SCA Blog

Don’t miss your chance to say thank you to Ms Terry Alvey before she retires. Visit http://www.waltwhitmanmusic.org/yourock/ for information on submitting a scrapbook page for her memory book, sending a brief video congrats, and signing up for her retirement open house on June 12.

Scrapbook pages and video greetings are needed now, to allow time to put everything together. They don’t have to be long, just sharing your special memories or experiences with Whitman Instrumental, past or present.

Current students, alumni, parents, and neighbors - everyone is invited to share in this celebration. An estimated one-third of the students at Whitman experience at least one year with Ms. Alvey and the Music Department. No other individual teacher at the school touches so many students. The Pit orchestra in the musicals, marching band at football games, drum line, jazz combos, Festival of the Arts, and other music enhances almost every corner of Whitman, and Ms. Alvey has been integral to all of that.

Help spread the word - share this email, post on your Facebook and in your neighborhoods. 

Thank you. 

Yuriko Gandolfo

6010 Overlea Road

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Hi Everyone, we planted a few too many seeds this spring and have some seedlings available for anyone who would like them.  Multiple plants per pot, so with care, you can get many plants into the ground.

The following are available on our front porch this weekend May 22 and 23:

Numex Las Cruces Cayenne from the Chile Pepper Institute: two pots, 4 plants.

Legacy Watermelon by Will White: two pots, multiple plants.

Amish melon: one pot, one plant.

Orangelo watermelon from Seed Savers Exchange: two pots, multiple plants.

Blacktail Mountain Watermelon: two pots, multiple plants.

Sugar baby watermelon by Will White: Two pots, multiple plants.

Christmas Lima bean: two pots, multiple plants.

Nice Green Bean (bush): two pots, multiple plants.

Enjoy!

Kevin & Jen

Dear Neighbors,

The Walt Whitman High School Music Boosters is planning a June 12, 
outdoor, in-person, socially distanced event to  celebrate the career of 
much beloved Instrumental Music Director Terry Alvey, who is retiring in 
June. Current students, alumni, parents, and other community members who 
would like to participate are cordially invited to sign up for timed 
entries, extend a virtual or printed photo/written message, and/or 
contribute toward a gift for Ms. Alvey!

Please visit http://www.waltwhitmanmusic.org/yourock/ 
<http://www.waltwhitmanmusic.org/yourock/> soon to confirm a time and 
see other participant deadlines! And help us get the word out by sharing 
this link on your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts with fellow 
Instrumental Music students and alumni!

Thank you!
Best regards,

Yuriko Gandolfo
6010 Overlea Road
(301)802-6055

The new listserv is open for business. If you receive this message, then you are already a member and no other action is necessary. You can post to the new listserv by sending your message to sumnerweb@googlegroups.com.

The old Yahoo listserv will remain in operation until Dec. 15, but I encourage everyone to start using this new one.

-- Brian Berns

Sumner listserv administrator

Dear Neighbors,

As foreshadowed in the latest Newsletter, Rich Landfield, who has served so ably as President of the Association, resigned his office and membership of the Board on October 26 th. During his tenure Rich worked to ensure the SCA was compliant with all requirements for community organizations. He revitalized the Association reintroducing the periodic Newsletters and a print version of the Directory—while maintaining the constantly updated on-line directory. He encouraged greater neighborhood engagement by introducing a social get together to the annual meeting, a Spring event for the youngest residents, and full-throated support for the popular Autumn Block Party. 

Board members have enjoyed working with Rich, getting used to his wry sense of humor, and appreciating all he has done for Sumner. We wish him well and we hope he will be back to walk the neighborhood occasionally with a new dog.

Donna Collins, First Vice President, has assumed the office of President.  She will serve until the next Annual meeting of the SCA. The pandemic caused this Autumn’s meeting to be cancelled . We anticipate a full meeting of membership in September, 2021.  Donna and her husband have lived in Sumner since 1985. She has been an active member of the Board for the last four and an half years.  The Board is grateful to Donna for her commitment and looks forward to her tenure.

