A birthday cake was cut yesterday, and a couple of fireworks shows are on the horizon, which means that the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the naming of Pittsburgh is about to shift into high gear.

The first in a series of events over the next couple of weeks is a three-day fan festival at the Heinz History Center honoring champions, teams and stars from the city's rich sports history. The Federated Investors Parade of Champions starts Friday with a chance for fans to view trophies and assorted memorabilia accumulated by the Pirates, Steelers, Penguins, Pitt Panthers and a host of other teams.

In a bit of a twist, the fans will be the ones doing the actual parading, as they stroll through the History Center to view the special exhibits.

At a news conference yesterday to call attention to the events, Steve Blass, wearing a gold baseball cap with a black brim that he found in his attic, stood next to the 1971 World Series trophy that was touched by Roberto Clemente, the MVP of that seven-game series.

"I carried this thing off the plane," said Mr. Blass, the winning pitcher in game seven, "and Clemente grabbed it from me and said, 'This is mine.' And it was."

The festival sets up a six-stage bicycle race across Pennsylvania -- the distance has been recalibrated and is now 420 miles -- that begins Tuesday in Philadelphia and finishes up in Pittsburgh the weekend of June 28 and 29. The American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania presented by Highmark Healthy High 5 roughly follows the first road across the Pennsylvania mountains that resulted in the Forks of the Ohio being named "Pittsburgh" in 1758.

As part of the race, an event called South Side Celebrates 250 will be held from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, featuring family activities, entertainment and a fireworks display starting at 9:30 p.m.

"This is Pittsburgh. There has to be fireworks," joked Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, honorary co-chair of Pittsburgh 250, the umbrella organization coordinating all events related to the city's birth.

The race ends with an inner city circuit on Sunday, June 29, with the finish line at Stanwix Street and the Boulevard of the Allies.

At 1:15 p.m. on that Sunday, the Boulevard will be rededicated with full military honors. The rededication honors all veterans and U.S. allies on the 90th anniversary of the signing of the treaty that ended World War I, which at the time was called the war to end all wars.

In addition, the Three Rivers Regatta is scheduled for July 3 and 4 and will be held on the North Shore for the first time. Last year, the regatta was held at Station Square because of renovations being made at Point State Park. The regatta, now known as the "Roar on the Shore," concludes with a fireworks and laser display by Zambelli Fireworks on July 4.

More details on these and other events can be can be found at the following Web sites:

www.imaginepittsburgh.com

www.pghhistory.org

www.threeriversregatta.net