lan she's san francisco's iron lady, an international sim above strength and inknow vacation, and she's sell operating her birthday in a big way. right now we're exactly halfway into the bridge's 12-hour anniversary batch. as many as 5 pun thousand people -- 500,000 people are expected to join in the celebration. cars will be blocked from the bridge later tonight. we have team coverage of the celebration. them to mass roman and sergio quintana are life. sergio? >> so, it was actually kind of a gray day earlier in the morning, and so lots of people were hoping that finally the sun would come out, and it did,

pretty much on cue just around noon or so. and the celebration kicked off. >> in its 75-year history, more than a billion cars have corrode over the golden gate bridge, but this condition vertible maroon cadillac is one of the first. >> built in 1937, ordered before the opening of the golden gate bridge. >> and bob schultz was the proof. the car ferried san francisco mayor and the california governor on opening day. on this 75th anniversary, nearly everyone has a story about their connection to the bridge. dick has family history. his grandfather, al, was one of the rifters -- riveters who assembled the brim. >> they were tough as nails. >> for some, their connection is on the anniversary. sandy came from minneapolis to see this moment. >> all my boys on the ship today. >> her young e member is on the deck of the nimitz and her

oldest son and husband were along for the ride. the carrier's arrival added to the parade of ships and created a movementing moment. >> whan a manmade beautiful bridge so historic, and also for our country, a symbol of the him nimitz coming in. >> for tourist it's a beautiful backdrop for a is in picture, it's a wonder of art deco design, and for in it's september my a reliable way to got across the bay. >> it's a big deal for some people, but for some it's just a bridge. >> reporter: i was talking to an engineer who broke it down nicely for me. he says, it is celebrated because it is such a graceful design but the golden gate bridge is enduring because it's a solid design that does its job and gets people safely across the bay every single day.

at crissy field, abc-7 news. >> alan: the crowds have been light but organizers expect them to grow. traffic has not been a operable hem but it's growing worse. here's a live picture over one of the trouble spots. let's bring in the mass roman to fill us in. >> reporter: we're on almost bard and pierce, and you're right, things seem to be going fairly well. traffic is kind of like, sort of like a normal weekend day, and people have been taking the advice of not coming into the city in cars-but that's not true in all areas. let's look from sky 7hd. what you're seeing are the people who decided to take a chance and drive into the city or those passing through and getting stuck in the crush from the anniversary bridge festivities. traffic is moving slow going towards the bridge and on 19th

19th avenue from geary to the bridge. almost bard is slow as you get up past the palace of fine arts and approach the span. we spoke to tom and oscar who decided mass transit or walking is better than driving today or tonight. >> i didn't want to but i had to do that. so we parked at the hotel and left the car there for the weekend. >> not driving at all this weekend? >> no. >> why not and. >> i don't want to be stuck in traffic. >> if i wanted to drive over, but not today. another time but not today. too many people. >> now, as a reminder, all the presidio gates are closed to regular traffic. no parking at the presid, you're crissy field or the marina green and as alan was saying, ped yack walk away began to be closed at 4:00, and completely closed to pedestrians at 6:00, for the fireworks. traffic on the bridge will be stopped at 9:00 until 10:00 again. safety precaution for the fireworks.

and will open up after 10:00. people are being adviced not to come anywhere near the bridge because you're going to get stuck in traffic since the bridge will be completely closed for the hour. so more on what the traffic looked like at abc-7 at 11:00. reporting live in san francisco. >> alan: some of the events underway right now at crissy field, there are live bands and dancing until 11:00. there's also a future fair featuring innovative technologies until 7:00. at marina green, music and dancing until 10:00, and you can buy official 75th anniversary merchandize. the highlight of the evening will be the fireworks, scheduled for 9:30. the best viewpoints will be along the north shore. the fireworks will not be visible along the embarcadero but the weather should cooperate. for more on that, let's talk to leigh glaser. >> leigh: the low clouds and fog cleared out back to the coast in the last few hours. this is our fog forecast.

