I've been enjoying the flurry of entries in my unofficial contest to find an arts slogan for Cincinnati. Now it's your turn.

While you're finishing off the last of the Thanksgiving fixings, think about what an astounding year 2003 will be for our town and the message we'd like to send back to the rest of the nation with hundreds of thousand of cultural tourists.

Several of the entrants suggested a whimsical "flying arts pig" to accompany their words. So please think "pig" when you're calling up a visual in your mind's eye. (And now that we've dressed turkeys, consider what an "arts pig" mascot would look like. I'll happily print artistic endeavors.)

Cast your vote:

1. Cincinnati arts: Let your spirit soar!

2. Cincinnati: The Art of It All!

3. Pig Out on the Arts!

4. Cincinnati: A Work of Arts!

5. Only the Best! Cincinnati Arts

6. Come to your senses in Cincinnati!

7. FIVE WAYS to love Cincinnati:

Sing-dance-play-make music

And paint the town!

GOETTA IN TOUCH WITH ARTS!

8. CincinnARTi

9. Art Class

10. Cath-ART-ic: Cincinnati's best medicine!

11. Cincinnati is Major League Arts!

12. Cincinnati: No arts left behind!

13. You saw WHAT? In Cincinnati? Our arts will amaze you.

14. What will you discover today? Cincinnati arts.

15. CincinnARTy has it all!

16. CincinnARTy: It's a Hit!

17. Cincinnati Arts + Audiences = Thunder and Lightning. Jolt your soul!

18. Find your heart in Cincinnati's arts!

19. This is Cincinnati? This is Cincinnati! The magic is the arts!

20. Cincinnati: Where the Arts Keep Rollin' Along!

21. Cincinnati 2003: When the Arts Fly!

22. WARNING: People who don't want serious fun should go home right now. BEWARE Cincinnati Arts!

23. Do it. Feel it. See it. Be it. Cincinnati Arts.

24. The Arts. Experience them.

25. Queen City Culture Diet:

no fat, no carbs, no sugar,

no salt, non-dairy, triple adrenalin

You'll feel Great!

26. What's round and pink and flies all over?

A Cincinnati culture vulture!

27. Pig out on Culture!

28. Let the curtain go up on Cincinnati!

The best shows in town are in OUR town!

29. Heavy breathing! Sweaty skin! Tingling talk!

All under one curtain!

Artists (hard) at work for you in Cincinnati!

30. The Arts. Make the connection.

31. Wake up to the arts and dream!

32. In Cincinnati, arts make us smARTer!

33. The Queen City: Artstown, USA

34. Surprise! THIS is Cincinnati

and it's a kick in the ARTS!

35. Don't be a dummy, be a smarty

Come and join our arty party!

I don't know about you, but I'd wear some of these on a T-shirt, and I'd buy the bumper sticker, too.

And isn't "Bats Incredible!" a great title for the 2003 public art project?

E-mail me with arts slogan votes and comments. (I accept write-ins.) I'll announce the winner at the end of the month. (Hopefully with plenty of potential mascots.)

Mail "flying arts pig" entries to me at: Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202 or fax to 768-8330. (And if you have a biography for your pig, send that, too.)

Last chance: Today's your last chance for two-for-one tickets to Playhouse in the Park's A Christmas Carol.

The twofer offer is to mark Playhouse's new partnership with Tickets.com. From noon-5 p.m. today, stop by the new Tickets.com outlet at the Visitors Center on Fountain Square operated by Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Carol special offer is available only for selected performances.

Tickets for all Playhouse performances, including the Rosenthal NextGen series and alteractive as well as half-price day-of-show- tickets, will be available at Meijer, Hader Hardware and Play It Again Sports stores.

Help wanted: The non-partisan Charter Arts Committee (which enjoys official Democratic and Republican representation) is circulating a "Support the Arts" letter.

In case you haven't gotten one, here's the gist:

"We need your help!

"With City budget hearings set for Dec. 9 and Dec. 11 as well as at Council finance committee meetings on Dec. 9 and Dec. 16, the Charter committee is reminding citizens and advocates that the time is now to tell elected officials to maintain their investment in the arts. (And you might want to attend one of the budget sessions.)

In a policy budget passed last June, Cincinnati City Council showed theoretical support of arts and culture, recommending $2 million in capital funding for the arts in both 2003 and 2004 City budgets..."

But, the letter points out, "Because of the downturn in the national economy, City revenues are down significantly. Council is being pressured to cut its funding in many areas, including the arts.

"Some members of Council believe that capital funding for the arts is especially important at this time, when the City desperately needs to move forward. Others are less sure....

"We believe that the best thing happening in Cincinnati is the arts.... The one thing that is building and growing downtown is the arts. We believe the Council should encourage that quality and growth.... Arts can help Cincinnati regain its spirit. We need it. Not tomorrow. Today."

Now is the time, says committee co-chair Ron Wahl, to be heard via letter, e-mail or by calling your elected officials and City Manager Valerie Lemmie.

Other advocacy groups are organizing. Supporters of Cincinnati recreation centers have already seen results. Advocates for health centers and youth services are "lobbying hard," says Mr. Wahl.

If you know what our cultural institutions and arts in neighborhoods are accomplishing for our city, speak now.

If you want some arts facts to back up your argument, the Charter Arts Committee has them. You can also join the committee e-mail list by calling 241-0303.

CCM debate: Sandi Holdheide, PR rep for University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music called to explain why CCM events aren't listed on the marquee at the CCM campus entrance after I complained bitterly that the wonderful Boys from Syracuse didn't get its due.

"I only get two lines," she sighs. Supposedly athletics is also limited to two lines on the board, although I counted four while I was waiting to make a left turn from Jefferson. There's also lots of white space at the bottom.

"It gnaws at me every day when I drive to work," Ms. Holdheide confided. Also at issue, she points out, is that there so much on the CCM schedule that choosing any one event over all the others can put a girl on the firing line.

For now, no solution, unless a patron feels like giving CCM an electronic billboard for Christmas.

Crosstown discount: New Edgecliff and Queen City Off-Broadway are offering a "Crosstown Christmas" discount. Get a $2 discount off either alternative holiday show with a ticket stub from the other.

David Sedaris' sardonic The Santaland Diaries continues at the Artery in Newport (913 Monmouth St.) through Dec. 22. (Call 513-763-3844.) Wickedly dark The Eight: Reindeer Monologues continues at Plush (upstairs at Carol's on Main, 825 Main St.) through Dec. 21. (Call 681-2043.)

Actors wanted: Playhouse is seeking two non-Equity actors to join the Skilken/Brown Touring Company outreach production of Glyn O'Malley's Paradise.

An examination of the impact of war on children, Paradise is the winner of this year's Lazarus New Play Prize for Young Audiences.

Available roles are for an actress with an honest emotional range who can play a teenager; and an actor, aged 20 to 40, who can convey the charisma of a radical Palestinian fundamentalist.

Rehearsals begin Feb. 25. The play tours March 14 through April 11. Actors are required to be available during the day for both rehearsals and performance and the tour includes overnight engagements outside Cincinnati.

Head shots and resumes should be sent to: Playhouse in the Park, ATTN: Bert Goldstein, Director of Education, P.O. Box 6537, Cincinnati 45206 or e-mail Bert.Goldstein@cincyplay.com. No phone calls. All applications must be received by Dec. 16.

Those selected to audition will be contacted by telephone.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com