🍦Savorists bakery announces soft launch

Good morning, Columbia. Halloween’s on a Saturday this year (which won’t happen again for 11 years), and the clocks go back an hour at 2 AM on Sunday. And if your life is anything like mine, you’ll spend that extra hour with a seven-year-old who ate 14 fun-size Snickers and is still wearing the Spider-Man mask. To breakfast. And church. And bed again.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

Savorists, the long-awaited bakery and dessert café, has announced its soft opening is Tuesday, November 3. We’ve been refreshing their Instagram for weeks, and knew it had to be close when they posted a video of 55 pounds of butter arriving at their doorstep.

The woman-owned, from-scratch bakery is the latest addition to bustling Hickory Ridge in Columbia, next to swanky spots like ROCO Kitchen + Coffee (also new), The Meadows Custard, and Celia’s Cuban Cuisine.

If you’re looking for a more elevated sugar rush after Halloween, treat yourself to their macarons and New York-style cookies.

Coffee drinkers can look forward to house syrups made with real vanilla, lavender, fruit, and cardamom, but we expect the star to be the almond croissant. The Savorists team claims you’ll lose sleep thinking about it. . . . And you won’t even mind. 🥐

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Yes, your porch still has a pumpkin on it. And it hasn’t even started rotting yet. But we’re excited and have no (s)elf-control. So we’re throwing a Christmas lights contest.

We’re making a list. And judging it twice. Columbia Scoop’s First-Ever Merry & Bright Light Fight (CSFEMABLF for short 😉) is so on.

If you’re the neighbor who adds another strand every Christmas, we dare you to show us what you’ve got this December.

There’ll be some great prizes up for grabs, but we’re keeping those presents all wrapped up for now 🎁. More soon, along with how to enter. We will say this: pros are allowed, but DIY gets its own category, and both are eligible for best in show.

For now, start plotting. And untangling. We know how you left those lights last January.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎈🎭 Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at Toby's – The Donna Summer musical continues its run with dinner and show times throughout the weekend.

🎈⛸️ Halloween skates at Columbia Ice Rink – Costume skates all weekend and free popcorn while it lasts 🍿

🎈🐮 Laurel Farmer's Market – Last market of the season in downtown Laurel.

🎃 Pop Culture and Popcorn Trivia – Halloween trivia covering horror films, gothic lit, Halloween history, and Howard County lore at the Museum of Howard County History.

🎭 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Viewing & Costume Party NIGHT TWO – A second screening and costume party for anyone who wants another round of the cult classic.

🎈🩰 Halloween Fitness Dance Party – Put on your costume and get moving at this spooky afternoon dance workout.

🎈🎃 Spook-tacular at Color Burst Park – Howard Hughes Communities' 6th annual Halloween celebration with a trick-or-treat trail, pumpkin patch, costume contest, live music, and pumpkin decorating. First 250 attendees get a goodie bag.

👻 Haunted Hallways – A Halloween party for teens 14 to 17 at the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center with games, music, pizza, and drinks. Costumes are welcome, but no masks please.

🎈🎃 Halloween at the Museums – Pre-trick-or-treat stop at Ellicott City museums for Halloween goodies before Main Street festivities.

🎈🍬 Trick or Treat on Main Street – Old Ellicott City’s shops hand out candy from 4 to 6 PM. Start at Tiber Park and finish at The Wine Bin.

🎈🎻 The Wizard and the Wolf: A Halloween Family Concert – Columbia Orchestra performs music from Harry Potter and Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” in a family-friendly Halloween concert.

🎈🍺 Halloween: Farm Open (Dress up for a Discount) – Manor Hill Brewing offers 15% off to anyone in costume, plus candy for kids and a new barrel-aged stout (not for kids).

🩰 Halloween Line Dance Fundraiser – Line dance with DJ Ruth Rarick in costumes and festive attire. Admission benefits local food pantries – all levels welcome.

