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🍦 Renaissance Festival: Behind the Scenes

🍦 Renaissance Festival: Behind the Scenes

Back to school essentials, boat fire, seen any sea turtles...

Naptown Scoop
August 22, 2024

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Annapolis. This is Naptown Scoop – the email newsletter that smells even better than freshly sharpened pencils. Next time you read a Scoop, school will be back in session. So slow down near schools, always stop for stopped school buses, and never accept a candy bar from little Ronnie Fowch. Cause there’s a good chance that son of a gun has just pooped inside a Butterfinger wrapper.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Annapolis Fireboat 36 prevents catastrophe
Renaissance Festival: Behind the scenes
Business Appreciation Week

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, Chelsea Harrison, & Ryan Sneddon

P.S. Happy early birthday, Joann M! 🎂

Close out summer Maryland-style

Fall is approaching fast and we can’t think of a better summer send-off than The Choptank’s Annual Crab Feast! Join us Saturday, September 21st at one of 2 seatings, 1 PM or 4 PM, and enjoy 2 hours of all-you-can-eat crabs alongside a spread of cookout classics, including:

🦀 MD crab soup
🌽 Corn on the cob
🤫🐶 Hush puppies
🍔 Burger sliders
🍟 French fries
🥔🥗 Potato salad
🥒🥗 Cucumber salad
🍉 Watermelon
🟫 Brownies

And make sure to save room for the special drink menu, featuring buckets of beer, crush towers, and craft cocktails. Tickets sell out fast, so grab them here and snag a limited edition Crab Feast t-shirt with your purchase. See you on the Crab Deck!

THE DIGEST

This week’s major stories

Do you know the Snowball Man? Get a window into the beloved snowball man with the patience of a saint and his 42-year career. Read about Mr. Rob in Scoop’s Journal.

AACPS Back-to-School Essentials: Here’s another rundown of the must-have links and your reminder to bookmark them!

🗓️ 2024-25 School Year Calendar: Mark down early dismissals, closings, holidays, etc.
🚌 School Bus Schedules & Route
💯 Student/Parent Portal: Access schedules, assignments, grades, and attendance to monitor progress in K-12 students
🍕My Payments Plus: Manage your child’s autopay account for the cafeteria
🗓️ A/B Day Schedule: For middle and high school students
✨ Back to School Night
✏️ School Supply List: *Double check with your child’s school/teachers

✌️ Stories about Chesapeake Bay passenger ferry system:

⛴️ A new report on a proposed Chesapeake Bay passenger ferry in AA County and other waterfront areas. The Cambridge Systematics study outlines potential routes, ridership, and vessel needs for 7 ferries that would operate Thursday–Monday from mid-April to mid-October.

⛴️ The Central Purchasing Office of the City of Annapolis is accepting proposals for the design, build, and commissioning of a battery-powered passenger ferryboat. Get everything you need to know about submitting bids by Sept. 20 and joining the Aug. 21 pre-proposal meeting.

Seen any sea turtles lately?

Calling all coastal sleuths. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources asks those enjoying waterways to be alert for marine mammals and sea turtles through summer and early fall. So far in 2024, staff have responded to 42 animals:

24 bottlenose dolphins
8 loggerhead sea turtles
3 grey seals
2 Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles
1 unknown balaenopterid (unidentified large whale skull)
Single cases of harbor porpoise, harp seal, humpback whale, and striped dolphin

Anyone who sees a marine mammal or sea turtle in Maryland waters should report it via the Maryland Natural Resources Police Hotline. Call 800-628-9944 or use a simple online form. Since 1990, Maryland’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Program has answered over 1,400 strandings along Maryland’s 3,190 miles of coastline.

Fire on the Water — A Crisis Avoided

A boatload of praise is due to the Annapolis Fire Department after they did a heroic job of putting out a fire last weekend — out on the water, of all places. The biggest concern was the tide was pushing the boat closer and closer to shore, where the fire potentially could’ve spread to the Linstead community pier and the boats docked along it. But the firefighters fearlessly used Annapolis Fireboat 36 to redirect the burning boat and extinguish the fire. ($)

In other boat news, two giant cranes are working to salvage the sunken LoveBug off the bottom of the West River. It’s been there since July 27.

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

@NAPTOWNSCOOP

Where were we Wednesday? 📸

ANSWER:

This looks like a nice lil beach scene, doesn’t it? Well it’s not!. Evil laughter ensues.

As they’ve been known to do, Sailor Oyster Bar got creative. These are actually “flower” boxes outside the restaurant, courtesy of Season to Season Horticultural Services.

Thanks for playing and congrats to @bdon87, @jessicaemalie, and @life_ofbert for being the first 3 to answer correctly.

Tag @NaptownScoop to get your photos in the Scoop!

