The Erie area will have a white Christmas. There’s snow on the grass and we’re due for another inch or so today. Enough to make it look seasonal, but nothing major.

Erie Blogger Kim Fabrizio was featured in today’s paper in the article Shining moments by David Bruce.

VisitErie is busily getting the next issue of the Erie All Seasons Visitor Guide ready to go. The latest version will be ready for distribution in late March 2008. If you would like to pre-order your free copy, send an email to the VisitErie offices at dsanfratello@eriepa.com. Visitor guides will be mailed out late March/early April. The 72-page full-color guide is a “must have” for Erie tourism information and fun things to see and do while you’re visiting.

Joe Trainer resigned as head coach at Millersville University of Pennsylvania to take the job of assistant head coach/defensive coordinator at the University of Rhode Island. Trainer went 13-20 in the last 3 years at Millersville. He said the school has to add scholarships to be competitive. Millersville only gives out 6 football scholarships. The max in Division II is 36 which Gannon and Mercyhurst give out. The limit in the PSAC up to now was 25 scholarships.

Jeffrey Johnson of Erie PA won the Turkey Hill Dairy Ultimate FANtasy Experience VIP Weekend with the Buffalo Bills. The package included attending Saturday practice, four suite tickets to the Bills/Giants game, on-field passes, a limo ride to the game, merchandise, and hotel / dinner accommodations. Johnson also won a year’s supply of Bills Stampede Sundae-premium vanilla ice cream spiked with peanut butter choco footballs and swirls of peanut putter and chocolatey fudge.

Join your friends at the Watson-Curtze Mansion for the 28th annual Victorian Holidays program Whimsical Wonderland. Included in this exhibit are professionally decorated evergreens, fireplace mantles, doorways, windows and other displays that will be open to the community. Whimsical Wonderland features more than ten different themed rooms; including a Seussical room decorated in all things Dr Seuss, a wintertime teddy bear picnic, a Victorian garden and much more. Participating decorators includes Traditions, the Carrie T Watson Garden Club and Melody Potratz of Potratz Garden Shop. Try you luck with the annual Chinese auction and win gift certificates from local eateries and specialty shops, or a holiday wreath. Victorian Holidays will run until December 30. Wednesday – Saturday 11 am – 4 pm, Sunday 1 pm – 4 pm. Museum Admission: $4 Adults, $3 Seniors, $2 Children.

“Around The World with Disney” will be performed at the Erie Playhouse on Monday December 31 at 7:30 and Tuesday January 1 at 2 pm.

The Erie Runners Club New Year’s Day 5M Race takes place Tuesday Jan 1 at 10 am at Presque Isle State Park. Day of race signup and packet pickup for pre-registered runners will begin at 9 am in the Rotary Pavillion near the Waterworks area.

After a two-year hiatus, Vienna in Erie returns to the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, January 1 at 3 pm. Once again, Maestro Frank Collura will conduct a 65 member Pennsylvania Chamber Symphony in an elegant program of Viennese waltzes, gallops and polkas that have delighted audiences for years. Make this grand and lively concert part of your family tradition. And, of course, enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne at intermission. To order tickets, call the box office at (814) 824-3000.

Cross-Country Skiing 101 will be held Saturday, January 5 at 10 am at Presque Isle State Park. Weather permitting, meet at the cross-country ski concession to check out cross-country skiing. Get basic technique and skills for this exhilarating sport. Bring your own skis or rent. FREE. Rental fee only. Registration appreciated, (814) 833-7424.

For beginners and more experienced skiers wanting to know more about the winter world around them, enjoy Guided Cross-Country Skiing on Saturday, January 5 at 1 pm at Presque Isle State Park. If there is no sufficient snow, a hike will take place instead. Bring your own skis or rent. FREE, rental fee only. Meet at the cross-country ski concession.

There will be a Snowshoe Building Workshop on Saturday, January 5 at 9 am to 3 pm at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle. Build your own snowshoes – great to use, hang on the wall, or pass along for generations. $155 fee, registration required, call (814) 833-7424.

The 25th annual McDonald’s High School Basketball Classic will be held in Erie PA on Friday, January 18 and Saturday January 18, 2008 at the Gannon University Hammermill Center. St Edward of Lakewood Ohio, Rice High School of NYC, Saint Patrick of Elizabeth NJ and Erie Cathedral Prep are in the powerful field. Adult General Admission tickets are $7 and Student General Admission are tickets are $5. Reserved tickets are $12.50.

Daniel S Mead, president of Verizon Services Corp, will discuss how creation of a centralized business services unit saved the telecommunications giant $562 million in one year during an upcoming presentation for the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Mead, a Warren native and member of the college’s Council of Fellows, will speak at 6 pm on Tuesday, January 22, in the Samuel P “Pat” Black III Conference Center in the college’s Research and Economic Development Center. Admission to his talk is free and open to the public.

The 14th annual Sarah Backstrom Memorial Women’s and Girl’s Hockey Tournament will be held in Erie February 8-10, 2008. Admission is FREE to all games. About 1,000 young ladies plus family and friends will be in town for the weekend. Hotel rooms will be hard to come by and expect delays at restaurants. Who was Sarah Backstrom? She was a feisty red headed defensewoman who gave all off her love of the game and passion to play it to the Erie Lady Lions. Sarah fought every battle to the end, with passion and determination. The Erie Lady Lions lost Sarah to Leukemia but have never lost her spirit.

The Association of Program Members (APM) of General Electric Transportation in Erie PA announced that it will be sponsoring the 13th Annual Winter Wishes Benefit Gala for the Foundation of Western Pennsylvania on February 16, 2008. Each year, the members of APM reach out to the community to collect donations for the silent auctions, live auctions and raffles that are held at the event. They also solicit “table sponsors” from local businesses. As a table sponsor, the business’ name appears on the centerpiece showing their support for this wonderful event as well as in any promotional materials that they put together for the function. The money raised with the auctioned items donated by local businesses will help provide funding for Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Community support of this event is recognition of the importance of this cause are greatly appreciated. Along with your assistance, GE will be able to make an impact on the day-to-day life of children whose lives are threatened.

The GE (NYSE: GE) 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on April 23, 2008 in Erie, Pennsylvania at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center.