🍦Blues Season Tickets Are LIVE

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Annapolis. The National Zoo’s giant panda, Bao Li, turned 4 yesterday. Zookeepers made Bao Li a panda-friendly birthday cake using frozen pineapple juices and Bao Li’s favorite treats: apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, and even 4 “candles” made of sugar cane. That’s nice.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

• USNA’s New Superintendent

• Art @ the Park 2025

• AAPD Expands Drone Program

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, Duffy Perkins

SPONSORED BY 84 LUMBER

The team at 84 Lumber Annapolis is here to help with all your home projects this summer.

With a wide selection of materials including decking, siding, trim, windows, doors, and more, 84 Lumber has everything you need to take your home’s exterior to the next level.

The 84 team is ready to guide you through the selection process from start to finish, ensuring you have the materials you need to get the job done right.

Visit 84 Lumber at 1690 Balt-Annapolis Boulevard, or contact Store Manager, Bill McDonald, at 410-757-4684 or [email protected] for a no-cost estimate on your next home project today.

THE DIGEST

Senate Confirms USNA’s New Superintendent

As if they needed another reason to brag, a Marine was just confirmed to be the next superintendent of the Naval Academy for the first time in its 179-year history. Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte will replace Vice Adm. Yvette Davids – another first (the first woman superintendent). We don’t know when the change of leadership will occur.

Vice Adm. Davids’ promotion was also confirmed. She’s heading to the Pentagon as deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, strategy, and warfighting development. ($)

“Look, Mom! I survived Plebe Summer!”

On Friday, thousands of new Naval Academy family members will arrive in Annapolis searching for their loved one siblings in a sea of similar-looking exhausted teens. This is the culmination of Plebe Summer, a seven-week bootcamp meant to break first year students in to Naval Academy life. As crazy as the experience is for new Mids, Annapolitans may only be aware of the experience when they see groups of kids running in boots at 6 AM or hear someone yelling about dropping and giving 40.

So what exactly is Plebe Summer?

Starting with Induction Day in June, Plebes begin an indoctrination process transitioning from civilian to military life. Boots are laced up at the crack of dawn. Days involve drills, physical training, seamanship, and hours upon hours of memorization. They’re given inter-squad challenges to bond with their units, learning to depend on each other far past the point of exhaustion. Toward the middle of August, when the full Brigade returns to begin the academic year, the newest class of Midshipmen are a forged division who have learned to trust and depend upon each other through one of the most rigorous rites of passage in America.

Watch a video of last year’s Plebe Summer.

Greetings from Annapolis 📫

Nothing says, “Guess where I am” quite like a postcard with the city’s name across it in huge letters. And if you were a frequent traveler in the mid 20th century, you might’ve sent a lot of them. Known as large-letter postcards, these were at the height of their popularity between the ‘30s and ‘50s, and each one featured (as the name implies) the city name written out in large letters along with a few landmarks — if you look closely at these Annapolis ones, you’ll recognize things like the State House and a sailboat, because sailboats are basically landmarks in Annapolis. These postcards tended to have colorful designs and were printed on linen-textured paper. Kinda makes you want to start sending more snail mail, doesn’t it?

All Blues Season Tickets Are LIVE ⚽️💙

Chats about Naptown Footy’s 2026 season are here — aka the Annapolis Blues, our beloved hometown minor league soccer teamS. We capitalized the “s” because there’s a men’s and women’s team now. Don’t miss a single minute of action next season! Support the Men as they charge into year four, cheer on the Women after a standout debut, or go all-in with the Full Tide package for access to every home match at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Snag your season tickets now and lock in Early Bird pricing before prices rise on September 1!

Stories with ($) require a third-party subscription.

@NAPTOWNSCOOP

📸 Cynthia Watson

Tag @NaptownScoop to get your photos in the Scoop!

SPONSORED BY LAWN DOCTOR ANNAPOLIS

Want a Lush Spring Lawn?

Sun. Heat. Everyone walking all over it. Summer does a number on your grass — and no amount of wishful watering can undo the damage.

But here’s the good news: fall is the best time to bounce back. It’s peak growing season for grass, and Lawn Doctor Annapolis knows exactly how to take advantage of it.

Their Power Seeding and Aeration & Seeding services open up your lawn’s soil, fill in bare spots, and encourage strong new growth. Think of it as hitting the reset button — just in time for crisp evenings and fire pits.

Book now to set your lawn up for success. Because next year’s lush green starts this fall and the planning starts now.

