72 HOURS August 13, 2026

2026 FREE

AUGUST 13

Tri-state

KIDS expo Sunday, Aug. 16 FREE! DETAILS INSIDE

Local game stores preserve the culture and ownership of play

Opening August 28

BLENDING TRENDS: Saisaki Asian Fusion brings Asian flavors to historic

Her Life. Her Music. Her Legacy.

Hagan’s Tavern PAGE 4

Reserve Your Seats Today!

PRICEY PADS: What does a

$100 hotel in New York City get you?

PAGE 10

SEPT 17-19, 2026

Free Admission!

THU FILM FESTIVAL Town Universe 9/17 Small Frostburg Palace Theatre 7 PM 31 E. Main St. • Frostburg FRI 9/18

ALL DAY

SYMPOSIUM

Dynamic Appalachia Commemorating Our Region’s Role in U.S. History Frostburg State Upper Quad

SAT MUSIC & ACTIVITIES State Upper Quad 9/19 Frostburg Appalachian Music & Dance, 10 AM Cultural Programs, Regional Foods, - 6 PM Traditional Arts & Crafts, Children’s

CAPSTONE CONCERT

LOCAL GRAMMY-NOMINATED BASSIST

Eat & Drink ............................................... 4 Music ........................................................... 6 Frederick Mom ........................................ 7 Art ..............................................................12

Missy Raines

Poetry......................................................15

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 • 7:30 PM

Theater..............................................22

& Allegheny

Cover Story.............................................16

FROSTBURG PALACE THE ATRE 31 E. MAIN ST • FROSTBURG

Calendar ................................................. 24

ces.frostburg.edu

Classifieds ...............................................30

TICKETS ON SALE AUG.1

www.frostburg.edu/appfest facebook.com/fsuappalachianfest Persons with disabilities may request accommodation through the ADA Compliance Office: 301-687-3035 (VRO 1-800-735-2258). Frostburg State University is a smoke-free campus.

Darryl Strawberry will headline Faith Night at Nymeo Field PAGE 13

INSIDE THIS WEEK

Getaways................................................... 9

Activities, Environmental Education

2 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

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ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD?:

ON THE COVER: Despite the hard-to-swallow headlines coming from all directions lately, gaming as a source of entertainment has never been more popular or widely accepted.

Photo by Metro

PUBLISHER Geordie Wilson EDITOR Lauren LaRocca llarocca@newspost.com REVENUE DIRECTOR Connie Hastings CALENDAR EDITOR Sue Guynn sguynn@newspost.com Submit a calendar listing for your event 10 days prior to publication at newspost.com/calendar.

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SNALLYFEST TURNS TOWN INTO A FIVE-STAGE BLOCK PARTY Now in its fifth year, Snallyfest will kick off on Aug. 14 with a warmup show at Sandbox Brewhouse before the festival proper takes over downtown on Aug. 15, spilling across Carroll Creek Amphitheater, Cafe Nola, the Eagles Club and Sky Stage. Brain Dead Live built this year’s lineup around homegrown talent, with punk rockers Edward! headlining Carroll Creek Amphitheater and Chattanooga, Tennessee, transplant Davy Haynes returning under a new project, fflesh, for a homecoming set at Sky Stage. All-weekend wristbands are available at snallyfest.com, or you can buy one in person at The Record Exchange or One Goods Co., both serving as old-school box offices for the weekend. Come out and support independent artists and the creators who make these events possible.

BASEBALL LEGEND DARRYL STRAWBERRY WILL BE IN TOWN Four-time World Series champion and eight-time All-Star Darryl Strawberry will head to Nymeo Field on Aug. 15 for the Frederick Keys’ Faith Night, ahead of the team’s 6 p.m. game against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Fans can grab an autograph during a meet-and-greet from 4 to 5:30 p.m. before Strawberry shares a personal message as part of the night’s program, backed by music from the Collective Church Band.

BRING YOUR OWN VINYL

Every Tuesday, Monocacy Brewing Company hands its sound system over to whoever walks in with a record under their arm. Hosted by Eric Goodman, known behind the decks as DJ Goods, Bring Your Own Vinyl Tuesdays invites guests to spin anything from an inherited 45 to a freshly pressed indie release while strangers at neighboring tables end up swapping stories about where each record came from. The next gathering runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 18, and it’s free, so there’s no excuse not to dig through the crate at home and bring a few favorites.

MOUNT AIRY FARMERS MARKET HAS OUTGROWN ITS OWN DOWNTOWN

What started as a small Main Street market has turned into a weekly draw of 40 to 50 vendors at Watkins Park, complete with live music, food trucks and animal visitors that make Wednesday feel like a mini festival. The Mount Airy Farmers Market runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 23, with the next one set for Aug. 19, and admission is free. Vendors travel in from as far as Pennsylvania and Virginia to sell everything from produce to jewelry, so come hungry and bring cash.

ENCORE CREATIVITY OPENS FALL REGISTRATION

Adults 55 and older looking for a new hobby with real health benefits have a fall option. Encore Creativity for Older Adults, the nation’s largest choral organization for that age group, just opened registration for its Frederick program. No auditions are required, and the group points to research linking group singing with reduced isolation and improved cognitive and emotional well-being. Sign up at encorecreativity.org.

A VISIT TO HOOD COLLEGE CAN UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL. Internships that lead to careers. Research projects that turn into publications. Partnerships that grow your professional network. It all starts at the only four-year college in Frederick— Hood College.

WHEN YOU SCHEDULE YOUR PERSONALIZED CAMPUS VISIT, YOU’LL FIND: • Expert faculty with industry connections.

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Schedule your visit today at hood.edu/visit.

FREDERICK’S RETRO GAME STORES ARE HAVING A MOMENT While Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo deal with layoffs, price hikes and disappearing digital libraries, Frederick’s five independent game stores are quietly thriving. Shops including Play Raven, Cartridges Galore, Tournament City Games, Storm Crow Games and Save Point have seen renewed demand for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Wii-era titles from collectors who would rather own a cartridge than rent access to one. Consider it a reminder that the best upgrade is sometimes just a trip to a store where the games still work exactly as they did the day you brought them home.

401 Rosemont Ave. Frederick, Maryland

EDITOR’S NOTE: Share your community stories and events with us! Email llarocca@newspost.com.

72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 3

EAT & DRINK

Good omen in historic tavern

Saisaki Asian Fusion

BY KATELYNN WINEBRENNER kwinebrenner@newspost.com

A light-up neon sign reading Saisaki Restaurant sits in the window of a historic stone tavern along the National Road in Braddock Heights.

The building, known as Hagan’s Tavern, may date to as early as 1790. It once sheltered travelers on their journeys between Baltimore and Western Maryland. Today, it is home to Saisaki Asian Fusion.

“Saisaki is a Japanese word for ‘good omen’ and ‘a sign of good things to come,’” restaurant manager Robert Trammel said. “And that’s what we focus on here.”

Trammel described the restaurant’s atmosphere as a more cheerful and accessible version of fine dining.

“If you want to come in and laugh a little bit, have a good time and be able to get the fine dining environment type of deal, then this would be your place to go,” he said.

The menu includes Japanese sushi and hibachi, Korean bulgogi, Thai green curry and more.

“It’s a one-stop shop, so to speak, of Asian fusion,” Trammel said. “So, you can come get a little bit of everything.”

Trammel said hibachi and sushi rolls are the restaurant’s most popular options, but the menu offers opportunities to try new things as well.

The restaurant retains the building’s historic charm while incorporating Asian-style decor and pink and red flowers throughout.

“We did obviously improve the front porch because that was a little dilapidated,” Trammel said. “We added a sink or two, and we did some painting, but for the most part everything’s still original from prior to when we got it.”

The tavern’s long history adds another dimension to the dining experience.

“You get a little taste of history,” Trammel said. “And you get a little taste of the future of blending the Asian cultures.”

4 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

ABOVE: Saisaki Asian Fusion sits along the National Road in a historic stone tavern. LEFT: The stone tavern’s charm has remained mostly unchanged, save for some new decorations.

Staff photos by Katelynn Winebrenner

SAISAKI ASIAN FUSION Saisaki Asian Fusion is at 5018 Old National Pike, Frederick. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday. Dinner hours are 4:30 to 9 p.m.

Monday through Thursday and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday.

The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, noon to 8:30 p.m. Sunday and noon to 8:30 p.m. on holidays. The price range is $20 to $30. Call 240-490-8007, email saisakiasianfusion@gmail.com or visit saisakifrederick.com.

This little town went to market

Mount Airy Farmers Market thrives at Watkins Park

BY ERIN JONES

Special to The News-Post

IF YOU GO

The mingling scents of food trucks waft through a sea of tent canopies as live music plays, mixing with the buzz of conversations and excited shouts of children greeting new animal friends. Anywhere else, the scene might be a grand festival, but in Mount Airy, it’s just another Wednesday.

The Mount Airy Farmers Market, which runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 23 at Watkins Park, has grown considerably over the last few years, drawing dozens of vendors from across county and even state lines and becoming a beloved centerpiece of the community calendar. The next market will be Aug. 19.

The farmers market previously took place downtown and was run by the Mount Airy Main Street Association. The Town of Mount Airy took over management for the 2024 season when the event needed a larger volunteer workforce in order to continue.

“The town decided to take it over because we didn’t want people to go without the market,” said Gina Gallucci-White, the Town of Mount Airy’s communications specialist and farmers market manager. “We decided to take it over and move to Watkins Park so there would be more parking and we could add more vendors and just make it a bigger event.”

The event has grown to 40 to 50 vendors. With additional sponsorship this year, a live music component has also been added, and attendance has grown along with the market.

“I’m really excited about how the community has responded ... “ Gallucci-White said. “We have multiple vendors who sell out.”

Vendors include local companies as well as those who come from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Garrett County. Their offerings range from produce and duck and quail eggs to holistic health products, artisan crafts and more.

Tracey Young, owner and founder of Keymar-based The Elderberry Cabin, has been a vendor at the farmers market in both its downtown and Watkins Park iterations.

“Mount Airy farmers market is one of my top markets. I genuinely love the vibe.

I love the people that it draws,” Young said. “It’s like a little festival. There are so many diverse vendors, there’s live music, there’s animals, there’s activities. I don’t even think some of the other places that I’ve been to have as many food trucks as we do. Gina does an amazing job with advertising and educating people and

The Mount Airy Farmers Market is open from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 23 at Watkins Park, 615 Center St., Mount Airy. The next market is Aug. 19. Admission is free. The Mount Airy Craft Beverage Festival will follow from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 30 at Watkins Park.

For more information, visit mountairymd. gov/502/Mount-Airy-Farmers-Market. On Instagram, follow the Town of Mount Airy at @mountairymd, The Elderberry Cabin at @theelderberrycabin, Lovelie Links at @ lovelielinks and Second Breakfast Bakery at @second.breakfast.sourdough.

Courtesy photo

Tracey Young at Mount Airy Farmers Market .

Courtesy photo

Kate Laughman at Mount Airy Farmers Market in Watkins Park. selecting the vendors. I just think the vibe is cool and the layout is amazing for us as vendors.”

Young started The Elderberry Cabin in 2019 after surviving breast cancer and experiencing the toll chemotherapy took on her immune system.

“Elderberries are amazing for your immune system, along with so many other things. During that whole journey, I started to do things differently and started to make things for me and my family,” Young said. “I felt a calling to be able to share how amazing it is with my com-

markets.

“We all don’t run out of our tomatoes on the weekends,” Young said. “SomeCourtesy photo times it happens on Tuesday.”

In addition to vendors, the farmers Mount Airy Farmers Market in Watkins Park. market has food trucks and activities such as visits with animal ambassadors and glitter tattoos.

“It’s not just a shopping experience.

It’s definitely more of a community event,” Gallucci-White said.

