🌟 Neighbor Wins $1 Million, Free $10 Bucks & 50+ Things to Do This Week!

Happy Mid-June,

A local neighbor just snagged $1 million on a scratch-off, but he’s not the only one in luck. Historic Savage Mill—just beyond our usual map—is gifting every visitor a free $10 voucher to spend with its indie shops and cafés. Add Juneteenth festivities, Pollinator Week hikes, Frederick Road Fridays and three farmers’ markets, and the valley is rich with possibilities.

In this week’s issue:

• Ellicott City Man Wins $1 Million

• Savage Mill Summer Voucher Program

• Things to do this week

Got local loved ones who would love to be a part of our community? Send them this link.

Thank you to our friends at Community Wellness Collective for sponsoring this week’s newsletter:

Ellicott City Neighbor Turns a $20 Hunch into a $1 Million Win

Most days, an Ellicott City man buys scratch-offs for the fun of it and—by his own count—usually pockets “the smallest prizes on the ticket.” His all-time high had been a $1,000 Keno win. That streak changed in heart-stopping fashion when he stepped into 108 Liquors on Clarksville Pike and watched two customers test their luck ahead of him: one hit $500 on Monopoly X200, the next picked up $10 on Monopoly X50. The untouched $20 Monopoly X100 caught his eye. “No one touched the $20 ticket,” he recalls. “So that was the one I went with.”

He scratched the card, matched number 59, and stared as the prize window revealed $1,000,000. “I almost had a heart attack,” he told Maryland Lottery officials after claiming the windfall. A quick scan confirmed the life-changing payout: the terminal spewed a stream of zeros instead of his usual pocket change.

For now he’s sharing the news with only a tight circle, but his plans are anything but quiet: clear debts for himself and his mom, help friends who recently lost jobs, invest in his girlfriend’s new business, and finally upgrade his aging car. “It’s a blessing,” he said. “You have to spread it around.”

The lucky streak benefits the community twice: 108 Liquors earns a $1,000 retailer bonus for selling the top-tier ticket, and four of the game’s six million-dollar prizes still remain—fuel for plenty of daydreams the next time you pass that orange MONOPOLY logo in the checkout line.

Source: The Patch

“Savage Mill Bucks” Hand Out Free $10 Vouchers All Summer

Historic Savage Mill—just a few miles south of our usual coverage map—has launched an inventive summer shopper incentive: Savage Mill Bucks. Through August 31, visitors can pick up a free $10 voucher (one per person, while supplies last) and spend it at any of the 70+ independent boutiques, studios, and eateries nested inside the refurbished cotton-mill complex. Howard County’s Office of Community Engagement modeled the program on Old Ellicott City’s 2024 Main Street Bucks, which generated more than $200,000 in small-business sales. Owners Adam and Michele Winer say every ten-dollar coupon typically sparks $20–$25 in real purchases—proving that a little nudge can keep artisan merchants thriving. Although Savage Mill sits technically outside the Patapsco Valley View footprint, the destination’s quirky toy shops, craft breweries, antique troves, and riverside trails make it a beloved weekend stop for many Catonsville and Ellicott City locals. Vouchers are available at ArtCraft (inside the mill) or the Howard County Welcome Center on Main Street. Scoop one up, gift it to a neighbor, and help keep this 19th-century landmark—and its network of hyper-local makers—alive for decades to come.

Source: Howard County Government

Happening This Week

Featured Events

More events

Key: $ - Costs Money; R - Requires Registration; D - More Details

Monday, June 16

Rolling Brook “Yoga Basics” at Rolling Brook Yoga Studio in Catonsville 9:30-10:45 am $

Bubble, Comedy & Music Show at Catonsville Library in Catonsville (ages 1-8) 10:30-11:30 am D

NAMI Family Support Group (for mental illness) at the Y of Catonsville 7 pm R

Team Trivia at Matthew's 1600 & Caton Tavern in Catonsville 7 PM D

Tuesday, June 17

The Bubble Show encore at Arbutus Library (ages 1-8) 10:30-11:30 am D

Learn to Diagnose Plant Problems (garden pest walk-through) at 4240 Folly Quarter Rd, Ellicott City 12:30-2 pm $

