Parade Route

Susannah Bridget Siger, Oh, what a difference a year makes -- or at least the weather. Last December's low temperatures and early snowfall gave more of a North Pole than North Baltimore feel to the annual Mayor's Christmas Parade through the city's Hampden and Medfield neighborhoods, and it was about as populated. But yesterday's sunshine, combined with just enough chill in the air to justify wearing a woolly winter scarf, drew back to the parade route thousands of spectators and about 160 marching bands, floats and kitschy marchers who make the parade a hallmark of the holiday season.

WASHINGTON - The horse-drawn caisson moved up Constitution Avenue and silence followed. A street usually marked by rush-hour commotion filled only with the traffic of a national ritual; the city of political battles had only a funeral on its mind. As the casket carrying the remains of Ronald Reagan made its way to the Capitol in the first state funeral in more than three decades, a country in the midst of a presidential campaign, a war in Iraq and a heightened alarm over terrorism stood still for a moment.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts heard the accusation and didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. He decided to find the humor in it. Chicago bullpen coach Art Kusnyer apparently is convinced that Roberts stole signs from the White Sox catcher last week at Camden Yards and relayed them to Orioles batters - a claim that Roberts vehemently denied. Kusnyer points to the sixth inning of Tuesday's game, when Roberts singled, stole second and eventually scored on a two-out single by Rafael Palmeiro.

A new parade route and a touch of irreverence will mark tomorrow's Columbus Day parade, a Baltimore tradition since 1890. The parade will feature comedian Don Novello in his best-known role as Father Guido Sarducci, the chain-smoking, trash-talking Vatican gossip columnist. The faux priest will ride in a Dodge Viper behind Columbus impersonator Don Castronova, organizers said. This year's parade is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. in Mount Vernon Square rather than in Federal Hill. Organizers said the change makes more room for spectators and parking.

The 2003 Preakness Celebration will offer the usual array of block parties, family festivities and, of course, horse racing. But while most of the perennial events will endure unchanged, one Preakness staple - the parade - will get a bit of a makeover. The procession will be a "parade of lights" this year, beginning around 7:30 p.m. May 10. Celebration officials said the evening start time will be a change of pace for the event, which has been held in the afternoon for more than 10 years.

PASADENA neighbors can enjoy an afternoon of fun and help the less fortunate at Sunday's annual Caring and Sharing Harvest Parade sponsored by the Pasadena Business Association. The popular community event will begin at 2 p.m. at Tick Neck Park. Marchers and spectators along the two-mile parade route are encouraged to bring donations of nonperishable food items that will be collected and given to local food pantries. "Our goal for the parade is still the same: being thankful for all that we have and sharing with others," said Carol Cross, executive director of the business association.

Sultry July rolled around Monday, and when the flip of the calendar highlighted the fourth day, the good people of Catonsville set aside differences and forgot their concerns about the code red ozone warning, the week's terrorism alert and the fact that the Dow had dropped 132 points by mid-afternoon. They slipped out onto Frederick Road and stationed chairs for the 56th annual Fourth of July Parade. The parade was still three days away, but that didn't matter. The town would gather under the theme "Hometown Heroes," and like every July, it would just be fantastic.

Children waved excitedly at Santa Claus, scrambled into the street after candy and laughed at the clowns at the Mayor's Christmas Parade yesterday in Hampden. The adults had fun, too. "I love the pomp and circumstance, the costumes, the rhythm, the music, the variety of people, the diversity and the camaraderie," Catonsville resident Debra Burn, 50, said while watching with her husband, Ken. Featuring Mayor Martin O'Malley and city police officers and firefighters, the 29th annual parade began at Polytechnic Institute on Cold Spring Lane, traveling down Falls Road and 36th Street.

Prime vantage points for Catonsville's Fourth of July parade are a valuable commodity. For proof, take a ride along Frederick Road, where for days people have been staking their claims with lawn chairs. "I can't believe this," said Denny Laumann, who lives in the 1200 block of Frederick Road. "The parade was three days away, and they were already putting out their chairs." Laumann, however, quickly followed suit. "Once someone puts them out," he said, "then you have to put them out." This week, Laumann painted a white bench that will provide seating for some of the 25 people he has invited to watch one of the area's most popular parades, in its 55th year.

It's post time! And not just for horses. Starting tomorrow there'll be hot-air balloons soaring into the skies, schooners racing across the harbor, runners dashing through city neighborhoods and booming bands marching in a parade. Add to that a celebrity crab-picking contest, hobbyhorse races for the wee ones, outdoor concerts and block parties, and you have the 13th annual Preakness Celebration. The eight-day pep rally is jammed with more than two dozen events designed to lead you to the starting gate of the 126th running of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown challenge.