🍦Annapolis' illegal cookie problem

Good morning, Annapolis. I burned 3,600 calories in under an hour yesterday. Sounds like the opener of a bad exercise infomercial, but I actually just forgot about the cookies in the oven.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Ryan Sneddon

P.S. Advance happy birthday, Bob Wiggans!

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Selling cookies out of your own kitchen is still technically illegal in Annapolis. Monday night is your chance to say something about it.

The council meets at 7 PM at City Hall (160 Duke of Gloucester Street), and the cottage food bill is the only item with a public hearing. O-15-26 would write “cottage food business” into the zoning code and let one operate out of a home as a home occupation. Maryland has allowed cottage food since 2012. The city never updated its code to match.

🚗 Your driveway, your spot. O-17-26 comes back for a second reader, which is the vote that makes it law. It would let you and your guests park on the street in front of your own driveway, but only where parking is already allowed on both sides. Eastport neighbors pushed back in July, because those gaps are what make the Eastport Shuffle work.

Also up: a final vote on fines for short-term rental violations, two-year contracts for the unions covering city employees, firefighters, and police, and a first look at a task force that would steer the Main Street program during the handoff. Dick Franyo gets a citation for the Boatyard Bar & Grill’s 25th anniversary, too. Public comment runs three minutes a person, and the full agenda is here.

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Team Naptown Scoop Coast 2 Coast 4 ALS progress: $13,273/$20,000

And some other big stories, in case you missed them:

⛽ Royal Farms got conditional Planning Commission approval at Forest Drive and Tyler Avenue. The Commission capped the site at 12 fueling positions instead of 20. Worth noting: this doesn’t mean bulldozers and backhoes are rolling in next week. Among other things, they still need a building permit.

🌮 The county’s 239-page zoning rewrite stalled over food trucks. County Executive Steuart Pittman called it a “housekeeping bill.” District 3 Councilman Nathan Volke disagreed, calling it “substantive policy.” The Council gets back to work on it October 5.

🏖️ The 21st Boatyard Beach Bash raised over $175,000 for the Annapolis Maritime Museum.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎭 Our Town at Colonial Players – Colonial Players stages Thornton Wilder’s portrait of small-town life and whether we appreciate our lives while we’re living them. 8 PM Friday and Saturday, 2 PM Sunday matinee.

🎈🎭 You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown – Compass Rose turns the Peanuts gang loose in a musical at Annapolis Mall. 7:30 PM Friday, 2 and 7:30 PM Saturday, 2 PM Sunday, from $15.

🎈⚔️ Maryland Renaissance Festival – It’s Celtic Celebration weekend at Revel Grove, so expect pipes, fiddles, and step dancing on top of the usual jousting. Saturday and Sunday, 10 AM to 7 PM.

🎈🐮 Anne Arundel County Farmers Market – Produce, meat, dairy, coffee, and baked goods off Riva Road. Free to browse, 7 AM to noon Saturday and 9 AM to noon Sunday.

🌱 Fall Plant Sale – Historic London Town sells native and exotic trees, shrubs, and perennials, all hardy in zone 7, with bagels and coffee to shop by. Free to get in, 9 AM to 2 PM Saturday and Sunday.

🎈🎨 Annapolis Artisans Market – Two warehouses of art, vintage goods, and furniture on Virginia Street, plus the fourth annual chili cook-off with seven artisan recipes you get to judge. Free, 10 AM to 5 PM both days.

🍺 Forward Oktoberfest – Forward’s Märzen-style lager in their first ceramic steins, with brats and kraut from New Roots Farm in Eastport. Saturday 11 AM to 9:30 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 8 PM.

🍽️ Food Truck Fridays – Eight trucks in the county farmers market lot at 275 Harry S. Truman Parkway, with Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in the mix this week. Free to walk in, 4 to 8 PM.

🏒 Navy club hockey vs. Pittsburgh – Fast, physical hockey at McMullen Ice Arena with food and drinks for sale. 7 PM Friday and 5:30 PM Saturday, tickets start at $5.

🎈🌕 Mid-Autumn Moon Festival storytime – Paper lanterns, mooncake samples, and a harvest story for the under-5 crowd at Discoveries in Annapolis Mall. Free, 10:30 to 11:30 AM.

🎈🎺 Oktoberfest for Kids at Garten – Alpine horn demo and a kids’ root beer stein-holding contest at noon in Severna Park. 11 AM to 3 PM.

🎈🥁 36th Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival – Music, dance, food, and kids’ activities celebrating the heritage of the African diaspora, and it drew more than 10,000 people last year. Noon to 7 PM at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

📚 Literacy Council book fair – Paperbacks are $1, hardbacks $2, and $25 fills a tote bag, with the money going to free adult tutoring. Inside Annapolis Mall by Crate & Barrel, 10 AM to 4 PM.

🌕 Full Moon Paddle – Capital SUP hands out vessel lights and takes you out under the moon for 90 minutes, and this is the last rental weekend of their 2026 season. 7 PM, from $35.

🥨 West Annapolis Oktoberfest – The big one. Annapolis Street closes for RAR Brewing’s Chessie’s Wharf beer garden, bites from local restaurants, food trucks, and a vendor row that sold out of spots this year. Free to walk in, 11 AM to 4 PM.

☕ Café Diem: The Annapolis Coffee Crawl – Over 30 coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants are in, espresso martinis count, and the first 50 people to hit 600 points get a hat. Free to join, and it starts Sunday and runs through October 4.

