Make a Plan to Vote || Haz un plan para votar 

📣 Welcome

Date 5/29/2026
Issue #27

Last year, after I launched the LGN, I marched in the area parades to spread the word about this community newsletter. It seemed like the easiest way to ask neighbors outside my immediate circles to subscribe and participate, and it worked! I made dozens of new contacts through the efforts. (Got other ideas for sharing the LGN? Lemme know!)

But this is an election year and the Mount Rainier Day parade two weeks ago was a little different. This time, I was one of many with my fliers and my asks and I had to take my turn chatting with neighbors. As a former field organizer, I respect the reality that people are more likely to do anything if they're asked: vote, subscribe, volunteer, donate, show up. 

And so this is my (and my fellow parade hustlers) ask this week: make a plan to vote*! Primaries are on June 23. And if ya can, invite your neighbor to go vote with you. 

* Who am I voting for? Truthfully, I think it's disingenuous to say this newsletter isn't political; everything is political. But for now, the LGN is not going to endorse candidates. However, I’m always happy to chat and argue discuss in person. 

My Top Five

• 🚋 6/13 (Sat): Trolley Trail Day

• 📚 5/30 (Sat): Used Book + Houseplant Sale at the Gateway Farmers Market

• 🍋 5/30 (Sat): Luna’s Lemonade Stand launches at the Gateway Farmers Market

• 🎶 6/7 (Sun): Brentwood Porchfest

• 💦 Pool waitlist blues? Check out nearby pools, splash pads, spray parks, and PG Pool Welcome Wednesdays

🏛️ City Updates

Brentwood: 

• Tues, 6/2 (7 PM): Work Session

• Wed, 6/3 (7:30–9 PM): Green Team/Tree Committee Meeting

• Sat, 6/6 (12–6 PM): Brentwood Day

• Sun, 6/7 (1–7 PM): Brentwood Porch Fest

• Tues, 6/9 (6:30–9 PM): Community Garden Task Force Meeting

• Sat, 6/13 (9–11 AM): Trolley Trail Day

Cottage City:

• Tues, 6/2 (6:30 PM): June Work Session

• Sat, 6/6 (9 AM–3 PM): Dumpster Days: Cars Only

• Sun, 6/7 (9 AM–3 PM): Dumpster Days: Cars and Pick-Up Trucks

  • Cottage City Day Registration Now Open — No deadline listed

  • Announcement: Applications Being Accepted For The 2026 Cottage City Scholarship — Deadline: 6/30

• Cottage City Police Department Seeking Candidates 

Mount Rainier: 

• Tues, 6/2 (7 PM): Legislative Meeting of the Mayor and Council

  • Safe Street and Roads for all (SS4A) City’s Sidewalk Maintenance Project Resumes May 26

  • New Stop Signs Installed on 34th Street 

• City's Automated Traffic Enforcement Program: FAQs 

North Brentwood: 

• Mon, 6/1 (7:30 PM): Town Meeting

  • Community Survey 2026 — Deadline: 8/15

  • Mosquito Control 2026 in Town of North Brentwood — Runs through September/early October

• North Brentwood Day — 6/20

🎒 School News

PGCPS Calendar

🦅 Mount Rainier Elementary

Two weeks ago the MRES PTO held the annual community carnival. It’s always difficult to count exactly how many people come in and out of this free event, so instead we’ll just report that the crowd present consumed (in hungry caterpillar fashion): 250 Hot Dogs, 720 Slices of pizza, 400 pupusas, a ton of tacos, 4 coolers of lemonade, 300+ Ice pops, and what felt like endless bags of popcorn. Kids played a variety of carnival games, petted some farm animals, and played on the playground and bounce course while grown-ups mingled, cakewalked, and won some prizes. Huge thank you’s to MiXt, Pennyroyal Station and Pizza D’oro for their generous donations and support.

We are grateful to MRES and PGCPS for providing the space to bring our community together and sharing with the grownups what our children learn in school every day; there are so many things that divide us in life (our language, background, or socio-economic status) but as neighbors, when we work together, we can accomplish great things.

This is the home stretch at school and kids will be engaged in celebrations of their progress for the next two weeks. Whether it is a field trip to the aquarium to learn about the ecosystems they modeled earlier in the year, or to the archives to see the founding documents they studied, each grade will be taking a trip! Then it’s right back to school for field day games, and promotion ceremonies. As teachers begin packing up classrooms, please reach out to mountrainierPTO@gmail.com if you have cardboard boxes to donate or want to volunteer to help.

• 🏃 6/2–6/12: Field Days, field trips, promotions & graduations. See Class Dojo for details!

• ☕ 6/5 (Fri): Morning Mugs at the Gazebo – Get coffee, donuts & chat with MRES parents. Prospective parents welcome!

• 🗳️ 6/16 (Tue): Final PTO Meeting, SY Recap & Elections

• 🎒 6/18 (Thu): Last Day of Classes

🐅Thomas S. Stone Elementary 

End of Year Madness has us all busy. Looking forward to seeing you all at Brentwood day next week! 

• 🎉 6/6 (Sat) - Brentwood Day

• 🚌 End of Year Field trip

• 🍽️ 6/2 (Tue) (5–7 PM) Final PTO meeting potluck

Donations to support the event and our families are greatly appreciated. Contact:thomasstonees.pto@gmail.com

🌎 Stay Local

🎉Business Announcements

A Lemonade Stand is coming to the Farmer’s Market TOMORROW!

