Today And Tomorrow

Thirty-eight years ago, during the Haight-Ashbury heyday of West Coast pop music, a gleefully visionary guitarist, Jerry Garcia, couldn't contain himself. Already the creative force behind the Grateful Dead, the multitalented Garcia kept trying new instruments and forms. He even built a new band - the New Riders of the Purple Sage, nowadays better known as NRPS - around his fascination with one of the most difficult stringed instruments, the pedal steel guitar. "Not to idolize the man, but he was the hippest guy, the most musically dedicated person I've ever been around," says Buddy Cage, who replaced Garcia as NRPS steel player in 1971 and has been in the band, more or less, ever since.

Repaving in the area where a pedestrian footbridge collapsed after being hit by an improperly loaded truck will close two lanes of the Baltimore Beltway in both directions today and tomorrow, state highway officials said.Two lanes of the inner loop will be closed from 7 p.m. today to 5 a.m. tomorrow, according to highway authorities. Two lanes of the outer loop will close at 9 p.m. tomorrow and reopen at 5 a.m. Tuesday.Signs, arrow boards and orange traffic drums will be placed along the affected areas, and motorists are asked to stay alert and use caution when driving through the work zones.

A viewing for Martin E. "Mike" Curran Sr., 64, former Baltimore City councilman who died Thursday at Good Samaritan Hospital, will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow at Leonard J. Ruck Funeral Home, 5305 Harford Road.A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church, 5310 Harford Road.

This holiday schedule will be in effect in the Baltimore area this weekend. Closings refer to Monday except where otherwise indicated:Anne Arundel CountyCounty offices closedCourts closedLibraries branches closed today; branches and headquarters closed tomorrow. Trash removal no pickup; recyclable and yard waste collections will resume July 12. Households that would normally have curbside pickup tomorrow may place twice the usual amount, up to eight, 32-gallon trash cans, at the curb Thursday.

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic begins with qualifying today. But this year, when the main draw begins play Monday, the tournament will take on quite a different tone from that of years past.Instead of falling a week or two after Wimbledon, at the start of the hard-court season, it comes just two weeks before the U.S. Open, the Grand Slam event that begins in New York on Aug. 30.The date has a lot to do with the entry list. No. 2 seed and third-ranked Andre Agassi is back, as usual, to defend his tournament title.

Columbia Community Players. "You Can't Take It With You." 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Faulkner Ridge Neighborhood Center, 10518 Marble Faun Lane in Village of Wilde Lake, Columbia. Nine men and seven women, ages 20-65, are needed. Call 410-461-3830.F. Scott Black's Towson Dinner Theatre. "Grease." 7: 30 p.m. to 9: 30 p.m. today and tomorrow at the theater, 100 E. Chesapeake Ave. All roles open and paid. Prepare a song from the show or a 1950s song; accompanist provided. Be prepared to dance. Call 410-321-6595.

In an effort to help a 26-year-old Baltimore woman whose mother was shot to death outside Howard County Circuit Courthouse last week, an attorney sought yesterday to establish a fund to pay for medical, funeral and personal expenses.Police say Tuse S. Liu, 49, of Columbia is accused of shooting his estranged wife, So Shan Chan, 52, and her daughter Wing Sau Wu of Baltimore in the courthouse parking lot minutes after a divorce ruling. Chan was pronounced dead an hour later at Howard County General Hospital.

F. Scott Black's Towson Dinner Theatre. "Beauty & the Beast." 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow. Ages 18 and under only. Prepare a song and provide sheet music. All roles open and paid."Grease." 7: 30 p.m. to 9: 30 p.m. Oct. 25-26. Prepare a song from the show or a 1950s song -- accompanist provided. Also be prepared to dance. Both auditions are at the theater, 100 E. Chesapeake Ave. Call 410-321-6595.

Carroll Educational Television Channel 21 will broadcast special programs today and tomorrow."Frontiers of Medicine" will be shown at 8 p.m. today. Guests include Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. David Ho discussing their roles in medicine and the future of medicine.At 9 p.m. today, "The Power of Words" will feature George Lucas, Amy Tan and Rita Dove discussing communications and the power of words in daily living."Fathers Matter: Strategies for Engaging Fathers in Children's Learning" will be broadcast at 8 p.m. tomorrow.

Christmas trees will be picked up with the trash and recycled in Baltimore on the second collection day of each week.Residents also may wait to put out their trees until their designated Clean Sweep Day, when city crews collect bulk trash from neighborhoods, until Feb. 6.Christmas trees also may be taken to the parking lots at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Memorial Stadium today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Residents who bring their trees to...

