[RP TownTalk] Arts District

[Gerald King]

Hi all,
I just found out that our town still has a chance to become part of The 
Arts District. Some of you may say, so what? The fact is Riverdale Park 
has an image problem that has been around for a long time. Just recently 
there was some upsetting news article that suggested Riverdale Park was 
known as a redneck area and now there seemed to be some improvement. I 
can't remember just exactly what it was all about, but that image did 
not come from the bikers who would frequent the town center years ago. 
It came from  PG county being the poor sister of Montgomery County. It 
may have come from the Route One corridor that was home to car 
dealerships, bars,  and cheap motels. What ever it was, our town does 
not deserve to remain the ugly duckling of the Washington Metropolitan 
Area. It's time to pump up the chest and announce to all those living in 
so called better areas, that Riverdale Park is, and always has been a 
great place to live, work, and play. Those who have lived here for a 
long time know this to be true. Those who are recent to the area, came 
for a purpose other than the cheaper housing.  We do have some assets 
that other communities envy us for. But what about today? All I hear 
about is the great Arts Community to the south of us. Things are 
happening, but Riverdale is silent and excluded from the club. You get 
the idea that whats happening in Hyattsville is prompted by an active 
citizenry. In reality, this growth was started a long time ago and has 
less to do with the redneck citizens (suddenly gentrified) than a real 
estate venture or opportunity not unlike the block 
busting/revitilization going on in downtown D.C.
Now I'm not against such ventures and think its great that places such 
as Hyattsville will gain a bit of status to overcome some of the years 
of bad press. I'm also delighted that they seem to be preserving  a lot 
of the old architecture and most new buildings seem designed to fit into 
an  earlier time rather than innocuous contemporary minimalism. 
Riverdale Park lost a few nice early structures and now has a field of 
rubble to use for advertising at one of the major intersections in the 
county. Despite heroic efforts and cost, The Calvert House has added 
some old world ambiance, but it will not be enough to overcome an image 
a fast food corridor.
So what about becoming part of The Arts District? Will it help or hurt 
our image? Are we afraid to become snobs who flaunt our status as 
better-than-you and become a community of elitists?  Having lived here 
for over 35 years, I hardly think so. Montgomery College had no problem 
dropping the "Community College" label years ago. I don't think they are 
snobs, just good public relations people who wanted to encourage people 
to take their school more seriously. Prince George's Community College 
kept the tag and seems to have been fine. Of course today it is often 
referred to as just PGCC.
I guess becoming part of the Arts Community will take some effort on the 
part of our mayor and his staff. A few encouraging requests from the 
rednecks and common people of the town, will help assure that we do not 
miss this second opportunity to put Riverdale where it should be-at the 
top of the heap.
Gerald King