Gift Certificate

Diamond Jim lives to swim another day. Two Eastern Shore anglers who caught tagged striped bass in the first month of the state's summer-long Search for Diamond Jim fishing tournament won $500 gift certificates instead of the top prize of $10,000. Standing on the grounds of Fort McHenry with the Patapsco River as a backdrop, Trish Hayden and Rob Johnson wore tight smiles and fidgeted as they waited for the opening of a strongbox containing the prize envelopes. Johnson, a Preston resident, took a deep breath and opened his white envelope with tag No. 03503 written on it: Gift certificate to Boater's World.

City officials are offering a trade: groceries for guns. This Saturday, Klein's ShopRite will give a $100 gift certificate to anyone who turns in a firearm. The "Goods for Guns" buyback will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Coldstream Homestead Montebello Community Corp. headquarters, located on the campus of City College. "Every single gun we get out of our neighborhoods is a success," said City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, who helped organize the event.

Here's an idea whose time has come: Smart & Co., a French design and marketing group, offers travel packages in a box. You book and buy Smartboxes online or at the company's Paris shop. They send your designated recipient a box with a gift certificate and guide that describes available destinations. The face value of the gift certificate is not made known to recipients, though booking details are included. Gift recipients simply call the establishment of choice, such as L'Ombricolo, north of Rome, and make a reservation.

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6606. Running The 332 participants in the Turkey Trot 10k Prediction Run had to run 6.2 miles through Jeffers Hill, with the winner finishing closest to 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning without the benefit of any timing devices.

Oscar presenters have much to look forward to: the coveted Oscar goodie bag. Originally created as a small token of appreciation to about 40 presenters, it has grown to a Hefty bag-size basket. According to Hollywood buzz, the gift basket, which was valued at $8,000 back in 1999, is now worth nearly $30,000. So, what's in the bag for 2003? Below is a partial list with manufacturers' estimated retail value: Estee Lauder Oscar Spa package (a custom-made Goyard travel case stuffed with Manolo Blahnik sandals, Hermes beach towel, La Grande Dame Veuve Clicquot champagne, gift certificate for spa services, Estee Lauder cosmetics)

When it comes to customer service, Amtrak is easily derailed.  My nephew gave me an Amtrak gift certificate for Christmas. I tried to use it on Sunday when making reservations for travel to New York.   First, I went online. Nothing relevant could I see on the computer screen.  I called the Amtrak 800 number. The friendly man said I had to go to the train station to use the gift certificate.   On Monday, I went to Penn Station. The man at the counter made the reservations, then said he thought he'd better check with his manager to be sure the certificate could be used at his terminal.

North Carroll SGA begins teacher awardsThe North Carroll High School Student Government Association is sponsoring a teacher of the month and year program.Nominees will be judged on the following criteria: teaching techniques, positive interaction with students, good character traits and involvement in extracurricular activities in and out of school.A committee composed of SGA members will select a monthly winner, who will be eligible to be named teacher of the year in June.Each monthly winner will be awarded an engraved plaque and a gift certificate for dinner at a local restaurant.

It's easy to run out of ideas for what to give to all those friends, relatives and co-workers when the holidays roll around. Gift cards can ease your burden. These days, you can buy them in various denominations and can find them for all types of stores and services. But if you don't choose carefully, you could end up giving a gift that gets slowly eaten away by fees. Few people are aware of the hidden fees in gift cards, according to a July 2004 study by Synergistics Research, a market-research company.

Winter Restaurant Week starts Friday. Every day during the 10-day "Lunch is on Us" sweepstakes, a lucky citizen will win a $25 gift certificate. The "Lunch is on Us" is the organizers' way of reminding folks that about the newly revamped lunch option. Lunch, which had always been a three-course $20 deal is now a two-course $15 deal. That makes sense. More than 40 restaurants are offering a lunch menu in this year's Winter Restaurant Week. To enter, got to the Baltimore Restaurant Week Facebook page, starting Friday, and fill out an entry form.

Counting today, only five shopping days remain until Christmas, so here is some help for those of you looking for the perfect gift for your favorite horse person.First of all, I hope no one is going to buy a horse or pony on impulse. A horse or pony is a full-time, if not a lifetime, commitment. And you absolutely can't pick one out for another person. This has to be an even better match than a spouse.The next-biggest investment in any rider's life is a saddle. This is another thing that you can't pick out for someone else.

