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Good morning, Columbia. 90 years ago today, a guy named James Maury Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi. He’d later move to Hyattsville and graduate from the University of Maryland. And thanks to a little green frog puppet, he’s now the most famous alumnus the school’s ever produced (although the co-founder of Google and Larry David would probably disagree).

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

Flour Fable Baking Co. has been open two weeks on Dobbin Road, and Sam Bierman keeps selling out of cookies. But that was just the soft opening.

The real one is Saturday. The first 50 customers get a box of chocolate chip cookies, and 10 of those boxes have a $25 gift card hiding inside. Everybody who shows up Saturday also gets a thank-you gift (redeemable in October), and there's a grand opening cold brew Saturday and Sunday only.

If you missed the backstory: Sam started Flour Fable as a cottage bakery about two years ago, hitting farmers markets and doing monthly flavor drops while working a full-time job. She went full time after ten months, announced the storefront in February, and opened on September 12. There’s pretty much been a line out the door ever since.

🍪 Go early – Weekend hours are 9 AM–3 PM. Or until they sell out (more likely). It's at 6656 Dobbin Road, Suite K.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎶 All Things Go Music Festival – Three days at Merriweather, with Mitski closing Friday, "The Hayley Williams Show" Saturday, and Brandi Carlile Sunday. Gates at 3 PM Friday, 11 AM Saturday and Sunday. Single days start at $149 and a three-day lawn pass is $349. Friday through Sunday.

🎈 ⛏️ The 61st Annual Atlantic Coast Gem, Mineral, Jewelry and Fossil Show – Fossils, jewelry, 34 vendors, hourly door prizes, and a gem mine at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM.

🎭 Toby's Dinner Theatre Presents: Summer - The Donna Summer Musical – Disco, three actresses playing one Donna, and a buffet you can go back to until 40 minutes before curtain.

📚 Howard Community College Presents the 2026 Bauder Lecture, featuring Mat Johnson – The novelist talks with poet Steven Leyva, then signs books in the lobby. Free in the Monteabaro Recital Hall at 12:30 PM (also livestreamed) and again at 6 PM.

🎬 Reel Enlightenment: GATHER - The Fight to Regain Our Native Foodways – A documentary about Native communities reclaiming their food traditions, with a discussion after. Free at the East Columbia 50+ Center at 6 PM.

🐮 Laurel Farmer's Market – Produce, baked goods, and local vendors every Thursday through October, 3 to 7 PM.

🎈 🎬 Movie Nights in the Park at Color Burst Park – Live-action Moana on the lawn, free, with games, trivia, and free popcorn at 6:30 PM before the movie starts at 7:15 PM. Park in the Symphony Woods Garage.

🎈 🌽 Corn Fest at Manor Hill – Free farm festival with bluegrass on the field stage, five food trucks, glitter tattoos until 4 PM, and a brand-new corn lager called 14 Acres. Noon to 7 PM, and seating is bring-your-own.

🏒 The Old Ellicott Cup 2026 – Bubble hockey's premier tournament, but anyone can enter. Proceeds go to the Howard County Food Bank. $40 to play at Cushwa & Rad Pies on Dobbin Road, noon to 8 PM. Sign-ups close when play starts.

🎈 🍂 Wilde Lake Fall Festival – The Wilde Lake High marching band, a moonbounce, face painting, two food trucks, and a board-game tent. Free at Wilde Lake Park, noon to 4 PM, with a bike corral if you ride over.

📚 Patapsco Literary Festival – Authors, panels, and storytimes up and down Main Street, free, starting at 10 AM. The Lucille Clifton Reading with Maryland Poet Laureate Lady Brion hits the Backwater Books stage at 4 PM. Take the free trolley from Lot F.

🍺 Oktoberfest at Sapwood – Five lagers by the half-liter mug for $6.50, plus schnitzel and currywurst tacos. The Maryland Polka Band plays 4 to 6 PM and the stein-hoisting contest is at 5 PM. Open 11 AM to 10 PM.

🍴 The Longest Table 2026 – The library's 10th annual dinner on the HCC quad, where strangers get real conversation starters with the meal. $20, social hour at 4:30 PM and dinner at 5:30 PM. It sells out most years.

🏃 Walk to End Alzheimer's – Free to join at Centennial Park. Check-in is 9 AM, the promise garden ceremony is 10 AM, and the walk steps off at 10:30 AM.

