🍦Ten years later, a $386 million fix

Good morning, Columbia. It’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, which we owe to Ruth Wakefield, who ran the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts and started chopping a chocolate bar into her cookie dough in the 1930s. Nestlé put her recipe on the back of the bag, and it never left.

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

A decade ago last Thursday, nearly 6 inches of rain (in just two hours) fell on Ellicott City. Main Street turned into a river that killed Jessica Watsula and Joseph A. Blevins and damaged dozens of buildings in the popular historic district. Two years later, another "once in a millennium" flood killed Eddison Hermond, who was swept away while trying to help rescue a woman on Main Street.

The county’s answer was Ellicott City Safe and Sound, the plan County Executive Calvin Ball announced in December 2018: seven projects, an estimated $140 million, done by mid-2025. Now in 2026, the price is up to about $386 million, and the work is still going. Inflation and a tunnel that got longer obviously didn’t help. Where it stands:

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Per usual, August is coming in hot. Here’s your game plan.

The 80th annual Howard County Fair runs August 8–15. That’s a lot of funnel cakes.

Merriweather barely takes a night off (Thomas Rhett, Zac Brown Band, The Fray, and Kehlani), and the Lakefront keeps its Friday movie-and-dancing routine going well past the August 24 HCPSS start date.

The full guide has all of it, plus the deeper cuts: Y2K Night at the Lakefront, Midnight Mini-Golf, the Back to School Bash with a Brooklyn brass band, the rescheduled Caribbean American Heritage Celebration, and Toby’s trading Mean Girls for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

Read the full August guide here.

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🐶 Paint with Puppies from Small Miracles Rescue - Paint pottery while adoptable puppies from Small Miracles Rescue wander around for maximum snuggle time. Ticket proceeds go directly to the rescue.

🎶 Summer Sounds Concert Series: Strykers Posse Reggae Band - Free outdoor reggae concert at Harper's Choice Village Center as part of the summer series.

🍺 Black Philanthropy Month Happy Hour - The Women's Giving Circle and Black Philanthropy Circle celebrate the legacy and impact of Black philanthropy in Howard County.

🍽️ Food Truck Wednesdays - Rotating food trucks at Merriweather Row Plaza bring international flavors for your midweek lunch break. This week: Ello Delights and Greek on the Go.

🎷 Patuxent Jazz Band: Sunset Serenades - The final concert of the summer series – free lakeside jazz at Centennial Park.

🐮 Laurel Farmer's Market - Fresh local produce, artisan goods, and community vendors every Thursday through October.

🎈🎭 Shakespeare Beyond at Rockburn Branch Park - All-ages outdoor Shakespeare performance in the park, presented by Howard County Recreation & Parks.

🎈🌻 Watercolor Wandering: Sunflowers at Golden Hour - Paint watercolor sunflowers in the actual sunflower field at Mary's Land Farm during golden hour. All supplies, instruction, and two pick-your-own sunflowers included.

🎈💃 Dancin' Under the People Tree - All-ages dance fitness party led by high-energy instructors under the People Tree sculpture at the lakefront.

🎈🎬 Movie Night: Zootopia - Free outdoor screening of the animated classic at the Columbia Lakefront. Bring a blanket and settle in at dusk.

🍺 First Friday Release of Manor Rising - Manor Hill Brewing releases their cold brew coffee stout featuring Dublin Roasters beans, plus live music from Jon Watkins on the farm.

🎈🎡 80th Annual Howard County Fair - The county's signature summer tradition returns for its 80th year with rides, animal shows, competitions, and special celebrations for the nation's 250th birthday.

🎈🌴 Howard County Caribbean American Heritage Month Celebration - Free celebration at The Chrysalis featuring Caribbean dance, live music, interactive exercise classes, kids' activities, and authentic cuisine.

🎈🎨 Family Fun Day - Free kids' activities at the Columbia Lakefront starting at 5 PM – something for every age.

🎈🎬 Movie Night: Zootopia 2 - Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde return for another adventure in this outdoor lakefront screening at dusk.

🎶 Atomic Light Orchestra (ELO Tribute) - Near record-perfect renditions of Electric Light Orchestra and Traveling Wilburys hits at The Collective Encore.

🎶 Leah Marlene: Small Spaces Tour - An intentionally intimate backyard house show with the genre-blurring singer-songwriter known for visceral storytelling. Address provided with ticket purchase.

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💩 Sewer stabilization – Listen, sometimes…it happens. But DPW would rather it didn’t reach the Little Patuxent River, so the county is starting a project Monday to swap an 8-inch A.C. sewer pipe for ductile iron. Work runs weekdays, 8 AM to 4 PM, between Beechwood Drive and Stevens Forest Road through mid-October. To answer your major question: No, traffic won’t be affected.

⚽️ Adult soccer registration – World Cup withdrawal? We’re sure you’re not the only one. Which is exactly why you should round up a team. Howard County Recreation & Parks announced registration is now open for adult soccer, and it’s team registration only – the 10-game leagues start the week after Labor Day. Sign up today.

🌳 Sustainability & School – The county council passed two key pieces of legislation County Executive Ball presented: Resolution 121-2026 advances Elkridge’s application for Maryland’s Sustainable Communities designation with a 5-year action plan. Then Resolution 123-2026 transfers Troy Park land to Howard County Schools as the site of the future 14th high school.

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84 🌡️ 67 | ⛅ | 21% ☔ | 💨 NE 6 mph

86 🌡️ 71 | ⛈️ | 30% ☔ | 💨 SE 7 mph

89 🌡️ 72 | ⛈️ | 36% ☔ | 💨 S 9 mph

Collective Encore | Lez Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same – 50th Anniversary Celebration | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Kevin Howard | 6–10 PM
Judge Bench Pub | First Tuesday Jazz Jam | 8–11 PM
The Morgan Inn | Open Mic Night | 7–11 PM

Collective Encore | Lez Zeppelin: Perform Physical Graffiti & More | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Tim Young | 6–10 PM

Bare Bones | Gary Brown | 7–10 PM
Collective Encore | Shotguns n Roses | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Rodney Kelly | 6–10 PM
The Morgan Inn | David Phenicie & Paula Richardson | 6–9 PM

Thanks for reading Columbia Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who always grabs the free cookie from DoubleTree. Today, everyone can grab a free cookie. 🍪