9:00 this evening, we continue with the west wind, 10-15 miles-per-hour, and you'll notice it keeps the low clouds and fog the south of the golden gate bridge, which is good news. all of this will race back in overnight but we'll have a nice window of opportunity for the fireworks. if you're packing your kids or yourself, cool, breezy, temperatures in the mid-50s. >> alan: now for some historical perspective on the bridge. the 'decision to build was far from unanimous. there was a decade of opposition. the sierra club opposed it for esthetic reasons. ferry owners d'didn't want to lose business. rankers didn't want to pay the taxes taxes and the military didn't want tote block the harbor if member bombed it. the color of the bridge, international orange, was selected by an east baying a -- east bay architect to can

contrast with the water and the hills. >> there's also a dark side have history. 1558 pairs of shoes were laid out at crissy field representing the number of people who died in suicide jumps from the bridge. no other site in the world comes close to that number. plans to add a suicide bare jerry steel net below the deck was approved four years ago but it's still lacks funding. >> as for the other bridge, we're covering this weekend, caltrans says construction work is on schedule at the dumbarton bridge. it's closed nor the weekend, undergoing seismic upgrade. at news conference, spokeswoman says the project is a third finished. just completing the installation of an expansion joint. all work should be done by the scheduled re-opening time at 5:00 a.m. on tuesday. >> still to come here on abc-7. silicon valley bar code caper. an enginous but illegal trick to cut the price of expensive

children's toys. >> the memorial day absolute to the screaming eagles from the only city to say thank you after vietnam. >> as we look out over the great golden gate, we'll find out what the weather has in store for us

>> the witness question to of one of the pilots killed on philadelphia has -- killed on 9/11 died. she became a powerful crusader

to keep his memory alive. she believes her husband and the passengers prevented terrorists from crashing crashing into u.s. she died in her sleep at the age of 52 in colorado. from mountain view, a abc-7 followup report. a successful technology executive is facing charges of ripping off local toy stores. here's the great lego caper. >> police say it is a war complex, the building blocks this time include a 47-year-old silicon tech executive, home computer and printer, and lots of legos. >> this will be our first tech executive in a lego case. >> reporter: investigators say the big-time tech vice-president who lives in this gated multimillion dollar home used his love of lego and computers to rip off target stores. this is him captured on store

surveillance cameras with competencesive lego sets in the card. detective is say he detect a bar code switch by putting his own bar code stickers on boxes to pay less, 249 set for just $49. police photos from a search of his home showed dozens of home made bar codes neatly organized and stacks and stacks of brand new lego sets. >> certainly looks like an ongoing enterprise, and to think that we caught him -- the only five times he ever did this would be difficult to believe. >> legos can make an adult do strange things. i made this almost certainly award winning stop motion lego movie with my son. prosecutors say the man spent his spare time on a i have toking ebay business where he sold lego items for roughly

$30,000. the man has refused to comment, he is pre on bail, facing felony forgery charges. not child's play. >> alan: coming up next, the tropical storm that spoiled a lot of people's plans on the east coast. and another look from sky 7hd at the 75-year-old iron lady. c

>> alan: this is the city of san mateo's memorial day salute to the screaming eagles. the san mateo adopted the unit in 1968 which later became the only city in america to hold a welcome-home parade after the vietnam war. this year marks the 40th 40th anniversary of that parade. tuesday david from coog emceed the event and tuesday is his birthday. he knows his stuff. >> croat the nation, tropical storm beryl is barreling towards the east coast. this is a picture from florida where beaches have been evacuated and memorial events have been cancelled. beryl is expected to bring drenching rains and winds up to 65-miles-an-hour. not dwight hurricane strange, and quite the contrast what we're sear heath in the bay

area. for more on that, let's go to leigh glaser. leigh? >> leigh: we are flying the skies with 7hd. behind me the beautiful magnificent golden gate bridge. we're seeing clear sky now over the sand. it was a different story this morning with the low clouds and fog all -- obviously above, but so many people just takinged a advantage today, getting out and enjoying, whether it's cloudy or not, walk across the bridge on its birthday. this morning, low clouds and fog. some mississippi and drizzle. but just in the last few hours, you'll notice a nice northwest wind has picked up and just helped to just scour out a lot of the low cloud and fog. ocean beach, we still have a little bit of cloudiness. our fog forecast -- go back that right now -- 9:00, here's this nice little window, the golden gate bridge here. nice window. most everything will stay off

