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TOURISM NEWS & NOTES 
                                                                                                                                             DECEMBER 2017
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Prince George's County Tourism News & Notes is presented by the Prince George's County Conference & Visitors Bureau (CVB), the official Destination Marketing Organization of Prince George's County, Maryland. 

VIEW THE WAY IT WAS INTENDED. For optimal experience reading PGC News&Notes (which is in browser), simply CLICK the  "Having trouble viewing this email?"  tab atop the newsletter. Thank you!
 
Laurel Mill Playhouse, Laurel

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The Publick Playhouse, Cheverly
  
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College Park Aviation Museum, College Park

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Darnall's Chance House Museum, Upper Marlboro

   Six Flags America  - Now thru Jan 1
 
Greenbelt Community Center, Greenbelt

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National Harbor
  
 
RAISE A GLASS: PGC WINE TRAIL ADDS SEASONAL SIP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The county's four wineries join forces for special holiday wine tasting and more...
Cheers to that! To celebrate the holiday season, Prince George's County's Romano Vineyard & Winery, JaneMark Winery & Vineyard, Gemeny Winery & Vineyards, and Robin Hill Farm & Vineyards (all located in dandy Brandywine, MD) have joined forces for a special holiday event, SIP & STUFF 2017.

SIP & STUFF, held December 16, noon-5 pm, is a special wine tasting event with a twist. You start you adventure at one of the four wineries to pick up you special stocking (with festive stuffers) and your first taste. Then, you proceed along the wine trail to the other three wineries for more tastings and additional stocking stuffers. A perfect way to experience the wines of Prince George's this holiday season.  

Tickets ($30 person/$55 couples) are limited and reservations are required. For additional info, visit any of our four wineries thru the links above.
 
Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel
  
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The Clarice, UMD, College Park
  
ICE! & Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer - 
Gaylord 
National - thru Jan 1
 
The Clarice, UMD, College Park
  
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The Publick Playhouse, Cheverly
  
 
AT THE HELM: NEW PREZ/COO APPOINTED FOR MGM NATIONAL HARBOR 
On the heels of first anniversary, and a fantastic year, MGM National Harbor names new head...
As we near the anniversary (Dec 8) of the opening of MGM National Harbor, change is afoot. In December, industry vet Melonie Johnson will take the helm as the new President/Chief Operating Officer at the region's leading gaming & entertainment destination - MGM National Harbor

Johnson takes over from Bill Boasberg, who served in the same capacity, and carried the mega prop thru its opening and first year of operation.  

In a coincidental "Mississippi" twist, Bill is off to Biloxi as the new President/COO for the MGM-affiliated Beau Rivage Resort. Conversely,  Johnson comes to us after serving as Prez/COO of MGM's Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Miss. 

Johnson has served in leadership roles with Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia, Penn National Gaming and Caesars Entertainment, among others. She has a B.S. degree in Accounting from University of New Orleans and is a Certified Public Accountant. Fittingly, she  began her career in finance with Jazz Casino Co. in New Orleans.

Welcome aboard Melonie...and welcome to Prince George's County! 
 
The Clarice, UMD, College Park
  

 
Riverdale Baptist Church, Upper Marlboro

 Festival of Lights -  Watkins Regional Park -  thru Jan 1
 
Arts/Harmony Hall Regional Center, Fort Washington


 
National Harbor

 
NOTE-A-FIED: CVB AWARDED A MARYLAND "TOURISM BEST" FOR ITS E-NEWS
PGC Tourism News&Notes recognized at the recent Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit...
And the winner is...EXPERIENCE PRINCE GEORGE'S! When  we slipped the judges those six growlers of flavorful PGC craft brew (complimented by a fancy tin of hot & spicy sardines), we had no idea THIS would be the outcome. We were honored to just be mentioned among the slue of amazing marketing and promotional efforts from the Maryland World of Tourism.

