🍦Paid parking at the mall

Good morning, Columbia. There's nothing quite like when there are no parking spots left and someone pulls out just as you turn down the aisle. It's like. . . wait a minute. . . I can't compare it to something. I literally just said there's nothing like it. Anyhow, onto today's newsletter. Don't mind me.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

Monday's public hearing had cigar lounges, a 48-acre land handoff, and a surprise family reunion.

The headliner was CB48, Councilmember Christiana Rigby's "Clean Air Integrity Act." It would define a premium cigar shop (at least 70% of sales from cigars and pipe tobacco) and ban alcohol – including BYOB – anywhere indoor smoking is allowed. The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association all testified in support. The owners of the county's two cigar lounges pushed back, saying decades of BYOB haven't triggered a single police call, and asked the council to strike the alcohol line.

Also on the docket:

An extra $6 million in state school-construction money also came through after the state finished auditing its funding numbers, letting HCPSS move up gym air conditioning, renovations at the Faulkner Ridge Center, and HVAC work at four more schools.

And the reunion: Omar J. Jones IV, a retired Army lieutenant general appointed to the county's veterans commission, turns out to be the grandson of Omar J. Jones Jr., Howard County's first county executive. He went looking for his grandfather's portrait in the lobby before heading home.

Final votes come at the wrap-up session Wednesday, July 29.

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Didn't we just do this in the winter? Yes. Is anyone complaining? No.

Restaurant & Craft Beverage Weeks runs Monday, July 27 through Sunday, August 9 – two weeks of special menus from restaurants, breweries, wineries, and distilleries across the county, with more than a dozen first-time participants in the lineup.

Browse the participating restaurants and menus – new menus are still being added, so check back before you book.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎈 🦋 Moth Ball - Celebrate National Moth Week with special lights that attract moths for observation and photos at the Howard County Conservancy's meadow.

🎨 🎬 Professional Actor Audition & Improv Workshop - Emmy-recognized casting director Robert Neal Marshall leads this hands-on workshop with on-camera audition practice and personalized feedback.

🎈 🎨 Grandma & Me Paint Day - Celebrate Gorgeous Grandma Day with an afternoon of painting, pizza, and dessert at UNO Pizzeria.

🎶 O.A.R. with Gavin DeGraw & Lisa Loeb - Maryland's own O.A.R. brings the Three Decades Tour to Merriweather Post Pavilion, 6:30 PM.

🎶 Friday Music: Mark Whiskey & the Sours - Free outdoor rockabilly concert at Clarksville Commons – bring chairs or dine on a patio.

🎶 Radio King Orchestra Concert - Big band classics and Rat Pack favorites performed indoors at Glen Mar Church – free and open to the public.

🎈 🍦 Ice Cream Social - Open gym playtime, music, group activities, and a build-your-own-sundae station for kids.

🎈 🩰 Dancin' Under the People Tree - All-ages dance fitness session led by high-energy instructors under the iconic People Tree sculpture at the Columbia Lakefront.

🎭 Mean Girls - Toby's Dinner Theatre brings the high-energy musical about high school cliques to Columbia.

🎶 Doc Marten and the Flannels - High-energy '90s rock tribute at Reckless Shepherd Brewery, 9 PM – tickets from $15.

🎶 Caamp - The Ohio folk trio plays Merriweather Post Pavilion with Mon Rovîa, 7 PM.

🎈 ⚾ I-95 Card Fest - Hundreds of tables of sports cards and memorabilia at the Howard County Fairgrounds, Saturday 10 AM–5 PM and Sunday 10 AM–3 PM.

🎈 🌻 Clarksville Sunflower Festival - Second and final weekend of pick-your-own sunflowers, live music, food trucks, farm animals, and family fun at Mary's Land Farm.

🐮 Farmers Market - Fresh produce, artisan foods, baked goods, crafts, and live music at Clarksville Commons – pet and family friendly.

