El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 25

Vamos Bilbo Walker performs the blues 2D Parenting Kitchen safety is vital for children in the home 3D LHmes 1VH1 Section TV Listings 2D Columns 2D, 4D Comics 5D, 6D FEATURES EDITOR PAULA MONAREZ DIAZ, 546-6154 11 11 TUESDAY, AUG. 24, 1999 Season finale set for concert series The last Music Under the Stars World Festival concert of the season is scheduled for Known for his will to succeed growing up in El Paso, this Harvard graduate and Yale professor returns home as 8 p.m. Sunday at the Cham' izal National Memorial Amphitheater, 800 S. San Ramon Renteria Manual. This final perfor mance will feature the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, The concert will include pieces by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Vivaldi, Dvorak and DG1 uli: fa will end with La Cumparsita "The Masked One" by fill IfUU fell KoanguezSteadman.

It will last about 90 minutes with 77 noun out intermission. Information: 541-4481. Employees honored: 4 Allegiance Healthcare Cor poration will have a "part' a- nership" luncheon today to recognize its blind, visually impaired and mentally chal lenged employees. The luncheon is at 1 p.m. today in the company din ing room at One Butterfield Trail.

Allegiance Healthcare provides educational tram ing and extracurricular activities designed to in crease the quality of life for El Paso's blind and mentally challenged citizens. Information: 532-4495. Members sought: Sky iir i.J 1 v' I it i 1 si I line Garden Club of the Northeast is seeking new members. Members meet the second Wednesday of each month, except July and August. The next meeting will be at 11 Kudos Praise for Sergio Tron-coso's "The Last Tortilla Other "Though sometimes slightly overexplicit, Troncoso's wistful, endearingly romantic tales vividly dramatize the inherent richness of even subsistence-level lives.

He's a respecter of persons, and in turn his characters earn your affection and respect." Kirkus Reviews proves to be a challenging but resonant new voice. Setting his tales mostly in El Paso and Juarez, he weaves remarkable fiction from unremarkable lives, homing in on the small braveries that hide in the creases of day-to-day life. Troncoso eschews cheap sentimentality, relying instead on the straightforward narrative strength of his realistic stories to make his points. Enthusiastically recommended." Booklist a.m. Sept.

14 at a location to be determined. The gardening and social club, which By Ramon Renteria El Paso Times Even as a young boy, Sergio Troncoso wanted to excel so much that everyone thought of him as "el terco, a hard-headed over-achiever. Troncoso insisted on riding his bicycle from Ysleta to the Segundo Barrio to see his grandmother, a distance better covered by bus. It was an early example of Troncoso's spirit and drive. Troncoso, 38, returns home to El Paso on Saturday to promote his first published collection of short stories, "The Last Tortilla and Other Stories." The son of Mexican immigrants, Troncoso often is described in literary circles as a promising new voice in Chi-cano literature.

"The Last Tortilla" is drawn from Troncoso's experiences growing up in El Paso, a young boy who emerged from poverty in a shantytown in Ysleta just outside the Tigua Indian reservation called "Barraca" and made it to Harvard Square. Troncoso graduated from Harvard University with honors and then, as if that were not enough, topped off his academic credentials with a Ful-bright scholarship to Mexico and a pair of graduate degrees from Yale, where he now teaches writing. His fiction drawn from that menudo of experiences is brutally honest: a young man in love with an older woman from the other side of the border, an elderly couple beaten and robbed en route to the senior citizens' center and three boys playing a cruel game that results in another boy's death. "A series of tales about older men and women explores their vulnerability, loneliness and faith in God as they near death, while other stories concentrate on young adults caught in the cultural gap Please see Voice 4D has been in existence since 1955, occasionally brings guest speakers and conducts Appeal made to alumni to save media department Sam Riccillo has been on the soapbox as of late, asking everybody to jump on the bandwagon in support of a vanishing discipline. Riccillo is the former head of the communications department at the University of Texas at El Paso.

According to recent reports, the university is in the process of dismantling the department, with hopes of farming those classes out to liberal arts and other departments. Riccillo was on talk radio the other day and later before the Public Relations Society of America, Rio Grande Chapter, reminding El Paso that the decision is not a done deal. Riccillo and Barthy Byrd, UTEP's senior communications faculty members, are urging everybody to pressure UTEP higher-ups to back off their plan. It's unclear whether anybody can save the department at this point. A newsletter mailed to communications alumni implies that it's just a matter of ironing out the little details, then implementing the plan in January.

Hispanic appeal: Recognizing the popularity of the Kennedy clan among Hispan-ics, "People En Espanol" rushed into print a special edition devoted to the life of John F. Kennedy who died in a tragic plane crash. Bulls and dips: Bull-riding twins Adam and Gilbert Car-rillo, formerly of 1 Paso, shared a favorite Casa Fiesta recipe with viewers of TNN's "Crook Chase" talkvariety show during an Aug. 6 appearance. Hosts Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase helped whip up the Carrillo Brothers' 7-layer Dip.

The brothers, now in Stephenville, Texas, also make TV spots for the Casa Fiesta label. They are both ranked among the top 10 of the Professional Bull Riders Bud Light Cup world standings. New CD: Nydia Rojas dropped by KBNA-FM (97.5) and KINT-FM (93.9) Thursday to plug her new CD, "Si Me Conocieras," out on Sept. 7. She recently switched to the Hollywood Latin label, becoming one of the first Latinas to join the Disney-owned label.

Calling El Paso "a cool city," Rojas expects to perform in the area next month. "The prose may be plain and unadorned, but these stories are richly satisfying." Publisher's Weekly to tne Times Special pictured Sergio Troncoso, a former El Pasoan who now lives in New York City, is here with his son, Aaron Troncoso. field trips to such places as the Wilderness Park Museum in Ruidoso, N.M.; the Mesilla Valley area and more. Membership is $5 a year. Information: 821-6864.

