Author: Rosemary Keane

Paint the Town Purple Kick-off and much more this weekend

Get your weekend sizzling at the Third Fridays Starry Ferrari Salsa Social in Pottstown! It gets jumping at the Ballroom on High at 310 E. High Street, beginning at 7:30 pm Friday night, May 20th. Admission is $12. For more info. Go to www.swingkat.com.

To celebrate 75 years as a National Federated Garden Club, the Pottstown Area Garden Club is presenting  “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” a Standard Flower Show held at the Frederick Mennonite Community, 2849 (Route 73) Frederick today, Friday, May 20 from 3:30 – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 21, from 9am till 2 pm.

If you’re doing spring cleaning this weekend, you’ll want to head over to Pottsgrove High School.  The Pottsgrove High School Music League is holding a clothing drive Friday and Saturday. Bring your old clothes to Pottsgrove High School between 3-7 pm Friday or Saturday between 10am and 1 pm. There will be a trailer in the parking lot and volunteers on hand to accept your donations.  Funds raised will support the music programs in the Pottsgrove School District. 

On Saturday morning head over to Smith Plaza in front of Pottstown Borough Hall to take part in the Paint the Town Purple Kick-off event. That’s taking place from 10 am to 1 pm. Pottstown is an epic leader in Relay for Life participation and funds raised. Join Relay for Life teams, local businesses and the mayor as the countdown to relay begins.  For more info. Go to www.pottstownrelayforlife.com

 Also this Saturday, May 21st, Taste of the Towne food festival and silent auction will be held from 1-4 pm at Montgomery County Community College’s North Hall Art Gallery at 16 W. High Street, Pottstown. This community event will raise scholarship money for Montgomery County Community College students whose mothers are battling breast cancer. Prayers and Poinsettias, is a nonprofit organization founded by Mary Beatty of Barto, who is an alumna of Montgomery County Community College. Admission is $20 and you can pay at the door. Participating restaurants include Java’s Brewin’, Ice House Deli, Rita’s at the Shops of Coventry Square, Dave’s Rib Shack, Raw Can Roll, Positively Pasta and Bause-Landry Catering.

If you’re feeling a little more raucous, you can Get Down and Derby with the Pottstown Rockstars Roller Derby. Women’s roller derby is taking off across the nation and Pottstown’s got its very own team, now something like 50-women strong. They are raising funds to find a permanent space in Pottstown. “Get Down and Derby” goes from 8pm to midnight at the Elks Club on High Street. Admission is $40 and includes food and beer, with a cash bar for mixed drinks.

And finally, if you’re ready to take a deep breath, clear your head and chill out on Sunday after an insane weekend, head over to Camp Fernbrook, 1954 St Peters Road in North Coventry for the Coventry Woods Festival. It’s happening on May 22nd from 1- 5 pm and admission is free. We visited Coventry Woods and the Fernbrook area last fall when we were doing the parks and rec series, and it’s one of the most gorgeous outdoor spaces in the area. For more info, go to the township’s website at www.northcoventry.us.

Remember, if you want to see your event here, just let us know and we will include you in the calendar.  Get out this weekend and see what’s going on in town!

Career Fair at Sunnybrook Ballroom

Job seekers should definitely make some time to stop by Sunnybrook Ballroom on Wednesday between 11am and 1pm when employers from around the region will be on hand to take resumes and applications.  The impressive list of employers includes everything from food service to retail and medical opportunities. 

The event is sponsored by the Tri-County Community Network in partnership with Exelon, Sunnybrook Foundation, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Montgomery County Workforce Investment Board, and the (Pottstown) Mercury newspaper. 

