Everyone knows that the Oakland Zoo is a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon, but what about Saturday evening? Oakland Zoo is hosting its wildest party of the year, Walk in the Wild, Saturday, June 18 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Guests will enjoy special tastings from some of the area’s finest restaurants, bakeries, breweries and wineries, while spending a special evening with Oakland Zoo’s animal residents. This food and spirits adventure also features a silent auction, dancing and live music from Masterpiece, as well as many other fun activities, like henna tattooing, a didjeridu player and more.

Now in its 12th year, proceeds from Walk in the Wild will benefit Oakland Zoo’s educational outreach programs. In 2004, 43,000 school age children benefited from Oakland Zoo’s educational resources.

Admission is $ 75 per person with your Oakland Zoo membership and $ 85 for non-members. Reservations are required and can be made online at http://www.oaklandzoo.org, by calling (510) 632-9525 or at Zoo’s Membership Booth. This event sells out each year, so make your reservations early! Due to the service of alcohol, no one under the age of 21 will be admitted.

Walk in the Wild is proud to feature the following fine vendors in this year’s celebration:

Aidell’s Sausage Company

Anderson Valley Brewing Company

At Your Service

Barclay’s

Bison Brewing Co.

Bread Garden Bakery

Buffalo Bill’s Brewery

C’era Una Volta

Chevys

Chouinard Vineyards

Compadres Bar & Grill

Concannon Vineyard

Drakes Brewing Co.

El Torito Restaurant

Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Great Harvest Bread Co.

Hopper Creek Winery

Horatio’s Restaurant

House of Chicken n’ Waffles

Italian Colors Ristorante

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Jack London Square Farmers Market

Jack’s Bistro

Jessos Seafood

Khana Khazana

Kincaid’s

La Bella Italia

La Bocca Fina Catering

Ladyfingers Bakery

Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Linguini’s

Little Valley Winery

Max’s Café

Mendocino Brewing Company

Miraglia Catering

Montibella Sausage Company

Mother’s Cookies

New Belgium Brewing

Pacific Coast Brewing

Palomares Winery

Panda Express

Raj’s Catering

Rick and Ann’s Catering

Rosenblum Cellars

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Skates on the Bay

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto

Steven Kent Winery

Tamas Estates

The Englander Sports Pub & Restaurant

Trader Joe’s Emeryville

Triple Rock Brewing Co.

Trumer Brauerei

Uncommon Grounds Coffee

Weibel Family Vineyards

Wente Family Estates

Westover Winery

Wild Women on Wine

World Ground Cafe

Wyder’s Cider

Oakland Zoo would like to thank our generous Walk in the Wild sponsors:

Bank of the West

Brown & Brown Insurance

The Chubb Group

KMEL 106 FM

STAR 101.3 FM

The San Francisco Bay Guardian

The Oakland Tribune

The award-winning Oakland Zoo is home to over 440 native and exotic animals. Nestled in the Oakland Hills, in 525 acre Knowland Park, the Zoo is located at 9777 Golf Links Road, off Highway 580. For more information please call (510) 632-9525 ext. 138, or visit our web site at http://www.oaklandzoo.org.

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For more than 40 years, Scholastic’s beloved Clifford The Big Red Dog(TM) has charmed and delighted children with his engaging adventures and “Big Ideas,” simple life lessons that help young children navigate their world. Now, Turnstile Entertainment has created a new way for families to experience the crimson canine in Clifford The Big Red Dog(TM) LIVE!. Following a successful two-month run at Dollywood’s KidFest, this BIG, OVERSIZED musical adventure returns to the road for a yearlong, 50+ city national tour, raising its curtain in Williamsport, PA on September 9. Destinations include Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; Camden, NJ; Denver, CO; Mesa, AZ; Washington DC; Boston, MA; Wallingford, CT; among others.

Featuring a brand new story, Clifford The Big Red Dog LIVE! brings the beloved characters from Birdwell Island – including Emily Elizabeth(TM), Cleo, T-Bone, Jetta, Charlie and, of course, Clifford – to an energetic spectacle for the whole family. There are even some new faces for Clifford to meet along the way.

“We’ve created a fun, smart, musical adventure that speaks to multiple generations through story, song and dance,” said Stuart Snyder, Turnstile Entertainment principal. “We’re proud of putting together quality live entertainment shows that can be enjoyed by the whole family.”

