June 17, 2012|By Scott Dance and Candus Thomson, The Baltimore Sun
For Maria Beck of Bethesda, the long lines meant plenty of time to work on a needlepoint project. She sat on a bench near McCormick and Schmick's seafood restaurant. She and her husband had walked along the waterfront, but he broke off to tour ships.
"Walking around is nice enough for me," Beck said.
Tre Medina, 9, and a group of young boys stood on the pedestal of a flagpole on the harbor's Pier Five, craning their necks above the grown-ups and scanning the horizon for the planes. Crowds froze and looked upward, cellphone cameras held high, when the jets appeared overhead, leaving a wispy loop of contrails behind as they disappeared from sight again.
"There are seven," Medina counted. "No, six," he corrected, as all the jets joined in a "V" formation heading straight upward into the sky. The Blue Angels' show lasted about 45 minutes, with other small planes streaking across the sky earlier in the two-hour show.
At Martin State Airport, people were able to watch the Blue Angels take off and land, and to tour Coast Guard, Navy and Marines aircraft in between. Upon landing after the air show, the Blue Angels pilots signed autographs there.
Back at Fort McHenry, the festivities continued after the air show with a concert leading up to the evening fireworks. As the Blue Angels show ended, some people were settling in for a patriotic evening on the water, while others were plotting their exit and a trip across the harbor to Fells Point.
"If you wait until the last rocket's red glare, you'll miss last call," said Charlie Gomez of Washington.
sdance@baltsun.com
candy.thomson@baltsun.com
Sailabration events Sunday
Aircraft display and festival, Martin State Airport, 10 a.m.
Sailabration festival villages open, Inner Harbor and Fells Point, 11a.m.
Ships open for free tours, Inner Harbor and Fells Point, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Navy warfare demonstration, Fort McHenry, 1 p.m.
Blue Angels air show, Fort McHenry, 1 p.m to 4 p.m.
Blue Angels autograph session, Martin State Airport, 4:30 p.m.
Baltimore Symphony premiere, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 7 p.m.
