Living Like Dolly || Vivir Como Dolly

First Morning Mugs of the year for MRES parents. Several dozen folks popped by for a cup of coffee and a doughnut to meet other parents and learn more about the community (and share complaints about childcare costs, apps that constantly try to upsell you, and the heat).

📣 Welcome

Date 9/4/2026
Issue #33

I’m born and raised Appalachia. As the crow flies, my Nana, Tryphena, lived just 12.6 miles from where Dolly Parton was born. When we prayed at her table, it was to Jesus, and then Dolly, and not always in that order. Dollywood dresses in Summer and her Cabbage soup marked seasons in my childhood.

With her passing, I’ve been especially attuned to those around me Living Like Dolly. Folks who see something isn’t working and find a way to do what needs doing.

Folks like the parents and neighbors in Cottage City, who have spent the last two weeks figuring out how to get MRES kids to school. The bus* has been running more than an hour late, or not at all, forcing parents to miss work and, in some instances, kids to miss school. But they self organized, and collectively made sure dozens of kids got to school on time(ish) these last few days.

Dolly would have loved it. And would’ve driven her Cadillac full of kiddos to school herself.

*Shout out to the bus drivers, who are doing the best they can in a difficult situation, and to the leadership in Cottage City who have responded to requests for support.

Rachel Bush
Editor
rsbush01@gmail.com

My Top Five

1. 🏠 Take the County’s Accessory Dwelling Unit Survey

2. 🌳 The Elm Tree Is Saved

3. 🎨 Emily Greene Liddle’s Fall Art Classes

4. 🩺 New(ish) ExpressCare Urgent Care in Hyattsville

5. 🍉 Sat, 9/5 (9 AM–1 PM): Watermelon Seed-Spitting Competition at the Gateway Farmers Market

🏛️ City Updates

For Your Consideration: County Survey on Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations - Write up by Jarrett Stoltzfus

I really encourage area residents to complete this County Council survey on Accessory Dwelling Units, which were not allowed in Prince George's (and many other jurisdictions in Maryland ) until a state law passed in 2025 required jurisdictions to permit them. (The ADU law would allow homeowners to build an accessory unit in their backyard - which could allow folks to have their family members or offer a rental unit). The survey asks some very critical questions on scale, ownership, and parking - largely proposing more restrictions than originally contemplated in the state bill.

More background on the state bill can be found here. We are in a housing crisis in Maryland and in the DC region, largely driven by the lack of supply - so given the limited land availability within the core of the region, ADUs are one way to help bring down the cost of housing so your kids, parents, teachers, and other service workers can live here.

Brentwood

• Thurs, 09/10 (6:30–9 PM): Community Advisory Meeting

• Tues, 09/15 (7–9 PM): Council Meeting

• Fri, 09/18 (5–8 PM): Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration

Cottage City

• Wed, 09/09 (7–10 PM): September Regular Town Meeting

• Fri, 09/18 (6:30–8 PM): Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month

Mount Rainier

• Tues, 09/15 (5–7 PM): Chat with the Chief

• Tues, 09/15 (7 PM): Work Session of the Mayor and Council

• Thurs, 09/17 (6:30 PM): Recreation Committee Meeting

• Thurs, 09/17 (6:30 PM): Water Main Replacement Project on Bunker Hill Road

• Thurs, 09/17 (7:30–9 PM): Tree Commission Meeting

North Brentwood

• Fri, 09/04 (6–8 PM): Color-Me-Fridays @ Mural Park

• Tues, 09/08 (7:30 PM): Town Meeting - Tues, Sep 8

• Tues, 09/08 (8 PM): Public Hearing

🎒 School News

PGCPS Calendar

🦅Mount Rainier Elementary:

• 🇺🇸 Mon, 9/7: School closed for Labor Day

• 🎒 Tues, 9/15: Back-to-School Night 

• 🏫 Wed, 9/16: School closed

• ✡️ Mon, 9/21: School closed for Yom Kippur

🐅Thomas S. Stone Elementary 

• 🇺🇸 Mon, 9/7: School closed for Labor Day

• 🎒 Thur, 9/10: Back-to-School Night 

• 🏫 Wed, 9/16: School closed

• ✡️ Mon, 9/21: School closed for Yom Kippur

🌎 Stay Local

🌳 TREE SAVED - Submitted by MaryLee Haughwout

After resident uproar over the proposed removal of a large, mature elm tree at the corner of 36th St and Bunker Hill Road to accommodate a traffic calming device, the City is working to revise the plans with their consultant. The new plan will save the tree and will be shared with the public.