But win, we did. At the recent Maryland Travel & Tourism Summit, held at THE HOTEL @ UMD, the Prince George's County Conference & Visitors Bureau (CVB) earned the Maryland Tourism Coalition's 2017 "Best Use of Social Media" Award.

It was presented for the CVB's Prince George's County Tourism News&Notes, the organization's monthly e-pub.  Pictured accepting the award is the CVB's Carl Smith with MTC 2017 Awards Banquet hosts Nora Campbell and Chris Riehl.
 
Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel
  

 
Marietta House Museum, Glenn Dale 

Broadway-Style Musical Extravaganza - Evangel Cathedral - Dec 2, 9, 16
 
Brentwood Arts Exchange @ Gateway Arts Center, Brentwood 


 
Montpelier Mansion, Laurel

 
NEW DINE: RITCHIE STATION'S "OG" OPENS THIS MONTH, B-DUBS ON THE WAY
The new Olive Garden at Richie Station Marketplace will officially will open December 5th...
 

Quick update along the Capitol Heights dine scene, just off the Capital Beltway. On December 5th, Darden Restaurants Inc. will open the  Olive Garden Italian Kitchen  (OG) at Ritchie Station Marketplace in Capitol Heights. 

This will be the county's fourth OG with existing locations at Bowie Town Center, The Mall at Prince George's in Hyattsville, and Towne Centre Laurel.

Darden Restaurants is the world's largest full-service restaurant company. It owns and operates more than 1,900 restaurants with brands including Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.

AND SPEAKING OF RITCHIE STATION...a new Buffalo Wild Wings is under construction at the shopping destination. Anticipated opening is within the first quarter of 2018.
 
Surratt House Museum, Clinton


 
Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel

 Cirque Dreams Holidaze -  MGM National Harbor - Dec 6-9 
 
Milkboy Arthouse, College Park
  

 
Brentwood Arts Exchange @ Gateway Arts Center, Brentwood
  
 
BITE, BREW & YOU: BJ'S RESTAURANT & BREWHOUSE NOW OPEN IN BOWIE  
New BJ's Brewhouse, second in the PGC dine space, adds a lift to Bowie Town Center...
Last month,  BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse  opened its  second location in Prince George's, at Bowie Town Center

It is located on the "Sears" end of the center at 15701 Emerald Way. The site was once a vacant Sears Tire & Auto Center. The company puchased and razed the building, making way for a new 7,595 sqft dine with seating for 233 guest, and patio area. 

Due to the success of their first site in PGC (at Towne Centre Laurel), BJ's was eager to bring a second location here. They now have five locations in Maryland - Laurel, Frederick, Columbia, Towson...and now Bowie. 

 
Bowie Center for the Performing Arts, Bowie
  

 
Darnall's Chance House Museum, Upper Marlboro
  
    M GM National Harbor - Dec 15
 
The Publick Playhouse, Cheverly
  

 
Montpelier Mansion, Laurel
  
 
IT TAKES TWO: HORACE & DICKIES LOOKING TO ADD SECOND LOCATION IN PGC 
Tiny dine once featured on TravelChannel "Man vs. Food" will add another location in Prince George's...
Horace & Dickies Seafood Carryout Restaurant (H&D), the self-proclaimed "king of the fried fish sandwich", is looking to spread the tartar sauce with another location in PGC. 

This little dine dive started as a "hole-in-the-wall" in Northeast DC in '90s. Then, in 2012, it gravitated to Takoma Park's Takoma Station. In 2016, they open a site in Suitland on Allentown Road.  

Now, H&D is proposing a second Prince George's outpost at 7907 MLK Highway in Glenarden. It will be built as a 1,030 sqft extension to an existing commercial building. In the site plan stage, so no timeline as yet on when build may begin or projected opening. 

