Fireworks Display

Laurel — Granville Gude Park, Laurel Lakes, 8300 Mulberry St., 301-725-5300 ext. 2203. Parade at 11 a.m. Car show follows parade; fireworks at dusk. National Harbor — Gaylord National Resort, 201 Waterfront St. Uncle Sam Jam beginning at 2 p.m., ages 21 and over, tickets required. Lanham — Trinity Assembly of God, 7800 Good Luck Road, 301-552-9322. Mitchellville — The Country Club at Woodmore, 12320 Pleasant Prospect Road, 301-249-6100.

No, they haven't signed free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche, at least not yet, but the Orioles have signed on to sponsor the annual New Year's Eve celebration at the Inner Harbor, which is almost as exciting. The giant fireworks display, which was sponsored by The Baltimore Sun last year, will be the grand finale to a party that will start at 9 p.m. and feature a concert by hot local band Outbreak at the Inner Harbor amphitheatre. In other words, the Orioles are going to start lighting up the sky a little early.

INNER HARBOR:* Fireworks display tomorrow at 9:30 p.m., staged by Zambelli Internationale.! BALTIMORE COUNTY:* Towson's annual July 4 parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow from Burke Avenue and York Road. More than 100 units will participate, including veterans of the D-Day campaign, a martial arts group, antique fire engines, a soccer team, Liberty Showcase Theater and a Highland pipes band. Call (410) 825-9384. A fireworks display will be launched from the parking lot of the Luskin's store at 1125 Cromwell Bridge Road tomorrow at dusk.

What a fiasco we witnessed at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte N.C. this week ("'A we're-all-in-this-together society," Sept. 6). It looked like it was planned by three blind mice. First they were going to have this show of numbers by busing in thousands of Democrats from neighboring states to fill the stadium. While this would not be a true show of Democratic popularity, the DNC was willing to put out the money to do this for propaganda purposes. Then there was to be a huge fireworks display.

A fatal stabbing and the baffling shooting of a 4-year-old boy stunned visitors to Baltimore's downtown Fourth of July festivities and drew condemnation from the city's mayor and police commissioner as they worked to remind people of the thousands who enjoyed the celebration without incident. The violence occurred despite the presence of nearly 600 city and state officers to help with a crowd that was nearly double the size that attended last year, according to Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III. "Our citizens, our visitors deserve better, and [they]

The Baltimore Inner Harbor's weekend-long Independence Day celebration concludes tonight at 9: 30 with the annual fireworks display.Festivities begin at 8 p.m. at the Inner Harbor's west shore park with a concert by the U.S. Air Force Band. Information: 410- 837-4636Pub Date: 7/04/99

Haven't had enough fireworks this year? Head to the Maple Lawn neighborhood in North Laurel for children's activities, local vendors, displays by community organizations and more, Saturday, July 9 from 5 to 9 p.m., followed by a fireworks display at 9:15 p.m. For details, call 301¿604¿1011 or go to http://www.maplelawnmd.com.

Laurel's Independence Day celebration, with a parade, car show, field games and fireworks, will be held Saturday, July 2. The city will close some roads for parts of the day to allow the parade to pass and for safety during the evening fireworks display. Sixth Street will close at 9 a.m. when parade participants gather and line up. When the parade begins at 11 a.m., Montgomery Street will be closed from Sixth to Fourth streets, and Fourth Street will be closed from Montgomery Street to Cherry Lane.

Police divers today recovered the body of a 4-year-old Kent County boy from the Chester River. He had fallen overboard from his family's boat moments before a Fourth of July fireworks display was scheduled to begin last night.Divers and recovery teams from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police and other rescue workers found the body of the child about 150 feet downstream from where he went into the water, said a DNR police spokeswoman.The discovery was made about five hours after the search resumed this morning.

Tickets for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's "Summerfest" and Oregon Ridge programs are now on sale.The "Summerfest" programs will be comprised almost entirely of Mozart's works and will feature such stellar soloists as pianists Barry Douglas and Christian Zacharias and violinists Joshua Bell and Pamela Frank. The concerts will be July 14, July 21, July 23, July 28 and July 30. All concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. in Meyerhoff Hall. Subscriptions for all five concerts are $40, $60 and $130.

