🍦The one week your kid's shoes are tax-free 👟

Good morning, Columbia. The web debuted to the public 35 years ago. On August 6, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee posted a summary of his World Wide Web project to a message board: no photos, no ads, no gifs, just plain text explaining how links work. Look what we’ve done with it.

In today’s Columbia Scoop:

Let’s get to it.

— Michelle Sinclair

Don’t panic if you’ve hit a barricade in front of one of the biggest shoe spots at The Mall in Columbia. Foot Locker just moved upstairs for a while.

The former House of Hoops is under renovation for an expansion that’ll put Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker under one roof. The mall is promising a “glow-up” and says the finished store gets its big reveal this fall.

Until then, Foot Locker is camped out in the old Kids Foot Locker space on the upper level, near the Maple Garage entrance. The mall’s online directory hasn’t caught up yet, so don’t trust the map.

Good timing, too: shoes are a fundamental part of the back-to-school wardrobe. No exceptions. And starting Sunday, you can buy them sans the state’s 6% sales tax, as long as they’re priced at $100 or less.

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Sneakers, hoodies, jeans, and a backpack that’ll probably be wrecked by October. If that’s your August shopping list, the state is about to stop charging you sales tax on most of it.

Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week runs Sunday, August 9 at 12:01 AM through Saturday, August 15 at 11:59 PM. Clothing and footwear priced at $100 or less per item skip the state’s 6% sales tax, and the first $40 of a backpack or bookbag is exempt too. Online orders qualify as long as you pay for them and take delivery during the week.

The cap is per item, not per receipt. Three $60 hoodies? All tax-free. Go over the limit, though, and there’s no partial credit. So, a $110 pair of jeans gets taxed on the full $110, not just the last $10.

Want to add to that discount shopping high? Shop local!

🍎 And remember, Howard County K-12 students head back to class August 24. Pre-K starts August 27.

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🎈 = family-friendly events

🎈 🌱 Spotted Lanternfly Trapping Workshop - Learn how to make your own circle trap and help manage the local spotted lanternfly population at this free hands-on workshop. 5–7 PM.

🎈 🎭 Shakespeare Beyond at Rockburn Branch Park - Free outdoor Shakespeare performance from 7:30–9 PM suitable for all ages at Rockburn Branch Park.

🎨 Watercolor Wandering: Sunflowers at Golden Hour - Paint sunflowers at sunset in the actual field at Mary’s Land Farm — all supplies and two pick-your-own sunflowers included.

🎈 💃 Dancin’ Under the People Tree - Free all-ages dance fitness session led by high-energy instructors under the People Tree sculpture at the Columbia Lakefront.

🎈 🎬 Movie Night - Zootopia - Bring a blanket for an outdoor screening of Zootopia at dusk on the Columbia Lakefront.

🍺 First Friday Release of Manor Rising - Manor Hill Brewing releases its cold brew coffee stout with live music from Jon Watkins and Neapolitan pizza on the farm.

🎶 Shiny Metal Boxes: A Tribute to The Police - Maryland’s newest Police tribute band makes its debut at The Collective Encore.

🎈 🌍 Howard County Caribbean American Heritage Month Celebration - Free celebration with live music, traditional dances, children’s activities, and Caribbean cuisine at The Chrysalis.

🎈 🎪 2026 - Howard County Fair - The 80th annual fair celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday with rides, animal shows, food, and ag demonstrations (12 and under free).

🎈 🎉 Family Fun Day - Free kids’ activities at the Columbia Lakefront with meet-and-greets and craft bracelet-making.

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

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

🎶 Leah Marlene - Small Spaces Tour - An intimate backyard house concert with the American Idol alum known for visceral storytelling and genre-blurring songwriting.

🎭 Toby’s Dinner Theatre Presents: Mean Girls - The high school social labyrinth comes to life in Toby’s dinner-theater production of the hit musical.

🎨 Nature in Two Voices - Two artists explore nature through delicate watercolors on rice paper and oversized expressive floral paintings at Artists Gallery in Ellicott City.

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🍗 Good news for foodies – You know the Woodmere retail strip being built on Broken Land Parkway? We found out who’s moving in. Merriweather Post broke the news that Tim Hortons, Quickway Japanese Hibachi, and Wing Stop will call the strip home, likely sometime in 2027.

🪏 Groundbreaking news – The much-anticipated Elkridge Community and 50+ Center has officially broken ground. The $65.5 million, 70K-square-foot facility will offer recreation space and senior services, as well as a satellite police station. Construction should be done by summer 2028.

🚗 Slow down – Speed demons, take note: Traffic calming amenities are coming to Old Washington Road in Elkridge. The county started a project that will implement speed humps, new signage, pavement markings, and other safety improvements. They should be done this month. During construction, only one lane of traffic will be open Mon–Fri 9 AM–3 PM.

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90 🌡️ 72 | ⛈️ | 23% ☔ | 💨 SW 9 mph

89 🌡️ 70 | ⛈️ | 63% ☔ | 💨 SW 7 mph

89 🌡️ 71 | ⛈️ | 50% ☔ | 💨 SW 7 mph

89 🌡️ 70 | 🌤️ | 8% ☔ | 💨 W 7 mph

91 🌡️ 72 | 🌤️ | 18% ☔ | 💨 W 7 mph

🌳🎵= Outdoor concert

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

Bare Bones | Crush | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Mike Heuer | 8–11 PM
Collective Encore | Shiny Metal Boxes: A Tribute to The Police | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Aiden Interrante | 6–11 PM
Looney’s Maple Lawn | Rev6 | 9 PM
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | Jon Watkins | 5–8 PM
The Morgan Inn | The Motive | 8–11 PM
Reckless Shepherd | The Betty White Stripes | 9 PM
Smashing Grapes | Marissa Zechinato | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Nate Clendenan | 8–10 PM

Bare Bones | Escape Goat | 8 PM–12 AM
Barn & Lodge | Grayson Moon | 8–11 PM
Collective Encore | Atomic Light Orchestra (ELO Tribute) | 8 PM | Tickets
Cured 1821 | Kevin Howard | 6–11 PM
Looney’s Maple Lawn | The New Romance | 8 PM
The Morgan Inn | Good Company | 8–11 PM
Smashing Grapes | Eugene Chapman | 8–11 PM
White Oak Tavern | Micheal K from Pretty Big Deal Band | 8–10 PM

Barn & Lodge | Andrew Bell | 11 AM–2 PM
Cured 1821 | Sidestreet Duo | 5–9 PM
🌳🎵 Manor Hill Brewing | Bob Hale | 2–5 PM
The Morgan Inn | The Soul Family Band (Sunday Jam) | 2–5:30 PM
Smashing Grapes | Gregory Thompkins | 11 AM–2 PM
White Oak Tavern | Jazzy Brunch | 11 AM–2 PM

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