Here is the rundown of companies who will be hiring tomorrow:

TriCounty Community Career Fair

May 18, 2011: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunnybrook Ballroom, Pottstown

Accountants For You/Office Staff For You

Adecco Staffing

Aerotek Staffing

AlliedBarton Security

Assisting Hands of Collegeville

Atria Woodbridge Assisted Living

Berks & Beyond Staffing

Best Buy

Boscov’s

The Brick House

Brooks Brothers

CAS Home Health Care

Chestnut Knoll (Phoenixville)

Chestnut Knoll (Gilbertsville)

Century 21 Alliance

Colonial Electric Supply

Creative Health Services

Developmental Enterprises Corp. (DEC)

Educational Data Systems Inc. (EDSI)

Exelon Nuclear

Family Caregivers Network

FirstJobStop.com

HCR ManorCare

Home Health Mates

Home Instead Senior Care

KenCrest Services

LifeQuest/LifeSpan

Lowe’s

Metro Public Adjustment

Montgomery County Childcare Information Services (CCIS)

National Penn Bank

Nikken Marketing

PA Civil Service Commission (Philadelphia)

PA CareerLink (Montco)

Parkhouse-Providence Pointe

Paychex

PeopleShare Staffing

Pottstown Memorial Medical Center

Pottstown Mercury

Robert Half International/Accountemps

Salvation Army

Sanatoga Court/Genesis HealthCare

Sears

Seniors Helping Seniors

SEPTA

Southeastern Veterans Medical Center

Step By Step

Sunnybrook Ballroom

Susquehanna Bank

TD Bank

TIMET

Tracon Telecom Corp.

Univest Bank

U.S. Air Force

Visiting Angels

Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown & Vicinity

Wells Fargo Bank

In addition to employers, the following training Providers will be on hand to help job seekers learn more about their services:

Antonelli’s Medical Institute

MCCC University Center

YWCA Adult Literacy Center

The Tri-County Community Network is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to build relationships among organizations, community members and businesses through advocacy, information sharing and education to improve health, social and environmental conditions within the TriCounty area.”  You can get more information about the organization from their website:  Tri-County Community Network. 

Sunnybrook Ballroom is located at 50 Sunnybrook Road in Lower Pottsgrove.

Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstars Get Down and Derby

You might remember that the last time we checked in with the Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstars, the league had about 19 members, but these days over 50 skaters can officially call themselves “rockstars!”   The women of Pottstown Roller Derby have big plans for their league, but big plans don’t come cheap. As they outgrow their current space, league co-founders Lida Addison, Tonda Woodling and Patty Fetterman are actively searching for warehouse space in the borough to house their league, and raising funds towards that end. 

This Saturday night, you can come out and support the fledging league and party just like a rock star at the Elks Club from 8pm to midnight.  Your $40 entrance fee gets you food and beer (you’ll need cash if you want mixed drinks) and seventies themed party, named Get Down and Derby with the Pottstown Rockstars,  that just might become legendary. 

Roller derby itself might seem like something of a novelty, but it could be pure gold to Pottstown’s struggling economy.  Bringing a spectator sport like roller derby to the borough would have positive economic ramifications and add to the burgeoning arts and culture vibe that is starting to take root downtown. 

Depending on their eventual home turf, Pottstown’s bouts could attract upwards of 300 people.  The neighboring Lehigh Valley Roller Girls’ League regularly sees attendance between 300 and 500 fans per bout.  And, after watching roller derby, those 300+ people might just hang around for dinner or drinks. 

Skeptical?  It’s understandable that you might be, but consider some of these statistics from the recent poll conducted by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)

Who plays roller derby?

According to responses to the WFTDA’s 2010 demographic survey:

63 percent of skaters are 25 to 34 years old

Most have some post-secondary education; 20% have graduate degrees

31% of responding skaters have children under 18

36% of skaters are married

 

Who watches roller derby?

According to fan responses to the 2010 demographic survey:

Most roller derby fans (60%) are also active fans of other sports

 59% of fans are female

 41% of fans are ages 25-34; another 41% are 35-54

 34% of fans have undergraduate degrees; 21% have a graduate level degree

 (statistics from WFTDA survey, 2010)

That sounds like exactly the kind of demographic that could help this town over the tipping point toward revitalization and the derby league needs some financial help to do it.  Warehouse space (about 20,000 square feet of it) is expensive, as is the actual track they need to furnish it. 

