Father S Day

Any man who prepares meals for his family can boast that father cooks best. To distinguish a man who truly knows his way around the kitchen from one who merely heats stuff, talk to the wife and children. They'll tell you everything you want to know. "David was never the type whose bachelor days were spent ordering pizza or boiling water for mac and cheese," said Courtney Tramontana of Havre de Grace about her husband. "When I say [he] cooks, I mean turkey dinner, rockfish that he caught himself, and [he]

The South Carroll Senior Center celebrated Father's Day early with a daffy salute to that most typical of dad gifts - the tie. A chorus line of tie-clad contestants paraded along the stage and waved their cravats to a cheering audience of about 200 gathered at the Eldersburg center for the festivities Thursday. They competed for prizes in myriad categories, leaving the decision on brightest, longest, zaniest and prettiest to the crowd's discretion. Center manager and emcee Karen Larrimore, dressed in a pink-print tie, polled the audience before awarding the winners.

You can always tell with Dad; he's not much of an actor. So, what happened after he fumbled the top off a shallow, oblong box this morning and pulled out -- "Oh, sweetie! What a surprise!" -- a pink necktie? Either his eyes went all twinkly, or the corners of his smile became momentarily stiff. Experts say chances are about 50-50 -- call it an even ... er ... tie -- that your gift will find its way to the back of Dad's closet, never to be seen again. With these sorts of odds, it's a wonder that neckwear is still so persistently popular at Father's Day. Yet, according to statistics from the Men's Dress Furnishing Association (MDFA)

THIS IS Berson Tyner's first Father's Day as a free man in 10 years. For most of the past decade -- and for several of the years before that -- he was a prisoner in the Maryland correctional system. If he saw his three sons on Father's Day, it was probably in a guarded visiting room, in Hagerstown or Jessup. His oldest, Tavon, is 21. For the first time in his life, Tavon Tyner's father is neither dealing drugs nor living in prison, and he's trying to do the right thing -- work at a legal job, buy a house and hold his family together.

For a young Cal Ripken Jr. and his brother Bill, baseball was more than a game and a business. It was a language - a medium - that helped them communicate with their father. Longtime Orioles coach Cal Ripken Sr. was the epitome of "old school," a devotee of the sport, with a raspy, smoker's voice who liked to talk baseball over beer. His family members say he demonstrated his affection not in emotional bursts but by being there for them in the long term. The family's life wasn't perfect.

I HAD A QUICK answer this week for my kids' question of what I want for Father's Day. This year I want their backs. I told my two, twentysomething sons, one home for the summer and one visiting for the weekend, that I wanted them to hang around the house long enough on Father's Day, tomorrow, to haul some heavy, old cabinets out of the basement. This gift of sweat is different from presents of previous years such as books and polo shirts. But the shift from sentiment to muscle has been gradual.

LatinoFest The city's LatinoFest turns 25 this weekend, and to celebrate, it's hosting a variety of entertainment in Patterson Park. See dancers in traditional costumes, hear live music, meet Orioles' Latino ballplayers and the Oriole Bird and taste fresh cuisine from the Americas and the Caribbean. Learn traditional dances such as the salsa and participate in a dance marathon. Two bands, Willie Villegas y Entre Amigos and Yomo Toro with the Fania All-Stars, headline Sunday. All proceeds benefit the Education Based Latino Outreach program.