But the rain never fell on the seven inductees and a spirited, elbow-to-elbow crowd of nearly 16,000 spectators.

Police officers prevented a spirited crowd of leftist demonstrators, whose leaflet said they were protesting "militarism and imperialism," from coming too close.

As he walked within the spirited crowd, Calvin Mohammud found himself noticing corporate flags waving colorfully from the massive stone buildings.

The spirited crowd dominated one weeknight, but the place was devoted to diners on the weekend.

The Kirk's burger munch attracted a large and often spirited crowd, with discreet play.

At 11:15 P.M. several weeks ago, the place was packed with a spirited after-theater crowd.

After all, the spirited crowd had come here to usher in a new ownership era with a pre-game celebration of the Islanders' championship teams.

At the rally, a spirited crowd hoisted placards with slogans like "Hunters for Bush."

Some poets galvanized the spirited crowd, which greeted them with applause, whoops and outright yells.

For a moment, it sounded like one of the spirited crowds from this past spring.