Be forewarned. This is a Dougie Downer kind of column. What goes up must come down. Democrats might be enjoying sweet dreams of November, but the hardest days of the campaign start right after Labor Day.

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra will play Christian Won’s six-minute composition, “iPhone Variations for Orchestra,” this weekend at its annual Pops in the Park concerts. The late summer show is a Labor Day tradition at Quiet Waters Park, now expanded to Downs Park in Pasadena.

Laura and Kevin Smith knew they wanted a historic home. So when the Sands House came on the market in 2019, they bought it from a preservation group. Now, five years and a major renovation later, they’ve decided to sell the home of Revolutionary War soldier William Sands, one of the Maryland patriots who died on Aug. 27, 1776, in the Battle of Long Island.

More than 100 members of the predominantly Black Push’N Pedals Cycling Club and other cyclists kicked off a Ride Against Hate Friday night in response to an ugly episode of racism in Annapolis earlier this summer.

Elly Tierney’s hands won’t stay still. They fly across the small tabletop, mapping out unseen connections. Her immaculate white nails trace links between problems and the people who have frustrated solutions during her two terms on the Annapolis City Council. Time is short. The days are counting down until the Ward 1 alderwoman steps down. She and her husband will drive off to retirement after Labor Day. But before she goes, Tierney has a few parting words.

The king and queen of the Maryland Renaissance Festival are ready for you. Fred Nelson and Laurie Simonds return Saturday for opening day at the long-running, singular Maryland event. It’s one of seven things to do around Annapolis during the week ending Aug. 29.

The outskirts of Annapolis have developed in 20-year waves. Today, right on time, a new wave of homes and retail is shaping up, promising the latest transformation of an area named for a long-gone Civil War prisoner exchange camp, Parole.

Annapolis and Anne Arundel County are clearly driving this boat. Annapolis is planning a ferry inside city limits, while Anne Arundel County has applied for a federal grant to set up a $9 million ferry linking Annapolis, Baltimore and Kent Island.

The next few weeks may be the best time to visit Great Frogs Winery in Annapolis, just as the harvest begins. You could also catch the Annapolis Chamber Music Festival or check out the Halal Food Fest.

As I’ve rambled this summer, through Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I’ve looked for Donald Trump banners fluttering on political winds and seen almost none. So, I have to ask, is everything OK over there in the Trump political multiverse?

Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Vila J. “Bobbi” Hovis of Annapolis was a pioneering Navy nurse, working in medevac flights in Korea and triage at the hospital she helped set up in Saigon, South Vietnam. She died May 5 at age 98.

The superyacht Lovebug capsized last month about 12 miles south of Annapolis, just inside the West River. No matter what investigators find when the boat is refloated next week, maybe the way Lovebug and other superyachts have changed Annapolis is just as important.

Art abounds in Annapolis: paintings on the walls of a restaurant, one-act plays in a record store and now — finally — standup comedy in a board shop.

I went sailing on Saturday. Not really a surprising thing. I live in Annapolis. But August is the Chesapeake Bay’s unexpected month — the time of year when things turn out exactly as you expect until they do not.

Two Annapolis police officers who are union representatives used department tech to track a police major's vehicle as he worked from home, prompting police Chief Ed Jackson to suspend them. The officers have returned to work, but the incident lies at the heart of a planned no-confidence vote.

The 79th annual Annapolis Rotary Crab Feast is among the fun things to do in Annapolis for the week ending Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.

To help me make sense of Olympic equestrian events and allegations of animal cruelty, I went to Maryland’s top elected horseman — Steuart Pittman.

A clash between Anne Arundel County Orphans Court judges and the conviction of a register of wills on a misconduct charge underscore the need to reform the system that presides over the administration of estates.

There's still a chance to catch “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at The Classic Theatre of Maryland in the coming week. You could also see two of England's top soccer teams play at Navy stadium, listen to innovative chamber music or try karaoke at the new Tiki bar in Annapolis.

Few things separate Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen. Their offices often put out joint news releases touting their accomplishments together. Not much, it seems, has separated the senior senator from his younger colleague. Except Benjamin Netanyahu.