M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County Announces Events for October

By PRESS OFFICER
M-NCPPC

RIVERDALE, Md. (Sept. 25, 2025 )—M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County invites the community to participate in a series of events during the month of October, from family-friendly festivals to spooky Halloween fun, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Upcoming events include:

Fiesta de la Familia

Sunday, October 12, 1–4 p.m.
Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex
8001 Sheriff Road
Landover, MD 20785

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by bringing family together. Enjoy live performances, children’s activities, live music from La Furia Band, community resources, and craft vendors for everyone to enjoy. Transportation is available; please register for the event to select your shuttle location.

 
American Indian Festival

Saturday, October 18, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.| FREE
Patuxent River Park
16000 Croom Airport Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

The American Indian Festival is a vibrant celebration of Native American culture, heritage, and traditions, offering diverse native communities a space to honor and share their rich cultural legacy. This free festival is open to everyone and invites attendees to experience live music, traditional and contemporary dances of Native America, interactive storytelling, artisan market, Native American horsemanship, professional family portraits, and more.

Trek or Treat

Friday, October 24, 6–9 p.m.
Watkins Regional Park
301 Watkins Park Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD

Come dressed in your best Halloween costume and “Trek” through our haunted trail packed with spooky games, mazes, roving characters, creepy scenes, and more! Don’t miss our 50-foot “Trick-or-Tree”, lit up with spooktacular Halloween designs! Collect candy and other treats along the way and search for the perfect pumpkin on the Trek or Treat Trail. This event is kid-friendly and suitable for ages 12 & under. Advanced registration is required and limited.

Waterfront Arts Festival

Saturday, October 25, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | FREE
Bladensburg Waterfront Park
4601 Annapolis Road
Bladensburg, MD 20710

Enjoy a day filled with creativity and inspiration at the Waterfront Art Festival! Discover a wide array of artwork from talented local artists, including paintings, jewelry, photography, sculpture, and more. Stroll through the vibrant art market, enjoy live music, and take in the beautiful views of the Anacostia River. This family-friendly event offers something for all ages to enjoy.

Magical Night of Wizardry

Friday, October 31, 7–10 p.m.
Watkins Regional Park 
301 Watkins Park Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

Calling all witches and wizards! The doors to the magical world are now open! Enjoy an evening with magical beverages, snacks, and artistic creations, a screening of your favorite wizard movie, and much more! Wizards 13 and older will have an opportunity to walk through the forbidden forest trail!

Spooky Good Time

Friday, October 31, 6–9 p.m.
Tucker Road Athletic Complex
1770 Tucker Road, Fort Washington, MD 20744

Celebrate Halloween with fun games, haunted hayrides and activities, a pumpkin patch, good vendors, and more! Remember to come dressed in your best costume!

For more information about upcoming M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation events, visit pgparks.com.

TOP OF PAGE

Prince George’s County Native Debuts at New York Fashion Week

By PRESS OFFICER
Sonny & Chelle

Eboné Thornton, a Prince George’s County native, debuting under the name Sonny & Chelle, has recently provided their first major collection for New York Fashion Week. Sonny & Chelle debuted Monday, September 15 at the Penthouse 45 roof top runway show. Their collection represents the connection between Black culture and marginalized groups and their direct influence in punk culture.

Eboné was raised in Prince George’s County, growing up in Greenbelt, MD. She graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School and started her career in community health at the Greenbelt and Spring Hill Lake Community Centers. She has been designing for the past five years and through the new journey of motherhood, she persevered to bring her Sonny & Chelle collection to the main stage.

Sonny & Chelle’s collection is all about representation. Punk is known as a form of rock music that was popularized back in the ’70s and ’80s, but a lot of people don’t realize the extremely important message that punk brings to light.

A creation that is associated with energy and aggression that is usually sending a message of positivity and acceptance. Marginalized people have always been the frontrunners of what it means to be punk.

Although Black and other modernized people have been the reason why punk even existed, the alternative spaces that punk resides in are the least accepting of Black and brown faces in that space.

Marginalized communities are some of the strong and unwavering ones because of their differences and what it brings to the melting pot of America. While it’s nothing new, this highlight in community has allowed us to focus on togetherness, being loud about what is right, and creating a safe space for rebellion among one another.

TOP OF PAGE

Support Education Foundation Receives Grant from The Wawa Foundation to Support Middle School Students

By PRESS OFFICER
The Support Education Foundation

Greenbelt, Md. (Sept. 15, 2025)—The Support Education Foundation, a nonprofit established by Educational Systems Federal Credit Union, is proud to announce that it has been awarded a generous $1,000 grant from The Wawa Foundation. This contribution will help fund the Foundation's Backpacks for Middle School Students program, which provides essential school supplies to help students succeed academically.

Established in 2017, the Support Education Foundation is dedicated to supporting educational excellence by supporting student programs, scholarships and professional development awards within the education community. Through the Backpacks for Middle School Students program, the Foundation provides over 7,500 backpacks filled with school supplies to middle school students annually. The backpacks are distributed at back-to-school fairs as well as individual schools, so students are ready for their first day of school.

“Thanks to the generosity of The Wawa Foundation, we’re able to put essential tools directly into the hands of Maryland’s middle school students,” said Kristy Mathey, Support Education Foundation Board Chair. “This support goes beyond backpacks—it’s an investment in equity, confidence, and academic success for students who need it most.”

The Wawa Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization founded by Wawa, Inc. in 2014. It aims to build stronger communities through grants and support in three key areas: health, hunger, and everyday heroes. Since its founding, it has donated more than $190 million to help people in need, support local hunger-relief efforts, and recognize those who make a difference every day.

Educational Systems FCU is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative, founded in 1955 to serve the education community. The Support Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) established by Educational Systems FCU in 2017, supports students and school employees through charitable giving programs. Learn more at esfcu.org and SupportEducation.org.

TOP OF PAGE

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® Chapters Donate Healthcare Supplies to Prince George’s County Schools

By DARLENE REED
Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Two Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® local chapters collaborated to donate medical supplies to eight schools in Prince George’s County. The Iota Gamma Omega (IGO) and Psi Epsilon Omega (PEO) Uplift Our Local Community™ committees joined forces to support school nurses within Prince George’s County Public Schools. Their objective is to increase available resources, enabling nurses to continue delivering high-quality care to students during the academic year.

A need was identified through discussions with Prince George’s County Public Schools, Office of Community Schools, regarding areas where the sorority could
 
assist in supporting local schools and students. School officials informed PEO and IGO that supplies sometimes run out before the end of the school year. In response, the chapters organized their members to purchase the requested supplies. A total of 1,176 medical supplies were donated for this worthy cause.

Collectively, members from each chapter met at the Ivy Youth and Family Center to sort and package the supplies for delivery to the schools. The initial delivery of healthcare supplies was made to Oaklands Elementary School in Laurel, Maryland on September 26. The remaining schools include Northview Elementary and Bowie High School in Bowie, Greenbelt Middle School in Greenbelt, Andrew Jackson Academy in District Heights, Princeton Elementary and Allenwood Elementary in Camp Springs, and Rosa L. Parks Elementary in Hyattsville. All deliveries will be completed by October 3.

TOP OF PAGE