Standard-Speaker from Hazleton, Pennsylvania • Page 7

Hazleton Standard-Speaker, Tuesday, March 24, 1998 CON aIencIar Celebration set March is nutrition month, and the senior centers sponsored by the LuzerneWyoming Counties Bureau for the Aging, will celebrate nutrition at noon March 26. Attend your local senior center, enjoy a nutritious meal, receive healthy information and healthy snacks. Prizes will also be awarded. Anyone 60 years of age and older is invited to attend. Reservations must be made one day in advance.

For more information on this and other Prime Time Health Programs, contact your local senior center or Marianne Infan-tino at 822-1 158, ext. 310. Pasty sale St. John's Primitive Methodist Church, corner of Poplar and Juniper streets, Hazleton, will hold a pasty bake sale on March 31 Orders must be in by Thursday. place an order, call Alma Burkhardt at 455-1 906, Donna McNeal, 455-3198, or Gladys Fatula at 454-5364.

Fish supper An all you can eat fish supper will be held April 4 at St. John's UCC, Wapwallopen, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults, $3.50 for children ages 6 through 1 2, and children under six eat free. Takeouts are $7. For more information call ii 1 1 Labor council United Labor Council of Lower Luzerne and Carbon Counties will meet at The Slavonic Club, 20th and Peace streets, Hazleton, at 7:30 p.m.

today. Bridge club Hazleton Duplicate Bridge Club will meet at the Greater Hazleton Senior Citizens Center, East Broad Street, Hazleton, at 7 p.m. today. Fire Co. meets Pioneer Fire Co.

will meet at the firehouse at 7:30 p.m. today. Swim night Hazle Township Family Swim Night will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Heights Terrace Elementary School. Sale slated Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Book and Plant Sale, will be held April 4 from 9 a.m.

to 4 p.m., and April 5 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Heritage Room, fifth floor, of the Weinberg Memorial Library, University of Scranton. Concert planned The Schuylkill County Community Chorus will present the concert, "The Best of John Rut-ter" at 7 p.m. March 28 in St. John the Baptist Church, 1 0th and Mahantongo Pottsville.

Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Tickets are available from any chorus member or at the door. For additional information, call 622-3336. Craft show Presbyterian Church of Moun-taintop will hold its 10th annual art and craft show from 1 0 a.m. to 5 p.m.

April 4. It is sponsored by the Presbyterian Women's Group. In addition to arts and crafts, there will be baked goods and lunch items. SCOUT RECEIVES SILVER AWARD Sarah Cvammen accepts the Girl Scout Silver Award from the leader of her Cadette troop, Diane Ilircolla. Looking on are her parents, the Rev.

Thomas and Mrs. Joelyn Cvammen. Sarah is a member of Girl Scout Troop 235 of Trinity Lutheran Church in West Hazleton. The award was presented during services held at the church on Girl Scout Sunday. Slavic studies Hazleton Area Center for Slavic Studies will meet at the Top of the 80s, Conyngham Pass, today at 6:30 p.m.

Clothing ministry "Jesus Is Victor" Clothing Ministry, 108 E. Second Hazleton, will be in operation from 1 0 a.m. to noon today. Call 455-1324 for more information. Furniture designer seems to have magic touch AA, NA meetings Alcoholics Anonymous will hold a grapevine meeting at the West Hazleton Borough Building, second floor, at noon today.

Narcotics Anonymous will meet at the Diamond United Methodist Church, corner of Diamond Avenue and Locust Street, Hazleton, at 7 p.m. today. The Alcoholics Anonymous White Haven Serenity Tuesday Group will meet at the Mountain-view Community Church, Weatherly-White Haven Road at 7 p.m. today. A Narcotics Anonymous meeting will be held at 7 p.m.

today in Diamond United Methodist Church, corner of Diamond Avenue and Locust Street, Hazleton. Alcoholics Anonymous will hold at step meeting at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Lee Court, rear door, behind the library, today at 8:30 p.m. Kiwanisclub Hazleton Kiwanis Club will meet at 1 2:05 p.m. today at the Holiday Inn, Route 309, Hazleton.

Lions meet West Hazleton Lions Club will meet at Eli's Place in West Hazleton at 6:30 p.m. today. TOPS meets Take Off Pounds Sensibly, Freeland Chapter, will meet in the borough building at 7 p.m. today. Weigh-in is at 6:30 p.m.

Seniors meet Hazle Township Senior Citizens will meet to play cards at 7 p.m. today in the municipal building, 23rd and Peace streets, Hazleton. "When I give lectures, the audience is expecting this shy furniture designer," says Jackson, in Los Angeles recently preparing for the April debut of his Pacific Design Center showroom. "But I'm very comfortable telling wild stories. I guess I feel responsible for the performance aspect of my speech." Lest his early artistic pursuits seem unrelated to his 25-year career in furniture design, the New York-based designer believes there is a common thread between the disciplines.

"The connection between design and performance is that you must break down what is essential, what is the theme," continues Jackson, 47. "In both, you must have the ability to step back and edit, to continually refine until the piece resonates." And in the final analysis, Jackson affordable one of a kind gifts Fine Arts Crafts Easter's On It's Way! 788-4300 Rte. 93 Conyngham Open: Tues. thru Sat 10AM 6PM ii Vallev OridnalS the stick and pull it out than it spends running," Jasmine complained. (To make it work, you have to slide the plastic rip stick through a slot on top of the car, then yank it out quickly.