Zumba Tuesday at Revolve Wellness, Catonsville 7-8 pm $

Wednesday, June 18

Farmers Market at Christian Temple in Catonsville 9 am - 12 pm D

Ice-Cream Social 2025 at 10050 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City 1-3 pm

Daylily Dissection (Pollinator Week) at Hollofield Shelter 300, Patapsco Park 2-3 pm R

Song Circle at the Clubhouse in Catonsville 6-10 pm D

WWW Bingo Night at 2100 John Gravel Rd in Mariottsville 6:30 pm D

Trivia at White Oak Tavern in Ellicott City 7-9 pm D

Sound-Check Bingo at Fish Head Cantina in Halethorpe 7:30 pm D

Karaoke at State Fare in Catonsville 10 pm - 1:55 am D

Thursday, June 19

Juneteenth at the Lake Front in Columbia 2-8:30 pm D

Juneteenth Celebration at Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum in Catonsville 3-8 pm D 

Urban/Soul Line Dance (Beginners) at Revolve Wellness Studios in Catonsville 7:30-8:30 pm $ 

Intro to Heels — Juneteenth Edition at Revolve Wellness Studios in Catonsville 11-11:50 pm $ 

Friday, June 20

Frederick Road Friday Concert Series - Kaleidpscope at Mellor Ave Parking Lot in Catonsville 6:30-8:30 pm

Julius Caesar (opening week show) at Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City 8 pm $

Live Music - Red Sky Dawn at White Oak Tavern in Ellicott City 8-10 pm D

FREE Little Black Dress Night (DJ Ray Wroten) at Fish Head Cantina in Halethorpe 8 pm-midnight D

Saturday, June 21

Community Yard Sale on Trail View Dr in Ellicott City 8 am-12 pm D

Farmers Market on Main at Tiber Park in Ellicott City 9 am-1 pm D

Leave No Trace Hike at Soldiers Delight Visitor Center (Patapsco State Park in Owings Mills) 10 am-12:30 pm D

Celebrate International Yoga Day Preview Talk at Miller Branch Library in Ellicott City 10 am - 2 pm D 

Bottomless Tapas Brunch at El Guapo in Catonsville 10 am-2 pm

Finger-Paint Party at sweetFrog Catonsville in Catonsville 11 am-12 pm D

Music City Summer Fest at the Vortex at CAA Park in Catonsville 1-10 pm $ 

Catonsville Pride Festival at Catonsville Presbyterian Church in Catonsville 2-3 pm D

Electronics Recycling at Salem Lutheran Church in Catonsville 2-4 pm D

Live Music - Mercy Creek at White Oak Tavern in Ellicott City 8-10 pm D

Julius Caesar (opening week show) at Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City 8 pm $

Blue Line Rock Show at Fish Head Cantina in Halethorpe 8 pm-midnight D

Role of Telescopes Astronomy Talk at Soldiers Delight Visitor Center (Patapsco State Park in Owings Mills) 8:30-10:30 pm D

Summer Movie Night "Inside Out 2" at The Wine Bin at 9 PM D

Sunday June 15

Catonsville Sunday Farmers Market at 15 Mellor Avenue in Catonsville 9:00am-12:00pm D 

Bottomless Tapas Brunch at El Guapo in Catonsville 10 am-2 pm

Hora de Cuentos Bilingual Storytime at Hollofield Shelter 305 in Patapsco Valley State Park in Ellicott City 11 am-12 pm D

Lurman Woodland Theatre - Reverend Smackmaster & The Congregation of Funk in Catonsville 6:00-8:00pm D

Julius Caesar (opening week show) at Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City 6 pm $

Venues Open to Public During the Week:

• B&O Ellicott City Station Museum: Free admission, Wed-Sun 11am-4pm

• Robinson Nature Center: General admission required, Wed-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm

• Patapsco Valley State Park: Park entrance fee required, trails open dawn to dusk

• Howard County Conservancy: Free admission, trails open dawn to dusk

That’s it for this week’s view. Please share this newsletter with your local friends and neighbors via this link. We’re stronger together.

Until next time,

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