European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 22 stars and stripes sunday april 1 2007 chocolate Jesus stirs Catholic ire by Larry Mcshane the associated press new York a planned holy week exhibition of a nude anatomically Correct Choco late sculpture of Jesus Christ was cancelled Friday amid a choir of complaining catholics that included Cardinal Edward Egan the my Sweet lord display was shut Down by the hotel that houses the lab gallery in Midtown Manhattan said Matt Semler the gallery creative director Semler said he submitted his resignation after officials at the Roger Smith hotel shut Down the show the six foot sculpture was the victim of a Strong arming from people who Haven seen the show seen what were Semler said they jumped to conclusions completely contrary to our but word of the confectionary Christ infuriated catholics including Egan who described it As a sickening Bill Donohue head of the watchdog Catholic league said it was one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities the hotel and the gallery were overrun thursday with angry phone Calls and emails about the exhibit Semler said the Calls included death threats Over the work of artist Cosimo Cavallaro who was described As disappointed by the decision to cancel the display in this situation the hotel  continue to be supportive because of a fear for their own Semler said the sculpture was to debut monday evening the Day after Palm sunday and just four Days before roman catholics Mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday the final Day of the exhibit was planned for easter sunday the artwork was created from More than 200 pounds of milk chocolate and features Christ with his arms outstretched As if on an invisible Cross and without a Loincloth Cavallaro is Best known for his Quirky work with food As Art past efforts include repaint ing a Manhattan hotel room in melted Mozza Rella spraying five tons of Pepper Jack cheese on a Wyoming Home and festoon ing a four poster bed with 312 pounds of processed Ham my Sweet a chocolate statue of a naked Jesus hangs at a studio thursday in new York Oakland Hells Angels Mark 50th anniversary Eric Elsber Cap a Hells Angels Emblem is displayed thursday at the clubhouse of the Oakland chapter which is celebrating its 50th anniversary North Texas museum tries to save collection of 511 hats by Angela k Brown the associated press Wichita Falls Texas for More than 50 years Nat Flem Ings Western Wear store didst just sell Cowboy hats it became a shrine to them the hundreds of worn hats nailed to the wooden rafters Actu ally were a tribute to his custom ers the ranch hands wealthy Oil investors and businessmen who gave him their old hats when they bought new ones he even had one from Gene Autry Al though it was stored in a Glass Case and on loan from the collector who owned it but Fleming 85 closed the cow lot when he retired late last year in this North Texas City near the Oklahoma Border now the museum of North Texas history wants to preserve the 511hat col Lection and has raised about a third of the needed to build the display room some like the White hat owned by Flemings wife look Pristine a Kansas game wardens Straw hat also appears new others Are a bit worn the Gray or Tan Felt brims stained Brown from sweat dirt and Oil off the Farmers and workers hands so Many decades ago in so proud of every one we got in because everybody that came in the store had a different Fleming said soon after Fleming opened his store in 1952 his brother gave him a dark Brown 10gallon hat with a Bullet Hole in the Back brim so Fleming decided to hang it on the Wall never anticipating the trend he would Start he said i had no didst dream it i didst imagine it i didst plan Fleming said every time somebody came in they said i have one i can bring and they he tacked Small cards bearing the owners name to each hat then a few years later As More customers began bringing in their hats he began adding each persons Hometown to the laminated cards when a hats owner died he placed a Gold Star beside the name it became obvious that the col Lection was More popular than we Fleming said some of the More famous own ers whose hats Are part of the col Lection Are cowpokes cartoonist Ace Reid sculptor Jack Stevens and Bucky whar ton m a shareholder in the famed Waggoner estate the ranch stretching across six North Texas counties by Kim Curtis the associated press Oakland Calif even with some of its members old enough to collect retirement pay a party at Hells Angels Headquarters is no Celebration for the police As the club planned to Mark the 50th anniversary of its found ing this weekend police put extra officers on duty thursday even As they downplayed the Chance of trouble from a club with a Long history of ruins with the Law i anticipate its going to be one of the biggest events the club has said George Christie the groups Ventura chapter presi Dent i just think everybody in a festive Christie said the event which kicked off Friday with a concert is drawing members to Oakland from All Over the world the motorcycle clubs Oakland chapter Best known for provid ing Security at the 1969 Alta Morit free concert where a fan was killed by a Hells Angel is expected to have 600 to 800 bikers at the event police said the group has secured the necessary permits but officers will patrol the events to make sure nothing gets out of hand police said the Hells Angels were formed in Fontana in 1948 by the 1960s the club had become synonymous with outlaw biker counterculture today the group organizes motorcycle runs All Over the world and takes part in charitable events such As Christmas toy drives but the groups history includes links to methamphetamine distribution prostitution and violence the Oakland chapter was founded by Ralph Sonny Barger 68 who served time in Federal prison for conspiring to blow up the clubhouse of a rival biker gang the outlaws Barger has since become a bestselling author even so the stigma of the Alta Mont concert still follows the group he said the Hells Angels including Barger were Given free Beer to help keep fans from Rush ing the stage when a shouting match erupted As the rolling stones played fan Meredith Hunter pulled a gun and was stabbed by Hells Angel Alan Passaro the killing was Cap tured in the 1970 documentary film Gimme Passaro who died in 1985 was acquitted after claiming self de sense Joe Dangler master distiller for Virginia gentleman works at George Washington distillery in 2003 the mount Vernon estate on Friday officially opened a Mybon reconstruction of the original distillery whiskey As our founder intended by Matthew Barakat the associated press mount Vernon a after a nearly 200year hiatus George Washington still is bubbling again churning out the same sort of Rye whiskey that made the founding father the nations most successful whiskey producer in the years after his presidency Washington mount Vernon estate on Friday officially opened a million reconstruction of Washington original distillery on the exact site where it was located in 1799 a few Miles Down the Road from his famous mansion overlooking the Potomac River mount Vernon officials Hope the distillery will illustrate Washington prowess As an entrepreneur the estate also won special legislation this year from the Virginia general Assembly to sell limited Quanti ties of the whiskey up to Gallons a year to give estate visitors a taste of alcohol history Washington farm manager scotsman James Anderson began distilling whiskey in february 1797 in the final months of Washington presidency Anderson convinced a reluctant Washington to build a Large scale distillery a few months later and the distillery was completed in March 1798 mount Vernon officials first considered reviving the distillery in the mid1990s in conjunction with plans to reconstruct an adjacent Gristmill archaeological work began on the distillery in 1997 and workers found the remnants of the five Copper pot stills along with other artefacts that provided clues to the stills operation mount Vernon director of preservation Dennis Pogue said he is confident that the reconstructed Dis Tillery closely mimics Washington actual operation i think hed recognize it the main distilling room in particular is most he said