Anne Arundel County offices: closed Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed Public schools: closed Trash: No pickup. Today's collection will be picked up tomorrow . Annapolis City offices: closed Transit: No service Parking meters: free Trash: No pickup Baltimore City City offices: closed Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed Parking meters: free Public schools: closed Trash: no pickup today; landfills and transfer...

This schedule reflects holiday closings for today and tomorrow. Anne Arundel County offices: closed Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed Public schools: closed today and tomorrow Trash: No pickup. Today's collection will be picked up tomorrow. Annapolis City offices: closed today and tomorrow Transit: No service today Parking meters: free today Trash: No pickup today Baltimore City City offices: closed today Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed today Parking meters: free today Public schools: closed today and tomorrow Trash: no pickup today; landfills and transfer stations closed Baltimore County County offices: closed today Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed today Parking meters: free today Public schools: closed today and tomorrow Transit: County ride closed today Trash: no pickup today Carroll County County offices: closed today and tomorrow Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed today through Saturday Public schools: closed today and tomorrow Senior centers: closed today and tomorrow Transit: closed today Trash: ask contractor Landfill: closed today Frederick County County offices: closed today and tomorrow Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed today Public schools: closed today and tomorrow Transit: no service today Trash: ask contractor Harford County County offices: closed today and tomorrow Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed today...

The annual running of the Preakness Stakes means many things to people. For horse-racing enthusiasts, it's the top 3- year-old thoroughbreds racing for $1 million in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. For gamblers, it's a chance to cash in on a spur-of-the-moment bet. But for infielders at Pimlico Race Course, it's an exercise in debauchery, where tens of thousands of partygoers are poised for just about anything but a horserace. "People seem comfortable with the fact that they'll probably never see the races," says Mark Rosencrantz, 27, of Westminster, who has attended Preakness for the past three years.

Marylanders might see more flakes in the air today, but the National Weather Service said most of the latest Eastern snowstorm will stay well to our south. The real weather news is the bitter cold arriving late today and tomorrow. "With winds 10 to 20 mph out of the west-northwest [Sunday], wind-chill values will be in the teens. It's going to feel a lot colder than the already cold temperatures we're going to have," weather service meteorologist Rick Winther said. The arctic cold sweeping across the country is sending temperatures into the single digits or lower in many areas, promising bitter cold for both National Football League conference playoff games tomorrow in Green Bay, Wis., and Foxborough, Mass.

Dance performance -- The Anne Arundel Community College Dance Company will present "Escape from Reality" at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow in the Pascal Center for the Performing Arts at 101 College Parkway, Arnold. Admission will be $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and AACC employees and $5 for AACC students. 410-777-2457 or www.aacc.edu/dance/aaccdancecompany.cfm.

This schedule will be in effect in the Baltimore area: Anne Arundel County offices: closed today and tomorrow Courts: closed today and tomorrow Libraries: closed today, open tomorrow Senior centers: closed today and tomorrow Public schools: closed today and tomorrow Trash removal: No trash, recycling and yard waste pickup today. Today's pickups will take place tomorrow, and tomorrow's pickups will be done Saturday. Annapolis City offices: closed Parking meters: free Bus service: no service today, regular schedule tomorrow Trash removal: No trash, recycling and yard waste pickup today.

Catch Neil Young live for his Chrome Dreams II tour. Don't miss the chance to hear one of the most influential singer/songwriters, who began his solo career in the late 1960s. Young performs at 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow at DAR Constitution Hall, 18th and D streets Northwest, Washington. Ticket prices are $67 to $157. Call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.com.

ASO concert -- The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra will present Masters of Melody, the next concert in the Lexus Classic series season, at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis. The concert will be led by director Jose-Luis Novo and will feature pianist Jon Nakamatsu and Dan Visconti. Admission is $34 to $44 for the general audience and $10 for students younger than 25 with identification. 410-263-0907 or www.annapolissymphony.org.

Halloween performance -- The Ballet Theatre of Maryland will present The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at 1:30 p.m. today and tomorrow at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis. Included will be a costume contest, refreshments and prizes. Tickets cost $43 for adults, $36 for seniors, $23 for students and $18 for children younger than 10. 410-263-8289 or www. marylandhall.org.

INSIDE TODAY WHAT THEY'RE SAYING TODAY'S SUN COLUMNISTS This motorist may go mad What's truly, totally going to send me over the mental edge is the incessant beeping of my dear fellow drivers more specifically, those who engage in what I've come to call Unjustified Gratuitous Honking, or simply, UGH. Maryland baltimoresun.com/marbella No backlash for religious spoof Noodly madness makes barely a blip in Hampden. For whatever reason, it's a place where you can post a wacky billboard and make barely a ripple.