LOCAL BUSINESS

Looking ahead: Business Appreciation Week

Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation just announced it’s bringing back Business Appreciation Week this fall. October 21 through October 25, AAEDC staff and ambassadors will visit local businesses, celebrate their impact on the community, and thank them for their contributions to the local economy. Are you a business owner? Request a visit!

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.

You’re invited to visit Annapolis’ newest jewelry store!

Have you heard of Bloomstone Jewelers? It’s Annapolis’ only lab grown diamond retailer located in the Annapolis Harbour Center. And on August 29 from 5–8 PM, they’re hosting an exclusive Piercing Party so you can see what it’s all about! Any earrings bought between now and August 29th get you an invitation and a professional piercing from special guest Exotic Pleasures Tattoo – as well as champagne and hors d’oeuvres.

RSVP to secure your preferred time and then pick some earrings!

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

Before the Faire: MDRF Behind-the-Scenes 🎭

Naptown Scoop took an office field trip earlier this week . . . back in time! We visited the grounds of the Maryland Renaissance Festival (MDRF), a much-loved tradition. But the Ren Fest isn’t open yet?!?, you cry. Yes, correct. It opens this Saturday, August 24 at 10 AM with the famed cannon fire.

But MDRF let us hang out with vendors, performers, maintenance crew, and staff to see what it’s like before the crowds. Dylan, Mackenzie, and Chelsea (all low-key MDRF fans) saw just how much work it takes to get ready for the Faire folk. Check out Dylan & Chelsea’s article for some fun observations (but be sure to check out our Instagram too, to see the behind-the-scenes!)

Foodie Friday 🍦🦀🍹

Photo courtesy of Leo Annapolis

🐟 We love a good late summer menu. Especially when it includes snakehead. Leo Annapolis recently released some new summer dishes and an amazing happy hour special ($7 cocktails at the bar Tues–Thurs all night and Fri & Sat 4–6 PM.) Snakeheads may not be cute but they look amazing in this preparation with corn succotash, beurre blanc, and basil oil.

Other seasonal creations include Ricotta Gnocchi with green goddess sauce (← “lots of fresh local herbs in that”, says Chef Matt), Pimento Cheese, Stracciatella & Summer Squash, Sweet Corn Gazpacho, and Chef Matt’s Award Winning Crab Soup.

🇬🇷 Cafe Mezzanotte is going Greek! Now thru Sunday (8/25) is Greek Week, featuring Greek-inspired appetizers, main courses, Greek beers, wines, and new Mediterranean cocktails, Plate Breaking 🍽️, Greek Music, and more!

🍕🍺 What goes together better than pizza and beer? You can enjoy both this Saturday at Pherm Brewing’s pop-up collab with Underground Pizza Co. who will be serving pies from 12–7 PM. Prefer a nice red with your pizza? Pherm now serves wine, hard seltzers, and NA beer in the taproom.

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.

NAPTOWN SCOOP WEATHER IS POWERED BY. . .

Friday

80 🌡️ 63 | ☀️ | 4% | 💨 ESE 7 mph (6 knots)

Saturday

82 🌡️ 65 | ⛅ | 6% | 💨 S 9 mph (8 knots)

Sunday

83 🌡️ 68 | 🌤️ | 5% | 💨 S 9 mph (8 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 77ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

SPORTS

Past results

Women's Soccer (1-2)
8/22 vs. Sacred Heart | W 5-3

Men's Soccer (0-1)
8/22 vs. George Mason | L 2-0

Upcoming games & matches

Women's Soccer (1-2)
8/24 vs. FDU | 7 PM

Men's Soccer
8/25 @ Stonehill | Noon

🎙 LISTEN: Talking Navy football and previewing Navy women's soccer

The Anchors Aweigh podcast is back for Season 2! This season’s first episode gives us a preview of the Navy women’s soccer season with an interview from head coach Carin Gabarra and senior Rylee Rives. Pod hosts Pete Medhurst and Bill Wagner also swap observations about Navy football after three weeks of preseason camp. Game #1 against Bucknell is just a week away! Listen here (42 minutes).

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

THANKS!

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with a bus driver.

🍦 Renaissance Festival: Behind the Scenes

Back to school essentials, boat fire, seen any sea turtles...

TOGETHER WITH

SPONSORED BY THE CHOPTANK ANNAPOLIS

Close out summer Maryland-style

THE DIGEST

This week’s major stories

Seen any sea turtles lately?

Fire on the Water — A Crisis Avoided

@NAPTOWNSCOOP

Where were we Wednesday? 📸

LOCAL BUSINESS

Looking ahead: Business Appreciation Week

SPONSORED BY BLOOMSTONE JEWELERS

You’re invited to visit Annapolis’ newest jewelry store!

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

Before the Faire: MDRF Behind-the-Scenes 🎭

Foodie Friday 🍦🦀🍹

NAPTOWN SCOOP WEATHER IS POWERED BY. . .

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

SPORTS

Past results

Upcoming games & matches

🎙 LISTEN: Talking Navy football and previewing Navy women's soccer

THANKS!