On LancasterOnLine.com, a contributor who self identifies as a driver “for the Historic Downtown Trolley (a bus in another costume)” states that there are only about 25 passengers a day and that most of them are “the original passengers from 4 years ago.” (Editor’s note: Terry Dohl identified himself as the driver in a “In My Opinion” column in the Spt. 14, 2008, Sunday News.)

The individual goes on to state “On a daily basis, if I could not change lanes on Queen Street, PrinceStreet, Duke Street or Vine Street, I would be a stationary object. Anyone who thinks a fixed rail line in Lancaster City would be viable is welcome to take a couple of rides with me.”

Excuse us for introducing an eye witness and facts into the discussion. (The lack of ridership is consistent with information provided by RRTA many months ago.) As observed from the Convention Center Project run up, it is only what money can be made by special interests that carry any weight.

On Aug.31, the paper ran a one-third of a page ad by Turkey Hill featuring both a pitch for four brands of cigarettes, and an offer of free candy with a soft drink. The ad shows boxes of Sundance, Marlboro, Camel and Newport brand cigarettes. The “Surgeon General Warning” was too small for most to read without a magnifying glass.

WATCHDOG: We are surprised that a family publication would carry cigarette advertisements, especially one obviously directed at young people. We are also critical of Turkey Hill for sponsoring such an ad.

Does Marv Adam want his daughter Abigail reading “Cigarettes Lowest Price Allowed by Law On all major brands” above “Sweet Deal, Free Reese’s with 44 oz. fountain or slushey purchase” ? Isn’t there an implied relationship about the enjoyableness of the products?

Running an ad for cigarettes, especially in the family oriented Sunday News, seems irresponsible on their part to us, no matter how desperate the Lancaster Newspapers, Inc. is to forestall their plummeting advertising revenue.

I’ve been doing a little bit of research about the origins of the [convention center and]hotelproject….

The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Lancaster Alliance, the Lancaster
Campaign, and Tom Baldridge [former head of the Lancaser Alliance] were repeatedly mentioned in newspaper articles about the project during its origins.

The Lancaster County Convention Center Authority, which has been anticipating a shortfall of at least $400,000, received relief in the form of a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, it was announced at their board meeting, Thursday night.

The funding is part of the $1.5 million in “contingency funds” for which State Senator Gib Armstrong earmarked the project.

Chairman of the Board Art Morris said that the Authority had been notified “within the last two to three weeks” that it would be receiving part of the funding that they have been asking for since May.

Morris said that the funding will be used to pay expenses related to “concrete,” since the board can easily identify one or two concrete contracts totaling that large an amount so as to minimize the paperwork and administrative costs involved.

He went on to say that the board expects to be notified “in a month or so” as to when the remaining $1 million will be awarded.

Also at their Thursday night board meeting, the LCCCA approved a contract with Desso, USA for carpeting in the Convention Center. The board voted to approve a 50% deposit of $235,931.11 on the total cost.

The board also voted to retain the law firm of Stevens & Lee for an additional six months, ending February 28, 2009.

Kevin Fry noted that Stevens & Lee has been controversial – something Executive Director Kevin Molloy said he “[has] been briefed” about. Morris noted that the board has reached out to Stevens & Lee “a couple of times” over the previous six months.

The board also approved a lengthy list of project change orders, Thursday, including one for a grease trap in the kitchen facility. An observer noted publicly that, according to the governing documents, the Authority is 100% responsible for change orders related to the kitchen even though the facility will be used by both the hotel and Convention Center – and quite likely more frequently by the hotel since it will be in operation on a more regular basis.

Finally, Morris noted that he had been in contact with a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer who is writing a story on the history of Lancaster’s Convention Center project and that her article may appear this weekend or in Tuesday’s edition.

Morris noted that he did not wish to resurrect past controversies and was somewhat conservative in what he told the reporter.

Usually invitations for fund raising events come from local committees, with a chair, several co-chairs, and various sponsors. It isn’t easy to attract potential donors to these events, so the trick is to line up co-chairs and many committee members before hand to attend and bring along other likely contributors.