Natalie Shah, owner of Lovelie Links Permanent Jewelry, doesn’t bring any premade inventory with her but instead provides customers with a hands-on experience of creation. With a selection of chains, charms and connectors, Shah makes and customizes jewelry, welding it on the spot. Permanent jewelry doesn’t have clasps and is designed to remain on until it is intentionally cut or removed.

“It takes the hassle of taking your jewelry on and off,” Shah said. “I fit it to you, I make sure you like the fit if you’re getting a bracelet, anklet or necklace and then I flash weld it around you so you don’t have to take it off.”

This is Shah’s second year at the Mount Airy Farmers Market. Her studio Courtesy photo is in York, Pennsylvania, but she hosts events with women-owned businesses Second Breakfast at the Mount Airy Farmers throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey.

Market.

“All the businesses that are at the munity.”

Mount Airy Farmers Market are wonderYoung now specializes in elderberry ful — very supportive and collaborative syrup and other elderberry products but businesses. I have not met anyone there also offers local raw honey, beeswax can- that I have not been fond of. They’re all dles, magnesium body balm and other wonderful,” Shah said. “The Mount Airy wellness products. The elderberry syrup Farmers Market is definitely a little gem in can also be used in food and drinks, and the area — full of wonderful entrepreneurs Young has supplied local bars with her and small businesses.” syrup for use in beverages.

Kate Laughman of Mount Airy may be Visitors to the Mount Airy Farmers one of the market’s hometown vendors, Market can sample some of the elderber- but her business, Second Breakfast Bakry products, including syrup and honey. ery, originates from a far-off land called Young said the event taking place on (See MARKET 25) a Wednesday sets it apart from weekend 72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 5

MUSIC

Snallyfest will bring five stages of independent music to downtown Frederick

BY DYLAN HYMAN

Special to The News-Post

Last year’s Snallyfest marked the beginning of a new chapter in Frederick’s independent music scene — an entire day of volunteer-driven, community programming across multiple stages that celebrated how far the music scene has come while laying the groundwork for more culturally rich events to follow.

Snallyfest 2025 proved that with the right minds, enough hands and a group of talented musicians ready to rock their hometown ... Frederick’s music scene can stand on its own two feet to give the real fans the genuine festival experience they deserve.

Since then, Brain Dead Live has consistently put on a slew of diverse events. These include a collaboration with Downtown Frederick Partnership and Benefactor Events to present Carroll Creek Live, a soulful night of R&B headlined by local hiphop powerhouse Stitch Early & The Populatn, and the recent Summer Solstice Party at Sandbox Brewhouse, featuring live electronic DJs and experimental artists alongside a popup shop from local wax slingers The Record Exchange.

The organization has also introduced a recurring open mic, Songwriter’s Snallyfest 2025.

Workshop, where musicians can come together, try out new tunes and network with their peers — providing yet another critical level of in-person cultural exchange.

Leading up to this year’s festival, Brain Dead Live hosted The Road to Snallyfest at Sandbox to whet the community’s appetite with the experimental electropop sounds of the legendary Zootu, 2026 Wammie Award-winning alt-rockers Maysuns from Alexandria, Virginia, and rising local grungegazers Better Off Gone.

Snallyfest 2026, now in its fifth year, will give local music fans the opportunity of the summer to catch some of the hardest-working bands around Frederick alongside select outof-towners across five stages Aug. 14 and 15.

Continuing the momentum after the SilverVox Film & Music Festival, Brain Dead Live is positioning Frederick as a music city to be taken seriously — one that can attract nationally touring acts Brain Dead Live in their studio in downtown Frederick. and audiences from around the DMV 6 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

Brain Dead Live

while supporting the development of homegrown talent in a communityinvested, symbiotic ecosystem.

Meaningful growth comes from unfiltered reflection, and the Brain Dead team prides itself on continually refining its process to better deliver memorable experiences for everyone involved.

The team is cognizant of the reality that, to make this event sustainable for the community long term, moving from a donation-based, pay-what-you-can model to a traditional ticketed system was the right choice for those most directly involved.

“We wanted to work towards a place where all the bands get paid properly ... making music is a craft,” said Jeremiah Johnston, co-owner and general manager. “These are original bands that write their heart out, rehearse their instruments, take time away from their Dylan Hyman family to create this art ... they deserve to be paid for it.”

All-weekend wristbands and T-shirt

bundles can be purchased online ahead of time at snallyfest.com, but the group has also consciously made buying tickets in person a bit more authentic to the festival-going experience of yesteryear.

“The Record Exchange and One Goods Co. are going to be the box offices ... remember waiting in line at Waxie Maxie’s?” said Aidan Ryan, coowner and sound engineer. “Money stays in town and it’s supporting people who are busting their backsides.”

Purchased wristbands will allow festivalgoers to walk in and out of venues as they please, though each space will also offer à la carte tickets in case you just want to see your co-worker or cousin shred in their band.

But you are likely to be convinced to bounce around for the absolutely packed lineup of talent across Carroll Creek Amphitheater, Cafe Nola, Eagles Club and Sky Stage on the main festival day.

Dylan Zingg, co-founder and creative director, commented on the renewed focus on local acts for this year’s lineup.

“It feels so much better raising this money and injecting back into the entire music scene versus most of it going to one big out-of-town band, just people stopping through,” he said.

While it is obviously beneficial to have larger, well-known acts come to town in the interest of putting our city on the map, investing in the growing bands and part-time artists that call Frederick home is an investment in our own culture that undoubtedly pays dividends toward all aspects of community life.

One previous event in particular came to mind as a significant win that led to this year’s fruition of what is to be the greatest Snallyfest to date.

Fall Fest was an early collaboration with Downtown Frederick Partnership in September of last year, featuring the return of nationally touring local funkmeisters LITZ, a visit from Shepherdstown’s jazz fusionists Ginada Piñata and an appearance from our very own guru of groove, Daryltron.

Zingg recalled the group’s first experience working with the city to bring its show to Carroll Creek.

“We took a massive risk with that, six times more than we had ever spent on a show,” he said. “Plus, it was permit on top of permit on top of permit ... and then it rained! We almost didn’t do it, but the bands wanted to see it happen.

It paved the way for this festival for sure.”

The community came through with a sizable crowd despite the weather and lit the creek up to the bass-thumping, toe-tapping jams of the night’s lineup.

Ryan rallied with his take on their report card since last year’s day of peace and music — and how they are not taking their feet off the gas so quickly.

“Each thing that we kept doing, we were taking another kind of a calculated

IF YOU GO Snallyfest begins with a kickoff party from 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 14 at Sandbox Brewhouse, 880 N. East St., Suite 201, Frederick. The main festival begins at 1 p.m. Aug. 15 at Carroll Creek Amphitheater in Carroll Creek Linear Park, 40 S. Market St., Frederick.

Performances will also run from 4 to 10 p.m. at Sky Stage, 59 S. Carroll St., and Eagles Club, 207 W. Patrick St., and from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at Cafe Nola, 4 E. Patrick St., all in Frederick. A $25 general-admission wristband includes entry to every show throughout the weekend. A $40 bundle includes a wristband and Snallyfest T-shirt.

Individual venue tickets are $10 to $15.

Tickets are available at snallyfest.com and without online fees at The Record Exchange and One Goods Co.

Brain Dead Live

Snallyfest 2025. risk,” he said. “Same goes for Snallyfest and everything that comes next.”

Without local craftsmen of culture like Brain Dead Live continuing to challenge not only themselves but the community as well, our city would be less hospitable to developing talent and the behind-the-scenes energy that keeps our streets vibrant and lively.

Zingg argued that, with enough community buy-in, Frederick has the means to become a bona fide music town in Maryland.

“I think people are a little afraid to hope that Frederick has enough capacity to support a scene on its own,” he said. “So they start talking about how we pull in Baltimore and DC ... the reality is no, we don’t need them, and this festival would be a test of that.”

Daryl Campbell of Daryltron doubled down on that sentiment and shared his thoughts on what this year’s Snallyfest means for the city at large.

“We’d always hoped for an event like this ... where the music community binds together in a way that says, ‘we have arrived,’” he said. “It no longer feels so disconnected or as unnoticed ... people from outside of Frederick are tuning in.”

The Brain Dead team made a point to emphasize that it is always welcoming volunteers to help keep its efforts moving forward and provide opportunities for fans to give back to their city in a fun, direct way.

Team members unanimously agreed

that without their dedicated support crew managing the smaller but equally important aspects of the organization, there may not even be a working system in the first place.

“Without Sarah Lewis managing backstage or just keeping that community going in general, I don’t know how we could do it,” Zingg said.

“When we’re not around, she’s the mouthpiece for the community ... she runs the newsletter, updates the website and sends stuff out for community calendars.”

Even the aforementioned Songwriter’s Workshop has been spearheaded by local musician Matthew John of the three-piece punk outfit Shadow Apparatus.

“It’s a lot of effort every month getting it all together, but he hosts it with pride. He brings people in with passion,” Zingg continued. “We just create a stage for everyone else to do what we all wanted to do.”

Ryan took a moment to share his appreciation for his team of engineers.

“We have a whole roster of good friends who often do it for little or no money,” he said. “We have our own kind of kids table with the dorky sound guys, like getting our planning on and everything ... Peter Richter, Matt Grunwald, Chris Wilson, Lucy Cavanaugh ... people I’ve just run into at shows who come up and ask about what I’m doing.”

Johnston chipped in with a humble insight that grew out of the opendoor volunteering policy the team has cultivated.

“We all come from very different cognitive backgrounds,” he said.

“Sometimes people come to learn from us, but then we walk away learning something from them! We’re all just growing in our craft and figuring it out.”

He explained the organization’s core “your ego is not your amigo” mantra: an emphasis on remaining open-minded and never fearing constructive feedback while pursuing the shared advancement of Frederick’s music scene.

It was clear that the Brain Dead team is naturally in step with one another as its members continue to push for unified growth throughout the music community.

“We hold each other accountable for the promises that we make and the things we’re supposed to do. Even when life is not giving us that path easily,” Johnston said. “We’re able to be truly honest because we sandwich everything with comedy ... we’re all each other’s whoopee cushions.”

A needed reminder: This is not their full-time job. They do this in their limited free time, away from their families and individual interests, demonstrating how committed these gentlemen and their team of volunteers are to our city’s culture.

Safe to say, Frederick has a lot to look forward to this weekend.

Kicking it off properly Friday evening at Sandbox, the lineup begins with the sublime trip-hop sounds of Bikes featuring Retro/Ricole and Mossfrench, followed by the seismic vocals and ethereal walls of noise from alt-punkers Gaspers and culminating in the reverband noise-drenched sound waves of local doomsurfers High Noon Kahuna.

(See SNALLYFEST 23) 72 HOURS

| Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 |

7

Bring Your Own Vinyl Tuesdays offers a different way to listen at Monocacy Brewing Co.

BY S.D. PRICE

Special to The News-Post

In an era when nearly every song ever recorded is only a few taps away, the ritual of listening to music has become almost invisible. Albums are shuffled, playlists are skipped through and artwork is often reduced to a thumbnail on a phone screen.

Every Tuesday evening at Monocacy Brewing Company, however, that experience slows down. The next gathering is from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 18.

Instead of opening a streaming app, visitors are encouraged to bring something tangible: their favorite vinyl record.

Hosted by Eric Goodman, aka DJ Goods, Bring Your Own Vinyl Tuesdays has quietly become one of Frederick’s more distinctive weekly gatherings. Part listening party, part community meetup, the event invites anyone to hand over a cherished album or single and hear it played through a professional DJ setup featuring Technics 1200 turntables, a mixer and high-end speakers.

The concept is simple, but according to Goodman, the idea has always been about much more than the records themselves.

“The idea started in 2016 when I co-hosted a Bring Your Own Vinyl night with two friends at a bar in Brooklyn, New York,” he said. “Our aim was to provide a space for local record collectors to connect and play their favorite music on a professional vinyl DJ setup.”

Nearly a decade later, that same spirit has found a home in Frederick.

