Early Bird

THOUGH THE WIND and rain of Hurricane Floyd halted activities for a couple of days this week, several local events will be up and running this weekend.Chesapeake High School Band Boosters will hold its annual Fall Family Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow on the school grounds, 4798 Mountain Road.Participants can purchase fall decorating supplies including pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks and mums. Youngsters can go on a hayride, jump in the moon bounce, pet a rabbit or have their faces painted.

From: Anthony J. GirandolaSeverna ParkLast Saturday night, my wife and I looked forward to having a nice rest the next morning. The idea of sleeping late on Sunday was a refreshing one, especially since Daylight Savings Time would be taking effect. We figured we'd loll around in bed until 10 or so and still have plenty of time to get ready for the noon Mass at St. John's.At 6 in the morning, I heard this god-awful sound. It was loud and long like a school bell signaling the end of class. I sat upright in my bed and my wife screamed, "What is THAT?"

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. - A hurricane of a different sort has been sweeping over most of Florida this week as voters of all ages and political persuasions have been besieging special polling places in the state's newly mandated provision for early voting. Here in this retirement community just north of Fort Lauderdale, seniors have been coming to the local library on foot, with walkers and in wheelchairs, giving visible testimony to the intensity of the public desire to make the choice between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry.

WASHINGTON -- Tim Duncan played four years of college basketball and won an NBA championship last week as a second-year pro. Joe Smith played two years at Maryland before turning pro and still hasn't made the All-Star team after four years in the NBA. That's a cautionary tale of two No. 1 picks with a moral as obvious as a windmill dunk: The longer you stay in college, the better your chances of becoming an impact player in the NBA and...

The Linthicum-Ferndale Yellow Jackets won the inaugura Anne Arundel Optimist Invitational Early-Bird 11-12 boys basketball tournament last week at Brooklyn Park/Lindale Junior Middle School.The Yellow Jackets of Ron Brown defeated the Anne Arundel Optimist Thunder, 48-21, in Friday's tournament opener.Linthicum-Ferndale opened with a full-court press and quickly built an 11-6 first-quarter lead.With Adam Sutton and Chad Brown running the fast break to near perfection, the Yellow Jackets claimed a 25-13 halftime lead.

WITH THE full moon shining brightly and only a thin layer of clouds visible, hundreds of anglers lined up at the gates of Piney Run Park in the pre-dawn hours Saturday to participate in the 20th annual Early Bird Fishing Tournament. More than 500 anglers entered the park at 4 a.m. to find the best fishing spot in hopes of snagging a share of $20,000 in prizes. Many chose to fish from the shoreline while others used boats. More than 100 boats were launched onto the lake. All anglers had to wait until the 6 a.m. announcement to begin casting their lines.

This is not the year to get lazy about making summer vacation plans. Airfares, gas, hotel rooms -- nearly every trip expense is going up. Except for occasional last-minute sales, travel experts agree, the sooner you book, the better the deal. Nearly two-thirds of Americans this year are booking summer trips at least two to three months ahead, according to an online survey of 2,327 adults; 8 percent started more than six months ago. The survey was done April 5-7 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Expedia.

Baseball's free agency period is months away. But, sadly, when late August comes here, the hot stove league can't fire up soon enough. Although this year's potential group isn't deep, there is some interesting potential. Some have team options for 2007, such as New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Chicago White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye, and are almost certainly staying with their current clubs. But options on others, such as St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds and Chicago Cubs injured starter Kerry Wood, could be bought out. Although the list won't be complete for months, here's a quick primer of top pending free agents with an early guess as to whether the Orioles will be involved.

You expect coffeehouses to stay open late. That's the idea, isn't it? People are drinking less liquor, but they still want someplace to go after a party or after a movie. Freddie's customers, though, have to enjoy their Kenya AA or hazelnut cream decaf before 6, which is when the Water Street cafe closes.Otherwise, Freddie's is the quintessential coffeehouse. Plenty of places have jumped on the bandwagon and offer a couple of gourmet coffees, cappuccino and espresso. But Freddie's sells the beans of everything from Jamaican Blue Mountain to Freddie's House Blend, and it offers a good selection of choices by the cup (actually wonderful old-fashioned coffee mugs)

Scholastic Corp., the distributor of the Harry Potter books in the United States, said yesterday that it will take legal action against two Illinois companies that sold and shipped copies of the final novel in the series to some customers several days before the book's scheduled worldwide release date. Scholastic, based in New York, said in a prepared statement that Chicago-based book distributor Levy Home Entertainment and seller DeepDiscount.com in Itasca, Ill., violated an agreement to hold back copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows until 12:01 a.m. Saturday.