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🍦Renn Fest sold 134,000 tickets in one day

🍦Renn Fest sold 134,000 tickets in one day

West Annapolis Oktoberfest Vendors, Lunch Specials, Tax-Free week...

Naptown Scoop
August 08, 2025

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Annapolis. The weather forecast calls for sunny skies here and the beach this weekend. Translation: pack snacks if you’re crossing the Bay Bridge in either direction.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

West Annapolis Oktoberfest Vendors
Lunch Specials
Tax-Free week

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, & Duffy Perkins

From Sail to Stay

Some homes aren’t just bought, they’re quietly dreamed of season after season.

For one family, weekends were spent sailing from Rock Hall to Annapolis with their young daughter. Season after season, they’d walk this Eastport street always passing by the same little cottage.

Nearly two decades later, they returned not just to visit, but to stay. With RAM’s help, they transformed that well-loved cottage into a home ready for its next chapter. Rotted wood was replaced. Windows, siding, and roofing refreshed. The deck, walkway, and every interior detail rebuilt with care and creativity honoring the charm that first caught their eye.

This wasn’t just a renovation, it was about supporting a dream finally actualized.

RAM Construction is honored to be part of their story—and sending heartfelt congratulations to their daughter, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy this year.

THE DIGEST

The biggest stories we covered this week

🥒 Pickleball franchise Dill Dinkers is coming to the old Kmart in Edgewater. Luckily this is indoors so no constant thwock … thwock … thwock for the neighbors.

⚓ The Senate confirmed USNA’s new superintendent, Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, the first Marine to hold the role.

🚁 Anne Arundel County PD is expanding its drone program which has mostly been limited to auto crash investigations.

🛥️ The NTSB released its report revealing why the 122-foot superyacht LoveBug sank in the West River last summer. Two watertight doors were left open so they were not, in fact, watertight.

Most clicked stories of the week 🏆

Monday: RennFest single-day tickets go on sale TODAY!
Tuesday: “Look, Mom! I survived Plebe Summer!”
Wednesday: Graze Craze is Coming to Annapolis
Thursday: Renn Fest Tickets Are Going Fast

Old Goats still have plenty of tricks

Bill Wagner has a great story in the Capital about the Old Goats, a team of former Navy lacrosse players from around the country who get together and play in tournaments, mentor younger Navy lacrosse athletes, and help fundraise. The team was conceived in 1991, but won their last tournament in 2000. Over the next 20 years, participation dropped off and leadership changed hands multiple times. But in 2022, when former Navy lacrosse player Syd Abernethy took over as director (shepherd?) of the Old Goats, the team got a second wind. At this year’s Vail Shootout in Colorado, the Navy Old Goats won the Supermasters (40-plus) division with three wins and zero losses. Abernethy also had a team competing in the 60-plus (runners-up!), where he joined the team as a player-coach. Sounds like there’s some recruitment happening, if you happen to know a former Navy lacrosse player who wants to get back in on the action. ($)

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

LOCAL BUSINESS

Who’s replacing Agave in West Annapolis? 🇮🇹

Agave said adiós to 106 Annapolis Street very suddenly in February after about 2 years open. And yesterday, its replacement was revealed in the form of a new Facebook page for an Italian restaurant called Positano, owned by well-known restaurateur Brian Hovermale. Positano promises “handcrafted pasta, wood-fired pizza, and a cozy atmosphere.”

Construction plans submitted to the city only show one major change from Agave’s layout. The main entrance and work area will be converted into a pizza kitchen. Stay tuned for more on this story.

Tax-Free week 💸

In less than two days, you can shop 'til you drop without paying tax. We’re talking about Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, starting August 10 at 12:01 AM and running until August 16 at 11:59 PM. Items that qualify:

👗Clothing: sweaters, shirts, pants, and dresses
👟Footwear: shoes and boots
🩲Misc.: robes, belts, and underwear
🎒Bags: bookbags/backpacks

Clothes and shoes under $100 are tax-free — and so is the first $40 of a backpack or bookbag. Buy as many qualifying items as you want (like two $60 sweaters), and they’re all exempt. Wondering what kind of stores are open at 12:01 AM on August 10? Online stores, that’s who. Online purchases paid and delivered during tax-free week are tax-exempt, too.