While streaming services have made music more accessible than ever, Goodman believes vinyl creates a deeper relationship with both the music and the people listening to it.

“It’s all about community and connection,” he said. “People will certainly bond over a song or album regardless of if it is streamed or on a physical format. But sharing your records every week with a steady group of music lovers brings an added layer of connection to the music.”

That connection extends beyond simply hearing a favorite song.

Listeners often find themselves studying album artwork, reading lyrics printed on inner sleeves and sharing stories about where a record came from or why it matters. Conversations begin with music but rarely stay there.

“I see that people share memories about a specific time in their lives when bonding over their records,” Goodman said. “Conversations always start around the song being played but quickly evolve to a deeper discussion about 8 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

IF YOU GO Bring Your Own Vinyl is from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tuesdays at Monocacy Brewing Company, 1781 N. Market St., Frederick. The next gathering is Aug. 18. The brewery does not list an admission charge. Guests may bring a record for DJ Goods to play or come to listen.

See monocacybrewing.com/events for more information. makes you an art collector by default.

You simply cannot display a digital streaming collection the same way you can with vinyl records.”

Even for those who aren’t seasoned collectors, Bring Your Own Vinyl Tuesdays offers an approachable introduction to the culture surrounding records.

Guests are just as likely to arrive with a single inherited from a grandparent as they are a limited-edition pressing picked up last weekend.

The result is an evening where every selection carries its own story.

That atmosphere has become one of the event’s defining qualities. Rather than background music accompanying conversation, the records become the conversation itself.

People debate favorite artists, compare pressings, recommend albums to each other and swap stories that might never surface in another setting.

Goodman hopes those interactions are what visitors remember most when they leave.

“I hope that people leave the Bring Your Own Vinyl nights with a stronger sense of community,” he said. “When a conversation starts over a shared love of Courtesy photo music, it usually remains positive.”

He laughed that the biggest dis‌‌DJ Goods agreements tend to revolve around suban R&B song from the 1960s. jects like whether the Beatles deserve family, friends and a specific connec“She told me the story of how she ac- their legendary status or who belongs in tion to a significant time of their respecquired that record and what the song the conversation for greatest rapper of tive lives.” meant to her,” Goodman recalled. “I had all time.

For newcomers, participating reEven then, it’s all part of the fun. quires little more than bringing a record never heard of the song or artist. I was absolutely blown away by that song.”

By the end of the evening, strangthey love.

Moments like that, he said, capture ers who arrived at separate tables often Whether it’s a decades-old jazz LP, a leave having discovered not only new classic rock album, a hip-hop favorite or what the event is truly about.

“It’s all about human connection music but new friendships. a recently pressed indie release, guests “I hope that they leave Monocawhile discovering different types of simply hand their selection to Goodcy having made at least one meaningman, who cues it up for everyone in the great music.” ful connection with someone,” GoodThat sense of intentionality also taproom to experience together.

The format encourages discovery as shapes the way Goodman views vinyl it- man said.

For a few hours each Tuesday, that’s much as nostalgia. self. exactly what Bring Your Own Vinyl TuesOne person’s favorite album may beUnlike streaming, where millions of days offers: a reminder that while music come someone else’s new obsession, songs exist inside a monthly subscripmay be easier than ever to access, it’s and even Goodman said he’s continual- tion, every record represents a delibstill at its best when experienced toly surprised by what comes through the erate investment of time, money and gether. speakers. space.

S.D. Price is a Frederick-based writer One evening, a guest celebrating her “Vinyl is a financial and physical com40th birthday brought in a 45 rpm single mitment that does not exist with stream- better known as hip-hop recording artist Demetrius. of “I Got a Feeling” by Dolores Gibson, ing,” he said. “Collecting records also

The Frederick Mom’s recommendations for the weekend of August 14

Activities to do with the kids this weekend, courtesy of The Frederick Mom. Rocky Ridge VFC Carnival 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 14 to 15 Mt. Tabor Park, 13616 Motters Station Road, Rocky Ridge Free admission The annual Rocky Ridge VFC Carnival began Aug. 10, with the parade held Aug. 12. If you’ve missed the chance to check it out TIFFANY MAHANEY this week, then you’re in luck because the funnel cakes, bingo, fair food, rides and entertainment continue through Saturday! For more information, visit rockyridgevfc.com.

Keys Game: Art in the Park 7 p.m. Aug. 14 Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, 21 Stadium Drive, Frederick Ticket prices vary Art in the Park is a great time to visit and cheer on the Frederick Keys!

For kids, the first 500 fans ages 3 to 12 will receive a free paint-yourown bobblehead — how cool is that?!

For the rest of the family, there will be an artist-designed jersey auction benefiting the Frederick Arts Council, a Wine and Paint Night presented

by Abrakadoodle and postgame fireworks. It’s an evening where baseball meets creativity! The Keys take on the Bowling Green Hot Rods, and kids can run the bases after the game. First pitch is at 7 p.m., and gates open at 6 p.m. Bring your hometown spirit and get your tickets at frederickkeys.com.

Family Night in the Park & Movie 7 to 10 p.m. Aug. 14 Emerald Farms Park, 607 Swallowtail Drive, Frederick Free Enjoy the end of summer with the Family Night in the Park & Movie series! This one features the movie “Hoppers.” The event begins at 7 p.m., and the movie will begin at dusk. Activities are for all ages and will include backyard games, sports, arts and crafts. Come spend time with your family and meet other local families! Weather-related cancellation decisions will be made by 2 p.m. that day and announced at 301-600-6972 and on social media at @fredcityparksrec. The next dates in the series are Aug. 21 and 28.

JED Videography

TThe 2025 Block Party hosted by B-Dub’s Island Soul.

Children’s Art Show & Charity Auction 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 15 Kiddie Academy of Urbana, 3401D Urbana Pike, Urbana Free Now this is a fun time for kids and adults while supporting an incredible cause — a double win!

Kiddie Academy of Urbana is holding its sixth annual Children’s Art Show & Charity Auction this Saturday, and the whole community is invited to check it out. Explore art projects crafted by its talented young students and bid in the charity auction featuring awesome prizes.

All proceeds will benefit Blessings in a Backpack. Can’t attend but want to support? Donations can be made at kaartshowandcharityauction.funraise. org.

Living History Weekend 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 15 to 16 Rose Hill Manor Park, 1611 N. Market St., Frederick Free It’s here! Frederick County Parks and Recreation presents the highly

anticipated Living History Weekend!

Both Saturday and Sunday, bring the family out to Rose Hill Manor Park to step back in time. This all-ages event features two days of historical demonstrations, reenactors, themed exhibits and family-friendly fun exploring different eras of history.

On Saturday, don’t miss the FSK Antique Car Show featuring antique cars, antique fire apparatus, vendors and more! This is a free event, and no registration is required. Bring the whole family for a weekend of history, horsepower and hometown fun!

National Honeybee Day 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 15 Orchid Cellar Meadery and Winery, 8546 Pete Wiles Road, Middletown Free Celebrate National Honeybee Day on Saturday at Orchid Cellar Meadery and Winery with a glass of mead, aka honey wine, while the kids play! Sol Nectar Farm will be onsite to talk about honeybees, offer tastings and sell its bee products.

The Middletown Branch of Frederick County Public Libraries will be there

with bee crafts for kids and beerelated books available for checkout.

Bunny Bee’s Kitchen will offer yummy treats. Families are welcome to bring a picnic, their leashed dogs and enthusiasm for everyone’s favorite pollinator — the honeybee!

Goldfish Swim School Anniversary Celebration 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 15 Goldfish Swim School, 353 Ballenger Center Drive, Frederick Free, but registration is required Celebrate Goldfish Swim School’s first year of making waves as a business in Frederick! Registration includes family swim, crafts, face painting, sweet treats and giveaways.

Register for the party at eventbrite. com.

Youth Block Party 4 p.m. Aug. 15 E. Eugene Myers Community Park, 201 W. Lincoln Ave., Emmitsburg Free Parents, listen up! The Youth Block Party is a community event aimed at (See MOM 13) 72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 9

GETAWAYS

What does a $100 hotel in New York City get you?

BY HANNAH SAMPSON The Washington Post

Every time I look online for a hotel in Manhattan, I want to throw my phone in horror. I ponder Staten Island as an alternative. Sometimes I crash with friends in my former home city. What do you mean a room the size of a walk-in closet costs that much?

Last year, the average daily rate in New York City was just over $330, according to CoStar, which compiles data on hotel performance. The average in June 2025 was about the same, a number that didn’t surprise me after spending several days hunting for reasonable prices over a three-night stay last month.

“They’ve just gotten crazier and crazier,” said Pauline Frommer, a native of the city and author of the “Frommer’s New York City 2026” guidebook. Prices have increased so much that she included New Jersey hotel options in the book for the first time a couple years ago.

“I don’t want people to commute on vacation,” she said, “that’s just sad.”

When I set out to find New York City hotels for early June at rockbottom, moderately low and notquite-bargain prices — as we’ve done in Paris and Rome — I had some ground rules. I didn’t want to pick an abnormally cheap time, like February. I wanted to be in Manhattan for convenience to a Shakespeare production in Central Park, Broadway shows and my favorite shops and restaurants. And I didn’t want to share a bathroom with strangers.

Phtos by Hannah Sampson/The Washington Post One of those conditions quickly went out the window. Here’s what The 40th Street location was perfect for a quick walk to planned Broadway outings.

I found for about $100, $200 and $300 in the city that never sleeps. once the sun set. (This was a huge south, the location was impeccable. mistake.)

The arrival process? Not so Nap York Central Park: $129 My room was windowless, but much.

My room code didn’t work, a Once I made peace with a shared a glass door and wall revealed problem that repeated during the bathroom, it was a short leap to an adjoining room with a single stay and required multiple frontshared rooms and suddenly, I was futuristic-looking sleeping pod desk visits. I had to stop by for the in hostel territory with plenty of promised towel and top sheet, which inside; it felt like a sci-fi movie. The choices. robot concierge on the ground floor weren’t on my bed.

I picked Nap York Central added to the dystopian vibe.

My shared room was like a long Park, which offered an “economy When the heat became too stifling utility closet. It held a couple lockers pod” in two-bed, women-only to keep sleeping at 5:30 a.m., I where everything had to be stored, accommodations with its own alerted the front desk to the issue comfortable enough bunk beds bathroom. The property has more and slipped out to walk in Central with privacy screens, a bench, small than 5,000 reviews on Booking.com Park. Later that morning, the problem and an average score of 8.1, or “very table, chair and a tower fan. The fan good.” Just a few blocks from Central moved the still, warm air around and had been solved: Someone switched on the air conditioning.

Park to the north and theaters to the I hoped things would cool down 10 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

Highlights: Location, location, location. The proximity to the park, several subway lines and the theater district was incredible. The hotel was clean, and the lounge area on the mixed-gender and female-only floors had ample room to work or relax, along with a communal kitchen area.

The bathroom was a decent size, and I had no complaints about the water pressure or temperature in the shower. My roommate was everything you’d hope for in a stranger sleeping in the bottom bunk: laid-back, friendly and considerate. The other guests were quiet and respectful of the space, and staffers were helpful when I needed them.

Lowlights: I spent far too much time just trying to get into my room because of recurring keypad problems. The absent AC ruined a large chunk of my time at the site; I should have been more proactive about addressing it. Pods are “strictly single occupancy” and the property is for guests who are 18 and older, so this is a no-go for families with kids, and not great for couples.

Did we get what we paid for? Yes, especially once cooler air entered the picture.

Hotel Moca: $210 On the weekend of my stay, $200 was still a stretch for a private room and bathroom. The best fit I found also happened to be in my former neighborhood, Washington Heights.

It’s not an area that sees a ton of tourists. Hotel Moca, near a busy highway, will not change that reality.

