On This Date: July 22

Join us for a walk down memory lane as we reflect on three events from this date in local history.

July 22, 2017

Most people hear the term “summer Olympics” and think of swimmer Michael Phelps winning a record eight gold medals in Beijing in 2008, Katie Ledecky securing her 14th Olympic medal in 2024, or Usain Bolt earning praise as “the fastest man alive” after winning the 100- and 200-meter events in three consecutive games from 2008 to 2016. And who could forget Broadneck High School graduate Matthew Centrowitz, who became the first American to win gold in the 1,500-meter run since 1908 with his performance in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Severna Park had its own iteration of the event, the fourth Community Olympics, which concluded on July 22, 2017. These games promoted friendly competition between the neighborhoods of Whitehurst, Fair Oaks, Oakleigh Forest, and the combined team of Cape Arthur and North Cape Arthur.

“Our kids go to school together. They play sports together,” event organizer Betz Wild said. “So we all know each other, and I thought it was just a natural thing to get us all together for something fun.”

Betz and a team of about 50 captains and seven representatives worked to make cornhole, biking, kayaking, swimming, softball and other events run smoothly. The event also generated $1,000 for the Severna Park Community Center through T-shirt sales and food donations for the nonprofit SPAN.

Ultimately, the winner was a four-time Community Olympics champion: Oakleigh Forest. Following the Community Olympics in 2005, 2006, 2015 and 2017, the event was scheduled for a return but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 22, 2019

With bands, drones and lasers, the West Virginia site of the 24th World Scout Jamboree was a welcome attraction to roughly 50,000 visitors, including Severna Park High School students Ben Van Brunt and Ryan Burgett, who started their experience on July 22.

Focused on peace, leadership and life skills, the World Scout Jamboree is held in different countries once every four years for ages 14 to 17, so teens have only one chance to attend as a scout during their lifetimes.

Opening and closing ceremonies focused on global peace. Whitewater rafting and motocross were just two of the many activities offered in addition to the opportunity to compare cultures. Ben and Ryan asked other scouts about their countries, and they compared favorite foods with kids from England.

“The British have this candy bar called Maryland, but it’s not anywhere in Maryland,” Ben said.

Throughout the 12-day event, the scouts met many people. “The most important skill was just going up to people and starting a conversation,” Ryan said.

The former Marylanders continue to put their knowledge to good use. Following high school graduation, Ben attended Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida and Ryan studied at the University of Vermont.

July 22, 2023

Featuring former Severna Park residents Ron and Jon Malfi, the band VEER released a sophomore effort, “Soft Machines,” with a launch party hosted by 98 Rock and Cult Classic Brewing in Stevensville.

“As a band, we pushed this second album in a different direction than the first,” Ron said. “It's sonically more mature, with layered melodies and more intricate and nuanced chord structures. It's arguably a concept album, running a thematic balance between the organic nature of humankind and the dreamlike, fanciful notions of transcending beyond that humanity — a literal ‘blast off’ from the human race.”

VEER performed the new tunes during Warriors in the Park at Severna Park Taphouse and then took their new tunes on the road to Baltimore, Towson, Hanover, Halethorpe and other cities. The band is now recording a third album at Wright Way Studios in Baltimore.