The Royal Farms store at the corner of Juniata and Revolution streets will be open in less than a week. But do we have enough options in Havre de Grace? Could we use another gas station? Or another convenience store? We again have five gas stations to choose from between the Route 40 area and downtown Havre de Grace. We want to hear from you.

An Eastern Shore woman took home a huge prize at Hollywood Casino Perryville Saturday. Playing the Triple 7’s Jackpot Slots with her mother, Bernadette Gietka from Berlin, MD hit for $23,149.50. That's about $23,149.50 more than I've won there—give or take a penny. What about you? Maybe you've hit for a big jackpot elsewhere, you can share that, too. It's cool. This is your place to brag. Either way, we want to hear from you—what's the biggest prize you won at Hollywood Casino Perryville?

The weather was not kind to festivals in Havre de Grace during the past two weeks. First there was the rain at the Seafood Festival. Then, more damp weather put a damper on the the Art Show. Amber Woods snapped some photos of the festival while wandering around Tydings Park Saturday. She reported a high quality of artists, but not a high volume. Others, commenting on the slideshow, agreed that the number of artisans was down from recent years. But the quality was good enough for Woods to buy in—taking a few items home with her. Give us your thoughts on your favorite artisans or the best items…

A public swimming pool has been long discussed in Havre de Grace. It became a major topic again just before the official start of summer as a result of the drowning of Michael Sawyer in an area of the Susquehanna River known as "the swimming hole." But what about a swim facility for another purpose -- tourism. Seacrets in Ocean City is a popular spot for the 21-and-over crowd. The Sun reported recently that ownership woud like to expand. Baltimore-area developers were mentioned in the report as being interested in bringing a chain to the metro area. But why not Havre de Grace? It's on the …

The first day of school is less than a month away so it's time to start thinking about the morning routine again. Aside from battling your kids to wake up, eat breakfast, brush their teeth and get dressed, the morning rush centers around one culminating moment: getting to the bus stop on time. Harford County Public Schools released the bus listings for the 2011-2012 school year recently. Today, we published the Havre de Grace-area bus lists, courtesy hcps.org. Make sure your kids are on the same bus as last year and take a look at the time your route begins to estimate when the bus will …

Do you know your neighbors? If not, tonight is the night to get to know them. If you already know them, reconnect. Tonight, communities nationwide observe National Night Out. It's about reconnecting with your neighborhood in an effort to rededicate community members to look out for one another and preventing and reporting crime. In Havre de Grace, porch parties are a tradition for the event. Patch will be out and about tonight joining in the community events, shooting photos and some video. We'll even stop by your party. Maybe steal a hamburger or some chips ... or, say Hi. Yeah, that's it. …

Havre de Grace starts it's new trash pick-up schedule this week. Garbage will be picked up Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Recycling day is Thursday. Pretty simple right? Now, we just have to do it. By recycling more, we can lower the amount of waste that is taken out on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, which Havre de Grace officials say would lower the tipping fee the city pays for it's trash collection. That results in saving the environment and saving money. The city already went with single-stream recycling, so it just keeps streamlining green initiatives. But will that matter to you? We …

Let's look past all the craziness that is the NFL labor dispute. Both the owners and players will eventually sign off on some kind of deal. In most summers, this is about the time you start to rekindle the fantasy football flames, reorganize your league, or look to recruit new competitors for a new league. The labor negotiations that have grabbed national headlines are gripping hardcore football fans at every turn. But how will this process impact the average fans in small communities around the country—small communities like Havre de Grace? The Major League Baseball players' strike from 1994…

Chances are, this heat wave will drive your energy bill sky high. (Hey, we offered some tips to try to help.) Today, Patch reported a local family's cell phone bill jumped almost $1,000 when five new phones popped up on the account recently. Maybe you've had a similar incident. Your kid may have ordered a ton of On Demand or Pay-Per-View programs while you were cooking dinner. Perhaps you or a loved one hit "submit" one — or six — too many times on an online order. Maybe you misread the menu at that fancy restaurant. Probably once — and maybe more often than that — our mouth has involuntarily…

