🍦How we got Holly Beach Farm

Good morning, Annapolis. Airbnb just announced hosts can no longer make you do chores before checkout. So they can ask you to put dishes in the sink, but not wash them. Still won’t win me back. I dumped Airbnb last winter after checking into a cabin with a flying squirrel infestation.

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Ryan Sneddon

Holiday gatherings and family photos will be here before you know it.  If you're considering a little refresh, timing makes all the difference.

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Recovery varies by patient, so planning ahead is key.

Schedule your consultation with Dr. Murthy.

In 1948, the Navy wanted to build an airfield at Sandy Point. That land was owned by the family of a New Orleans lumber businessman named Sylvester Labrot.

Labrot began piecing together the estate in the early 1900s and ended up with nearly 2,000 acres. In 1913, they started selling milk from the farm. And in 1926, they started a horse breeding operation that would become the most successful in Maryland.

Long story short: instead of selling to the Navy, Sylvester’s son William sold what became Sandy Point to the state of Maryland in 1949. He died two months later. The remaining family members continued to sell off the farm until all that was left was the 293 acres now called Holly Beach Farm.

William’s daughter, Leonie Gately, sold that land in 2001 to The Conservation Fund (a national nonprofit dedicated to environmental preservation) for $8 million. It was then deeded to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation which held onto it until a couple years ago when they gave it to the state of Maryland.

And Tuesday, the state announced that it is opening to the public in November. As we wrote yesterday, access will be very limited in the beginning (about 20 people per day). But with less than 10% of the Chesapeake Bay shoreline in public hands, any access is good access.

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Team Naptown Scoop Coast 2 Coast 4 ALS progress: $13,308/$20,000

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

🏛️ The County Council voted 7–0 to kill the zoning code rewrite.

⚖️ An appeals court cleared the way for the Maritime Welcome Center at City Dock.

⛽ The Planning Commission approved nine townhomes for the old gas station at 245 West Street.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎈🏰 Maryland Renaissance Festival – It’s the last weekend of the festival’s 50th season, so this is your final shot at a turkey leg until next August. Saturday and Sunday in Crownsville. Tickets are online only.

🎈🎃 SPCA Trick or Treat Trail & Forest of Fear – The SPCA turns its woods into a twisted fairytale trail with candy, a costume parade, and a doggy pumpkin pie eating contest. Bring the dog (on a leash) Saturday and Sunday afternoon. The after-dark Forest of Fear runs Friday and Saturday night, and monsters will jump out at you. Leave the dog home for that one.

🐮 Annapolis Artisans Market – Local by Design’s October market fills The Warehouse with furniture, art, and gifts from local makers. Saturday brings brats and beer from Pherm Brewing and live music from On Borrowed Time. Sunday has a Halloween pet costume contest.

🎭 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Washington Irving’s ghost story gets a funny, spooky staging at Colonial Players. Friday through Sunday.

🎈🌳 Homestead Gardens Fall Family Weekends – Pony rides, hayrides, pumpkins, barnyard animals, and live music in Davidsonville. Saturday and Sunday. Don’t miss the Critter Crawl on Sunday if your pet’s got a cute costume.

🎈🌾 Annapolis Scarecrow Stroll – Scarecrows go up along Inner West Street for the stroll’s 5th year. It starts Saturday and runs through November 2.

🎈🐑 Sheep Peeping – A guided walk around Hollywood Farm with a stop to meet the sheep and goats up close. Saturday and Sunday.

🐮 Anne Arundel County Farmers Market – Produce, meats, baked goods, and coffee on Riva Road. Saturday and Sunday mornings.

🎈🍔 Food Truck Fridays – A dozen-plus food trucks park in the farmers market lot on Harry S. Truman Parkway.

🎶 Bountiful Harvest: Cocktails & Costumes – The Light House’s biggest fundraiser has an open bar, food, live music, and an auction. Costumes are encouraged.

🎈🎺 Marching Band Formal Parade – The Naval Academy Band leads the Brigade onto Worden Field for Homecoming weekend.

🏈 Navy vs. North Texas – It’s Homecoming at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, and the Mids have won eight straight at home (can’t say the same for the road ☹️). On CBS Sports Network if you can’t make it.

🎶 Porchfest Annapolis – Local musicians play on front porches in Murray Hill as you walk from one "stage" to the next.

🎈📚 Once Upon . . . A Hundred Acre Wood – London Town throws Winnie-the-Pooh a 100th birthday party with crafts and a selfie station in the woodland gardens. Stick around for author Kathryn Aalto’s talk on why Pooh still holds up.

🌳 ECA Eastport Shuffle – A guided 1.5-mile walk through Eastport history, starting at George Washington Davis Park, that ends like all good Eastport adventures: with a drink at Davis’ Pub.

🎈🍬 SHOPTOBERFEST – Severna Park’s shop-local street fair with trick-or-treating, live music, and a kids’ costume contest.

🎤 Comedian Jim Norton – The longtime Opie & Anthony sidekick brings his Stupid Smile tour to Rams Head on Stage. 18+.

🌳 Full Moon Tour – An evening tour of the Hammond-Harwood House on how 19th-century families kept themselves safe after dark.