The City of Mount Rainier's Urban Forest Code regulates the actions affecting the urban forest for public and private property trees. Public trees must be posted for 10 business days and allow the public to file objections to removal. If the objection is filed, then the Tree Commission holds a public hearing to hear concerns and advise the City Manager and City Council. The City Manager makes the final decision. In this case, a hearing was not required because the City changed the plans to save the tree. Interested in learning more about the Tree Commission? Their next meeting is Thursday, September 17. More info here, agenda TBA.

(What's our next collective action, gang??) 

🎉Opening Announcements

New(ish) Urgent Care in The Shops at Queens Chillum - Write up by Sierra Kim

Located near Lidl in The Shops at Queens Chillum (3106 Queens Chapel Road), ExpressCare Urgent Care of Hyattsville has been a welcome addition to the area for urgent and ad-hoc medical needs. 

Open daily from 8am-9pm, ExpressCare accepts walk-ins until 8:30pm, and also offers online bookings for same-day, timed appointments. Note that online bookings require Driver’s License and Insurance Card uploads (if applicable) in order to confirm an appointment.

Neighbors have shared mixed reviews about wait times, but the location currently has a 4.9-star rating with 16 reviews on Google. And, if you call the phone number listed online, it’s not too difficult to get through to an actual human working at the location - a rare and refreshing convenience!

Here’s to hoping for a pediatrician's office to join the neighborhood next!

🎭 Neighborhood Happenings

• 🪟 Tue, 9/8: The Washington Glass School: 25 Years of Glass & Community Exhibition

• 🎶 Sat, 9/12: Brown Sugar & Soul

• 🧶 Wed, 9/16: Craft Club Meetup

• 🌿 Sat, 9/19 (12–6 PM): Organic Canvas: Glow in the Fall

• 🔥 Sat, 9/19 (5–8 PM): The Washington Glass School: 25 Years of Glass & Community Opening Reception

• 🎨 Sat, 09/19 (1–3 PM): Back-to-School Maker Lab — $20 per family; all ages.

  1. Keep an eye out for more art classes and family-friendly workshops from neighbor Emily Greene Liddle, an artist and art teacher with 20+ years of experience teaching all ages. She has a full lineup at the Brentwood Arts Exchange this fall, including adult painting and drawing classes and a Saturday open studio for kids.

• 🌅 Tue, 9/22 (6:30–8:30 PM): Equinox Earthing: Sunset Wellness Workshop

• 📸 Sat, 9/26: Foto Walk

• 🎸 Sat, 9/26 (3–6 PM): Mount Rainier Porch Fest

🧑‍🌾 Gateway Farmer's Market 

9/5: This weekend at the farmers market: celebrate the end of summer with free produce samples, a tomato taste test, and family-friendly contests including no-hands watermelon eating, speed corn shucking, and watermelon seed spitting. Winners get market bucks!

☮️Volunteering, Mutual Aid, Advocacy

• Practical Magic Fan? We're hosting a spooky fundraiser, and need a set of hands to help with tickets. Down to help out for the evening? Please email rsbush01@gmail.com! 100% of proceeds go to neighbors impacted by ICE kidnappings.

📚 Mount Rainier Public Library 

• The Books from Birth program is designed to get books into the homes and hands of every young child in Prince George’s County and build the love of reading from a young age. If you have a child under 5, are a resident of Prince George’s County, and have a library card, you are eligible to register! Once you register, your child will receive a free book in the mail every month until their 5th birthday. This program is made possible through county funding and partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Sign up here.

• September is National Library Card Sign Up Month! If you or your family don’t already have library cards, come by the branch to sign up! All you need is a photo ID and (if not on your ID) proof of residency in the DMV area.

• Saturday, September 5th, 1-3 PM: STEM FUN: Cubelets - Cubelets are robotic blocks that connect in different ways to perform actions like driving on a tabletop or responding to light, sound, and temperature. Experiment with these robot blocks this Saturday at the Mount Rainier Branch Library!

• Tuesday, September 8th, 9-10 AM - Pollinator Storytime at Cottage City Town Hall - Bring your 0-5 year old for a bug-themed storytime and help us count the pollinators at Cottage City Town Hall’s garden.

☕ Nearby Happenings

• Do we all know about NeighborlyPG?  The new social league is currently meeting weekly at Franklins on Wednesdays from 7-9pm for lawn games.  The season is officially full but they allow drop ins!  The goal is to help locals meet friends and build real community.  Rumor has it that the activities will change with each 6-week run, and crafts are coming up this fall! Join their email list for more details.

☕ Etc.