Day Weekend

Sunny but breezy and cool weather is in the forecast for the start of beach season in Ocean City, with waters on the chilly side for a dip in the Atlantic. After rainy weather lingers Friday, sunny but cool and windy conditions are expected for the weekend. Highs are forecast in the lower 60s Saturday and Sunday and the upper 60s Monday, with overnight lows in the upper 50s. Winds are expected to be strong and gusty. A 15-20 mph breeze with gusts up to 30 mph are expected Saturday and Sunday, calming to about 10-15 mph breezes Monday.

The Memorial Day weekend starts early in Carroll County now that the Gamber & Community Fire Company carnival runs eight days, starting Saturday, and continuing through June 2. Last year, Gamber opened the Saturday before Memorial Day and was the first carnival to be held on a Sunday. The extra two days were so successful that the fire company is doing it again, said Jeannie Green of the carnival committee. The only restriction for holding the carnival on Sunday is that no gambling is allowed, Gamber officials said.

Customers entering the newest store on West Baltimore Street will be greeted with signs warning "No cash refund" and "Items sold as is" before they peruse racks of clothing and shelves of electronics. But such warnings are no matter when all merchandise is free. The Baltimore Free Store, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes items without charge, will open its first storefront Saturday in the Franklin Square neighborhood. The storefront, which functions like a Goodwill shop but with an unbeatable discount, is the first of its kind in the city.

An American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race will join the IndyCar Series for races on downtown Baltimore streets during Labor Day weekend 2011, organizers and city officials announced today. Officials with Baltimore Racing Development and Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said during a noon news conference that the Oklahoma-based racing organization will be bringing its 34 teams to Baltimore for a Saturday race. The Baltimore Grand Prix weekend will begin Friday morning with IndyCar practice and ALMS time trials and end Sunday with the IZOD IndyCar Series race.

IndyCar officials confirmed Friday that the Baltimore Grand Prix will return Labor Day weekend, but they will hold off on releasing the series' complete schedule until after Sunday's season finale in Las Vegas. "Baltimore was a big win this season for a business like ours," said Terry Angstadt, president of the IndyCar Series commercial division. "The entire city was behind it, from the mayor's office to the fans. The grandstands were full with happy, engaged people. When that happens, we're winners.

The IZOD IndyCar Series will return to the city on Labor Day weekend 2012 for the second Baltimore Grand Prix, race president and promoter Jay Davidson confirmed Tuesday. IndyCar is expected to make the official announcement Friday in Las Vegas, where the season concludes Sunday. "We're absolutely excited," Davidson said of having the race return for the three-day weekend Aug. 31-Sept. 2, "just based on the crowd we had here for the inaugural event and the people hanging around on Sunday after the race, just enjoying the day. "And I think it has a nice symmetry with the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend kicking off the summer and our race on Labor Day weekend.

Eight people were shot — including six in two triple shootings — Thursday night in Baltimore, an "intolerable" burst of violence that killed three and which police said would spur extra patrols going into Memorial Day weekend. Hoping to avoid a replay of the 2010 Memorial Day weekend, during which nine people were killed, police said they would move some officers into patrol from administrative assignments and specialized units to beef up their presence downtown and in neighborhoods where the shootings took place Thursday.

Sixteen people were shot and six killed over Labor Day Weekend, a bloody stretch that claimed the life of a young mother cleaning up after a family party and prompted police to increase patrols as the violence extended into Tuesday morning. Larelle Amos, a 22-year-old former honor student at Kenwood High School, was gunned down by a stray bullet Sunday, police said. "She is gone and I want whoever did this gone, too, behind bars," said Amos' mother, Alisa Grinage, who has been caring for her grandson, Geron Mills II. "I won't rest until somebody is made responsible.