🍦Annapolis wants to buy your next leaf blower

Good morning, Annapolis. Spirit Halloween just announced that after a successful test run last year, it’s nearly quadrupling locations for its newest experiment – Spirit Christmas – with 30 stores. The closest to us are in Waldorf and Christiana, DE and they’ll be opening in November. Although Christiana is already booking Santa photos. . .

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, Duffy Perkins

Homestead Gardens is putting a twist on Halloween with the very first Tractor Treat—rolling into Davidsonville on Thursday, October 16, from 4–7 PM. Forget trunks—our tractors and farm equipment are decked out as candy stops for kids 12 and under. While little ghosts and goblins fill their buckets, parents can kick back with live music, local brews, and tasty bites from food trucks. Add in a costume contest, an antique tractor display, and plenty of fall fun, and you’ve got a family night out that’s anything but ordinary. Tractor Treat supports local agriculture and youth programs—come make history with us!

Monday: Edgewater restaurant listed for sale; business says it’s remaining open
Tuesday: #1 in Top Public Schools
Wednesday: Anne Arundel County launches airport shuttle ✈️
Thursday: Annapolis Vintage Market

The leaves on the trees might be turning red and orange, but down on the ground, residents and businesses in Annapolis are going green thanks to a December 2024 ordinance banning gasoline leaf blowers. Aside from selling your old blower on FB Marketplace (they aren’t banned in Queen Anne’s County), the City of Annapolis and Chesapeake Bay Trust are making it a little easier to pony up for a shiny, new blower with rebates. Here's how it works.

When you switch from gas to electric, you get a check. Individuals get $100 and businesses get up to $1,500. Apply here. Like flouting rules? We will remind you that there’s $100 fine (per blower) for your first offense and $200 for subsequent ones.

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This week is all about Maryland’s official dessert: Smith Island Cake. We’re sharing the best flavors and spots that carry one of the planet’s greatest sweets. Originally baked for watermen heading out to oyster harvests, the thin layers helped keep the cake moist at sea.

🍫 Boatyard Bar & Grill: Famous for crab cakes (and criminally underrated for fish tacos), but don’t miss their 9-layer yellow cake with chocolate fudge frosting. This is the original flavor and IMO the best. It’s made from scratch and imported from Smith Island. No tarriffs on that.

🍋 Lures Bar & Grille: Crownsville’s hidden gem keeps it fresh. Ask your server the flavor of the day — often Lemon, Cookies & Cream, Reese’s Pieces, or Red Velvet.  

🥕Adam’s Taphouse and Grille: The Severna Park restaurant, whose BBQ fumes drift to Annapolis will have a Carrot Cake flavor all weekend. Count it toward your vegetable intake. Other classics? Red Velvet, Cookies & Cream, Reese’s, and Lauren’s second favorite flavor, Coconut.

📦 For our readers from afar, Smith Island Baking Company ships nationwide.

No tricks here, just Mexican treats. Bubbakoo's Burritos is opening at 145 Mitchells Chance Rd in Edgewater on Halloween! No tricks, just treats. Diehard fans have been telling anyone who will listen that Bubbakoo’s is better than Chipotle since the chain started in 2008. Tacos, quesadillas, taco salad, and the famous Chiwawa (a cheesy rice ball of goodness) also fill out their menu. 

City Dock’s favorite ice cream shop recently got a fresh coat of paint and two new signs. And although the one on the right looks very official, take a closer look and you’ll see owner Sveinn Storm’s sense of humor poking through. It’s on brand. Because if you’re gonna own an ice cream shop, you should probably be a pretty fun person.

Images courtesy of Storm Bros. Ice Cream Factory

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.

ALL WEEKEND LONG

Downtown Annapolis | Annapolis Powerboat Show | Water levels might be high downtown but so are stoke levels. This classic Annapolis event presses on come hell or high water | Fri–Sun

FRIDAY

Cape St Claire | Children’s Theatre of Annapolis Fall Festival | Kid-friendly fun with live performances, vendors, and food trucks for the whole family | 5 PM to 9 PM.

Parole | Food Truck Friday | This week’s menu features tacos and BBQ, donuts and crabcakes | 4 PM to 7:30 PM.

SATURDAY

Edgewater | Fall Plant Sale | Historic London Town and Gardens has some of the best gardens around - and makes them available for you to bring home | 8 AM (Members only), 9 AM to 1 PM (General public).

Parole | Barktoberfest | Bavarian food, German beer, and a doggy costume contest | 10:30 AM to 6 PM.

Galesville | Pirates Cove “A Decade on Deck” Celebration | Close out summer with fresh oysters, cold drinks, and more at this great dock party | 11 AM to close.

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Navy vs. Air Force Football | There are still decent tickets available at reasonable prices, and the forecast looks phenomenal | Noon kickoff.

OPEN MARKETS

Crownsville | Fall Field Market at Wildberry | After last week’s weather kept us home, we’re looking forward to all things Wildberry this weekend | Saturday, 9 AM to Noon.

Severna Park | SP Farmer’s Market | October’s veggies along with artisan bread, fall-inspired creations, and so much more | Saturday, 8 AM to Noon.

Lothian | Honey’s Harvest Farm | More than 30 vendors are signed up for this lovely barn market | Sunday, 11 AM to 3 PM.

Parole | Annapolis Vintage Market | This funky corner of Annapolis has become our favorite place to spend an afternoon thrifting | Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM.

Downtown Annapolis | First Sunday Arts Festival | More than 150 vendors close down West Street for this great, monthly event. Last Sunday is in November (next month!) | Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM.