Luna’s Lemonade, a neighbor-owned lemonade stand, is launching at the Farmer’s Market tomorrow! 40% of profits support the PG IRC, and if you mention LGN, you get a discount! Thank us later!

💦 Singing those PG Pool Waitlist Blues?
This amazing overview was put together by the brilliant Jessica LeGarde. Thank you, Jessica! 

Check out other great waterplay options in the area!

Nearby PG County Parks & Rec Pools: $6 adult/$5 kids & seniors

• Ellen Linson Splash Park (College Park)

• Lane Manor Splash Park (Adelphi)

• Hamilton Splash Park (Hyattsville)

Nearby DC Parks & Rec Pools: $7 adult, $4 kids/seniors, $3 kids under 6

• Langdon Park Pool & Splash Pad 

Nearby Spray Parks: free

• Bear Square Splash Pad (Riverdale Station, by Whole Foods)

• Turkey Thicket Splash Pad (Brookland)

• The Bartlett Park Frog (Brentwood) 

Okay, but what if  I still really, really want to just hang at PG Pool? 

• Welcome Wednesdays are back after a successful launch last summer. Here’s the deal:

  • On the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of June, July, and August, pool members can bring up to 8 guests for $1 each.  (Weekday guest fees are usually $7 adult/$5 kids.)

  • Guests can’t remain on site after their member host leaves.

Group swim lessons open for non-members on May 31. These are 2-week sessions of 9 classes each, for children 3+.

🎭 Neighborhood Happenings

• ⚖️ 5/29 (Fri) (6–8 PM): GAT Community Potluck – Special speaker Judge Calonette McDonald will speak about trusts and wills.

• 🍽️ 5/31 (Sun): The Tastemaker Collective

• 🎉 6/6 (Sat) (Noon–6 PM): Brentwood Day

• 🎶 6/7 (Sun): Brentwood Porchfest

• 🚋 6/13 (Sat): Trolley Trail Day – The Mount Rainier Hub will have music, a yoga obstacle course at Memorial Park, and art at Joe’s. The Brentwood Hub will have kickboxing with Kegbox Fitness and a puppy parade at MiXt Food Hall.

  • 🎶 Trolley Trail Day Blues Jam: Stop by the parking lot next to the Archie Edwards Blues Foundation on Hamilton Street, right near Franklins, for a fun blues jam from 10 AM–12 PM. Neighbor Lester Scheuermann will be there playing bones!

• 🐶 6/13 (Sat) (9 AM): Trolley Trail Day Pup & Pet Parade – Join the owners of Furry Animals & Friends as they host the first-ever Pup & Pet Parade for Trolley Trail Day. Lineup begins at the Brentwood Arts Exchange at 9 AM.

• 🌿 6/14 (Sun): Lower Gateway Garden Tour Fundraiser benefiting IRC

☮️ Volunteering and Mutual Aid 

• We’re collecting items to fill 300 age-appropriate summer backpacks for children ages 4–18 whose families have been impacted by ICE detention or deportation, helping bring comfort, support, and joy during a season that can feel especially unstable. Every registry item helps, and while we recognize Amazon is imperfect, it makes this large-scale effort manageable for our all-volunteer team.

• 🆘 PGIRC Families in Need of Support Sheet — Spreadsheet of PGIRC ICE-Impacted Families currently in need. Donate and share if and when you can.

• 6/30 (Sat) Come buy used books and houseplants at the Gateway Farmers Market

🧑‍🌾 Gateway Farmer's Market 

🧺 The outdoor market is officially open! To see this week’s roster, follow the Gateway Farmer’s Market Instagram.

🩰 Mount Rainier Public Library 

It’s almost time for summer reading! The theme of this year’s summer reading program is “Unearth a Story” so get ready for dinosaur-themed programs and events all summer long. Register online or stop by your local library to sign up. Participants will earn prizes like T-shirts, books, and tickets to either a Washington National’s baseball game or a Washington Spirit soccer match! This program is not just for kids - adults are welcome to play too!

Weekly Programs:

Mondays 

• 10:15 AM - Ready to Read Storytime - Children ages 0-5 are welcome for stories, fingerplays, songs, and more!

• 11:00 AM - English Conversation Club - All levels welcome to practice your English speaking skills in a supportive environment with other language learners.

• 1:00 PM - Job Seekers - Get support with resumes, prep for interviews, and learn about library resources that can help you with your job search.

Wednesdays

• 1:00 PM - Computer Basics - Library staff provide one on one or small group technology support and answer your tech questions. If you need to learn some basic computer skills, become more confident using email or the internet, or need support using an app on your phone, we can help!  

• 3:00 PM - Legos - Every Wednesday, we bring out a giant box of Legos for freebuilding and imaginative play. Meet like-minded Lego lovers at your library. 

Fridays

• 4:00 - Game On - Bring your favorite board game or use one of ours and meet up with friends at the library.

🗺️ Nearby Happenings

• Just outside the LGN range but too good not to share: DeNovo, a new women’s consignment shop held a soft opening over Memorial Day weekend. The staff is warm and friendly, and the garments are thoughtfully curated (much less overwhelming than a large thrift store) and committed to pieces that stand up to the test of time, rather than stuffing the shelves with fast fashion.  Worth a stop if you need to refresh your clothes for summer or are cleaning out your closet and have items to consign.  

☕ Etc.