🍦Blast from the past: Bay Ridge resorts

Good morning, Annapolis. On this late August morning, summer’s fun finally comes to rest. Backpacks replace beach bags, pencil shavings replace sunscreen, and a quiet buzz returns to our neighborhood – hopeful, nervous, wonderful. Today we embark on a new school year where every bell is a new opportunity and every classroom a fresh start. So take a breath, snap the first-day photo, and wave to the yellow caravans rolling by. School is in session and fall is on the way.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, & Duffy Perkins

With kids back in school and routines settling in, now is the perfect time to give yourself the attention you’ve been putting off. Fall and winter are ideal seasons for facial procedures. Cooler weather and less travel mean you can recover more comfortably at home and step into the new year looking refreshed. By the time spring arrives, you’ll be ready to reveal results that look natural and feel like the best version of you.

At Murthy Facial Plastic Surgery, Dr. Namita Murthy — a double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon — combines more than a decade of surgical training with a natural aesthetic to create subtle, refined outcomes. She offers thoughtful, unrushed consultations, a personalized treatment plan, and direct access to your physician through a HIPAA-compliant platform.

This season, make time for yourself. Schedule your consultation with Dr. Murthy today and take the first step toward a more confident you.

On a little peninsula surrounded by the Severn River, Chesapeake Bay, and Lake Ogleton, the community of Bay Ridge doesn’t exactly feel like a resort. At least, not today. Although it does seem like a mighty nice place to live. But if you visited almost 100 years ago, what’s now a year-round community was known as the Bay Ridge Beach and Inn.

Beach resorts along the Chesapeake Bay used to be all the rage — after all, in the days before air travel made international travel relatively accessible, and the Bay Bridge hadn’t even been built to give people an easy route to go downy ocean, the best bet for a Baltimore or DC resident to enjoy a waterside vacay was at a resort along the Chesapeake.

Bay Ridge was a pretty popular one. It opened in the late 19th century, and guests would arrive by train or even by boat to stay at the waterfront accommodations or dine at the restaurant which apparently sat 1,600 people.

While the original Bay Ridge resort was built in the Victorian style, it suffered financially, eventually closing after major fire. The Bay Ridge Beach and Inn opened nearby in 1915. Gloryanne Sandrey, whose parents owned the resort at the time, said her mom brought palmetto fronds and coconuts back from winters in Florida, changing Bay Ridge’s Victorian style to a “tropical dream-like place to escape to.” Hence, it earned the nickname Tahiti on the Chesapeake.

So what happened to the resort? Chesapeake Bay resorts got less popular with the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Sandy Point State Park. Eventually, Bay Ridge closed down and developers subdivided the land to build summer cottages, and those summer cottages gave way to year-round residences more prominently throughout the 20th century. Bayside resorts as a vacation option declined in popularity as well. But today, Bay Ridge is a tight-knit community, with some families living on the same property for multiple generations.

The Anne Arundel Police Department recently announced a significant drop in crime statistics. Homicides are down 14% and non-contact shootings are down 42%, while carjackings are down 57% and robberies down 50%. Vehicular thefts have also fallen, including a 28% drop in stolen autos and a 27% reduction in thefts from vehicles. The AAPD attributed these numbers to the use of Real-Time Information Center, a database that serves as a virtual partner in providing critical information in real-time. Also helpful is the Connect Anne Arundel program, which allows residents and business owners to connect their private security cameras with the police department. When a crime is reported, police can access video footage from a wider area and much faster than previously.

40 years ago on Friday, Paul Reed Smith finished building his first guitar in his original Annapolis factory. Fast forward to today and PRS Guitars are favorites of John Mayer and Carlos Santana (who have their own custom models) as well as Ed Sheeran, Linkin Park, and so many more. The factory has since moved just across the bridge to Queen Anne’s County where PRS Guitars is the largest private, full-time employer but Paul still calls Annapolis home. He can be found fairly regularly playing at Rams Head On Stage with his band, Eightlock.

In honor of this fantastic journey, Governor Wes Moore declared August 22, 2025 Paul Reed Smith Day across Maryland. Congratulations, Paul and all 500+ employees of PRS Guitars!

