Armory

The 140th annual Westminster Memorial Day parade and observance kicks off from Monroe Avenue at 10 a.m. tomorrow, followed by a memorial service at the Westminster Cemetery. This year's speaker at the memorial service is Maj. Edwin F. "Ed" Singer III, who will leave for a 14- to 15-month tour of duty in Iraq on Wednesday with the 450th Civil Affairs Battalion. Singer said his speech will focus on veterans from previous wars. "I guess my thing is, I have an appreciation for the things people did that came before us, like in World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam," Singer said.

Another wave of hundreds of Maryland's citizen-soldiers bade farewell to loved ones yesterday, bound for training and then deployment in Iraq for the next year. The send-off of 640 state National Guardsmen represents about half of the roughly 1,300 called up last month for combat duty overseas. The mobilization order roughly quadruples the number of guardsmen from the state who will be deployed overseas. The deployment is drawn from the Guard's famed 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, one of the oldest regiments in the Army.

The Medford National Guard Armory in Annapolis was transformed into a gallery last weekend as the Historic Annapolis Foundation held an antiques show there.

Young actors dressed in 19th-century garb marched to the stage, singing traditional carols. Beggars and bankers, peasants and nobles all mixed in a crowd. Several of the characters were familiar, present in multiple incarnations: Tiny Tim Cratchet as the child with a crutch, and as a mischievous young man; Ebenezer Scrooge as a youth and as an elderly man. It's the opening scene of Remembering Uncle Scrooge, a two-act musical that debuts this week in downtown Bel Air. The actors, in character and costume, hope to mingle with the audience at the dinner theater, the first event in the refurbished Lt. Gen. Milton A. Reckord Armory on North Main Street.

For years, the turreted building so familiar on North Main Street was referred to as the castle. But after decades of gradual decline and neglect, the Lt. Gen. Milton A. Reckord Armory more resembled a dungeon. That changed during the past six months, when Bel Air used a $220,000 state grant to renovate the two-story granite structure, transforming it from a shabby and limited gathering place into a revitalized, much-needed community center. "In the '60s and '70s, this building was the town focal point," said Christopher Schlehr, town administrator.

THEATER TO BE OR NOT TO BE . . . FUNNY If your thirst for Shakespeare is great but your time is short, drop by the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, where, beginning tomorrow, you can take in all of the Bard's 37 plays in less than two hours. This fast-forward approach comes in the form of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), a comic romp written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield (founders of the Reduced Shakespeare Company). Under Tony Tsendeas' direction, actors James Kinstle, Bolton Marsh and Ben Kingsland will indulge in everything from rap to slapstick, with a few satirical stabs at current events thrown in just for good measure.

The barrel-chested officer and the spry colonel beside him stride forward with grim military purpose, chins thrust forward as if they're leading a division into battle. As drawn by Richard Yardley, The Sun's late longtime cartoonist, the two commanders, Thomas McNeal and Roger Whiteford, exude the gravitas you would expect of the leaders of Baltimore's 175th Infantry Regiment - a unit that had contributed mightily to the Allied victory in Normandy 11 years before. Richard Yardley's National Guard cartoons will be on display at the Maryland Museum of Military History at the 5th Regiment Armory, 219 29th Division St., through December.

Despite obligations in Iraq and continuing hurricane recovery efforts in the South, officials with the National Guard suggested yesterday that its forces could take on added border security duties without unduly straining the organization. Their assessment came amid criticisms that President Bush's plan to deploy several thousand Guard members in assisting with border patrols would overly burden units stretched thin by other demands. "By any rational measure, this wouldn't strain the Guard's resources much," said Joseph Balkoski, command historian of the Maryland National Guard.

All-Star Circus New-age and animal-free, the International All-Star Circus will bring its 2006 tour to the National Guard Armory in Dundalk tomorrow, the Fifth Regiment Armory downtown Saturday and the National Guard Armory in Pikesville on Sunday for a live performance for children and adults. World Famous Strong Man Gulliver will dive through spinning swords and the Amazing Simon Arestov will perform a treacherous balancing act. Other featured performers include contortionist Elayne and clown Coco Kramer.

A Windsor Mill man whose body was found in his home this week died of multiple stab wounds, authorities said yesterday. The medical examiner ruled that the death of Travis Sen Tell Taylor, 24, was a homicide, county police spokesman Bill Toohey said. Taylor's girlfriend found his body in a stairway of his home in the 2800 block of Scarborough Circle at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Homicide detectives were investigating and talking to people who might have information about the incident, Toohey said.