Rides

What: Eight days of animal shows, exhibits, rides, contests, entertainment and demonstrations. When: Aug. 4 through 11, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Where: Howard County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairground Road, West Friendship. Take Exit 80 off Interstate 70. Admission: $5 for guests ages 10 and older, $2 for those ages 62 and older, free for children younger than 10. Parking: Free at the fairgrounds. Information: www.howardcountyfair.org, or 410-442-1022. Daily highlights Amusement rides and games begin at noon Aug 4, at 11 a.m. Aug. 11 and at 1 p.m. every other day. A petting zoo and education center is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Chain-saw carving, pig races and performances by magicians and clowns happen throughout the day. Saturday, Aug. 4 (Preview Day)

THE AIRLINE industry, the makers of Tylenol and Coca-Cola in Europe know about regaining public trust after their product causes someone to fall sick or die.Amusement park executives are likely reaching for those names in their Rolodexes following a spate of recent deaths and injuries on amusement rides nationwide. The accidents have cast a harsh light on roller coasters and made many folks wonder if the rush is worth the risk.Park operators will be sure to point out that roller coaster accidents are extremely rare, and they are; 1 in 450 million, by one estimate.

A blue ribbon was awarded for a 79.6-pound watermelon, and emu chili was free for the asking. Midway winners walked off with stuffed prizes in the latest pop culture images: Pokemon and the Taco Bell Chihuahua. A bovine beauty contest was in full swing.And, in the middle of all this, a Texas farm girl asked the burning question: "Do fish get thirsty?"The 118th Maryland State Fair opened in Timonium yesterday -- in all its peach-pie, corn-dog splendor -- with its usual mix of carnival kitsch and farm-family values.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- On a gray midweek day on the Boardwalk, the sea birds scold and a taped announcement from a casino hawks Don Rickles' show. Nickel slots and aging acts are the draw here now -- but once, oh, once you really could have seen something.Diving horses. Boxing midgets. Frank Sinatra and the Harry James Band. Rex the Wonder Dog. Human cannonballs. Flagpole sitters. Enrico Caruso. The last of vaudeville. The first of teen idols.Steel Pier, which played host to class and crass and geeks and greats alike, turns 100 today.

The Westminster Fallfest celebrates its 20th anniversary, as well as autumn, starting Wednesday with a parade and concluding Sept. 27 with activities at the city playground.This year's parade is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, a change from the usual Thursday opening night of games, rides and food.The parade will start at Dutterer's Family Park off Pennsylvania Avenue near West Middle School and proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue to Main Street to Longwell Street to East Middle School.

AmplificationRob Collins, the center for the Loyola football team, was not identified in the caption for a photograph that appeared in yesterday's sports section. Collins and teammate George Gavrila were shown helping to carry coach Joe Brune after Loyola's victory over Calvert Hall.

SO HOW was your trip to the ocean?" my friend asked as she sidestepped a pile of damp beach towels that were developing a faint, greenish hue."It was awful," interrupted my son. "She made reservations at an old-lady hotel."

The Howard Area Transit Service (HATS) West bus service could be operating differently this Labor Day.The Howard County Public Transportation Board unanimously recommended last night approving a proposal to convert the bus route into a demand-response system that would serve riders who request a bus at least 24 hours in advance.The proposal, which must get final approval from the state Public Service Commission, was sparked by a 50 percent drop in ridership since November and high operating costs.

Publicized complaints about a medical transport firm have prompted the Anne Arundel County Health Department officials to "take a closer look" at Southeast Transit/Metro Access, they say, though they remain convinced the firm is performing satisfactorily.The department's response Friday fell short of what was wanted by some patients, employees and county officials who called for a full investigation into the company. They have accused Metro Access of leaving patients needing rides to wait for hours, failing to pay staff on time and punishing them for revealing shortcomings of the operation.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Imagine the myriad thrill rides, animal attractions, shows, water parks, cultural displays, gardens, dinner theaters, exhibits, sports bars, eateries and nightclubs vying for visitors' attention in Central Florida.Now get exponential.In the Theme Park Capital of the Universe, expansion is a juggernaut hurtling at warp speed. Disney opened its new park, Animal Kingdom, last week; Universal is right behind with its Islands of Adventure, which will make its debut next year. By the end of 1999, Central Florida will be home to nine full-size theme parks -- with the possibility of five more on the way.For visitors, this means parks and rides that are bigger, faster, smarter and sleeker.

Granville Daniel Trimper, who was a hands-on owner of Ocean City's famed seaside amusement park and was active in local politics, died Monday at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin. He was 79. Family members said no cause of death had been determined but that Mr. Trimper had been treated for an infection after knee-replacement surgery this summer. "After a lifetime spent running all manner of careening, tilting, whirling or spinning mechanical thrill rides, the 70-year-old patriarch never seems to tire of the nightly spectacle," said a 1999 Sun profile.