If you make it though Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, you have Green Monday to look forward to. That's what Sotto Sopra is calling its Nov. 26 dining promotion, where customers will be able to convert expired dining coupons or gift certificates into 30 percent savings. Only one expired certificate is needed per table to qualify for the 30 percent discount, which applies to dinner tabs of $100 or more. Here's the thing - they don't even have to be expired Sotto Sopra gift certificates or coupons.

City's Troy Robinson completed a 46-yard pass to teammate Deion Petty to win Sunday's Quarterback Challenge against Poly's Eric White during halftime of the Ravens-Patriots game at M&T Bank Stadium. Robinson's completion lands him in second place overall behind the 47-yard completion by Gilman's Shane Cockerille in his competition against Calvert Hall's Colar Kuhns. Kuhns also completed a 46-yard pass in the first week of the Challenge. At the end of the season, the quarterback who has thrown the longest competed pass will win new Under Armour jerseys for his football team.

When it comes to customer service, Amtrak is easily derailed.  My nephew gave me an Amtrak gift certificate for Christmas. I tried to use it on Sunday when making reservations for travel to New York.   First, I went online. Nothing relevant could I see on the computer screen.  I called the Amtrak 800 number. The friendly man said I had to go to the train station to use the gift certificate.   On Monday, I went to Penn Station. The man at the counter made the reservations, then said he thought he'd better check with his manager to be sure the certificate could be used at his terminal.

Winter Restaurant Week starts Friday. Every day during the 10-day "Lunch is on Us" sweepstakes, a lucky citizen will win a $25 gift certificate. The "Lunch is on Us" is the organizers' way of reminding folks that about the newly revamped lunch option. Lunch, which had always been a three-course $20 deal is now a two-course $15 deal. That makes sense. More than 40 restaurants are offering a lunch menu in this year's Winter Restaurant Week. To enter, got to the Baltimore Restaurant Week Facebook page, starting Friday, and fill out an entry form.

It's a new year, time to clean out some of the claptrap from 2011. If you've got any old cell phones lying around, you can drop them off for recycling Friday and Saturday (1/13 & 14) at Mondawmin Mall - and get a $10 gift certificate in the process. It's the second go-round at cell-phone recycling for Mondawmin, which did it once in June last year. Once again the mall has partnerered on the effort with the self-styled " Green Ambassador ," Cathy Allen. So from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, you can drop off old, unwanted cell phones at the mall's Center Court.  And "while supplies last," the mall cautions, participants who bring in a phone can pick up a $10 "Shop Etc. " gift card - itself made of recycled material, and good for purchases at most stores and eateries anywhere in the United States that accept American Express, according to the mall's web site.

Jerry Edwards' Lutherville-based catering company Chef's Expressions has announced its 2012 schedule of wine suppers and culinary classes, all of which are held at the company's Gramercy Mansion property in Stevenson. Chef's Expressions has scheduled eight Wine Suppers this year, starting on Jan. 13, with Ring in the New Year, a toast to 2012 with "bubbles and classic flavors of American cuisine. " Each suppers is $99.95.    The 2012 Culinary Classes begin on Wednesday, Feb. 8, with Chocolate Amour.

Watch out Sundance, members of the next generation of filmmakers are crafting cinematic masterpieces right here in Howard County. About 20 students representing nine of the system's 12 high schools submitted films this year to the HOCO (for Howard County) film festival, a competition run by and for teenagers. The final four movies were shown Wednesday night to more than 100 people in Smith Theatre at Howard Community College. The films, which could not exceed 10 minutes and had to be appropriate for family viewing, ranged from animation to mystery.

A FRIEND of ours loves bargains, whether doubling her grocery coupons or landing on a yard-sale treasure. Last week, she discovered another kind of bargain. "You've heard of leveraged buy-outs?" she said. "I'm now a leveraged donor!"Here's the story: A local public radio station is holding one of its seasonal fund-raising campaigns, complete with many of the usual incentives for larger gifts. This time around, however, the lures are especially sweet. A popular restaurant in town is offering a $25 gift certificate to anyone who donates $100 or more.