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San Diego
Convention
Center Draws
Another Crowd
0
efore San Diego's new
convention center be–
came a building largely
intended for out-of-towners, an
estimated 70,000 more San
Diegan's toured the center's
spacious halls yesterday on the
last of three days of open
house.
The turnout - on a soupy
gray day that would leave most
~h
~,,
'•'~
~-
t
r
w
y ffley
came - brought the total for
the holiday weekend to
225,000, according to Mike
Connolly, and independent
contractor who organized the
three-day event. That number
was more than twice the admit–
tedly conservative predictions
of convention center officials.
Execution
Set April 3
For Harris
By ALAN ABRAHAMSON
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
urderer Robert Alton Harris,
convicted of the killings of two
teen-age San Diego boys, was
ordered Monday to die April 3
in the gas chamber at San
Quentin, setting the stage for
California's first execution in 23 years.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Jesus
Rodriguez announced the date at a four–
minute hearing Monday, a procedural for–
mality that had been expected since last
month's rejection by the U.S. Supreme
Court of a broad challenge to Harris' death
sentence.
The April 3 date actually is Harris' ex–
ecution date, but his first in eight years,
San Diego prosecutors said. This time
around, after more than 10 years of ap–
peals, even Harris' San Diego lawyers con–
ceded Monday that the end may be near.
•Justice: The convicted mur–
derer's lawyers, conceding that
they are "up against the gun
now," are still pursuing possi–
ble appeals to keep him from
the gas chamber.
Soviet Festival
• The Youth Company, a group of 18 teen-agers,
will offer scores of performances for schoolchil–
dren in cil,y schools and
at
the Organ Pavilion in
Balboa Park. The youths also will participau,
in
an International Day at the University of San
Diego and in Fiesta Day at the Centro Cultural
de la Raza.
"The real name ofthe youth troupe
ia
the Chil–
dren's Dance Company of the Third Experimen–
tal School of Tblisi," Popova said. "It is from an
academy that feeds all the major folk dance com–
panies in Georgia. The director is Tamaz Gogo–
tishvili. The dancers range in age from 7 to 18.
This is their schooling. But in the group touring
here there are just two girls and 16 boys.
The dances range from lyrical bridal dances in
which long-sleeved costumes cover even the
hands of the dancers, to regional dances that
reflect the differing geographic char~ters of var–
ious regions.
Alcala Gazette
Getting It All
Together For
A Super_D{ly
By Christopher Reynolds
Staff
Writer
oming soon: Sunday in the
park
with Georgia.
And Russia. That's Soviet
Georgia, of course, and Soviet Russia,
which are sending some 300 artists
and performers to the first San Diego
Arts Festival. The festival officially
opens Saturday night with the San
Diego Opera's production of " Boris
Godunov." But organizers have set
aside Sunday - Super Powers Sun–
day - as the day
to
introduce Russian
and Georgian culture to Sand Diego's
masses.