After the soggy-a-thon from the past week (with more to come), we can only futurecast the sunny and crisp days to come. Oh well, at least we’re transitioning to the best time of the year (IMO).

Speaking of best, is there a better Community President who can write? I mean, Thor absolutely crushes this perspective. What a perspective it is. In fact, normally, I’d give some away in here but a snippet won’t do it justice. Truly, the man needs to write a novel about firehouses and Cape St Claire Road, we could call it Cape Firehouse Hunk or something, romance novels are in.

So, as I stated a minute ago, no spoilers. He does remind us that October is one of the best-est months for Cape Events. Between Halloween Happenings and trick or treating in the shopping center, this month has it all. Details are in this month’s Caper.

Frank Tewey, Town Manager, reflects on the great Halloween events coming up (see the above paragraph) and also reflects on leaf season. He gives great tips on dealing with the mounds and mounds of those pesky colorful things that clog everything. Don’t forget that we “fall back” to standard time on Sunday, November 1st.

Switching gears to Community News, The Cape St. Claire Garden Club is in full bloom with events galore! Their next meeting is on Tuesday October 6th, where they will host their popular Pumpkin Centerpiece Workshop. Participants will create and take home a stunning centerpiece that will last through autumn and beyond. On Sunday October 18th, members will gather to celebrate the season’s harvest and another year of gardening and their Harvest Dinner Potluck. There are more events – so turn to page 5 to get more details!

Goshen Farm gives a heartfelt thanks for those that attended their open house. On October 1st, they are kicking off their campaign to help build a beautiful pavilion at the Farm. See the QR code and way more details on page 6.

Cape Conservation Corps is always up to something and this month is no different. October 12th from 9am to 3pm they will be doing their fall planting at Serene Ravine. On November 6th they will have their silent auction and turtle talk with Cape St. Claire turtle rescuer Brendan Curran. Big shoutout to EVERYONE to helped and participated in their plant sale last weekend. More details about Cape Conservation Corps on page 8.

CSCIA gives a shoutout and full page spotlight on Audrey Lengbeyer for their Volunteer Spotlight page. To get signed up for the Halloween Happenings, see page 7 for all the details and sign up information (hint, hint, it involves getting your registration over to Mary Lamb ASAP) Page 17 has the information you need to Trick Or Treating at the Cape Shopping Center – a must do event for kids under 53.

The 2027 Cape St. Claire Calendar Photo Contest is going on now – please have your submissions in by Wednesday October 8th. See page 18 for details on this contest. Lastly, mark your calendars for the 8th Annual Cape St. Claire Christmas Tree Lighting which will be held at the CSC Gatehouse. Did you know that you can star in your own Hallmark movie? Yup, attend and hopefully their cameras show!

See you around the Cape!

We’ve reached that time of the year where I’m done with the heat and humidity. I prefer my seasonal changes and I’m ready for the next one. Plus, seeing the kids go back to school has forced the issue a bit too.

The tragedy that struck our community cannot be overstated. I feel terrible for the families affected by the house explosion. Let’s not gawk as we drive by please, folks lost their lives there – let’s be reminded of that.

From the Town Manager

Summer’s winding down and Frank Tewey wants everyone to know it: a big thank-you to the Beach Ambassadors heading off to school, work, and everywhere in between, plus a rundown of the county’s (surprisingly detailed) yard waste rules now that fall cleanup season is approaching. He’s also reminding anyone planning a fall home project to check the Building and Planning Code first — you may need CSCIA’s blessing. Full yard waste do’s-and-don’ts and code links are in the article if you’re the type to actually read the fine print.

Upcoming Events

• Sept 1 — Garden Club Meet & Greet / Learning Roundtables
• Sept 11 — Final Goshen Farm concert of the season (Savage In Nature & 24 Karate)
• Sept 12 — CCC invasive removal workday, Swim Club Path
• Sept 16 — Broadneck Grill fundraiser night for CCC
• Sept 19 — Goshen Farm Open House (rain date Oct 3)
• Sept 20 — Goshen Farm class: Henson-Hall Garden Gourds & Loofas; also “The Sound of Liberty” concert at St. Margaret’s, 4pm
• Sept 26 — CCC Fall Native Plant Fest & Sale, 9am–1pm
• Oct 6 — Garden Club Pumpkin Centerpiece Workshop
• Oct 11 — Cape Community Swap (rain date Oct 18)
• Oct 12 — CCC Fall Planting at Serene Ravine
• Oct 18 — Garden Club Harvest Dinner Potluck
• Oct 24 — Halloween Happenings at the Clubhouse Corral, 10am–3pm (registration required)
• Oct 25 — St. Margaret’s Fall Festival
• Oct 27 — Quarterly Membership Meeting, 7:30pm
• Oct 29 — Trick-or-treat at the Cape St. Claire Shopping Center, 5:30–6:30pm
• Nov 3 — Garden Club: Rock Gardens speaker

Cape St. Claire Garden Club

The Garden Club hopes that you’ve had a great summer. Their meetings resume on Tuesday, September 1st (tomorrow!) with their popular Garden Learning Roundtable. Come make new friends, share your summer garden successes and challenges, and learn some new gardening hacks.See page 6 for more details.

