College Park Day draws thousands

By LILLIAN GLAROS

Thousands of people from College Park and surrounding areas descended on the grounds of the College Park Airport for the city’s signature event Saturday.

Crowded with booths and people, from young children riding on their parents’ shoulders to elderly couples, College Park Day buzzed with conversation and music. 

The event started in 2010, according to Mayor Fazlul Kabir.

According to Kabir, the event is a celebration of College Park’s diversity.

“We have long-time residents, we have a student community, we have a business community, we have people of different backgrounds, different colors, different languages, different ethnicities, and it is very important that we bring them together and celebrate that,” Kabir said. 

Multiple community organizations and city committees, such as Neighbors Helping Neighbors, the Senior Advisory Committee, the Restorative Justice Commission and the Education Advisory Committee, had booths at the event. 

Local businesses, such as The Greene Turtle, a bar and grill, and The Berwyn Ballet School,  also had booths,

The celebration featured a dazzling array of food, fun and the history of flight for attendees to enjoy.

Enthusiasts explored planes and helicopters, a bounty of bouncy houses,16 food vendors and the booths of two breweries, according to Ryna Quiñones, the city’s event and communications manager.

Long lines emerged in front of booths featuring Indonesian food, ice cream, hot dogs, burritos and more. 

Entertainers amused the crowd from three stages.

In addition, Terp Lions, a University of Maryland (UMD) club for Chinese lion dance, performed at the event. Members in lion costumes danced around to the sound of drums as a crowd formed, entranced by the staccato-like movements.

The club members decided to perform at College Park Day to expose the larger community to lion dance, Crystal Yee, a senior at UMD, said.

The festival also featured face painting, balloon figures, a climbing wall and a reptile exhibit. Turtles, snakes and lizards galore populated an exhibit by Reptile Wonders.

Attendees got free admission into the College Park Airport Museum. The airport is the oldest continuously operating airport in the world.

A booth frequented by many families was the College Park Arts Exchange. 

Among other activities, attendees who visited the booth could decorate pumpkins, a craft many attendees said they and their kids enjoyed.

One of the main attractions of the event was its family-friendly nature, multiple people said.

“College Park Day is the best event of the year, in my opinion, for children and adults,” Laura Hillstrom, a Hyattsville resident, said. “We just always have a really great time.”

Hillstrom said her son enjoyed getting balloons, decorating pumpkins and taking free children’s books from the Education Advisory Committee’s booth.

Saturday’s warm and sunny weather was also an attraction.

“It’s always fun to just be out and about,” said Nicole Hand, a University Park resident. “It’s finally beautiful weather.”

Many kids participated in a tricycle race for those shorter than 50 inches.

Hakeem Rogers, a Washington, D.C., resident, said he came to College Park Day because it had a lot of activities his 3-year-old son would enjoy.

“He loves airplanes,” Rogers said. “He loves pumpkins. It was a perfect match.”

City Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1) said he enjoyed the opportunity to talk with constituents.

He said one of his favorite aspects of the day is its emphasis on bringing the city together.

“It is something extremely special,” Hernandez said. “It is a celebration of who we are as a community.”