🍦RIP Snowden Theatre

Good morning, Columbia. Just a day after winning one of three finalist spots, the Ravens have pulled out of Elon Musk’s The Boring Company’s Tunnel Vision Challenge that would have seen the company fund and build a 1-mile tunnel in Baltimore to ease traffic congestion.

Rumor has it the reason they pulled out is The Boring Company wouldn’t let them put fire and smoke machines and a looping video of Ray Lewis flexing and screaming at the end of the tunnel.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

It’s the end of an era. r/ColumbiaMD user Outrageous-Nose-2624 posted a picture yesterday of a partly demolished Snowden movie theater that had served Columbia for decades. Florida-based developer Sterling Organization bought the theater last year and plans to build a 189,000-square-foot warehouse on the site.

Now all we’ve got for movies in HoCo is the AMC 14 at the mall. At least it has IMAX!

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Meet Tessa — a hound mix puppy currently living at the Howard County Animal Control and Adoption Center, waiting for someone to give her a whole new crew to be clingy with. She came in alongside her brother and sisters, so she loves affection. Once she warms up to you, you're basically her person. Permanently. Congratulations.

She's about 25 pounds right now and could hit 50, which means you've got a limited window to call her a "lap dog" before it becomes a lie you tell at dinner parties. She's short-coated, easy on the eyes, and very much a puppy — which is a polite way of saying she'll need some training and socialization as her personality develops. Think of it as a project. A very cute, very wiggly,. very clingy project.

Tessa's not house-trained yet, and her compatibility with kids, cats, and other dogs is still TBD — but that's what meet-and-greets are for.

Want to meet her? Head to the adoption center at 8576 Davis Rd in Columbia.

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Again, y’all will be pleased. The vast majority of readers guessed this 4 bed, 2.5 bath house near Atholton Park was $700k or even $750k. But it’s only $650k. Unfortunately for you, it’s already under contract. But someone’s going to be thrilled with it.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🏃 5th Annual Light the Night 5K for Suicide Prevention - The 5th year of this evening run in Elkridge supporting suicide prevention. All ages welcome.

🎈 🎹 HCC Young Musicians Piano Solo Competition Showcase - Howard Community College's 2nd annual showcase featuring talented Maryland high school pianists. Cast your vote for the Audience Favorite, then stick around for a lobby reception.

🖋️ Well-Read & Well-Said: A Women's History Month Poetry Showcase - Five nationally celebrated women poets take the stage at Busboys and Poets Columbia for one powerful night of spoken word. Featuring a National Poetry Slam Champion, an International Poetry Slam Champion, and more.

🎨 Garden of Reclaimed Things Reception - Opening reception at the Bernice Kish Gallery in Slayton House for mixed-media art that transforms discarded everyday objects – wires, charging cords, bread tabs, mylar balloons – into vibrant, textured canvases. 3–5 PM.

🎈 🎵 Hie-Yon Choi Plays Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 - The Washington Chamber Orchestra brings Peabody Conservatory piano professor Hie-Yon Choi to Christ Episcopal Church in Columbia. She just finished recording all 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas, so yeah – she knows her way around a keyboard.

🎈 📚 Books & Beers in the Barn at Manor Hill - Backwater Books sets up shop inside Manor Hill Farm's private event barn with new books, gifts, and stationery for all ages. Adults can grab a farm-brewed beer while they browse, then stick around for live music in the courtyard from 2–5 PM.

🎈 🍶 Baltimore Antique Bottle Club 45th Annual Show & Sale - The 45th year of the largest one-day bottle show in the world, with 300+ tables of bottles, jars, pottery, and small antiques at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Dealers from 20+ states and three countries. $5 admission.

🎈 🧙 Toby's Dinner Theatre Presents: The Wizard of Oz - There's no place like Toby's. Dinner, drinks, and a trip down the yellow brick road – showing all weekend with matinee and evening options.

🎈 🐰 Easter EGGstravaganza at Mary's Land Farm - Egg hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny, a petting farm, princess appearances, food trucks, and a mega slide – all on a farm in Ellicott City. Saturday 9 AM–4 PM and Sunday 11 AM–4 PM.

🎈 💎 The Best Bead Show and Classes - The East Coast's largest selection of Japanese seed beads (4,000+ varieties), gemstones, and minerals at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Jewelry-making classes for adults and kids starting at $16. Saturday and Sunday.

🎣 Reel 'em in: Howard County's Spring Fishing Tournament at Centennial Lake is May 2. Kids win trophies, adults win cash, and everyone pretends they know what they're doing. Preregister for a free t-shirt.

🎸 SpringFest lineup dropped: SpringFest 2026 hits Main Street on April 18 with tribute bands covering everyone from Santana to David Bowie across two stages.

📚 HCC keeps growing: Howard Community College blew past its Spring 2026 enrollment goals, extending its growth streak to five consecutive years. Headcount is up 14.1% since 2021.

🌱 Plots thickening: HoCo broke ground on a new 126-plot community garden on Old Montgomery Road in Ellicott City. Twenty-five plots will be ADA accessible, and five are set aside to grow produce for CAC's Food Bank.

📖 Back in business: The HCLS Savage Branch has reopened after facility repairs earlier this week.

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78 🌡️ 58 | 🌤️ | 2% | 💨 SW 13 mph

63 🌡️ 32 | 🌧️ | 79% | 💨 N 10 mph

48 🌡️ 30 | ☀️ | 1% | 💨 NW 12 mph

59 🌡️ 45 | ☀️ | 1% | 💨 S 11 mph

Collective Encore | Dueling Pianos Featuring The Flying Ivories | 7 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Chordy | 6 PM
The Morgan Inn | Garrett Mabe | 6 PM 

Bare Bones | Soulstice | 8 PM 
Blackwall Barn & Lodge | Andy B | 8 PM 
Collective Encore | Angry Young Band | 8 PM | Tickets 
Cured 1821 | Damon Foreman | 6 PM 
Hoco Brew Hive | Old Academy Records | 7 PM
Kelsey’s Restaurant & Irish Pub | Brandt Dunn | 6 PM 
Looney’s Maple Lawn | 3AM Tokyo | 9 PM 
The Morgan Inn | Stone Ridge Boys | 7 PM 
Reckless Shepherd | Miggs | 9 PM
Smashing Grapes | Andrew Bell | 8 PM 

Bare Bones | Making Waves | 8 PM 
Blackwall Barn & Lodge | Mark Scott | 8 PM 
Collective Encore | Philadelphia Freedom | 8 PM | Tickets 
Cured 1821 | Tim Young | 6 PM 
Kelsey’s Restaurant & Irish Pub | Richard Walton | 6 PM 
Looney’s Maple Lawn | The Reagan Years | 8 PM 
The Morgan Inn | ICEMAN Band | 8 PM 
Reckless Shepherd | The Chucks | 8:30 PM
Smashing Grapes | Jennifer Schimpf | 8 PM 

Blackwall Barn & Lodge | Stephen Henson | 8 PM 
Collective Encore | Selwyn Birchwood | 7 PM | Tickets 
Cured 1821 | Sidestreet Duo | 5 PM 
Manor Hill Brewing | Sophie & Tim | 2 PM 
The Morgan Inn | Soul Family Band | 2 PM 
Oversea Distillery | Josh Pryor | 6 PM 
Smashing Grapes | Sara Jones | 8 PM

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