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Happy Weekend, Westminster! You are one of 1,050 people now receiving this newsletter every Wednesday and Saturday.
Here’s some of what you’ll find in today’s edition:
McDaniel College's nearly 500 new students arrived on Thursday, and move-in continues today and tomorrow as returning students head back to campus. Today also brings the Westminster Welcome, when new students walk from campus to downtown to be greeted by city officials.
Carroll Community College's new $5.6 million James D. Ball Athletic Field Complex opens next month with a Lynx soccer doubleheader. Meanwhile, the county and college are still working on an operational agreement governing the facility's use by the college and the broader community.
A new Nepali and Indian restaurant is also taking over the old China Inn space in the College Square shopping center, and the Carroll County Health Department is warning residents after a raccoon tested positive for rabies at a Westminster apartment complex.
Action For Kindness issued a map you can use to navigate 43 Westminster businesses displaying student-made Be Kind sign artwork over the next month during their Kindness Stroll fundraising event.
Plus, Bluey and Bingo are coming to Westminster!
Let’s get into it.
👀 Around Town
🎶 The Westminster Municipal Band presents its Annual End-of-Summer Concert, Sunday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m., at Belle Grove Square (Green and Bond streets). Free and open to all ages; bring lawn chairs or a blanket. No rain date — check the band's Facebook page for weather cancellations. More info.
🏈 Registration for the Westminster NFL Flag Fall 2026 league closes tomorrow, Sunday, Aug. 23, according to the league's website. The 7-week season for Pre-K through 8th graders runs Sept. 13–Oct. 25, with practices and games on Sundays at the Carroll County Sports Complex. Register here.
🥟 Himalaya Bar & Restaurant, a new Nepali and Indian restaurant, is set to take over the former China Inn space in the College Square shopping center, owner Samrat Khadka confirmed in the comments of a Westminster Wire Facebook post. Khadka said the restaurant hopes to open next month, pending county inspection and the remaining paperwork. See the post.
🥎 Registration is open for the 6th Annual Love for Lauren Softball Tournament, Saturday–Sunday, Oct. 3–4, at fields in Westminster and Hampstead. Sponsored by Westminster Girls Softball, the tournament honors Lauren, who was 11 when she suffered a brain tumor and stroke in 2019. Divisions run 10U through 18U (B, C, and Rec All-Star levels); entry is $450 for 10U, $525 for 12U–18U. Learn more.
🚶 New McDaniel students walk from campus to downtown today for the Westminster Welcome, greeted along the way by city representatives with a chance to explore downtown businesses and restaurants. President Julia Jasken leads the walk through Ward Memorial Arch starting at 10 a.m., ending at the Carroll County Public Library's Westminster Branch, 50 E. Main St., where Jasken and Mayor Mona Becker are set to give brief remarks around 10:30 a.m. More in the McDaniel move-in story below in the news section.
📚 Before the start of that day's Carroll Book Festival, the Carroll County Public Library hosts a Character Meet & Greet, Saturday, Sept. 19, 9–10 a.m., at the Carroll County Farm Museum. Kids can meet Bluey, Bingo, the Gruffalo, Peter Rabbit, Corduroy, and more; tickets are $17.85, and the event is free for ages 2 and under. Get tickets.
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🗞️ In the News
🎓 McDaniel College Welcomes Nearly 500 in the Class of 2030
Nearly 500 incoming freshmen and transfer students moved into McDaniel College dorms Thursday, Aug. 20, kicking off a weekend of traditions that continues with today's Westminster Welcome, where President Julia Jasken and Mayor Mona Becker are set to speak at the Carroll County Public Library. The class was chosen from more than 5,800 applications and includes students from 20 states, eight countries and 257 high schools, plus 79 Carroll County Scholars. McDaniel is also opening its new Kahlert Nursing Education Center at Carroll Hospital this fall, launching its first bachelor's nursing cohort, alongside new graduate programs in occupational therapy and speech-language pathology in a renovated Merritt Hall.
🏟️ Carroll Community College's New $5.6M Field Complex Opens Sept. 17; County and the college are still finalizing the operational agreement
Carroll Community College's new James D. Ball Athletic Field Complex opens Thursday, Sept. 17, with a Lynx men's and women's soccer doubleheader against Allegany College of Maryland. The $5.6 million facility, funded by $3.2 million from the college's foundation and $2.4 million from the county, has a synthetic turf field, an eight-lane, 400-meter regulation track and lighting for night games. The county and the college are still finalizing the operational agreement governing the facility's use, but both the county and the Westminster Area Recreation Council (WARC) have shared details related to community access.
🦝 Raccoon at Meadow Creek Apartments Tests Positive for Rabies
A raccoon captured at Meadow Creek apartments off Royer Road tested positive for rabies after Animal Control euthanized it Aug. 17, following reports it was acting aggressively near a play area. The Carroll County Health Department is asking anyone who had contact with the animal, or whose pet may have, to call 410-876-1884 for a risk assessment. Rabies program manager Joe Mancuso urged residents to observe wildlife from a distance and keep pets vaccinated. A low-cost vaccination clinic is set for Sept. 20, 2–4 p.m., at the Ag Center. Report sick or strange-acting animals to Animal Control at 410-848-4810.
🎨 Map Guides You to 43 Businesses Showing Off Student "Be Kind" Sign Art
The Kindness Stroll 2026 map (see below) shows the 43 downtown Westminster businesses displaying student-made Be Kind sign artwork over the next month, part of the 4th annual Kindness Stroll. The window displays run until Sept. 23, when the signs come down and move to Westminster Fallfest. Voting is $1 a vote, with all proceeds funding Action For Kindness workshops in Carroll County schools.
These 43 downtown Westminster businesses are displaying student-made Be Kind sign artwork until Sept. 23. (Map provided by Action For Kindness.)
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— Westminster Wire