About

Published Four Times Per Year:

January, April, July, October

Current Print Circulation:

3,500 issues

Where to Find:

The list of outlets where free printed copies of our newspaper are available continues to grow! Every effort to replenish copies is made throughout the week, with our boxes receiving priority treatment.

Food Lion (Sandy Spring Road)*
Food Lion (Montpelier—Crystal Plaza)
Joseph R. Robison Laurel Municipal Center
Laurel-Beltsville Senior Center
Laurel Branch Library
Laurel Museum
Laurel Post Office*
Laurel Train Station*
Maryland City at Russett Library*
Montpelier Arts Center
North Laurel Community Center
Oliver’s Old Towne Tavern*
Robert J. DiPietro Community Center*
Savage Library
Savage Post Office
Victoria Falls Clubhouse

*Voices of Laurel dedicated newspaper box or wire rack on site.

Voices of Laurel is published quarterly by The Laurel History Boys, Inc., a small 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization documenting and sharing the historical experiences of Laurel, Maryland.

Each issue is designed to bring together a diverse group of contributors whose common interest is Laurel—whether it be through history, current events, culture, or nostalgia. Contributors are volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

The Laurel History Boys have been producing Voices of Laurel since January 2021. It was the first new community newspaper to fill the void when the Laurel Leader folded after 124 years, focusing exclusively on news and stories that directly relate to Laurel.

To date, over 70 different volunteer writers have contributed, all with ties to our hometown and with an interest in giving back to it. There is no salary, staff, or support team, and production costs are funded in part by grants, reader donations, and the sales of the popular books The Laurel History Boys have produced on our hometown’s history—the only organization to do so in more than half a century.

If you would like to be a contributor, please contact us! Individual stories are welcome, as are recurring columns.

Donations help support our work, and are tax deductible. Sponsorship ads are also available. Contact us for information about featuring your business with a tax deductible sponsorship ad in Voices of Laurel.

Published by The Laurel History Boys

Since 2015, The Laurel History Boys have been bringing history to you. Richard Friend and Kevin Leonard are the creators of Voices of Laurel, producing each issue from start to finish—from the planning sessions with fellow volunteer staff writers at Oliver's Old Towne Tavern to the moment they deliver the printed editions around town themselves.

Richard Friend

Art Director & Editor

Kevin Leonard

Editor

Our Team

Staff Writers & Neighborhood Columnists

At the core of each issue is content by an amazing volunteer team of staff writers and neighborhood columnists.

Diane Mezzanotte

Editor, Staff Writer & South Laurel Neighborhood Columnist

Diane is a member of the Board of Directors for The Laurel History Boys. In addition to covering Laurel city municipal news, she also reports on all things from South Laurel.

Angie Latham Kozlowski

Staff Writer

Angie is a member of the Board of Directors for the Laurel History Boys. In addition to her investigative reporting, her articles frequently spotlight Howard County.

Brenda Zeigler-Riley

Russett/Maryland City Neighborhood Columnist

Brenda is a longtime resident of Russett, a retired educator, and entrepreneur with a marketing, public relations, and fundraising background.

Virginia Mae Geis

West Laurel

Neighborhood Columnist

Ginny is a native of Laurel and a graduate of Laurel High School, class of 1975. After a few decades away, she has been a Laurel resident again, since 2018.

Caitlin Lewis

Oldtown

Neighborhood Columnist

Caitlin holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Covenant College. She worked as a high school English teacher both in the U.S. and Greece, but currently works at home raising her four children.

Contributors

Over 80 different volunteer writers have contributed work to Voices of Laurel to date.

If you have an idea for a story, please contact us.

We'd love to add your voice!

Ann Bennett, Laurel Historical Society
Jack Bowen, Laurel historian and collector
Ken Boyer, Laurel resident

Jack Carr, author

Judy Carr, author
Wayne Carr, Laurel resident
Jim Clash, Forbes magazine (Laurel High School Class of 1973)
Charles Clyburn, local storyteller

Brian Coyle, Laurel for the Patuxent

Tom Dernoga, Prince George's County Council Member
Wayne Davis, Friends of the Guilford Industrial Historic District

Danielle Delgado, Laurel resident

Nathan Dennies

Lenda Dincer, Laurel resident and licensed clinical social worker

Amy Dunham, Laurel resident

Teddy Durgin, author
Melanie Dzwonchyk, former editor of the Laurel Leader

Madison Feser, Project Manager, Patch.com

Carol Friend, former Laurel resident

Richard Friend, Co-founder, The Laurel History Boys

Virginia Mae Geis, Laurel resident

Robert Giuliani, former Laurel High School teacher

Shawn Gladden, Howard County Historical Society

Faye Green, author

Hannah Hoffman, data specialist

Amy Knox, Laurel resident

Perry Koons, author and illustrator

Carreen Koubek, City of Laurel

Angie Latham Kozlowski, Ellicott City resident
Jeff Krulik, documentary filmmaker

Joe Kundrat, Laurel resident and professional photographer

Ron Ladue, former Laurel High School teacher and head football coach, real estate professional

Mary Lehman, District 21 Delegate, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties

Elizabeth Ysla Leight, Laurel resident

Angelo Jo Petrucci Leonard, Former resident & business owner

Kevin Leonard, Co-founder, The Laurel History Boys

Jhanna Levin, Laurel Historical Society

Sala Levin, University of Maryland, Terp magazine

Caitlin Lewis, Laurel resident

Pete Lewnes, Co-founder, The Laurel History Boys

Scott Lilienthal, Laurel 4 the Patuxent

Cathy Passmore Lindberg, Laurel resident
Paulette Lutz, Howard County Historical Society

Maryland Department of Disabilities

Maryland Matters

Max Mason, Howard County Historical Society
Helen McClung, The Woman's Club of Laurel

Rick McGill, Laurel Police Department (ret.)
Mike McLaughlin, Laurel 4 the Patuxent

John Mewshaw, Laurel resident
Diane Mezzanotte, Laurel resident

C. Philip Nichols, Chief Judge, Seventh Judicial Circuit of Maryland (ret.)

Kristen Norton, Laurel Historical Society

Mark Opsasnick, author
Rachel Podorski Orozco, St. Vincent Pallotti Assistant Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations

Olen J. Prince, business owner

Marian Quinn, local artist

Frank Ragone, Laurel resident

Patti Restivo, former writer, Laurel Leader

DW Rowlands, human geographer

Stacey Sauter, author

Mike Sellner, Laurel Volunteer Fire Department

Murray Siegel, author

Adrian Simmons, City of Laurel Councilmember, Ward 1

Jim Smart, former Laurel resident

Barbara Sollner-Webb, President, West Laurel Civic Association

South Laurel Civic Association

Mark J. Stout, Howard County Historical Society
St. Vincent Pallotti High School Staff

Chris Stanton, Laurel Volunteer Fire Department

Martha Strayer, journalist
Monica Sturdivant, Laurel Historical Society

Greg Sweitzer, Laurel Wreath Lodge

Stephen Taylor, RoofPRO

Mark Tomassoni, Laurel resident

Fred Tutman, Patuxent Riverkeeper

Shane Walker, Laurel Elementary School

Laura Wellford, Laurel Advocacy & Referral Services, Inc.

Jimmy Williams, Knights of Columbus

Katherine Wright, Laurel resident

Brenda Zeigler-Riley, Laurel resident