🍦Name a pre-K center

Good morning, Columbia. Look up tonight. At 10:33 PM, Earth’s shadow starts taking a bite out of the full moon. By 12:12 AM, it’ll cover 96% of the face. It’s the best lunar eclipse we’re gonna get until 2028 and I will probably be asleep for that one too.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

Eight years, eight speeches, one left.

Ball will deliver his last State of the County address on Wednesday, September 30 from 6 to 7 PM in the Smith Theatre at Howard Community College's Horowitz Center. He's term-limited, so this closes out a run that started in 2018, when he became the first African American Howard County executive.

The address doubles as a policy rollout most years – last fall's covered housing, healthcare, public safety, education, transportation, and climate work. The county is billing this one as "the current volume in the story of Howard County."

It's free, but reservations are required. Park in the West Garage and walk over.

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Rec and Parks wants your kid to play hockey and nobody has to learn to skate.

Youth Street Hockey is new to the fall lineup. The season runs Sundays from September 13 to November 8 at Alpha Ridge Park in Marriottsville, with one practice and one game each week between 8 AM and 1 PM. Sticks, balls, goals, and jerseys are provided but it’s BYO helmet (cages recommended).

Four divisions cover ages 6 to 14. U8 and U10 play at 8 AM, U12 and U14 at 10:15. It's $99 for the season ($101.38 with the processing fee), it's open to every skill level, and as of Wednesday all four divisions still had openings.

Registration is open now, and questions go to A.J. Adams at [email protected].

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎶 Kehlani – The R&B star brings her world tour to Merriweather Post Pavilion at 6:30 PM, with Durand Bernarr opening.

🌱 What does the fox say? – Learn about fox vocalizations, beaver engineering, and opossum survival strategies from a Maryland DNR biologist at Howard County Conservancy.

🎶 Asake – The Nigerian Afrobeats star plays Merriweather on the In God We Trust tour. Doors at 7 PM, music at 8:30.

🎤 Farming For Laughs Comedy Show – Stand-up comedy in the air-conditioned barn at Manor Hill Brewing, hosted by Megan Miller with DMV comedians Monica Daily and Cerrome Russell.

🍺 Festbier Release (+ Soft Pretzels) at the Farm – Manor Hill Brewing releases their traditional Vienna lager alongside Bavarian soft pretzels, kicking off Oktoberfest season.

🎶 Friday Music: Gary & the Groove – Rock and roll fills Clarksville Commons plaza – bring a blanket and enjoy free live music with takeout from local restaurants.

🎈🎬 Movie Night - Elio – Free outdoor screening of the animated film Elio at Downtown Columbia Lakefront at dusk.

🍺 Cologne-bia Kölsch Day 2026 – Sapwood Cellars celebrates its annual Kölsch release with traditional service – once you order, the beers keep coming until you say stop.

🎶 Lakefront Concert: Patrick Alban and his Buena Vista Social Band – Infectious Latin grooves fill the Columbia Lakefront with this free outdoor concert.

🎈🐮 Generation Mixtape Live at The Old Ellicott City Farmers' Market – Shop local vendors while Generation Mixtape provides a soundtrack of classic rock hits.

🎈🎾 Try Tennis & Pickleball Day – Free introductory event where you can learn the basics of both sports in a friendly, welcoming environment at Long Reach Tennis Club.

🎭 Toby's Dinner Theatre Presents: Summer - The Donna Summer Musical – The musical biography of Donna Summer, with dinner buffet included.

🎷 Ariella & Nicolaas – Husband-and-wife duo combining Ariella's magnificent vocals with Nicolaas's virtuosic jazz guitar at The Collective Encore.

🎈🎨 Paint & Sip – Y2K-themed paint and sip where you create a retro Fun Phone design at the CA Lakefront.

🎶 Weekend Wind Down – Mellow Sunday brunch vibes with live music at Downtown Columbia Lakefront.