As Clifford and company emBARK on an effort to put on their own play on Birdwell Island, the “Big Ideas” that were introduced in the Clifford animated series airing on PBS KIDS will also take center stage. Clifford fans will love every minute, while seeing the value of teamwork and friendship when it comes to getting something done. With memorable songs and the characters kids love, Clifford The Big Red Dog LIVE! is sure to be a Big Red hit!

Martha Atwater, Vice President of Special Projects, Scholastic Entertainment states, “Kids who love reading Clifford’s books and watching the animated series will enjoy every moment of this production. The fun-filled story features Clifford and his favorite friends in a musical adventure on Birdwell Island. Big laughs, big fun and Clifford’s Big Ideas make for a memorable event with the Big Red Dog.”

Additional information regarding the show schedule can be found at http://www.scholastic.com/clifford.

Clifford The Big Red Dog(TM) is a “bone”afide children’s literary classic first written and illustrated by Norman Bridwell in 1963. In fall 2000, Clifford made his TV debut on PBS KIDS and the animated series rapidly has become one of today’s biggest hits. The TV show features the fun filled adventures of Clifford and his friends T-Bone and Cleo on dog-bone shaped “Birdwell Island.” The top-rated show has received numerous accolades, most notably multiple Emmy nominations three years in a row and the Humanitas Prize in the children’s animation category for a groundbreaking episode about disabilities. A spin-off chronicling Clifford’s “puppyhood,” Clifford’s Puppy Days?, premiered on PBS KIDS in fall 2003, and garnered its first Emmy Award in 2005 for Henry Winkler’s performance as Norville, Clifford’s city bird friend. In 2004, Clifford jumped to the big screen in his first theatrical release, Clifford’s Really Big Movie. A traveling museum exhibit, Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog, is touring nationwide at children’s museums and is currently at The Children’s Museum in Boston. Clifford’s two websites (http://www.scholastic.com and http://www.pbskids.org ) combined receive more than 18 million page views monthly.

About Turnstile Entertainment

Turnstile Entertainment, LLC is an entertainment company focused on the development of film/television/home video programming, media brands and family live productions and touring. Turnstile Entertainment owns rights to brands appealing to all members of the family, from toddlers to parents. The company’s brands include: Clifford the Big Red Dog LIVE! Baby Road Trip, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, and Ice Capades.

About Scholastic Entertainment

Scholastic Entertainment (SE) is the entertainment and media division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing and media company. A proven leader in the children’s entertainment landscape, SE ranks as one of the foremost producers of quality, family-oriented television programming, feature films, videos, and web sites, and an award-winning licensor and marketer of children’s properties worldwide. In addition to Clifford The Big Red Dog(R) and Clifford’s Puppy Days(TM), SE’s production credits include such popular television series as the Emmy award-winning series I SPY (HBO Family) and The Magic School Bus(R) (TLC); as well as Dear America(TM), The Royal Diaries(TM), Animorphs(R) and Goosebumps(R). SE’s new series, Maya & Miguel(TM), debuted on PBS KIDS GO! in October 2004. In the feature film arena, SE has produced the critically-acclaimed movies Clifford’s Really Big Movie, The Baby-sitters Club, The Indian in the Cupboard, Tuck Everlasting and The Mighty and is currently adapting the best-selling Philip Pullman trilogy, His Dark Materials, for the big screen with New Line Cinema. For more information, visit Scholastic’s Webby award-winning web site at scholastic.com.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children’s books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company’s Internet site, http://www.scholastic.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Burbank, CA — Real West Productions, in association with Paras Recordings, announces the May 14 release of COWBOY CLASSICS: PLAYING FAVORITES II by singer, songwriter and cowboy music legend Michael Martin Murphey. A follow-up to 2000’s Playing Favorites, which featured new versions of Murphey’s renowned pop and country hits like “Wildfire,” “What’s Forever For?” and “Carolina in the Pines,” this recording features twelve new, acoustic based versions of his most beloved and requested 19th Century traditional cowboy folk songs.

