HOT CELEBRITY

Brad Skinner, a Connecticut Yankee here on business, thought he would spend his Sunday at the most famous tourist attraction in Dallas – the Sixth Floor Museum. Hundreds of tourists, residents, conspiracy theorists, history buffs and others were on hand to mark the 46th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination.

The multicultural crowd and the way people interacted with one another is what moved Skinner the most. It seemed a far cry from the 1960s, when Dallas was known more for its intolerance than unity. "I like to remember history, and it was good to remember the day," Skinner said from a pavilion in front of Elm Street. "It's a great tribute to his memory. It's also a reflection of how the city has changed since then."

There were no official events for the anniversary and officials said attendance at the museum was normal. A group called JFK Lancer held a vigil in the Plaza, just a few feet from the famed grassy knoll. At 12:30 p.m. organizers asked for a moment of silence. A few people wept.

One woman, perhaps overcome with grief or poor judgment, placed an infant in the middle of Elm Street on an "X" taped to the road at the spot where Kennedy was shot for the second time. Dawn and Stephen Kenny traveled to Texas from England. After a stop in San Antonio, they journeyed to Dallas.

"I am very moved that I'm here on this special day," Stephen Kenny said. "I'm going to take this experience with me for the rest of my life." Dawn Kenny said she was struck that the area is nearly unchanged from what it was the day Kennedy died. "Let's hope it never changes," she said. The Plaza was filled with people who say they believe there's more involved than the official account of the assassination.

Several men claiming to have witnessed it held impromptu lectures about what occurred, stopping at times to sign the mementos being hawked by bootleg vendors. One man held up a picture of a mob henchman who he said was Kennedy's actual killer. Nother man claimed to have talked to Texas Gov. John Connally shortly after he was shot along with Kennedy. Others, like Princess Holt, a nurse at Parkland Memorial Hospital, were there to watch or learn something. "We've been following this for years, and there's always some new evidence and information and nothing is done about it," she said as she walked the plaza with her dog, Otis. Cliff Lightfoot, a history teacher from Longview, brought his daughters with him to recognize the anniversary.

He noted the trees outside the book depository, now the Sixth Floor Museum, had grown taller. Otherwise, things were as he remembered during his trip to the site nearly 20 years ago. "It's like going back in time," he said. "This is history. It's where it all took place." Many people were in Dallas for other reasons and were surprised by the anniversary.

"I had no idea it would be like this," said Talita Caldas, a Brazilian woman in town to visit her friend, Micki Nguyen. "It's all so fascinating." Doug Hulbert, an administrator at Waltrip High School in Houston, brought some of the school's students to the museum and plaza. "It's important to educate kids about our history," he said. "Today is a great day to do it." Tina Blevins traveled to Dallas from just outside of Atlanta to show her 17-year-old daughter, Kelly, where Kennedy was mortally wounded."It's very sad," Blevins said. "It's a part of our history. It's important to never forget it."