Despite a cheery, all-caps “Welcome to the Heights” in the lobby, art of the George Washington Bridge and garden-inspired wall decor, I didn’t want to linger there. A long list of hotel rules and policies was taped up and a tall partition surrounded the front desk — not exactly welcoming. The industrial scented air freshener was overpowering. On Booking.com, the place gets a 5.3, or “fair,” to which I say: fair.

My room was small, though not microscopic, with a table, chair, TV, bed and nightstand. What the sink lacked in space the shower made up for in roominess. But the floors seemed gritty. There were holes in the sheets. A towel was stained. None of it made me want to return.

Highlights: I loved walking around the area, gazing at the lovely United Palace theater, taking in the views at J.

Windows in the room at Hotel Moca were large, and very little street noise filtered in.

Hood Wright Park, grabbing a garlicky Cuban sandwich and cafe con leche at the Cuban-Dominican restaurant Floridita and catching the bus to the Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, an Upper Manhattan gem. The room’s windows were large, and I didn’t hear much street noise on the eighth floor despite being very near a fire station.

Lowlights: The room was dingy, linens were subpar and the lobby scent was far too strong. Even if it had been cleaner, the hotel is an inconvenient home base for exploring the rest of the city.

Did we get what we paid for? No. Distrikt Hotel: $265 Here’s where I admit I cheated the system. I wanted a hotel in easy reach of the Theater District and Penn Station.

I wasn’t finding many options in the $300 range that met those needs, so I turned to Hotwire, where you can pick a neighborhood and book a hotel but the name isn’t revealed until after booking.

A four-star property in the area I

needed with “very good” reviews stood out to me. I thought I could identify the hotel based on the resort fee and photos, and I learned I was correct after booking. I found the same hotel — by name — discounted on Hotel Tonight, so it can definitely be booked intentionally for a decent price, depending on demand. In busier times, the same room on a Saturday night can run $450 or more.

Distrikt Hotel, an independent boutique hotel that is part of Hilton’s portfolio, delivered. The 40th Street location was perfect for a quick walk to the Broadway outings I had planned and my early-morning train. The lobby was bright and appealing, with its own garden-esque plant wall and pendant lights. Most importantly, the woman working at the front desk was warm and helpful, getting me into a room ahead of check-in time.

I ended up in a spacious King Deluxe with skyscraper views, a Nespresso machine, large bathroom

Bunk beds in the two-bed, women-only “economy pod.” and big TV. The bed was a dream, all fluffy linens and pillows, and I wanted to stay another night.

Even the mandatory destination fee of about $33 didn’t bother me; it included a $29 credit for the on-site bistro, which I used for a light, early dinner to tide me over ahead of a latenight pizza run.

Highlights: Great Hell’s Kitchen location. Gracious service and pleasant design. A clean, crisp, comfortable room with loads of amenities.

Lowlights: Only one elevator was working, which led to long waits and one staircase descent from the 28th floor. While art is inspired by New York City, it still feels a bit chain-like.

Did we get what we paid for?

Absolutely.

The takeaway Finding a good price in New York can feel like hitting a moving target: If you book too far in advance, you might miss out on last-minute price

drops. If you wait too long, there might not be a lot to choose from, despite hundreds of properties.

Sarah Funk, founder of walking tour company Funky Experiences, said in an email that she recommends that people looking for good prices stay in Long Island City, just across the East River in Queens.

The subway ride into Midtown is quick, and prices are lower.

“And you actually get a gorgeous Manhattan skyline view as a bonus that most Midtown hotels can’t offer,” she said.

In my case, I loved the most expensive hotel I tried and thought it was a great deal for what I paid. I should have trusted the reviews on my mid-priced hotel and perhaps tried something outside Manhattan for a better value. In future hotel hunts, I’ll seek out deals by adjusting my date and day of the week — or rolling the dice on a secret spot with good reviews.

72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 11

Virtual 50+ Community Center Art Show — Aug. 19, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Frederick 50+ Community Center, 1440 Taney Ave., Frederick. An inspiring showcase of artwork made by our 50+ community — paintings, drawings, quilting, pottery, woodworking, sculpture, photography and more. Attendance is free. Pre-register to receive a link to attend virtually. Light refreshments will be provided. frederickcountymd. gov/virtual50. ”America Punctuated: Contemporary Responses to 250 Years of America” — through Aug. 23, Frederick Book Arts Center, 127 S. Carroll St., Frederick.

There’s a big difference between “America!” and “America?” In 1962, Martin Speckter, an advertising executive and hobbyist letterpress printer in New York, invented the interrobang, a mark of punctuation that combines the question mark and the exclamation point. FBAC hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. frederickbookarts.org. ”Night Journeys” Photography After Dark” — through Aug. 30, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Photography

by Rich Isaacman. These works offer nighttime views in settings around the world, from Vietnam to Bangladesh. The world is different after dark: different light, different skies and cityscapes, different people. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 301-698-0656, delaplaine.org. ”Stills on White” — through Aug. 30, Blanche Ames Gallery, 4880 Elmer Derr Road, Frederick. An exhibit by June Jarkey. For gallery hours, call 301-473-7680 or email gallery@frederickuu.org or visit frederickuu.org/gallery. ”Wanderings” — through Aug. 30, Gallery 322, 322 N. Market St., Frederick. Summer group exhibition explores the quiet, fleeting moments of discovery found in nature and the local landscape. Features regional artists. Hours are 4-7 p.m. Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

240-961-2242 or gallery322.com. ”Over 70 Show” — through Aug. 30, Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Works in a variety of media. A signature of the Delaplaine’s Creative Aging Month, this annual exhibition celebrates local artists over age 70 and showcases a wide range of styles, 12 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

40 Summit Ave., Hagerstown. His graphite portraits challenge our assumptions about what we see.

Though viewers often mistake his drawings for photographs, Gibson resists the label of photorealism. His work is not an attempt to replicate reality, but to reorder it — elevating memory, identity, spirituality and presence through the deliberate language of graphite. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, by appointment Sunday and Monday. 301-714-2278, justlookin.com. ”Passport to Patriotism: 250 Years of Diplomacy” — through Oct. 18, Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St. NW, Washington, D.C. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, exhibit brings together works by more than 30 contemporary American artists celebrating patriotism, national identity, military service, diplomacy techniques, and interests. Hours are Frederick. This exhibition showcases and the American Dream. It marks 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through landscape oil paintings from a Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. variety of perspectives, locations and the first time the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies — 301-698-0656, delaplaine.org. themes both natural and manmade. which has shared American art with “Corvid Conspiracy” — through “Sarah Cairns: Inner Space” — the world for over six decades — has Aug. 30 at NOMA Gallery, 437 N through Aug. 30 at the Delaplaine presented a major public exhibition Market St., Frederick. Curated by Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., in the nation’s capital. Hours are NOMA artist Judith Kornett, the title Frederick. This exhibition of Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. derives from Kornett’s inordinate paintings is an exploration of peace love of the bird we call raven, within chaos. Humans make sense of to 5 p.m. https://art.state.gov/ which belongs to the classification the world through finding patterns freedom-250.

Corvid, and the fact that a gathering in their surroundings. This search for The Trawick Prize: Bethesda of ravens is called a “conspiracy.” repetition and self-similarity not only Contemporary Art Awards — Sept.

Kornett conspires to curate an exhibit orders the complexity of the world 3-27, Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., including her work and that of three but also ushers in a profound sense Suite E, Bethesda. More than 370 artist friends: Sherman Fleming, of peace. It is this moment of serene artists from Maryland, Virginia and David Cunningham and Treston introspection that the artist aims Washington, D.C. submitted work Sanders. Artist talk at 2 p.m. Aug. 22. to recreate for those who view her to the 24th annual competition. The Courtesy photo eight finalists are, Cindy Cheng, “Ken Bachman: Perspectives” runs through Aug. 30 at the Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick. This Diana Derby, Ayana Gordon, Leslie exhibition showcases landscape oil paintings from a variety of perspectives, locations and themes Holt, Madyha Leghari, Anne Rogers, Tony Shore and Ciarra K. Walters. both natural and manmade. Shown here, work by Bachman.

Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., and 814-254-9977, nomagalleryfrederick. paintings.

Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. A public com.

“Unscripted” — through Aug. opening reception will be held Sept. ”Obsessed: Ink Drawings by 30 at Artspiration, 915 Tollhouse 4, from 6-8 p.m. during the Bethesda Jim Haller” — through Aug. 30, Links Ave., Frederick. A juried exhibition Art Walk. 301-215-6660 or bethesda.

Bridge Vineyards, 8830 Old Links showcasing original works by org/trawick-prize.

Bridge Road, Thurmont. Part of the local, regional and national artists ”Impressionistic Landscapes” — Wine and Art Series. This is a unique who embrace creativity without Sept. 5-27, Links Bridge Vineyards, exhibit featuring beautiful, bigger limitations. Each artwork was 8830 Old Links Bridge Road, than life renditions of old medicine selected by juror Wendell Poindexter, bottles from the artist’s collection. professor of art and gallery manager Thurmont. Part of the Wine and Art Series. Pastel landscapes by Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Frederick Community College. and Sunday, or by appointment. 301- 240-397-6248, artspirationfred.com, professional artist Brian Jernigan.

Opening reception 1-3 p.m. Sept. 6.

466-2413, linksbridgevineyards.com. info@artspirationfred.com.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday “Ken Bachman: Perspectives” ”Reordering Reality: Pencil and Sunday, or by appointment. 301— through Aug. 30 at the Delaplaine Works by Michael C. Gibson” — Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., through Sept. 5, Just Lookin’ Gallery, 466-2413, linksbridgevineyards.com.

Darryl Strawberry will headline Faith Night at Nymeo Field

Former New York baseball star, four-time World Series champion and eight-time All-Star Darryl Strawberry will headline the Frederick Keys’ Faith Night on Aug. 15 at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, 21 Stadium Drive, Frederick.

The Keys will play the Bowling Green Hot Rods at 6 p.m.

Strawberry’s name is synonymous with baseball greatness, but his personal journey through struggle, redemption and faith has also made him a compelling and inspirational voice in sports.

“We are thrilled to welcome Darryl Strawberry to Nymeo Field for our Faith Night,” said Slater Fuchs, Keys general manager. “Darryl is one of baseball’s most recognizable names, but his story and message reach far beyond the game. We know this will be a special night for our fans, and we are honored to have him join us for such a meaningful event.”

Strawberry will be available for autographs during an exclusive meetand-greet from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the NJM Insurance Group Courtyard. Fans who purchase the meet-and-greet package may bring up to two items to be autographed.

Following the game, Strawberry

Art in the Park will return to Frederick Keys game

AP Photo/Heather Khalifa

Darryl Strawberry (18) stands during a celebration for the 1986 New York Mets team that won a World Series, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in New York. will take center stage to share a personal message as part of the Faith Night program. The evening will also feature musical performances by the Collective Church Band.

Single-game tickets and meetand-greet information are available at

frederickkeys.com. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the box office at 301-815-9939. Groups of 10 or more may call 301-815-9900.

The Frederick Keys are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League.

The Frederick News-Post for its TriState Kids Expo on Sunday afternoon at Meritus Park in Hagerstown. It’s free teens and college-aged students. and fun for the whole family! Register Send your big kids over for a great for a chance to win prizes. The first time meeting others and having a 250 kids will receive a free event shirt, blast. Expect pickleball and 3-on-3 and the first 150 kids age 14 and basketball tournaments, food trucks, free raffles for students, a live speaker younger will receive a complimentary ticket to any remaining 2026 Flying and more!

Boxcars home game. Field activities South Asian Heritage Festival include running the bases, kickball, 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 Natelli Family YMCA, 3481 Campus free access to the Kids Zone, balloon artist fun and more!

Drive, Ijamsville Back to School Event Free 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 16 Celebrate culture and community Grasshopper Grove, FSK Mall, this Saturday at the South Asian 5500 Buckeystown Pike, Suite 400, Heritage Festival! Enjoy music, Frederick vendors and food trucks — plus $20 per child; sibling discount Frederick County Public Libraries will available be there! The rain date is Aug. 16 at For kids ages 3 to 10, Grasshopper the same time and place.