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🎺 March On – Reminder: the Brigade marches from the Yard to the stadium tomorrow for Navy’s Homecoming game against North Texas. The midshipmen start from Gate 1 downtown at 2:20 PM and head up Main Street, College Avenue, and Rowe Boulevard. Expect rolling road closures. And don’t park on Randall or Main from 11 AM until they pass. Kickoff is 3:30 PM on CBS Sports Network.

⚽ Final Whistle – Today’s your last day to vote on the Annapolis Blues’ 2027 home jersey. There’s a catch though. You gotta be a season ticket holder to vote. The Blues offer men’s, women’s, and combo season ticket options that get you into every home match, a replica of the jersey, and a commemorative scarf. Sign up today and vote for your favorite jersey! I’m still rooting for jersey #7. We’ll share the winner on Monday.

🚵 Trail Mix – Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park is getting about 7 miles of new trail for hikers and mountain bikers, and you can help build it. The Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts have a volunteer workday Sunday at 9 AM. They’ll hand you the tools and show you how to carve singletrack. You’ll provide the elbow grease and a good attitude. No experience needed. One day, these trails will link up with Bacon Ridge and get you halfway to Waterworks Park. Sign up here.

🍎 Head of the Class – Eastport Elementary’s Jim Whisman is one of 11 nominees for AACPS 2027 Principal of the Year. We’ll find out who wins in December. That principal is then up for the Washington Post’s Principal of the Year. But all 11 will be honored in April at the Excellence in Education Awards. Meet the 11.

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60 🌡️ 42 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 NE 12 mph (10 knots)

59 🌡️ 43 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 NE 6 mph (5 knots)

62 🌡️ 44 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 NE 5 mph (4 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 63ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

Residential Rug Care is a local family-run business with over 100 years of rug cleaning history. They clean Oriental, Persian, antique, and other area rugs, remove stains and pet odors, and offer new padding & fringe. Rugs are cleaned at their 20,000-square-foot facility, with free pickup and delivery throughout Anne Arundel County.

🌳🎵= Outdoor concert

49 West | Dracula Jackson | 7:30–10 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Carl Carter, Solid Maybe Music | TBA
Annapolis Smokehouse & Tavern | Fess Up | 8:30 PM
Beer Farm | Michael McHenry | 4–7 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Dana B | 4 PM
Brian Boru | Lost and Found | 7–10 PM
Captain’s Daughter | TBA | 5–7 PM
Coconut Joe’s | Moe Strings | 5–8 PM
The Choptank | Aidan Ewald | TBA
Great Frogs | Russell Jacobsen | 5:30–8:30 PM
Greene Turtle (Edgewater) | Aaron Hawkins | 6 PM
Killarney House | The Langer’s Ball | 7–10 PM
Market House | Adam Forbes | 8–11 PM
Middleton Tavern | Moon Cherry | 10 PM
Mother’s Peninsula Grille | Scott Hymes Band | 8 PM
Pirates Cove | Dave Tieff | 7–10 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Phil Vassar | 6:30 PM | Tickets
Rams Head On Stage | Phil Vassar | 9:30 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Dust on the Bottle | 8 PM
Rams Head Tavern | Steve & Victoria | 4:30 PM
Severna Park Taphouse | George Evans | 7 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Top Dead Center | 9:45 PM

49 West | Shari Puorto Band | 7:30 PM & 9 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Ciaran Quinn, Alana Florio | TBA
Beer Farm | The Jazz Perpetrators | 11 AM–3 PM
Brian Boru | The Loose Cannons | 7–10 PM
The Choptank | Zac Cantler | TBA
Coconut Joe’s | Greg Seybold | 2–5 PM
Coconut Joe’s | My Chemical Bromance | 9 PM
Dark Horse | Bond & Bentley | TBA
🌳🎵Great Frogs | Angie Miller | 11:30 AM–2:30 PM
🌳🎵Great Frogs | Jacob Panic | 4:30–7:30 PM
Homestead Gardens | Joey Fitz and Drea Lynn | 4 PM
Killarney House | Ryan Moran | 7:30–10:30 PM
Middleton Tavern | Tim Kurtzberg Band | 10 PM
Pirates Cove | Lost & Found | 7–10 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Susto (Solo) w/ Daniel Ray Hilsinger | 1 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Michael McHenry Tribe | 9 PM
Rams Head Tavern | George Evans | 5 PM
Severna Park Taphouse | Rock Bottom Blues | 7 PM
Stan & Joe’s Riverside | Miggs | 2:30 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | The Hallowed Truths | 9:45 PM

49 West | Intimate Jazz Series Presents: Midiri Brothers Trio | 7–9 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Kevin Koa | 2–6 PM
Beer Farm | Dan Haas | 11 AM–3 PM
Beer Farm | Devaney Brothers | 4–7 PM
The Boathouse | The Backburners | 3 PM
Brian Boru | Finbar’s Flight | 4–7 PM
Galway Bay | The Drinker & The Scholar | 4–8 PM
🌳🎵Great Frogs | Mike Heuer | 1–4 PM
Pirates Cove | Aidan Ewald | 3–6 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Eric Johanson | 1 PM | Tickets
Rams Head On Stage | Eddie 9V | 8 PM | Tickets
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | Viands & Co | 9 PM

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