Festival features arts and crafts

Festival featuresarts and crafts
The 35th Annual Wonderful World of Ohio Mart will be at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 7.
The four-day arts and crafts festival features more than 100 of the region's artisans and crafts people. The fair includes demonstrations, food and music.
The fee is $5 general admission and $1 for children. For more information call Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens at (330) 836-5533 or visit www.stanhywet.org on the Web.
Help New Yorkby going there
New York remains open -- and eager -- for tourists following this month's tragedy in Lower Manhattan. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has told visitors they can help New York recover. "Come here and spend money, go to a restaurant, a play," he told the New York Daily News. "The life of the city goes on."
The New York Convention & amp; Visitors Bureau has created a new hot line, (888) 805-4040, to help with travel plans. The number is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Operators can provide attraction and hotel information. They also can assist visitors already in New York. Most of the information is also available on the bureau's Web site, www.nycvisit.com.
Chesapeake watershedmap and guide available
A new map and guide to the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network is available, along with a companion Web site. The network includes 89 parks, refuges, museums, historical communities and water trails in the bay's watershed. Each of these can be thought of as a door to the Chesapeake Bay for family, sports and educational exploration.
The slick map, like those found at National Park Service visitor centers, is an ideal planning resource for an outdoor weekend getaway.
Get it free by calling (866) 229-9297 or visiting www.baygateways.net on the Web.
Hotel catersto canines
Many big-city hotels refuse to accept pets, but not the Muse, a 200-room Times Square hotel that beckons to the well-heeled with a Pooch Package starting at $265 nightly on weekdays and $195 weekends, plus tax.
Not only does that get you lodging with various amenities, but your dog also gets an "amenity basket" of treats, a complimentary dog-walking service, food and water bowls awaiting Fido's arrival, and a "room-service meal complete with fine dog food and biscuits."
The hotel is at 130 W. 46th St. For details, call (877) 692-6873 or visit www.themusehotel.com on the Web.
Hilton hotels addcharge for donation
Over the next year, guests staying at any of Hilton Caribbean's eight properties will find a dollar per night added to their bill to support Caribbean children in need.
The new Hilton Caribbean K.I.D.S. (Kindness In Donation & amp; Service) expects to raise more than $500,000 through guest donations. All the money will go to local organizations, including orphanages and under-privileged schools. Plus, each hotel will raise additional funds through individual events. Guests will have the option to decline the charge on their bill.
Elizabeth Ardenopens new spa
Elizabeth Arden Salons & amp; Spas has opened its new full-service 10,000-square-foot spa at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & amp; Spa in Groton, Conn. It is Elizabeth Arden Salon's third hotel/resort spa to open since the launch of its resort division in July 2000.
Clients can expect the same range of treatments and spa services as found at Elizabeth Arden's original destination spa in Maine Chance, Maine, which opened in 1934.
For room reservations, call (860) 446-2600. For spa services, call (860) 446-2500.
Inn in Santa Feoffers package
The Inn on the Alameda in Santa Fe is again offering the Muy Sabrosa (very tasty) package November through June.
It features a morning class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking founded by Susan Curtis, known for her contemporary Southwestern cuisine. From 4 to 5 p.m., the inn hosts a wine-and-cheese reception. The two-night package also includes a breakfast buffet, and a 20 percent discount at a Santa Fe restaurant.
The package, available on specified Mondays and Tuesdays and Fridays and Saturdays, begins at $310 per couple. Information: (800) 289-2122 or (505) 984-2121.
Chefs get togetherfor benefit dinner
Distinguished chefs from across the nation will bring their culinary expertise together for a Friends of James Beard benefit dinner at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at Polo Grill in Utica Square in Tulsa, Okla.
Themed "Lost in Taste 2001: A Taste Odyssey," the dinner will benefit The Bryan Close Culinary Scholarship. The price is $110 for members of The James Beard Foundation and $125 for nonmembers.
Lauded as the Dean of American cooking, James Beard has played a central role in the evolution of American art and dining habits. For reservations or information, call (918) 744-4280.
Navajo Code Talkerswill be featured
Six Navajo Code Talkers will participate in a program in the Grand Canyon Native American workshop series. The event will be Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, at the Grand Hotel in Grand Canyon Village at Tusayan, Ariz.
The Code Talkers, by relaying messages in their native language, which was unknown to Allied enemies, contributed to the U.S. victory in World War II. They're the subject of the movie Wind Talkers, scheduled for November release.
Workshop participants will meet the Code Talkers on Dec. 7. Saturday will allow time for conversation, photographs, autographs and dinner. The Canyon Star restaurant is the permanent home of the Native American Experience programs. Information: (888) 634-7263 or see www.gcanyon.com on the Web.
California guideis useful for visitors
The "Official California Visitor's Guide and Travel Planner 2001" sprawls over 140 pages, much of it advertisements.
The core consists of 12 regional guides, with information on weather, scenic drives, landmarks, children's activities, lodging and other topics. It also has useful sections on new attractions, wine and 10 suggested itineraries, plus a pullout map.
For more information, call (800) 462-2543, or visit www.visitcalifornia.com on the Web.