After a successful two decade career in pop and country, Murphey turned his creative attention in the early 1990s to the songs of the American cowboy- a roots music tradition that pre-dates modern country music by many years. Murphey dug in his boot heels against the Nashville establishment, fighting for a release of real cowboy songs. His first release, Cowboy Songs, sparked a revolution and revival for cowboy singers and poets, and all roots music performers. A respected Chicago Tribune critic, Bill Hurst, called it “a masterpiece- the album of the decade”, and Country Music Magazine hailed it as “one of the essential 200 albums of all time.” Original versions of each of the songs on COWBOY CLASSICS are available on his recordings Cowboy Songs Volumes 1 (1990) and Cowboy Songs 4 (1998). Several of the re-recordings feature additional verses that were left off Murphey’s originals. The new version of “The Streets of Laredo” has the original Irish lyrics to “The Bard of Armagh,” the source song for the cowboy adaptation. The collection includes “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” “I Ride An Old Paint,” “Whoopee Ti-Yi-Yo,” “The Old Chisholm Trail” and “Red River Valley.”

“Cowboy music has always been my cultural heritage, and it’s exciting to bring these stories to life in different settings,” says the Texas-born rancher. “In the years that I’ve been performing cowboy songs, there are many that have grown into crowd favorites, and this is a project I always thought of doing, bringing those together in a fresh new way. Cowboy songs of the 19th Century touch on something in the American soul. They’re not just about the Western region. They stand for what American spirit is all about- self-determination, individuality, independence, and pride in a tough job well done. Since September 11th, 2001, we are a cowboy nation chasing real outlaws, with a Texas President who knows how to lead a posse. Cowboy songs are the anthems of the American soul!”

Murphey will play many of these songs when he hosts the 16th annual Westfest, America’s #1 Art, Culture and Music Festival, in Colorado Springs June 27-30, 2002. Set against the backdrop of Pikes Peak (America’s Mountain), Westfest is a celebration of the music, art and culture of the west designed to educate the public about its rich history and relevance to the present day. Inspired by Buffalo Bill’s legendary Wild West Show of the late 19th Century, the festival was launched by Murphey to help promote western culture and positive attributes such as charity, integrity, service to others, and respect for open space. Entertainment and activities include: nationally known music stars, cowboy and mountain man camps, trader and trapper camps, fine arts exhibition and sale, western accessories and collectibles exhibition and sale, working ranch rodeo, cowboy poetry, mutton busting, celebrity trail rides, chuck wagon foods, an American Indian village, family entertainment, hands-on activities for children and a special rodeo for the handicapped.

Along with Murphey, this year’s musical performers include The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chelly Wright, Red Steagall, Riders in the Sky, Pin Monkey and Eddie Three Eagles. This year’s festival will also feature Best of the Real West, a showcase featuring Real West recording artists Joni Harms, Brenn Hill, R.W. Hampton, Cowboy Nation and Red Feather recording artist, Joanne Shenandoah. This event will be held in the Pike’s Peak Performing Arts Center, located on the festival grounds, on Friday, June 28.

For more information please contact Paras Group Publicity:

Christian Mella – Phone: 818-848-6300 – Email: cmella@parasgroup.com

Paras Recordings, 826 S. Victory Blvd., Burbank, CA 91502

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tucson, Arizona, – December 21, 1999 – Fitrex.com announces the formal launch of it’s online personal trainer and supplement store. Now, anyone in the world can have a personal trainer for free. Fitrex.com is the first web site to offer a fully customized workout program and supplement plan, tailored to each members fitness goals. This free site uses advanced technology to incorporate proven training methodologies from one of the most well known and respected strength coaches in the country. The result is a fully customized 12-week training program for people of any fitness level. Fitrex.com is backed by ISIS 2000, a subsidiary of “Our Group”, a multi-billion-dollar worldwide telecommunications conglomerate.

In conjunction with ISIS 2000, and Dan Wirth MA CSCS, Fitrex.com has created a workout engine that allows for mass customization and interactivity among millions of individualized workout programs. Unlike other fitness web sites that offer a limited number of “canned” workouts, every Fitrex.com workout program is unique and interactive. Fitrex uses a series of advanced proprietary formulas to instantaneously create a fitness program based on the member’s individual fitness level, goals, schedule, and type of equipment. Each program includes specific repetitions, sets and weight combinations. All Fitrex programs are extremely accurate to each individual and no two programs are the same.

Fitrex.com’s member base already reaches around the world. Workouts are custom tailored for specific equipment lines, gym availability, home use, or travel. Another unique ability of Fitrex.com is that members can interact with their programs by changing weights and swapping exercises without jeopardizing the effectiveness of their program. Fitrex allows members to adjust their workout schedule at any time. Also, Fitrex recommends supplement stacks to coincide with each member’s workout goals that can be purchased in the Fitrex online supplement store.