Swap meet: The Katja Epilepsy Foundation is looking for local business owners who can sponsor the upcoming "Rio Grande Wheels swap meet Car Corral" scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday at Dick Poe Dodge, 1363 Airway Blvd. The swap meet will include a battle of local bands; a dunking booth and a jala-peno eating contest. The Katja Epilepsy Foundation is a self-supporting group made up of volunteers and depends on private contributions and donations. Proceeds go to the foundation. Information: 590-0924.

El Pasoan honored: El Paso resident, Jose Rivera Villescas, Jr. was recognized by the Texas Pharmacy Association as the 1999 winner of the "Bowl of Hygeia" award for outstanding community service. The award was presented July 16 in Dallas by Greg Hoke, State Government Affairs Manager for Wyeth-Ayerst. Villescas is employed at Sierra Medical Pharmacy and is a member of the Texas Pharmacy Association. He also was past president and Board of Directors member of the El Paso Area Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

The Bowl of Hygeia award is the most widely recognized international symbol of pharmacy. The award is presented annually by participating pharmaceutical associations in the United States, District of Columbia and Canada. Times staff reports About Troncoso Book signings When: 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Where: The Bookery, 10167 Socorro Road.

Information: 859-4066. When: 1 p.m., Sept. 4. Where: Barnes Noble, 705 Sun-land Park. Information: 581-5353.

When: 5 p.m., Sept. 4. Where: Barnes Noble, 9521 Viscount. Information: 590-1932. Review of "The Last Tortilla and Other Stories" will appear in Sunday's book pages.

al relations and philosophy at Yale, where he obtained two graduate degrees and now teaches fiction writing. Mentor: His grandfather, Santiago R. Troncoso, is credited with publishing the first daily newspaper in Ciudad Juarez. Literary highlights: His work has been published in "Hadassah Magazine," "Other Voices," "T-Zero Writer's Annual," "New World: Young Latino Writers," "Electric Mercado," "American Way," "Blue Mesa Review" and El Paso's "Rio Grande Review." Age: 38. Family: wife Laura; and children Aaron, 5 and Isaac, 2 V2.

Roots: the son of Mexican immigrants, Rodolfo and Berta Troncoso, he was born in El Paso, grew up in an Ysleta barrio called "Barraca" and now lives in New York City. Background: Ysleta High School Class of 1979 graduate. After graduating from Harvard University with honors, he was a Fulbright Scholar to Mexico and studied internation 'Nw Rudy Gutierrez El Paso Times Rodolfo and Bertha Troncoso of El Paso's Lower Valley are proud of their son, Sergio Troncoso, who has written an acclaimed collection of short stories. Ramon Renteria Is an El Paso Times features reporter. His column on media topics appears every other Tuesday.

Please call him at (915) 546-6155 with ideas or comments. Children testers predict holiday's top toys Wednesday mi Tinned 4 4 Top Candidates for the most popular toys for the 1999 holiday season, and their manufacturers: Elmo's Radio Control Roadway (Fisher-Price). Harry Hairball (Rumpus). Hydro Battle (Pressman). Magnet Mania Discovery Jar (LeamingSmith).

Music Blocks (Neurosmith). toys Oogly Googly Motorized Building Set (Learning Resources). Play-Don Seaside Playworld (Hasbro). Stacks of Hats (Roylco). Yummy Chocolate Bugs (Curiosity Kits).

Source: Family Fun magazine I an.M of attention," said Heather Kee-gan of Digital Research a market research firm in Kenneb-unk, Maine, that is a consultant for Family Fun. Family Fun's ratings have been a fairly good indicator of what will be hot and what won't. In previous years, it has spotted Elmo, Bounce Around Tigger and Barney the TV dinosaur. It missed last year's rage Furby, the furry creature that talks and belches because the toy came out later in the season. "No one really knows until the holiday season is underway," cautioned Diane Cardinale, a spokeswoman for the Toy Manufacturers of America.

Among this year's Family Fun finalists are expected names such as Elmo's Radio Control Roadway, from Mattel's Fisher-Price division, and the Play-Doh Seaside Playworld by titan Hasbro. By Stephanie Stoughton Washington Post WASHINGTON At the KinderCare Learning Center in suburban Reston, Joumani Bryant-Brooks tries to connect a few plastic pieces. His brows knit in concentration. He squirms. A soft sigh.

And then two small hands toss the toy parts onto the table in a fit of pique. "We can't do this thing," proclaims the 7-year-old. "It's too hard." While not exactly the kiss of death for the new Power Rings building game, such criticism is likely to be of interest to the toy's maker, Fun Source. What looks like play is really an important iob. This week, about a dozen kids spent one afternoon at the center helping predict what might be the next Tickle Me Elmo or Mighty Morphin 1 41 li Gerald Martlneau Washington Host Kelly Becker, left, with friend Lana Goddu Power Rangers in time for the Christmas shopping season, when parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and others will spend $27.2 billion on toys.

This year, toymakers including Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc. submitted mrtre than 450 stuffed animals, games and techno-toys for kids to test. The first round of testers quickly whittled that number down to 66. And now, the final cuts are being made by children at eight KinderCare centers.

The rankings will be featured in the November issue of Family Fun magaVne, owned by Walt Disney Co. "The manufacturers pay a lot tried to find the plastic dinosaur bones at a Reston, child-care center, a test site. Wine Mexican vintners are I re'ady to be taken seriously. ID for Family' Fun magazine's contest to spot the toys that will be the upcoming holiday season's best bets..