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Amuche Nwafor won second place in the River Voyage Poetry Competition, sponsored by the Anacostia Watershed Society. Nwafor is a seventh-grader in Hyattsville Middle School's creative writing program in the Creative and Performing Arts Department.

Budget-friendly

environmental expo

Delegates Victor Ramirez (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly, Jolene Ivey (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly and County Councilman Will Campos (D-Dist. 2) of Hyattsville are hosting an Environmental Expo from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday in Mount Rainier.

"Going Green on a Budget: How to Help the Environment while Saving Money" will focus on cutting utility bill costs, making cleaning products from household goods, growing backyard gardens, making rain barrels and rain gardens and applying to government programs to finance environmental improvements.

The free event will be held at Joe's Movement Emporium at 3309 Bunker Hill Road.

Parent resource

community fair

Parents of students in all county schools are welcome to attend a parent resource community fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 25 at Northwestern High School.

At least 17 vendors will be on hand to inform parents about what resources are available in the community before the school year ends. Organizations specializing in family health, summer recreation and sports programs, alternative and summer education, mental health and legal aid for Latino families will be represented. Northwestern High School is at 7000 Adelphi Road in Hyattsville.

Call Patricia Benavides at 301-985-1820, ext. 2235.

Parkdale Idol competition

Parkdale High School is hosting its fourth annual Parkdale Idol competition from 5 to 8:30 p.m. April 24.

The event, presented by the Phoenix Medina Writer's Project and Lyrikal Storm Youth Fine Arts Group, will feature singers, dance crews, spoken word artists and musicians competing against each other. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Aliya B. Carter Lyrikal Storm scholarship fund.

Admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Call Neville Adams at 301-513-5700 or Yvonne Brown 240-426-2629 for tickets. The school is at 6001 Good Luck Road in Riverdale.

Spaghetti dinner fundraiser

The Brentwood Ladies Auxiliary is holding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. April 25.

Tickets are $7 for dinner, which includes spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread, a drink and desert. Patrons can eat-in or carry out. The dinner will be at the Bunker Hill Fire Station at 3716 Rhode Island Ave.

Basic combat grads

have local ties

Raftein N. Paige and Valincia S. Fender graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. Paige is the son of Mount Rainier resident Regina Paige and Fender is the niece of Brentwood resident Shernett Davis.

The two spent nine weeks training in physical fitness, basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare, rifle marksmanship and more.

Earth Day cleanup along

the Anacostia River

The 15th annual Anacostia River Cleanup and Celebration will start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Litter cleanups will start in the morning at 25 locations throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C., including at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, at 4601 Annapolis Road. Volunteers are then invited to attend the Earth Day Celebration and eco-fair at the park from noon to 2 p.m. There will be free lunches, entertainment and tote bags for volunteers. The event is sponsored by the Anacostia Watershed Society, EarthShare and Seafarers Yacht Club. Call 301-699-6204 or visitwww.anacostiaws

.org.

Spring auction to support students at Bladensburg school

Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg is hosting a silent and live auction to raise a goal of $45,000 to support tuition assistance, curriculum development, technology upgrades and renovations to the school.

"Lights, Camera, Auction!" will be held at 6 p.m. on April 25 at the school, located at 5715 Emerson St. It will include live and silent auctions, a sit-down dinner, raffles and an open bar.

An online auction has already begun and will end Wednesday. To bid online and buy tickets to the live event, visit www.setonhs.dojiggy.com.

Spring cleanup in Brentwood

The Town of Brentwood is searching for volunteers to participate in spring cleanup from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The deadline to register is Friday. There will be snacks and refreshments for volunteers who help clean the old Brentwood Firehouse. Call 301-972-3344.

Free piano concert

to benefit local music school

The Ottley Music School in Hyattsville is hosting "Piano Masters," a free concert featuring pianists trained internationally and locally.