“We are the only company in the world able to provide members with this degree of customization and interactive ability. Fitrex enables our members to become completely proactive about their own health and fitness. What’s more, we do it for free” Said Marc Jablonski, CEO and founder of Fitrex.com.

Fitrex.com was founded by fitness industry pioneer Marc Jablonski, and Dan Wirth MA CSCS one of the nation’s most respected Division One strength coaches. Dan has designed training programs for numerous collegiate and professional athletes like John Fina of the Buffalo Bills, Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots, Damon Stoudamire of the Portland Trailblazers , 1st Team AP All American award winner, Dennis Northcut, and Gold medallist swimmer Chris Amman-Leighton to name a few.

Contact:

Marc Jablonski

Fitrex.com

(520)-917-4741

mjablonski@fitrex.com

Allan Mardon tells stories. But he’s not a writer – Mardon’s a painter.

Revitalizing a classic narrative technique similar to medieval tapestries, Mardon creates works of art that tell the history of families. Using what has been called “a fascinating primitive, naïve” style, Mardon creates a mosaic of vignettes that combine to tell a central story. The vignettes transcend space and time. They can combine landscapes from two or more family homes thousands of miles apart, show persons both as children and adults, illustrate cherished pets from long ago and even convey plans for the future.

“Man has recorded his life as art from the earliest times,” said Mardon. “Prehistoric cave paintings, Egyptian murals, and medieval tapestries all illustrate the lives of their subjects with passion and detail that words can never duplicate.”

Exhaustive research provides the base for each commissioned work. Mardon interviews family members and records important highlights and events. He collects photographs and tours homes, businesses and other key settings for the family. All the research is cataloged and compiled into a reference for the painting.

“The whole experience of being involved with Allan – from the moment I first called him, as a complete stranger, to the moment I uncrated ‘Golden Spike’ – was for me a delight,” said Peter Mosse, a New York patron who commissioned Mardon to paint about his passion – the railroads. “Allan’s tremendous artistic talent speaks for itself. But what I also saw first hand were his diligence in researching the story and his desire for perfection.”

Heroic-sized archival-quality canvases provide the foundations to the paintings. Custom frames are hand painted to become an integral part of the work and often display ornamental metalwork and inlays. Every care is taken to ensure the long life of the painting.

In his studio in the historic Barrio of Tucson, Mardon creates his massive canvases for both custom commissions and public galleries. His noncommissioned work usually explores the history, beauty and spirituality of North American indigenous cultures of bygone times, and Southwestern landscapes inspired by the desert. His paintings are in private, corporate and public collections across the world, including the Harry S. Truman Library, TIME Magazine, and the Ontario Gallery of Art. His works have been shown in galleries and museums across the country including Fenn Gallery, Santa Fe, N.M.; Vanier Fine Arts, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Art Concepts Gallery, Kirkland and Tacoma, Wash.; the Meyer Gallery, Jackson, Wyo.; and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyo.

Mardon has concentrated full-time on his fine art career since 1988, after decades as a successful freelance illustrator. His work was a staple of Sports Illustrated and TIME magazines. He created posters to promote the Olympics, the NBA and new stamps for the United States Postal Service. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, he completed post-graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh and the Slade School of Art at the University of London.

For more information about Allan Mardon and his work go to http://www.allanmardon.com.

White Sulphur Springs, Montana, December 9 2003–

The Exile is fictional autobiography of Thomas Francis Meagher (1823 – 1867) to be released December 10, 2003. Bank president Mike Grove, of the Bank of the Rockies felt that White Sulphur Springs, Montana, the Meagher County seat, was the perfect place to kick-off this remarkable book.

“I read reviews and decided this was a great chance to celebrate the county’s namesake,” Grove says. He contacted author Richard Wheeler and ordered 100 books. The December 10th autograph party will be in White Sulphur Springs Bank of the Rockies from 11:00 to 2:30.

Bank of the Rockies is the oldest bank in Montana, chartered in 1883. “We often support our local artists and history,” Grove stated. “In this case it was a natural. The bank even displays an original oil painting of Thomas Meagher that was commissioned by Meagher’s wife.”

Along with this is the fact that Bank of the Rockies has a branch in Livingston, Montana, Richard Wheeler’s home town. Grove has scheduled a second book signing for the Livingston branch on December 12th, 11:00 – 2:30.