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Just because school’s back, doesn’t mean the fun’s over. The winter clothes aren’t out of storage yet.

Monday, August 25

West Annapolis | Peake Social Run Club | Runners take their mark at Chessie’s Wharf and run over the Naval Academy Bridge and back. Savor discounted post-run brews and Always Ice Cream. | 6:30–7:10 PM

Tuesday, August 26

Back Creek | Final Tunesday concert | Enjoy live music from Brandon Hardesty aboard a floating stage. | 6–8:30 PM

Wednesday, August 27

Downtown | Dinner Under the Stars | Al fresco dining in the middle of West Street | 6–10 PM

Eastport | Forward Run Club | Fact: runners run faster with the promise of beers at the finish line. Meets every Wednesday. Just show up. | 6 PM

Saturday, August 30

Admiral Heights | Navy football home opener | Don your blue and gold because the Mids host VMI in the first game of the season. | Noon kickoff

Arts District | Rock and Roam | Rock out with fashion shows, wine tastings, and travel tips. | 2–5 PM

Crownsville | Renn Fest | Single tickets are still available for Saturday (8/30) and Sunday (8/31). Visit while the temps and crowds are reasonable. | 10 AM

Sunday, August 31

Hillsmere | Pops in the Park | Pack a picnic dinner and blanket. Then catch a free concert at Quiet Waters Park from the Annapolis Symphony. | 5:30 PM

Since 2009, new school years in Anne Arundel County have coincided with Cash for Schools at K&B Ace Hardware (formerly K&B True Value). It’s simple. All you have to do is shop at K&B like normal. At checkout, you can elect to donate a small amount to a designated school. K&B and its partners The Choptank, Ledo Pizza, Evolve Direct Primary Care, and Eye on Annapolis will match the donation 100%. And the schools will get the funds to do with whatever they please.

The goal is to raise $30,000 which will beat last year’s total of $28,217. The fundraiser starts today and runs through September 15. 912 Forest Drive.

The two-week countdown is on for Colonial Players’ 77th season of theater, themed “Time and Transformation.” It’s a season all about exploring the effect of time on both individuals and societies, and it starts with Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, opening Sept. 5 and running through Sept. 27. This witty comedy deals with a rising politician trying to hide a shameful past. The season then continues with:

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Oct. 24-Nov. 15

A Christmas Carol, Dec. 3-14

Other Desert Cities, Jan. 9-31

City of Angels, Feb. 27-March 28

Poor Clare, April 24-May 16

Get details on each show and order tickets.

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.

Sailors love rum. Annapolis is full of sailors. Put the two together and you’ve got the Rum Runners Cruise aboard the historic skipjack, Wilma Lee! Step aboard for an evening of Lyon Rum tastings, sunset views, and riveting stories of Prohibition-era captains and rum runners who defied the law to keep spirits alive. Raise a glass and toast Eastport’s rum-soaked, seafaring past on the Chesapeake.
21+ | August 28 & October 2 | Eastport Departure*

*indicates sponsored advertising content.

82 🌡️ 64 | 🌤️ | 15% | 💨 WNW 11 mph (10 knots)

79 🌡️ 62 | 🌤️ | 3% | 💨 WNW 8 mph (7 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 78ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

🌳 🎵 = Outdoor Concert

49 West | Rehaash | 7:30–10:30 PM

49 West | Hot Funyuns | 7:30–10:30 PM
Captain’s Daughter | TBA | 5–7 PM
🌳🎵Chronic Sailing’s Tunesday | Brandon Hardesty | 6–8:30 PM
Middleton Tavern | Annapolis Songwriters Showcase | 6–9 PM
The Point | Kavoossi | 5–8 PM
Pirates Cove | Soren Mattson of Mr. VCR | 6–9 PM
Rams Head Roadhouse | Dust On The Bottle | 6 PM

Women's Soccer (3-1)
8/24 vs. Delaware | L 1-0

Women's Soccer (3-1)
8/26 vs. Marywood University | 4 PM

Men's Soccer (0-0-1)
8/25 vs. William & Mary | 7 PM

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Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who went to New York City for a wedding this summer and still hasn’t stopped raving the pizza.