Grove is hosting a fun event to Tri-State Kids Expo celebrate going back to school! Head Noon to 3 p.m. Aug. 16 to the FSK Mall, outside JCPenney, Meritus Park, 50 W. Baltimore St., to the indoor imaginative play center Hagerstown for open play, crafts, sweet treats and Free the option to tie-dye for an additional Kids Expo has expanded; don’t cost. This Back to School Bash will miss this bigger and better event! Join be a perfect way to make one last

summer memory before heading back to the classroom.

B-Dub’s Family Fun Day Block Party 1 to 6 p.m. Aug. 16 Urbana District Park, 3805 Urbana Pike, Frederick Free Join the people behind the beloved food truck B-Dub’s Island Soul for this awesome event you won’t want to miss ... I mean it! Swing on by “the island” Aug. 16 and experience the B-Dub’s Family Fun Day Block Party — its annual giveback event for everyone! The afternoon will have something for the entire family. You won’t believe what I’m about to say, but entry is free, the activities and games are free and even B-Dub’s famous food is free. See you at Urbana District Park!

Tiffany Mahaney is at least a fifthgeneration native to Frederick County, and she now proudly raises her own family here. She is the owner of The Frederick Mom. To see more local family-friendly things to do, follow her at @thefrederickmom.

MOM (Continued from 9)

The Frederick Arts Council will host its annual Art in the Park event with the Frederick Keys at 7 p.m. Aug. 14 at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, 21 Stadium Drive, Frederick. Gates open at 6 p.m.

Keys players will wear one-of-a-kind jerseys designed by local artist Lauren Wolff. The jerseys will be auctioned as keepsakes, with proceeds benefiting the Frederick Arts Council. A link to the online jersey auction will be posted before the event.

“This partnership allows us to further unite Frederick’s creative and athletic communities, and we’re grateful to continue working alongside the Frederick Keys,” said Louise Kennelly, executive director of the Frederick Arts Council.

The event will also feature a silent auction of souvenir baseballs decorated by Frederick Keys players.

Guests can participate in art-themed activities and watch plein air artists paint throughout the stadium.

Proceeds from the baseball and jersey auctions will support the Frederick Arts Council’s mission to expand access to arts programming throughout the community.

Artists interested in participating as plein air painters may register by emailing info@ frederickartscouncil.org.

Tickets are available by calling the Frederick Keys box office at 301-815-9939 or visiting frederickkeys.com.

For more information, on FAC, visit frederickartscouncil.org.

72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 13

Photos courtesy of Lockhouse Gallery

Lockhouse Gallery, at 17 W. Potomac St. in Brunswick, will celebrate its first anniversary with live music and a benefit art auction Aug. 15.

Lockhouse Gallery to celebrate first anniversary with music, benefit auction

Lockhouse Gallery will celebrate its first anniversary with live bossa nova music, a catered reception and a benefit art auction from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 15.

The free event will take place at the gallery, 17 W. Potomac St., and a few doors away at Messy Bee Studio, 23 W. Potomac St., Brunswick. Proceeds from the auction will support Brunswick Main Street beautification projects in the city’s historic downtown.

Brazilian guitarist and singer Fabio Mendonca will perform during the celebration. A songwriter, acoustic guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Mendonca blends Brazilian jazz and traditional bossa nova with classic American storytelling.

The auction will feature paintings, jewelry and handcrafted items, many created by local artists and artists represented by the gallery. The online auction catalog is available at lockhousegallery.com, where collectors 14 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

may place bids or purchase select pieces before the event.

Lockhouse Gallery opened in May 2025 and represents 31 local and national artists. The gallery primarily exhibits paintings but also carries jewelry, woodwork and sculpture. Its collection spans realism, impressionism, folk and primitive art, abstraction, neoexpressionism and figurative sculpture.

A number of the gallery’s artists were mentored by painting instructor Walter Bartman, whose work is also represented.

The gallery is also scheduled to be featured in the September and October issues of American Art Collector magazine.

Painter and metalsmith Kimberly Yourick owns and operates the gallery.

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Admission is free. Food, wine and other refreshments will be served. For more information and to view the auction catalog, visit lockhousegallery.com.

Brazilian guitarist and singer Fabio Mendonca will perform bossa nova during Lockhouse Gallery’s first-anniversary celebration Aug. 15.

Everyday Poetry 85% of wildland fires.

So far in 2026, wildfires Most of us tend to have burned more than 5 think of trees as individual million acres of trees, grass organisms, and many and brush in the United are. But some also share States alone. They have or intertwine their root burned more than 9 million systems. What appears to acres in Canada and more be a forest of aspens might than 1 million in Europe.

Countless homes and SHERYL MASSARO be many shoots from one vast root system. Huge memories — and some of old trees in the Pacific Northwest our brother and sister humans and may well be individuals, but when animals — are gone as well. In the damaged by gales or lightning, they United States, people cause nearly

can remain standing because their widely spreading roots have joined hands, so to speak, forming an intricate, supportive mat.

But not much stands up well to intense wildfires.

For information on wildfire prevention and preparedness, visit doi.gov/wildlandfire and nps.gov/subjects/fire.

Sheryl Massaro is a Frederick poet and oil painter.

She has authored three books of poetry, all available from amazon.com, barnesandnoble. com and Artspiration Frederick, and alongside her art at sherylmassaro.com.

During August, her art is available at Visitation Hotel, the Delaplaine Arts Center’s “Over 70 Show,” TAG/The Artists Gallery’s “Le Salon” and Artspiration Frederick in Frederick, as well as Locals Farm Market in Poolesville. Her poetry is in lowercase as a nod to equality, with no letter more important than another.

Sheryl Massaro

Work by Sheryl Massaro.

72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 15

I

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DYLAN HYMAN Special to The News-Post

t is no overstatement to say the video game industry as a whole is going through a rough patch.

Microsoft is undergoing mass layoffs and restructuring its Xbox business after years of heavy investment produced weaker-than-expected returns.

Sony announced that it will discontinue physical disc manufacturing for new PlayStation games beginning in 2028, notified users in the United Kingdom that hundreds of previously purchased movies will be removed from their digital libraries because of expiring license agreements and plans to close the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita digital storefronts globally next year.

Even golden boy Nintendo has had its share of controversy over becoming the first major console maker to charge $80 for a standard game with “Mario Kart World” and implementing Game-Key Cards, physical cartridges that contain no game data — only a digital key to download the game. Xbox and PlayStation have increasingly sold boxed editions containing download codes for years.

All three console makers have announced price increases for hardware or accessories over the course of a generation in which prices historically tended to fall over time — with some products increasing in price multiple times in the same year and warnings of more increases to follow.

Developers are still trying to ride the success of “Fortnite” and “Grand Theft Auto Online” with live-service games: entirely online systems with continuous content updates, timed events to encourage repeated play and baked-in microtransactions for steady revenue in lieu of a one-time purchase.

The rapid progression toward an all-digital future provides objective convenience for those with the privilege of consistent internet access and ample drive space, but at the cost of true ownership and an experiential link to the passions that define us as humans.

Despite the hard-to-swallow headlines coming from all directions lately, gaming as a source of entertainment has never been more popular or widely accepted.

The Entertainment Software Association reported that U.S. consumers spent $60.7 billion last year across console, PC and mobile gaming. The organization expects continued interest with marquee titles like Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto VI”

16 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

Tournament City Games

“

Play Raven

These local businesses represent more than a nostalgia trip. They are judgment-free third spaces that provide opportunities to engage with other local gamers and reconnect with more authentic eras of gaming at a better value for your dollar and time.

Choosing to do business at any of these local establishments is a vote with your wallet against the unfair and, at times, predatory practices of large-scale corporations that continue to push the increasing cost of doing business disproportionately onto consumers to meet shareholder demands and keep their fiscal lines trending upward.

Though most of our local game stores have been around since before COVID-19, the forced isolation of the panERIC HOLNIKER, co-owner of demic resulted in many people turning toSave Point in Union Bridge ward the indulgent comfort of personal hobbies in pursuit of sanity and distraction and Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: Oc- from the reality outside their four walls.

For young adults in their 20s and 30s arina of Time” launching later this year. newly equipped with disposable income, A study by the same organization returning to their generation’s art form found that 67% of Americans play video games for an hour or more each week, fur- was an obvious choice for those looking to escape into imaginary worlds. thering the notion that gaming is no lonWhile it is normal for young adults in ger just for basement dwellers — rather, it that age range to resuscitate their expiris for everybody.

Take a look around Frederick and you’ll ing youth through nostalgia-fueled exnotice that options for buying, selling and penditures, the perfect storm of medically necessary isolation and the rise of retro trading secondhand video games have gaming across the zeitgeist in the 2010s multiplied over the past two decades, set the stage for the surge in popularity with five independent stores supplying our community with everything from your during the pandemic and the years that followed. grandparent’s Atari 2600 to your grandJoe Jayman, owner and operator of child’s Switch 2.

There’s a side effect of the convenience of digital that’s true with any kind of media, But by nature, people want to own the things they pay for. People are more willing to invest in something that retains some sort of value rather than a license or something that they’re essentially renting.

Play Raven in Eldersburg, is not surprised by the rise in popularity of the sixth and seventh generations of gaming in particular.

“That’s the way that habits usually trend, in parallel with whoever’s growing up ... the type of people that get their first big job and have spending money for what makes them comfortable,” he said.

“We’re seeing a huge PlayStation 2 and GameCube boom ... even the Wii is starting to get popular again.”

Jon Benson, general manager of Cartridges Galore’s Frederick location, agreed with that assessment and understands that it is driven by the natural desire to step out of the real world for a brief moment.

“Nostalgia is a singular word to describe something that needs a lot of words to properly express, but what we really mean is the return to comfort and safety we felt in a previous time,” he said.

It’s no shock why so many are looking back to an era of gaming that feels genuinely more authentic and fun to engage with compared with the increasingly soulless, shallow state of modern gaming.

Benson argued that video games, particularly retro games, provide legitimate means of emotional development.

“Gaming gives us opportunities to be uncomfortable with the decisions we have to make, dealing with the consequences of those choices where there’s no actual real-life repercussions,” he said.

From generous quick-save features to abundant yellow tape screaming “next step here,” the conveniences of modern

Local game stores preserve the culture and ownership of play

Cartridges Galore

Save Point gaming make games more accessible to players of all levels and play styles.

But we may be losing the equally important experiences of getting frustratingly lost, being stuck on a certain boss or dying only to be sent back to your last save an hour ago.

You cannot have the feeling of triumph without the feeling of defeat. They go hand in hand and create distinctly memorable adventures that other art forms cannot replicate.

The gaming industry has transformed along with the increasingly digital, always-online world we inhabit, for both good and bad.

Developers have now unconsciously trained us to be OK with games releasing in a somewhat passable state, with the expectation that patches and bug fixes are on the way to improve performance, tweak gameplay or even provide additional downloadable content.

For most of gaming history, developers had no choice but to release a complete version of their game. Once copies had been printed and distributed for sale, their only option would be to recall the product — and even then, some copies may have already sold.

Glitches still existed, but when players encountered those bugs, they were perceived as mild oddities rather than a lack of oversight. Some were even exploited for speedrunning, the act of finishing a game as fast as possible.

Opponents may bring up “Donkey Kong 64” as an early form of a day-one

patch through its required RAM Expansion Pak, but for the most part, old-school games still work today, barring a dirty pin that needs cleaning, a battery that needs swapping or a disc that could use resurfacing.

Additionally, these consoles have aged out of warranty long enough that repairing or modifying your own system is often a YouTube search and online purchase away. They are yours to maintain and tinker with to your heart’s desire.

Benson recalled the notorious launch of the long-awaited science fiction epic “Cyberpunk 2077” in late 2020.