The Exile (Forge $ 24.95) explores the life of the Irish hero Thomas Meagher, from the time he was exiled to Tasmania for fomenting an uprising against British rule in Ireland, to his escape and life in New York City, through his courageous leadership of the Irish Brigade during the Civil War. The book has already garnered excellent reviews.

Publisher Weekly reports, “Wheeler brings his protagonist to vivid life, telling Meagher’s remarkable and tragic story so clearly and convincingly that the blending of fact and fiction is almost seamless.”

Richard S. Wheeler, the 2001 recipient of the Owen Wister Award for lifetime excellence in literature about the American West, spent over three years researching this book.

“Wheeler lives inside the head of Meagher and stays there for the entire book,” writes historian Lenore McKelvey Puhek in her review published in the Independent Record, Helena, Montana. “The reader is easily carried into the story to understand and sympathize with Meagher over the loss of his child, the death of his first wife and his courting and remarriage to a wealthy woman in New York City.”

The heart of the story lies in Wheeler’s deft telling of Meagher’s turbulent tenure as secretary and acting governor of Montana Territory (1865-1867), and the venomous clash with those who opposed him.

“Wheeler has done an excellent job clearing persistent and defamatory myths concerning Meagher’s charismatic speaking abilities and his drinking problem,” Puhek reports. “He brings to light the political chaos in Montana that thrust Meagher into the center of racial and cultural hatred.”

“I think it is the most readable story ever written about Thomas Francis Meagher, the Irish revolutionary, Civil War hero and fiery orator who was at the center of political turmoil in the early years of Montana Territory,” says Bob Gilluly in his review published in the Great Falls Tribune.

This gala book signing planned by Mike Grove will not only herald the new book, but will celebrate Wheeler’s milestone of fifty novels about the American West — and all since 1978. It’s a unique setting to bring out a book about a very original true-life character. “I just hope we ordered enough books,” Grove says. “This has generated a lot of interest.”

Other Richard S. Wheeler titles include the 13-book Skye’s West series, The Fields of Eden, Eclipse: A Novel of Lewis and Clark, and Buffalo Commons. Wheeler has recently completed a book about Major Marcus Reno, and is currently researching a biographical novel on Buffalo Bill Cody.

His books can be found in all bookstores, and selected autographed books can be purchased at http://www.writerswest.com/BOOKS/RSW/.

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For information about the book signing, contact Bank of the Rockies 1-800-362-6669

Interviews and book signings by Richard S. Wheeler can be arranged by contacting Forge Books, New York http://www.tor.com, or Get It Together productions, Helena, Montana http://www.kaios.com/GIT/contact.htm

Dave Lauck has been involved in law enforcement for over 20 years. Currently, he is employed by the Campbell Country Sheriff?s Office in Wyoming. Dave is a police and NRA certified firearms instructor, as well as a contact weapon instructor. He is a POST certified practitioner/lecturer in SWAT and in counter sniper tactics. Lauck has served as a firearms instructor for the National Shooting Sports Foundation and Hollywood’s Stunt Person Organization.

As founder of the S.A.T.A. he has provided services for members of state, local, and federal police, USMC, Army, National Guard, Rangers, Seals and qualified civilians. Lauck is also founder of the O.M.C. (One Mile Club) where shooters test their long-range shooting skills. In 2002 Lauck received a Golden Eagle Award from the U.S. military for professional firearms training. In 2003 he was selected as chief sniper instructor for the 2004 World SWAT Conference.

Dave Lauck?s books mirror his expertise. His is the author of ?Advanced Tactical Marksman: More High-Performance Techniques for Police, Military, and Practical Shooters,? ?Tactical Marksman: A Complete Training Manual For Police And Practical Shooters? and ?Tactical 1911: The Street Cop’s And SWAT Operator’s Guide To Employment and Maintenance.?

