While the national observance of Earth Day '99 officially falls on Thursday, April 22, this year, many Ithaca events are scheduled for Saturday, April 24. So, to coincide with local celebrations marking Earth Day's 29th anniversary, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (Tcat ) is offering 25-cent fares on all bus routes, all day Saturday.

"We thought it would be a good way for folks to get to all of the festivities in the true spirit of Earth Day," explained Tcat General Manager Rod Ghearing.

"There will be gatherings at Buttermilk Falls, Cooperative Extension and Stewart Park. Tcat's Route 4 offers direct service between those areas and the Commons and just about all of the other Tcat routes can bring riders to the Commons to make connections," Gearing said. "If having a special fare encourages just a few more people to take the bus instead of driving, that'd be great. And if it introduces someone to the bus system for the first time, that'd be even better."

For more information about all of Tcat's routes and schedules, call 277-RIDE or check the web at http://www.tcatbus.com.