All hail the conquering hero! Michael Phelps was honored with a hometown pride parade in Maryland this weekend that was thrown in his honor. Pink reader Kerstin, who attended elementary thru high school with Phelpsie, was gracious enough to send in a few photos of Phelps from his parade (snapped by her dad) this weekend. Here are Kerstin‘s fun pics and some info about the Parade of Gold:

Thousands lined the streets of Towson, Md., Saturday afternoon to welcome their local Olympic heroes home, led by best-athlete-in-the-universe Michael Phelps. The Parade of Gold down York Road honored Maryland Olympians, Special Olympians and Paralympians. But the star was Towson’s Phelps, the swimming phenomenon and 14-time gold medalist. Mr. Phelps, 23, grew up a stone’s throw away from the parade route in the neighborhood of Rodgers Forge. He trained at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under Coach Bob Bowman and attended Towson High School. Towson boasts itself as partially responsible for his massive 6-foot, 7-inch wing span and ability to consume a whopping 12,000 calories a day while competing, not to mention his unmatched speed and stamina in swimming … Fans who had only seen images of Mr. Phelps on Olympic coverage, SNL, or the cover of Sports Illustrated caught a glimpse of the real thing as he rolled by in an open-top Hummer, shaking a clutched fist of victory. Swimming medalists Katie Hoff and Jessica Long were also spotlighted in individual cars while the remaining Maryland athletes greeted crowds from a flatbed float. Towson pulled out all the stops to make the Parade of Gold spectacular. Included in the parade were Ravens cheerleaders and mascot Poe, the Orioles Bird, marching bands from Milford Mill Academy, Loch Raven, Parkville, Towson and Dulaney High Schools, fire engines, antique cars, cultural and community groups and more … Mr. Phelps’ mother, Debbie Phelps, waved to fans, stepping out of the car occasionally to hug old friends. “His mom was a member of Phi Mu. Once a sister, always a sister,” said Becca Leder, a freshman at Towson University and a pledging member of the Phi Mu sorority. “His mom should come over and be like, ‘These are the girls you want to marry,’” sophomore Jessica Stein said. Both young women wore the black shirts with pink lettering of sisters in training for the sorority … “There is no better location than the birthplace of our national anthem to welcome Michael and all Maryland’s Olympians home,” Mr. O’Malley said.

Awww … you gotta love a hometown welcome like this. I’m sure that every single person in his hometown of Towson, MD is extremely proud that one of their own has reached new heights in Olympic glory. Shoot, I’m happy to take on some of that pride myself … Phelpsie studys and trains at the University of Michigan, which is where I went to graduate school so I can totally understand the feeling of prideful connectedness. Phelps is a good guy and he totally deserves all the love and accolades that he has been receiving since his stunning performance at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China this summer. I have to send out much love and thanks to Kerstin and her father for sharing their photos from this weekend’s Parade of Gold in Maryland.

[Source, thanks Kerstin]