Among Dave?s accomplishments as a competitive shooter are: 1990 Tactical Rifle Event winner at the S.O.F. World Championship Tactical Match; top 10% finisher in the 1990 S.O.F. 3-gun World Championship Match; Team Captain at the 1991 S.O.F. World Championship Match; 1st Place in the NRA 600 yard Countersniper Match in 1988; 1st Place in the 1987 S.A.A. Countersniper Shoot-off; 1986 South Dakota Highway Patrol Two-Gun Combat Match Police Champion, and Champion of the 1985 Northwest Regionals. Additionally, he was the Wyoming Tactical Division winner in 1995. In 1996 and 1997 he was the recipient of Outstanding Shooter awards and has been top shooter 1998-2005. In 2006 Dave Lauck was the first to surpass Col. Jeff Cooper’s 20-20-20 challenge; 20 shots, in less than 20 seconds, in less than a 20 inch target at 1000 yards. Lauck used a personally customized D&L precision rifle with Black Hills match grade ammunition for the event.

The Lauck family has been involved in American custom firearms as far back as the 1700s. This unsurpassed family tradition lends to pride in every job. Dave Lauck?s company, D&L Sports, continues to teach safe and responsible gun ownership to all generations.

Dave has customized 8 consecutive World Championship presentation firearms and is considered among the top 5 pistolsmiths in America. He also customized the first place tactical carbine for the first National Patrol Rifle Championships, 2006. His tactical rifles have been considered the best available by the ASOSA and others. In 1998 the MR-30PG tactical rifle developed by Lauck swept the tactical matches, earning 1st place in the overall International Tactical Rifleman Championships, 1st place in the Carlos Hathcock benefit shoot-off.

In 1996 Lauck was unanimously selected to receive the Excellence in Craft Award from the AGA. Dave Lauck received the 2005-2006 ITRC awards for dedication above and beyond the call of duty. Dave Lauck was the recipient of the 2006 APG President’s Award for advancements in the shooting industry. His presentation quality custom 1911 for Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper was inducted into the Buffalo Bill Historical Center Museum in 1997. In 2001 Lauck customized two gold inlayed presentation handguns for President Bush and Vice President Cheney. In 2003 Lauck customized a personal 1911 for General Tommy Franks to recognize his leadership of American combat troops.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 121 police authors and their 369 books in six categories.

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Find More Buffalo Bills Press Releases

“I’d like the thank the tribes if they are responsible for this early fluke snow storm that dumped two to four feet in the San Bernadino Mountains, and put them on our staff,” announced Fritz Coleman, KNBC LA’s weatherman. ” I made a few calls and found the tribes were at the bottom of it. And on Saturday, Dec. 4, at the LA Ski Dazzle Show at their Convention Center (1201 South Figueroa St), skiers have a chance to thank the Southern California tribes… for the ceremony that brought economic lifting snow to the mountain communities,” reported Olympic skier, Suzy Chaffee, the tribal event host.

Rene Doctor, a Tahitian married to Louis Doctor (Navajo/Dine), who was a part of the ceremony, told Chaffee that, “At dawn on November 15, members of Chumash on Mt Wilson and other tribes, like the Cabizon, praying independently, and as well as an Abenaki and Lakota, united with the other brilliant colors of humanity – Whites, Blacks, and Yellow – totaling 200, and performed a Big Bear Medicine Wheel Ceremony, singing sacred prayer songs in the eight cardinal points encircling the San Bernadinos, with Big Bear at the center.”

“Following the devastating fires last year, the purpose,” said ceremonial leader, Bennie LeBeau (Shoshone), “was to help the drought-ridden region, especially the trees and springs. Lakota Kim Langbecker, who brought the Bushmen of the Kalahari, LeBeau and the Big Bear Community together at a September “Journey of the Heart Gathering” there. “I honor the White People of the Big Bear Community for doing most the work that inspired these snow blessings,” said LeBeau.

The LA show is the finale of a national “Salute To America’s First Caretakers” at Ski & Snowboard Shows/Expos in Denver, Seattle, and Sacramento. In appreciation for the ski areas sharing the skiing with tribal youth, their spiritual leaders have led snowdances in each of those regions, which resulted in some of the best early snow in America ever! This year, California’s snow, (“thanks to Creator,” say tribes), both in the San Bernadinos and Mammoth, (first to have a Native ski program in schools), has been the most abundant and early.

At Saturday’s ski show presentations at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., a united group of some of Southern California’s most magnificent dancers, singers, drummers (many skiers), representing the San Manuel and Pala Tribes, as well as Shoshone and Doctor’s Rock Pine Drum, led by Akima Castenada (Coastal Band Chumash), along with LaBeau, will share their earth-honoring dances and sustainable wisdom. This dream of partnering ski areas with California’s First Caretakers, came out of Chaffee’s honoring Akima (and Santa Barbara) last April, for being a father of Earth Day as a junior high school student. A star on “Dr Quinn Medicine Woman” and California Ventures’ “Golden Dreams” story of the First Californians with Whoopie Goldberg, Castenada became NVF’s West coast leader, hoping to inspire the same gracious opportunities for tribal youth here. Ski areas have been call “models of the President’s Healthier US Initiative on behalf of the Indian Country,” by Indian press, which Native Voices Foundation (NVF) was chosen to spearheaded.

