Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghamton, New York • 21

I ET3 (Q) TELEVISION 2C CLASSIFIED 6C SECTION Press Sun-Bulletin FRIDAY JULY 9, 1999 www.pressconnects.com STEVE M0RELLI FEATURES EDITOR 607-798-1171 1 ca '-s KK, nr' A TRAVEL BRIEFS Tour planned for Maguires sites A self-guided driving tour of Molly Maguires sites is in the planning stage in Penn sylvania coai country. The 19th century group that fought poor mine conditions was alternatively viewed as a mob of murderers or as the patron saints of the modern labor movement. It was finally brought down by a Pinkerton detective who infiltrated the secret society. "Everyone up in that area realizes how important many of the coal stories are, but it's not an easy story to tell to outsiders," said Sue Pridemore, the chief of visitors' services for the Delaware Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Four tourism and histori- nnl MrMinn tmrv Onbi tirtlsill .7 ties Wmm ewiofies farnilysttracth 1(11 yuuM llul" owiuyiiuii, Carbon and Northampton Laid-back family fun can be found at Adirondack resort fiom Geofge BY KATHERIWE KARLSON Staff Writer Not every weekend journey has to improve the intellect and uplift the soul; sometimes all you want out of a day trip is a little mindless fun.

I found just the place for it Lake Oeorge in the Adirondacks. By their very nature, tourist towns are not depositories of high culture. Those that are based on a natural beauty spot, such as Niagara Falls, have an even harder time overcoming the kitsch fac tor. So my recommendation when visiting Lake George is to stick with the activities that keep you on or in the Eure resort; it has all the fast fooderies, otels, amusement arcades and souvenir shops you associate with such places. Fortunately, it also has a clean and easily accessible lake for swimming, plus one or two attractions not found elsewhere.

If you hanker to get wet after your long, hot drive, there is a pocket handkerchief public beach halfway up Canada Street, a.k.a. Route 9, at Shephard's Park. A better bet is the so-called "Million Dollar Beach" at Lake George Beach State Park, which commands a fine northern view of the lake. The village recently renovated its lakeside area, the portion directly behind the commercial strip on Canada Street. The walkways are wider and have benches.

It was a short but pleasant stroll along the lake, especially if you had picked up an ice cream cone beforehand. Sticking to this path, you'll come across the two rival cruise companies. One has a wooden yacht, and the other a big paddle-wheeler with steam calliope. Either way, you get a taste of vacations of a century ago, when all that mattered was getting a breath of mountain air. The more adventuresome can take a parasail ride over the lake or rent a jet ski if either of those modern water sports appeal.

Although you could easily lose youngsters in the numerous arcades along Canada Street, Lake George features sev- SEE LAKE GEORGE 6C lovely lake, or give you a chance to admire the majestic views. There is a major amusement park just outside the village, which you Walk of Fame welcomes Patricia Donohue Actress Patricia Donohue of Binghamton will step out of character for a moment today to be honored as the 1st designee in city's Walk of Fame. The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony at 1 1 a.m. at the Walk of Fame on the Court Street side of the Metro Center. The singer-actress who has been involved in num berless community opera and theater productions for more than 40 years, is being honored for her con tribution as both a performer and advocate of the arts.

In her early years, Donohue was a mainstay as an alto in many roles for the Tri-Cities Opera and as an actress played major roles in productions of the Valley Players of the Southern Tier, Binghamton Civic Theater, Susquehanna Players and other companies. Shows and operas in which she has had leading roles include Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, Faust, The Little Foxes, Summer and Smoke, Streetcar Named Desire, Picnic, and The Glass Menagerie. In recent years, she has performed two one-woman shows, William Luce's The Belle of Amherst, a monologue in which she plays the lyrical poet Emily Dickinson, and Phyllis Paulette's Solo Flight about the Rev. Jean-nette Piccard, one of the first woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. Helen Foley, who was a founder of the Walk of Fame project, said when she saw Donohue as Emily Dickinson she couldn't believe how talented she was.

"I'd seen Julie Harris do the role and I really think Pat was as good if not better," roley said. Speaking at the dedication will be Robert Keller, who performed in many shows with Donohue, Peyton Hibbitt, who conducted her in ODeras. and Mayor Richard Bucci on behalf of the city. On the Sidewalk of Fame, Donohue will join 20 other musicians, singers, actors, writers and teachers who have contributed to the artistic and cultural life of Broome County and Bing hamton. A luncheon will follow at the Binghamton City Club.

Acting classes at Cider Mill A second session of classes covering a wide-range of theater skills will start July 19 at the Cider Mill Playhouse, 2 S. Nanticoke Endicott. The two-week, Monday through Friday classes will cover acting for youth, musical theater and acting for teens. The courses, taught by Cider Mill veteran performers, will conclude July 30. Each course requires a fee of $127.

To register, call the Cider Mill at 748-7363. Bottle drive helps theater Your recyclable bottles can be dropped off from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the former Towne Theater, now known as the Endicott Performing Arts Center. The theater is located at 102 Washington where volunteers will help you unload your bottles. Funds collected by depositing them will help the theater's ongoing renovation project.

-GENE GREY The Artsbeat column appears every Friday. Items should be mailed or faxed at least one week before publication. Send items to ArtsBeat, co Press Sun-Bulletin, P. O. Box 1270, Binghamton, N.Y.

13902-1270. Fax to 798-1113. INSIDE More entertainment news. Correction Musician and artisan Harris Thor's name was misspelled in Thursday's Good Times. 1 St a' 1 fi 'a- are welcome to visit, but it has nothing you wouldn't find at any other of its ilk.