🎈🩰 La Sylphide Storytime at the Paca Garden – Ballet Theatre of Maryland dancers read the story in costume, then stay for photos, a craft, and light refreshments. Space is limited. 1 to 2:30 PM, $25 for adults and $20 for kids.

🎈🌿 Wellsview Weekend Community Market – Artisan vendors outside and wellness practitioners inside on Ridgely Avenue. Free, 11 AM to 3 PM.

🪗 Oktoberfest in the biergarten – Elena plays accordion at Old Stein Inn, the county’s original German restaurant, while the Oktoberfest menu is still on. Edgewater, 2 to 5 PM.

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🎓 Class Act – U.S. News put out its 2027 college rankings this week and as usual, the Naval Academy put on a strong showing. It’s in a five-way tie for third best liberal arts college nationwide and it’s the #1 public liberal arts college. Army’s #2 and Air Force is #3. Just across King George Street, St. John’s came in at #81 for liberal arts, #77 in private schools, and #20 in most innovative.

🚚 Truck Yeah – Dinner is handled tonight. Food Truck Fridays runs 4 to 8 PM in the county farmers market lot at 275 Harry S. Truman Parkway, and this week’s lineup brings Jimmy’s Famous Seafood down from Baltimore alongside MMpanadas, DéjàROUX Creole, Taco Bar, Pasta La Vista Baby, Wanna Pizza This, Sweet Satisfaction Ice Cream, and Funnel Fare. It’s free to walk in, and they do this every Friday through November.

🏆 And the Annie Goes To – The Arts Council hands out its 26th annual Annie Awards on Maryland Hall’s main stage. Annies are the county’s top arts award. This year’s honorees include Annapolis poet laureate Jefferson Holland, former state poet laureate Grace Cavalieri, and seven more. It’s free and there’s a reception after, but you need to RSVP. Monday, October 5 at 5:30 PM.

👶 Baby Steps – Xavier Doty of Edgewater is through to the next round of Baby of the Year, a national contest that pays the winner $25,000 and puts them in an ad campaign for The Honest Company. Xavier turns one next month and he’s sitting first in a group that started with about 45 babies. Voting for the top five runs through October 1, one free vote a day or a dollar each by donation. Vote for Xavier!

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72 🌡️ 61 | 🌤️ | 1% ☔ | 💨 N 17 mph (15 knots)

73 🌡️ 60 | ☀️ | 9% ☔ | 💨 N 18 mph (16 knots)

71 🌡️ 59 | ⛅ | 18% ☔ | 💨 NW 16 mph (14 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 70ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

🌳🎵= Outdoor concert

49 West | Soul Journers Band | 7:30–10:30 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Clint Szafader, Scrumptious | TBA
Annapolis Smokehouse & Tavern | Mac Heat | 8:30 PM
🌳🎵Annapolis Sunset Cruise | Chossen Music Band | 6:30–8 PM | Tickets
Beer Farm | The Wombmates | 5–8 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Dana B | 4 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Mike Sharp Trio | 9 PM
Brian Boru | Mixed Business | 7–10 PM
Captain’s Daughter | TBA | 5–7 PM
The Choptank | Justina Beth-El | TBA
Coconut Joe’s | Back Burners | 5 PM
Galway Bay | Doug Segree | 7–10 PM
Great Frogs | SVV Duo | 5:30–8:30 PM
Killarney House | O’McPub Band | 7:30–10:30 PM
🌳🎵Market Space | Hurricane Kevin | 6–9 PM
Pirates Cove | Pete Best | 7–10 PM
Rams Head Roadhouse | David Sparrow | 8 PM
Rams Head Tavern | Ray Weaver | 4:30 PM
Stan & Joe’s Riverside | Kevin Lee | 4 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Fessup | 9:45 PM

49 West | Charlie Owen & Pocket Change | 7:30–10 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Grey, Mad Planet | TBA
Beer Farm | Michael McHenry | 11 AM–3 PM
Beer Farm | Jason Bishop | 4–7 PM
Blackwall Hitch | American Darling | 9 PM
Brian Boru | Joey Fitz Duo | 7–10 PM
The Choptank | Zac Cantler | TBA
Coconut Joe’s | Greg Seybold | 2 PM
Dark Horse | ilyAIMY | 9 PM
Galway Bay | Ray Weaver | 7–10 PM
🌳🎵Great Frogs | Ray Weaver | 11:30 AM–2:30 PM
🌳🎵Great Frogs | Angie Miller | 4:30–7:30 PM
Killarney House | Nicky Stacy | 7:30–10:30 PM
🌳🎵Market Space | Mike Sharp | 2–6 PM
Pirates Cove | Shaun Gomban | 7–10 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Southern Culture on the Skids w/ Poi Rogers | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Radio Free Baltimore | 9 PM
Rams Head Tavern | Troll Tribe | 5 PM
Stan & Joe’s Riverside | Adam Forbes | 4 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Will Hill Band | 9:45 PM

49 West | Intimate Jazz Series with Alan Dale Trio | 7–9 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Timothy Bracken | 2–6 PM
Beer Farm | Sparks & McCoy | 11 AM–3 PM
Beer Farm | Mike Heuer | 4–7 PM
Brian Boru | Big Brother’s Porch | 4–7 PM
Galway Bay | Richard Hayward | 4–8 PM
🌳🎵Market Space | Adam Forbes | 2–6 PM
Pirates Cove | Anthony Broccolina | 3–6 PM
Rams Head Tavern | Steve & Victoria | 6 PM
Stan & Joe’s Riverside | Joe Hickey | 4 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Shawn Owen | 9 PM

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who gave you a bunch of diapers when your kid was born. Bless those kinds of people.