Paintings by Michael Thrush, an exciting young Pennsylvania artist and photographs by Stephen Eastham, a local photographer who prints his own works, will be on display in the Doshi Gallery of the museum.

Both exhibits will be on display through February. For further information, call 233-8668. The hours of the museum are: Monday – Saturday, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm.

Conrad M. Siegel, Inc. consults on all types of employee benefits programs, including retirement plans, health and welfare plans and workers’ compensation. Since 1963, the firm has provided actuarial and employee benefits expertise to corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, professional associations, unions, tax-exempt organizations, joint boards and governmental units at the national, state and local level. The firm serves approximately 1,200 plans on a continuing basis.

Padgett Business Services offers quality financial reporting and tax consulting services to operators of small businesses in the area.

Organizations recently receiving grants from the BackYard Benefits "Kids at Christmas" program were: Boys & Girls Club (Education Program, Central Allison Hill Community Center (After School Program), Escape Center (Educational materials), National Civil War Museum (Youth Education Programs), Neighbors Who Care (Kids Christmas Program), Rejoice! (Teen Support Group) Shinning Light Thrift Shop (Fire & Violence Victims), and the cancer funds of Caitlin Hornung & Mark Evans.

Among others receiving BYB grants earlier in the year were: South Central PA Food Bank, Children’s Play Room, Samantha Liddick Trust Fund, Harrisburg Parks Partnership, and the Leukemia Society.

CD Warehouse has existing locations in Harrisburg’s Dauphin Plaza, Union Deposit Road, and Camp Hill’s Hampden Center, Carlisle Pike. Until recently these locations operated under the name of Disc Go Round. All three stores, now part of the CD Warehouse national network of 350 retail locations are locally owned and operated by Sound Duo, Inc., of Harrisburg.

Beginning in January, the council will increase its current $1000 scholarship to $2500 annually to a recipient of the Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. The scholarship will be renewable for up to three years while the recipient attends college for a total scholarship of $10,000.

Additionally, two scholarships of $1,000 each, also renewable for up to three years, are now available. Since the inception of the scholarship in 1991, the council has awarded more than $23,000 to nine Girl Scouts toward their higher education.

The deadline for applying is February 1, 2000. For more information or to receive an application, please call Katie Hammaker at the Girl Scout Office in Harrisburg, 233-1656 or 1-800-692-7816 extension 256.

For more information about these events call 730-8700 or 232-4700.

Campaign Chair Marion C. Alexander, said "I am so pleased to be standing here today announcing this new to the community. Even in the face of major changes in our base of contributors, individuals and businesses in our community increased the amount they gave to help people who really need help right here in the capital region. I am very proud to be a resident of this community knowing that the people who live here truly care about one another.

The United Way of the Capital Region offers many programs and services to the community, including volunteer opportunities. For more information regarding the organization, visit the United Way’s website at uwcr.org or call 255-1010.

"As we enter the new millennium, the 2000 Farm Show provides a unique venue to witness both the latest in agricultural technologies and time-honored traditions," Hayes said.

This year’s show includes many features and events for competitors, visitors and their families."

Premiums totaling $263,841 will be distributed to nearly 10,000 winners during the 2000 Pennsylvania Farm Show. This year, the show again features a very large dairy show and a variety of livestock competitions. Poultry exhibits once again will join the many agriculture exhibits at this year’s show.

Additions to the Farm Show will include an enlarged butter sculpture, the introduction of a cheese sculpture, and an agricultural biotechnology program sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association. The daylong program, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at the Agriculture Building, is for non-specialists and will concentrated on various aspects of agricultural biotechnology and their potential contributions.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show opens on Saturday, Jan. 8, and is free and open to the public. There is a $5 parking fee per vehicle in the Farm Show parking lot, which is along Cameron Street, just off Interstate 81.

The Allied Arts Fund’s goal for the coming year was developed as a result of its annual Allocations and Venture Fund process. Held during the last week of October and first two weeks of November, the process involved over 80 dedicated volunteers from the region’s business and cultural communities who served as Allocations panelists. After reviewing detailed applications and hearing formal presentations from the Fund’s various affiliated arts organizations, the panelists made educated funding recommendations for the coming year.

In its 14-year history, the Allied Arts Fund has raised over $7.6 million for the arts of Central Pennsylvania. All contributions made to the Fund’s Campaign 2000 are tax-deductible and will benefit 44 of the region’s leading arts and cultural organizations. 100% of all dollars raised during the united campaign stay in Central Pennsylvania.

For additional information on the Allied Arts Fund’s upcoming united campaign and to learn how you can play your part for the arts of Central Pennsylvania in 2000, please call 233-1694.

Reed Announces Initiatives Harrisburg, PA- Mayor Stephen R. Reed announced three major initiatives to clear blighted properties from various city neighborhoods, plant trees along major city corridors and conduct additional neighborhood park improvements.

The City will demolish dozens of seriously blighted structures, abandoned by irresponsible absentee owners who refuse to take them down, under a $1.1 million program that represents the largest single effort conducted at any one time in city history.

Reed Said: "Due to the peculiar provisions of various federal and state laws, it is not possible to conclusively force all absentee owners to demolish structures that are too far deteriorated to be restored and which, in many instances, actually represent present or foreseeable safety hazards by their structural unsoundness. This program is yet another step in the city’s efforts to deal with this continuing issue."

The Mayor said that the targets of the program will be those worst instances of blight involving structures that would now cost far more to restore than what they would be worth when completed or buildings that are structurally unsound and may eventually include new facilities and amenities. The latest work is the next stage of this on-going effort.

Funds also in include the costs of acquiring upgraded or replacement parks maintenance equipment and apparatus. The Parks Maintenance staff, which once numbered over 100 persons 20 years ago, now involves 18 persons to take care of an even larger park system. They are able to do so at a higher level of performance and quality because of having the latest technology and equipment at their disposal, which the funding is aimed at sustaining, Reed said.

Legislation to appropriate the funds for these initiatives has been submitted to City Council for approval.

"These checks, and the ones that soon will follow, represent the first drought-related cash assistance to reach Pennsylvania farmers," Secretary Hayes said.

To date, 82 checks totaling more than $92,000 have been mailed to eligible farmers to partially reimburse them for the cost of purchasing hay to feed their livestock. These will be followed by rebates to nearly 4,000 eligible farmers, who have returned the required documentation such as receipts, to the "Department of Agriculture, showing proof of purchase.

Gov. Ridge has signed into law Senate Bill 1135- the largest state aid package for drought-stricken farmers in the nation this year. The law makes available $82.6 million in state funds: $60 million in grants for eligible farmers; $5.6 million to subsidize crop insurance costs for farmers; $2 million to reimburse commercial orchard and fruit-tree nursery owners for losses from the Plum Pox Virus; and $15 million for flood relief.

Representatives form all departments within Hersheypark, Hersheypark Arena/Stadium and ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park will be available to answer questions and discuss employment opportunities. Representatives from Hershey Resorts Human Resources Department will accept applications for the Hotel Hershey, The Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey Highmeadow Campground, Hershey Nursery, Hershey Laundry & Textiles, Chocolate Town Café, and Hershey Central Reservations.

The Hershey Lodge & Convention Center is located on West Chocolate Avenue and University Drive in Hershey; look for Job Fair Signage.

For additional information, call Hersheypark Human Resources at 717-534-3326, or Hershey Resorts Human Resources at 717-534-8838.