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🗳️ Green Light – Vanessa Atterbeary won't run unopposed after all. Green Party candidate Nater Kane, a 47-year-old from Ellicott City, entered the county executive race in July once he realized no Republican had filed. He wants to cap the executive's salary at five times the county minimum wage, roughly $166,000 instead of today's $238,504, tie rent increases to 2.25% or inflation, and pull outsourced services like school bus transportation back in house. ($)

🏫 Name Game – HCPSS wants your suggestions for the name of its first early childhood center, a program for 3- and 4-year-olds opening at 10598 Marble Faun Lane in Faulkner Ridge. Board policy limits school names to Howard County geographic terms, so this won’t end up like those contests that got a Minnesota snowplow named Plowy McPlowFace. Suggestions close at 5 PM on Friday, September 11, through this form. A committee trims the list before the school board picks.

🌳 Branch Manager – Reservations for the county's 6,000 free native trees opened Tuesday, and the sign-up link that broke on launch morning is working again. Residents can claim up to two trees per address, then pick them up at West Friendship Park or Rockburn Park West during the last week of September. Species and pickup slots disappear fast, so see what's left.

🎸 Roadies Wanted – Main Street Music Fest returns to Old Ellicott City on Saturday, September 19 from noon to 8 PM after skipping last year, and organizers still need hands. The open jobs: setup, drink ticket sales, the kids' craft corner, and teardown. A few hours counts as much as a full day. Sign up here.

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88 🌡️ 68 | ⛈️ | 51% ☔ | 💨 S 9 mph

86 🌡️ 66 | 🌤️ | 13% ☔ | 💨 NW 5 mph

85 🌡️ 67 | 🌤️ | 4% ☔ | 💨 NE 5 mph

88 🌡️ 69 | ☀️ | 9% ☔ | 💨 S 7 mph

91 🌡️ 72 | 🌤️ | 4% ☔ | 💨 W 6 mph

🌳🎵= Outdoor concert

Bare Bones | Wayne George | 7–10:30 PM
The Collective Encore | Dueling Pianos Featuring The Flying Ivories | 7 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Dave Leoni | 6–10 PM
🌳🎵 Merriweather | Kehlani with Durand Bernarr, TheARTI$t, WASEEL and Dixson | 6:30 PM | Tickets
The Morgan Inn | Garrett Mabe | 6–9 PM
🌳🎵 Turf Valley | Mack and Slim | 6–8 PM

Bare Bones | Doc Holliday | 8 PM–12 AM
The Collective Encore | Les Greene & The Swayzees with Lonesome Joy | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Jon Waller | 6–11 PM
Kelsey's Restaurant & Irish Pub | Ciaran Quinn | 6–9:30 PM
Looney's Maple Lawn | Big Machine | 8 PM–12 AM
🌳🎵 Merriweather | Asake | 8:30 PM | Tickets
The Morgan Inn | Dwayne Wilson Trio | 8–11 PM
Reckless Shepherd | Sorry About Your Daughter with Absent Habits | 9 PM | Tickets
Smashing Grapes | Eddie Botts | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Enslow | 8–10 PM

Bare Bones | Uncommitted | 8 PM–12 AM
The Collective Encore | Pressing Strings | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Alex Armbruster | 6–11 PM
Kelsey's Restaurant & Irish Pub | Kevin Sullivan | 6–9:30 PM
Looney's Maple Lawn | Mark Bray & The Steel Soul Cowboys | TBA
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | Rock Creek Revival | 2–5 PM
The Morgan Inn | Crackinbush | 8 PM–12 AM
Smashing Grapes | Jennifer Schimpf | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Nicky Stacy | 8–10 PM

The Collective Encore | Ariella & Nicolaas | 7 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Bob & Aiden | 5–9 PM
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | Dan Bregman | 2–5 PM
The Morgan Inn | Soul Family Band | 2–5:30 PM
Smashing Grapes | Kevin Howard | 11 AM–2 PM
White Oak Tavern | Jazzy Brunch | 11 AM–2 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone whose kid has been whacking a tennis ball around the cul-de-sac all summer. At least it’s not a pickleball.