Gregory Ritter, March 13; my daughter Therese Gallegos and Belinda Benavidaz, March 14; Jacob Thompson, Jose Gryskewicz and Jonathan Capps, March 15.

Happy anniversary to Tom and Sarah Shipman who wed 65 years ago, March 4, 1959.