W-b Settles With Labor Union On 5-year Pact

Acts Reviewed Friday 
Rock Acts Jethro Tull And Emerson, Lake & Palmer Performed Wednesday Evening 
At The Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center. For A Review Of The Concert, 
See Page 4c Of Friday's Times Leader.

Friday, August 23, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C 





BTE depends on quirky fund-raiser &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble garage sale &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., today and SaturdayMitriani Production Center, Pine
Street and Strawberry Avenue, Bloomsburg. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 784-8181 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By BOB NOCEK &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As garage sales go, coffins probably aren't a real hot item. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But at the Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble's first garage sale two years ago,
the leftover casket from "A Christmas Carol" started a minor bidding war. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Everybody said nobody would want it. And we had two people trying to buy
it," said Marge Killian, BTE's garage sale guru, who, for the third straight
summer, is gathering up old props and costumes for the theater's annual
fund-raiser. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There's no coffin this year, but you'll surely find some unusual items at
the BTE Garage Sale, which runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday at the
ensemble's Mitriani Production Center on the corner of Pine Street and
Strawberry Avenue in Bloomsburg. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The sale is a combination of leftovers from the theater and items
contributed by the community, such as furniture, housewares and clothing.
Among this year's donations is an almost-new sofa. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And a package of Depends undergarments. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm sure for the right person, that will be a great deal," Killian said.
"We've also got end tables, pots and pans, glasses, a sofa, and loads and
loads of clothes and shoes and boots. There's sheets and blankets. It's so
varied." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Take, for instance, the assortment of prom gowns that were snatched up
during a previous garage sale by a man who operates a haunted hayride. Or the
terrarium, which Killian calls "the ugliest thing you've ever seen," which
people couldn't wait to get their hands on. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "You'll find all kinds of bizarre stuff," said Killian, who hopes to
include at least one honey pot from the group's recent production of "The
House at Pooh Corner." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The garage sale started two years ago, when the ensemble was cleaning out
its closets. The group intended to donate everything to the Salvation Army,
but realized they might be able to help shrink their budget deficit with a
weekend sale. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We were in the red, and our financial season ends at the end of August,"
Killian said. "We did the garage sale, and that put us in the black. So it's
become a goal, every year to get better. Last year was better than the first
year, and we're hoping for our best year yet." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last year the sale raised approximately $500, Killian said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 BTE's leftovers from past shows are items that costume shop manager April
Bevans and props master Jeremy Good have decided won't be needed in the
future. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And Killian has found that BTE theatergoers would very much like to get
their hands on pieces of their favorite shows. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When we did `Beyond Therapy,' we had a Snoopy dog in the show," she said.
"And I had people calling the theater before the sale asking if the Snoopy dog
was going to be available. Of course, we didn't. But people come in looking
for things. This year, I'm expecting them to be looking for things from
`Pooh.' " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She can't promise any "Pooh" costumes, but she does know of one recent prop
that's got to go. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We had plungers drop at the end of `Bend 'Til it Breaks,' " she said. "So
I think we have about three million plungers around here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bte Depends On Quirky Fund-raiser Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble Garage Sale 10 A.m. To 5 P.m., Today And Saturday.