“Three days before ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ was supposed to launch, they delayed it a month,” he said. “When it finally came out, we discovered the reason why ... they wanted it on PS4 and Xbox One, the base systems not exactly designed to handle such an intense game. Then it launched and it needed another six months to get patched to a playable state ... it was a literal slideshow of frames.”

It is simply disrespectful for a developer and publisher to release a game at full retail price knowing it is not ready, but we continue to see more instances of this practice as the line between work in progress and final product continues to blur.

This isn’t to say that content patches shouldn’t exist — quite the opposite. But expectations need to return to how gaming used to be out of respect for the first impression and the end user who looks to this immersive art form for respite from the everyday.

As Valve co-founder Gabe Newell said, “Late is just for a little while. Suck is forever.”

Beginning with the seventh generation and the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, all three companies debuted online storefronts focused on cheaper indie titles, digital rereleases of older legacy content and full downloads of current games.

Those purchases came with conditions: You can’t trade them for store credit, you can’t loan them to friends to try on their own time and you had better hope your account isn’t locked by accident, wrongly removed by the company as it cleans up old profiles or compromised by a hacker taking advantage of a weak verification system.

“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game” is often mentioned as the poster child for delisted games from this early digital era. It was removed from digital storefronts only four years after its release and did not officially return to modern platforms until 2021.

Eric Holniker, co-owner of Save Point in Union Bridge, shared the downsides of relying on digital distribution as the sole method of media consumption.

“There’s a side effect of the convenience of digital that’s true with any kind of media,” he said. “But by nature, people want to own the things they pay for. People are more willing to invest in something that retains some sort of value rather than a license or something that they’re essentially renting.”

LOCAL GAME STORES Play Raven Video Games is at 1912 Liberty Road, Eldersburg. See its Facebook page at facebook.com/playraveneldersburg.

Cartridges Galore is at 5732 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick. See cartridgesgaloregames.com.

Save Point is at 17 N. Main St., Union Bridge, with its Playfield arcade at 11 N. Main St. See savepoint.store.

Tournament City Games is inside Francis Scott Key Mall at 5500 Buckeystown Pike, Suite 804, Frederick. See tournamentcitygames.gg.

Storm Crow Games is at 1209 Liberty Road, Eldersburg. See stormcrowgamesmd.com.

As the three gaming giants continue moving toward digital distribution, consumers are left with fewer rights while the companies managing those storefronts increasingly decide how and when people can play.

George Nace, co-owner of Tournament City Games, broke down what disappears when digital becomes the only means to purchase media.

“Games are a lot cheaper when you buy them used whereas some games will sit on the digital store at full price or at best, 10% off,” he said. “Plus, you can’t trade them back or give them to a friend when you are done. You lose all of that.”

The shift gives the big three tighter (See GAMES 26) 72 HOURS

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CURTAIN CALL

What to see on Frederick-area stages this month

T

Then, later this month, Ardeo here’s just something that feels Theatre Company will close the festival right about seeing live theater, preferably outside, during the with Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About languid, weeks-long stretch at the Nothing.” end of summer. Even more so as the SHAKESPEARE’S “MUCH weather cools down ever so slightly ADO ABOUT NOTHING” from that July heat and nights carry Bravo to Ardeo Theatre Company, that gentle breeze that makes being Frederick’s newest professional outside pure heaven. theater company, for which Between the Frederick this month’s production of Shakespeare Festival, Alive@ “Much Ado About Nothing” Five on the creek and the marks its fourth mainstage Sunday night concerts at production. Because it’s the Baker Park Bandshell, being produced in repertory there are plenty of opportuwith Unstrung Harpist nities to soak in the perfect Productions’ “Henry IV, Part summer vibes with a live, loOne,” which played last cal performance. Here’s my JOSEPH PETERSON month, you’ll recall, many rundown of what’s on stage of the same artists and in the Frederick area this production team have been working month that’s worth making time for. on both shows.

Whether indoor or out, there are plenAccording to the company’s press ty of performances to applaud as you release, Ardeo co-founder Aaron fancy yourself a local patron of the Angello, “who played Falstaff in ‘Henry arts.

IV, Part One,’ now claims the director’s August got off to a busy start seat for ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ with ESP Youth’s “Twelfth Night,” while Evan Crump, director of ‘Henry MidAtlantic Improv’s “Law & Order IV, Part One,’ is leading the show from SIU: Special Improv Unit” and Way the stage as Benedick in ‘Much Ado Off Broadway’s final performances of About Nothing.’” I think that translates “Disney’s High School Musical.” Those to: They’ve been busy! shows have already wrapped, but As for the show, Angello, who is there’s still plenty ahead as we head also a co-founder of the Frederick into the second half of the month.

Shakespeare Festival with Endangered THE FREDERICK SHAKESPEARE Species theatre Project artistic director FESTIVAL Christine Mosere, said, “Much Ado is First, as mentioned, the Frederick the prototypical rom-com, but to my Shakespeare Festival — now in mind, it remains the best of the genre.” its eighth season — continues Far from the aesthetic of the its multishow run with one final popular film version, however, the performance of Oscar Wilde’s “The festival production is going all in on Importance of Being Earnest.” The the music and fashion of the 1980s. I show closes at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 at call this the “Stranger Things” effect Hidden Hills Farm and Vineyard, and honestly couldn’t be more thrilled 7550 Green Valley Road, Frederick. about it, especially given the romanticAdmission is pay what you can. See comedy trappings of the original text, esptheatre.org for more information. with enemies-to-lovers witty banter

22 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

night concerts in Baker Park are a great way to end each summer weekend with a bang. Bring a picnic, meet up with friends and neighbors and enjoy a local and regional lineup of diverse performances as the sun sets.

There are three Sundays left in August — three chances to make the most of summer, even after school starts up again. The Jill Fulton Band will bring country, classic rock and blues to the bandshell from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 16, followed by Stitch Early & The Populatn with hip-hop and MEL BROOKS’ “YOUNG soul at the same time Aug. 23 and FRANKENSTEIN” AT WAY Latin9 Orquesta with salsa Aug. 30.

OFF BROADWAY The Baker Park Bandshell is at 121 Some stores have already started N. Bentz St., Frederick. Admission is carrying pumpkin-spice products, so it free. See celebratefrederick.com for seems reasonable that later this month more information. we will see the opening of Mel Brooks’ A reminder: While each concert hilarious musical “Young Frankenstein” is free, attendees are encouraged to at Way Off Broadway. make a food donation to support the Patrons can expect deadpan oneFrederick Food Bank. Canned meats, liners, exaggerated hijinks and even a vegetables and soups, along with little slapstick silliness, as fans of Mel other nonperishable items like peanut Brooks will no doubt be expecting. In butter, rice and pasta, are preferred. other words, pure camp. The fact that That’s it for this round of Curtain the hunchbacked assistant Igor in this Call. It’s a busy month and there is an show is pronounced “Eye-gore” gives abundance of options. It occurs to me a pretty good idea of how seriously that’s not something a lot of places this show takes itself, which is to say can say about summer when it comes not at all, much to audiences’ delight. to the performing arts, so join me This laugh-out-loud show will be in counting ourselves lucky, even as Way Off Broadway’s fall mainstage we agonize over making the choice musical dinner show, opening of what we have the budget and the Aug. 29 and running through Oct. time to see. But do see something.

25. Way Off Broadway Dinner Performing arts are only possible with Theatre is at 5 Willowdale Drive, an audience to perform for. Enjoy!

Frederick. Tickets and the complete Joseph Peterson can usually be performance schedule are available at found reading the weathered plaques wayoffbroadway.com. of obscure monuments he sees while CELEBRATE FREDERICK’S BAKER wandering the city. He counts public PARK BANDSHELL CONCERTS libraries, public lands and places One of Frederick’s most beloved where local community is fostered summer traditions, the free Sunday among his favorite kinds of places. and plenty of scheming for the sake of love and mischief, which I think would be hilarious to see done in acidwashed jeans and crimped hair.

Performances run Aug. 21 to 29 at Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Hodson Outdoor Amphitheater, with 2 p.m.

Saturday matinees in the Black Box at the Tatem Arts Center. Admission is pay what you will, with a suggested donation of $20. See ardeotheatre.org for tickets.

SNALLYFEST (Continued from 7) The following day begins at Carroll Creek Amphitheater at 1 p.m. Sky Stage and Eagles Club will host music from 4 to 10 p.m., with Cafe Nola continuing from 9 p.m. until there’s no music left to be played.

Sky Stage comes as a joint venture between Brain Dead Live and the Frederick Arts Council and serves to expand the total scope of the festival.

“They had their own Sky Stage event planned for the same day,” Zingg explained. “We made the decision to reach out and see if they would be interested in being a part of Snallyfest.”

The addition also serves as a homecoming for a musician previously based in Frederick, who will perform under the new ambient noise-pop project fflesh.

Though now based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Davy Haynes has played in a multitude of Frederick rock bands and is well known for their immeasurable sonic contributions to the scene early in the current revitalization era.

“Frederick still feels like home. I spent so much time in basements here playing music with my friends,” Haynes said. “I’m grateful to Snallyfest for having us and I’m excited to share all the noise I’ve accumulated down South.”

Also joining them at Sky Stage are two of their previous bands, the altcountry stylings of Good Time Jordie and the lo-fi indie, slacker-rock vibes of Shut Up Voula, alongside numerous other local bands and one out-oftowner, Baltimore synthy darkwave act Vacant Windows.

Over at Eagles Club, Snallyfesters can expect even more local live wires, including the cryptid folk of Swamp Whompers and the booty-groovin’, prog-jazz jams of Shamboogi, along with a visit from Baltimore-based alternative dream-punk band Fetcher.

The kaleidoscopic rock ‘n’ roll cocktail of Ritchie Royale will close out the stage.

Talk-of-the-town punk rockers Edward! are looking forward to headlining a gnarly show at Carroll Creek Amphitheater and giving fans a once-in-a-lifetime performance.

Guitarist and vocalist Edward Houston had this to say about the role of community-organized events in creating a culturally rich city: “It means everything to us and even more to this city,” Houston said.

“Snallyfest gives artists a chance to come together and show off what they do best. Last year was a bang, and this year will be even bigger ...

Brain Dead Live

Snallyfest 2025. see you on the creek!”

Other local acts performing on the legendary stage include thrasher grunge punks Sir Lando and Appalachian stoner royalty Weed Coughin, along with Baltimore psychedelic pop-punk band Joint Operation.

LITZ will present the Frederick All-Stars, featuring a rotating cast of musicians while the band’s drummer is on vacation.

With all the main venues within a short walking distance of one another, getting your steps in while having fun is inevitable.

“Having all the main stages be downtown will make it easier to jump from show to show to see the preferred bands you want,” Johnston explained.

Outside of the celebration of local music, Brain Dead Live has contracted its friends at Sandbox to supply their signature brews to the festival grounds, as well as Grilled Cheese Please!, a local food truck specializing in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, to keep patrons satisfied during the all-day lineup.

Needless to say, Brain Dead Live has packed the entire weekend to the brim with entertainment options for fans of all ages in the independent music scene.

Though Snallyfest 2026 has yet to transpire, the Brain Dead team is already

looking forward to challenging itself to create an even more memorable experience next year.

Johnston, for one, would love to return to the roots of the music festival.

“It would be awesome to do a preshow in the backyard again,” he said.

“There’s a group of people that are still clamoring for where it all started.”

He added that independently run events like Snallyfest are opportunities for the next generation to be inspired, explaining that the rise in development around town is bringing new families looking for unique Frederick experiences.

Zingg is looking forward to branching outside Frederick to continue Brain Dead Live’s growth as an organization and bridge other scenes back to the city, cross-pollinating creatives and getting bands in front of new audiences.

Even beyond the idea of a music festival, Brain Dead Live has its sights set on the real deal in the near future but is looking back toward the community for help.

“If there’s someone that owns a building and wants to open a space, talk to us,” Johnston said. “We have investors that are backing us, but we can’t do it without the building. We need that someone to be able to help realize our vision.”

