Find Cherry Blossoms in Ellicott City

Here are 10 Blossoms of Hope sites to visit once Howard County's cherry blossoms begin to bloom.

Want to experience the blooming of the cherry blossoms, but would rather stay in Ellicott City than travel to the Washington, D.C. festival? You've got plenty of options. Each year, and usually about two weeks after the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., Howard County hosts Blossoms of Hope, which features 1,600 cherry trees throughout the region. Howard County can expect peak blooms two to three weeks after the cherry blossoms in D.C. bloom, which is expected to be this weekend. Here are 10 locations in Howard County where cherry blossoms are either blooming or being planted. Have other spots where you love to see cherry blossoms? Tell us about it in comments.

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Howard County Tourism Gives Away a Year of Dates

One Ellicott City resident won $4,000 worth of goods, services and gift certificates for Valentine's Day.

Ellicott City Resident Wins a Year of Dates

One man wins big in a contest to promote the use of a new parking application in the Historic District.

When a stranger calls and asks a kid for her parent’s cell phone number, the responsible child politely declines.  Even if it’s the County Executive asking. The young woman who identified herself as Mark Kinzie’s daughter to Ken Ulman did just that Thursday after Ulman called to let Kinzie know he had won Howard County Tourism’s “Download for Date Nights” promotion.  To support her responsibility, perhaps Kinzie will take his daughter out to dinner at one of the half-dozen restaurants that donated $400 worth of gift certificates to the promotion, or take her to a show at Merriweather Post Pavilion.  In all, the Ellicott City resident won more than $4,000 worth of free goods, services and gift certificates donated by local businesses as …

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Howard County Tourism Contest: A Year of Dates

Oen person will win a year of dining, activities and pampering.

How do you keep the spark alive? One word: dates. Howard County Tourism thinks there are plenty of local places to take a new flame or your long-time sweetheart for a romantic get-together and is offering one person the chance to see first-hand. To promote Streetline's Parker application, which shows available parking spots in the Historic District, Tourism is running a promotion - prove you have downloaded the application to your smartphone and you could win a year of free dates. Just download the app and bring your phone into the Howard County Welcome Center on Main Street, or take a picture of your phone running the app and share it on the Howard County Tourism Facebook page.  The winner will receive an substantial gift package …

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Howard County Restaurant Weeks Starts Today

For two weeks, local restaurants will be offering their worldly menues at special prices.

Looking to spice up your winter routine?  How about wild boar in tomato sauce over polenta with bacon and orange zest? Or potato garlic soup with pesto?  Howard County Tourism's Winter Restaurant Weeks begins today, Jan. 14,  and runs through Jan. 28, featuring fixed price menus at 20 local restaurants. Special "Save and Savor Global Flavor" menus will feature international and seasonal dishes at prices ranging from $10.13 - $40.13.  You don't have to travel to South America for Brazilian steak, but how about Ranazul in Maple Lawn? Or a marinated portabella sandwich from Baldwin's Station in Sykesville? If you haven't ventured outside of your favorite regular spot in a while, Restaurant Weeks is the perfect excuse, with participating …

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Restaurant Weeks: A World of Food in Howard County

Winter restaurant weeks runs Jan. 14 - 28

Winter blahs affecting your palette? Hold tight.  Howard County Tourism's Winter Restaurant Weeks runs Jan. 14 - 28 and features fixed price menus at 20 local restaurants. Special "Save and Savor Global Flavor" menus will feature international and seasonal dishes at prices ranging from $10.13 - $40.13.  You don't have to travel to South America for Brazillian steak, but how about Ranazul in Maple Lawn? If you haven't ventured outside of your favorite regular spot in a while, Restaurant Weeks is the perfect excuse, with participating restaurants in Ellicott City, Columbia, Elkridge, Savage, Sykesville and Maple Lawn. Currently, Restaurant Weeks menus are available online for the following restaurants: Check Howard County Tourism's …

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Meet Main Street's Authors

Preservation Howard County and Howard County Tourism are sponsoring this meet-and-greet event.

More than a dozen authors of the history of Howard County are meeting on Main Street this weekend, and you're invited.  According to a letter to the Howard County Times, authors include Clark's Elioak Farm's Martha Clark, who will have copies of her father's book "James Clark -- Soldier, Farmer Legislator," and "Trusty the Tractor," her children's book. Other authors include former Howard County Historical Society President Shelley Wygant and Dave Shackleford with is "A Journey from Roads to Rail." Meet the authors Sunday, Aug. 19, 1 - 4 p.m. at the Howard County Welcome Center.

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Merchants Dream of a Better Downtown Ellicott City

County officials are putting the spotlight on downtown; merchants react.

  Howard County Executive Ken Ulman's public meeting on his "new vision" for downtown Ellicott City is a couple of weeks away, so Patch asked a few locals a merchants what they hoped the county would take into consideration in order to further boost tourism in town. Coping with limited parking space, coordinating business events and beautification are some of the issues that several downtown regulars mentioned. "What I see for the future is that it will slowly evolve–as it has done for so many years–and it will just get better and better," said Joan Malpas, who has been co-owner of Cottage Antiques for 23 years. Malpas says she doesn't think Ulman has a solution to the parking situation because, as she sees it, it is a problem that will …

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Lanterns Bring Light, Hope to Main Street

The Lanterns of Hope brings Cherrybration Days to Ellicott City.

On National Arbor Day, Blossoms of Hope brought its annual Cherrybration Days festivities to Ellicott City with the Lanterns of Hope parade. During the spring, Blossoms of Hope sponsors several events in conjunction with the Howard County Library System and Howard County Tourism to bring in the spring and support the organization's fundraising activities. "We honor the cherry trees that we have planted all around Howard County," said Victoria Goodman, executive director of Blossoms of Hope.  "We celebrate our trees tonight and the hope that they have brought to the community through the funds they have raised."  To date, she Friday evening, before the parade, sponsored cherry tree plantings have raised more than $142,000 for the Claudia …

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Have You Seen Her? Ginger Breadgirl Promotes Howard County

Ginger is hitting the road for Blossoms of Hope and Howard County Tourism. Snap a picture with her for a chance to win $100.

Need an friend to tag along as you enjoy the springtime in Howard County? Say hello to Ginger Breadgirl, friend of Blossoms of Hope and Howard County Tourism. Blossoms of Hope want Ginger to see – and be seen in – Howard County as a way to promote the organization's missions to beautify Howard County and support cancer patients at the Claudia Mayer Cancer Center at Howard County Hospital. To do that, just snap a picture with a printout of Ginger (attached) at one of the locations mentioned in the story of her adventure, including Clark’s Elioak Farm; the Howard County Center for the Arts; the George Howard Building; and the Howard County Welcome Center. Submit your photo on Ginger’s Facebook page, the Blossoms of Hope Twitter feed, or …

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