United States Celebrations

In the category of social notes from all over, mark your calendars for an event that even former New York Parks Commissioner Tom Hoving, creator of some of the wildest '60s "Happenings" in Central Park, could not have thought up: The Statue of Liberty of New York and the statue of Christopher Columbus of Barcelona are going to get married. They've set the date, early 1992, to coincide with the 500th anniversary later that year, on Oct. 12, of you know what.

Under the shadow of America's war on terrorism, thousands gathered across the country Monday to pay tribute to the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of unity and equality. In Atlanta, a standing-room-only crowd of about 2,000 packed Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the civil rights leader once preached. King, assassinated in 1968 at age 39, would have turned 73 last Tuesday. "I can't help but think how Dr. King would be pleased at how we've come together since Sept. 11," said Sen.

Martin Luther King Day observances turned violent Monday when police, clad in riot gear, clashed with thousands of demonstrators protesting a Ku Klux Klan rally on the state capitol steps. Three police officers were injured by rocks and bottles and at least five protesters were treated at Denver General Hospital, said police spokesman Det. Dave Metzler. Police said they arrested 21 people, including six juveniles.

When the famous crystal ball is hoisted to its perch atop One Times Square on New Year's Eve, the traditional sounds of cheering and noisemakers will be replaced with the somber tone of ringing bells held by thousands during an interfaith religious ceremony to honor the victims of Sept. 11. At the Strip in Las Vegas, the biggest party in the West is on.

National Asparagus Month, National Dairy Goat Awareness Week and National Prune Day are typical national commemoratives--days, weeks, months or even years that are recognized by the government to honor various people, events and causes. And all, in the eyes of some lawmakers, are superfluous, expensive and ripe for reform. "If we spent as much time on serious efforts to balance the budget, reform the nation's health-care system or target U.S.

When he crosses into California on the last leg of a grueling, eight-city U.S. tour, anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela will become the star attraction at mass rallies inside sports coliseums, at elegant fund-raisers and on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall.

John McElroy is a silver-haired scholar who has spent countless hours of the past two years in the grip of a thoroughly improbable idea. It came to him one day out of nowhere and won't let him be. It involves stately redwood trees, visions of world harmony and Christopher Columbus. When the 500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America was still a few years away, McElroy, an English professor at the University of Arizona, began wondering how it would be celebrated.

When the city fathers of tiny Madison, Minn., decided to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution and the preeminent role played by their namesake, Founding Father James Madison of Virginia, they immediately thought of Lou T. Fisk.

In joyful, dignified ceremonies, the "golden door" through which 12 million immigrants entered the United States was reopened at Ellis Island on Sunday. Trumpets sounded, a military band played and 49 new Americans were sworn in. Guests sipped Champagne and Vice President Dan Quayle cut the white ribbon to open the restored Great Hall as an immigration museum.

Five former American hostages--heralded as "brave and wonderful men"--stood beside President and Mrs. Bush on Thursday as Bush illuminated the national Christmas tree and officially ushered in the holiday season. "On behalf of our loving country I say to them . . . , welcome home," Bush said before a large crowd that had gathered on the Ellipse, the broad expanse of lawn behind the White House, for the annual lighting ceremony.

President-elect George W. Bush, in remarks commemorating the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said Monday that his new job will demand that he "listen not only to the successful, but also to the suffering." "I will remember the promise etched in this day," he said as he paid a brief visit to an elementary school in a poor area of Houston. For Bush, the visit to Kelso Elementary School offered more than an opportunity to honor the slain civil rights leader.

Andrew Young celebrated Martin Luther King Day on Monday by urging Americans to put the divisiveness of the election behind them and accept George W. Bush as their president. He also urged Bush to avoid his party's "polarizing instincts."

Five decades have passed, but retired U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas J. McGowan can recount that hellish day in 1945 as if it were exploding before his eyes. On Jan. 17, the platoon leader stood his ground as hundreds of German troops advanced on the town of Oberwampach in Luxembourg, about 175 miles from Paris. After ordering his men to retreat, McGowan, a member of the Army's 90th Infantry Division, called in artillery to stop the panzer tanks and the SS soldiers.

Decrying the Confederate flag as a symbol of slavery and racism, about 46,000 people marched to South Carolina's Statehouse on Martin Luther King Day to demand that the banner be taken down. They also said the slain civil rights leader should be honored with a permanent state holiday. South Carolina state workers now can take off the King holiday or another of their choice, including several tied to Confederate anniversaries.

What if they gave a New Year's Eve party and the whole town came? Basically, that's what has happened here since 1976, when the country's first "First Night" celebration was staged. The tradition took hold, so much so that this city of about 600,000 residents expects 2 million people to show up for First Night 1999.

What if they gave a New Year's Eve party and the whole town came? Basically, that's what has happened here since 1976, when the country's first "First Night" celebration was staged. The tradition took hold, so much so that this city of about 600,000 residents expects 2 million people to show up for First Night 1999. And following Boston's lead, more than 250 communities in the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand have adopted the idea.

It was dark, late and cold, but Kim Watrous and three of his buddies would not budge from their post on a dirt shoulder along Cactus Avenue early Sunday morning. The four Vietnam veterans had come to the gate of March Air Force Base outside Riverside with a clear purpose in mind. "We wanted to let these Marines know they're welcome home just as much as those who arrived yesterday," said Watrous, standing beside his red Chevrolet truck adorned with an assortment of American and military flags.

For three painful hours on Tuesday, Mary Hunter thought her Marine husband was dead. When military officials released an early list of American POWs turned over by the Iraqis on Tuesday, the name of Chief Warrant Officer Guy L. Hunter Jr. was not on it. "I just lost it--I thought the worst," said Mary Hunter, whose husband was among the first POWs captured when his military reconnaissance plane was downed in the southeastern Kuwaiti desert.

Ray Goff got an earful along with a mouthful when he showed up Thursday for a turkey dinner for the homeless at Atlanta Union Mission. A homeless man challenged the former University of Georgia head football coach about why he didn't make better use of Terrell Davis, a star running back for the Denver Broncos after an unremarkable Georgia career. "I did get a laugh out of that," Goff said.

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday unveiled a red-white-and-blue logo for her millennium project celebrating the United States' past and future with the approach of 2000. "It is designed to use our national symbols to force us to look toward the horizon, a horizon of promise and opportunity that we think really does represent what is the American spirit: always looking toward the future," she told a small group of reporters.