🍦Paid parking only lasted 4 weeks

Good morning, Columbia. Welcome to the “ber” months (September, October, and so on). If you’ve ever wondered why the final four months end in ber, it’s because of the Romans. The names are Latin numbers with a suffix (ber) that turns them into adjectives. Septem is Latin for seven. Octo = eight. Novem = nine. And decem = ten. But wait a second. . .

There were originally only ten months, but Rome’s second king, Numa Pompilius, introduced January and February to better match the lunar year. Even though the numbers no longer matched, the names weren’t changed.

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

Fifteen years of Turtles, undone by a lease.

The Meadows Original Frozen Custard will close its Hickory Ridge Village Center shop by the end of the year, the owner told The Merriweather Post’s Jeremy Dommu, who broke the story Wednesday night. The shop’s lease expired earlier this year, and it had been negotiating a renewal with Kimco Realty, which owns the village center.

By the owner’s account, the two sides agreed in principle on a three-year extension – higher rent than the old pandemic-era deal, plus year-round hours instead of seasonal ones. They were waiting on the contract to sign. Instead, Kimco emailed to say leadership had decided not to renew, and that the space is going to a different tenant. Kimco won’t say who, and it didn’t answer Dommu’s five questions by his Friday deadline.

The shop is open Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 8:30 PM, at 6470 Freetown Road until it closes. It made our ice cream guide in July as the custard converts’ clubhouse.

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Four weeks. That’s how long the good spots cost money.

Crews pulled the signs off the 120 preferred spaces near Restaurant Row and Main Event over the weekend. The program is “only temporarily on pause while we determine the best location for our guests,” GGP spokesperson Lindsay Kahn told the Baltimore Banner on Monday.

We told you it was coming on July 23. Paid parking started August 3 at $2.45 for an hour, $6.45 for three hours and $10.45 for four hours or more, with 10% of the proceeds promised to the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. And now it’s gone.

A Banner reporter watched shoppers walk past rows of empty paid spaces at midday on August 24. Dozens of folks on Reddit say they’d never pay for parking at the Mall when so many spots were free.

Kahn’s read is sunnier. “Our customers have been utilizing the program,” she told the Banner.

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🎈🎭 Toby’s Summer: The Donna Summer Musical – Toby’s run stays up through November 1. Doors 6 PM, curtain 8 PM, buffet included, and there is a Wednesday matinee with doors at 10:30 AM.

🎲 BINGO Night at The Common Kitchen – Bingo from 6–8 PM at the Clarksville food hall, so dinner comes from whichever vendor you like.

🌮 Food Truck Wednesdays in the Merriweather District – D’s Tropical Breeze and Greek on the Go park at Merriweather Row Plaza, 11 AM–2 PM. The rotation runs through October 28.

🎈🍽️ Kids Eat Free Wednesdays at The Common Kitchen – Kids eat free with a $15 purchase at any Common Kitchen vendor, 4–8 PM in Clarksville.

🎈🥕 Laurel Farmer’s Market – Produce and artisan goods on Main Street in Laurel, 3–7 PM, every Thursday through October 29.

🧠 Trivia Night at The Common Kitchen – Trivia starts at 6:30 PM, with gift certificates for the top three teams.

🎈🎼 Peabody Children’s Chorus auditions – The last of three added audition dates for the 2026–27 season, 5–7 PM on Old Annapolis Road. Reserve a time slot before you go.

🍺 First Friday: Munich Dunkel at Manor Hill – The brewery’s European series continues with a 5% Munich-style dark lager, in cans and on draft at the farm from 4 PM. Chris Montcalmo plays the courtyard 5–8 PM.

🎈💃 Dancin’ Under the People Tree – A free all-levels dance fitness session under the 30-foot People Tree sculpture at the Lakefront, 7 PM. All ages.

🎈🎬 Movie Night: How To Train Your Dragon – The live-action remake screens free at the Lakefront at dusk, around 8 PM. Bring a blanket.

🃏 Friday Night Magic – Casual Commander at Comics To Astonish on Snowden River Parkway, 5 PM, free to play.

🎈🎷 Lakefront Concert: Leonardo Garcia y Son Horizonte – Salsa and salsa jazz at the Lakefront, Saturday at 7:30 PM. Free.

📚 A Town Divided: Ellicott City During the Civil War – A free evening of local history on how Ellicott Mills sat at the crossroads of the railroad, the war, and divided loyalties, Saturday 7–9 PM on Maryland Avenue.

🎈🏸 Kids Play Free with Kidokinetics – A free youth sports demo for ages 2 to 11 at Capital Badminton Academy on Red Branch Road, Saturday 10:30 AM–12 PM. The paid fall session starts the week of September 14.

🧘 Yoga & Reggae Vibes – Yoga flow with reggae in the Historic Savage Mill lot, Sunday 3–6 PM. Tickets run about $34.

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🏫 Site Unseen – The school board approved a site for Howard County’s 43rd elementary school on August 20: Mission Road in Jessup, on land the school system bought in 2019 for Guilford Park High. Jacky McCoy cast the only no vote, arguing that redistricting would relieve crowding at Bollman Bridge and Hammond elementary schools faster than a school that takes five to seven years to build. Redistricting goes on a future quarterly agenda. ($)

🏗️ Back to Work – Construction restarted at the future ICE field office at 6522 Meadowridge Road in Elkridge, the developer’s attorney told the Baltimore Banner. A federal judge reinstated the building permits Howard County revoked in February, and the county filed notice last week that it will appeal. The building was more than 90% finished when the county pulled the permits. ICE had planned to move in by May. ($)

🚜 Barn Raising – HoCo officials broke ground August 26 on the county’s first agricultural center, at West Friendship Park. It’s named for Charles C. Feaga, the longest-serving councilmember in county history and a West Friendship cattle farmer, and it will house the Office of Agriculture, University of Maryland Extension, the Farm Bureau, a teaching kitchen, and meeting rooms. Construction officially starts July 2027, with an opening set for December 2029.

🥍 Stick Shift – Keith Gonsouland stepped down after 25 years running River Hill boys lacrosse, the longest run of any boys lacrosse coach in the county. He took the program over from founding coach Jay Bond, led the Hawks to state finals in 2010 and 2015, and reached three straight state quarterfinals from 2021 through 2023. He wants to watch his daughter Grace play her last two high school softball seasons. No replacement yet. ($)

⛳ Front Nine and Dandy – Reservoir senior Robert Glockner set the county regular-season scoring record last Thursday at Fairway Hills, shooting 6-under on the front nine with four birdies, a chip-in eagle on the fifth and no bogeys. That’s 33 points in the county’s modified Stableford system, one better than the record Glenelg’s Megan Kirkpatrick held. The Gators beat River Hill 97–91, also a program record. ($)

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95 🌡️ 74 | ⛅ | 17% ☔ | 💨 W 8 mph

92 🌡️ 73 | ⛅ | 19% ☔ | 💨 NW 6 mph

95 🌡️ 74 | ☀️ | 16% ☔ | 💨 W 8 mph

Judge Bench Pub | First Tuesday Jazz Jam | 8–11 PM
The Morgan Inn | Open Mic Night hosted by Clyde Blevins & The Rock Bottom Rockers | 7–11 PM

Bare Bones | One Step Down | 7–10 PM
Collective Encore | Weird Science | 7:30 PM | Tickets
The Morgan Inn | David Phenicie & Paula Richardson | 6–9 PM
Reckless Shepherd | Hits Different | 8–11 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with the person who circles the front row four times instead of parking 30 seconds farther out.