With the 2026 Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk just a month and a half away, we would like to finally get around to posting a thank you to the many community members who contributed their time, energy, resources, and talents to last year’s Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk, our most well-attended Lantern Walk yet!
In particular, we would like to recognize the following people and groups (warning: the list is loooong!):
- Washington Revels Heritage Voices for leading us in song. Special thanks to Andrea Blackford for coordinating their participation.
- Rev. Ella Redfield*, former resident of Lyttonsville (Linden), for leading us in a moment of silence in memory of the ancestors, including those who may still be buried under the former carwash, Aldi’s parking lot and Georgia Ave in nearby Montgomery Hills. * Note: Rev. Redfield served as the MC for the Talbot Avenue Bridge Centennial Celebration back in 2018. Check out a video of that here.
- Pat Tyson, President of the Lyttonsvile Civic Association; Jon Kronheim, Vice President of the North Woodside Citizens’ Association; and Adam Curtis, President of the Rosemary Hills Neighbors’ Association, for their words of welcome.
- County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Kate Stewart for their meaningful and heartfelt remarks during the opening program. And also to Jeff Weintraub, MoCo Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation member (and North Woodside resident) for representing the commission.
- The civic leaders, elders, and youth representing the three communities connected by the bridge who participated in the Unity Lantern lighting ceremony and led the Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk. In addition to those already named and their families, these included: Myra Coffield (Lyttonsville), MCPS Board of Education member Rita Montoya and family (Rosemary Hills), and MCPS middle school student Robyn Gray (North Woodside).
and banner with quote by Martin Luther King, Jr
- All the safety volunteers who ensured safe crossings at intersections. Special thanks to Joel Teitelbaum (Rosemary Hills) for coordinating and to Phil Johnson (Lyttonsville*) and Roy Eisenberg (Rosemary Hills) for handling the intersections at either end of bridge, MCPS elementary school student Andrew Johnson for guiding the lantern walk and MCPS high school student Anthony Johnson for taking up the rear (both Lyttonsville**). Thanks also to Miriam Pemberton and Alan Pemberton (North Woodside), Carlotta Amaduzzi (Rosemary Hills), and Sara Gebhardt (Lyttonsville). * 3rd generation resident ** 4th generation resident
- Senator Jeff Waldstreicher and MoCo Office of Human Rights Director James Stowe, for their eloquent remarks during the community reception. Special thanks to Director Stowe for sharing a beautiful song about candle light in the darkness.
- The many other public officials and their representatives who joined us: MCPS Board of Education members Laura Stewart (Linden) and Karla Silvestre (Woodside); representatives of Senator Chris Van Hollen and County Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles; Montgomery County Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation member Stephanie Joseph; and Silver Spring Regional Director Jacob Newman.
- Ching-Fang Chen, Montgomery Parks designer of the future Lyttonsville Neighborhood Park, where the girders of the historic Talbot Avenue Bridge are to one day be placed, for bringing display boards of the park design, and Elena Guarinello, of Montgomery Parks’ Untold Stories Project, for inviting community members to share their stories related to the bridge to inform development of historical interpretation signage in the future park.
- All who donated and helped serve refreshments. Special thanks to Martha Berger (North Woodside) for overseeing the pizza order and Diana Eisenstadt (Chris Van Hollen) for jumping in to help serve along with Pat Tyson, Willie Smith, and Tonya Saffer (Lyttonsville) and Bertie LoPiccolo (North Woodside)
- Elmoria Stewart (Lyttonsville), who last year decorated the 20 white lanterns we continue to carry in honor of the late Charlotte Coffield, Eva Santorini (Rosemary Hills) for designing and ordering the banners featuring the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr quote, Miriam Pemberton (North Woodside) for setting up paper bag lanterns across the bridge, and Bertie LoPiccolo and Patti Ross (North Woodside) for creating the rainbow-colored mini lanterns that surrounded the Unity Lantern and represented our community of communities connected by the bridge.
- All who volunteered for other event tasks. Special thanks to Eva Santorini (Rosemary Hills) for coordinating volunteer sign ups; Girl Scout Cadette Troop 34247 members and parent leaders, for assisting with setting up, greeting people, singing, cleaning up and more; Clark Larson (Lyttonsville) for general assistance; Josh HelfinSiegel and Phil LoPiccolo (North Woodside) for providing the outdoor and indoor sound systems.
- All those who helped with event promotion via local listservs, websites, social media, flyers, and yard signs. Special thanks to Merrie Blocker (North Woodside) for distributing press release to local media (see story in The Banner), and Lilian Pintea (North Woodside) for documenting the event through photos and videos.
- All who made monetary and in-kind donations to cover event costs. Special thanks to IMPACT Silver Spring for serving as the Talbot Avenue Bridge Committee’s fiscal sponsor and enabling community members to make tax-deductible donations towards the lantern walk, and to the Lyttonsville Civic Association, North Woodside Citizens’ Association, and Rosemary Hills Neighbors’ Association for co-sponsoring the event. And a shout out to Mamma Lucia for giving us a 10% discount on the pizza!
- Bertie LoPiccolo (North Woodside) and Girl Scout Cadette Troop 34247 for leading the pre-event lantern-making workshop on November 2.
- All who contributed in other ways behind the scenes, including Magdalena, who was on call at Rosemary Hills Elementary School for the seven hours we rented the All-Purpose Room and helped with set up; and all event planning group members, some of whose many contributions are listed above: Pat Tyson, Willie Smith, Ana Marshall, Elleni Ashine, Elmoria Stewart (Lyttonsville); Anna White, Bertie LoPiccolo, Merrie Blocker, Pattie Ross, LaTonia Gray, Miriam Pemberton, Martha Berger (North Woodside); Eva Santorini, Joel Teitelbaum, Roy Eisenberg (Rosemary Hills).
- Montgomery County Department of Transportation staff involved with recent sidewalk and traffic and safety improvements along the route.
- David Rotenstein, public historian, whose research related to the history of the Talbot Avenue Bridge and Lyttonsville continues to support a more inclusive narrative of Silver Spring and Montgomery County history, one that serves to uplift, instead of erase and marginalize, the stories and contributions of Black communities and residents.
Last, but not least, A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who showed up for the event! In addition to current and former residents of Lyttonsville, North Woodside, and Rosemary Hills, attendees came from many nearby neighborhoods: Chevy Chase, Forest Glen, North Hills, Rock Creek Forest, Sligo Hills, Woodside, Woodside Forest, Woodside Park, and more.
In conclusion, thank you to all — named and unnamed — who helped, in small and large ways, to make this a wonderful event.
Ana, Anna, Bertie, Elleni, Elmoria, Eva, Joel, LaTonia, Martha, Merrie, Miriam, Pat, Patti, Roy, Willie
(2025 Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk Planning Group members and Lyttonsville, North Woodside, and Rosemary Hills neighbors)