The 14th annual Mason-Dixon Fair will be held from July 9 to 14 in Delta, just over the state line that bears the fair's namesake. The fair, which celebrates the rich agricultural history of the region, will feature a range of contests and entertainment, including many varieties of tractor pulls, a Karaoke Idol competition, a performance by local Harford County band, Almost Certain, and midway games and rides. Other highlights of the fair include the crowning of the Mason-Dixon Fair Princess, Junior Miss Queen and Queen on Monday, July 9, and a traditional watermelon-eating contest on Thursday, July 12. Animal shows for goats, sheep, swine and rabbits will take place throughout the week, with participants including farmers from Delta and the surrounding areas of York County as well as participants from Lancaster County, Baltimore County and the areas surrounding Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Washington Mini-golf in the National Building Museum Grab your putter and tee off in a one-of-a-kind miniature-golfing experience at Washington's National Building Museum. Challenge your friends and family to a round on one of several courses designed by some of the region's top architects, construction firms and urban planners. Indoor, air-conditioned courses mean that you and your friends will be beating the heat while you play. Course opens Wednesday and is open during museum hours through Labor Day. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Baltimore police say they plan to change some tactics from last year's Fourth of July celebration to make sure the violence that stained the event won't happen again. Police will use low fencing to restrict access to the Inner Harbor and will shift officers to potential trouble spots such as transit stops as the night progresses, officials said Monday. Several hundred officers, including some from the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Transportation Authority, will patrol the harbor area.

The following is the 2012 schedule of Independence Day fireworks displays around Baltimore County that have been approved by the Baltimore County Fire Marshal's Office. The attached map shows these displays, as well as the display at the Inner Harbor on July 4. The Fire Marshal's Office notes that the use of backyard fireworks is illegal; some ground-based and hand-held sparklers are legal in certain counties, including Baltimore County. Detailed information about the laws regulating fireworks is available online.

The schedule of events on July 4 in Bel Air is as follows: 6:45 a.m. - Flag-raising ceremony, in front of Bel Air High School 7 to 11:30 a.m. - Blueberry pancake and sausage breakfast, Bel Air High School 9 a.m. - Horseshoe pitching, Rockfield Park (registration at 8 a.m.) 9 a.m. - Hamster races, Shamrock Park (registration at 8:45 a.m.) 9:30 a.m. - Turtle Derby, Shamrock Park (registration at 9 a.m.) 10:30 a.m. - The Great Bel Air Frog Jumping Contest, Shamrock Park (registration at 10:30 a.m.)

New Market Wild West Rodeo Days at Adventure Park USA Adventure Park USA in Frederick County will host a two-day rodeo event this Saturday and Sunday. The event features bull riding, a "little wranglers" rodeo, rodeo clowns, trick roping, barrel racing, line dancing and cowboy shoot-outs. A cowboy breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday for $5 with admission. All Wild West events are included with park admission. Tickets are $30 for ages 8 and up and $18 for kids 7 and younger.

A 20-year-old Baltimore man was injured while working on the fireworks display at the Mount Airy carnival grounds Sunday, a spokesman for the state fire marshal's office said.The cause of the accident is under investigation, he said.POLICE* Woodbine: A Baltimore resident told state police that someone cut the convertible top of his car while it was parked in the 800 block of Hoods Mill Road between 1 p.m. Sunday and 2 p.m. Monday. The damage was estimated at $600.

Regarding your recent article on College Manor's decision not to host a fireworks display this year, as an assisted-living facility we have been an integral part of the historic Lutherville community for 60 years ("College Manor won't host July 4 fireworks," June 12). For many years we celebrated our anniversary with our residents, their families and friends on the last weekend of June. In the mid-1990s, we decided to expand our celebration with a concert on our lawn to which the community was invited.

Regarding your recent article on College Manor's decision not to host a fireworks display this year, as an assisted-living facility we have been an integral part of the historic Lutherville community for 60 years ("College Manor won't host July 4 fireworks," June 12). For many years we celebrated our anniversary with our residents, their families and friends on the last weekend of June. In the mid-1990s, we decided to expand our celebration with a concert on our lawn to which the community was invited.

Even as they turn 100, Washington's cherry trees in full bloom remain as wondrously beautiful as ever — which explains why more than a million people are expected to come gaze at them over the next five weeks. D.C.'s annual Cherry Blossom Festival, perhaps the most welcome harbinger of spring anywhere in the U.S., begins Tuesday (the first day of spring) and runs through April 27 (Arbor Day). Expanded from its customary 19 days in celebration of the trees' 100th anniversary, the schedule includes fireworks, a parade, live music, visits from Japanese dignitaries and entertainers, and even a commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service.