🍦How to get a plot at the new community garden

Good morning, Columbia. You’ve still got some time before Halloween, but file these away if you always wait until the last minute. Start with a white t-shirt and a Sharpie.

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

HoCo opened its first new community garden in nearly 30 years last week. It has 126 plots on Old Montgomery Road in Ellicott City, and we’ll tell you how to get one.

It’s the county’s fourth community garden and the first outside Columbia. Twenty-five plots are raised beds built for wheelchairs (or anyone whose knees are retired). Five others are dedicated to the Howard County Food Bank.

How to get a plot

📝 Fill out the Columbia Gardeners wait list form and pick “Elkridge” from the garden menu. You must live in HoCo. One plot per household btw.

💵 A standard plot is about 20 by 25 feet and costs $65 a year, which includes water. There are half plots and senior discounts too. Gardeners must volunteer four hours a year.

Not so fast: There’s quite a wait. The president of Columbia Gardeners says new plots will go to people who’ve waited more than four years, so get your name on the list now.

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Now playing. . .

🪩 Toby’s Dinner Theatre presents SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical. Evening shows start at 8 PM Tuesday through Saturday and 7 PM Sunday, and there are 12:30 PM matinees on Wednesday and Sunday.

📚 Silhouette Stages presents Matilda The Musical. Roald Dahl’s girl genius takes on the worst headmistress in children’s literature.

🎻 Chamber Music Maryland presents Quatuor Danel and Natalie Clein. The French-Belgian quartet plays Beethoven and Shostakovich; then British cellist Natalie Clein joins them for Schubert’s String Quintet. Sunday at 4 PM in Smith Theatre at Howard Community College (HCC).

🎷 The Columbia Orchestra plays the Chrysalis. Jazz singer Lena Seikaly sings Duke Ellington and bossa nova. Sunday at 4 PM.

Up next. . .

🎼 Columbia Pro Cantare sings Brahms’s Schicksalslied at First Evangelical Lutheran in Ellicott City on October 24.

🎃 The Columbia Orchestra presents The Wizard and the Wolf at the Jim Rouse Theatre on October 31. It’s a Halloween concert for kids, so come in costume.

🎄 Toby’s presents Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, November 6 through January 10.

🏫 HCC Theatre presents Our Town in the Rouse Company Foundation Studio Theatre, November 19 to 22.

🕶️ Toby’s presents Grease, January 15 through February 7. It’s the last show on Toby’s original stage before it moves into the county’s new arts center.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🐮 Pop-Up Farmer’s Market – Local organic produce from Stoecker Farms at the Ascend One Building.

⚡ BGE Tri-County Open House – Public open house to learn about the BGE Tri-County Reliability Upgrade project and its local impact.

🧠 Tuesday Trivia at Sapwood Cellars – Cap City Trivia brings the questions every Tuesday, and the top two teams win prizes.

🎶 Salsa Sensations – A family-friendly salsa dance event inviting all ages to move to Latin rhythms.

🍽️ Food Truck Wednesdays in the Merriweather District – Weekly rotating food trucks at Merriweather Row Plaza offering international flavors for a midweek lunch.

🍽️ Across the Table: Celebrating Immigrant-Owned Restaurants – A community dinner and conversation series highlighting immigrant entrepreneurship, with Middle Eastern food and storytelling at Rudy’s Mediterranean Grill.

🖋️ 3rd Thursdays Open Mic Night – Columbia’s monthly open mic night at Busboys and Poets hosted by E-Baby. It’s a platform for poets, musicians, and performers.

🐮 Laurel Farmer’s Market – A weekly farmers market featuring fresh local produce, artisan goods, and community vendors through October.

🎈🍂 Fall For All at Howard Community College – HCPSS schools are closed for students Friday, and HCC’s quad fills up with a pumpkin patch, moon bounces, an inflatable corn maze, face painting, and food trucks. It’s free. Costumes encouraged.

🎈🐐 Mini Camps at Mary’s Land Farm – A day camp for children ages four to twelve, offering a chance to experience farm life through animal encounters, hands-on nature activities, and outdoor adventure.