Beleaguered Ravens fans who lost their rides when the Maryland Transit Administration dropped its game day service have received a little bit of good news. The team has reached an agreement with private charter companies to provide bus rides from many of the old MTA stops. But the price will be roughly double what the MTA charged. The agreement announced yesterday between the Ravens and a consortium of seven local bus companies ensures that fans can catch a ride from familiar park-and-rides and other stops and be dropped off at the same location that MTA buses used in previous seasons.

For more than 50 years, Jo McNally has spent every Labor Day the same way - at the Maryland State Fair. When she was a girl, her family packed a picnic lunch of freshly fried chicken that they ate on the grass parking lot and, if her father won at the racetrack, spent the afternoon on the rides. As a teenager, she accepted a "steady ring" on the bleachers of the Cow Palace from the boy who would become her husband. And yesterday, as a grandmother, she led a brood of youngsters around the fairgrounds to pet the pigs, milk a cow and enjoy the traditions that have meant so much to her over the years.

Motorists arrested for drunken driving after Labor Day festivities in Baltimore saloons won't have the excuse that they didn't have another way home. AAA Mid-Atlantic is teaming up with Yellow Cab and the State Highway Administration to offer free cab rides for alcohol-indulging drivers as part of its Tipsy? Taxi! program. Free rides will be available by calling 877-963-TAXI between 4 p.m. tomorrow and 4 a.m. Tuesday. Riders must be age 21 or older and have been drinking at a bar or restaurant in Baltimore.

Housing foreclosures have hit record numbers. It can cost $100 to fill up an SUV. Even Fannie and Freddie might need an advance on their allowance from Uncle Sam. Can the economic news get any worse? Oh, yes. The faltering economy now is coming after something truly precious: the summer carnival. Across the country, carnivals have been canceled outright or their hours shortened as a result of the soaring cost of the fuel that powers the rides, heats the oil for the corn dogs and lights up all those midway attractions.

Jeremy Guthrie has played on two major league teams. Nobody except him rode a bicycle to the ballpark when he pitched for the Cleveland Indians. It seems as if half the Orioles team gets around on two wheels and a handlebar. Guthrie definitely has come to the right place. Fans are accustomed to the players' lot being filled with expensive rides - sports cars, HUVs, private jets. But you should check out the clubhouse sometime, or the weight room. There are enough bikes parked there to hold the Tour de France.

Graphic designers Thomas and Jane Wynn bought a trendy motor scooter three years ago for weekend joy rides; now they use it for their daily commute from Parkville to their jobs at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in East Baltimore. Jerry Hobbs Jr. and his father ride their new scooters over Carroll County's back roads from Taneytown to their furniture restoration business in Westminster. And restaurant consultant Steve Largent buzzes around the Baltimore area, from the Inner Harbor to Dundalk to Woodlawn, on a Chinese-made scooter while his 15-miles-to-the-gallon Ford pickup sits in the garage.

What: Eight days of animal shows, exhibits, rides, contests, entertainment and demonstrations. When: Aug. 4 through 11, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Where: Howard County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairground Road, West Friendship. Take Exit 80 off Interstate 70. Admission: $5 for guests ages 10 and older, $2 for those ages 62 and older, free for children younger than 10. Parking: Free at the fairgrounds. Information: www.howardcountyfair.org, or 410-442-1022. Daily highlights Amusement rides and games begin at noon Aug 4, at 11 a.m. Aug. 11 and at 1 p.m. every other day. A petting zoo and education center is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Chain-saw carving, pig races and performances by magicians and clowns happen throughout the day. Saturday, Aug. 4 (Preview Day)

The traditional Savagefest, being held at Carroll Baldwin Hall in Savage, features a car show, artisans, food, performances by the band Fixation and singer Iris Hirsch, pony rides and other treats today. A dunk-tank and car-bash are planned for youth and adults. A choo-choo train is to be available for small children and there are to be rides for the older crowd. Hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. All rides are $1. Information: Jennifer Weaver, 301-980-1439. Library to screen Gore documentary The Savage branch library, 9525 Durness Lane, will present the film An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary about global warming, at 7 p.m. June 27 A discussion is also planned.

I heard one of my fellow Americans dismiss Baltimore's set-aside of parking spaces for car-poolers as "social engineering." Carpooling is no place for government, the man said, and no one should get special privileges for sharing a ride to work. "That's social engineering," he said. Not the first time we've heard that phrase. "Social engineering" is a favorite of those who see Frankensteinish tinkering wherever government, the courts or science recognize a problem and dare to present remedies.