Category: Arts

Pottstown’s weekend at a glance

Peter Pan, A Musical Adventure is in its final days at the Tri-County Peforming Arts Center! It runs through this Sunday, June 19. TriPAc is located at 245 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. This is the U.S. premier of a new version of Peter Pan, and, yes, it’s happening right here in Pottstown. Go to TrIPAC.org to order our tickets online now. You won’t want to miss it!

Get out of the gate early on Saturday, June 18 and check out the Pottstown Soap Box Derby race, sponsored by the Ambucs. It will take place on the Wilson Street hill off Farmington Avenue. Area kids will compete for the chance to run in the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.

A Summer Solstice Celebration is happening at Smith Plaza tomorrow, June 18. It includes The Gallery School’s community yard sale and lots of live music. WPAZ will be broadcasting live from 10-noon. The Celebration also includes the 2nd Annual PottsMUTTster Dog Show from 9:00am to 2:00pm at Smith Family Plaza, right in front of Borough Hall in Pottstown, PA. Bring your pooch and compete for such honors as Best Singing Mutt and Best Mystery Mutt. REGISTRATION is from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. EVENTS take place from 11:00am to 2:00 pm. It all benefits the Montgomery County SPCA.

Also taking place tomorrow at Pottstown’s Riverfront Park is the 2nd Annual 5K/1M Race to Shelter the Homeless sponsored by Wings of Victory Outreach Corp. Riverfront Park is located at 140 College Drive.

Registration starts at 7:30am – Race starts at 8:30am. There’s a $30 registration fee – Moms & Dads with strollers are welcome!

Contact email: wings.victory@yahoo.com or visit their website at www.wingsofvictoryoutreach.org

Wings of Victory Outreach Corp. was formed to provide housing and life skills training for homeless or near homeless individuals. They offer a holistic approach and give a hand up by offering programs that develop self sufficiency through housing, employment, education, and character building. Participants gain the skills needed to function responsibly and effectively in daily life.  

And when you’re ready to unwind on Saturday night, head on over to Sunnybrook Ballroom for their weekly “Hot Summer Nights” at The Tiki Hut. There are drink specials, music and dancing for the 21 and over crowd. Sunnybrook is located at50 N. Sunnybrook Rd,Pottstown. Check out all their upcoming music and entertainment at http://www.sunnybrookballroom.net.

Pottstown calendar highlights for the coming week

Peter Pan, A Musical Adventure has opened at Tri-County Peforming Arts Center. I saw the preview performance last night, and it is just spectacular! Children will be enchanted by the flying characters; P.J. Schweizer, who plays Peter Pan, is spot-on and full of mischievous energy througout; and Maddie Aicher, who plays Wendy, has got just the most angelic voice I’ve heard in a long time. The show runs Thursday through Sundays up until June 19. TriPAc is located at 245 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. This is a new version of Peter Pan and TriPaC is hosting the U. S. Premier. NY critics will be here to check it out. If it moves to Broadway, you’ll be able to say you saw it first… in Pottstown, PA! There’s be an opening night reception tonight, Friday, June 3rd.  Go to TrIPAC.org to order tickets online. Prices are always discounted for students and seniors.

 Tonight is also the opening of The Pottstown Art Show, presented by the Pottstown Area Artists Guild and The Hill School Center for the Arts. The show will be at the Hill’s Boyer Gallery until June 12. This is PAAG’s first juried show, which will raise funds for scholarships for local students who will pursue the arts in college. The PAAG is in its 51st year. See the Artists Guild website at www. Paag.info for more details.

Get a great deal on used books at the Pottstown Regional Public Library‘s Back Door Book Sale today and tomorrow! The library is at 500 E. High Street; the phone number is (610) 970-6551.

This weekend brings the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life to Pottsgrove High School.  Pottstown’s relay for Life teams raise more money than any other area in Pennsylvania and is one of the top performers in the world, last year raising more than $729,000 to fight cancer. The opening ceremony is at 10 am on Saturday, followed by the Survivor and Caregiver Walk. There are other ceremonies in the evening. See Rosemary Keane’s blog post from earlier today for more details.

For the children of Pottstown, a new and exciting event is being held this Saturday from 12-3 in the new Chestnut Street Park at the corner of Chestnut and Washington Streets. It’s called Science in the Park and it promises fun hands-on activities that will get your kids learning new concepts and maybe even wanting to grow up to be a scientist or engineer!  There will be demonstrations on Kitchen Chemistry, Slime and polymers, rocks and minerals and chemical reactions.  A huge shout-out to Pottstown resident Anna Johnson for bringing this wonderful idea to life! More info can be found at vivapottstown.com.

The professional chamber ensemble CANTATICA will return to Emmanuel Lutheran Church,150 North Hanover Street, Pottstown for the final concert of its 2010-2011 concert season on Sunday, June 5, at 4:00 PM. The program, I Hear America Singing: A Celebration of the American Spirit, will feature solo voices, chamber choir and instruments (clarinet, violin, cello, bass and piano) performing early American hymns, Shaker songs, Afro-American spirituals, Appalachian folk songs and fiddle tunes, contemporary classical settings of Civil War texts, and classic jazz. Admission to I Hear America Singing: A Celebration of the American Spirit is $14 Adults, $12 Seniors, and $6 Students. Tickets may be purchased by email at info@cantatica.org, by telephone at 484-951-5113 and at the door.  

