The Howard County COVID-19 Memorial was completed on October 27, 2025. It includes a fountain and a stainless steel base supporting bronze flowers. Sit in one of the benches and take it all in. You’re going to need to anyway to find the cache.
Press Release
At the monument, you need the following information:
The lowest flower faces roughly toward the Athletic Complex building. How many petals does it have? A = the number of petals.
There are several benches around the fountain. B = the number of benches.
Between the bricked area and the water fountain are two circles of stone blocks. The inner and outer circles are separated by several flowerbed areas. Each of those is divided by stones that point toward the center of the fountain. How many stones in each of those separations? Not total stones all the way around, just in one of the separations pointing toward the fountain. C = the number of stones.
The monument is held to the base by several bolts. D = the number of bolts.
The math:
Q = A + 2
R = A - B
S = C + C
X = D + 1
Y = D
Z = B
The final coordinates are N 39° 14.QRS′ W 76° 48.XYZ′
The paved path takes you closer to the cache than the trailhead coordinates, but on my visits to nail down the coordinates, the trailhead coordinates provided easier access. The trail starts behind the pine tree at the back of the small clearing with the bench.
The cache is a 1/4 cup clear container with a red lid.
Cache approved by Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks 11/6/2025.