The Left Lane
Waikiki part of gala

In Waikik i, more than 20 bedecked garbage trucks, buses, ambulances, rescue craft and fire engines will join the Toy Run 2001 down Kalakaua Avenue.

The Toy Run of 3,000 motorcycles and 20 classic cars begins at the Hawai'i Convention Center, heads through the tourist main drag and ends at Kapi'olani Park.

Check out the TGIF section for parade routes.

Don't want to fret about parking? Couch potatoes can watch the opening night tree-lighting and parade live from 6 to 7:30 p.m. tomorrow on Channel 54. The parade will air on KITV-4, too, probably 7-8 p.m. after the local news.

Lessons of liberty

The White House has created a "Freedom Timeline" on its whitehousekids.gov Web site to highlight America's history as a beacon of liberty and freedom and to speak directly to children about the war on terrorism. The timeline is part of a five-part series on topics such as diplomacy and liberty.

It includes five stories, a vocabulary list, a quiz and a teacher's guide.

The site's "Lessons of Liberty" was conceived as an opportunity to bring America's students and veterans together to discuss the significance of Veterans Day and the values that America's veterans have fought to protect for more than 200 years.

Sept. 11 brought more poignancy to the project.