Leading LA’s Salute to “California’s First Caretakers” will be a team of “Environmental Champions,” led by Gary Petersen of BioConverter, who is exploring a collaboration between Governor Arnold’s Hydrogen Highway and the California Tribes, including discussions with fellow saluter William F. Cody (Blackfeet), a descendent of Buffalo Bill. Penny McCoy, (Chaffee’s Olympic teammate), now a Mammoth Mountain owner and author, will also be speaking from the heart, and signing her eye opening book, “Winning is Everything, But…” Plus there may be surprise salutes by other eco activist stars as well as Olympians, who want to coach Native kids in skiing and all sports, including at the San Diego Olympic Training Center, announced Passadena-based Olympic Alumni Association President John Naber at the Utah Games.

This Ski Show Tour happened thanks to Olympic skier Billy Kidd (Abenaki) who suggested that Chaffee, NVF co-founder, organize a Ute snow ceremony at last year’s Denver Expo in appreciation to ten Colorado ski communities for sharing skiing/boarding with their tribes. Many “snow farmers,” like Aspen, were blessed with up to 15 feet of economic-lifting snow, which made believers out of over 100 U.S. ski areas who want to Salute their first Americans this season.

This translated into NVF’s heart-warming Thanksgiving world announcement that U.S. Ski Areas are welcoming their tribes back to over a quarter million acres of their beloved, exquisite ancestral mountains to ski and snowboard. “This partnership with the tribes is strengthening the future of skiing and helping keep ‘winters cool,’” said Michael Berry, President of the National Ski Areas Association, who authored their “Sustainable Slopes” ski program.

Another bulletin: “I just came from the Laguna and Acoma Puebos, where they were expressing gratitude for the snowblessings that are lifting their drought-challenged lands and ski areas in Arizona and New Mexico, ” said Coleen Lloyd (Cherokee), designer of the hot Native American “Homeland Security” t-shirt.

“The tribes, especially youth, are thrilled with Ski Dazzle producers Judy Gray and Jim Foster are making this an “awesome” celebration by offering complimentary ski show tickets to tribal members at “will call” on Salute Saturday,” said Chaffee.

NVF’s Salute is made possible by the Paiute Tribe (near Mammoth), “Mercury in Retrograde” documentary producers (free mercury testing at NVF booth near climbing wall), NUTIVA (nutritional hemp alternative to fish), Crystal Springs Golf Resort & Spa (near NYC), TPTs/Westwindworld.com T-shirts, and SweetLeaf Stevia (discovered by Brazilian tribes, keeping much of world lean and diabetes free).

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Ground was broken for the touchstone of our department, the Annie Russell Theatre, in 1931 and our first season was mounted in 1932. In keeping with our long tradition of quality theatre, our 2006-2007 season promises to be both entertaining to our audiences and challenging for our talented students.

Main Stage Series: Annie Russell Theatre

Performances: Annie Russell Theatre

Rollins College

1000 Holt Avenue

Winter Park, Florida

Wednesday-Saturday @ 8 p.m.

First Sunday Matinee @ 4 p.m.

Second Saturday Matinee @ 2 p.m.

Tickets: Single tickets are $ 17-$ 19. Subscriptions range from $ 47 to $ 60. Subscription packages include discounts for seniors, students and Rollins alumni. Group rates are available. Complimentary tickets are available to members of the Rollins community ? contact the box office for details.

Annie Get Your Gun

Music & lyrics by Irving Berlin

Book by Herbert & Dorothy Fields

Adapted by Peter Stone

Directed by Jennifer Jones Cavenaugh

September 22-30, 2006

The ?Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better? love story of sharpshooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler set against the backdrop of Buffalo Bill?s Wild West Show. Annie Get Your Gun scored a bull?s eye in 1999 when its Broadway revival sported a revised libretto by Tony, Emmy and Oscar winner Peter Stone. Joined to the book, of course, is that unforgettable Irving Berlin score, featuring hit after hit including ?There?s No Business Like Show Business.?