The event for ages 6 and up starts at 4 p.m. April 26 at the First United Methodist Church, located at 6201 Belcrest Road. Contributions are welcomed.

Pianists include: Anton Martinez, who trained in Chicago, Russia and at the University of Maryland, College Park; Naoko Maeda, who trained in Japan; Ivey Perkins, who trained at Howard University in Washington, D.C.; David Griffiths, who trained at the Peabody Conservatory; and Clifton Brockington, a Howard University graduate who plays jazz.

Calling all youth artists

The Riverdale Park Arts Council is looking for middle and high school-aged artists and artisans within the community for a competition during second annual Riverdale Park ArtsFest.

Youth can submit pictures, paintings, drawings and photos to the contest at no charge. Pictures have to be mounted. The contest will be judged by professional local artists and prizes will be awarded. The deadline for submissions is April 30. Visit www.rpartscouncil.org.

The event is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 3 at the Riverdale Park Town Center at 4650 Queensbury Road in Riverdale Park. It will feature demonstrations, live entertainment, food and children's workshops.

Mount Rainier dedicates

peace garden

Mount Rainier has declared May as "Peace Month," and it will begin with the dedication of the city's peace garden at 10:30 a.m. on May 2.

The garden will be located at the corner of 30th Street and Arundel Road and will include a peace table with benches. RSVP to MJ Park at 240-838-4549 or mjpeace@gmail.com.

Brentwood looking

for artists and crafters

In preparation for the 87th annual Brentwood Day, the town is inviting artists and crafters to display, demonstrate or sell their works of art. The event is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 6. To reserve a space, call 301-927-3344.

Climb inside a firetruck

in Cheverly

Truck Touch, the annual Cheverly Weekday Nursery and Mothers Day Out fundraiser, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 2 at the Cheverly United Methodist Church at 2801 Cheverly Ave. Admission is $3 for children and free for adults. Face painting, games and food will be available. Call 301-773-2297, e-mail mail@

cheverlynurseryschools.com or visit www.cheverlynurseryschool.com/

trucktouch.

College dance recital

features Landover native

Michelle Chase of Landover, a Wells College student, performed in "Dancing Room" April 13 and 14 as a member of the Wells Dance Ensemble. Wells College is a liberal arts college in Aurora, N.Y. Chase, a member of the class of 2011. The Wells College Performing Arts Department presented the performance.

Flowers High students

honored with scholarship

Three Charles H. Flowers High School students received corporate Achievement Scholarship awards through the National Achievement Scholarship Program. The program is geared toward financing the education of black students nationwide and will award scholarship money to 800 students. National Merit Scholarship Corporation awarded students Tristan B. Daniels and Brianna L. Gibson each $2,500 scholarships. Daniels is interested in game design and Gibson is interested in medicine and global health care. Victoria R. Waltz, who is interested in automotive engineering, received the UPS Foundation Scholarship. Children of UPS employees qualify for the award. Eleanor Roosevelt High School student Kahlil M. Blount of New Carrollton also received a $2,500 scholarship from National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Blount is considering a career in law.

Centennial celebration

The College Park Aviation Museum continues its celebration of the 100th anniversary of the College Park Airport throughout the year. The airport was the site where Wilbur Wright trained the first generation of military aviators.

A program will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. to discuss the legacy of Hap Arnold and early aviation in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

"A 100 years ago flying was something that almost no one got to do and people in airplanes were putting their own lives in their own hands," said Warren Kasper, program curator at the College Park Aviation Museum. "Hap learned how to fly with Wilbur Wright and he made history as the first man to fly a mile into the area."

Kasper said Arnold's contributions eventually the creation of the United States Air Force.

"And it all got started here in a little field in College Park," Kasper said.

Dik Daso, curator of modern military aircraft at the Smithsonian will lead the discussion at the museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Drive in College Park. For more information, call 301-864-6029 or visit www.collegepark

aviationmuseum.com.