Jefferson Rock cleaned after recent vandalism

Jefferson Rock cleanedafter recent vandalism
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. -- If it weren't for a faint tinge of pink, you'd never know a famous rock outcropping at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park was vandalized with red paint a few months ago.
Park officials spent about 80 hours removing the paint from the rock's many crevices, finishing the work in mid-May.
The remaining discoloration should eventually be washed away by rain, according to Harpers Ferry Center conservator Greg Byrne.
The shale outcropping atop Jefferson Rock offers visitors a full view of where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet. The rock is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and draws hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.
Before being elected the nation's third president, Thomas Jefferson said the vista was "worth the voyage across the Atlantic."
The red paint was slopped on the rock by two Jefferson County brothers in December, Robert and Steven Hopkins, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of defacing the tourist attraction.
Roles of Cherokee womenare explored in exhibit
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- A summer exhibit at the Museum Center at Five Points explores the roles of women as decision-makers, landowners and clan leaders in old Cherokee society.
More than 300 pieces of contemporary Cherokee artwork and crafts from the private collection of R. Michael Abram are included in the "Cherokee Women in Legend and Daily Life" display through Aug. 31.
Clanship in the tribe was inherited through women and women had a right to vote on certain matters.
Thousands of Cherokees perished on the Trail of Tears during the tribe's 800-mile forced march to Oklahoma in 1838-39.
For more information about the exhibit, call (423) 339-5745.
Reno art exhibits
RENO, Nev. -- In July, Reno becomes "Artown" -- featuring 300 arts events, exhibits and performances over 31 days.
Admission to many of the programs is free, and they appeal to a wide range of tastes. The scheduled events include Hawaiian dance, the Irish group The Chieftains, art gallery exhibits, children's art workshops, string quartets, jazz bands, Shakespeare for kids and "Peter and the Wolf."
There's even a lecture scheduled about Reno's history as a place where unhappy couples used to come to get divorced.
Visit www.renoisartown.com for a complete list of events.
Mr. T dolls on display
Mr. T lovers will delight in a new exhibit featuring 150 dolls of the mohawked one.
"I Pity the Dolls! A Collection of Contemporary and Vintage Mr. T Dolls" opened at the Orchard Street Gallery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
All the handmade dolls, based on a once-popular commercial sewing pattern, were gathered by artist Greg Rivera, who has the world's largest collection of Mr. T memorabilia. See www.mrtandme.com for inspiration.
The exhibit will be on view through July 9.
For more information, contact the gallery at (212) 966-2720.
Airline sites compete
Many Web-savvy travelers have considered Itasoftware.com to have the best airfare search display. It shows results on a grid with airline, price and number of stops. (It's the model for Orbitz.com.)
Sidestep.com has upped the ante, however. It lets users re-sort fares by price, outgoing and return times, airline, and combinations of all. This makes it easy to find, say, a fare under $200 that leaves after 9 a.m.
Plus you can now search from a Web browser. The site used to require a program download.
Combined dispatches