TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2026
ST. MARY’S INSIDER
THE LOCAL GUIDE TO WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING
Good morning, St. Mary’s. 👋
If the evenings feel like they re getting shorter, they are. We’re currently losing about 2 minutes and 25 seconds of daylight every day. What a downer… The good news? We’ve got a packed week in St. Mary’s.
Let’s get into it.
🧐 The County Quiz
You might know the wine. Take your best guess below. Answer at the bottom.
Before it poured local wine, what was the Port of Leonardtown Winery building used for?
🏡 Around the County
🍳 Abell’s Diner Will Close October 1: The family announced that the diner will permanently close after 43 years in St. Mary’s County. That leaves September for a final breakfast and a goodbye to the people behind the counter. Will someone step in to keep this longtime St. Mary’s staple going?
☕ The Gate 2 Starbucks Opens Friday: The new café and drive-thru is scheduled to open September 11 at 5 AM, next to Jersey Mike’s and across from NAS Patuxent River’s Gate 2. Expect more Starbucks cups at the first meeting of the day, including the one carried in by somebody who was late, but apparently not too late for coffee.
🚧 Spruce Drive and Gunston Drive Will Close in Stages: The entire intersection is scheduled to close from 7:30 AM to 4 PM on September 8 and 9. The northern portion will then close during the same hours September 10 and 11, so pick another route before you leave.
🌳 Shannon Farm’s Grant Application Falls Short: A $3.5 million federal grant application for park improvements failed on a 2–2 vote September 1. The vote did not cancel the park, just the grant application.
🥯 Boone’s Bagels Wants to Add Beer, Wine, and Outdoor Seating: The Leonardtown shop is asking for a Class B beer-and-wine license and permission to extend its premises for outdoor seating. The application is on the Alcohol Beverage Board’s September 10 agenda at 1 PM, so this is a proposal, not an approval yet.
🍏 The Library Served 2,804 Free Meals and Snacks This Summer: Between June 15 and August 21, the library gave children and families 1,267 snacks and 1,537 lunches, backed by $14,926 in donations and donated food. Remaining funds are being saved for 2027, when the goal is lunch every weekday.
⭐ The Top Pick
Saturday, September 12 | 10 AM to 4 PM
Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park | Piney Point
Free
If your family has been meaning to visit Piney Point Lighthouse, this is the day to do it.
FamilyFest on the Potomac brings a full day of music, food, and activities to Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park on Saturday, September 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The waterfront festival will feature live music from Billy Breslin & the Swamp Weasels, food trucks, children’s activities and more than 50 vendors and displays. Admission to the festival, museum, and lighthouse is completely free.
The setting is part of the draw. Built in 1836, Piney Point is the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac River and one of St. Mary’s County’s most distinctive historic sites.
Free parking will be available at Piney Point Elementary School, with complimentary shuttle service to and from the festival. Museum parking will be reserved for vehicles displaying accessible parking permits or placards.
FamilyFest is presented by the Friends of St. Clement’s Island & Piney Point Museums in partnership with the St. Mary’s County Museum Division.
🌟 Insider Spotlight (Sponsored)
Your backyard already has regulars. Wild Birds Unlimited helps you learn their names, serve what they actually like, and keep the squirrels from taking over the buffet.
Marine Corps veterans Barb and Chip Whipkey have operated the Lexington Park store for 11 years, growing one small shop and adding a second store in La Plata. In 2024, Wild Birds Unlimited named them Franchisees of the Year, its highest franchise-owner honor.
You won’t find live birds or parrots for sale here, but you will find everything for the hobby of backyard bird feeding. This is not a grab-a-bag-and-guess kind of store. The team helps customers pair food and feeders with the birds they hope to attract, solve squirrel problems, and build feeding stations that work through every season. You’ll also find birdhouses, poles and baffles, nature-focused gifts, online ordering, home delivery, and staff who still carry purchases to your car. It’s a true family business, too: their daughter manages the La Plata store, and their grandson returns to help during college breaks.
You can see that approach in action at the store’s 11th-anniversary celebration on September 12, featuring a free live birds-of-prey event. It’s a fitting way to mark a business built around helping people bring more nature into their own backyards.
📅 Your Weekend Calendar
🟢 Thursday, September 10
Thirsty Thursday with Doc Lohn | 4 PM to 7 PM @ Avid Hotel, California. The season’s final block party brings music, local beer and wine, and Loose Stones oysters. Families and leashed dogs welcome.