The first stop after exiting the Northway is Prospect Mountain, which rises more than 2,000 feet above the lake. Take the Veter ans Memorial Highway and stop at the three outlook stations. There are some nice hiking trails, or simply eschew the tourmobile from the third out look parking area and walk the paved trail for five minutes to the summit. r- 1 tt: HOW TO GET Miniature JEFF B0YER staff artist there is much more to losing one's virginity than sex alone. And that's the film's most important message: Sex without intimacy isn't particularly fulfilling.

Herz's writing has its moments. The raunch is enough to offend gentler sensibilities. This is a movie that takes for granted that teens are both sexually active and adventurous and builds its jokes from there. But the banter is never outstandingly witty. The cast of young newcomers varies in quality from the Keanu-like vagueness of likable Klein as Oz and the deadpan one-liners of Thomas as Finch to the disappointingly edgeless Biggs as Jim.

American Pie is not a gTeat teen comedy though it's an entertaining one. Still, with the exception of the laudatory Go, it might be one of the smarter ones this year. SWim dimming counties are teaming up to put the tour together. From the jails where 1 0 Molly Maguires were hanged to mining sites, the tour will focus on the Irish-American coal miners who were accused of killing several mining officials and a police officer. Molly Maguires acted under the name of a mythical woman who led resistance to landlords during the Irish potato famine.

"We're trying to pick the highlights, the things that help to tell the whole story without taking visitors to every single location," Pridemore said. They hope to have tour packets, expected to cost about $1 5, available by next summer, she said. People want by the bay San Francisco is the most sought-after bed-and-breakfast destination in the country, judging by the number of online hits to a popular Web site. The founder of said that of 300,000 hits to his site in May, the Bay Area city was followed by New Orleans; Cape May, N.J.; Boston; Newport, R.I.; Napa and Carmel in California; Seattle; Santa Barbara, and Charleston, S.C. The travel site, which claims some 27,000 listings, can be reached at www.bbchannel.com orwww.innsandout.com.

Clean beaches listed on Web Looking for a nice, clean beach this summer? The folks at the Clean Beaches Council want to help. nonprofit group has just launched a program to identify the safest, cleanest beaches in America and hopes eventually to build a nationwide database. So far, 11 beaches have met its criteria: nine in Delaware and two in Florida. Information: www.clean-beaches.org. Have your say a la Hemingway So, you think you're a Hemingway, eh? OK, here's your chance to prove it.

Noting the 100th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway's birth, the Press Sun-Bulletin is having a writing contest. We are looking for stories, scenes, snippets no longer than 500 words in the style of Hemingway. (Remember, Hemingway's greatest lesson was brevity.) Parody is allowed. Oh, we didn't mention the fabulous prizes. They are camouflage gear (hat and pants) and a $50 gift certificate from Barnes Noble.

We'd give you a Hemingway book, but hey, if you're a fan you have them all already, right? Please send entries by Tuesday to: I Am Papa Contest Press Sun-Bulletin P.O. Box 1270 Binghamton, NY 13902-1270. Fax: 798-1113. E-mail: presssunspectra.net Lake Geor9e Canada St Beach Rd. Take I-88 all the way to its juncture with I-90, the NYS Thruway.

Head east until you come to the exit for I-87, the Northway. Take that north and get off at exit 21 Turn right at the stop sign, then left onto Route 9 at traffic light. Lake George Village is less than a mile. Parking is at a premium. Try behind the Historical Society on Canada Street, or around Beach Street attractions.

Fortunately, there are several lots with meters that give up to 1 2 hours parking (near Fort William Henry). All take quarters; be prepared with lots of change. raunchy surface, 'American Pie' works Village is REVIEW AMER1CAN PIE Mfair) RATED (nudity, profanity, sexuality) STARRING Jason Biggs and Thomas Ian Nicholas. Directed by Paul Weitz. Universal Pictures.

95 minutes. NOW PLAYING Town Square Theatre, Vestal. tance, Sherman (Chris Owen), announces that he has made his first sexual conquest at the party, the disheartened quartet swear to each other that they will cross the sexual threshold before the end of the year. They target the prom as the finish line. But each has his own misadventures trying to find a suitable girl.

Each of the central characters, of course, learns that Mirau 22 li I Prospect Mountain JL State Pkwy 1 aMaU Vl to Lake George THERE GANNETT NEWS SERVICE Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is the only one with a steady girlfriend, Vicky (Tara Reid), and a prayer of reaching their joint goal. They make their vow after a party at the home of their wild buddy Stifler (Seann Scott). When a nerdy acquain- Summit A952. otv Beneath BY MARSHALL FINE Gannett News Service Until South Park came along and stole its thunder, American Pie was riding high, enjoying buzz that touted it as the summer's raunchiest comedy. Even without South Park as the template, however, American Pie is hardly ground-breaking.

Though it has its naughty, vulgar moments, American Pie's dirty little secret is that beneath its teen-sex-comedy exterior, it is gasp actually kind of an intelligent comedy with a message worth imparting. Yes, the summary makes it sound like Porky 's: Four high school seniors make a vow to help each other lose their virginity by graduation. In fact, it's closer in tone and attitude to Sixteen Candles or The Sure Thing. Written by Adam Herz and nfe i -i r-" -it itftJt Jason Biggs in a scene from American Pie. directed by Paul Pie focuses on four friends and the family, friends and girls who orbit around them.

Oz (Chris Klein) is an easy-going jock, while Jim (Jason Biggs) and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) are just average guys. Their buddy.