Good morning, Columbia. Apparently hacky sacks are back again? In fact, they’re so back among the Baltimore area private schools that someone started an MIAA Sack Report Instagram which got nearly 2,500 followers in just 3 weeks and does weekly rankings. The playoffs start today. I’m not kidding. Unless you have kids in high school (probably boys), I don’t think you’ll understand how into this these kids are.
In today’s Columbia Scoop:
600 new apartments
Canvas is back at HCPSS
Public land survey
Let’s get to it.
— Michelle Sinclair
COMMUNITY
New stage, who dis? 🎤
Just in time for summer performance season, the Columbia Association is raising the curtain (well, technically cutting the ribbon) on the new Lakefront Stage. CA members plus local officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony late last week to officially mark this addition to the entertainment and culture scene.
Stage debut: The new Lakefront Stage is 900 square feet with color-changing LED theatrical lighting, professional-grade audio, and a retractable movie screen. It’ll serve as a venue for all the community performances happening at the CA Lakefront throughout the summer and the rest of the year.
Wasn’t there already a stage? Not really. There was a temporary canopy. This is a permanent setup. Construction started last November and finished up this month. Funding came from the CA supported by a State Legislative Bond Bill.
Drumroll please. . . First up is the Summer Kick-Off block party on May 30, 4:30-8:30 PM. That marks the official start of the Lakefront Live summer series, including live concerts and other events. (Btw, that schedule just dropped.)
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MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Input needed: LPPRP 🌳
You get to decide what you do with your yard — it’s yours, right? Same is true for public land. It’s yours! Kinda. But your input definitely matters. So, the county wants to hear your thoughts as it works on the 2027 Land Preservation, Parks, and Recreation Plan (LPPRP).
What’s the plan? The county puts together the LPPRP every five years. It’s an official guide for the Department of Recreation & Parks, including everything from how public land should be used to what programs happen at county parks.
Great, I got thoughts: Don’t we all? First step is to fill out the Preserve + Play Plan Community Survey. The county will also have community events and pop-up teams where you can share ideas in person. Dates/locations are TBD, but they’ll be announced online once they’re available.
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EVENTS
Coming up this Week
🎈 = family-friendly events
Tuesday
🧘 Classes on Meditation and Modern Buddhism in Columbia - Weekly classes covering stress relief, mindfulness, and positive thinking.
💼 Market Pulse Pitch - MedTech - Pitch event for digital health innovators and promising ventures.
Wednesday
🎨 Maryland Show - Art gallery exhibition featuring Maryland-themed works by local artists.
🎈🎭 Toby's Dinner Theatre Presents: The Wizard of Oz - Family-friendly matinee and evening performances of the classic musical.
Thursday
🏆 Howard County Veterans Monument Opening and Dedication - Historic dedication ceremony at Vivian C. Bailey Park with ribbon cutting and flag raising.
🌳 Maryland's Five Million Trees Initiative - Learn about native tree species and landscape tips. Bring bag lunch.
🍺 Broomsticks & Brews ~ History of Maryland Witches Pub Crawl - Learn Maryland witch history while visiting multiple Ellicott City bars. 18+ only.
Friday
🎈🎮 Kids Night @ My Gym - Action-packed evening of games, obstacle courses, and fitness activities. Pizza included.
🎭 Spring Bingo! - Family-friendly fundraiser with 12 games supporting the SJPDS scholarship fund.
Weekend
🎈🎶 9th Annual Maryland ASL Festival - Community celebration with Deaf culture showcases, ASL workshops, and vendor booths.
🎈🏃 Archaeology Fest! - Hands-on archaeological fun for all ages.
🚗 The Annual Mid-Atlantic 86 Club Car Show - Epic car show with raffle prizes and vendors supporting DASH to the Rescue.
🎶 Columbia Orchestra presents Soundscapes of Contrast - A night of musical opposites featuring works from Mexican and Nordic composers plus Beethoven.
🍷 Wine in the Woods - Maryland's largest wine festival returns for its 32nd year with six live bands daily. Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm.
🎈🏪 LRHS Spring Market - Vibrant community vendor market at Long Reach High School.
🎈👶 Next Gen Maker's Market at Manor Hill - Kids ages 5-17 run their own businesses selling handmade goods. Plus live music and farm activities.
🎶 St Louis Concert Series: 20th Anniversary Celebration - Full orchestra and chorus celebrating two decades with beloved artists from past seasons.
More
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In other news. . .
🏢 600 apartments — The County Council approved a tax waiver for Chesapeake Realty Partners/Midway 32 LLC to demolish office buildings at 10010 Junction Drive and replace it them with a 623-unit mixed-income apartment complex. What we know about the breakdown so far: 95 “affordable” units (for those making <$153K, the county’s median income), 32 Disability Income Housing Units, and 32 Low Income Housing Units. ($)
💻 Back on Canvas — Schools are back on Canvas today after a widespread security breach last week. ICYMI, Canvas — the platform HCPSS uses for online learning — got hacked and had to shut down nationwide for a few days. As of Friday, it was up and running, but HCPSS restricted access until it had sufficient reassurance of platform safety. Now students and teachers are back online just in time for the end of the semester.
⚾️ The latest in high school sports — Two high school teams are headed to regional finals after victories this weekend. The Howard Lions boys lacrosse beat Wilde Lake 11-9 on Friday, followed by a victory for the Reservoir Gators boys baseball over Atholton 2-0 on Saturday. Howard heads to the Class 2A West Region II final today, and Reservoir to the Class 3A South Region I final tomorrow. ($)
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WEATHER
Monday
67 🌡️ 43 | 🌧️ | 44% ☔ | 💨 N 8 mph
Tuesday
69 🌡️ 51 | ☀️ | 4% ☔ | 💨 NW 8 mph
Wednesday
71 🌡️ 51 | ⛈️ | 81% ☔ | 💨 S 12 mph
Thursday
68 🌡️ 49 | 🌧️ | 18% ☔ | 💨 NW 13 mph
LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN
Tuesday
Cured 1821 | Noah Dion | 5 PM
Wednesday
Cured 1821 | Bob Butta | 6 PM
Thursday
Bare Bones | Moonstone | 7 PM
Cured 1821 | Jon Waller | 6 PM
THANKS!
Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who played hacky sack in high school the first time it was cool.