As we look to the future, many Board members will complete their terms in September. We encourage all residents to consider serving on the Board. It is an opportunity to help keep this an attractive, hospitable neighborhood. The Board is seeking one or two persons to take the lead in working with the County on traffic issues.  Also sought are volunteers to attend meeting on subjects which the neighborhood has taken an interest in, for example Airplane Noise, or redevelopment projects or road changes nearby. Please give some thought to how you might be able to contribute. Please feel free to reach out to current Board members to find out more about what is involved.

Donna Collins, Marsha Barnes, Nancy Klothe, Endre Esztergomi, Helen Berns, Nora Denbo, Owen Kirby, Asher Lipman, Susan Gebhard

The Sumner Citizens Association Board would like to recognize the contributions that Phil Wilcox has made for our community. For the past three years, Phil has been both our Traffic Chair and our representative to The Citizen’s Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights. He is stepping aside from both responsibilities but no doubt will be a helpful resource in the future and a likely substitute attender of CCCFH Meetings.

We thank you, Phil, for your desire to volunteer for the good of our neighborhood and for your interest in enriching the quality of life for all our Sumner residents. Volunteering for the benefit of the neighborhood has been a family affair. Phil’s wife, Cynda Wilcox, is a past President of Sumner.

Phil, and Cynda, thank you both!

Donna Collins
for the SCA Board

Sumner Citizens Association announces that the 2020 Halloween Parade and donut and cider gathering on Rockmere Court are cancelled.

Halloween is such a fun time for children. In this year of so many disruptions it will be especially anticipated. Many families may well assess that trick or treating is fine as it is outdoors and social distancing can be practiced. Please be mindful that many Sumner residents have been severely restricting their interactions during the pandemic, so it is not appropriate to approach every house or ring doorbells. 

Below are some suggestions that may help to make Halloween fun and safe, even without the parade and gathering:

FOR TRICK OR TREATERS

Ghosts and goblins shouldn’t be out if they aren’t feeling well, have a cough, or a fever.

Ghosts and goblins and accompanying adults should wear masks and social distance.

This may be a good year to trick or treat close to home. Parents may wish to establish in advance which houses will welcome trick or treaters. 

Ghosts and goblins should have some type of light so they can be seen.

Hands should be washed upon returning home. It is recommended that treats be spread out for twenty-four hours before being consumed. 

Suggested hours for trick or treating 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

FOR RESIDENTS WHO WELCOME TRICK OR TREATERS

Please make it clear you are participating by having outdoor lights on.

Residents may wish to sit outside to see costumed youngsters from a safe distance between 5:30-7:00 p.m. We encourage adherence to the hours so candy givers can know trick or treating is over and can go inside. 

Please place containers of treats in a well lit area near the street. Please place only one type of treat in each container. This is to discourage rummaging through a treat container for the “perfect” treat as well as to discourage lingering. 

Dear Sumner residents: 

If you are like me, because of the pandemic shutdown, you may not believe that summer is ending.  Chrysanthemums are on sale at grocery stores and bins of Halloween candy crowd the aisles inside.  And School starts, mostly virtually, on Monday.  Labor Day, the un-official close of summer, is a week later.  Neighborhood events that bring us together have been cancelled because  of the shutdown. 

Yet, neighbors still help one another, for example, by picking up newspapers or pulling in trash bins of a neighbor who is away or by organizing food drives and campaigns to send letters to people in nursing care.

 As we move into the cooler days of autumn, lots of residents are still working from home and children and students will be studying at home on-line.  Please keep in mind two neighborly ideas:    First, during the pandemic, traffic has declined everywhere, including in our neighborhood, but that is likely to change.  Be mindful that youngsters cooped up in the house for classes may be out on the street to play in the mid-afternoon and may not recall a time when there was lots of car traffic on our streets.  So, please, drive slowly and carefully.  Second, give thought to noise levels.  For example, is your landscape company in compliance with County regulations about leaf blower noise levels?