The Rockstars have more in mind that just roller derby bouts, they’ve got great ideas for youth leagues and roller derby boot camp fitness classes.  And, believe me, if you’ve ever seen one of their practices, derby boot camp would be one tough class! 

So, come on out and support the home-grown derby team this weekend at the Elks.  Here is all the info:

Get Down and Derby with the Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstars

Pottstown Elks Club, 61 High Street

Saturday, May 21st

8pm to midnight

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR

$40 tickets includes ALL THE BEER YOU CAN DRINK and food!!!
All the appetizers you can eat!!!
We will have Miller Lite, Yuengling Lager and Labatt’s Blue on tap!
Beer and food included with ticket purchase!
Cash bar for liquor
50/50 RAFFLE
DJ REACT will be spinning the funky beats!!!
70’s Disco Attire is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED

Information about practices can be found on their facebook page and new members are encouraged to come out to the “fresh meat” practices to try out some derby skating.

Plenty to do in Pottstown this weekend

Pancakes, legos, nuns, and school bands.  That’s not the opening of a joke; it’s a sampling of what is going on this weekend in Pottstown. 

Nunsense finishes up its run at the Tri-Pac Performing Arts Center this weekend so be sure and get your tickets for this weekend’s shows before it’s over.  With the tagline:  “so funny, it’s habit forming,” it’s bound to be good.  You can get your tickets online before the show or get them at the door. 

The Pottstown Public Library is kicking off their new Lego Construction Project on Saturday, May 14th from 11am to 1pm.  Kids from age 9 through adults can come in and build to their heart’s content and then display their creations until next month when the club will meet again.  Work on your own or as a team-the event is free. 

The MOMs Club of Pottstown/Pottsgrove is holding and all you can eat pancake breakfast at the Greshville Inn in Boyertown.  Contact  mckeejl@yahoo.com for tickets and more information about the event.  Adults $7, kids 3-12 $5 and all proceeds benefit the International MOMs club Mother to Mother fund. 

The Pottstown Arts and Cultural Alliance is bringing back its Sunday in the Park series with a performance by Pottstown School bands at Riverfront Park.  Bring a blanket and sit in grassy amphitheatre to listen to the talented students of our school district’s music program. 

After all that fun, and maybe after an airplane ride at Limerick Airport, you might want to take some time to freshen up your resume for next week’s job fair at Sunnybrook Ballroom.  Sponsored by the Tri-County Community Network, this job fair has over 60 employer participating.  It is being held Wednesday from 11am to 1pm at Sunnybrook, and you get more information by calling TCN at 610-705-3301 Ext. 2.

Remember, if you want to see your event included in our weekly calendar posts, be sure to email it to us or contact us on facebook!

Tri-County for A Cure Video Project

The weekend is finally almost here for Yoga on the Steps, which benefits the amazing organization: Living Beyond Breast Cancer.  In case you weren’t able to attend our last Positively!Pottstown Happy Hour and you haven’t seen this video circulating around the internet (especially on facebook), here’s the culmination of some fun ideas, a lot of great participation by local business owners and leaders, and the talent of a certain photographer, Melia Rios-Lazo of Priceless Moments

Owner of High Street Yoga and the creative force behind the video, Barbara Kosciewicz offered her thoughts today about the video.  She writes of the project:

Throughout the long winter, during each class someone would comment or giggle about a certain pose we could do in a location in Pottstown.  We dreamed for spring to come and decided it would be our spring project.   Before long, the idea began to grow and evolve into raising awareness and funds for our Yoga team Tri-County for a Cure that is attending Yoga on the Steps on Sunday May 15th. Suddenly the project became much  greater than ourselves and became something both fun and meaningful

You can read the rest of her thoughts on her blog, Yoga Wisdom for Everyday, which is also a Mercury Town Square Blog. 

There is still time to get involved with Yoga on the Steps:  you can donate to the Tri-County for a Cure team or even sign up to participate on Sunday.  Just visit www.yogaonthesteps.org to get the details.

