City Hall gears up for College Park’s 75th-anniversary celebration

Communications coordinator, Ryna Quinones, and newly appointed event planner, Gabi Wurtzel, discuss with the mayor and city council during the Tuesday night city council meeting the plans for the “City of College Park’s 75th Anniversary Celebration.” (Jaime Williams/The Black Explosion)

The city of College Park is nearing its 75th anniversary and its city hall is preparing to celebrate this milestone in a big way. 

They are throwing a “City of College Park’s 75th Anniversary Celebration,” which is being spearheaded by the city hall’s new event planner, Gabi Wurtzel, and communications coordinator, Ryna Quinones.

The set date for the celebration is Saturday, June 6, 2020, and it will be from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m.

During the Tuesday night city hall council meeting, Wurtzel discussed with the Mayor of College Park, Patrick L. Wojahn and the several council members who were in attendance, the details of the event. 

“Our current plans call for a parade down Rhode Island Avenue from noon until 1 p.m., followed by a free fair at Duval Field from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m,” Wurtzel stated.

She said that the plans for the parade are to invite various local community members and organizations to participate and march in the parade, hire an MC to announce groups who are marching by and to have professional judges judge the parade without any bias. 

She noted that the parade itself will be a mile long and will lead straight into the fair at Duval Field.

According to Wurtzel, the fair will include “a lot of music, performers, local vendors and exhibitors, food trucks, inflatables, crafts, lots of kid-friendly activities and fun for the whole family.”

For the vendors and exhibitors in attendance, Wurtzel stated that they will be asking them “to participate in a birthday theme to keep on-brand with the city’s anniversary.”

She also mentioned that “volunteers are needed for both the parade and the fair, so there will be an opportunity for resident involvement.”

The current budget that is approved by the city council and allocated for this event is $20,000, but Wurtzel is requesting an additional $10,000 from the mayor and the city council to cover additional costs. 

Some of the issues that city hall is facing planning this event is the limited transportation and parking availability and the increased cost of security, so they are hoping that this increased budget can solve these issues. 

Mayor of College Park, Patrick L. Wojahn, suggested that Wurtzel and Quinones look into valet bike parking as a means of transportation.

The council wants them to work out the entirety of the event and the logistics of the proposed increased budget and come back on a later date to re-discuss the details. Due to everyone’s positive comments about the upcoming event, it was evident that regardless of the discussion and given suggestions, everyone was excited and in support of the “City of College Park’s 75th Anniversary Celebration.”

Wojahn stated that he was really excited about this event “because it’s such an important event in our city’s history.” 

District 3 Council Member Robert W. Day Sr. said, “It’s the 75th anniversary, it is something that we should celebrate.” 

The entry to this event will be free to guests and open to all ages. 

Wurtzel stated that they are “hoping to host an event that embodies all of College Park and all of its entities that have made the city thrive for the past 75 years.”

Those who are interested in the celebration can “stay tuned as [they] announce more details on social media and at collegeparkmd.gov/75th,” according to their website.