Candlelight House Tour tickets on sale

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Tickets are now available for the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation's Candlelight House Tour and reception taking place on Friday.

The tour will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and a gala reception will be held from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club.

Tickets for the tour only are $40 for members and $45 for non-members. Tickets for the tour and reception are $75 members and $80 non-members.

For reservations, call 587-5030.

Wine gala tickets are now available

SALEM - Tickets have now gone on sale for Fort Salem Theater's Christmas fundraising gala, "Wine, Woman, and Song," to be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 12. Wine authority David G. Howell will host an exploration of red wine varietals, including tastings and hors d'oeuvres, and will be joined by Lynne Kerr, who will sing about wine, women and men.

The wine tasting musical event will be held in the Cabaret at Fort Salem Theater where, for this event, seating is limited and admission by reservation only, with a Dec. 7 deadline. Proceeds from the gala, with tickets costing $40 per person or $75 for a couple, will go to the theater's Youth Education program.

For reservations, call 854-9200.

Children's charity CD on sale for $8

GLENS FALLS - Local musicians from the Community Café Music Hour have come together and donated a community CD for the holiday season. This CD will be sold in all Hudson River Community Credit Union (HRCCU) and Saratoga's Community Federal Credit Union branches during the holiday season for $8 and the proceeds will benefit the 2009 Credit Union Care for Kids Program (HRCCU).

All proceeds will benefit the pediatric programs at Glens Falls Hospital, Saratoga Care, Seton Health in Troy, and Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady.

Store is collecting toys until Dec. 10

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Maurices stores will be collecting new, unwrapped toys until Dec. 10 at their location in Wilton Mall. The toys will be distributed to local families by Toys For Tots. As a special thank you, maurices will give those who make a donation a coupon for 20 percent off a regular-priced item. Gifts are needed for children of all ages.

Decorating contest applications ready

FORT EDWARD - The annual Outdoor Holiday Home Decorating Contest is once again being sponsored by Little Theater on the Farm. All residents and businesses of the town and village of Fort Edward are eligible to compete. Judging will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 11. Applications are available at the town hall and must be received by Dec. 9.

To enter, submit your application to Little Theater on the Farm, 27 Plum Road, Fort Edward, NY 12828.

Winners will be announced on Dec. 14.

Red Cross receives major grant award

GLENS FALLS - The American Red Cross Adirondack Saratoga Chapter is pleased to announce they have received a major grant award in the amount of $53,541 to provide support services to active military members and their family members. The grant was funded by the Department of Defense and distributed through the national office of the American Red Cross to selected chapters throughout the country.

Military members, veterans and family members through the local National Guard Unit in Glens Falls and the Naval Base in Milton will receive a full spectrum of services including bi-monthly presentation of the American Red Cross program "Get to Know Us Before You Need Us" presentation for military members who are to be deployed understand how to use Red Cross services during deployment. In addition, bi-monthly support meetings for family members will be held to provide emotional support as well as information and referral sources to meet their needs at home. The grant will also allow for ongoing recreational programs and health and safety scholarships for military families. A new program will be offered to provide real time communication between deployed military personnel and their families members at home through a webcam.

Chamber donates $2,550 in gift cards

The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County has teamed up with Northeast Parent & Child Society to serve Saratoga families through Northeast's new Holiday Hope Fund. The Chamber's donation of $2,550 in Wal-Mart gift cards will allow Northeast clinicians to help parents in need budget, plan, and shop for their children during the holiday season. Fifty-one people from 12 Saratoga County families will benefit from this donation.

For information about the Holiday Hope Fund, visit www.neparentchild.org.

Artists receive LARAC grants

GLENS FALLS - The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council in Glens Falls annually distributes grants to artists who reside in Warren or Washington County. Woodcarver Gerry Holzman of Cambridge and painter Jack DeGaetano of Hudson Falls were each awarded a $2,500 grant for 2009, with funding provided by the New York State Council on the Arts and the Rivendell Foundation.

For those interested in future grants, visit www.larac.org/Artist_Grants.html for a history of past grants awarded and information on applying for 2011 Individual Artist Grants.

For more information, call LARAC at 798-1144, Ext. 4.