🍦Columbia native makes SNL history

Good morning, Columbia. Luna Cat Collective in Ellicott City, HoCo’s first cat café, turned one last month. In its first year, 110 cats found new families. That’s a lot of people who thought they were “just looking” and walked out with a new cat. Most of the current crew are six-month-old bonded pairs, so good luck leaving with just one.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

Saturday Night Live is 52 seasons old. Last Saturday, a guy from Columbia became the first internet content creator to host it.

Drew Desbordes, known as Druski, was born right here in 1994 and grew up outside Atlanta. He got famous for skits on Instagram and YouTube, like his “Coulda Been Records” series. Now he has a Netflix deal and a movie with Emma Stone on the way. The Strokes were his musical guest.

Stone popped into his monologue, too. And so did his folks. When he asked them how he could ever repay them, his grandmother shot back with: “Some money.” Maybe that’s where he gets his sense of humor.

📺 Missed it? NBC posted the monologue and every sketch. Start with “Dru Can See Everything,” the Elizabeth Holmes parody Vulture called the high point of the night.

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The old Great Room at Savage Mill has a new name, a new look, and a grand opening Sunday. And no, you don’t need a ring to get in.

Savelle Weddings & Events opens to the public from 2 to 5 PM. The main space is The Foundry Room. It’s 3,800 square feet featuring the mill’s iconic arched windows, white brick walls, and polished concrete floors. It’s basically the background of every trendy wedding on TikTok right now. Out back, The River Deck overlooks the Little Patuxent River for ceremonies and cocktail hours.

Owner April Rowe used to teach math before switching to event planning. Now she handles seating charts, which might actually be harder. She also runs Arrow Bella Weddings so she can host and plan the whole shebang. When she signed the lease last November, she told us to expect an opening in late 2026. Right on schedule. We’d expect nothing else from a wedding planner.

💍 Getting married soon? Sunday’s your chance to walk the space without booking a formal tour. Here are the details.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎈🎭 White Christmas at Toby’s – Irving Berlin’s holiday musical fills Toby’s dinner theater with doors at 6 PM, and it runs through January 10.

📚 Wilde Readings – Local authors Will Cole and Linda Kay Klein read at Queen Takes Book at 7 PM, with an open mic after.

🎄 Decking the Halls with Natural Materials – Master Gardeners show how to turn winter greens and grocery-store finds into holiday decor at the Elkridge Branch at 6:30 PM. Register first.

🇺🇸 Veterans Day Closings – County offices, 50+ centers, and every library branch close for Veterans Day, but HCPSS schools stay open and trash pickup runs as normal. County parks and Robinson Nature Center are open too.

🍽️ Veterans Day Free Meals – Plenty of national chains give veterans and active-duty troops a free meal with ID. Check the VA’s list before you head out.

🎨 Art Maryland 2026 Reception – The Howard County Arts Council names the winners of its biennial juried show at a reception in Ellicott City from 6 to 8 PM. The night also celebrates By A Thread, a fiber show in the next gallery.

🦃 Thanksgiving Centerpiece Workshop – The Longfellow Garden Club helps you make two centerpieces at the Hawthorn Center from noon to 2:30 PM, one for your table and one for a local senior home.

🎭 SubBourbon Improv – The troupe plays “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”-style games at HomeSlyce Pizza Bar at 7 PM.

🐈‍⬛ History of Superstitions – It’s Friday the 13th, so the Museum of Howard County History digs into black cats, ladders, and knocking on wood at 7 PM. Reserve your spot.

👻 Ghost Tours at Savage Mill – Guides lead you through the old mill’s corridors and the ghost stories that come with them Friday from 7 to 9 PM and Saturday at 8 PM.

🎭 Into the Woods – CCBC Catonsville stages Sondheim’s fairy-tale musical Friday and Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday at 3 PM.

🎈🍂 Harvest Moon Hayride – Laurel runs hayrides along the Patuxent River at Riverfront Park from 6 to 9 PM, with drinks, snacks, and games.

🎈🦙 Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival – Pet the alpacas and shop yarn, fleece, and handmade gifts at the Howard County Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 4 PM. Admission and parking are free.

🎈🎅 Photos with Santa – Santa takes his seat at The Mall in Columbia starting Saturday, and walk-ups are welcome every day through Christmas Eve.

🎈🌎 Resilient Earth, Resilient Communities – Robinson Nature Center opens a traveling exhibit on how communities prepare for a changing climate, with hands-on stations and planetarium films, Saturday from 4 to 7 PM.

🎈🛍️ West Laurel Craft Faire – About 40 crafters sell handmade gifts at the T. Howard Duckett Building Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM, and kids can write letters to Santa.

🕯️ Candlelight: Bach to Beatles – A string quartet plays Bach and the Beatles by candlelight at The Collective Encore Sunday at 5 and 8 PM.

🎺 Maryland Winds: In a Nutshell – The wind ensemble plays Percy Grainger’s four-movement suite at Guilford Park High School in Jessup Sunday at 3 PM.

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🏛️ Veto Power – Last week we told you Deb Jung’s bill putting guardrails on big county construction and property grants passed 3–2. County Executive Calvin Ball vetoed it Friday. He called the $1.5 million threshold “arbitrary” and said the bill was written to target one project 👀 (he didn’t name it, but the bill came after the county’s $25 million grant for The Source). He also vetoed David Yungmann’s farmland solar bill, saying it could put more than $83 million in solar projects at risk.

🚁 Eye in the Sky – That buzz overhead might soon be backup. HoCo police, who’ve flown drones since 2020, are adding seven “Drone as First Responder” units to their flock. They’ll sit on rooftop docks and fly to calls in minutes, streaming live video to officers on the way. The job: spot weapons, find suspects, search for missing kids. And before you ask, they’re not watching your backyard barbecue (no patrols, no facial recognition, no audio). Here’s the FAQ.

💧 Testing The Waters – All that road salt doesn’t just disappear when the snow melts. Columbia Association’s new Ripple Effect project needs volunteers to find out where it ends up in local streams and ponds. They’ll supply the testing kit. You supply the curiosity (and some rain boots, if you mean business). Learn more at Owen Brown’s village board meeting on December 1 at 7 PM, or send an email here.

🐧 Penguin Suit – Howard County’s Lauren Jackson won an individual Emmy this year. She was recognized for her work as a line producer on Nat Geo’s Secrets of the Penguins, which also won for Outstanding Nature Documentary. She was the person who made sure the whole film crew could get to the penguins (and back).

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Crisp fall weather calls for a day outside. Maryland’s Best Helmets & Harvest pairs local trails with farms, wineries and more through November 15. The free pass features stops like the BWI Trail, LEO Annapolis and other locations across the state. Check in at each stop to earn free prizes!

66 🌡️ 39 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 W 9 mph

66 🌡️ 44 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 SW 5 mph

62 🌡️ 41 | 🌧️ | 76% ☔ | 💨 E 8 mph

Cured 1821 | Joe DeCara | 6–10 PM

Collective Encore | The Nighthawks | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Noah Dion | 6–10 PM
Judge’s Bench | Irish Music on the 2nd Floor | 7–9 PM

Collective Encore | One Third Wish: 20th Anniversary Show with Full Band! | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Tim Young | 6–10 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with the friend who’s been sending you Druski skits since before he was famous.