Foodie Friday: Lunch Specials 🍣🥪🥗

“Hungry for a bargain” Lauren is back. 💁‍♀️ Lunch often feels like the middle child of meals — stuck between breakfast’s morning glory and supper’s spotlight. But not with these midday munchie steals. It’s lunch money well spent.

YAMA’s $11.25 lunch box: Soup, green salad, and two sushi rolls. Monday–Saturday, 11 AM to 2:30 PM. (Lauren’s picks: Crazy Volcano Roll + Philly Roll.)
The Italian Market $9 Lunch: Italian Sub, Penne all Napoletana, or Greek Salad. Monday–Friday, 11 AM–3 PM.
Miller Ale House Daily Lunch Specials start at $9.99. Kids eat free with any adult meal purchase on Tuesday.
The Federal House Pick Two for $19.99: Choose any two — soup, salad, or sandwich. Cream of Crab Soup + Fried Green Tomato BLT is a no-brainer.

Annapolis ghost tour operators face legal action, increased rule enforcement

A local ghost tour operator has asked City Council to consider new rules and enforcement for ghost tour operators. Currently there are two tour groups in the city: Annapolis Ghost Tours & Crawls, which has been locally-run for the last 23 years, and US Ghost Tours, a national chain that opened an Annapolis franchise in 2024. The two groups have been mired in spirited legal action involving similar branding, intellectual property, and defamation ever since. Ward One Alderman Harry Huntley is considering rewriting city legislation to create ground rules for groups operating within the city’s confined (and haunted) spaces. City Council is on recess until September, but the proposed new rules would create a mechanism by which tour operators could lose their licenses if certain business etiquette standards were not followed. ($)

Vendors wanted: West Annapolis Oktoberfest 🍻

Cooler temps recently might’ve tricked you into thinking fall is nigh — and while the heat is definitely coming back, fall will be here before you know it. Case in point: West Annapolis Oktoberfest is looking for vendors for the September 28 celebration. The family-friendly event is free and if history is any indication, it’ll draw a huge (hungry and thirsty) crowd. Apply to be a vendor.

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’

What We’re Up To This Weekend 📆

FRIDAY

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

SATURDAY

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

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

SUNDAY

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

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

Told ya Renn Fest tickets were a hot commodity

How fast would you get tickets if we told you the Renn Fest sold 135,000 tickets on the first day of sales (which was Monday)? The website limits buyers to 100 at a time so prospective Revel Grove-goers spent hours in the digital waiting room. And even though reselling tickets is prohibited, of course they’re already on StubHub for 6–7 times face value. But worry not, fair Scoop readers! Not every day is sold out yet. Although every Saturday in October is.

So at the risk of sounding like a town crier screaming the same thing over and over into the abyss, if you want to go to the Renaissance Festival (August 23–October 19), please buy your tickets now. And don’t buy them from StubHub. ($)

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

Friday

80 🌡️ 66 | 🌤️ | 6% | 💨 ENE 10 mph (9 knots)

Saturday

80 🌡️ 66 | ☀️ | 6% | 💨 ENE 7 mph (6 knots)

Sunday

83 🌡️ 69 | 🌤️ | 7% | 💨 ESE 6 mph (5 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 79ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

🌳🎵 = Outdoor Concert

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

THANKS!

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with your friend whose favorite hobby is driving through Bay Ridge while searching every house’s price history on Zillow. Dream on, friend…

🍦Renn Fest sold 134,000 tickets in one day

West Annapolis Oktoberfest Vendors, Lunch Specials, Tax-Free week...

TOGETHER WITH

SPONSORED BY RAM CONSTRUCTION

From Sail to Stay

THE DIGEST

The biggest stories we covered this week

Most clicked stories of the week 🏆

Old Goats still have plenty of tricks

LOCAL BUSINESS

Who’s replacing Agave in West Annapolis? 🇮🇹

Tax-Free week 💸

Foodie Friday: Lunch Specials 🍣🥪🥗

Annapolis ghost tour operators face legal action, increased rule enforcement

Vendors wanted: West Annapolis Oktoberfest 🍻

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

What We’re Up To This Weekend 📆

Told ya Renn Fest tickets were a hot commodity

WEATHER

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

THANKS!