Ryan kept it simple for interested business partners: “Come see how we do it.”

With recent noise-ordinance problems and government debate popping up around the city, the need for a genuine, enclosed space for music performance run by and for independent musicians has never been more desperate.

Where is our Black Cat, our DC9, our Songbyrd — venues first, bars second?

There is an undeniable energy around this event and the city, from the organizers to the artists. Even the general reception online since the initial announcement has shown that demand for this level of programming is at an all-time high.

Though Brain Dead Live insists that it simply creates the platform for local talent to shine, its significance to Frederick’s music culture cannot be overstated. Without creatives like them fostering high-quality, communal experiences of art appreciation, Frederick would quickly become just another exit in the “Montgomery North” trap creeping up I-270.

Dylan Hyman is a freelance music journalist covering the people that feed the growing Frederick music community. In their spare time, they collect hot sauces and tend to their succulents.

72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 23

Thursday Aug. 13 ETCETERA

Leading Ladies Summit — 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Sunday Morning at Savannah’s, 111 S. Springdale Ave., New Windsor.

Women Optimizing Women (WOW), in partnership with Sunday Morning at Savannah’s host this inaugural event. Created for working professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners, caregivers and women seeking personal and professional growth, the all-day summit offers a refreshing alternative to the traditional conference experience. Designed to inspire, restore and cultivate meaningful relationships. Register online. $85. 443-797-2104. barbara.ringrose. wow@gmail.com. wowwomenus.com/leading-ladies-summit-2026/.

recite positive affirmations while exploring identity, safe spaces, and eco-conscious habits. Fyütch has been featured on The Today Show, Tamron Hall, and at Billboard.

He also performs music with his 8-year-old daughter Aura V. Bring a canned food item for the city’s Foodbank Program.

301-600-2841. celebratefrederick.com.

Family Fun: R.E.A.D. with WAGS for Hope — 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Emmitsburg Branch Library, 300 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg. Come practice your reading skills with patient and adorable Reading Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) from WAGS for Hope! For children grade K-5.

301-600-6329. fcpl.org.

FESTIVALS

Rocky Ridge Volunteer Fire Co. Carnival — 5 p.m. to at Mount Tabor Park, “home of the big slide”, Motters Station Road, Rocky Ridge. Games, food, nightly bingo, raffles, Go Team Therapy Dogs: Adaptive Adult “the big slide.” Nightly entertainment: Aug. Program — 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at 10, One More Round; Aug. 11, Lodi; Aug. Walkersville Branch Library, 2 S. Glade 12, Kevin Booth’s Conway Twitty’s Legends Road, Walkersville. The dogs want to come of Country & Rock ‘n’ Roll; Aug. 13, Taylor back and have some fun with their human Brown’s “Elvis” Show; Aug. 14, Honky Tonk friends! Join us for more pets and love from Twins; Aug. 15, Telebillies.

Go Team Therapy Dogs! This program is for rockyridgevfc.com. adults with developmental disabilities and their caregivers. 18 and older.

MUSIC 301-600-8200.

Alive @ Five: Conor & the Wild Hunt — 5 www.fcpl.org. p.m. to 8 p.m. at Carroll Creek Outdoor Writing Workshop with Niki Gjoni — Amphiteatre, between Market and Carroll 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Urbana Regional streets, Frederick. Americana folk. Food, Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick. Dive beer, wine, cocktails, mocktails. 21+ only, into creative writing with this workshop led valid ID required. Drink tokens $7 each.

by Author Niki Gjoni. All materials provided $5 cash or credit. while supplies last. For grades 6-12. downtownfrederick.org.

301-600-7000.

Featured Artist- Abigail Kent, Harpist fcpl.org.

GreenSpring Music Festival — 7 p.m. to Frederick Filmmaker Meet Up — 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran 9 p.m. at Vanish, 1009 W Patrick St., FredChurch, Utica, 10621 Old Frederick Road, erick. Monthly networking group meeting Thurmont. Featured artist: Abigail Kent, on the second Thursday of each month at award-winning harpist. locations in the Frederick area. Join the 804-484-2187. lediger@greenspringmusic. community to chat about your current and org. www.greenspringmusic.org. upcoming projects, scout talent for your team, and enjoy food and drink available OUTDOORS for purchase from Vanish. Enter through 1065 W. Patrick St. Art in the Park: Frogs! — 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at fallingsquares@gmail.com.

Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. Learn about some of the beauFAMILY tiful frogs native to Maryland while touring their habitat. Paint some jumping frogs to Summerfest Family Theatre: Fyutch & take home! Meet in lower parking lot by Aura V — 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the Baker boat launch ramp in Greenbrier Park. Walk Park Band Shell, North Bentz and Second will be 0.25 miles beside the lake ending at streets, Frederick. 2026 GRAMMY nomigazebo #4. nee Fyütch presents Hip Hop Harmony: a SMRA.Interpreter@maryland.gov. high-energy dance party for all ages about dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/westself-love and empowerment. Audiences will learn dance moves, sign language, and ern/greenbrier.aspx.

24 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

RECREATION

Frederick Keys vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods — 7 p.m. at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, 21 Stadium Drive, Frederick. General admission, reserved seating and field seating tickets. See website for ticket prices.

Friday Aug. 14 CLASSES

Art At Noon — Building Creative Communities Through Fashion: Confidence, Connection, and Creative Agency — noon to 1 p.m. at The Delaplaine Arts Center, 40 S. Carroll St., Frederick. Dr. ChaCha Hudson will share her journey as a fashion educator, researcher and community builder, exploring how her work has evolved from studying fashion to creating spaces where people can reconnect with their creativity and sense of self.

301-698-0656. jclark@delaplaine.org. delaplaine.org.

Friday Goat Yoga at the Farm — 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Goat for the Soul, 10209 Fountain School Road, Union Bridge. All ages welcome! If you are so inclined, feel free to bring your favorite adult beverage.

Cost: $27 per person. Purchase tickets online. $27. 240-405-2208. christy@gvalleye. com. goatforthesoul.com/.

ETCETERA Guided Exhibit Tours — 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Heritage Frederick, 24 E. Church St., Frederick. Experience the Museum of Frederick County History through a guided tour. Join the staff and volunteers who curated our 2026 exhibits as they explore our various galleries. Each tour is a unique experience based on the interests of the group and what special things staff wants to highlight that week. Descriptions of each week’s tour can be found on the Heritage Frederick website, which includes accessibility notes.

Tours are included with admission! $5, $10. Outreach@FrederickHistory.org. frederickhistory.org/events/.

Snallyfest 2026 (5th Annual) — 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at See website for locations, Frederick. Carroll Creek, Sky Stage, Cafe Nola, Eagles Club, Sandbox Brewhouse — tickets are on sale now! Go to Snallyfest.com or purchase tickets at Record Exchange - $25 Snally passes online and in-store. Grab your festival wristband, it gets you into every venue! $40 Snally bundles in-store only. Exclusively at Record Exchange, this includes a Snally pass AND a Snallyfest t-shirt. If you came last year, you know the feels. If this

is your first Snallyfest, come see what the Frederick music scene has cookin’! 18 and older. $10-$40. sarahl@braindead.live. snallyfest.com/.

Justin Starnes & Snaggy Ridge — 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Rockwell Brewery, 8411 Broadband Drive, Frederick. Get ready for a foot stomping good time. Performing across Western Maryland to Eastern Pennsylvania, Justin Starnes & Snaggy Ridge offer original Appalachian Blues. Fast flatpicking and sophisticated fiddling shift tone, tempo and mood to offer a unique blend of traditional and modern sounds anchored by a steady yet playful bass.

Lyrics grounded in the timeless dialects of Americana folk tunes within songs such as “The Docks Again,” “Silent Pines” or “East of Richmond” invite individualized interpretations of brooding and beckoning narratives. Food and beverages available for purchase. $5. 240-575-9755. info@rockwellbrewery. com. tinyurl.com/kzheb47c.

FAMILY FAC’s Art in the Park with the Frederick Keys — 7 p.m. to at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, 21 Stadium Drive, Frederick. The players will be outfitted in one-of-a-kind jerseys designed by local artist Lauren Wolff, which will be auctioned off as keepsakes. The event will also feature a silent auction of one-of-a-kind souvenir baseballs decorated by Frederick Keys players. Guests can enjoy art-themed activities designed for young fans and watch plein air artists painting throughout the stadium. $15-25. 301-662-4190. info@frederickartscouncil.org. www.milb.com.

MUSIC

Lunch Time Concert: GreenSpring Music Festival Chamber Music Concert — noon to 1 p.m. at St. John’s Reformed Church, Creagerstown, 8619 Blacks Mill Road, Thurmont. Followed by a complimentary lunch provided after the Concert by St. John’s Church.

804-484-2187. lediger@greenspringmusic. org. www.greenspringmusic.org/aboutgreenspringmusicfestival.

FOR THE FULL CALENDAR, SEE NEWSPOST.COM.

MARKET (Continued from 5)

will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 30 at Watkins Park, featuring local breweries, the Shire in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. wineries and distilleries alongside farmers market vendors.

“Tolkien is my favorite author of all A holiday market is planned for noon time. I am obsessed with him,” Laughto 4 p.m. Dec. 2. Many current vendors man said.

In “The Hobbit,” Tolkien describes Bil- have already signed up, and applications for new vendors will open in October. bo Baggins’ home as having “a perfect“We’re excited to give these businessly round door like a porthole, painted es an opportunity to be a part of people’s green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle.” This imagery appears holiday season,” Gallucci-White said.

December will also start the process on the bakery’s signage, logo and even of assembling vendors for the summer of on Laughman’s shirt and earrings.

2027. Current vendors will have the opWhile her inventory of sourdough portunity to return, and applications for products — breads, bagels, muffins, scones and more — attracts customers on new vendors will be announced in January on the town’s social media channels. its own, fellow Tolkien fans stop by with Meanwhile, as summer draws to a particular interest and excitement. She provides weekly trivia questions. Correct close, Wednesdays in Watkins Park conanswers are tallied on a punch card and, tinue to become embedded in the town’s beloved traditions. after 10, rewarded with a treat.

“I see multiple generations coming “A lot of people will come and be like, ‘I’m here for my trivia question!’ It’s just a every week,” Gallucci-White said. “I defigreat way to interact with the community,” nitely think it’s become a destination in Mount Airy to come and see people, Laughman said.

Thankfully for local fans, Laughman’s meet new people, and buy some great wares are available to order for pickup at products.” the Mount Airy Commons on Main Street Erin Jones is a freelance arts and culyear-round. ture journalist, narrative strategist and literWhile this season’s farmers market ary collaborator. Learn more at erinjonestechnically comes to an end Sept. 23, two writer.com, follow her on Instagram @ other special events will follow. The inau- erinjoneswriter or subscribe to her newsgural Mount Airy Craft Beverage Festival letter at erinjoneswriter.substack.com.

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72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 25

GAMES (Continued from 17) control over their revenue streams and cuts physical retailers out of a larger portion of the market, all in the name of greed layered in a veneer of convenience.

Benson recalled a disastrous misfire on Microsoft’s part during his days managing a GameStop.

“When Microsoft announced the Xbox One S, the all digital console, GameStop refused to carry it,” he said.

“Well, Microsoft tried to sell their own console and sold 10 percent of what they anticipated. They came crawling back to GameStop and made a deal.”

While digital gaming is clearly the future of the industry, physical games will always have a place in the market for people looking to own their media outright and have something to show for the money they spent.

What few are talking about is what happens when companies sunset online services for current and previous consoles. How will players download patches or downloadable content?

What will happen to games centered around online multiplayer?

Server space comes at a premium, and if player counts aren’t high enough, gaming companies reserve the right to pull the plug. Look at Sony’s short-lived “Concord” for a contemporary example of what could be ahead.

Holniker shared his views on the grim digital future.