Greener, thicker, better-looking grass starts here — with Lawn Doctor Annapolis.

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

Theater Talk Tuesday 🎭

⚗️ Classic Theatre of Maryland presents The Imaginary Invalid Tuesdays 7:30 PM. Enjoy this outrageous comedy about a hypochondriac’s rebellious love-struck daughter, in the outdoor courtyard of Reynolds Tavern.

🕳️ Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre presents Groundhog Day Through August 31. ASGT closes out its 2025 season with this musical adaptation of the ‘80s comedy about a weatherman stuck reliving Feb. 2 over and over again.

💡 Colonial Players workshops Final weekend August 9–10. Now’s your chance to learn a new skill and fuel your creativity with hands-on, beginner-friendly workshops from Colonial Players.

💚 Children’s Theatre of Annapolis presents Shrek the Musical Jr. Coming August 15–16. Participants in CTA’s Production Summer Camp perform this hilarious stage spectacle featuring everyone’s favorite ogre.

Save the date: Libbey's Coastal Kitchen Crab Feast 🦀

Summer may be winding down, but September is still peak season for Maryland blue crabs. And Libbey’s Coastal Kitchen + Cocktails is making the most of it. They’re hosting a crab feast on Sunday, September 7 from noon to 3 PM. Spend the day cracking crabs, sipping drinks, and soaking up lawnside fun while pretending summer will never end. The feast also features BBQ chicken, crab soup, fresh fruit and veggies, and baked goods. The classic Eastern Shore tradition is held rain or shine under a tent. Spots are limited and we know how much Scoop readers love a crab feast, so grab tickets now.

Save the date: Art @ the Park 2025

We hardly ever need an excuse to head into Quiet Waters Park, but Art @ the Park is one of our favorite reasons to put on our walking shoes and spend the day exploring. On October 11 and 12, one of the area’s best art exhibits will take over the outdoor spaces around the Blue Heron Center, showcasing local artists who represent the best of the natural world. This year’s event is outdoor-only due to some construction, so consider bringing a jacket (can you believe we might be in sweater weather by October?). 10 AM to 4 PM each day.

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They're just the things you need to know. I'll always let you know when something's sponsored.

CIVIL NEWS

Anne Arundel County PD expands drone program

Drones aren’t new for AAPD. The department’s been using them for almost a decade, mostly for crash investigations but a 2019 article also mentions “extraordinary tactical uses.” The new Patrol Drone Program could put drones into near-daily use for targeting response areas, missing person and suspect searches, special event safety, and more.

Since drone is kind of a scary word, AAPD made 4 promises. Drones won’t be used for surveillance. They won’t have weapons. They’ll follow FAA regulations. And most vaguely, they’ll be used for “public safety support only.” In addition, the department will post annual usage reports starting next year as well as a dashboard of flight data posted about a month after each flight.

Learn more.

Stories with ($) require a third-party subscription.

WEATHER

Tuesday

80 🌡️ 71 | ☁️ | 4% | 💨 E 6 mph (5 knots)

Wednesday

78 🌡️ 70 | ☁️ | 17% | ENE 10 mph (9 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 83ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

🌳 🎵 = Outdoor Concert

Tuesday

49 West | Unified Jazz Ensemble | 7–9:30 PM
Brian Boru | PJ and Neal | 6–9 PM
🌳🎵 Chronic Sailing’s Tunesday | Jay Crawdads | 6–8:30 PM
Middleton Tavern | Annapolis Songwriters Showcase | 6–9 PM
The Point | Aidan Ewald | 5–8 PM
Pirates Cove | Jesse Moody | 6–9 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Augustana w/ Will Dailey | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Justin Lafave | 6 PM

Wednesday

49 West | Dave Chappell & Friends | 5–7 PM
49 West | The Geckos | 7:30–10 PM
Brian Boru | Nicky Stacy | 6–9 PM
Coconut Joe’s | Jackson Cole | 5–8 PM
Dinner Under The Stars | Wendall Live | 6–9 PM
Galway Bay | Irish Trad Music Session | 8 PM
🌳🎵Historic London Town | Folk Villains | 6–7:30 PM | Tickets
Killarney House | Jason Bishop | 6–10 PM
Middleton Tavern | Nate Finn | 6–9 PM
Pirates Cove | Loose Change | 6–9 PM
The Point | Jordan/Pressing Strings | 5–8 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets | 8 PM | Tickets
Severna Park Taphouse | Aaron Hawkins | 6 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Mike Heuer | 9 PM

THANKS!

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who never misses their 10,000 steps.