the coast. maybe a little patchy low cloudiness, but i think we'll have enough of a break that they'll be able to get the fireworks off. after the midnight hour, and early tomorrow morning, the low clouds and fog will race back into the bay and move inland so tomorrow morning, get ready for low overcast, maybe mist and drizzle. here's the forecast if you're going toó.. the festivities tonight. 9:00 to 10:00, patchy low clouds, cool and breezy, temperature in the mid-50s. take the wrap. westerly wokens 15-20 miles-per-hour. it's mild right now. 74 in antioch. san francisco, 56. cool there. 65 in los gatos, and 64 in san jose. we'll continue with the low clouds. they'll spread inland overnight. below normal temperatures for the nest few days, and then get ready for wednesday, thursday, even into friday, when temperatures inland will warm back up close to 90 degrees. kind of where we should be this

time of year. lows tonight, 54. concord, 58. high pressure continuing to build in. it's not real strong. won't be for the next couple of days. we'll see a little more sunshine, even the coast may see a little more sunshine tomorrow and tuesday, but temperatures are still going to remain a little bit below normal for next couple of days. by wednesday and thursday, the high builds in, and that's when we start to warm up. here's a look at the highs for the holiday. 75, antioch. 7 3-rbgs livermore. san francisco, 60. the north bay, santa rosa, 73. napa, 72. son jose, 70. gilroy, 74. breezy for watsonville. 76 degrees. >> ahead the next seven days, cool start on monday and tuesday. temperatures inland still also below normal in the mid-70s. mid-to upper 50s at the

beaches. dense overcast in the morning hours. and then check out wednesday, this, friday. temperatures are mid-to-upper 80s, touching on 90 degrees by thursday and friday inland. even the beaches on thursday warm up into the mid-60s. >> alan: sounds great. let's talk to shu. a memorial day tradition at the brickyard? >> mike: like me driving home. the 9 # running of the 500 was a wild ward and the brickyard making it tough on the drives, dodging tires. a record number of lead changes. that and your checkered flag next.

>> alan: back here at shu. looking at the video into the break. that was close. >> mike: it was like that the entire day. the greatest spectacle in racing, indy 500 was just that. a record 35 lead changes among ten different drivers. dan wheldon's car driven around the track in remembrance of the 2011 indy 500 champ who died in a fatal accident last year. check this out. mike conway pits. hilts his crew member, damaging his right wing. leaves the pits. hits the wall as a result of his affected wing, taking out will power, who won the previous three races coming in. unbelievable. a wild day. dixon passes franchitti. the 30th lead chase. franchitti takes the lead on the final lap.

sato spins out trying to pass franchitti, ashley judd knows about that, and in victory lane franchitti honored his friend dan wheldon with the white sun grasses and fond memories. >> to be on the trophy to say, dan, that's more important. >> what a day at indy. >> the quaints staged a hit parade against the marlins and all came from one guy, melky cabrera. tired of losing to the marlins and he says, i got this. unloads. top first. solo shot. fourth. 1-0 giants. so sixth. 2-1. cabrera was 4-4, 73 hits on the season. motor in -- most in the majors. also scored two bases. scored all three run, the third off this buster posey rbi

double. that was enough for cain and he was abel. giants get a split in miami with the 3-2 victory. >> alex rod secretion the yankees continue to pound the a's. andruw jones crushes this one off malone. 1 or yanks. stays that way until the 7th. teixeira lines one into the alley. rbi double. it's 2-0. mean while, kuroda dominated the ace, a's fall to the yankees. 2 or the final. >> down on the farm, gaffney and jake stewart homer. stanford defeats cal in the season finale but the bears take 2-3 in the series. >> let's serve 'em up. second major of the year in tennis, the french open. roddick facing nicholas. the momentum was short-lived.

fourth set, roddick, serve broken for the seventh time that's he winner. nicholas advances. >> venus williams takes on -- slow start for venus. the overshead smash. venus rebounds in a big way in the second. slamming down a winner of ore hen. takes that set to the third, match point, and the return into net. venus was on in three sets. >> we'll tee it up at 6:00. the college w

lan coming up in half hour at 6:00, the golden gate bridge celebration has history repeating itself. meet three generations making it a family tradition. a bank with a heart? a foreclosure story where the bank gives a family their house back. join us at 6:00. that does it for abc-7 news at 5:00. captioned by closed captioning services inc. we'll leave you with the pictures from sky 7hd, the celebration taking place all day, followed by a huge fuchs display at 9:30. we'll be back at 6:00. thanks for watching.