EM123 LIFESTYLE [ SECTION E ] Sunday, June 20, 2010 8E QUICK TRIP FOURTH OF JULY ACTIVITIES Celebrate July 4 with patriotism, potatoes By LYNN EDGE will begin to line up for the start of For The Birmingham News Gatlinberg the parade, which steps off at celebrates the midnight on July 4. Oldisnew, I’ve given it a lot of thought and Stretching more than a mile in all I can figure is that people in Fourth of July with an all-day length, the parade will have more Gatlinburg must sleep for about a than 100 units. More than 100,000 finally, in week before the Fourth of July. schedule of events. people will line the streets to I’m pretty sure they don’t do any watch them go by. Hollywood sleeping on the day itself. I mean, Among the military personnel these people start with a parade at being honored as grand marshal midnight and don’t stop until the for the parade will be the 129th ho’s that behind last firework lights up the sky Army Band from Nashville, which those Foster sometime after dark that night. SPECIAL will march in the event. Vintage WGrants? And now they tell me they are military vehicles also will be part I can’t believe it, either, going to start gearing up with ebrate an Independence Day that on July 3 and the parade route will of the parade. but there she is, Raquel some “pre-parade” stuff as soon (literally) just won’t stop, here’s fill with pre-parade entertainers. The parade also will include as the sun goes down on the third. Welch, peering up at a what they have in mind. Not long after that, the marching So if you’re willing to try to cel- The streets will be closed late bands, floats and helium balloons See CELEBRATE Page 10E 20-something restaurant waiter in her latest com- mercial for the sun and reading glasses company. “See anything you like?” the waiter asks. Raquel Dedicated dad bringing up son smiles and looks him up and down. “I certainly do,” she to be intelligent, respectful man coos, and we can rest as- sured she’s not referring to the fried calamari. In case you haven’t no- ticed, old ladies are hot. Welch, who turns 70 in September, is reprising her role as Foster Grant’s spokeswoman more than four decades after she ap- peared in the company’s original sex-kitten cam- paign. She was gorgeous and mysterious then – a dish, you might say in the parlance of the time. And so she remains, perhaps with a little help from the doctor, but still, Raquel looks marvelous. Hallelujah, it’s about time. We Baby Boomers have discovered that youth isn’t everything, now that we’re ancient enough to be running things in Hollywood. Need another example? Two words: Betty White. Betty, of course, is no Raquel, but at age 88, she’s working at least as hard as Courteney “Cougar” Cox or Cameron Diaz. She stars in a Snickers com- NEWS STAFF/MICHELLE WILLIAMS mercial that made its de- Tarone Marquette and his son, Khari, dressed alike and arrived two hours early for Khari’s fifth grade graduation in May. “We but during the Super Bowl. believe in being on time,” Tarone said. “We just believe that if we get here early enough, we can feel the pulse and if we feel the Her fans staged a Face- pulse, we know what to expect.” book campaign that led to her hosting an episode of “Saturday Night Live.” If you turned on your TV Wednesday night, you may have seen Betty in the inaugural episode of “Hot in Cleveland,” TV Land’s first original scripted se- ries. The sitcom also stars A special bond three 50-ish actresses, in- cluding Valerie Bertinelli By CHANDA TEMPLE over his head and shelter and clothes,” of Jenny Craig and “One News staff writer said Tarone. “It’s not about one day. That Day at a Time” fame. child is with you 365 days a year.” hree days before Tarone Marquette Turn on “Law & Order: Tarone has been a single parent to Khari had quadruple bypass surgery in SVU” and you might catch for 10 years after Tarone and his wife split the recent episode that 2007, his 8-year-old son told him and later divorced. featured Jaclyn Smith, nine words that would stay with Ta- T Khari has Asperger’s syndrome, a form Morgan Fairchild and, rone. of autism. To keep Khari focused and mo- good golly, was that “Dad, I you promise I won’t let you die.” tivated, Tarone got Khari involved in 69-year-old Ann-Margret? At that point, Tarone knew he was going countless school and community activi- Yep, it was. to be OK. After surgery, his son was still Then there’s Helen Mir- ties, and enrolled him in after-school tuto- holding onto that promise. rials with a former teacher from EPIC. Ta- ren and Meryl Streep, both “Even when I came home from the hos- Tarone bought his own supplies and rone and the former teacher also help in their 60s and still draw- pital, he said, ‘Dad, I can help you with traffic cones to volunteer as a Khari prepare for annual spelling bee com- ing fans to the box office. this?’ ” said Tarone. And although she’s just 46, crossing guard at his son’s school, petitions. For the last three years, Khari Such dedication from Khari Marquette, a relative baby, actress Birmingham’s EPIC Alternative has won the city spelling bee, and for the now 11, continues to make Tarone, a single Jane Lynch is finally a star, Elementary School. past two years he’s won the district spell- father raising his son in northeast Birming- thanks to her break-out ing bee. This year, for the first time, he won role as snarky Sue Sylves- ham, smile. the Jefferson County spelling bee, Tarone Day, they will take it easy. ter on the network hit-com “It’s been a good journey with him. said. There are no specific plans — just the “Glee.” There has not been a bad day with him,” Khari said his goal is to win the state Gee. said Tarone, 62. “He’s been my energy.” two of them sharing their special bond like spelling bee and compete at the national Used to be, an over-40 Between Khari’s school activities and they do daily. spelling bee in Washington, D.C. actress couldn’t get ar- Tarone’s volunteer community efforts, the “Every day is Father’s Day when you rested in Hollywood (that two stay on the move. But, on this Father’s have a child to feed and give him a roof See FATHER Page 4E honor seems always to go to the Lindsay Lohans), but today, Julia Roberts, Tarone and his 42, still plays the ingenue. son, Khari, spend What’s next? Carol Bur- time together at nett, Mary Tyler Moore parks, restaurants and Julie Andrews in an- and Eastwood SEE PHOTOS other big-screen redo of Branch Library. ONLINE “Charlie’s Angels?” “This library was y See more images I would happily pay to discovered by of Tarone and see that. (Khari) when he Khari Marquette Sisters, it’s time to was in first grade at al.com, the throw away the stretch at McElwain. Ever online home of pants and muumuus. since then, he’s The Birmingham News: You’re hot, you’re sexy liked it,” Tarone and you’re not dead yet. photos.al.com/ said. birmingham- news Kathy Kemp’s column runs Sundays. E-mail: [email protected].