Classic Cars Return to Pottstown

Don’t try to drive down High Street this Saturday night; instead, take a walk through the Pottstown Classics Nostalgia Night scheduled for 5-9pm. 

The summer season for classic cars kicks off May 7th with the first of many car shows to come to town this summer-every first Saturday from May to September.  You can check out old cars and for the first time even new cars will be included in the show. 

Pottstown Classics Car Club is over 30 years old and does more than just gather car enthusiasts, it helps the community.  The club truly lives out their motto of “Serving the community through our hobby” by giving much of the  proceeds from each event to organizations such as Pottstown Seniors Center, Make A Wish Foundation,Vietnam Vets, World War 2 Memorial, Pottstown Police, Boy Scouts, Relay For Life, Ambucs, Genesis Crisis and Pregnancy Center as well as to individuals the club realizes are in need.

So, take a walk down automotive memory lane this weekend for the Pottstown Classics Car Club Nostalgia Night and help them get the 2011 season off to a great start.

Weekend Happenings in Pottstown

The first full weekend of May is here and the weather actually seems to be agreeing with the calendar for a (very welcome) change.  This weekend is all about Mom, with Mother’s Day on Sunday, but maybe you can change things up a bit this year and head outside instead of out to eat-or better yet, do both!

Here at Positively!Pottstown, we are big fans of the parks in our area.  Our loyal readers already know all about the Parks Series we wrote in the fall of last year, but if you are new to the blog, you should definitely check out all the opportunities our local parks offer for families.  The ground is drying out and a picnic lunch at Memorial Park or watching the model airplanes at Swamp Creek Park would be the perfect way to spend this Saturday or Sunday. 

Pottsgrove Manor is hosting their annual May Fair on Saturday, from 11am to 5pm and there will be fun for all ages, including historic crafts, cooking in the Manor’s kitchen and even old-fashioned games for the kids. If you have never been to Pottsgrove Manor, or haven’t been in a while, this weekend is a great time to visit. 

The Pottstown Classics Car Club Nostalgia Nights are back, starting this Saturday night on High Street.  From 5pm to 9pm you can check out some amazing classic cars and enjoy food and fun.  This all ages event will be held once a month throughout the summer. 

Take Mom to brunch at Sunnybrook this year!  Brunch and shopping with mom in mind from 11am to 2pm on Sunday.  The buffet menu includes everything from French toast to carved roast beef. 

Enjoy the weather and the weekend in Pottstown!

Pottstown Clean Up Day and More to do this weekend

In case you haven’t noticed, spring has definitely sprung here in Pottstown.  The view down my own street in the East End has gone from bleak to bursting with color in the span of just a week and even the stubborn sycamore tree outside my front door has finally decided to join in the fun and get some leaves. 

Now that Pottstown has woken from its long winter’s nap, it’s time to look around your neighborhood, pitch in and clean up.  And, the Borough is there to help. 

Tomorrow, Saturday April 30, from 8am to 12 noon, the Borough of Pottstown is sponsoring a Clean Up day to help residents and business owners clean up the streets and sidewalks after that long winter.  There will be dumpsters stationed at Borough Hall and at the Empire Fire Company on the corner of Franklin and Chestnut Streets. 

You can get some friends and neighbors together  to spruce up your own block or come downtown and join the larger effort there.  The weather looks like it is going to be perfect for getting out and re-connecting with nature and your neighbors!

After the clean up, there are plenty of fun things going on this weekend in town.  Here is just a sampling: 

Friday at 5pm, at the NorCo Fire Company

Give Love: A Mother’s Day event benefitting Trey Love

Saturday, April 30th:

10:30 am at The Ballroom on High

Zumbathon for Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster Relief

Sunday May 1st:

Pottstown Celebrates Young Children

Kick off the month of May, which is also the Month of the Young Child, with a celebration at the Pottstown YMCA, sponsored by the PEAK program for early childhood education.  The event will feature fun and games for kids (all free) and community groups will be there in force to help families learn about the opportunities for young children in our town. 