Parole | Anne Arundel Farmer’s Market | All the fresh produce in season make this our favorite place to spend a weekend morning | Saturday, 7 AM to Noon; Sunday, 9 AM to Noon.

Big boats aren’t the only big stuff showing up downtown: the Great Annapolis Pumpkins, which range in size from 600 to 1,500 pounds, will be delivered around town via forklift starting Monday (10/6). The pumpkins will sit undisturbed until October 24, when artists will carve them into incredible jack-o-lanterns. All pumpkins will be placed within a short distance of each other, and the Downtown Partnership is encouraging visitors to share their pictures on social media with the tag #GreatAnnapolisPumpkins. Just please don’t climb up on them. If they get damaged, they will start to rot. A 1,500-pound rotting pumpkin affects us all. For locations and more, click here.

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.

The County Council will meet for its regular meeting on Monday at 7 PM at the Arundel Center (44 Calvert Street, Annapolis), and this month’s agenda includes ordinances concerning floodplain/stormwater management, animal rescue licenses, carwash licenses, public campaign financing, and sidewalk snow removal, among others. See the full agenda for details on all legislation. There will also be another meeting on October 20 at 7 PM. You can submit written testimony online or sign up to speak at a public hearing here, and watch the livestream of the meeting online.

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69 🌡️ 55 | ⛅ | 13% | 💨 SSE 6 mph (5 knots)

75 🌡️ 57 | ☀️ | 15% | 💨 SSW 6 mph (5 knots)

76 🌡️ 60 | ☀️ | 8% | 💨 S 7 mph (6 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 72ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

49 West | The Solid Sender Trio | 7:30–10:30 PM
49 West | First Fridays w/ Tom Mitchell- Blue Rhythm Boys | 8–10 PM
Annapolis Smokehouse & Tavern | After Five Funhouse | 8:30 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Dana B | 4–7 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Michael McHenry Tribe | 9–12 PM
Captain’s Daughter | TBA | 5–7 PM
The Choptank | J Time Acoustic | 8 PM
Coconut Joe’s | Dave Tieff | 5–8 PM
Coconut Joe’s | Sister Midnight | 9 PM
Galway Bay | Richard Hayward | 7–10 PM
Great Frogs | Katie Fisher | 5:30–8:30 PM
Killarney House | The Backburners | 7:30–10:30 PM
Libbey’s Coastal Kitchen | Chris Sacks | 5–8 PM
The Lodge | Brandon Capo | 8–11 PM
Market House | SVV Duo | 6:30–9:30 PM
Market Space | Hurricane Kevin | 6–9 PM
Mother’s Peninsula Grille | Brody Wingate | 5–8 PM
Old Stein Inn | Frank "Elvis" Raines in the Biergarten | 7–10 PM
Pirates Cove | Viands & Co. | 7–10 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Greg Hawkes w/ Eddie Japan | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Tavern | Bob Quinlan | 5 PM
Romilo’s Restaurant and Bar | The Shore thing | 7 PM
Severna Park Taphouse | Ryan Keith | 6 PM
Stan & Joe’s Riverside | Kevin Lee | 3–7 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Tommy McGee Band | 9:45 PM

Blackwall Hitch | HoneyDu | 9 PM
Bread and Butter Kitchen | Daphne Eckman | 10 AM–1 PM
Brian Boru | Lost and Found | 7–10 PM
The Choptank | Jon Watkins | 8 PM
Coconut Joe’s | Mike Miller | 2–5 PM
Coconut Joe’s | The Availables | 9 PM
Dark Horse | Bond & Bentley | 9 PM
First Sunday Arts Festival | See lineup | 11:30 AM–5 PM
Great Frogs | Carly Winter | 1:30–4:30 PM
Killarney House | Ciaran Quinn | 7:30–10:30 PM
Market Space | Mike Sharp | 2–6 PM
Mother’s Peninsula Grille | KBR | 8 PM
Pirates Cove | Pete Best | 3 PM
Pirates Cove | Kurt Gibbons | 7–10 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Lori McKenna w/ Twinnie | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Bodkin Creek | 9 PM
Rams Head Tavern | The Freebyrds | 5 PM
Romilo’s Restaurant and Bar | Epptones | 7 PM
Severna Park Taphouse | Controlled Chais | 3 PM
Stan & Joe’s Riverside | Ben Heemstra | 3–7 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Honey Sol | 9:45 PM

Brian Boru | Finbar's Flight | 4–7 PM
Galway Bay | Brendan Pelan | 4–8 PM
Great Frogs | Jennifer Schimpf | 5–8 PM
Market House | Haley Singing Haley Opal | 5–7 PM
Market Space | David Andrew Smith | 2–6 PM
Old Stein Inn | Don Bitterlich on The Accordion | 2–6 PM
Pirates Cove | Alex Lee | 3–6 PM
Rams Head On Stage | The Australian Bee Gees Show | 5 PM | Tickets
Rams Head On Stage | The Australian Bee Gees Show | 8 PM | Tickets
Stan & Joe’s Riverside | Adam Forbes | 3–7 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Michael K | 9 PM

Baseball 
10/5 vs. Air Force | 11 AM

Football (4-0)
10/4 vs. Air Force | 12 Noon

Men's Rugby (3-0)
10/4 vs. Life | 10 AM

Women's Soccer (8-4-1)
10/5 @ Holy Cross | Noon

Men's Soccer (3-4-4)
10/4 @ Colgate | Noon

Women's Volleyball (5-8)
10/3 @ Lehigh | 7 PM
10/4 @ Lafayette | 6 PM

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