🎈🏳️‍🌈 Howard County Pride Festival – The rescheduled festival takes over Merriweather Park with performers on the Chrysalis stage, 150+ vendors, and a dozen food trucks. It’s free, but do RSVP.

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✍️ Dream Deadline – Got a kid who draws, writes, or has lots to say? The county’s MLK Holiday Commission contests close tomorrow at 5 PM. Students can enter a poster, a 500-word essay, or a two-to-three-minute speech on this year’s theme: “Let us build the future through stones of hope.” Prizes run up to $300, and winners get recognized at the January 17 MLK Celebration. It’s last minute, but a poster only takes one good afternoon. Rules and applications here.

🏫 Back In Session – The fight over Maryland International School’s expansion in Elkridge heads back to the Board of Appeals next Thursday. Neighbors have fought the private school’s plan for an addition, three new structures, and a relocated playground on Old Washington Road since 2023. This time they’re appealing the county’s sign-off on the site plan. Watch it here.

🧥 Warm Regards – Give yourself a pat on the back, HoCo. The Sheriff’s Office wrapped up the winter coat drive with Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, and you donated more than 250 items. That’s a lot of people who’ll be warmer this winter because you finally cleaned out that hall closet.

🎻 All About That Bass – Two upright basses stole the show at last Saturday’s Celebration of the Arts. The Boundless Basses (Zach Desmond and Eric Liu) took the audience vote and $5,000 Rising Star prize with “Tres Tangos Para Duo de Contrabajos.” The Arts Council also gave Howie Awards to HCC dance professor Elizabeth Higgins, retired orchestra teacher Tammy Sutton, and Harry Glass, former president of Sundays at Three. Congrats here.

🙋 Serve’s Up – Howard County is now the first “JustServe County” east of the Rockies. Great! What does that mean? JustServe is a free website and app where nonprofits, schools, and faith groups post volunteer projects anyone can sign up for. If you’ve been meaning to volunteer but didn’t know how, start here.

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71 🌡️ 51 | 🌫️ | 1% ☔ | 💨 S 6 mph

74 🌡️ 45 | ☀️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 W 9 mph

65 🌡️ 46 | 🌤️ | 0% ☔ | 💨 NE 5 mph

68 🌡️ 51 | ⛅ | 3% ☔ | 💨 S 6 mph

67 🌡️ 52 | ⛅ | 29% ☔ | 💨 S 6 mph

Cured 1821 | Gene Okonski | 6–10 PM
The Morgan Inn | Double H Duo | 6–9 PM

Bare Bones | Radio Hero | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Andrew Bell | 8–11 PM
Collective Encore | REMnant: A Tribute to REM | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Ian Trushiem | 6–11 PM
Kelsey’s Restaurant & Irish Pub | Brandt Dunn | 6–9:30 PM
Looney’s Maple Lawn | Run For Cover | 9 PM
The Morgan Inn | E’Nuff Said | 8–11 PM
Reckless Shepherd | Jah Works | 9 PM | Tickets
Smashing Grapes | Saegin Duo ft. Skyler Parker | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Kavoossi | 8–10 PM

Bare Bones | FireKite | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Brett Buehler | 8–11 PM
Collective Encore | The Jazz Room: This is Halloween | 6:30 PM & 9 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Damon Foreman | 6–11 PM
Looney’s Maple Lawn | Halloween Bash with Radio Hero | 9 PM
The Morgan Inn | Katie’s Haunted Halloween Hoedown with the Stone Ridge Boys | 8 PM–12 AM
Smashing Grapes | Cathy Elliott Garcia | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Michael K from Pretty Big Deal | 8–10 PM

Cured 1821 | Sidestreet Duo | 5–9 PM
Manor Hill Brewing | DT Huber | 2–5 PM
The Morgan Inn | Sunday Funday Music Jam with The Soul Family Band | 2–5:30 PM

Collective Encore | Bachelor Boys Band Showcase | 7 PM | Tickets

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who still can’t wrap their head around the fact that they don’t have to manually change the time on their iPhone anymore.