Palace enters digital worldThe Blue Mound Area Theatre Board, operators of the Palace Theatre, recently purchased a digital projector to use at the Palace.The Canon projector will allow the facility to be used to project DVDs on the big screen, a format in which more and more movies are released.In addition, the new projector will allow local businesses and organizations to use the theater for their Powerpoint presentations.According to BMAT president, Ben Vander Kooi, the new technology fits well in the historic Palace Theatre.Herman Jochims, the original owner, was always ahead of the curve when it came to changes in the entertainment industry.He adapted the theater from the vaudeville era to silent movies, shortly after he built it in 1915.He then added a theater organ in 1926 to accompany the silent movies of the time.With the new projector, the theater will show its first movie the first weekend in April.Currently, most of the movies that are shown at the Palace are still on the old 35 mm format, a process that is getting increasingly more expensive.Some of the newer independent films are only being released on the DVD format because of cost.Get a head start on student financial aidEach year the state of Minnesota helps students gain access to post-secondary education by providing more than $200 million in grants, loans, and work/study programs, according to the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office.Prospective and continuing students can now go online to gain access to "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA).The Web site is www.fafsa.ed.gov.The applications can also be obtained at high schools, colleges, vocational schools and libraries.To help explain the financial aid options, the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office publishes "Focus on Financial Aid."The publication is updated annually and describes state and federal financial aid programs and how to apply for aid.Want some free trees?The National Arbor Day Foundation is starting its annual Trees for America campaign.This year, in exchange for a $10 donation, the National Arbor Day Foundation will send you 10 Colorado blue spruce trees.The Colorado blue spruces have a silver blue-green color and a compact conical shape.The uses of the trees range from individual ornamentals, an energy-saving windbreak, a privacy screen or as a living Christmas tree.The trees will be shipped postpaid at the right time for planting between March 1 and May 31 with enclosed planting instructions.The six-to-12-inch trees are guaranteed to grow or they will be replaced, free of charge.If you would like more information about the organization, contact the National Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Nebraska City, NE. 68410.Rock County businesses can now file onlineIf you’re running a business in Rock County, or anywhere else in the state of Minnesota for that matter, you can now complete your annual registration online.According to Secretary of State, Mary Kiffmeyer, companies doing business in Minnesota, are required to file annually with the Secretary of State’s office.In the past, this required completing a paper form and mailing it.Once it arrived at the SOS office, staff would have to enter the information manually into the database.When you file online, the process takes only a few minutes and provides immediate confirmation that you have met the legal filing deadline and that the information filed was exactly what they wanted it, at no cost.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
