The Laurel History Boys and Voices of Laurel volunteers enjoyed a June day at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie for a Chesapeake Baysox game, which included a special welcome message on the scoreboard. (Photo: Richard Friend) Thank You for Supporting Voices of Laurel We extend our sincere thanks to Janet Willis and James Bowman for their generous monetary donations to Voices of Laurel. As a free community newspaper, Voices of Laurel depends on grants, advertising, and the gene

A roundup of local news, events, and announcements American Legion Post 60 awaits the arrival of buses carrying 75 military veterans form Maine after their Honor Flight tour of Washington, DC. (Photo: Richard Friend) American Legion Post 60 Hosts Honor Flight Veterans from Maine Laurel’s American Legion Post 60 recently hosted some very special guests for dinner: 75 veterans from Maine, who were finishing up a 3-day tour to Washington, DC. The tour was sponsored by Honor Flig

Local news covering the Oldtown area Jimmy Rogers shoveling organic material. (Photo: Jackelyn Ackley) Oldtown Resident Profile: Jimmy Rogers Grows a Community Talk to any native plant enthusiast in Laurel, and he or she probably will have met, read, or worked with Jimmy Rogers. Although Rogers is fairly new to Laurel, having moved here in 2020, he quickly made a name for himself in the gardening community. Growing up, Rogers helped his mother spread mulch in her large garden

Local news covering the North Laurel, Savage, and Scaggsville areas Trackside accommodations before the opening of the Preakness at Laurel Park. (Photo: Charles Sisler/Voices of Laurel) Preakness Weekend at Laurel Park Contributed to Surge in Howard County Hotel Occupancy Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, in a late August message, touted strategic investments in local tourism and partnering with Visit Howard County, Maryland as contributing factors to an overall positive i

Local news covering Laurel Lakes, Victoria Falls, Oakcrest, Montpelier, and the Route 197 corridor Gary’s Automotive has operated from this site on Braygreen Drive for decades. (Photo courtesy of Gary's Automotive) Gary’s Automotive Bids Goodbye Customers of Gary’s Automotive were shocked to see an August 17 Facebook post from the business stating that it would close permanently on August 28. The family-owned-and-run business was founded in 1987 by Gary and Beverly Uhlman, wi

Local news covering the West Laurel and Burtonsville areas Baltimore Ravens alum Haloti Ngata (light blue shirt, back row) and his family with a community group in Tonga. (Photos courtesy of Friends of Tonga) Laurel-Based Nonprofit Finalist for Worldwide Award In the Spring 2022 issue of Voices of Laurel, we introduced you to a nationally acclaimed nonprofit organization called Friends of Tonga that was formed by former Peace Corps volunteers, including two West Laurel reside

Local news covering the Russett and Maryland City areas A glimpse at the senior living housing under construction at Harmony. (Photos: Harmony at Laurel/Facebook) New Luxury Senior Living Coming to Watershed Harmony at Laurel, a new 55+ housing development by Rycon Construction, is scheduled to open its doors in late 2026. Located on Route 198 near Route 32 and part of the Watershed Laurel community, Harmony at Laurel will offer modern apartment homes and exceptional care

AI-assisted photo illustrations by Richard Friend This Fall marks the halfway point for the city’s elected officials: the five council members are halfway through their 2-year terms, and Mayor Sydnor is halfway through his 4-year term. Voices of Laurel asked all six officials to provide midterm self-assessments of the council’s performance to date, as well as their own accomplishments and goals for the next year. We asked them five questions and limited each response to 100

Taking Care of Our Neighbors Board of Directors: (front row, left to right) Lorraine Kelly, Gena Wade (back row, left to right) Phill Ott, Sue LaCourse, Tom Arnold, Rick Boivin, Gerard Washington. (Photo: Kevin Leonard) The staff of Voices of Laurel is pleased to announce Taking Care of our Neighbors, Inc. (TCON) as the 2026 recipient of the Laurel Light Award. TCON, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, runs the Laurel Winter Shelter program, which helps homeless men and wom