The Mousetrap

By Agatha Christie

Directed by Thomas Ouellette

November 10-18, 2006

In a snowbound boarding house, a group of strangers have gathered ? one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the newly-married couple who run the house, an uptight spinster with a curious background, a quirky architect who seems more inclined to culinary arts, a retired Army sergeant, a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift and a jurist who makes life difficult for everyone. A skiing policeman arrives tracking the killer. Will he find out ?whodunit? before another victim falls prey to the killer?s trap?

Rumors

By Neil Simon

Directed by S. Joseph Nassif

February 16-24, 2007

Four couples gather at the townhouse of a high-ranking New York City official and his wife to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. The party never quite gets started because the host has shot himself in the head ? well, the earlobe really ? and his wife is missing. His lawyer’s hilarious attempt to cover-up the scandal unravels as guests arrive and the rumors begin to fly.

Henry V

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Eric Zivot

April 20-28, 2007

War. Smart Bombs. Armored Columns. Amphibious. Landing Craft. Weapons of Mass Destruction. Shakespeare?s epic tragedy about an English king?s bloody conquest of France is re-imagined in our production, casting contemporary hues on this timeless wartime tale.

Dance Series: Annie Russell Theatre

Performances: Annie Russell Theatre

Rollins College

1000 Holt Avenue

Winter Park, Florida

Friday-Saturday @ 8 p.m.

Tickets: Single tickets are $ 10. Subscribers to the Main Stage Series receive tickets for $ 8. Complimentary tickets are available to members of the Rollins community ? contact the box office for details.

Rollins Dance XXI

Choreographed by Martha Graham*, W. Robert Sherry and Lesley Brasseux

A Colt .45 single action once belonging to Temple Houston, son of revolutionary hero General Sam Houston, a trunk with ties to the Battle of Little Big Horn and a pistol used in the Battle of San Jacinto are up for auction in Texas. The items, from a San Antonio estate plus select consignments, are included in one of the largest groups of significant historically-related artifacts ever sold at public auction in the state.

According to documents accompanying the black powder, Model 1873 Colt Single action revolver, it is the gun used by Temple Houston to kill Ed Jennings during a saloon fight at Woodward, Oklahoma. Ed was a brother to Al and Frank Jennings who later became outlaws. Houston was considered to be one of the country’s most brilliant trial lawyers and was noted for his flamboyant dress and unorthodox behavior, carrying his guns even during trial.

“We are expecting this auction to top all our previous records,” said auctioneer Robb Burley of Burley Auction Gallery in New Braunfels. “The number and historical significance of the items in this auction is unprecedented.” The extremely important pistol used at the Battle of San Jacinto by Michael Peveto, Jr., is accompanied by provenance including affidavits from two generations of family members and a family tree showing the relation to him. Peveto is also known for building the first house where the town of Orange now stands. He served in the 2nd Regiment Texas Volunteers 3rd Infantry Company and died in 1838 just weeks after the battle of San Jacinto. He was buried in an unmarked grave near Nome, Texas.

Other major artifacts in the sale are an officer’s trunk belonging to 7th Cavalry Lt. E. G. Mathey who was in command of the supply train for Custer during the Battle of the Little Big Horn, a documented Confederate 5th Texas Calvary Sgt. Albert Wilkinson’s Colt 1851 Navy, a member of Quantrill’s Raiders, a knife attributed to Lakota warrior Crow Dog and the badge and Colt pistol belonging to Deputy U.S. Marshal Tom Smith, who captured one of Oklahoma’s most notorious outlaws, Zip Wyatt, aka Dick Yeager, one of the last known members of the Doolin Gang. Wyatt was carrying a Winchester 1886, which was taken and kept by Marshal Smith at the time of his capture.

Both guns are well documented with sworn letters of affidavit from Marshal Smith’s son, a documented chain of custody, a well as numerous supporting documents and newspaper articles dating back to the time of his capture. “This is by far some of the best documentation on any historic firearm we have seen. It is rare that you find something so well documented by the family, historians and the press,” said Burley. The story is also recounted in a book “The Cherokee Strip” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Marquis James. The documented collection in Smith’s handwriting includes Wyatt’s 1886 Winchester taken by him at the time of the outlaw’s death in Enid, Oklahoma.

The auction features western artifacts, art, collectibles and d