NORWICH – The Chenango County Council of the Arts is pleased to announce the allocation of $58,000 in cultural funding to 29 non-profit organizations through the Broome & Chenango Decentralization (DEC) Grant Program, a decentralized program of the New York State Council on the Arts. In addition to this funding, a presentation of the Russell J. Perlman Award of Excellence will be made to the Otselic Valley Improvement and Preservation Association for proposing the “Most Outstanding Project” in Chenango County for 2008. An awards ceremony will take place at the Martin W. Kappel Theater, 27 West Main Street, Norwich, at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 6. The public is invited to attend.

The Broome & Chenango DEC Program serves as a catalyst for local cultural development exposing children, adults and seniors to events that entertain, educate and enrich their lives. Continuous increased funding provided through this program has helped to strengthen our communities by reaching the most rural of our townships and villages, providing increased access to a greater quality of life for residents. The DEC Program operates annually and panel nominations are accepted on a rolling basis. For additional information, please call the Arts Council office at 336-2787/ARTS or visit our website at www.chenangoarts.org.

Congratulations to the following 2008 grant recipients:

Binghamton Youth Symphony

Project: Introduction to the Orchestra Concert

March 11th -9:30am/11am, Anderson Center, Osterhout Concert Theater, BU

Broome County Public Library