But this isn’t the case with the invitation recently received for a “private lunch in honor of U. S. Senator Arlen Specter” at the Hamilton Club.

Rather the invitation states: “S. Dale High cordially invites you…”

We can be confident that the luncheon will be well subscribed, with many attendees being contractors and suppliers of the various High companies as well as associates of High from the Lancaster Alliance and elsewhere.

And the message will not be lost on Senator Specter or other politicians: High is able to provide heavy funding for campaign war chests, and High’s needs – such as federal funding of the Rt. 30 Interchange improvement for the proposed “Crossings” shopping center – merit full attention.

Full disclosure: NewsLanc’s publisher was Finance Chair for Specter’s successful senatorial campaign in 1980.

The Aug. 28 “Letters to the Editor” contains one headed “Who’s the next keynoter?” and which criticized Ted Kennedy as follows: “This is the same great American who, about 40 years ago, drove off a bridge with a young female passenger in his car, got himself out and left her to drown. He failed to report the accident for eight hours – probably had to sober up.”

WATCHDOG: We do not object to the Intell publishing the letter, even though over time subsequent reports have cast doubt about whether Kennedy was at fault as initially reported. What we do abhor is condemning a person for one horrible accident (perhaps he was indeed drunk) that took place four decades ago, thus ignoring all the accomplishments of a lifetime.

Perhaps the author has lived an exemplarily life, never having made a serious mistake. Or is there something in the Lancaster water that so often combines narrow mindedness with mean spirit?

On Thursday, Aug. 28 at 9 p.m, enjoy a free movie in in downtown Binns Park on N. Queen St. This week’s movie is the Pixar animated film Ratatouille. This is the final film in the city’ free summer movie series.

The Long’s Park Art & Craft Festival runs all Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29 to Sep. 1).

“The Long’s Park Art & Craft Festival is one of the country’s finest outdoor art galleries. Now recognized as America’s No. 4 fine art and craft show, this year’s Labor Day Weekend event drew applications from artists living in 46 states, the District of Columbia and 3 foreign countries. All told, more than 1,200 artists vied to be selected by our independent jurors to be one of our 200 exhibitors. Over 50 of these exhibitors will be new to the Long’s Park show. We invite you to experience this year’s exciting display.”

The show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, except closing at 5 p.m. on Monday, Sep. 1. Admission is $10 for a one-day ticket and $12 for a multi-day ticket. For more information, visit http://www.longspark.org/art.html

From 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m, Friday (Aug. 29) at Penn Square at the corner of King & Queen Streets in downtown Lancaster, the band M&K Duo will be performing classical, jazz, and pop tunes. The performance is sponsored chiefly by Fulton Financial Corporation and the City of Lancaster.

The Lancaster Barnstormers baseball team plays home games on Wednesday (Aug. 27) and Thursday (Aug. 28) at 7:05 p.m. and a Labor Day game on Monday, Sep. 1 at 1:35 p.m. For further information, directions, and advanced tickets, visit http://www.lancasterbarnstormers.com

Thursday night (Aug. 28) at 7:00 p.m., the band Journey plays with guests Heart and Cheap Trick at Hershey park Stadium. Tickets range from $40 to $125 and are going fast. For more information, visit http://www.Hersheypark.com or http://www.journeymusic.com

Friday, Aug. 29 is “Greek Day” at the Red Rose Restaurant in downtown Lancaster. “Enjoy home-cooked authentic Greek food, such as spanakopita and mousaka (to name a few) and yummy pastries!” Located at 101 E. King St, its hours of operation Friday are 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. For more information, check out their website at http://www.redroselancaster.com.

The Wine & Cheese Train at the Strasburg Railroad runs on both Friday (Aug. 29) and Saturday (Aug. 30). Enjoy a scenic, 45-minute train ride through the countryside while tasting fine wines and cheeses. The train boards at 7:00 p.m. on both dates. Tickets are $30 each. For more information, visit http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/wine-and-cheese.php.