Rich Landfield, SCA President

--

Rich Landfield  
202-441-9732

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/?state=MD

Please stay tuned and in touch as we get to the end of the year.  If you are interested, I would be more than happy to share the report once it is published.  Contact me at any time with any questions you may have.

All the best,

Nina

Nina A. Weisbroth (she/her)

Senior Advisor (including Special Projects and Grants)

Office of Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08)

51 Monroe Street | Suite 503 | Rockville, MD 20850

O: 301-354-1000

Dear Friends,  

How we vote is emerging as a key problem for the November elections.  Below is everything (I hope) you need to know about how to vote by mail in Maryland.  The key point is:  if you know you want to vote by mail in November, it’s a good idea to request a ballot NOW!

Maryland allows anyone to vote by mail for any reason.  Thus, what we used to call "absentee voting" is now the same thing as "mail-in voting."  All registered voters received mail-in ballots for the May primary, but that is NOT the plan for November.  Instead, all registered voters will receive an application for a mail-in-ballot.  Voters must fill it out and send it to the Board of Elections to be processed.  If the application was filled out correctly, then the Board will send the voter a ballot.  

The Board of Elections is asking people NOT to wait to receive this application in the mail, but to apply NOW.  Otherwise, they could be overwhelmed with applications and have difficulty getting ballots out on time.  You can request a ballot up until late October, but the Boards of Elections will be VERY busy by then!  

HERE'S HOW TO REQUEST A MAIL-IN BALLOT:

1. By text: Use your phone to request a Mail-in Ballot on-line.  Text 777-88.  Simply write "VMB" in the text box to fill out an application form.  You need a valid MD drivers’ license to use this system.

2. By computer: Use your laptop/computer to request a Mail-in Ballot, register to vote or update your registration.  Go to elections.maryland.gov and follow the prompts or just click here.  You need a valid MD drivers’ license to use this system. 

3. By telephone:  Call the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 240-777-8550 to request an application.    

4. By mail or email:  Registered voters may send an informal request to the Montgomery County Board of Elections.  It must include the voter’s name, residence address, address to which the ballot is to be mailed, if different from the resident address, and the voter’s signature.  Such requests can be mailed to PO Box 10159, Rockville, MD 20849-0159, emailed to absentee@montgomerycountymd.gov, or faxed to 240-777-8560.

5. In person:  You can go to the Montgomery County Board of Elections to fill out a request.  The address is 18753 N. Frederick Avenue, Suite 210, Gaithersburg, MD 20879.  

HERE’S HOW TO RETURN YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT REQUEST:

On-line ballot applications made through the links above will be uploaded to the county board of elections.  You can also download the application and fill it out by hand.  

Mail your ballot request to PO Box 10159, Rockville, MD 20849-0159, fax it to 240-777-8560 or scan it and email it to absentee@montgomerycountymd.gov

Some Very Important FYI's:

1. If you send in a mail-in ballot request and then decide that you want to vote in person, you will have to vote a provisional ballot as the Board of Elections will have you marked as a mail-in voter. 

2.  The signature on your drivers' license is your official MVA signature and the one that the Board of Elections will match to the signature on your ballot request and your ballot.  

3.  If you decide to vote in person, early voting in Maryland is October 22-29.  State law mandates 11 early voting sites in Montgomery County.  Currently all polling places are scheduled to be open on Election Day, November 3, although staffing remains an issue.  

4. The actual Mail-in ballots will be mailed out (or available to you electronically) about six weeks before the November election.  

5. Your Mail-in Ballot can be returned by mail or dropped off at a polling place during early voting or on Election Day.

6. The Maryland Board of Elections has a helpful site for additional questions:

 https://www.elections.maryland.gov/voting/absentee.html. The Montgomery County Board of Elections is also very helpful.  Their website is www.777vote.org, and their phone is 301-777-8550. 

If you want to vote by mail in November, please don't wait!   And if you found this helpful, please share it with other Maryland voters! 

Ann Humphrey

Precinct Chair, 7-24

aghumphrey@gmail.com