Nearby Elkridge will have a hand in this year's summer Olympics.

Frank Collins, 43, is bound for Gloucester this week, where he will carry the Olympic torch on one leg of its journey across England before the start of the summer games, according to the Howard County Times.

Collins lives in Elkridge and works for a subsidiary of the 2012 summer games' electricity supplier, which according to the article, selected 70 employees to bear torches based on peer recommendations.

Between May 19 and July 27, when the games start, there will be 8,000 torchbearers passing the flame across the United Kingdom.

Torchbearers are selected for their status as former Olympians or for being stewards of the community, according to the BBC. Each runs a leg of the journey and passes a flame on to the next person.

Before even departing for his May 24 assignment with his wife and three childrens, Collins has ignited conversation in Howard County.

"#Hoco pride at the @London2012 Olympics!" wrote County Executive Ken Ulman on Twitter. "Go, Frank!"