🎈 🦋 Butterfly ID Class and Walk - Learn butterfly identification from Howard County Bird Club experts, then walk through native gardens designed to attract them.

🎶 Pride in July - Second annual celebration at Columbia Lakefront with a neon color parade around Lake Kittamaqundi and non-stop dance floor hosted by SADBrunch.

🎶 Voice of Soul - Concert to Cancel Cancer - Third annual benefit concert at Slayton House supporting Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – all proceeds go to cancer research.

🦪 Sons of the American Legion Annual July Crab Feast - All-you-can-eat crabs, sides, dessert, and draft beer in Laurel.

🎈 🌻 Clarksville Sunflower Festival - Final festival weekend at Mary's Land Farm – pick-your-own sunflowers, farm animals, and live music (fields stay open for pick-your-own through August 15).

🎭 Mean Girls - Catch the brunch matinee or evening show at Toby's Dinner Theatre.

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🅿️ Prime Real Estate – Starting Monday, August 3, the spots closest to the mall on the West Lot (by Seasons 52 and Main Event) become paid "preferred parking" at The Mall in Columbia. Every other lot and deck stays free, handicap and carry-out spots aren't affected, and 10% of the mall's net parking proceeds will go to Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. No word yet on price.

🔥 Wayside Inn Fire – A lightning strike sparked a fire at The Wayside Inn in Ellicott City Saturday afternoon. Firefighters had it contained by 5 PM, but the 246-year-old bed and breakfast on Columbia Road – where local lore says George Washington once stayed – took fire and water damage to its lobby and guest rooms. The innkeeper hopes to reopen within a month. ($)

🎨 Coffee With a Side of Crafts – Lola Art House is prepping to open in August on the third floor of the Taylor Furniture building on Ellicott City's Main Street – up the 31 steps behind E.C. Pops. Owner Gloria "Lola" Fajimolu calls it "kind of like a restaurant, but instead you get creative art experiences": order a coffee, then paint, collage, or decorate cookies. It'll run Thursday through Sunday, and she's hoping weekend hours stretch to 1 AM. ($)

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80 🌡️ 60 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 N 6 mph

81 🌡️ 62 | 🌤️ | 3% ☔ | 💨 E 7 mph

81 🌡️ 63 | 🌤️ | 14% ☔ | 💨 E 6 mph

84 🌡️ 66 | ⛈️ | 36% ☔ | 💨 S 6 mph

86 🌡️ 67 | ⛈️ | 40% ☔ | 💨 W 7 mph

Bare Bones | Honey Du | 7–10 PM
Collective Encore | Dueling Pianos Featuring The Flying Ivories | 7 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Dave Leoni | 6–10 PM
The Morgan Inn | Easy Six | 6–9 PM

Bare Bones | Pulse | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Mark Scott | 8–11 PM
Cured 1821 | Benji Poreki | 6–11 PM
🌳🎵 Merriweather | O.A.R. Three Decades Tour | 6:30 PM | Tickets
Reckless Shepherd | Doc Marten and the Flannels | 9 PM
Smashing Grapes | Marissa Zechinato | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Noah Pierre | 8–10 PM

Bare Bones | McFadden Garcia Band | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Grayson Moon | 8–11 PM
Cured 1821 | Damon Foreman | 6–11 PM
🌳🎵 Merriweather | Caamp | 7 PM | Tickets
The Morgan Inn | The Reckoning | 8–11 PM
Reckless Shepherd | In Too Deep | 8:30 PM–12 AM
Smashing Grapes | Jennifer Schimpf | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Ruben Montoya | 8–10 PM

Barn & Lodge | Stephen Henson | 11 AM–2 PM
Collective Encore | The Black Ties | 7 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Sidestreet Duo | 5–9 PM
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | John Benjamin | 2–5 PM
The Morgan Inn | Soul Family | 2–5:30 PM
Smashing Grapes | Mark Gregan | 11 AM–2 PM
White Oak Tavern | Jazz Brunch | 11 AM–2 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who packs running shoes in their work bag for power walks during lunch.