Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 77

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2000 I WHAT'S NEXT WEEKEND TO WEEKEND On this 10th day of Christmas, residents of Prestons3 burg, won't have any lords a-leaping, but there'll be plenty of regular folks dancing, banjo-picking and fiddleplaying at the Jenny Wiley State Resort Park. "We try to keep the traditions of the early Scotch-Irish settlers of east says Kathryn Frazier, coordinator of Old Christmas in Prestonsburg. "We began reviving some of the old customs from the late 1700s 30 years ago, at a party in the home of one of our neighbors. There was a lot of interest, and each year the event grew bigger." From Lexington, visitors can reach the celebration site by traveling east on Interstate 64 to Combs Mountain Parkway (Route 402) to Route 114. For information, call Frazier at (606) 886-2185.

THU Michael Tucker and Jill Eiken- berry are among the stars who will be on the slopes at the Steve Garvey Celebrity Ski Classic at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. The husband-and-wife team and stars of L.A. Law will be joined by Reggie Jackson, Donny Osmond, Doug and Candy Burk, Corbin Bernsen and others. A highlight of the four-day event will be an auction of personal memorabilia from various celebrities on Saturday night. Proceeds will go to the Utah Special Olympics.

8 If VCR you're considering buying a personal computer, a or some item, why not wait to find out what's hot at the International Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The three-day event, which begins Friday, "is the marketplace where numerous consumer electronic technologies and new products are introduced." says the show's Cynthia Saraniti. About 100,000 people from at least 70 countries are expected to view nearly 1,400 exhibitions. The American Agriculture Movement, an organization representing family-owned farms around the USA, will have its annual conference in Wichita, Friday through Sunday. "We'll be celebrating our 10th year, so it should be a very exciting meeting.

It'll be a good time to recall some of the carly protests, and to reflect on how far we've come in the past decade," says national director David Senter. "And because 1988 is an election year, we'll be taking a hard look at the presidential candidates. Whenever there's a change in leadership in Washington, it affects agriculture policy." None of the presidential hopefuls is scheduled to address the conference. SKIING CELEBS: Eikenberry, Tucker exchange L.A. Law for Utah slopes.

The Broadway's curtain rises Majestic Saturday Theater at on the theater event of the year, the London hit Phantom of the Opera. The show featuring the British cast of Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton, is directed by Harold Prince (Evita, Cabaret and A Little Night Music). The preview is a warm up for the gala opening Jan. 21, to be attended by Sarah, Duchess of York. But don't plan to go: Even with a top ticket price of $1,000, the gala's sold out.

Jacob Wortham ELECTION YEAR Bayh meets O'Connor Sure it's wild and crazy to forecast who'll run for president in 2000 but, hey, they call the primaries the Silly Season, don't they? So let's skip this election (impossible to predict!) and plunge fearlessly into Campaign 2000. "The Democrats will be running Evan Bayh," dreams Democratic consultant Bob Squier. Bayh, 32, son of former Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh, is the Hoosier secretary of state and plans to run for governor this year. For vice president? Squier predicts a big change, constitutionally -speaking: We'll elect several.

"The rainbow coalition will have arrived, spread across several veep positions." And which Republican will vie with Bayh? Campaign consultant Eddie Mahe says a good bet is current Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 57. "I think she'll leave the court to run for vice president, then president," Mahe says. One more prediction from Squier: Voters will study the candidates, punch up position papers and vote from home all by computer. Jonathan Walters DOE Via FUTURE TALK Accessing ways we'll interface verbally How will we talk in 2000? One thing fer sure: Some of today's slang still will be with us. "If you're a Valley Girl now, it's possible you will be one (then)," says Stuart Flexner, editor in chief of the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition.

Among his and others' predictions for USA Future Speak: More computer terms. Expect more "accessing" and "interfacing." Fewer phone conversations. We may speak more through home computers. Hispanic influence. We'll borrow more words from this fast-growing USA minority population.

Shortening of words. It's happening now: Teens say "za" instead of "pizza." Marianne Flagg NEW AGES Prince Andrew, 40? Woody Allen, 65? How old will you be in the year 2000? Everyone will turn something in that much-anticipated year; some well-known people will hit numbers that add up to personal milestones: Helen Hayes and Claude Pepper: The grande dame of theater and the spunky politico ushered in the century, and see it out with 100 candles in fall 2000. Sonny Bono and Woody Allen: Cher's ex and ex-hippie Bono turns 65, as does New York favorite son Woody Allen. "Little" Stevie Wonder, Jane Pauley and Don Johnson: Is there life after 50? Ask them; they hit the big 5-oh. Sean Penn, Prince Andrew, Valerie Bertinelli and Timothy Hutton: Born in 1960, it's time in 2000 for those tacky turning40 birthday gags.

Keshia Knight Pulliam: the littlest Huxtable turns 21. Will the Cosby kid-no-more have her own place on her own show? Russell Shaw TRENDSPOTTER New Year's Eve, we'll really party when it's 1999 Merrymakers across the USA swell from about 250,000 to half a make it an annual tradition to millon. It will be the largest crowd watch, in person or on TV, the in Times Square since the celebralighted ball drop in New York tion at the end of World War IL. City's Times Square every New "The whole country will take Year's Eve. Tama Starr, executive part.

Even people watching the ball vice president of Artkraft Strauss, drop via TV in other time zones the sign company that has staged consider it the New Year when the the countdown since 1908, looks Lansner, ball drops. ahead to the celebration that will "The tradition is an ancient one usher in year 2000. Erica from many cultures. New Year's Eve was both pagan and the end of the millennium, TAMA STARR: Her firm will drop the By tical in origin. and the start of a new one.

We ball as half a million of us go crazy. "What you see in Times Square can't help but think about it, even is similar: people celebrating the now. For me, 1975 seems like yes- "The ball will be rebuilt, and intercession of the sacred and the terday, so 2000 seems like tomor- we'll create a big new countdown profane. It's OK to be crazy and row. device to show parts of seconds kiss strangers.

It's that New Year's Eve, we'll passing, building anticipation. ized madness. have the same basic elements as "We're expecting many more "The approaching millennium for every New Year's, but bigger people will 'see in' 2000. The nor- will make it even madder." and brighter. mal crowd in Times Square will Russell Shaw Barda Clive By PHANTOM: Opera star Michael Crawford USA 1-3, 1988.