“These companies are relying so heavily on their own proprietary digital services that they can take away at any minute,” he said. “Every time you install a piece of software and sign their license agreement that nobody reads, it’s a forfeiture of rights ... they put customers in a situation where their only option to experience these products outside of their time of relevance is to pirate them.”

Of course, that’s where local community game stores step in.

“When you go out to a store and you buy a game, you don’t need to sign an agreement to purchase that game,” Holniker said. “It’s yours.”

It is a shame that the most popular art form is also one of the most difficult to preserve compared with music, movies and visual art.

Video games are particularly complicated to archive because each system runs on a different architecture, games are developed using unique and sometimes proprietary code and copyright and licensing restrictions limit how game data can be copied or distributed.

Preservation may require an original copy of the game, specialized hardware to extract its data and an emulator capable of running it properly. Those tools and the necessary technical

knowledge are not always readily available.

Though hackers and preservationists have found ways to save patches and downloadable content for many newer titles, the average gamer may not want to modify a console or search for unofficially shared files.

What gamers may be left to take away after years of buying into an apparently temporary system is a middle finger from big businesses that chase trends and, subsequently, the stock market.

“A bubble is going to burst soon, but I don’t know if it’s going to be obvious to everybody,” Holniker said. “There’s a human factor, the lived experience, that you don’t get in a sales report and that’s why there is more demand for retro right now.”

The backlash against Sony’s decision to step away from physical media may represent a vocal minority, but it is coming from people who see the writing on the wall and want to protect the larger community from a future in which access to purchased media remains contingent on corporate permission.

At the same time, game file sizes continue to inflate exponentially each year for larger AAA titles, perhaps because developers are not as incentivized to optimize their files to fit entirely on a physical medium such as a disc or cartridge.

Consoles are shipping with meager internal storage to keep prices just barely within reach, causing a game of musical chairs for end users as they juggle which titles are downloaded and ready to play.

Nintendo egregiously launched its original Switch with a laughable 32 gigabytes of internal storage.

The limited storage capacity of its proprietary game cartridges also helped popularize games requiring additional downloads before they could even boot and, even less tastefully, paper codes inside otherwise empty boxes.

With the Switch 2, Nintendo attempted to address the issue with Game-Key Cards, which don’t necessarily resolve the core issue of ownership.

Instead, the technology comes off as out of touch with the physical-first gamer, who may now be required to purchase a more expensive, largercapacity microSD Express card to hold downloaded data that may no longer be accessible when the system’s servers are eventually shut down.

Retro gaming offers immediately available, offline gaming at a better long-term value than much of what is on the current market. It also holds some of gaming’s greatest titles, which continue to stand the test of time.

26 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

Jayman explained that the video game industry is going through what has already happened to the music and movie industries.

“It’s never life or death, but gaming has been so corporatized and extracted for its wealth,” he said. “It’s getting to the point where modern gaming is becoming a luxury again because of price increases. We see people buying retro either out of nostalgia or necessity.”

This makes sense when compared with the resurgence of other forms of older physical media during the past decade, as more people wake up to the pay-once, own-forever model and vote with their wallets against the subscription hell that has taken over our lives.

While traditional console and PC gaming offer deeper and more complex experiences for those with a history of gaming under their belts, mobile gaming provides the most accessible means of experiencing the joys of video games.

It is also rife with some of the most sickening predatory practices enlisted by developers to scientifically separate you from your money.

However, when taken in the context that many children today first experience gaming on mobile devices, the issue becomes more nuanced.

Mobile gaming can be a gateway to more complete experiences offered on consoles.

Even Nintendo, once defiantly opposed to mobile gaming, dipped its toes into the ecosystem with “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp” and “Mario Kart Tour.” The latter will shut down Sept.

29, reinforcing the fact that digital-first, freemium games are not afraid to take your money and run after a company no longer wants to support the service.

“It’s less about the fun of the game and more focused on how to get your money while keeping you coming back,” Nace explained.

These practices became more frequent in the console space during the eighth generation of gaming with the rise of live-service games, namely “Fortnite.”

Jayman elaborated on how developers design their game models around the fear of missing out.

“There’s a psychology behind it where in these live service games, your sense of worth is behind those cosmetics,” he said. “A lot of people will define their prestige by those rather than their skill or dedication to the game.”

Other games, including “Roblox,” have faced repeated criticism over child-safety failures and the ability of predators to use the platform to contact, harass and exploit minors.

Our local selection of retro game stores provides parents with an offline, closed ecosystem where they can more affordably access fully fledged games that steer clear of the predatory practices of today’s big businesses while celebrating eras of gaming that deserve to be passed down for generations to come.

Most modern game stores do not sell only video games. They often rely on cards, merchandise and other media to supplement their overall revenue in an admittedly volatile post-COVID market.

Pokémon is one of the largest brands in the world and is widely regarded as the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. Interest in the hobby fiercely reignited during the pandemic alongside retro gaming, and many businesses began offering more diverse inventory to meet the rising demand.

Nace shared a mind-boggling transaction at Tournament City Games.

“We had a sealed first generation Japanese Pokémon base set box that we held on to for years because we didn’t really have any need to sell it and we knew it would appreciate over time,” he said. “We ended up selling that for around $50,000 ... a guy flew up from Florida just to buy it.”

With the growing collectibles market in almost every hobby, physical stores also serve as sources of education and authentication for higher-ticket items.

“We always try to educate our customers about fake cards and games, they’re everywhere nowadays ... eBay won’t do anything to crack down on it,” Nace continued.

Other online marketplaces, such as Facebook Marketplace and Whatnot, may offer better chances at serious deals but also come with the risk of buying reproduction games or being scammed.

Unfortunately, the community is not immune to scalpers and resellers looking to make a quick buck during economically difficult times. It is not uncommon to see lines of grown adults waiting outside big-box stores for restocks or even getting into physical altercations over cards.

“I just want to hand these people a job application ... literally do anything else,” Benson said. “It’s easier to sit on your butt waiting in line for card drops than it is to stand on your feet and work.

As long as people keep buying from scalpers, that practice is never going away.”

It’s deeply upsetting to see adults sucker-punch one another over playing cards designed for children, but it is a reality of the world we live in that people are struggling to make ends meet and looking for quick ways to get their heads above water.

However, it is refreshing to hear that

GAMES (Continued from 26)

of the local retro-gaming scene see the often overlooked, human-forward aspect of their physical presence in our these independent shops see the card business for exactly what it is: a game. communities.

“We don’t charge the maximum You will often find Benson at amount for things like Pokémon cards,” Cartridges Galore holding full Benson continued. “We understand that conversations with customers while these things are primarily for kids and taking in a trade from someone else, enthusiasts, we want future gamers and checking in with regulars personally and repeat customers.” never shying away from lending an ear Even Storm Crow Games is not to a customer in need. immune to thieves looking to get their “You don’t have as many third spaces hands on highly commodified cards. anymore that don’t ask an entry fee,” The business has experienced multiple he said. “We have regulars who come burglaries over the past year and has here just to talk to us about everything, had to implement more advanced games to movies to life ... I always listen security measures. and sympathize.”

Play Raven remains the area’s only Jayman agreed, noting that hobby store focused specifically on video stores provide less judgmental games for people seeking deeper cuts environments where people can and harder-to-find titles. connect with other enthusiasts in their “We just decided to go all in after neighborhood. experimenting and coming to the “The beauty of specific hobby stores conclusion that the best thing to do is is that customers already have at least to focus on what we do well,” Jayman one interest in common with you,” he said. “Sticking to what you are known for said. “There’s sort of a grounding there without any kind of brand confusion is that you don’t necessarily see when something that will pay dividends in the you’re shopping at Walmart.” long run ... otherwise you risk becoming Tournament City Games and Storm a jack-of-all-trades situation.”

Crow Games routinely host card Running a retail store during an tournaments that bring players of all economically difficult time comes with (See GAMES 28) challenges, of course, but the purveyors

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Leaving money directly to an individual that receives means-based benefits could lead to them losing such benefits.

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like us, who has substantial experience establishing SNTs to discuss your options.

In that case, I don’t need any planning now, and instead direct my Executor to get that Special Trust after I die? Incorrect. Failing to establish a SNT provision in your own Estate Planning documents now may mean that your estate will have to go through probate. Then, even if your Personal Representative immediately puts money in a newly-created Special Needs Trust, there will still be a time period where assets were accessible to your grandchild. That may be enough for your disabled grandchild to lose disability benefits.

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If you would like to protect your assets and loved ones in the event of death or disability please call us at 301-414-8726.

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72 HOURS | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 27

GAMES (Continued from 27)

Both Nace and Holniker attested to more families coming in to show their children the games they played while demographics together to enjoy the growing up. camaraderie of their hobby.

These stores are vital to the Though Save Point shifted to continuation of gaming’s lineage appointment-only operations in 2024 by providing authentic, in-person to refocus on the growing arcade and experiences that cannot be replicated convention aspects of its business, through a Facebook Marketplace its owners are building out another meetup in a grocery store parking lot. permanent arcade in their hometown As we continue to place a larger of Union Bridge to give back to their percentage of our belongings and neighbors more directly. identities in the trust of faceless “What we’re finding in the last corporations under the guise of decade is that the arcade is a good convenience and backup, it becomes a community-building outlet ... we’ve greater responsibility to stay informed absolutely lost that with online about our rights as digital consumers. multiplayer,” Holniker said.

Ultimately, the final decision rests These spaces in and around Frederick exist as bastions of real human in our hands: Do we continue putting up with how big businesses treat us, or interaction in a world encouraging the do we vote with our wallets and keep literal opposite.

It was uplifting to hear the sentiment money in the community where it has the most direct impact? shared among all the owners that they Holniker believes that, in the end, would be nothing without their loyal consumers will need to be the ones to customers.

“We want to build those relationships spark change.

“Our only hope is for everyone to and treat people right,” Jayman said. become a little more educated on “You throw in a free game every now public archival online,” he said. and then, you try to give a discount In response to apathy around when you can because you know those modern media, Benson senses that we people will appreciate that and come may be stalling inside a comfort loop as back. A lot of businesses can get lost a society. in the margins and don’t really see the “Studios are afraid to take a risk person at the other end of the sale.”

28 | Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 | 72 HOURS

on new IPs because they don’t know if it’s going to make a return on their investment,” he said. “We see companies like Disney rehashing old movies to billions of dollars because people are comfortable with it, especially as things have gotten tougher in the world. People are rejecting the feeling of being uncomfortable.”

Interestingly, it has fallen to independent studios to uphold the authenticity of modern gaming as AAA companies become less willing to break the mold for fear of lower profits.

See “Shovel Knight” and “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” as shining examples of how the independent scene keeps modern gaming real.

As the price of keeping up with what is “new” continues to lose value and corporations ask more from our shrinking wallets in exchange for less, it should come as no shock that our burned-out and scorched-over society is turning toward older physical media to future-proof its entertainment needs on a budget while simultaneously reclaiming ownership of its libraries.

With modern gaming continuing to feel less inspired amid a seemingly endless barrage of ports, remakes and remasters, half-baked games released with game-crashing bugs or laughable frame rates and freemium experiences

designed to milk players for as long as they are scientifically engineered to tolerate it, retro gaming provides an experience greater than an intoxicating dose of nostalgia.

It is a celebration of the eras of gaming that delivered unique experiences to grow with over a lifetime, brought friends together in the same room for memorable nights of intense split-screen battle royales and respected the game artists whose countless long nights and sacrificed weekends made it happen so we could enjoy ours a little more.

Our local game stores fill a gap in the community for those seeking a more immersive form of media while promoting the exchange of video game culture and knowledge in a safer, offline environment.

You can’t choose wrong among the handful of options in and around the city, each with its own signature archive of our collective gaming history.

With every dollar spent locally, you are voting to keep video gaming of the people, by the people and for the people.

Dylan Hyman is a freelance music journalist covering the people that feed the growing Frederick music community.

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