Howard County Bridge Lane Closures Start Monday: 2026-08-08

Saturday morning: patchy fog then chance showers and thunderstorms, high near 92 degrees. Southwest wind 2 to 7 mph.

Good morning, it's Saturday, August 8th, and this is the HoCo Brief. Here's what I've got for you today. Lane closures hit four county bridges starting Monday, so your drive to work may change. The 80th Howard County Fair opens this weekend. In Ellicott City, the Crazy Mason milkshake bar is closing, and a music venue is moving in. And Pepper House, one of the best rated Chinese restaurants in the country, is growing beyond Ellicott City. It's a hot one today, so pace yourself out there. Let's go.

Double lane closures start Monday on four Howard County bridges. The closures are for maintenance work on the spans, and word went out Friday. If your commute crosses a county bridge, plan on reduced lanes and slower traffic starting Monday morning, and build in a few extra minutes through the workweek. Bridge maintenance closures like these typically run during daytime work hours, so the morning and evening rush are where you'll feel it most. Check the posted closure list this weekend so Monday doesn't catch you off guard.

Today's restaurant pick is Pepper House in Ellicott City. Yelp ranked it the 11th best Chinese restaurant in the entire country in 2024, and now it's expanding. Owners Yuan Shen and Frank are opening a second location in mid October at the R. House food hall, 301 West 29th Street in Baltimore's Remington neighborhood. If you haven't been to the original yet, this is your reminder that a nationally ranked kitchen is sitting right here in Ellicott City.

The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar in Ellicott City is closing at the end of summer. Taking its place: a new community music venue called The Corner, a space for local musicians and artists. So if you've got a Crazy Mason favorite, you have a few weeks left to order it one more time. And if you play music in Howard County, a new stage is on the way to Main Street.

Today's HoCo moment comes from TikTok creator Auntie Rina, who took her followers through Patapsco Valley State Park this week. Her tip for anyone confused at the trailhead: there are actually two Patapsco parks, about 15 minutes apart, and the Avalon area is the bigger one, the one with the waterfall. A good local fact to have in your pocket before a weekend hike.

The 80th annual Howard County Fair kicks off this weekend at the fairgrounds. Fair Association president Jim Moxley put it this way: agriculture is not just history in Howard County, it is still alive. In Ellicott City, the Paint It! Ellicott City open paint exhibit is up at the Howard County Welcome Center, Tuesday through Sunday, 10 to 5, with an opening reception Sunday. And the Howard County Arts Council has Nature in Two Voices on view today, watercolors on rice paper by Jing-Jy Chen alongside large field paintings by Chris Rapa, running through August 30.

Looking at the week ahead. HCPSS is running two school supply drives with its education foundation Bright Minds and the nonprofit Prepare for Success, aimed at getting students what they need before classes start. On August 15, an Anne Arundel County couple's new nonprofit hosts a hygiene product drive for local students, one county over but open to anyone who wants to help. And the Howard County Board of Education is taking applications for one open resident seat on the school system's Ethics Panel.

Also today. County Executive Calvin Ball broke ground this week on the school system's first regional pre-K center. HCPSS students beat state averages again on the 2026 Maryland state achievement tests, with math and English scores continuing to climb districtwide. The school system also says its five year special education plan is moving ahead, with expanded coaching and new tiers of student support. A note for older homeowners: county legislation this year expanded the Senior Tax Credit and extended the Aging in Place tax credit. Regionally, WBAL says the hot, humid pattern holds all weekend, with another round of storms possible late Saturday. In Elkridge, teens run a Budget Battle financial workshop at the library branch today from 2 to 3. In Savage, the library hosts Moving Up to Middle School for rising sixth grade families, noon to 1:30 today. Also in Elkridge, the All Together Now storytime for kids five and under runs 9:30 this morning. At the Howard County Arts Council, watercolors by Nishita Jain and her students stay on view through September 25. And in Columbia, Phase Six of Blandair Regional Park is open if you're looking for a newer park this weekend.

Here's what I'm watching. Ellicott City's food scene is telling two stories at once this week. Crazy Mason is closing, which stings if your kids grew up on those milkshakes. But Pepper House, a spot Yelp called the 11th best Chinese restaurant in America, is expanding out to Baltimore. And the Crazy Mason space isn't going dark, it's becoming a music venue. Main Street keeps turning over, and somehow it keeps landing on things worth showing up for. I'm curious what The Corner sounds like on opening night.

That's the brief. Full rundown, newsletter, and archive at hocobrief.com, and send me your tips there too. I'm Alex. Stay cool at the fair, and I'll see you tomorrow.