Northwood News ♦ October 2008

How to Rent North Four Corners Recreation Center for Your Events

By Carole Barth

For about five decades the recreation center in North Four Corners Park has been the site of scout meetings, “Sweet 16” parties, language classes, wakes, anniversary parties, and countless neighborhood meetings.  Its iconic style (featuring unsmoothed logs and local mica-rich stone) brings to mind summer camp and scout jamborees.

I think fondly of the time we held a potluck Yule party to thank the Ameri­Corps kids for their hard work rebuilding the Rachel Carson Trail along Northwest Branch.  I remember the searing heat one summer when over 100 residents packed the then un-air-conditioned center to demand meaningful participation in planning restoration projects along the branch.  I treasure the snapshot of Marion Lane and I making friends with a Park Police draft horse at National Night Out.  I feel the presence of dear friends that have moved away or passed on, and an echo of those who came before me and made memories here every time I see the building.

So, I would like to encourage you to make your own memories at the rec center.  You can rent the building for four hours at a cost of $76 during the week or $152 on weekends.  Additional hours cost $19 per hour for weekdays or $38 on weekends.  Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to [URL no longer active] and select “North Four Corners Park” from the park list.  Enter the date(s) you are interested in and press the “search” button.

2. Press the tiny “availability” button.  Assuming the day you are interested in is not fully booked, click on the day to see what hours are available.  Check the block of time you want to reserve and add it to your cart.  Hopefully you will get a response telling you that your payment has been received.

3. Plan a visit to the Parks permit office (9500 Brunett Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20901) well before your event to pick up your permit.  As the website says, “reservations can only be finalized with the assistance of the Park Permit staff.”  This means that your online reservation and payment is no guarantee that you have actually made a reservation.  (Remember the Seinfeld line, “You know how to take the reservation, but not how to hold the reservation.”)  Your reservation is not official until someone downloads it from the computer and enters it into the system by hand.  This usually takes several days and, in the meantime, someone else could reserve your slot.  (This is also probably why double-booking is a recurring problem.)

4. You will need to plan your visit(s) because the permit office is not open evenings or weekends.  Even when they are supposed to be open (8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), it is not uncommon to find the office empty.  Bring a book and be prepared to wait.

5. Finally, when you get your permit, double-check everything.  Over the years I have been presented permits with the wrong dates, times, and even places.   ■