On Sunday, Aug. 31, author Philip Malachowski will be signing and reading excerpts from his book Life & Death to the Happies at 1:00 p.m. and again at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit http://mulberryartstudios.com.

Next door in Chester County, Longwood Gardens is having its end-of-summer Fireworks & Fountain Show on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 8:30 p.m. “Celebrate a summer of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as you view spectacular fireworks and colorful fountains that will light up the sky. Enjoy your favorite tunes of Big Band & Broadway.” Tickets are $16 for ages 15 & under, and $32 for ages 16 and up. Garden Pass holders get in at a discounted rate. For more information, visit http://www.longwoodgardens.org.

Also on Sunday, Aug. 31, the Hospice of Lancaster County is holdings its 24th Annual Labor Day Auction in Lampeter. “This year’s event will be held Saturday, Aug. 30, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., and Monday, Sept. 1, 8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m., at the Lampeter Fairgrounds, Route 741 and Lampeter Road.” Admission is free. The event promises “elaborate quilts, handcrafted Amish furniture, more than 150 pieces of framed local artwork, more than 200 pieces of autographed sports memorabilia, vacation packages, home and garden accessories, plants, gift certificates, authentic Amish crafts and delicious Amish-prepared food-all this and more…” For further information, visit http://www.hospiceoflancaster.org/lda.htm

Up for some laser tag? On Labor Day (Sep. 1), you can play all day (12 p.m. to 10 p.m.) for $20 at Laserdome in Manheim. And for $5 extra, you can enjoy unlimited soda and popcorn, and two slices of pizza. Laserdome is located at 2050 Auction Road in Manheim. For more information, visit http://www.laserdome.com.

Other weekend events as advertised by LancasterArts.com:

Demuth Museum
Out of the Chateau: Works from the Demuth Museum
120 East King Street
717.299.9940
www.demuth.org
June 28 – Aug 31: Tue – Sat: 10am-4pm, Sun: 1pm-4pm
The Demuth Museum collection consists of over thirty works by Charles Demuth that span his career, from early childhood drawings to late floral works.

Heritage Center Museum
Patchwork Politics: From George to George W.
5 West King Street
June 6 – Dec 31, Mon – Sat: 9am-5pm
717.299.6440
www.lancasterheritage.com
Extraordinary private collection of quilts and other items spanning the presidential campaigns of George Washington to George W. Bush.

Lancaster Museum of Art
4 Galleries/4 Shows
135 North Lime Street
Aug 2 – Sept 7, Mon – Sat: 10am – 4pm, Sun: 12pm – 4pm
717.394.3497
www.lmapa.com
Suk Shuglie’s paintings; wearable art by Valerie Jo Coulson; acrylics by Kurdish artist Sadradeen Ameen; and Visual Dialogue:Unspoken Conversations – the works of artist friends Donna Albert, Blakelyn Albright, Mariann Lehman, Janie Oakes, and Jan Yatsco.

Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum
Rags to Rugs: Pennsylvania Hooked and Handsewn Rugs
37 Market Street
Nov 17, 2007 – Dec 31, 2008, Mon – Sat: 9am-5pm
717.299.6440
www.lancasterheritage.com
Hooked and handsewn rugs from Pennsylvania. Learn about the many functions of these rugs as well as how they are made.

PA College of Art & Design
World War II Vintage Posters
204 North Prince Street
Aug 1 – Sep 25: Mon – Fri: 8am-4:30pm
717.354.3926
www.pcad.edu
Vintage posters designed and illustrated by Jean Carlu, Norman Rockwell and other artists. Displayed in the Cummins Engine factory (Columbus, IN) during WWII.

Parlor Art Space
“Scope II” closing reception
320 Laurel Street
Thu Aug 28: 5pm-9pm
717.392.1772
www.parlorgallery.org
Parlor will be hosting a closing reception for “Scope II”. Curated by Harriet Hacker of Where Exhibitions.

