House Inn dancers will again participate in the Bermuda Day parade with hopes of breathing the carnival spirit back into the event.

"Over the past three years the parade has not been up to standard,'' the main man behind the first Bermuda Day parade in 1979 said. "I can't figure out why people are not participating the way they used to. Perhaps they have run out of ideas.'' But Mr. Aming, who has overseen the making of some 150 costumes during the last month, including 20 "elaborate'' designs, believes he has the remedy for the public's dwindling interest.

Using the heritage month theme "the People of Bermuda,'' Mr. Aming has had costumes made up depicting the Island's three main nationalities -- African, English, and Portuguese.

And he said as of yesterday some 100 people, including 70 children, had claimed a variety of the costumes, ranging from one depicting Queen Elizabeth II to others depicting pirates.

Most of the people wearing the costumes, designed by Mr. Aming's son Neville and Francis Chowdie, and sewn by Miss Lisa Stone, are sponsored by local companies.

Mr. Aming promised those sponsors and the general public would not be disappointed when they turn up at the parade on May 25.

"We will start with Queen Elizabeth and the British section, then have Portuguese kings and queens, then the African section which is the biggest,'' he said. "With the steel band providing the music and the elaborate costumes, I think this year we will bring back the spirit of the whole parade.'' Mr. Aming's group, which will be preceded by a long line of floats and majorette groups, promises to give the parade a grand finale.

"Since we are the last group, followed only by the gombeys and crowds who trail after us down to Bernard Park, we want to spruce up the finale,'' he said.

The parade is expected to have more participants than ever, Bermuda Library head and historian Mr. Cyril Packwood said, considering its theme.

"I think the theme will probably have more individuals involved because they can dress as people from the past which some of the themes have not lent themselves to in the past,'' Mr. Packwood said, adding that the amount of interest in the Bermuda Day event often depended on its theme.