If you're a longtime fan of "foodie" programs, you may recall H&D featured in a 2009 episode of TravelChannel's "Man Vs. Food". Then-host Adam Richman took on the signature "Jumbo Fish Sandwich" filled with what appeared to be an entire school of fried whitefish fillets (six to be exact on eight slices of bread). In outrageously gluttonous fashion, Richman conquered the behemoth and said afterwards "just perfection. Every element works together. The fish by itself is incredible. You add in the crunch of the coleslaw, the sweetness of the cabbage, the tartness of the tartar sauce, and that creaminess. It is absolutely out of this world."
 
College Park Aviation Museum, College Park
  

 
Laurel Museum, Laurel

    M GM National Harbor - Dec 20-21
 
The Clarice, UMD, College Park


 
Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel
  
 
CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE: B'BURG'S WWI MEMORIAL TAKES ONCOMING HIT
As the legitimacy of memorials take center stage around the country, "Peace Cross" gets caught in the mix...
Statues and memorials of the Confederacy (most of which were actually constructed generations after the Civil War) aren't the only monuments under siege. We have a Prince George's County memorial - that has nothing to do with the Civil War or the Confederacy - but is embattled nonetheless.

Historic Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial (known as PEACE CROSS) has been deemed unconstitutional by a US Appeals Court. It ruled that the statue "excessively entangles the government in religion." 

Located in Bladensburg at the intersection of Route 450 & US Route 1, the 40-foot tall statue was constructed in honor of 49 fallen Prince George's County serviceman in WWI.  The controversy stems from an ongoing suit filed by the  American Humanist Association. Their opinion is the cross violates the separation between church and state, endorsing Christianity. What is at issue is not what the cross actually stands for (or says thru inscription), but rather the fact that it is - a cross.

A bronze tablet at the base of the monument contains the words of Woodrow Wilson: "The right is more precious than the peace; we shall fight for the things we have always carried nearest our hearts; to such a task we dedicate ourselves."  At the base of the monument are the words, "Valor, Endurance, Courage, Devotion." At its heart, the cross bears an American Legion gold star.

The cross (and memorial park it sits on) was built by the American Legion and dedicated in 1925. In 1961, the land that it sits on was transferred to the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), which has been its caretaker ever since.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Area citizens overwhelming support that it not be moved. Separately, both the M-NCPPC and the American Legion have submitted petitions with the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals for a re-hearing before all 15 judges of the court. The initial ruling was 2-1 among a three judge panel. This may take a minute to resolve. But, for now, the historic PEACE CROSS stands tall. 
 
FedEx Field, Landover


 
FedEx Field, Landover

 MAZE feat. Frankie Beverly -  MGM National Harbor - Dec 29 
 
Riversdale House Museum, Riverdale


 
Martin's Crosswinds, Greenbelt
  
 Big Night DC! - Gaylord National - Dec 31-Jan 1
DECEMBER - EXCITING HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS ALL THIS MONTH IN PGC!
Experience.Expand.Explore! Extraordinary things are HAPPENING this month and every month in Prince George's. The colored banners throughout "News&Notes" are just some of the many events on tap. Click them for more information and VISIT US ONLINE - ExperiencePrinceGeorges.com (or on the ExplorePrinceGeorges mobile app) for extended listings of events, exhibitions, and performances for the entire family.

BY THE NUMBERS: TOURISM'S IMPACT IN PGC
Prince George's County Tourism's impact - thru visitation and taxes generated - runs across every aspect of development including lodging, food & beverage, retail, recreation, major events, transportation, and transportation-related services.
  • Visitors - 6.922 million
  • Visits by Type - 52% Day; 48% Overnight
  • Visitor Growth Rate - 6.2%
  • Total Tourism Employment - 32,726
  • Tourism Industry Sales - $2.612 billion
  • Room Taxes Collected - $28.8 million
  • Admission/Amusement Taxes Collected - $16.7 million
  • Total Tourism Tax Receipts (combined Federal, State/Local, Hotel) - $638 million
Source: Tourism Economics, December 2016
 
9200 Basil Court, Suite 101,  Largo, MD 20774
301.925.8300 |  visitorinfo@co.pg.md.us

 

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