Flavia Oleniewski nominated Matt Hulcher, her neighbor in Maple Woods Townhomes Community next to Westowne Elementary on Harlem Lane, for "Neighbor of the Month", a new award sponsored by "We Love Catonsville."
Here are some reasons why she felt he deserved the honor:
• Despite a fulltime job, new baby and long commute to Washington every day; he finds time to be the president of the homeowners' association and spends a lot of time making sure everything is fair and correct.
• When new neighbors move into the neighborhood, he makes it a point to get to know them and invite them over for dinner.
• If a neighbor's trees get unruly and cross over the sidewalk, he gets his chainsaw and trims them.
• When I had surgery, he and his wife brought over dinner for my family and me.
• He often mows his next-door-neighbor's lawn.
• During last winter's snowstorm, he helped several neighbors shovel.
• He drives slowly in our neighborhood.
• When a new neighbor moved in last year, he let him use his lawnmower until he could buy his own.
• He lent me many tools, including a power washer and a tile cutter.
• He helped his next-door neighbor fix his ceiling after a roof leak.
• He helped my husband build shelves in our basement.
• He took me to the airport at 5:30 a.m. in January.
• He has, on several occasions, let my dog out when I was stuck and couldn't get home in time.
"We met Matt because he is a great neighbor, but he's become much more than that. He's our friend, and our community is lucky to have him," Flavia wrote in her nomination letter.
Do you have a neighbor to nominate? Send an email to kgatzke@cbmove or mail your nomination to We Love Catonsville, P.O. Box 21151, Catonsville, MD 21228.
Check mates
The 2011 Maryland Senior Chess Championship held at the Bloomsbury Community Center May 14-15 featured 26 participants who met the minimum age requirement of 50 years.
When the four rounds were over, Virginia expert Neal Goldberg edged Dr. Martin Stengelin by a half-point.
Stengelin won the trophy for Maryland senior champion due to the Maryland residency requirement.
The oldest participant in the field was Catonsville resident Robert Raven, 87, who is also the founder of the Catonsville Chess Club.
The tournament, co-sponsored by the Catonsville Chess Club and Maryland Chess Association, was directed by Joe Summers.
Upbeat about descent
Dave Shackelford rappelled down the side of the Canton Crossing Tower in Baltimore June 18 during the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland's Rappel for Kidney Health fundraiser.
Dave and his family have participated in the Kidney Walk in Baltimore for four years.
This year, he went another step and volunteered to rappel down 17 stories.
His wife, Karyn, 6-year-old daughter, Abby, and 4-year-old son, Carter, cheered him on.
He raised more than $1,580 in celebration of Carter's life and health.
Making the grade
Wesley Boone, 19, recently returned from a "Rising Sophomore Study Abroad Program" sponsored by Virginia Tech's School of Engineering.
He was chosen after a lengthy application process and joined 21 other students on a trip that featured stops in Heidelberg, Germany, where they visited a castle, and Munich.
The Old Catonsville Neighborhood resident, a Catonsville High grad, is studying aerospace and ocean engineering.
He is interning this summer with an international engineering firm in Columbia.
The Catonsville Recreation and Parks Council proudly announced the recipients of its 2011 scholarships were Catonsville High School seniors Alexander Wallace, Lauren Burke, Craig Birkmeyer and Jacob Koenig.
By the numbers
The Lucky Three Barbershop and Salon recently opened in Paradise. The full-service salon features six stylists and caters to men and women, offering a variety of cuts, colors, relaxers, styling and perms.
Owners Micah and Valerie Stanovich, named the business for the jersey number Micah and his father shared as competitive athletes in school.
Micah was named Athlete of the Year by the Arbutus Times in 2000, having played football, basketball, and lacrosse at Lansdowne High School.
For information about the shop, go to http://www.lucky3barber.com or stop by 6414 Frederick Road weekdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; and Sundays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Out and about
Volunteers and supplies are needed to help restore the mural on the #8 Trolley Trail Sunday, June 26 from noon to 3 p.m.
Join kids from the Kaleidoscope! Arts Camp and Catonsville Rails to Trails to wash and sand the surface of two walls of the structure behind the Summit Nursing Home.
The mural was originally painted by Clark LeCompte for his Eagle Scout Project in 1997.
To see a photo of the mural, go to http://www.catonsvillerailstotrails.org.
The trail is between Hillcrest Elementary School and Matthew's 1600 on Frederick Road.
Donations of supplies, such as brushes, pans, drop cloths, rollers, roller handles, sandpaper or gift cards to Lowe's or Home Depot can be dropped off at Sign-A-Rama, 604 Frederick Road or call Maureen at 443-326-5474 or email sweeneysmith@comcast.net.
The July 12 meeting of the Rotary Club of Catonsville-Sunrise at the Rolling Road Golf Club will feature 1st District Councilman Tom Quirk talking about Baltimore County legislative updates.
Cash bar at 6 p.m. Buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m.. Talk starts at 7 p.m.
Dinner $15.
Non-members welcome.
Email Dr. Stephen Arum for reservations at smarum@yahoo.com.