Hey Greenwich! Did You Know ... There's a Lottery Winner Among Us?

Today is Friday, June 7, 2012 and it's National Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day.

This day in history:

In 1948, a hand-built aluminum prototype labeled "No. 1" became the first vehicle to bear the name of one of the world's leading luxury car manufacturers: Porsche.

In 1966, the rival National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) announced they would merge. The first "Super Bowl" between the two leagues took place at the end of the 1966 season.

In 1968, three days after his assassination in California, US Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, near the grave of his assassinated older brother, President John F. Kennedy.

Today's birthdays:

• Musician Kanye West is 34.
• Actor Keenan Ivory Waynans is 53.
• Musician Boz Scaggs is 67.
• Actor-comedian Jerry Stiller is 84.
• Former First Lady Barbara Bush is 86.

Things you should know:

There's a winner among us

Riverside resident Joe Lanoce's dreams have come true. He's always been hopeful to scan a winning CT Lottery instant ticket big enough to drive to CT Lottery's Rocky Hill headquarters, to claim it.  “A friend of mine and I have an inside joke. When we scan our tickets, we say, ‘Come on…Rocky Hill!’” 

A few days ago, Lanoce bought a “$1,000,000 Jackpot” ticket, scratched off the barcode area, and scanned it in a ticket checker. “I thought I won $1,000. When the clerk checked it for me, he told me it was actually worth $10,000. That’s ten times better than a $1,000!” Lanoce told Lottery officials.

Lanoce got his wish Thursday when he went to CT Lottery headquarters to accept a prize check for $6,833 (value after taxes). “This is going straight to my daughter’s continuing college education,” Lanoce said, according to the lottery.

For selling Lanoce his $10,000 prize winning ticket, Courtesy Mobil at 1129 E. Putnam Ave. in Riverside, will receive a $100 bonus check from the CT Lottery.  

Lanoce claimed the 7th of 53 prizes worth $10,000 each.

It's open house around the state ... and it's free!

Looking to take advantage of the forecast sunny weather on Saturday?

The 8th Annual Connecticut Open House Day will take place June 9 and that means free admission to 12 state park museums and historic sites. So if you're in the mood to hop in the car and explore the Nutmeg State, here's a list of what's open:

• Beckley Furnace State Park, North Canaan  10 AM - 2 PM

• Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Shenipsit State Forest, Stafford, 9 AM – 5 PM
• Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, 9 AM - 4:30 PM
• Fort Griswold State Park, Groton, 9 AM - 5 PM
• Fort Trumbull State Park, New London. 9 AM - 5 PM
• Gillette Castle State Park, East Haddam, 10 AM - 4:30 PM
• Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford, 10 AM - 2 PM
• Heublein Tower at Talcott Mountain State Park, Simsbury, 10 AM - 5 PM
• Osborne Homestead Museum, Derby, 10 AM - 4 PM
• Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding, 10 AM – 5 PM
• Stone Museum at Peoples State Forest, Barkhamsted, 10 AM - 4:30 PM
• Topsmead State Forest, Litchfield, 12 PM - 5 PM

For more information about Connecticut’s State Parks and Forests, visit: www.NoChildLeftInside.org.

Seen about town

Season 14 of the ever popular television series Dancing With the Stars may be over, but that's not stopping host Tom Bergeron from keeping in shape. The Greenwich resident was spotted Thursday working with a personal trainer at the Equinox fitness club, just a couple blocks from where the young black bear was captured after traversing the nearby Chickahominy neighborhood of Greenwich.

Meetings at Greenwich Town Hall today:

None scheduled.

Greenwich Community Television

If you prefer the clicker instead of being there or want to catch up on a Greenwich meeting you missed, there's Greenwich Community Television (GCTV) on either Fios Channel 24 or Cablevision's Channel 79.

And if you prefer the movies:

Sources: history.com; famousbirthdays.com