TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026
ST. MARY’S INSIDER
THE LOCAL GUIDE TO WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING
Good morning, St. Mary’s. 👋
A proposed 7-Eleven has Leonardtown talking, and First Watch now has a target opening date. It’s St. Mary’s County. We get excited about food and gas stations.
Let’s get into it.
🧐 The County Quiz
The reconstructed Maryland Dove sails Saturday. What became of the original ship? Take your best guess below.
What happened to the original Dove after it sailed from Maryland in 1635?
Make your guess above, then sail down for a little more on the Dove.
🏡 Around the County
🏪 A 7-Eleven Is Proposed for Route 5: Winmar Advisory is seeking town feedback on a store at Moakley Street and Point Lookout Road. Town staff flag traffic and turn safety as concerns. If you want an idea of how the community feels about this, check out the 200+ comments on the Insider FB post HERE.
🍳 First Watch Targets September 28: The breakfast chain is slated to open in the former Panera space on Worth Avenue in California. Planned hours are 7 AM to 2:30 PM daily. Everyone loves a good brunch spot, so this one is exciting.
🍺 Beer With Your Bagel? Boone’s Looks Beyond Breakfast: The county liquor board conditionally approved beer and wine service. Boone’s plans Friday and Saturday evening hours and a dinner menu, but hasn’t announced a start date.
🧒 The Boys & Girls Club at Carver Opens September 15: The new club at Carver Recreation Center will offer after-school activities, sports, STEM, and workforce programs for more than 100 local young people.
🎡 The County Fair Is Next Week: The St. Mary’s County Fair returns September 24–27 in Leonardtown. We’ll have more on the food, exhibits, rides, and livestock before the gates open. For adults, it’s time for some fried food and running into your co-workers. For kids, its the best day off from school of the year.
⭐ The Top Pick
Saturday, September 19 | 12 PM to 4 PM
St. Mary’s County Regional Airport | California
Free admission; tastings $1.25 each
If you want one Saturday plan that covers lunch and keeps the rest of the family busy, head to the airport.
Local restaurants, food trucks, and caterers will serve tasting portions and compete for People’s Choice and other awards. Bird Dog Bistro, Bollywood Masala, Olde Town Pub, Rucci’s, and Tia’s Cantina are among the announced vendors.
Tasting tickets are sold at the door by card. The event runs rain or shine.
You can stop in for lunch or stay for the music, car show, aircraft displays, and children’s activities. Go early for the widest food selection, and leave room for dessert.
🌟 Insider Spotlight (Sponsored)
Need hydration, a vitamin injection or support with medical weight management? Southern Maryland Mobile Infusion brings the appointment to you.
The locally owned wellness company serves St. Mary’s, Charles and Calvert counties, bringing registered nurses to clients’ homes and offices instead of requiring another drive or waiting room. It was founded by Sharon Andes and Rachel Rodgers, BSN-prepared registered nurses with decades of experience in emergency care, oncology, radiation oncology and infusion nursing.
Now SMMI is growing beyond its original mobile services. Launching this weekend, SMMI Premier Access will connect clients with physician-guided options for weight management, hormone health and other wellness goals. Services include peptides, GLP-1/GIP options, hormone optimization, advanced laboratory testing and genetic testing.
The expansion means more comprehensive wellness options are available closer to home without losing the personal, relationship-based approach on which Sharon and Rachel built the business.
📅 Your Weekend Calendar
This week’s calendar is presented in partnership with Melissa Rodriguez, Your St. Mary’s County Realtor.
🟢 Friday, September 18
Friday Local Social | Local vendors and music from 4 PM to 9 PM @ Port of Leonardtown Winery, Leonardtown. Browse local vendors, hear live music, and grab some great food; the winery opens at noon.
Star Party with the Southern Maryland Astronomical Society | 7:30 PM to 9 PM @ Lexington Park Library. Register for a night-sky briefing and telescope viewing.
🟢 Saturday, September 19
Rust & Grain Vintage Market | 9 AM to 4 PM @ Rust & Grain, Charlotte Hall. Browse vintage furniture, décor, clothing, handmade goods, and repurposed finds during the monthly market weekend.
Wheels and Wings Car Show | 10 AM to 3 PM @ Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, Lexington Park. See cars from every era beside the museum’s aircraft.
Artsfest ’26 | 10 AM to 5 PM @ Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Solomons. Browse 170 juried artist booths, hear live performances, and bring the kids; the festival returns Sunday.
Grandparents Day Paddle and Picnic | 10 AM to 1 PM @ Greenwell State Park, Hollywood. Take a guided Patuxent paddle and picnic; register ahead, ages 9 and up, weather permitting.
Maryland Dove Passenger Sail | 10 AM to 12 PM or 1 PM to 3 PM @ Historic St. Mary’s City. Sail aboard the reconstructed 17th-century trading ship.
Drayden African American Schoolhouse Open House | 11 AM to 2 PM @ Drayden African American Schoolhouse, Drayden. Tour the restored one-room schoolhouse where local Black students learned through the mid-20th century.
Taste of St. Mary’s | 12 PM to 4 PM @ St. Mary’s County Regional Airport, California. Sample local food, see aircraft and cars, and hear live music; admission is free, with $1.25 tasting tickets sold at the door by card.
Outdoor Art & Movie Night | 3 PM to 7 PM @ Town Market, Leonardtown. Bring a blanket for a free family movie, with sidewalk chalk and art activities beforehand.
Demolition Derby | General gates open at 3:30 PM, crashing begins at 5 PM @ Potomac Speedway, Mechanicsville. Cars slamming into each other until they don’t run anymore. What’s more fun than that?
Sunset at Sotterley | 5 PM to 9 PM @ Historic Sotterley, Hollywood. This ticketed fundraiser includes dinner, entertainment, and an auction supporting Sotterley’s educational programs.
Jamie O’Neal | 8 PM to 11 PM @ The Rex Theatre, Leonardtown. The country singer brings the late Saturday option to downtown Leonardtown.
🟢 Sunday, September 20
Rust & Grain Vintage Market | 10 AM to 3 PM @ Rust & Grain, Charlotte Hall. Sunday offers a second pass through the monthly vintage and handmade market.
Cars & Coffee Car Show | 10 AM to 2 PM @ Town Market, Leonardtown. See the cars, hear music, and try the cornhole boards; a 50/50 raffle and door prizes round it all out.
Artsfest ’26 | 10 AM to 5 PM @ Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Solomons. The festival’s second day brings another chance to browse artist booths, hear live music, and explore the garden.
David Sparrow | 2 PM to 5 PM @ Port of Leonardtown Winery, Leonardtown. David Sparrow performs Sunday afternoon while Heidi’s Eats and Sages Treats handle the food and dessert.
⛵ A Little More on the Maryland Dove
The ship you can board today is a 2022 reconstruction of the Dove, the smaller of the two vessels that carried Maryland’s first English colonists across the Atlantic in 1633–34.
The Ark was a roughly 400-ton cargo ship carrying about 140 colonists and their supplies. The Dove was much smaller, at about 40 tons, and was purchased so the new colony would have its own vessel after the Ark returned to England.
Just days after leaving England, a storm separated the ships and those aboard the Ark feared the Dove had sunk. Six weeks later, the two ships unexpectedly reunited in Barbados.
After reaching Maryland, the Ark returned to England while the Dove stayed behind to carry goods and support the new colony.
🤝 Trusted Local Partners
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That’s your Insider for this week.
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See you next Tuesday. ✌️
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