ALBANY — Thronateeska Heritage Center’s annual Teddy Bear Tea Party will be returning this weekend to the Chautauqua Room of the museum.

At 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, preschool children, parents and grandparents can enjoy a morning of fun and learning. Children will participate in teddy bear crafts, a tea party, storytelling and singalongs with Buddy Bear. Children are encouraged to bring their favorite teddy bear along.

Proceeds from this event will benefit children’s programs at Thronateeska Heritage Center, located at 100 W. Roosevelt Ave.

Admission is $5 per person and a reservation is required. Participants are encouraged to register as early as possible to ensure a seat.

To place a reservation or for more information, call Cheryl Jones at (229) 432-6955.

Scientists explore medical benefits of tea

NEW YORK - Can imbibing tea affect brain waves - or perhaps more astonishingly, thwart the development of lung cancer?A growing number of scientists, including a team on Long Island, theorize that tea is far more complex than most people might think. As a result, they are exploring new ways to uncover the chemical secrets nature has tucked into the leaves of green and black teas."People have been drinking tea for 5,000 years, and many cultures have used teas for medicinal purposes for just about that long," said John Foxe, a professor of neuroscience and biology at the Nathan Kline Institute in Orangeburg, N.Y. Foxe studies the effects of tea on the brain. He presented data at a tea conference at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington.Foxe has found that an amino acid present in green, black and oolong teas has dramatic physiologic effects.