An Evening with the Clydesdales | 4 PM to 8 PM @ Suttler Post Farm, Mechanicsville. Bring a canned or nonperishable food donation for Our Lady of the Wayside’s pantry. Meet the horses and browse food trucks, vendors, and family activities.
Practical Magic 2: Wine & Movie | Wine reception at 5:30 PM; screenings at 7:05 and 7:10 PM @ R/C Lexington Exchange Movies 12, California. The 21+ event includes a glass of wine, a take-home glass, treats, a photo area, and an early screening of the Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman sequel.
🟢 Friday, September 11
Mechanicsville VFD Community Public Auction | Friday at 2 PM; Saturday at 9 AM @ 28165 Hills Club Road, Mechanicsville. Bid on produce, baked goods, tools, furniture, quilts, and farm or garden items.
Struggle Jennings | 7 PM to 11 PM @ Potomac Gardens, Coltons Point. The Nashville artist brings his mix of country, hip-hop, and rock to Coltons Point.
ZZ Top with George Thorogood & The Destroyers | 7 PM @ Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons. Head across the bridge for blues rock at the Waterside Pavilion.
Saving Abel | 8 PM to 11 PM @ The Rex Theatre, Leonardtown. Doors open at 7 PM for the rock band’s 21-and-older show.
🟢 Saturday, September 12
Huntin’ With Jacob Cobia & Redfish Tournament | Saturday and Sunday, fishing 6 AM to 3 PM; weigh-ins noon to 5 PM @ Solomons Yachting Center. Entry is $300 for one day or $500 for both; register by Friday at 7 PM and send a captain or crew member to Friday’s mandatory 5:30–8:30 PM meeting at Blue Fish Pub. Review the rules and 30-boat minimum before entering.
3rd Regiment Enactment | Saturday, 9 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 9 AM to 3 PM @ Point Lookout State Park, Scotland. Reenactors portray soldiers stationed at Point Lookout in 1864 while guarding prisoners at Camp Hoffman. The program is included with park admission.
DIG! St. Mary’s Fort Excavation Experience | 9 AM to 4 PM @ Historic St. Mary’s City. Dig and screen alongside archaeologists. The best part? It includes lunch; ages 18 and up. Register by Wednesday, September 9 at 1 PM.
FamilyFest on the Potomac | 10 AM to 4 PM @ Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park, Piney Point. Enjoy free museum and lighthouse admission, live music, children’s activities, food trucks, displays, and more than 50 vendors and activities. Park at Piney Point Elementary School and use the complimentary shuttle.
Indigenous Heritage Day | 10 AM to 4 PM @ Historic St. Mary’s City, St. Mary’s City. The day includes hide-tanning, pottery, cooking, and early-history demonstrations, plus a 1 PM performance by Mark Tayac and the Piscataway Indian Nation Singers & Dancers.
One Million Oysters for Breton Bay | 10 AM @ Abell’s Wharf, Leonardtown. Help the watershed association and Friends of St. Clements Bay move baby oysters to the sanctuary; RSVP, wear closed-toed shoes and a life jacket, and bring gloves if you have them.
Live Birds of Prey Event | 11 AM @ Wild Birds Unlimited, Lexington Park. The store marks 11 years in Lexington Park with a free live birds-of-prey presentation for families and backyard bird fans.
Swords & Spoons Fall TCG Show | 3 PM @ Swords & Spoons, 22599 MacArthur Boulevard, California. Bring your binder to shop and trade cards and collectibles with more than 10 vendors.
Demolition Derby | General gates open at 3:30 PM, crashing begins at 5 PM @ Potomac Speedway, Mechanicsville. Buy tickets at the gate; leave pets and glass containers at home.
🟢 Sunday, September 13
Southern Maryland Cars & Coffee | 8 AM to 11 AM @ Laurel Glen Shopping Center, California. Browse classics, imports, customs, and performance cars.
Sarah Gravelle & Beck Norris Kuhn | 2 PM to 5 PM @ Port of Leonardtown Winery, Leonardtown. The group performs Sunday afternoon while Same Same but Different handles the food. A solid Sunday plan.
🧐 The Quiz Answer
B. A state highway garage. The building was converted into the Port of Leonardtown Winery, which opened in 2010 beside McIntosh Run. Same building, very different reason to pull in.
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That’s your Insider for this week.
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See you next Tuesday. ✌️
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