🍦DICK’S House of Sport reveals opening date

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Annapolis. Why is it that every week when it's time to plan meals and make the grocery list, I suddenly forget everything I like to eat and also how to cook? Also, that's two food-themed intros in a row. Can you tell I write these around dinnertime?

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Making millions building backyard pickleball courts
Downtown parking prices
Preserve at Eisenhower clubhouse

Let’s get to it.

— Ryan Sneddon

Looking for the Harbor Hills lifestyle? Here's your chance.

One of Davidsonville's most desirable waterfront communities has an exceptional opportunity available.

3484 Olympia Road, is a beautifully updated home with a renovated chef's kitchen, a resort-style pool, and a lighted sport court. Beyond the home, Harbor Hills offers residents a private marina, boat ramp, sandy beach, community pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, waterfront pavilion, and more.

Stop by this weekend and experience it for yourself:

Open House:

Saturday, August 1 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sunday, August 2 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

3484 Olympia Road | Davidsonville
Now Offered at $1,599,000

Connect with the Brad Kappel Team for your private tour.

RATE EXPECTATIONS

City Council meeting recap 🏛️

Let’s talk about Annapolis’ favorite thing to complain about: ~~Atlas Restaurant Group~~ Parking. Downtown rates went up Monday night, effective immediately.

A day at the Mills-Hillman Garage now runs $25.50, up from $23.25. One hour goes from $3 to $3.50, two hours from $6 to $7, three hours stays $11.75, and four hours nudges up from $17 to $17.25.
Downtown meters climb to $4 an hour from April through October, then drop back to $3 from November through March. Meters outside downtown stay $2.

The vote was 6–1. Ward 2 Alderwoman Karma O’Neill was the lone no, saying she wanted better data on why prices were rising. Ward 3 Alderman Keanuú Smith-Brown abstained.

The ~~kids~~ trees are alright. The council voted unanimously to update the city’s forest conservation rules to match a new state law while keeping the stricter local rules in place. City tree canopy sits at 43%; the goal is 50% by 2050.
To annex or not to annex. Aldermen took a first look at annexing 5.4 acres into the city – the old C&C Liquors lot Lidl bought for a grocery store it never built. A potential buyer’s plan started at 49 townhomes, dropped to 39 after the Planning Commission called it too dense, and sets aside 15% as moderately priced units.

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

📆 Events calendar

📣 Submit an event

🪣 Summer Bucket List

🏈 Navy football game day guide

🏕 2026 Summer Camp Guide

🎸 2026 Outdoor Concerts Guide

📣 Advertise in Naptown Scoop

🐶 Dog-friendly Restaurants

Team Naptown Scoop Coast 2 Coast 4 ALS progress: $12,923/$20,000

🚴 SUPPORT TEAM NAPTOWN SCOOP🍦

MONEY IN THE KITCHEN

Two Annapolis guys are making millions building pickleball courts 🏓

A backyard pickleball court overlooking water in Annapolis

Photo: Back Creek Builders

Jason Gelblum and Eric Young met on a pickleball court, which is now the least surprising fact about their company.

They competed in tournaments around the country, got tired of hunting for an open public court, and built one in Young’s backyard. That was 2023. It became Back Creek Builders, a construction firm that booked $50,000 with two employees in year one.

Now it’s on pace for millions in annual revenue, the Baltimore Business Journal reports. The client list started with backyard courts for well-off Annapolitans and grew into developers and apartment complexes. The biggest job yet: 10 multi-use courts for a developer in Frederick.

The sales pitch: both founders come out of real estate and construction management, and they’ve played on enough badly built courts to know exactly what to avoid. Pro tip: whenever you lose a volley on an easy dink, blame the court.

So if you’ve wondered who’s responsible for that pop-pop-pop coming from three yards over, now you know.

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

JUST FOR FUN

🐾 Dog of the Week: Baaghi

SPCA

Meet Baaghi, a nearly 80-pound Coonhound mix who has been at the SPCA of Anne Arundel County since January 30, when his family had to move.

His old people said he loves two-ball fetch with tennis balls and burrowing into a fluffy bed with a blanket. His volunteer friends put it better: “Baaghi is a sweet soul! He looks deep into your eyes and leans in for a hug, but is also ready to play and be frisky!”

His favorite thing at the shelter is chasing the big red Jolly Ball around the play yard, and in true hound fashion he announces it to the entire building.

The fine print: he walks well on a leash but wants a strong handler. And he’d do well in a house with no young kids (12+ please) because of his size, strength, and “houndy” quirks. Also, no cats. The SPCA says he’s carrying a few extra pounds – trim him down and you’ve got a hiking partner for years.

Six months is a long time to wait for a couch. Go meet him.

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

In other news. . .

🧗 House Party – DICK’S House of Sport has an opening date! The experiential DICK’S is opening at Annapolis Mall the weekend of August 14–16. And it’s bringing the best celebrities to the mall since Chad Michael Murray came in February 2024. Ravens legend and Hall of Famer Ed Reed’s cutting the ribbon that Friday at 9 AM. And future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry will swing by on Sunday (noon to 1:30 PM). The 153,000-square-foot store has a rock-climbing wall, golf simulators, and batting cages i.e. your kids will never want to leave.

⛳ Clubhouse Sandwich – Construction is underway on a new $20 million clubhouse at the county-owned Preserve at Eisenhower golf course in Crownsville. It won’t fix your slice. But it will have a pro shop, bar and grille, event space, and more parking. The course is open throughout the build, which has a targeted completion date of December. See renderings.

🎓 Final Exam – County students improved in nine of 16 reported areas on state test results released Tuesday, and beat Maryland’s average in every area but one. Overall math proficiency ticked up half a point to 29.3%, ahead of the state’s 27.1%. The biggest gains came in fifth-grade science (up 6.6 points) and Algebra I (up 4.3). The steepest drop was sixth-grade reading, down 2.1. It was the last MCAP ever; a new state test called MSTAR starts this fall.

🪢 Pull Date – Save the date: the Maritime Republic of Eastport says its “Slaughter Across the Water” tug-of-war is back Saturday, November 7. That’s the whole announcement so far – teams, heats, and this year’s location come later. Eastport took the trophy 4–3 last year, snapping a three-year Annapolis winning streak. Likely due to home field advantage. Instead of tugging across Spa Creek last year, everything happened on Second Street because of City Dock construction. We expect a similar situation this year.

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

WEATHER

Wednesday

85 🌡️ 70 | 🌤️ | 12% ☔ | 💨 NW 14 mph (12 knots)

Thursday

84 🌡️ 70 | ⛈️ | 18% ☔ | 💨 NW 14 mph (12 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 80ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

🌳🎵= Outdoor concert

Wednesday

Thursday

THANKS!

Thanks for reading Naptown Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who has a sport court in their backyard.

🍦DICK’S House of Sport reveals opening date

TOGETHER WITH

SPONSORED BY BRAD KAPPEL
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
TTR SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE