Good Morning St. Mary's 👋.
The Fourth of July is officially behind us. Did anybody else spend the rest of the weekend just sitting directly in front of a fan, or was that just me? Honestly, with the way the heat has been hitting the county lately, I think we all owe our air conditioners a round of applause.
Let's get into it.
🧐 The County Quiz
How well do you know St. Mary’s history?
What makes the 800-pound boulder outside Leonardtown's Tudor Hall famous according to 1697 local lore?
🏡 Around the County
🙏 Community Support After Local House Fire: A local family is facing an unimaginable loss after a father died in a house fire while trying to save his 10-year-old child. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family. This is not the kind of story St. Mary’s Insider usually leads with, but when a local family is hurting and the community has a way to help, it is worth sharing. You can support the family here.
☕ Mechanicsville Finally Gets Its Coffee Moment: La Tazza Coffee Co. is opening in the old Pizza Boli's space on Three Notch Road, giving Mechanicsville a locally owned coffee stop with lattes, matcha, iced coffee, pastries, sandwiches, bagels, croissants, and paninis. Northern county has needed something like this. Gas station coffee can stand down.
🎉 Kneaded Is Turning Into a Private Event Option: Kneaded Baking Co. is now booking private events at its space in downtown Leonardtown. Baby showers, birthdays, meetings, small celebrations, all that. Smart pivot. Leonardtown needed some more flexible gathering spaces.
☀️ Ridge Is Getting a Waterfront Wellness Retreat: Here Comes The Sun Retreat is getting ready to open on Airedale Road in Ridge, bringing a waterfront wellness concept built around rest, swimming, yoga, art, journaling, and small-group programming. Not another chain restaurant. Not another storage place. Actual interesting county movement.
🚎 Leonardtown's Trolley Reaches the End of the Line: Patuxent Transportation is wrapping up the Leonardtown trolley after three years of First Friday loops around the Square. It is a small change, but it matters. Parking, walkability, and getting people around downtown are always part of whether people actually use the Square.
☕ The Social Coffee House Is Expanding Beyond Leonardtown: The Social Coffee House is growing from Leonardtown to Bel Air, with a new location called Social on Bond planned for fall 2026.
💃 St. Mary's Is Recruiting 250 People For A Secret Flash Mob: House of Dance is looking for residents ages 16 and up to join a July 25 community flash mob somewhere in the county. The time and location are staying secret, because apparently flash mobs still respect operational security. Practices start the week of July 6, participation is free, and interested people can contact Sandy at 443-655-4600 or [email protected].
⭐ The Top Pick
Saturday, July 11 | 5 PM to 9 PM | Historic Sotterley, Hollywood
If you want the easiest outdoor family plan this weekend, this is the one. Sotterley is doing the simple summer setup that works: farmer's market, Bailey's Food Truck, farm games, wagon rides, and live music from 6 PM to 8 PM.
It is not the loudest event on the board. It is just the one where you can bring kids, meet friends, eat something, let everyone wander a little, and still be home at a reasonable hour.
$10 per car. Bring chairs or a blanket and give yourself a little time getting in and out.
🌟 Insider Spotlight
Bet you did not know there is a full robotics hub sitting quietly in Hollywood.
GrowingSTEMS runs out of The HIVE on Commerce Avenue, with programs for younger builders, high school robotics, coding camps, and combat robotics. This is not just kids snapping together a kit after school. They have a travel combat team, Honey Cracked, that builds 3-pound, 12-pound, and 30-pound fighting robots.
And yes, they have a robot fighting cage. One of the few dedicated combat-robot setups like it on the East Coast. Small machines go in. Mechanical humility comes out.
The high school side is serious too. Their FRC team, The RoboBees, has been competing since 2002. In 2026, they ranked No. 1 in the FIRST Chesapeake district, won the Chesapeake District Championship, and made a championship-division finalist run in Houston.
If your kid likes building, breaking, coding, or asking why the toaster works, start here.
📅 Your Weekend Calendar
🟢 Wednesday, July 8
War on Wheels 1 | 5 PM to 11 PM @ Maryland International Raceway, Mechanicsville. Wednesday drag racing at MIR, with gates opening at 5 PM, test-and-tune running until 11 PM, $25 at the gate, and ladies free.
🟢 Friday, July 10
Fun Friday Open House | 11 AM to 2 PM @ Leonard Hall Recreation Center, Leonardtown. St. Mary's County Recreation & Parks is hosting an open house with games, activities, and raffles for all ages.
The Fenwick Inn Art Exhibit & Sale | Friday 11 AM to 5 PM @ The Fenwick Inn, Leonardtown. The Fenwick Inn is hosting a two-day art exhibit and sale in collaboration with the Color & Light Society of Southern Maryland. Expect local and regional artwork on display and for sale.
Cousins Maine Lobster at Port of Leonardtown Winery | 12 PM to 7 PM @ Port of Leonardtown Winery, Leonardtown. Pairing lobster rolls with a winery afternoon at Port of Leonardtown.
Friday Summer Skate | 1 PM to 4 PM @ Leonard Hall Recreation Center, Leonardtown. The county's Friday Summer Skate series brings indoor roller skating, music, and summer afternoon energy to Leonard Hall.
Paleontology and Prehistory with the Mobile Library | 5 PM to 7 PM @ Historic Sotterley, Hollywood. A free family dinosaur program with fossils, hands-on activities, crafts, books, popcorn, and drinks. Registration is required.
Happy Hour at Barefoot Farms with HydraFX | 5 PM to 9 PM @ Barefoot Farms, Avenue. Barefoot Farms is hosting its second summer happy hour with HydraFX playing the front stage from 6 PM to 9 PM.
Toots Ultimate Rock Weekend | Friday 5 PM through Sunday 11 PM @ Toots Bar, Hollywood. Toots is running a full rock weekend with Doc Marten and the Flannels, No Green JellyBeenz, and more live music across the weekend.
Golden Hour Paddle: Bald Eagle Spotting | Sunset @ Greenwell State Park, Hollywood. A guided two-hour kayak paddle along the Patuxent shoreline looking for bald eagles.
River Concert Series | 7 PM to 9 PM @ St. Mary's College Townhouse Green, St. Mary's City. The 2026 River Concert Series continues on the Townhouse Green, with grounds opening at 5:30 PM. Bring chairs or blankets for the free outdoor concert.
The SpongeBob Musical | 8 PM @ Three Notch Theatre, Lexington Park. Newtowne Players opens its run of The SpongeBob Musical, rated PG with an estimated 2 hour 30 minute runtime including intermission.
🟢 Saturday, July 11
Second Saturday Activity: Birds, Feeders, and Habitats | 10 AM to 12 PM @ Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, Piney Point. Free county museum programming focused on birds, feeders, and habitats.
Sharkfest | 10 AM to 4 PM @ Calvert Marine Museum, Solomons. Calvert Marine Museum is celebrating all things shark with live sharks in the Corbin Nature Pavilion, prehistoric shark activities, and museum programming.
The Fenwick Inn Art Exhibit & Sale | 10 AM to 5 PM @ The Fenwick Inn, Leonardtown. Day two of the art exhibit and sale with the Color & Light Society of Southern Maryland.
Summer Saturday Tours | 1 PM @ Historic St. Mary's City, St. Mary's City. A guided archaeology and landscape tour tied to St. Mary's Fort discoveries and the long Native presence in the area.
Escape Room: Star-Spangled Secrets | 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM @ Charlotte Hall Library, Charlotte Hall. A free historical escape-room style challenge for teens and adults, built around riddles, puzzles, and the nation's 250th.
Why Britain Lost America: The Slow Burn to 1776 | 2 PM to 3 PM @ Lexington Park Library, Lexington Park. Author Thomas Guay talks through the local and regional forces behind the American Revolution.
Mid-Atlantic Super Series ET Combo | 4 PM @ Maryland International Raceway, Mechanicsville. Saturday bracket racing with a $2,000-to-win ET Combo race.
Mystery Theater: Dangerous Toys | 4:50 PM @ The Potomac Gardens, Coltons Point. A one-night mystery theater event with The Fowl Players of Perryville.
Second Saturday Family Nights Concert Series | 5 PM to 9 PM @ Historic Sotterley, Hollywood. Farmer's market, food truck, games, wagon rides, and live music from 6 PM to 8 PM. $10 per car.
Patuxent FA USL 2 vs. Virginia Beach United | 7 PM @ St. Mary's Ryken High School Football Field, Leonardtown. Summer soccer at Ryken, with gates opening at 6:30 PM.
The SpongeBob Musical | 8 PM @ Three Notch Theatre, Lexington Park. Saturday-night performance of Newtowne Players' PG-rated SpongeBob production.
Dive-In Movie: Snow Dogs | 8 PM @ Navy Recreation Center Solomons, Solomons. NRC Solomons is showing Snow Dogs at the Riverside Pool, with open swim starting at 8 PM. Guests can float in the pool while watching the movie.
🟢 Sunday, July 12
Glass Blowing DIY with McFadden Art Glass | 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM @ Port of Leonardtown Winery, Leonardtown. McFadden Art Glass is bringing a hands-on glass-blowing class to the winery, with project options including a vase and stemless wine glass.
Sip and Dab Bingo | 12:30 PM @ 28165 Hills Club Road, Mechanicsville. Mechanicsville VFD Auxiliary is hosting its first Sip and Dab Bingo fundraiser. The event is built around bingo, prizes, and an afternoon fundraiser setup.
Analog Pop-Up Market | 1 PM @ Slice House Parking Lot, Leonardtown. Vinyl, books, art, physical media, skate gear, and vendors in the Slice House lot.
🤝 Trusted Local Partners
St. Mary's Insider is supported by local businesses that help keep this thing going.
FITZIE'S MARINA RESTAURANT & PUB
Waterfront dining in Leonardtown.
SMASH House
Local food, local people, and a name that does not require a committee meeting to understand.
That’s your Insider for this week.
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