DATE: Friday, July 25, 1997                 TAG: 9707250733

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: Staff writers Katrice Franklin and Lewis Krauskopf contributed

        to this report.

                                            LENGTH:  118 lines

HAMPTON ROADS

SUFFOLK

New TV program

to educate citizens

on city services

Suffolk will be airing a new program on its city channel.

Starting Aug. 4, television watchers will be able to listen to Dana Woodson, the city's public information officer, host shows on city issues.

Woodson said the idea of the new program, called ``Suffolk Online,'' is to give citizens information about city services and any new programs that they might be able use.

Each Monday at 7 p.m., a new show will air. The station then will re-run Suffolk Online every day at 2 and 10 a.m. and at 2 and 7 p.m. The first show will focus on the public utilities department, and officials will discuss Suffolk's water supply.

For details, or to share show ideas, call Woodson at 925-6339.

NORFOLK

TRT Roadeo challenges

mechanics, not cowboys

The state's quickest troubleshooters and smoothest operators are back in the driver's seat for a Roadeo competition.

Tidewater Regional Transit will host the ninth annual Virginia Transit Roadeo Saturday and Sunday.

About 50 bus operators and mechanics from 10 transit properties, including TRT and PENTRAN, will compete for the chance to represent Virginia at the International Roadeo this fall.

Participants will be judged on driving and maintenance skills, professionalism and safety techniques. Judges will include representatives from local police, the Department of Motor Vehicles, fire departments and other state agencies.

The Maintenance Competition will be Saturday at TRT maintenance facilities in Norfolk; the Operator Competition will be Sunday at the Norfolk Naval Base between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

CHESAPEAKE

Picnic previews National

Night Out Against Crime

To warm up for the National Night Out Against Crime, the city's Crime Prevention Council will hold a picnic Saturday for Chesapeake residents.

Representatives from the police, fire and emergency medical services departments will set up information booths and demonstrations for residents to get to know local law-enforcement officers.

The Block Security Picnic will run from noon to 3 p.m. at Chesapeake City Park off Greenbrier Parkway.

National Night Out, in which neighborhoods are encouraged to celebrate their anti-crime successes, is Aug. 5.

For details on the picnic or National Night Out, call the crime prevention council at 543-0142.

REGIONAL

Pendleton fair to showcase

local agriculture, commerce

A 10-day regional fair, planned cooperatively by Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach to promote education, agriculture and commerce, will be held Aug. 1 through 10 at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach.

Opening day hours for A Fair at the Beach will be 4 p.m. to midnight. Monday through Thursday hours will be 4 to 11 p.m., Friday hours will be 4 p.m. to midnight, and Saturday and Sunday hours will be noon to midnight.

Each city will have two designated days to showcase itself. Those dates are Aug. 1 and 2 for Virginia Beach, Aug. 3 and 4 for Chesapeake, Aug. 5 and 6 for Portsmouth, Aug. 7 and 8 for Norfolk and Aug. 9 and 10 for Virginia Beach.

Fair attractions include commercial and home-produced art, from quilts to paintings; exhibits from local and regional businesses; presentations by local 4-H and FFA clubs; exhibits showcasing the deep agricultural heritage of South Hampton Roads; daily national, regional and local entertainment; rides and games; and a wide variety of ethnic food vendors.

Parking is free on 70 acres inside the Camp Pendleton Fairgrounds, which can be entered from the South Birdneck Road entrance.

Also, free trolleys will run to and from the fair every 30 minutes. Fair-goers can catch a trolley from the municipal parking lots at 31st, 25th and 19th streets, and at the 9th Street Garage.

Profits from A Fair at the Beach will help fund scholarships for South Hampton Roads students.

Call 427-3580, Ext. 506.

ALSO. . .

Chesapeake - City arborist Miklos Lestyan received a $6,000 grant for ``Sustainable Urban Forest Management'' from the state Department of Forestry earlier this month. Lestyan plans to use the grant to purchase computers and software to network with other cities as well as with state and federal agencies dedicated to tree preservation. By connecting to a network, Chesapeake might be able to make use of environmental databases and resources around the country, Lestyan said.

COMING UP

SATURDAY

Norfolk - The Conference of Minority Public Administrators is sponsoring the first Black Arts Festival. The festival is designed to provide a venue for up-and-coming black artists to showcase their talent. It takes place from noon to 7 p.m. on the rear patio deck at Nauticus.

Suffolk - The Knot Hole Station and Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters will hold a ``Beanie Baby'' sale at the Knot Hole Station to benefit the children of Hampton Roads.

At least 200 assorted Beanie Babies will be for sale beginning at 11 a.m. The first 100 children can purchase one for $5 and choose a second to be donated by that child and the Knot Hole Station to a sick child at CHKD.

The sale kicks off the ``Let Kids Collect Kids Things'' campaign.

WEDNESDAY

Portsmouth - The 44th annual Portsmouth Seafood Outing will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the U.S. Coast Guard Support Center in West Norfolk. Bill Deal and Ammon Tharp will provide music for the outdoor party, which features a seafood buffet, business exhibits and a silent auction. Tickets are $20 for members in advance, and $25 for nonmembers and at the gate. A block of 10 tickets costs $180. Call 664-2576.

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