Cuba staged a massive military parade on Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1961 defeat of CIA-backed exiles at the Bay of Pigs.

President Raul Castro hosted the parade, which also marked 50 years since his brother Fidel proclaimed the socialist character of the Cuban revolution.

Raul Castro, the former head of Cuba’s armed forces before taking over the presidency from his brother Fidel, donned military fatigues for the occasion. He looked on with other dignitaries from a dais, waving and saluting the troops. There was no sign of Fidel Castro.

The parade opened with a brief speech by Maydel Gomez, president of the Federation of University Students, who said “young people will not fail to continue to support the socialist revolution.”

The first part of the parade was a “symbolic journey” throughout the Cuban military history, including a “Mambi” cavalry with 128 riders and a replica of the Granma yacht in which Fidel Castro and his followers arrived in Cuba in 1956.

That was followed by a review of 6,000 soldiers and a display of military vehicles, including armored vehicles, tanks, ground artillery, fighter jets, helicopters and air defense equipment.

“Long live Fidel! Long live Raul! Long live the Communist Party of Cuba!” a female announcer shouted, and particpants responded with shouts of approval.

The parade concluded with tens of thousands of young people “representing the new generations of Cubans and their commitment to the revolution led by Fidel Castro.”

The parade was held before the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba started Saturday afternoon. The congress was expected to set new political and economic goals for the island country.

In 1961 a CIA-backed force of Cuban exiles landed at the beaches bordering the Bahia de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) in Las Villas Province, 150 km south-east of Havana, in an invasion to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro, but was defeated by the Cuban armed forces within three days.

Rashan S. Michel, 36, was arrested and charged with one count of simple battery following the incident, Officer K.Y. Jones with Atlanta police told the AJC.

Michel, who told police he was owed money for suits purchased several years ago, hit Wilkins in the chest and also hit a security guard, Jones said. Michel, of Atlanta, has worked as an NBA and college basketball referee and previously owned his individual clothing store.

“The fan was promptly arrested and was taken into custody by the Atlanta Police Department,” Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said in a statement to the AJC. “At this time the Hawks have no additional information or comment regarding this situation.”

Wilkins, 51, serves as the Hawks’ vice president and as a television analyst. Wilkins played for the Hawks from 1982 until 1994.

Wilkins was not seriously injured in the incident.

The wreck happened around 3:30 p.m. on Clarks Bridge Road near Honeysuckle Road, Col. Jeff Strickland with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office told the AJC.

A Chrysler Town & Country traveling southbound on Clarks Bridge Road apparently drove off the right shoulder with the road and then over-corrected, causing the van to travel across the center line, Lt. Paul Cosper with the Georgia State Patrol told the AJC.

The van drove into the path of a Range Rover, causing the SUV to strike the passenger side with the van, Cosper said.

All three adults inside the Chrysler died in the collision, Cosper said. Their names have not yet been released.

The driver of the Range Rover, Angela Jakel of Gainesville, and her twin 11-year-old daughters ended up transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Cosper said.

A man on the campus of a Gwinnett County middle school after hours removed his clothes and walked around the school building, Channel 2 Action News is reporting.

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The incident happened on March 17 at Summerour Middle School on Mitchell Road in Norcross.

The school sent an email to staff members about it but not parents.

Channel 2 learned about the incident from a parent who was upset that only staff members had been notified.

The man got out of his automobile, removed his clothes and walked around the school building, then returned to his automobile, the memo said.

He then drove along the bus lane in his car while nude as other cars picked up children from the baseball fields next to the school, in accordance to the letter.

School officials determined the incident only affected staff and there was no threat to students.

Gwinnett school police are working with Norcross police to find the man, Channel 2 said. Authorities said he was driving an older-model Toyota or Nissan.

Hawks coach Larry Drew and guard Joe Johnson said it would. Hawks forward Josh Smith and guard Jamal Crawford, along with and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, said it wouldn’t.

Orlando stands fourth in the East, and the Hawks are fifth. If they end that way, the teams will meet in the first round in the playoffs, with Orlando holding home-court advantage.

“I think it’s definitely a carryover,” Drew said before the fourth and final regular-season meeting. “We want to approach this game like it has true meaning, which it does. Win, lose or draw we have to come out and establish ourselves and compete and play hard.

“The last thing you want to do in a game like this is not play with an aggressive instinct.”

The Magic swept the Hawks by an NBA-record margin of 101 points in the East semifinals last season. The Hawks held a 2-1 advantage in the series this season before Wednesday.

“Even last year, we didn’t feel like they were 25 points [a game] better than us,” Crawford said. “We ended up a three seed last year. And this year we have had some good matchups. But everyone knows the regular season goes out the window.”

Easter is a holiday that is celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter marks the end of Lent. The date is set based on the first Sunday after the full moon which means it varies between March 22 and April 25 each year. The Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts have become part in the holiday celebration.