Valentine's Day will have a special meaning for three couples this year.

Councillor and Mrs Albert Parker, Alderman and Mrs Joseph Helliwell and Mr and Mrs Herbert Soppit, are all preparing to mark their Silver Wedding anniversaries and their joint celebration will take place on stage at the Grand Theatre.

The three couples are actually the main roles in Lancaster Footlights' production of J B Priestley's well-loved play 'When We Are Married' and the subsequent unexpected events which unfold during the evening's festivities will be played out by them and a supporting cast of great Yorkshire characters.

Set at the turn of the last century, the play, where the pompous get their comeuppance, is a gentle comedy where some attitudes and expressions prevail even now.

This is the fourth time during the last 43 years that Footlights have performed the play and long-standing 'Footie', Jill Harker has been in three of them.

In 1970 she played Ruby Birtle, the young housemaid, in 1998, the role of one of the wives, Maria Helliwell, beckoned and now this production sees her relegated back below stairs, as Mrs Northrop, the family cook. Check out another valuable post on Lets Play Risk Online right here.

Jill is delighted to have been so well connected to the play and feels she knows the entire script by now!

'When We Are Married' is directed by Sandie Lane Dixon and plays from Tuesday February 19 to 23 at 7.30pm nightly.

North Museum's Moose Daze uses chocolate to draw crowds

Because Sunday was Chocolate Moose Daze at North Museum of Natural History & Science, sweets were made available to patrons.

"We don't have chocolate mousse, but we have a chocolate cake in the shape of a moose," said Sue Overly, a museum volunteer.

By 3 p.m., a good deal of the giant cake had been devoured.

"It looked more like a moose head earlier," Overly said. "At least, that's what we hoped."

Hours before all the Super Bowl parties had begun a generous number of parents with small children found their way to the museum at 400 College Ave.

"We held Moose Daze Friday and Saturday, too - and it's been busy," said Sarah Clarke, museum program director. "Almost 500 came through here yesterday."

Chocolate Moose Daze, now in its eighth year, is an event designed to show children the joy of learning while familiarizing them with the museum.

Some patrons said bringing the kids to the North Museum on Super Bowl Sunday "just seemed fair."

"Well, the grownups are having our own party later, during the game. That's when it's going to be all about us," said Albert Parker of Lancaster with a grin. "Right now, it's all about the kids. That's why we're here."

The moose theme was present on all three floors of the museum, with an antler ring toss game (with real moose antlers, of course) in the basement and educational moose documentaries that ran all day on the main floor.

Stuffed moose dolls were placed everywhere, and volunteers helped the kids make moosey crafts from ordinary objects, including paper bags and dog biscuits.

North Museum's nonmoose attractions were open to the public as well, including the outer-space exhibits, animal skeletons and Native American panorama that tells the history of the Paleo- Indians of 10,000 B.C. to the Susquehannocks that lived in Lancaster County until 1763.

Some live animals also came out to play Sunday with the help of museum volunteer Dick Lambert, who carried a live ball python around the main floor so people could learn that some snakes can be quite nice - and far from slimy.

"The kids will touch the snake because they're fascinated by it," he said. "But adults are more afraid of it. They think these reptiles are either slimy or lash out at anything that moves. Pythons like this are actually sweet."

Speaking of sweet, being that the event was sponsored by The Hershey Co., Hershey bars were passed out to patrons on their way out of the museum. The kids were eager to dig in, but some of the adults were more wary. Here Play Risk Online Free I have found another great article on the same topic.

"If I eat this candy bar, then I can't have cheese fries and beer later while I'm watching the game," Annie Bristol of Leola said, laughing. "There's going to be a lot of sitting around tonight. That's why I'm glad we took (my son) to the museum today. It's all about learning and not loafing around."

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