🍦Do You Agree With CNN’s List?

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Annapolis. I got a walking pad yesterday. Now everythinhg I writte comes with extra calorries burned and about 63% more typos. But hey, health is wealth. Anyway, today’s newsletter has probabyl at least one word I didn’t mean to type.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

• Salty Girl Book Sale

• Pops in the Park

• Midshipmen Hours of Service

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, Duffy Perkins

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Just over 3 hours from Annapolis, luxury awaits you at this premier resort.

Experience real life magic. Visit nemacolin.com to plan your stay this summer.

THE DIGEST

Number: 14,400

That’s how many hours the Midshipmen Action Group (MAG) logged last school year across 29 projects. From mentoring local students and sorting food bank donations to planting trees and supporting veterans, MAG's 835 volunteers served across 119 events.

🌟One standout: Midshipman First Class Daisy Zamora, who spent her last three spring breaks mentoring kids from the Lummi Nation, a Native American tribe in Washington State.

While mids must compete in athletics, there’s no service requirement. Yet, MAG accounts for 85% of all volunteer hours at the academy, proving that “service to the nation begins with service to community.” ($)

Public input invited on Chesapeake Bay Restoration Plan 🦀

Maryland is teaming up with our neighbor states around the bay — Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York, as well as DC — to create a voluntary plan known as the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. In collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, the states have come up with a list of priorities and action items to restore the health of our much-loved waterway running 200 miles along the Mid-Atlantic region. But as a resident of one of the states involved, you have a say — and you’re invited to an open house for questions and input on Tuesday, August 5, 5:30-7:30 PM at the Tawes State Office Building (580 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis). Experts from state agencies will be there to offer insight and hear concerns.

🔎 Wait…Pennsylvania and New York? Yes, the Chesapeake Bay ends in the northern part of Maryland, but the Susquehanna River — which runs through Pennsylvania and into New York — is part of the Chesapeake watershed. That’s why Pennsylvania and New York are considered bay states. Feels kinda like saying you’re from Annapolis when you really live in Arnold but hey, conservation is conservation.

Epic Pier Pressure in Epping Forest 🛥️

The Epping Forest community is harboring no little bit of back-and-forth these days, and we’re not talking about the Severn River’s current. Instead, this back-and-forth concerns some disagreement about a potential $1.5 million marina upgrade that could possibly be coming to the neighborhood. Epping Forest is a Special Community Benefit district within Anne Arundel County, meaning it has permission to handle certain amenities and services — like, for example, a community marina.

But even with added fees the county collects for the district beyond taxes, the project will need a significant loan to cover the cost. Neighbors are divided: In a recent vote, 115 were in favor of the marina and 64 were against, although those numbers don’t totally reflect all 300 homes in the district. If the community did take out the loan and move forward with the project, about $1 million of it would be paid by boat slip fees while $500K would be paid for in equal parts by residents over the course of 10 years. While a marina right in the neighborhood sounds nice, dissenters say the money could be spent on other projects, like fixing the community’s well-water supply system. ($)

South River High’s underwater robot makes a splash 🤖

South River High’s Power Hawks Robotics Team 1111 made waves with their 30-pound underwater robot, Lil Blue Heron, diving into Glebe Bay to collect oyster reef data. It's their first research-focused robot, equipped with a grasping arm, video camera, and 100-meter tether. Despite an initial leak (yikes!), students patched things up and got the mission back on course. The bot beamed back underwater video to support oyster restoration efforts with the Arundel Rivers Federation. With school funding sinking, the Power Hawks are seeking community partnerships and donations to keep their robotics dreams afloat. ($)

P.S. If Lil Blue Heron spoke, we’d imagine: “beep, boop, blub, blub, blub.” 🫧

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LOCAL BUSINESS

Salty Girl Book Sale 🚐 📚

I bet you’ve never seen a bookstore this cute. At least one with wheels. Salty Girl Books is popping up at Homestead Gardens in Severna Park with a swoon-worthy mix of romances, twisty thrillers, and 5-star beach reads. Shop hand-picked titles, fun gifts, and soak in all the breezy bookish vibes.

🗓️ Saturdays: July 19, August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 | 9 AM–1 PM
🗓️ Fridays: August 8, 15, 22, 29 | 11 AM–3 PM

Get swept away — this mobile book truck delivers butterflies and plot twists.