🎈 🌱 Adopt-a-Spot Cleanup with Wilde Lake CARES: Snowy Reach – Pull weeds by the water with your neighbors, 10 AM to noon. No registration, just show up.

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🔎 Show Your Work – Columbia Community Concepts is challenging the county's authority to audit how it's spending $25 million in public money on The Source, the community center planned for the old Columbia Flier building. Councilmember Deb Jung says it's the biggest grant the county's ever given one group. The county's inspector general has already subpoenaed the nonprofit's records. So far $12.2 million’s been spent and nothing's been built yet. The final bill estimate has climbed from $49 million to $70 million. ($)

🍦 Sweet Relief – The Meadows Frozen Custard is staying at Hickory Ridge Village Center. Kimco Realty wasn't going to renew after 16 years. Then a few hundred Columbia residents emailed and called the landlord, and owners Tricia Hsu and Yiwei Chang signed a new lease Tuesday. The thank-you party is Friday from 5 to 8 PM and everyone gets a free vanilla on a cake cone plus 10% off everything else all day.

🚌 New Driver – RMA Worldwide, a Rockville chauffeur company, bought Eyre Bus Service, the Glenelg outfit the Eyre family’s run since 1947. RMA gets Eyre’s 22 motor coaches while Eyre's maintenance shop spins off into its own company. Terms weren't disclosed.

🏆 First Again – WalletHub named Columbia the best city in America for women for the third year running. Adjusted for cost of living, women here earn the highest median wages in the country at $63,920, and we have the 8th-lowest poverty rate for women and the 10th-best life expectancy. We also ranked 2nd on the site's 2026 jobs list.

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66 🌡️ 50 | ⛅ | 0% ☔ | 💨 NE 12 mph

71 🌡️ 53 | 🌤️ | 3% ☔ | 💨 N 12 mph

74 🌡️ 54 | 🌤️ | 4% ☔ | 💨 NW 14 mph

73 🌡️ 55 | 🌤️ | 6% ☔ | 💨 NW 13 mph

74 🌡️ 54 | 🌤️ | 2% ☔ | 💨 NW 8 mph

🌳🎵= Outdoor concert

Bare Bones | Dan Ingham | 7–10:30 PM
Collective Encore | Mamma Mania! A Tribute to ABBA | 7:30 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Sara Jones | 5–10 PM
The Morgan Inn | Dwayne Wilson Acoustic Country | 6–9 PM

Bare Bones | Freezer Burn | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Andrew Bell | 8–11 PM
Cured 1821 | Jon Waller | 6–11 PM
Hoco Brew Hive | One Third Wish | 7–10 PM
Looney’s Maple Lawn | Turning the Tide | TBA
🌳🎵 Merriweather | All Things Go Music Festival — Mitski, Ethel Cain, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Magdalena Bay + more | 3:30 PM | Tickets
The Morgan Inn | The Half Serious Band | 8–11 PM
Reckless Shepherd | Doc Marten and the Flannels | 9 PM
Smashing Grapes | Jordan Mills | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Ciotter | 8–10 PM

Bare Bones | Shake The Room | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Grayson Moon | 8–11 PM
Collective Encore | Angry Young Band: A Tribute to Billy Joel | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Gene Okonski | 6–11 PM
Looney’s Maple Lawn | Turn It Up! | TBA
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | Corn Fest 26 — live music on two stages | 12–7 PM
🌳🎵 Merriweather | All Things Go Music Festival — Hayley Williams, MUNA, Zara Larsson, Suki Waterhouse + more | 11:30 AM | Tickets
The Morgan Inn | Streamline | 8–11 PM
Smashing Grapes | Andrew Bell | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Meg Murray | 8–10 PM

Barn & Lodge | Andrew Bell | 11 AM–2 PM
Collective Encore | Candlelight: Tribute to Whitney Houston on Strings | 5:30 PM | Tickets
Collective Encore | Candlelight: Coldplay & Imagine Dragons | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Bob & Aiden | 5–9 PM
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | Mandy B | 2–5 PM
🌳🎵 Merriweather | All Things Go Music Festival — Brandi Carlile, Lola Young, Remi Wolf, Father John Misty + more | 11:30 AM | Tickets
The Morgan Inn | Sunday Funday Music Jam with The Soul Family Band | 2–5:30 PM
Smashing Grapes | Jack Gruber | 11 AM–2 PM

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