Goshen Farm News

September’s Open House (Sept 19, free) doubles as a celebration of National Underground Railroad Month, with historic house tours, vendors, and cultural performances. The final concert of the season is Sept 11, and the last two classes of the year cover gourds/loofas (Sept) and winterizing your garden (Oct). Big thanks going around to Wine Down sponsors, especially Bella’s Liquors. See page 7 for more details.

Cape Conservation Corps

Weed Warriors keeps going every Wednesday through October. Big-ticket items: an invasive removal workday at the Swim Club Path (Sept 12), a Broadneck Grill fundraiser night (Sept 16, 10% of purchases benefit CCC), and the Fall Native Plant Fest & Sale (Sept 26, “extremely low prices,” per the flyer) featuring master gardeners, naturalists, and watershed stewards. See page 8 for more details.

Halloween Happenings

Two separate events this year, so don’t mix them up: the Clubhouse Corral bash (Oct 24, 10am–3pm) has hayrides, a moon bounce, and scarecrow-making, requires advance registration and a small per-child fee, and benefits local food pantries. Then Trick-or-Treat at the Shopping Center (Oct 29, 5:30–6:30pm) is the simpler neighborhood version — just look for the signs in participating storefronts. See page 15 for more details on Trick or Treating in the shopping center and page 18 for Halloween Happenings!

See you around the Cape!

This edition needs no introduction from this long time board member and ex-President. No, no, it only needs outstanding prose from the President himself – Thor.

“As summer settles into its stride, there are certain sights and sounds that remind us we are fortunate to call Cape St Claire home. Children riding bikes with towels draped over their handlebars, early morning paddle boards on the Magothy, golf carts lined with beach chairs and coolers heading towards the water, sailing camp underway, sim meets filling the weekends, crab pots soaking in the water, and boats headed out towards the Bay or Dobbin’s Island as neighbors gather for cookouts at sunset.”

Nothing says “The Cape In Summertime” than this. Thor’s Presidential message is a good one. I suggest you take a few to read it. He also talks about the critical importance of volunteers. They are the backbone to most of the efforts in this amazing community. I applaud his efforts here (as well as the rest of the board and volunteers)

Frank Tewey, the Town Manager reminds everyone that there are so many amazing places to visit in the Cape as well as recognizes the many community organizations. He also reminds everyone about the upcoming Quarterly Membership Meeting that is scheduled for Tuesday July 28th at 7:30pm at the clubhouse.

In community organization news, the Cape Garden Club takes July and August off and will resume their membership meeting at their next one to be held on Tuesday September 1st. See more details on page 6.

Goshen Farm wants to remind everyone about their summer concert series that are in full swing. The next one will be held on July 24th with the CBJC and 21012 Band. See page 7 for more of their summer concert series lineup and more details on their Wine Down at the Farm event to be held on August 29th.

Cape Conservation Corps announced their Habitat Hero Winner for 2026 and it’s Kristi Coopersmith! Her passion for gardening and commitment to supporting monarch butterflies is truly inspiring. Did you know that CCC has a Garden Advisor? Larry Jennings will visit your yard and help you create a biodiverse, eco friendly landscape to support our native wildlife. See page 8 for more details.

Page 11 starts all of the pictures from the July 4th celebration. Page 12 gets you all of the pictures from the Strawberry Festival. These are 4 pages of image goodness.

See you around the Cape!

The June Caper is out and summer is officially approaching us. The beaches are getting busy, the boats are back in the water, and the calendar is packed — which is exactly how we like it.

The big news, of course, is that the Strawberry Festival is this Saturday, June 6th. The parade kicks off at the firehouse at 10am and the festivities run through the day at the Clubhouse and Main Beach. It’s one of the Cape’s signature traditions and a tremendous amount of work goes into it every year — a huge thanks to Mary Lamb and the entire festival team for pulling it together. Come out, enjoy the day, and support the organizations participating. The full details are at cscstrawberryfestival.com. (And a reminder from Town Manager Frank Tewey: additional parking restrictions will be in place during the festival — don’t make him tow your car!)

President Thor Harris covers several other important items. He gives a shoutout to the collaborative effort that restored the Swim Club path — CSCSC, CSCIA, Anne Arundel County, and the Cape Conservation Corps all had a hand in it, with Philippe Ourisson deserving particular credit for keeping that project moving. This month’s Volunteer Spotlight features Stacey Wildberger of the CCC, and the Association is also recognizing Leslie Coble from the CSCIA front office — one of those indispensable behind-the-scenes people who keeps the whole operation running. If you know someone who deserves recognition, send a nomination to [email protected].