Did CNN get its Naptown recommendations right? ❓

ICYMI, Annapolis recently got fifth place on CNN’s listing of Best Towns to Visit in 2025. We’ve talked about it before (and how honored we are), so this week, we’re turning our attention to what CNN recommends tourists do when they stop by (or sail into) Annapolis. But we know that it’s nearly impossible for anyone to know an area like a local does — which is why we’re asking you whether you agree with the recs or not. So, do you agree that the perfect visit to Annapolis would include:

⚓️ Visiting historical spots (Paca House, Alex Haley sculpture, State House, Museum of Historic Annapolis)
⚓️  Getting out on the water (on the Wilma Lee, Woodwinds, water taxis, or fishing charter)
⚓️  Touring the Naval Academy
⚓️  Enjoying local seafood (Boatyard, Carrol’s Creek, O’Learys, Davis’ Pub, The Choptank, Cantler’s, and Chick & Ruth’s)

Check out CNN’s explanations for details on each suggestion — and we want to know what you think.

Bygone Annapolis

Back in the 1920s, if you needed a Chevy in Annapolis, you went to Andrew Krause on West Street. It was where the West Annapolis Fire Department got its first truck. But Krause didn’t always specialize in Chevrolets. From 1918 to 1923 Mr. Krause advertised all manner of cars in The Capital. It wasn’t until 1929 that his ads became almost exclusively focused on Chevrolet.

Little more info is available on Krause. His ads in The Capital stopped in the mid 1950s. Although according to property records, the Krause family owned property on West Street all the way until 1997.

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.

SPONSORED BY LIBBEY’S COASTAL KITCHEN

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WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

Theater Talk Tuesday 🎭

🕳️ 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.

⚗️ 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 Opera presents Stories Through Music Dates/times vary. Annapolis Opera is on tour this summer with family-friendly presentations at the library. Upcoming performances at a branch near you include Edgewater on Tuesday at 6 PM and Busch Annapolis on Wednesday at 6 PM.

🎻 Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra Summer Orchestra Camp Aug. 4–8. Young musicians ages 10-16 get to develop their talents at strings, winds, brass, and percussion.

Save the date: Pops in the Park 🎶

Did you get to enjoy any of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra’s concerts this season? If not, here’s your chance to hear the highlights. ASO is bringing the best of season 64 to Quiet Waters Park on August 30 at 5:30 PM for a Pops in the Park outdoor concert. It’s free, so bring your camping chairs and pack a picnic — the whole family is invited. (Can’t make it? There’s another Pops in the Park scheduled a little farther north at Downs Park in Pasadena the day before at 11:30 AM.) Details.

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

Elections Board Certifies Mayoral & Aldermanic Candidates 🗳️

This is it. The Primary Election Day Candidates are set. So, without further ado . . .

🔵 = Democrats 🔴 = Republicans

• Mayor Candidates: Rhonda Pindell Charles, Jared Littmann, and Robert O’Shea

• Ward 1: Ben Bramsen, Ron Gunzburger, and Harry Huntley

• Ward 2: Karma O’Neill and Ken Vincent

• Ward 3: Deborah J. Odum and Keanuú Smith-Brown

• Ward 4: Janice Elain Allsup Johnson and Coren Eve Makell

• Ward 5: Brooks Schandelmeier

• Ward 6: N/A

• Ward 7: Robert Savidge

• Ward 8: Frank Thorp

*Michael Dye (Ward 3) and William Richard Cunha (Ward 8) who are both unaffiliated will advance directly to the November General Election Day ballot.

📍Find your ward. Remember, Primary Election Day is Tuesday, September 16. The General Election is on Tuesday, November 4.

P.S. You might notice a big fat zero in Ward 6. Alderman DaJuan Gay isn’t running again and nobody else filed. A party’s central committee can appoint someone by August 11. Or it could be time for the Great Ward 6 Write-In Campaign of 2025?

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NAPTOWN SCOOP WEATHER IS POWERED BY. . .

Tuesday

93 🌡️ 78 | 🌤️ | 6% | 💨 SE 6 mph (5 knots)

Wednesday

91 🌡️ 77 | 🌤️ | 10% | S 9 mph (8 knots)

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

Tuesday

49 West | Unified Jazz Ensemble | 7–9:30 PM
The Point | Kavoossi | 5–8 PM
Pirates Cove | Lee Allen | 6–9 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Abe Partridge & Jack Barksdale | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Casey McConville | 6 PM

Wednesday

49 West | Dave Chappell & Friends | 5–7 PM
49 West | Mr VCR | 8–10 PM
Brian Boru | Bobby Reed | 6–9 PM
Coconut Joe’s | Rod Sebastian | 5–8 PM
Dinner Under The Stars | Spice Band | 6–9 PM
Galway Bay | Irish Trad Music Session | 8 PM
Killarney House | Jason Bishop | 6–10 PM
Middleton Tavern | SVV Duo | 6–9 PM
Pirates Cove | Peter James | 6–9 PM
The Point | Aaron Hawkins | 5–8 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Troll Tribe | 9:30 PM

THANKS!

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who still hasn’t invited you for sunset drinks on their boat this summer 😤