Put the car on the ground and nudge it forward.) And despite the claim that the SSP will "run over ramps," neither the "Sport Race Car" nor the "Jet Boat" models we tested made it up a 6-inch-high, 8-foot-long ramp. Fun rating: Fair Losers' Circle: All of these cars come packaged in multiple layers of cardboard and nonrecyclable plastic. This may help them stand out on toy-store shelves. carves chair legs and sculpts tabletops with such precision that the computer must be programmed to make minute adjustments so that each piece is slightly different. "What took two weeks to craft by hand," marvels Jackson, "now takes 22 minutes by machine." Prior to this technology, Jackson's one-of-a-kind beds, chairs and tables were too expensive for most consumers.

While this new technology permits his work to be more accessibly priced and available to a Phone alfred At 52 rtmc 9-11 EAST i I BROAD STREET Test (Continued from page 6) Fun rating: Very Good Pit Stop We also tested the larger Tonka SSP (Super Sonic Power) car. Although Chris felt the rip stick made him a larger part of the action, the pushing and pulling annoyed Lizzy. "It's too hard to do fast," she said, "and sometimes it jams, so you have to do it again." Some kids liked the cool designs of the various SSP models. But others griped that "SSP" should stand for "slow, stupid, and a pain." Its speed was less than 5 mph, and its typical range was only 31 feet. "It takes more time to put in "Dakota Jackson is who I think of when a project needs a certain type of look, a certain proportion that only his furniture can provide," says Carl Ross of Carl Ross Design Manhattan Beach, Calif.

The "look," says Ross, is sophisticated, well-traveled, genderless and timeless. "There really is no other line of the same caliber." says Ross, who has commissioned Jackson pieces for his redesign of Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Jerry Meyer, owner of Jerry Meyer Designs in West Hollywood, incorporates both custom-made and existing pieces of the Jackson line in his projects. "My clients expect the quality of Dakota Jackson furniture," says Meyer. "He offers polished resin finishes, which cannot be duplicated." Jackson considers it part of his philosophy to push the boundaries of design.

"I have always been a big proponent of the notion that you can't have innovative design without innovative technology," Jackson told reporters after the 1995 debut of his computer robotics plant. This revolutionary equipment For All Occasions GREAT GIFT IDEA FOR BABY TIME CAPSULE Regular or Flavored Coffees, Teas Hot Chocolate, etc. rvice 455-8888 or 929-1000 HE Sherman St, McAdoo linn-Fri maiupii Coffee Service, Inc. Rates Tuxedo Chauffeured 1 0 Passenger Limousines Champagne Bar Included rrrr LEHIGHTON, PA 1-800-281-5911 But it also adds too much unnecessary garbage to crowded landfills. Reducing packaging to save the environment is one race we think toy-car makers should try harder to win.

At the Finish Line: Hot Wheels X-V Racers ($10) -actual speed 6.6 mph, scale speed 396 mph, range 400 ft. Fun score: Very Good. Darda "World's Fastest" ($7) -actual speed 5.6 mph, scale speed 336 mph, range 63 ft. Fun score: Good. Tonka SSP ($10) actual speed 4.8 mph, scale speed 127 mph, range 31 ft.

Fun Score: Fair. Plus cost of batteries. lareer audience, don't exDect to find Jackson's wares at bargain-basement prices. Available only through interior design professionals, the Library Chair, for instance, sells for $750. The Epic dining table carries an investment-size price tag: $18,500.

Jackson admits he fancies himself something of an industrialist. "I love machinery. I love creating jobs. I love it that my factory is an atmosphere where skilled and unskilled laborers work side by side, learning from each other." 454 5971 dunner 2-POCKET PULL-ON-PANT reg. $34.00 OUR PRICE COLORS: BLACK NAVY TAN RED COBALT JADE IVORY DOTTES CHARGE Size 32 to 40 what separates the artist from his competition, he says, is knowing when a project is complete or when it's time to scrap the whole design and start over.

"Both are good excuses for drinking," deadpans Jackson. While the Dakota Jackson name is revered within the interior design community, his decidedly modern furniture, including his new five-piece line, Nuevo Tango, isn't necessarily for everyone. His signature style incorporates a strong geometric line with quirky, edgy details. Consumers may be used to adapting to new fashions when it comes to clothing, says Jackson, but they are more reluctant to experiment with their home furnishings. "Most people are comforted by the familiar," he says.

"They look for two things when it comes to furniture: physical comfort and emotional reassurance. If a design falls outside a typically accepted form, unless it feels right to them, they probably won't like it." What Jackson lacks in "every man" popularity, he makes up for in a strong celebrity client base. Early in Jackson's career, Yoko Ono commissioned a desk for her husband, John Lennon. Drawing on his gift for illusions, Jackson created a "magical" Chinese puzzle-style piece complete with secret drawers activated by a properly placed paperweight. Today, Jackson's clients include Robert De Niro, Lome Michaels and Jerry Seinfeld.

Michael Jordan and Diane von Furstenberg. Known for its sleek, architectural craftsmanship, Jackson's line is a favorite among industry professionals. By LISA COOKE Copley News Service Dakota Jackson could charm the chintz off a chaise. But that's not what made him one of America's hottest avant-garde furniture designers He's collected a coterie of celebrity clients. But that's not what landed his designs in permanent exhibits at New York's American Craft Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

Jackson, a designer with no formal design training, just seems to have a magic touch. Literally. A third-generation magician, Jackson mastered sleight of hand illusions at an early age. He took up singing, then dance, performing with the Trisha Brown and Laura Dean modern dance companies in the 1970s. Dakota BATHTUB RESURFACING DONE IN PLACE! NOMESSI AH Colors -5-Year Warranty Exclusive Porcalalncote Finish CALL OR WRITE TRI-COUNTY PERMA CERAM JOHN SOLUS, Box 200, Sybertivllle, PA 18251 PHONE 788-3882 WEDDINGS JO Our Specialty COMPLETE Starting $1 QQ00 wFnniivr: pa ck a res at Zry 7 Lowest 6, 8, 717-386-4802 Average Petite Size 8 to 20.