Preakness Celebration '98, Maryland's weeklong festival building up to the Preakness Stakes race Saturday, is under way. Today's events:

Sunrise at Old Hilltop. Pimlico Race Course opens its doors for a guided tour of the stable area and backstretch. 6 a.m.-9 a.m. through Friday. Free. Call (410) 542-9400.

Preakness Frog Hop. Frog-jumping contest at Virginia S. Baker Patterson Park Recreation Center, 2601 E. Baltimore St. Noon. Free. Call: (410) 396-9177.

Lee's Ice Cream Banana Split Stakes. Dig into Baltimore's largest ice cream sundae. Noon, Harborplace Ampitheatre. Free. Call: 1-800-HARBOR-1.

Preakness Pub. Jockeys from Pimlico Race Course tend bar for charity from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Orioles Bar in the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel. Free admission; drink prices vary.

Bud Light Nights. WRNR presents Glenmont Popes as part of the Water Street happy-hour concert series. 5 p.m. $3 admission; 21 or over only.

Preakness Pro Boxing. Eight professional bouts begin at 8 p.m. Michael's Eighth Avenue, 7220 Grayburn Drive, Glen Burnie. Doors open at 6: 30 p.m. Tickets: $35 ringside, $25 general admission. Call: (410) 766-7474.

For more information and to confirm times: (410) 837-3030.

Pub Date: 5/13/98