Naptown Scoop
Posts
🍦Movie Night This Weekend

🍦Movie Night This Weekend

Renn Fest Tickets, Gate Hours at USNA, Dill Dinkers...

Naptown Scoop
August 07, 2025

Good morning, Annapolis. A zoo in Denmark is asking pet owners to donate their unwanted guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and even small horses to feed the lions, lynxes, and tigers. They say it’s all about imitating the animals’ natural food chains.

Half the comments section is outraged. The other half is supportive. And one person’s wondering if the zoo accepts annoying neighborhood children.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Renn Fest Tickets
Gate Hours at USNA
Dill Dinkers

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, Duffy Perkins

THE DIGEST

Trivia results: Naptown’s Most Photographed Landmark 📸

Yesterday, we stumped you all — uh, we mean, we asked you a question and the responses weren’t exactly consistent with the actual answer. We asked you what you think is the most photographed landmark in Annapolis, based on our unscientific but scientific method of finding pics on social media, Trip Advisor, and Google Images.

As far as the popular guess? Most of you thought it was the State House, followed by Main Street, followed by the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. But the order actually goes:

🥇 Naval Academy
🥈 State House
🥉 Ego Alley
4️⃣ Main Street
5️⃣ Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse

Did you guess correctly? Congrats! We don’t have a prize for you, but you have bragging rights as far as we’re concerned.

Adjusted Gate Hours at USNA

Visiting the Naval Academy this weekend? Probably want to take a look at the adjusted gate hours for Plebe Parents’ Weekend.

Need a map? Check this out.

August 7 (Thursday)
Gate 1: 5:30 AM–9:30 PM
Gate 3: CLOSED
Gate 8: Vehicles & Pedestrians: Open 24 hours a day

August 8 (Friday)
Gate 1: 5:30 AM–10 PM
Gate 3: CLOSED
Gate 8: Vehicles & Pedestrians: Open 24 hours a day

August 9 (Saturday)
Gate 1: 6 AM–1:59 PM
Gate 3: 7 AM–9 AM (pedestrian access only)
Gate 8: Vehicles & Pedestrians: Open 24 hours a day

August 10 (Sunday)
Gate 1: 6 AM–6 PM
Gate 3: CLOSED
Gate 8: Vehicles & Pedestrians: Open 24 hours a day

Iconic Mural in Severna Park restored 👩‍🎨

Anyone who’s sipped coffee from The Big Bean or enjoyed a sweet treat from The FroYo House knows the beautiful murals behind the Carr Building off B&A Blvd. About 20 years after painting them, local artist Cindy Fletcher-Holden returned this July to refresh her faded artwork. One mural reflects the town’s past; the other, its present. Cindy — a Severna Park High alum known for murals and boat lettering across Maryland — used richer colors this time to help the mural endure.

With help from her intern (Liza Love) and brother (Keith Fletcher), she restored the side depicting Olde Severna Park beach. The opposite wall, a collaboration with building owner Chip Carr, celebrates the town’s centennial and evolving history.

Number: $200 per day

1970s era Dexter Press postcard showing the United States Sailboat Show

That’s what the United States Sailboat Show paid the City of Annapolis to host its first show at City Dock in 1970. The city also got a small percentage of ticket sales (which were $3 each). Nowadays, tickets are $30 each and the rent is a little bit more. Annapolis gets 50% of gross ticket sales (less admission tax). In 2017, the shows wrote Annapolis a $464,000 check.

60,000 people attended the first show to see 57 boats. And although it seems common now, it was actually the first all-sailboat show to display boats in the water and it remains the largest all-sailboat show in the world.

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

LOCAL BUSINESS

Dill Dinkers Coming to Edgewater

Ever look at a vacant Kmart and think to yourself, “That would make an excellent pickleball court.” Well, thankfully the smartypants folks behind Dill Dinkers, a national pickleball franchise, had that exact eureka moment and decided to take over the former Kmart in South River Colony. Edgewater, you’re getting pickleball! The 26,000-square-foot facility will offer league play, lessons, tournaments, and a whole lot more. Dill Dinkers has over 400 locations nationwide, and the Edgewater location will be Maryland’s eighth. Look for a ribbon cutting to happen Fall 2026.

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.

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

Weekend Preview 📆

🛶 Eco Kayak Tours Saturday 9 AM. Launch from the Annapolis Maritime Museum Park Campus for a 2-hour paddle led by certified guides.

🎥 Movie Night at Annapolis Town Center Saturday 7:15 PM. Bring the family for an outdoor screening of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

🎶 BloomHaven Sunday 6 PM. Stephen Arnold and Sea Change perform exceptional jazz music for this week’s outdoor concert on the lawn of Maryland Hall.

🌾 Wildberry Summer Field Market Saturday 9 AM. Join the team at Wildberry and other local vendors for a Saturday morning market down on the farm.

🍷 Soca Wine, Music, & Food Festival Saturday 1 PM. Wine flows and the live bands jam at this Caribbean-inspired fest held at the Anne Arundel Fairgrounds.

🚗 Carriages on West Sunday 9 AM. This all-Corvette car show on West Street combines auto appreciation with local history.

🥕 Anne Arundel Farmers Market Saturday 7 AM–noon, Sunday 9 AM–noon. Stock up on local produce and other fresh goodies at this seasonal market.

🍕 Food Truck Friday Friday 4 PM. Get dinner from one (or more) of a variety of food trucks parked for a gathering at the Annapolis Farmers Market.

🧊 Circus on Ice Sunday 3 PM. Favorite children’s characters skate their way to Maryland Hall for family-friendly entertainment.

Renn Fest Tickets Are Going Fast

We expected the part-time wizards, faerie queens, sprites, and heck - even the furries to be the first to grab their RennFest tickets ahead of time. But boaters? Turns out both Saturdays of Boat Show weekend have sold out … at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Many other weekends still have single tickets available, but we are going to say this again: if you want to go, get your tickets now.

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.

WEATHER

Thursday

79 🌡️ 68 | 🌤️ | 19% | ENE 11 mph (10 knots)

Friday

79 🌡️ 66 | 🌤️ | 6% | 💨 ENE 9 mph (8 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 80ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

🌳🎵 = Outdoor Concert

Thursday

Friday

THANKS!

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who makes their own sourdough pizza.