UPDATE: As of Wednesday, June 17, event organizers raised over $4,000, which will be split among participating businesses. To keep the momentum going, University City District will match the next $1,000 raised through the Virtual Dollar Stroll.

The annual Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, the celebration of local businesses and community, was supposed to return on June 4th. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the community couldn’t physically gather to enjoy the tastes and sounds of the Stroll. So here’s some great news: the event organizer, University City District (UCD), has just launched an inaugural Virtual Dollar Stroll where you can support over 30 local businesses.

Here’s how it works: 

Now through June 24th, $1 raffle tickets will be on sale online for a chance to win one of three Baltimore Avenue prize packs filled with gift certificates and unique items.

Every dollar raised through this event will be evenly distributed to the participating businesses. The more tickets you purchase, the more chances to win, and the more money UCD is able to share with local businesses. The three prize packs feature goods, swag, and gift certificates from popular Dollar Stroll regulars including Vientiane Café, Dock Street Brewery, VIX Emporium, Curio Theatre Company, Mariposa, Renata’s Kitchen, Dahlak, and many more. There are some new businesses in this list as well, such as Hayashi Sushi, PHilthy Paws, Transfiguration Hair Studio, and more.

The Virtual Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll is aimed at providing support to the local community, joining other recent initiatives including a Small Business Emergency Fund that provided $250,000 to local retail establishments, a partnership with local restaurants to serve meals to families at the Ronald McDonald House, a Retail Restart Fund created to give out $500 microgrants to local businesses to absorb the costs of reopening safely, and more.

To purchase tickets and see complete details, including a full list of participating businesses and available prizes, visit this website. Winners of the raffle will be selected on June 26th and notified shortly thereafter.