The Game Commission's Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Visitor Center will feature hundreds of original paintings and fine art prints from the best-known wildlife artists in the state during its annual Wildlife Art Show from August 3-5.

The show is free, and the hours are: Friday, 1-6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

In addition to the artists' sales, the art show will sell tickets for $2 each or 3 for $5 for a drawing that will be held at 4 p.m. on August 5. Four prizes will be awarded.

First prize is the annual Remarque Board, which features a small original painting by the participating artists in the show. The small paintings, which normally are done as part of a limited edition print, are assembled, matted and framed as a single collectible piece of artwork.

Art prints by Karl Eric Leitzel, from Spring Mills, Centre County, and Gerald W. Putt, Boiling Springs, Cumberland County, will be offered as second and third prizes, respectively.

Proceeds from the drawing will benefit The Wildlands Preservation Fund land acquisition program. The Game Commission's Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Visitor Center is along Hopeland Road, two miles south of Kleinfeltersville, Lebanon County.

The Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area is a special tract owned and set aside by the Game Commission for the protection, propagation, management, preservation and controlled harvest of wildlife. This area of more than 5,000 acres provides habitat for waterfowl, forest wildlife and farmland wildlife and includes a 400-acre shallow water lake and a 70-acre impoundment.

Visitors to the wildlife area in November and from late February to late March are fortunate to witness and photograph the flocks of beautiful snow geese and tundra swans that stop in Pennsylvania during migration.

Contact the Middle Creek Visitor's Center at 717-733-1512 for more information or visit the Middle Creek Management Area webpage.

7/6/2007