40th Anniversary

40 Off in Virginia What's the deal?: Virginia tourism officials are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the "Virginia Is for Lovers" campaign with savings of 40 percent or $40 off hotels, inns, museums, outfitters and more. Some hotels are also offering a fourth night free, and restaurants and attractions have buy three, get a fourth free. What's the savings?: Varies, depending upon the deal. For example, you can get a fourth night free at the Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach, a savings of about $100.

BALTIMORE Voting issues to be discussed at library program Thursday Maya M. Rockeymoore, vice president of research for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, will discuss a variety of voting issues at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Wheeler Auditorium, 400 Cathedral St. Rockeymoore, who earned a doctoral degree in political science and public policy at Purdue University, will talk about voting in the United States, the 15th and...

`Healing the World' talk at Unity church Mahala Connally will speak at Unity by the Bay Church, 836 Ritchie Highway, Suite 18, Severna Park, on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Her message will be "Healing the World." Guest musician will be Scotti Preston. Information: 410-544-7990. Lutherans planning Rally Day on Sunday The Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, 7606 Quarterfield Road, Glen Burnie, will hold its annual Rally Day Sunday this Sunday. . A Sunday school picnic will be held after the 11 a.m. service.

The stage was set for Center Stage's "40th Anniversary Gala." The cocktail hour in the theater lobby gave the evening just the right combination of art and anticipation. Guests in tuxedos and gowns, crisp triangles of white against black intermingled with twinkling swirls of color, created a dazzling backdrop for the evening to come. This 40th-anniversary soiree marked the renowned regional theater, which has a distinguished history and promising future. In fact, the evening's featured performer was a good reflection of Center Stage's reputation.

Mark your calendars for some of the most coveted Orioles giveaways. April 13: Matt Wieters T- shirt Tuesday: T-shirt Tuesdays are always a deal, but a Wieters shirt is something special. The second-year catcher made the cover of Sports Illustrated last month, the first Oriole to manage that since Roberto Alomar in 1996. (Goes to first 10,000 fans 15 and older.) May 26: Nolan Reimold Mini Bobblehead: Who can resist a bobblehead? (Goes to first 15,000 fans 15 and older.

'Street Gang' tells story of 'Sesame Street' PBS' Sesame Street, which reaches 8 million viewers in 120 countries, will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with many products. The recently published Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis chronicles the evolution of the show created by Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets, including Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and Elmo. Davis is a former Baltimore Sun editor and TV Guide columnist. The fall will see a second book, Sesame Street: A Celebration of Forty Years of Life on the Street, by Louise Gikow, and a DVD, Sesame Street: 40th Anniversary.

GAMES FACTSGates open: NoonBatting practice: Orioles, 12:45 p.m.; Kansas City, 1:45 p.m.Pre-game ceremonies: 2:38 p.m.Ceremonial First pitch: Gov. William Donald SchaeferFirst pitch: 3:05 p.m.National anthem: Michael Harrison, general director of Baltimore Opera CompanyTickets: Sold outPromotion: 40th anniversary fan bandanna, courtesy of The Baltimore SunWeather: Sunny, highs in the low 60s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.TV: Channel 13, 2 p.m.Radio: WBAL (1090...

WASHINGTON -- The NAACP's chief executive said yesterday that improving blacks' economic status was the "next major civil rights crusade" and a key to ensuring that black youth receive good education.The Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. said that black communities' economic vitality has much to do with the quality of their public schools -- and that getting a good education, in turn, helps young blacks join the economic mainstream.Racial and economic discrimination have resulted in "second-class educational standards . . . still being imposed on African-Americans and other persons of color," he said.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, flourishing in its 40th anniversary year under the stewardship of Judith Jamison, plays its annual engagement at the Kennedy Center next week. This has been going on since the Ailey dancers opened the Kennedy Center as part of the ensemble for Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" in 1975. As always, the company has brought a full slate of new works and great vintage pieces. You can see the immortal "Revelations," Ailey's tribute to black spirituals, on five of the seven programs; or George Faison's homage to Otis Redding, "Suite Otis," on three.

The Annapolis Symphony finds itself keeping some pretty spiffy company these days. The orchestra recently joined the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the symphonies of Seattle, Milwaukee, New Jersey and Albany, Ga., and the American Composers Orchestra of New York as a recipient of a "Music Alive" grant awarded by the American Symphony Orchestra League. "Music Alive" is a composer residency program designed to bring American orchestras and prominent composers together to generate community support for contemporary music.