Town Manager Frank Tewey has a few reminders as we head into peak season. Those SAND colored parking stickers are now in effect and must be affixed to the outside of your vehicle — and guest passes are not valid for trailering at Deep Creek on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays without a Cape resident present. Beach Attendants are trained and on duty for the summer, so please be courteous and cooperative with them. On the infrastructure side, the groundbreaking for the new fire station officially happened April 29th, the Deep Creek pier replacement is nearly complete, and the Association voted to purchase a mower and trailer so the maintenance crew can handle the 20+ acres of CSCIA property in-house. Finally, a reminder to leave the fireworks to the professionals — ground-based sparklers and snappers are the only things legal under Maryland law, and our veterans and pets will thank you for it. The next Quarterly Membership Meeting is Tuesday, July 28th at 7:30pm at the Clubhouse.

In Community News, Cape St. Claire Garden club wants to thank everyone for supporting their Annual Plant Sale in May. Their April and May Yard of The Month winners have been thrilled to receive their $25 gift cards from Cape ACE. Their meetings take a pause in July and August but will resume in September. More details can be found on page 6.

Looking to add a float to the July 4th parade? See the sign up sheet on page 7. All are welcome.

Cape Conservation Corps will be at the Strawberry Festival giving away free milkweed plants. They’re also running a Mosquito Bucket Challenge — free buckets and supplies will be available at the festival and at Cape Vibes. It’s a simple, pollinator-friendly alternative to pesticide spraying, and the CCC article in the Caper lays out exactly why the county’s mosquito fogging program has real limitations against the Asian tiger mosquito. Worth a read. Speaking of Cape Conservation Corps, Stacey Wildberger is June’s Cape St. Claire Volunteer Spotlight recipient. As someone who knows her well, she could win this award every month. Her steady commitment to conservation continues to strengthen the community. Please see page 8 and read all about it.

Goshen Farm has a full summer lined up. Their free Friday Night Concert Series kicks off June 26th, and there’s a Pollinators at the Apiary class on June 27th. Check their website or Facebook for details and registration.

Cape Vibes returns to Main Beach on June 27th from 4-7pm. Thanks as always to Charlie Corliss for keeping the music going.
Mark your calendar: the Maryland Primary Election is June 23rd — and yes, the Clubhouse is a polling place. The next Quarterly Membership Meeting is Tuesday, July 28th at 7:30pm.

See you around the Cape! (And at the festival!)

If there’s one thing that is predictable this time of year, it’s that the weather will be highly unpredictable. Those thinking we were going to slide into summer after a warm spring were mistaken. The 80’s from a few weeks ago were merely a tease for what has amounted to jacket weather again. Frustrating. All we can do it prepare for the warmer temperatures – this new Caper gets us doing that.

Thor has a lot to say this month in his Presidential and all of it is important. He talks about the recent clearing activity at the Cape St. Claire fire station. This station has been a staple of the community since 1955. It’s long overdue and we’re all so glad that it’s finally happening. Thor also thanks the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works, County Executive Steuart Pittman and District 5 County Council member Amanda Fielder and the many other stakeholders for moving that project along.

In a new set of features (with this old board member LOVES!) Thor takes a minute to highlight those in the community who work hard behind the scenes. This month, he thanks Becky Benner and the team at Goshen Farm who played an important role in supporting the mitigation efforts tied to the new fire station. See page 8 to learn about the huge efforts that Becky has given in service to the community. Also, in another new feature, he announces the first Cape Cornerstone, featuring Cape Ace Hardware and its owner, Melissa Wade Ward. (See page 15)

Frank Tewey, in this Town Manager message, mentions the new SAND colored parking stickers that went out this year. Make sure they are affixed to your vehicles so you can continue to enjoy the Cape amenities. Also, he reminds everyone that Beach Attendants will be out soon – please mind your manners. The next Quarterly Membership Meeting will be held on July 28th at 7:30pm at the clubhouse.

In community group news, the Cape St. Claire Garden Club wants to give a shoutout to their first Yard of the Month winners (see page 6) Also, set your calendar for Saturday May 2nd at the Clubhouse field from 8am to 2pm where they will be hosting their annual plant sale. See you there!

Goshen Farm will be hosting their Family Day on Saturday May 2nd from 10am to 2pm. Feel free to grab some plans at the Plant sale and then head over to Goshen to enjoy their hands on learning and family fun. Goshen has a very busy summer season coming up – check out the list of events on page 10.

Cape Conservation Corps is giving trees away again! Up to 25 lucky homeowners can apply for FREE trees, to be available for planting this fall. See their application on page 12 and get your tree!!

And – of course – the Mack Daddy of all events is right around the corner – the Strawberry Festival. All of the various sign up forms are available in this Caper as well as on the website for the festival. Details for the festival can also be found in this month’s Caper on page 7. Hope to see you there!

See you around the Cape!