Photo: Adrian Simmons Walking amid a group of families gathered on the morning of July 4th to celebrate in patriotic song, a reading aloud of our country’s founding documents, and an impromptu mini-parade, I was reminded of Alexis de Tocqueville’s observation: Local assemblies of citizens constitute the strength of free nations. Tocqueville was touring America in the early 1830s, around 50 years after the end of the Revolutionary War, seeking to understand how and why this ne

School President Jeff Palumbo (top) and School Principal Catherine Edwards. (Photos courtesy of Pallotti High School). For the last year, Jeff Palumbo was planning on relinquishing one of his job titles. The long-time St. Vincent Pallotti High School principal and president officially handed over the principal position to Catherine Edwards on July 1. The restructuring move came at the urging of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Association of Indep

Illustration: Richard Friend (AI-assisted) Before I share my horse racing wisdom with you, please consider my credentials. I was born in a Baltimore hospital across from Pimlico Race Course and grew up a short trot away from the track. For nearly 40 years, I’ve lived five miles west of Laurel Park. Given these two facts, many people have long thought of me as a horse racing connoisseur. That makes them kinda wrong. In fact, by my estimation, I’ve attended approximately zero r

New documentary-style series explores the lives behind Laurel’s historic headstones, piecing together forgotten stories, one historical record at a time. Photo: Richard Friend There’s something intriguing about an old headstone whose inscription has nearly disappeared beneath decades of dirt and botanical growth. You can usually make out a name, perhaps a year, but little else. Who was this person? What did they do? Where did they live? Who did they love? And what circumstanc

AI-assisted photo illustration by Richard Friend I had plans for the summer. It promised to be a fun one. The Preakness was coming to town. And even though there was no way I could afford a ticket, I was looking forward to The Laurel History Boys’ pre-Preakness field trip to Laurel Park. The Main Street Festival was coming up—always a good time, as long as there aren’t any exploding propane tanks or anyone driving through the crowd. There were also baseball games to attend, e

Marcus Gray (right) at an event with legendary journalist Wolf Blitzer. When Marcus J. Gray, Sr. was elected to public office in 1964, America was a very different country. The Civil Rights Act had only just become law. Opportunities for Black Americans in elected government remained scarce. Yet in Calhoun County, Michigan, voters elected Gray as County Clerk/Register of Deeds, and he became recognized as the first Black American in the nation elected to serve as a county cle

(Photo: Richard Friend) Every old photograph tells a story. But what happens when there’s no one left who remembers the people in it? Over the years, I’ve come across countless old photographs at estate sales in and around Laurel. Some are carefully preserved portraits, while others are simple snapshots of everyday life. They show families, children, couples, and individuals who once meant the world to someone. Unfortunately, many of these photographs have no names, dates, or

(Photos courtesy of Capital Jewish Museum) When Laurel Shopping Center opened in November 1956, Giant Food was one of its original anchors. Remarkably, the store remains a fixture there nearly 70 years later—as does its classic neon sign. The Capital Jewish Museum’s archives include a fascinating collection of photographs documenting the Laurel Giant through the years. Among them are interior and exterior views from the "Fifteen Fabulous Days" grand opening, including the sto

These short bits of history tend to pile up as I do more research on various topics. Unless otherwise credited, all quotes are from the Laurel Leader. 1870 In April, Laurel’s incorporation as a city established five elected Town Commissioners to run the new government. This system ran things for 20 years until the 1890 Maryland Legislature passed an act that incorporated the city again, but with a new government run by a Mayor and City Council. 1918 In August, “lightning stru

One person died and more than 50 were injured (Photos: Acme Telephoto/Laurel History Boys collection) A bizarre train derailment in 1948 on the railroad tracks next to the Laurel Race Course resulted in one death and more than 50 people suffering various injuries. In spite of the technological limitations of the day, the wreck prompted an extraordinary response from dozens of first responders between Baltimore and Washington, and injured passengers were distributed to seven d

Photo: Library of Congress For almost four decades, from 1940 until 1974, there was an iconic landmark on Route 1 passed by thousands of drivers each day. It was a residence with a giant doghouse façade over it, the brainchild of Willis “One-Spot” Simpson. A postcard of this structure called it the “World’s Largest ‘Dog House’” and joked, “I’m in the Dog House.” It described the building as one of 20 residences on One-Spot Farm, a three-story dwelling placed between 40-foot c