Clinton, reads, relaxes, visits friends during Ark. vacation

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- President Clinton spent the first day of a two-day vacation swing through northwest Arkansas the way he says he likes to vacation: with relaxation, reading, and a heavy dose of old friends.

The day culminated with a surprise birthday party that drew 34 Clinton friends to a well-known family restaurant in Springdale.

The president, Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea arrived Monday to spend the two-day sojourn at the summer home of friends Jim and Linda Blair on Beaver Lake, northeast of Fayetteville. The president and first lady lived in the city in the mid-1970s when they taught at the University of Arkansas Law School.

Mr. Clinton's 47th birthday is tomorrow, and his party was held at AG Chicken House, a local landmark in Springdale. The family entered the restaurant to join a crowd of about 34 Arkansans at a private dining room.

Mr. Clinton appeared at a restaurant door after dinner, and was serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by a crowd of about 125 persons. Among the group was Dr. Morriss and Ann Henry, at whose home the Clintons were married.