🎃 The Haunted Experience – A spooky hayride to a haunted dwelling designed for ages seven and up at Rockburn Branch Park, running Friday and Saturday. Admission is $10 at the gate, cash only.

🎈🎉 Hispanic Heritage Festival – A family-friendly celebration of Latino and Hispanic cultures at Merriweather Park with live music, food trucks, vendors, and activities for all ages.

🖌️ Color Columbia Plein Air Paint Out – Dozens of artists set up around Lake Kittamaqundi and Wilde Lake to paint the fall scenery. Walk the loop and watch them work.

🎨 Craft Fair & Maker’s Market at Manor Hill – An annual fall craft fair at a brewery farm, with local artisans, food trucks, live music, and farm-brewed beer.

🚗 Columbia Cruise Night – Saturday night cruise-in featuring hot rods, street rods, and modern muscle cars, with free parking and nearby restaurants.

🎈🚜 Fall Festival weekend at Clark’s Elioak Farm – The petting farm’s fall festival runs Friday through Sunday, and the pumpkin patch stays open through November 8.

🎨 Howard High Lions' Pride Arts, Crafts & More Show – A free-admission craft fair with over 130 vendors offering handmade items, art, jewelry, and more at Howard High School.

🎈🧘 Goat Yoga at Manor Hill – Yoga with baby goats, followed by time with the animals and a beverage of your choice. Includes a 60-minute class and goat interaction.

🎈🎃 Happy Haunted Hayride – A gentle hayride designed for younger children ages two to seven, offering a daytime Halloween experience with fun, not fright. Admission is $5 at the gate, cash only.

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🍺 Last Call? – Black Flag Brewing could close November 30. Owner Brian Gaylor posted last week that his deal to sell to a Maryland contract brewer is shaky because the buyer is struggling to raise the money. If it falls through, November 30 could be the last day. He’s open to other offers and told The Banner ($) he’d sell for “less than the price of a lot of new homes in Columbia.” Got a gift card? Better use it now.

📄 Shred Alert – The BIG Shred is Saturday. HoCo’s fall shredding event runs 9 AM to 1 PM at North Laurel Community Center, Gary J. Arthur Community Center, Elkridge Landing Middle School, and the Long Gate Park & Ride. Bring up to three bags or boxes of papers with personal info, like tax forms, bills, and pay stubs. Don’t forget to pull out the binder clips. Go early; trucks can fill before 1. What they take and what they don’t.

🥁 Drumline Wednesday – HCPSS’s first marching band showcase is tomorrow night at Hammond High. Hammond takes the field at 7 PM, followed by Atholton, Reservoir, Long Reach, and Glenelg. It’s free, with a $5 suggested donation. Can’t make it? Round two is next Wednesday at Mt. Hebron with six more bands. Full schedule.

🕳️ Culvert Operation – Expect flaggers on Centennial Lane in Ellicott City through late November. HoCo is putting in new storm drains on northbound Centennial Lane from 4345 Centennial to Century Drive, plus eastbound Century Drive to 10137. Crews work weekdays from 9 AM to 3 PM on school days and 8 AM to 4 PM when schools are closed. Watch for lane and sidewalk closures. More details.

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80 🌡️ 65 | ☀️ | 5% ☔ | 💨 SW 9 mph

84 🌡️ 59 | ☀️ | 9% ☔ | 💨 W 8 mph

68 🌡️ 58 | ⛅ | 21% ☔ | 💨 NE 8 mph

Cured 1821 | Joe DeCara | 6–10 PM

The Collective Encore | The Seven Wonders: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks Night) | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Noah Dion | 6–10 PM
Judge’s Bench Pub | Irish Music on the 2nd Floor | 7–9 PM

Bare Bones | Kirk & Devin | 7–10 PM
The Collective Encore | The Seven Wonders: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (Night Two) | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Alisha Glover | 5–10 PM
The Morgan Inn | The Fog Acoustic Trio | 6–9 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with the friend who makes their kid(s) a fresh Halloween costume every year. No buying!