1pm-3pm at the Pottstown Family YMCA (FREE)

Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstar Carwash

Also, on Sunday, bring that pollen covered car to the NorCo Fire Company between 9am and 2pm and get your car washed by some of Pottstown’s own Rockstars.  That’s right, the Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstars are holding a fundraiser carwash on Sunday and there will be derby merchandise and bake sale items to buy while you are waiting for your car to be done. 

Monday, May 2nd

While not technically the weekend, this event will be a great way to ease into the work week and help a good cause.  The Tri-County For a Cure team, who you will remember from the video last month a the Positively!Pottstown Happy Hour, is still raising money for Yoga on the Steps. 

This time, they’ve got Rita’s chipping in to help.  Just come to the Rita’s Water Ice on Route 100 near the intersection of Pughtown Road between 6 and 9pm and your purchase will help the team raise money for the Yoga on the Steps event coming up in just a couple of weeks. 

It’s bound to be a busy spring weekend here in Pottstown and may actually turn out to be a sunny one as well, so take advantage of all that’s going on in your hometown!  Get off to a great start by cleaning up from winter so we can all enjoy a beautiful spring here in Pottstown. 

If you’d like to see your event here in our calendar, be sure to send us an email or check in on our facebook page.  We love to spread the word about this town!

Easter Services in Pottstown

Rev. Kerry Pidcock-Lester gives instructions to the kids at the Good Friday Prayer Processional
The Pottstown community of faith gathered today for  The Good Friday Prayer Processional (aka the Crosswalk). With no rain, and even peeks of sunshine, the walkers enjoyed a brisk one mile walk through town, stopping to pray for our leaders, the school administration, and the people of town.

This year, the kids who walked were given an extra charge (and plastic gloves): to pick up trash along the way.

The walk today is just the beginning of this holy weekend for area Christians and there are services all weekend for the faithful to mark both Good Friday and The Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Tenebrae (Latin for darkness) services are being held tonight at Cedarville United Methodist, Emmanuel Lutheran and Shenkel UCC.  An Easter Vigil mass will be celebrated at 7:45 on Saturday at St. Aloysius on Hanover Street, marking the beginning of Easter celebrations for Catholics.

For more information on Easter Services in the area, you can follow the links below to what is really just a sampling of the churches in this town.

St. Aloysius
 Emmanuel Lutheran

Shenkel UCC

Cedarville UMC

St. Paul’s UCC

Coventry Church of the Brethren

First Presbyterian

Easter Egg Hunts and more in Pottstown this Weekend

There is still time to get the kids out to do some good old fashioned hunting and gathering-Easter Style-at the North Coventry Fire Company on Rt.724 in Pottstown.  Their Easter Egg hunt, which is one of the largest I have ever taken my own kids to, starts at 12 noon this Saturday, April 23rd.  Bring your own basket and put the running shoes on the kids! 

In Upper Pottsgrove Township, at Heather Place Park, there is also an Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Upper Pottsgrove Township Fire Company No. 1.  Their egg hunt is from 11 AM to 1PM. 

After the Easter Egg hunt, or maybe before the excitement of running through fields in search of candy and other goodies, you can take the kids to see the big fluffy rabbit for pictures at the Coventry Mall. 

If you are looking for a great place to bring your family (and skip the cooking) on Easter Sunday, Sunnybrook Ballroom is having an Easter Brunch from 11AM to 2PM.  They are serving a full buffet menu and Joe Horbach will provide the entertainment, playing Sunnybrook’s grand theater organ, “Ursula.” 

Of course, if you aren’t celebrating Easter this weekend and are looking for something to do outside, you should click on the Parks link at the top of our page.  In fact, even if you are celebrating Easter, a walk in the park is the perfect way to get rid of those extra calories the Easter bunny brings! 

The Schuykill River Trail is just bursting with spring color and you can rent a free bicycle on Saturday at Pottstown’s Tri-County Bicycles on High Street through the Bike Pottstown program and check out the trail. 

Have a wonderful (Pottstown) weekend and Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

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