Phillips Museum of Art
Franklin & Marshall College, Steinman College Center
Aug 25 – Sep 28, Tue-Fri: 1:30pm-4:30pm; Sat & Sun: 12:30pm-4:30pm
The Phillips Museum of Art
Dana Gallery: Inscriptions – Paintings by Edward Evans.
Rothman Gallery: Reflections – Digital Photographs by David Spitzer.
Curriculum Gallery: Where Do You Draw the Line? – Works from the Permanent Collection curated by Christy Batta ‘09.

Sunday Market
Building Character
342 North Queen Street
July 6 – Oct 19, Sun: 11am-3pm
717.394.7201
www.buildingcharacter.biz
Featuring art, antiques, collectibles, and food–something for everyone.

“It has been a contention of mine from the start of the Convention Center project that the presence of any public money in that project, that great for everyone public-private partnership, should require full and complete public disclosure. The reality has been the opposite… every chance they can, the private parties say, ‘we are private’, and therefore not required to provide any disclosure. Meanwhile, there is not a single private entity that owns anything in the project.

“With the publication of the list of donors to the Lancaster Alliance, I was taken aback to find public dollars in the mix. Both Lancaster City and Lancaster County, along with some non-profits that may also receive public funding, for instance Millersville University, are contributing to the Alliance. Remember that the Alliance has played the ‘private’ card as well in the past keeping its full feasibility/market study by Ernst & Young for the CC private until the 11th hour. That study was always described as ‘private’ as opposed to say the ‘public’ PWC study undertaken by the LCCCA.

“Private money can do whatever it wants but as soon as it accepts dollar 1 from the public coffers, it should be forced to open up. Curious as to why I have never heard a single locally elected official make that same demand. It would be very interesting to cross-reference a list of major donors to those elected officials and see how/where their major contributors fall within the membership of the Lancaster Alliance.”

The Lancaster County Commissioners voted to preserve three more farms totaling 253.69 acres at their meeting, Wednesday.

The added farms, located in Strasburg and East Cocalico Townships, bring the total number of preserved acres in the county to 78,437, Director of the County’s Agricultural Preserve Board, Matt Knepper, said.

In addition to local taxpayer revenue, the County is often able to acquire federal funding for farmland preservation.

In this case, the County is spending $605,719.50 to preserve the 253.69 acres.

The average price to preserve an acre of farmland in Lancaster County is $3,000, which Knepper described as “middle of the road” with regard to surrounding counties.

In other business, Wednesday, the Commissioners opted not to participate in the state “Gypsy Moth Suppression Program” for 2009.

County Director of Parks and Recreation James Hackett made the recommendation not to participate, noting that “smaller egg sacs and not as many masses” had been observed over the past few months.

He added that we had a cold, wet spring last year, which aids the fungus that naturally kills the larval sacs.

The Department of Parks and Recreation also received “significantly fewer” complaints this year about foliage destruction due to the insects, Hackett said.

Participating in the state program would have imposed a relatively small cost on the County and nearly halved the cost for private landowners.

The Commissioners did not publicly comment on the reasons for their vote, but Chairman Dennis Stuckey said afterwards he sympathizes with afflicted landowners but “We have to look at it on a county-wide basis.”

“Would you please publish the names and addresses of the members of the Lancaster Alliance? I would greatly appreciate knowing who has sold us down the river and I believe many other people would also be interested in knowing.”

Editor’s Response: According to the Lancaster Post which obtained the information from public filings, the list is as follows: Armstrong, Barley Snyder, Burnham Boiler, Core Source, Ecklin Group, Economic Development Co., Engle Hambright and Davies, Franklin & Marshal, Fulton Financing, High Industries, Irex, Lancaster City, Lancaster City Police Foundation, Lancaster Community Safety Coalition, Lancaster County, Lancaster General Hospital, Lancaster Newspapers, Millersville University, PP&L, RR Donneley, Steinman Foundations, UGI, Wachovia

Visit the August 22 edition of the Post at http://lancasterpost.com/082208.pdf and go to Page 7 to see a chart showing members and donations.