Enter Patch's “Deck the House” Contest For a Chance to Win $100,000

Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!

We’re launching our annual Deck the House Contest to find the most over-the-top holiday decorations in America—the best “decked” house in the country—the one home so spectacularly decorated that everyone in town jokes your holiday decorations could rival Rockefeller Center’s. If this sounds like your house, upload a photo or video of your home to our contest page here from Nov. 26 to Dec. 16. Only residents of Patch towns are eligible to enter. We’ll select 24 regional finalists, and from them, pick one grand prize winner. Patch will pay up to $500 of the utility bill for each finalist, while our national winner will have $100,000 donated to his or her local school district. Our contest is right around the corner, so now’s the time to get …

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You Took 'Em, Now It's Time to Post 'Em

You have some great Halloween photos -- time to share them on Patch and enter to win $5,000.

Small Business? Enter Governor's Pinterest Contest

Winning entrepreneurs will receive a MacBook Air or an iPad.

Gov. Martin O'Malley has taken to Pinterest, the image-friendly social media site, to "highlight Maryland entrepreneurs and small business owners" throughout the state. Nominations can be pitched with 10 images on the governor's Pinterest page. Here is the Maryland Pinterest Business Pitch Contest board. “In Maryland, we have a rich history of fostering entrepreneurship. From our many incubators to our diverse centers and institutions of higher learning to our strategic tax credits, we encourage entrepreneurship at every level,” O’Malley said in a release. “Whether you’ve been in business for years or are just getting started, Maryland is the ideal place to do business and we encourage everyone to take advantage of this new contest.” Other…

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Patchy Fun: How Many Jelly Beans?

How many jelly beans are in this water bottle?

In the spirit of Easter, we thought we'd put some jelly beans to good use. So a team of Patch editors loaded some of these tasty little candies into an AOL water bottle. You know Patch is owned by AOL, right? Did you know there are 52 Patch sites in Maryland? Very interesting, I know, now back to jelly beans. Can you guess how many jellybeans are in the water bottle? Tell us your best guess in the comment section below. The winner (or first to guess the winning number) gets bragging rights in Westminster (wahoo!) and can choose up to two items from the Patch swag store, which includes tote bags, water bottles, T-shirts, magnets and pens. We'll announce the winner on Friday!

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Kym Byrnes

4:09 pm on Friday, April 6, 2012

Thanks for playing our fun little Patchy jellybean game. The correct answer is 288! Congrats to Jessica Mathis! Email me at kym.byrnes@patch.com to claim your Patch swag. Have a great weekend :)   more ›

Maryland Wine Festival Poster Design Contest

It's time to start gearing up for the Maryland Wine Festival, for the poster design competition that is.

The Carroll County Farm Museum has kicked off the annual design competition for The Maryland Wine Festival poster for 2012.   A winning design and five honorable mentions will be chosen by a qualified panel of judges from the designs submitted.   The winning artist(s) will receive a $1,000 cash prize.  The winning design will be reproduced on posters, tshirts, brochures and various other promotional materials for the event.  Any two-dimensional media may be used to design the poster, including painting, drawing, collage, photography, computer-generated design, etc. Artists must be 21 years of age or older and a Maryland resident to enter.   Some of the previous winning designs can be viewed on the Farm Museum’s web site www.…

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Recycling is Going to be a Lot Prettier at Several Elementary Schools

Winners of the recycling "Art Cart" contest revealed.

Amber Maurer won the "Arts Carts" contest hosted by the Carroll County Government Recycling Office. Amber Maurer's cart was named “Phoenix”. Second place went to George Maurer with “Pick and Save” and third place was awarded to Vicky Strata-Bauer for “Feed Me”. The Recycling Office celebrated “America Recycles Day”, November 15, by hosting an “Art Carts” Contest in the lobby of the Carroll County Office Building. The contest gave citizens the opportunity to vote for their favorite decorated recycling bin. The event was planned by Maria Myers, Recycling Manager, to continue awareness of recycling in a fun, creative way according to a news release. Art carts are being donated to local elementary schools to promote recycling. For more …

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