🍦HCPSS bus goes 21 miles off route

Good morning, Columbia. Did you know horsepower was a marketing unit created in the late 18th century to sell steam engines? It measured how many horses one steam engine could replace. Funny enough, James Watt (for whom the standard unit of power is named) is the one who invented it.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

I sat down to write something for Pink’s. . . then I started reading through their 170 five-star reviews and found this one:

Pinks Window Services did an absolutely incredible job on my 33 windows, 3 sliding doors and 3 skylights including the screens. The windows looked so clear and amazing that you couldn’t tell the windows had screens. In fact, the dining room windows were so clear that I threw out my drapes so I can see more of the Chesapeake Bay. They are worth every penny and I plan to have them return every year in the spring. Many of my neighbors stopped by to check it out.

Imagine window cleaners so good they make you toss the drapes. If you have filthy windows, clogged gutters, a streaky roof, or anything grimy on your homes exterior, Pink’s is the crew to call

Old Ellicott City's music festival is back after taking 2025 off. It runs Saturday from noon to 8 PM, it's free, and the Ellicott City Partnership is still short a few sets of hands.

The Kelly Bell Band, a fixture of the Baltimore blues scene for three decades, closes out the main stage in Lot D. Music also fills The Wine Bin, Tiber Park, and Main Street businesses including Georgia Grace Cafe, La Palapa Grill & Cantina, and Manor Hill Tavern. Soundcheck Rock Academy is sending student bands to Lot D, adult bands to the Little Theatre on the Corner, and its instructors to the acoustic showcase at the Manor Hill beer garden.

Vendor spots are already spoken for – City Rat Records, Ivy's Jewelry Box, Outta Our Minds Puppets, and the Columbia Orchestra are all in, and Cocomelt, Tasty Empanadas, Asian Taste, and Beye Beignets are feeding the street. There's also a kids' craft corner and two raffles.

The volunteer sheet is another story. As of Monday, there are quite a few slots open.

🎸 Want in? Volunteer signup takes a minute, and shifts run as short as two hours.

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Lola Art House is open. You just have to climb for it – the new art cafe sits on the third floor of the Taylor Furniture building, up the 31 steps behind E.C. Pops.

Owner Gloria “Lola” Fajimolu, of Catonsville, sat on the idea for four or five years before she signed a lease. Her pitch: “It's kind of like a restaurant, but instead you get creative art experiences.” You order off an Art Menu instead of a food menu – painting, collage, tote bags, keychains, cookie decorating – then work at your own pace while staff float around to help. No art experience required.

Walk-ins are welcome, kids are welcome, and you can bring your own bottle. The other half of the business is the event space, which holds 100 for birthdays, showers, and small weddings.

Lola is calling this a soft opening, so more is coming. But the doors are open now.

🎨 Going to the Main Street Music Fest Saturday? Lola is hosting 30-minute sound baths upstairs with instructors Bianca Williams and Jacquelyn Fryer, for when eight hours of live music catches up with you.

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🍺 Tuesday Trivia – Cap City brings the questions to Sapwood Cellars from 7 to 9 PM, free, with prizes for the top two teams.

🍽️ Food Truck Wednesdays in the Merriweather District – Rotating trucks at Merriweather Row Plaza, 11 AM to 2 PM, free to wander.

🌽 Laurel Farmer's Market – Produce and artisan goods in Laurel, 3 to 7 PM, free, running through October 29.

🍷 Wine in the Garden, Beer in the Barn – The Howard County Conservancy's 19th annual garden party, 5 to 8 PM, $80 ($110 gets VIP parking and two drink tickets).

🏛️ Special Meeting of the Members of Columbia Association – A half-hour meeting at CA headquarters at 7 PM, free; sign up on CA's site if you want to speak.

🖋️ 3rd Thursdays Open Mic Night – Poets, musicians, and comics take the mic at Busboys and Poets, 8 to 10 PM, about $8.

🎃 Prized Pumpkin Release at Manor Hill – The pumpkin ale is back on draft and in cans at the farm at 4 PM, free to attend, with Adrian Albidress playing 5 to 8 PM.

🎶 Friday Music: The Big Laird Band – Rock covers on the plaza at Clarksville Commons, 6 to 8:30 PM, free.

🎈🎬 Movie Nights in the Park at Color Burst Park – Lawn games, trivia, and popcorn at 6:30 PM, then The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on the big screen at 7:15 PM, free.

🎸 Mt. Joy – The indie band celebrates ten years at Merriweather at 8:30 PM; tickets through the box office.

🎈🎉 8th Annual Festival of India – Bollywood dance, a fashion show, henna, and a bazaar at the Howard County Fairgrounds, Saturday noon to 8 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 7 PM, free entry and parking.

🎈🐮 Barnyard Fall Festival at Mary's Land Farm – The farm's fall season opens Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM: baby animals, a 150-foot slide, train rides, and the pumpkin patch. Tickets on the farm's site.

🦋 Butterfly Walk – Howard County Bird Club experts lead a walk through the Conservancy's pollinator gardens Saturday at 10:30 AM, free, registration required.

🏃 Police Pace 5K/10K & 1 Miler – Sunday at 9 AM at Centennial Park: $54 for the 5K, $64.60 for the 10K, $16.90 for the mile. Online registration closes Thursday night.

🎈🌳 Robinson Nature Center Anniversary Open House – Free run of the nature center Sunday, 10 AM to 2 PM.

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💼 Plane Talk – Frequentis USA is spending $11.5 million to expand its Columbia headquarters, adding about 19,000 square feet across two more buildings. The Austrian-owned company builds air traffic control and emergency communication systems for customers including the FAA and NASA. The expansion keeps 176 jobs here and adds 218 more by the end of 2030.

🚌 Off Course – A Glenwood Middle bus went 21 miles off route last Tuesday, ending up on Route 97 near Westminster after the driver appeared to have a medical emergency. The 16 students on board called the school themselves, and HCPSS located the bus using its onboard cameras. State police stopped it before 3:30 PM. Nobody was hurt. The driver was hospitalized and isn't driving while the school system investigates. ($)

🚲 Bridge the Gap – The county is studying a pedestrian and bike bridge over the Middle Patuxent River between Kindler Road and Eden Brook Drive. A road bridge stood there until Hurricane Agnes washed it out in 1972. Tonight's public meeting is where the Office of Transportation shows the possible crossing locations and bridge concepts, and asks what you think of them. It runs 5 to 7 PM at Amherst House, 7251 Eden Brook Drive.

🍬 Snack Attack – Exotic Snack Guys is open at The Mall in Columbia, in space 2395 near GNC. The Chicago chain stocks chips, soda, candy, and chocolate from about 40 countries – imported Lay's flavors, Thai Red Bull, Dubai chocolate – plus $25 and $50 mystery boxes. It held its grand opening Saturday. Columbia is its third Maryland store, after Arundel Mills and Annapolis.

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76 🌡️ 57 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 E 6 mph

83 🌡️ 61 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 S 5 mph

86 🌡️ 67 | ☀️ | 1% ☔ | 💨 S 7 mph

Cured 1821 | Chordy | 6–10 PM

Collective Encore | FiZZ | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Bob Butta | 6–10 PM

Bare Bones | Adam Merkle | 7–10 PM
Cured 1821 | Artist Feature (TBA) | 5–6 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who owns real lederhosen and waits all year to wear them.