🍦The real reason we burn socks

Good morning, Annapolis. Punch the monkey is back in the headlines after finding a girlfriend at the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan. We’re wondering who’s cuter, 🐵 Punch or 🦛 Moo Deng?

In today’s Naptown Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Lauren Burke Meyer, Dylan Roche, & Duffy Perkins

This Women’s History Month, 84 Lumber proudly celebrates the strength, leadership, and impact of women across the building industry and beyond. As a certified National Women’s Business Enterprise, 84 Lumber stands as a testament to what vision, determination, and innovation can build. Owned and led by Maggie Hardy, the company continues to break barriers in the industry while empowering the next generation of female leaders.

Here in Annapolis, Helena Briggs and Johanne Côté are an excellent example of female leadership in the 84 Lumber Kitchen & Bath Design Studio. The two provide a level of service and an eye for design that is truly unmatched.

Visit the Annapolis kitchen & bath showroom at 1690 Balt-Annapolis Boulevard or contact Helena or Johanne at 410-757-4684 to schedule a consultation.

Among the strange traditions you might observe as a Marylander (like putting Old Bay on literally everything), especially if you’re an Annapolitan, is burning your socks every spring. It’s something locals will do this weekend at the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s Oyster Roast, the Annapolis Running Festival’s afterparty, and in their own backyards. But . . . why?

The Annapolis Maritime Museum’s Oyster Roast is sold out for this weekend, but you can still organize your own sock burning. All you need is ✅ a fire pit, ✅ a pair of old socks, and ✅ a beer to toast with (optional but encouraged).

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It’s Restaurant Week for oyster lovers! A new initiative between the Dept. of Agriculture and the Oyster Recovery Partnership has restaurants all over the Bay showcasing oysters with CHOW, or Chesapeake Oyster Week. Between March 20 and 31, both farm-raised and wild-caught oysters will be featured at more than 60 participating restaurants.

CHOW comes on the heels of a tricky oyster season, with watermen being hit with everything from overwhelming ice to underwhelming demand. The initiative will support the industry at a critical time while stimulating oyster restoration efforts around the Bay.

In Annapolis, you might indulge in McGarvey’s oyster stew, Seasalt’s smoked oyster toast, and Carrol’s Creek Cafe’s baked oysters with sweet chili sauce (a dozen other restaurants have similar great offerings). Across the bridge, Harris’s Crab House has a Friday night oyster buffet, while up in Arnold, Donnelly’s Dockside has an all-day Monday happy hour featuring buck-a-shucks. Check out the full list, and celebrate oyster season knowing that your healthy appetite is helping create a healthy Chesapeake Bay, one shuck at a time.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎈 🍽️ Dining Out For Life - Eat at any participating restaurant and they'll donate a percentage of the day's proceeds to Moveable Feast, which provides free medically tailored meals to Marylanders living with serious illnesses. Plus, there’s a raffle for a $500 Osteria 177 gift card.

🎈 🖋️ Maryland Day Poetry Challenge - Jefferson Holland, Poet Laureate of Annapolis, invites poets of all ages and levels to read their original work in honor of Maryland Day.

🎈 🎨 ArtFarm Spring Open House & AND Creative Art Sale - Printmaking, watercolor, cartooning, and blind contour drawing demos. Also: 12 local artists are selling original work — most under $100, nothing over $500. Food truck and bar on site.

🎈 🌳 Healthy Forests Workday - Remove invasive plantsOh ho. at Bacon Ridge Natural Area. Scenic Rivers provides tools and training. Must be 16+ solo or 10+ with an adult.

🎈 ⛪ St. Anne's Maryland Day Tours - Church tours at 1 PM and cemetery tours at 2 PM as part of the Annapolis250 celebration of America's 250th birthday. Also Sunday.

🎈 ⚾ Navy baseball doubleheader - 1 PM & 3:30 PM against Bucknell at Max Bishop Stadium. No tickets required.

🪕 Eastport Oyster Boys 30th Anniversary Concert - EOB celebrate 30 years of music, mirth, and Chesapeake Bay goodwill. Proceeds support Annapolis Musicians For Musicians.

🎈 🩰 Maryland Hall: Performing Arts Fest - Celebrate the reopening of Maryland Hall's dance studios. Rolling demos in ballet, tap, theater, soul line dance, and more, plus performances by Naptown Jazz Kids, Guitars for Change, and others.

🎈 🐮 Anne Arundel County Farmers Market - Local farms, local booze, local soaps, local bakers, and more.

🎈 🐰 Easter Bunny Pet Photos at Sea Dog - The Easter Bunny is visiting Sea Dog Pet Boutique. Photos by Dogs of Annapolis.

🎈 ⚾ Navy baseball vs. Bucknell - 1 PM at Max Bishop Stadium. No tickets needed.