Everyone has their favorites. Restaurant. Pizza delivery. Grocery store. Snowball stand. In Havre de Grace, residents have a choice of a number of stands. Our count had at least two on Route 40—one outside of town limits close to Old Post Road on the eastbound side of Pulaski Highway, and another at the BP station at Lewis Lane. Then there's the new Snowball Experience, which boasts more than 130 flavors and allows patrons to apply their own flavoring. Then there are two chains in town that offer frozen treats: Rita's and Bruster's. Maybe you prefer to venture outside of Havre de Grace. We …

At its regular meeting tonight, the Havre de Grace City Council will introduce two potential projects that would alter traffic patterns in town. The council is likely to suggest, via a proclamation tonight, that Bayview Drive be closed at MD Route 155. The six members seemed unanimous after a public hearing on the matter that the road would be closed at the intersection, rather than keeping it open in one direction. Poor visibility is a major factor for the change, which is being coupled with lane changes being made to Route 155 by the state. City Council will also discuss changes to the …

A free Caribbean theme concert by EWABO, complete with steel drums, will take place in Tydings Park Friday from 7:30-9:00 p.m. Will you be attending? If so, don't forget your lawn chairs!

Former Mayor Dr. Gunther D. Hirsch has a legacy in Havre de Grace, now complete with the naming of City Hall in his honor. Do you know the retired doctor?

Perhaps one of the best sporting events I've ever seen on live television. If you missed it, and you're trying to avoid hearing the result before seeing it yourself—and for your sake, I hope you've stayed off Facebook today—the game will be on ESPN at midnight in a full rebroadcast. So, enough of the spoiler alert. Wow. Before today, the greatest, most clutch goal I've ever seen by an American was the one by Landon Donovan last summer in the men's World Cup. It seemed like there was no time left when Donovan found the back of the net in the American's victory. Flash forward to Sunday …

Some prefer to avoid the traffic and find a hillside spot outside of town to catch the fireworks on the horizon. Others will head to the Cecil County side of the Susquehanna River to avoid the busy downtown in Havre de Grace. Many will avoid the street traffic altogether and find a boat. Maybe you'll try to strategize the timing of a ride on the ferris wheel. Most will probably wander down to the area between Concord Point and Tydings Park in hopes of finding a good spot for a chair or a blanket. Whever you end up tonight, you really can't go wrong. But we want to hear from you.

People will have had their blankets or chairs or coolers out by the time many people read this. Waterfront real estate may be a year-round commodity in Havre de Grace. But curb-front real estate is crucial in early July. There are plenty of places to take in the parade. Many will have a first-hand view, as part of the parade itself. Some are lucky enough to have a porch or balcony on Union Avenue—it's like a patriotic club box. Everyone has a favorite spot to watch the parade. We want to hear from you.

The carnival rolls into town today. The carnival is in town at Tydings Park through July 3. It is open from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Unlimited ride passes are available for $22, Tuesday through Saturday, and for $25 on Sunday. Carnival-goers can pick up $2 discount coupons for Tuesday through Thursday at various local merchants, as well as the Havre de Grace Visitor Center and the Havre de Grace Activity Center. The carnival ends Sunday with the popular fireworks show, scheduled to start at about 9:15 p.m. We want to hear …

Convenience store. Gas station. The "RoFo." Whatever you call the Royal Farms in Havre de Grace, its about to change. The Royal Farms is adding chicken to its menu of offerings when it reopens next month. The store is undergoing an expansion and renovation—both interior and exterior—in advance of a target reopening of July 25. Will your routine change? Do you have to go elsewhere for gas, cigarettes, or a late-night snack? Are you excited about the chicken? We want to hear from you.

Monday was the first weekday of summer vacation for students around Harford County. After the same morning-to-dinnertime routine for the past 10 months, kids around the area are adjusting to a little less structure. Sleeping in, going to the pool, video games, firing up the computer, hanging out with friends, going to the movies or the mall—it's fun and games for children and teenagers and a worry for parents. That's the day-to-day. But what are your long-term plans for this summer? Are you going on vacation? Doing some things you haven't had time to do in a while? Going on an adventure? …

An early Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. There are plenty of traditions we attend to: letting dad sleep in, doing brunch, playing games outside if the weather permits, cooking out, simply relaxing. Then there are the gifts: ties, tools, gadgets, gift cards. I will be doing brunch with my dad and family, and dinner with my wife's dad and family. In between, I'll be spending time with my wife and kids and prolonging our little girl's third birthday. Enough about us. We want to hear from you. What are your traditions? Does  your family do anything special each year? Are there any …