🦪 Chesapeake Oyster Week – More than 50 Shell Recycling Alliance restaurants will feature oyster specials, with a portion supporting oyster restoration. Runs March 20–31.

👼 Colonial Players presents: City of Angels - A smart and stylish film noir musical set in 1940s Hollywood.

🕺 Classic Theatre of Maryland presents: Dancing Through the Decades - A dazzling journey through American music and dance from the 20s to the 80s.

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🍽️ Filling up fast: We are blown away by your response to Dinner Club – 75% of the seats snagged on the first day! Grab yours for the inaugural meeting on April 15 before they’re gone. This isn’t a marketing trick. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. But we do have a waitlist for meeting #2 in May. Past guests and the waitlist will always hear about dinners first.

🏀 CHAMPS: The South River Seahawks won their first-ever state basketball championship on Tuesday. Jonah Hall, Jaden McDuffie, and Jamie Finn combined for 61 of South River’s 67 points.

📚 Two weeks 10 months notice: Longtime AACPL CEO Skip Auld announced his retirement yesterday, effective February 1, 2027. The Board of Trustees has already retained executive search firm June Garcia for a nationwide search.

🛍️ Let’s go to the mall: Annapolis Mall is hosting a celebration on Friday (3/20) from 10 AM to 2 PM to celebrate the grand reopening of the Tesla/Slime Co. wing. Tesla isn’t quite open yet but Slime Co. and Sip & Spin Art are both celebrating their grand openings and Capital Teas, SoleBlock, and Fello (all relatively new tenants) will be on hand for the celebration, too.

🏛️ County Council: Anne Arundel's County Council meets tomorrow night and the agenda is a meaty one. The biggest items: votes on new regional development plans for Crownsville, Millersville, Davidsonville, and a handful of other communities that will shape what gets built — and where — for years to come. Also on the docket, a bill that would allow large-scale battery energy storage facilities in the county, and approval of a nearly 242-acre land gift in Pasadena. Full agenda.

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Easter’s around the corner. Is your home ready for guests, egg hunts, and family photos? Blue Heron Property Services can wash away the dirt, pollen, and winter grime so your house looks bright, clean, and welcoming. Their safe, professional house wash refreshes siding without damage and makes everything feel lighter. Annapolis homeowners trust Blue Heron Property Services for that just-cleaned look. Yours could be next. Get your free estimate today.*

*indicates sponsored advertising content.

49 🌡️ 37 | 🌤️ | 5% | 💨 SSE 10 mph (9 knots)

56 🌡️ 48 | ⛅ | 6% | 💨 SSE 14 mph (12 knots)

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 39ºF
Temperature readings taken from the mouth of the Severn River the night before publication

49 West | Jazz Wire Jam Session | 7:30–10:30 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Noah Pierre | 7–10 PM
Beer Farm | Joey Fitz | 5–8 PM
Brian Boru | Ted Garber | 6–9 PM
Dark Horse | West Street Revival | 8:30 PM
Killarney House | Doug Segree | 6–9 PM
Market House | Keith Grounds | 6–9 PM
Pirates Cove | Jason Bishop | 6–9 PM
The Point | Aidan Ewald | 5–8 PM
Rams Head On Stage | Karla Bonoff w/ Paul Guzzone | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Tavern | Aaron Hawkins | 5 PM
Romilo’s Restaurant and Bar | Tony Streamella Band | 7 PM

49 West | Shari Puorto Band | 8–10 PM
The Admiral’s Cup | Kevin Koa, Jesse Moody | 3:30 PM
Annapolis Smokehouse & Tavern | Timmie Metz | 8:30 PM
Beer Farm | Michael McHenry | 5–8 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Dana B | 4–7 PM
Blackwall Hitch | Bravenoise | 9 PM
Brian Boru | The National Bohemians | 7–10 PM
Captain’s Daughter | TBA | 5–7 PM
The Choptank | Kevin Koa | 8 PM
Killarney House | Suzy & Shaun | 7:30–10:30 PM
Market House | Brandon Freelump and Alex G | 8–11 PM
Middleton Tavern | Fess Up | 10 PM
Old Stein Inn | Alexander Peters | 7–10 PM
Pirates Cove | John Haywood | 7:30–10:30 PM
Rams Head On Stage | End Of The Line | 8 PM | Tickets
Rams Head Roadhouse | Scott Hymes Band | 8 PM
Rams Head Tavern | Special Guest | 9 PM
Romilo’s Restaurant and Bar | Impulse Band | 7 PM
Severna Park Taphouse | George Evans | 8 PM
Stan & Joe’s Saloon | The Leftovers | 9:45 PM
Studio 333 | Meg Murray, Madisun Bailey, Laura Brino, & Carly Winter | 7:30 PM

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