Finally, next Thursday, June 9th Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County is holding a Homeownership Orientation Session from 6:30 PM — 8:30 PM at 450 High Street  in the Sidney Pollack Building across the street from the Pottstown Library. For more info, call Jean Ford, Family Services Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity 610-278-7710.

Peter Pan previews tonight at TriPAC

PETER PAN FLIES TO POTTSTOWN!

 The U.S. Premiere of a new version of Peter Pan, A Musical Adventure previews tonight, June 2,  at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, 245 E. High Street, Pottstown.

Sir James Barrie’s timeless tale of the boy who never grew up is reborn as a spectacular musical by Britain’s Drewe & Stiles with favorite friends Tinker Bell, Wendy, John, Michael, the Lost Boys, Tiger Lilly, and of course, Captain Hook and his band of Pirates!  

The cast includes PJ Schweizer, Madison Aicher, Rebecca Shoemaker, Joe Cieresi, AJ Giruzzi, Connor Kirk, Jason Burke, William Bell, Isabella Rota-Talarico, Emma Russek, Sam Pettine, Josiah Swensen, David Helmer, Ben Williams, AJ Sermarini, Charlie Harrison, Ben Fried, Marc Sherfield, Michael Kiesling, Matt Kiesling, Harrison Stengle, Cletus Stell, Maggie Swahl, Sami Kolb, Taylor Helmers, Patrick Shepherd, Carly Fried, Carrie Thorwarth, Karissa Smith, Sara Helmers, Philip Seader, Adele Morello, Jordan Popky, Lynn Cooper, Madison Devlin, and Al Ulozas.

Here’s what others are saying about Peter Pan: “[A] winner for both adults and children…a truly magical world come to life before our eyes.”– Reviews Gate.com. “The tunes escalate the magic…and makes the already brilliant JM Barrie story all the more sublime.”– Yorkshire Evening Post.

Peter Pan, A Musical Adventure runs June 2-19. It’s the U.S. Premiere of the new version from the creative team behind the Broadway blockbuster, Mary Poppins. Tickets are on sale now at www.tripac.org.  Ticket prices for Thursday performances are $13 for children 12 and under, $17 for students and seniors (65+), and $19 for adults.  Ticket prices for Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows are $15 for children 12 and under, $21 for students and seniors, and $23 for adults.  Groups of 10 or more receive $2 off per ticket when purchased in a single transaction.  Advance ticket sales have been brisk, so get your tickets now! 

ABOUT VILLAGE PRODUCTIONS

Village Productions (the Tri-County Performing Arts Center) is a dynamic non-profit performing arts organization founded in 2001 to make the arts highly accessible to all in the community. Established and led by dedicated team of performing artists, arts educators, business leaders, and area residents, Village Productions seeks to strengthen community, inspire creative exploration, educate, and entertain, through the presentation of quality performing arts events and educational opportunities geared toward a diverse audience. More information is available at www.tripac.org

Pottstown News from Post papers

Why re-invent the wheel? Below are two links from the Post papers that showed up in my inbox this morning. One article reports on the success of yesterday’s Memorial Day parade, replete with great photos. The second article tells about the extended deadline for registering for summer art classes at The Gallery School in downtown Pottstown. Thanks, Joe Zlomek!

The Sanatoga Post: Sanatogans Honor Their Fallen in Memorial Ceremonies

The Pottstown Post: Time Extended for Pottstown Arts Class Enrollment

Electronic music artist at BMX event in Memorial Park tonight

Boston-based, electronic music artist Ali Berger will entertain visitors at the BMX Memorial Classic in Memorial Park tonight, beginning at 6 pm. Full disclosure: This is my kid!

Bring a lawn chair and come hang out near the BMX track, where Gruber Pool used to be. HUGE shout-outs to Cathy & Glen Knapper for organizing the Memorial Classic and for letting Ali play, and to the Pottstown Parks & Rec Department for the sound equipment.

Ali’s Facebook page describes his music as, “sometimes chilled out, sometimes heavy, but always glitchy, electronic, and above all, funky. His live shows incorporate on-the-fly mashups and remixes of his own original tunes, which range from glitch-hop to electrofunk to drum & bass. You can catch him rocking shows around Boston and on Lost in Bass on Glitch.FM every Monday night.”

Some of his tunes can be found at BandCamp.com or at Sound Cloud. Here’s a clip from “Spring Break.” See you in the park!

Free Art Program for Cancer Patients Receives Funding from Hill School

The Gallery School of Pottstown is proud to announce their Healing Arts program has received a grant from the Hill School Student Philanthropy Council. The Healing Arts Program offers free art programs to those whose lives have been touched by cancer. Participants can choose any of the School’s scheduled 2011 summer classes in topics from pottery and drawing to glass fusing and painting. Visit www.galleryonhigh.org for complete class details, and to download an application for the program. Applicants may also call 610-326-2506 for more information.

Acceptance in the Healing Arts program is on a first come, first served basis, and there are a limited number of spaces available. Also available through this program is a brand new Fiber Exploration Class. This class is available to support groups as a fun group activity. Participants will try their hand at spinning their own yarn and will work on a cooperative weaving project. Their final woven piece will be framed and presented to the group after their class. No experience in the fiber arts is necessary–just a willingness to try new things. Please call or email the Gallery School for more details and to schedule. A very limited number of classes are available

Healing Arts is sponsored by the Hill School Student Philosophy Council. The Student Philanthropy Council, first launched in October 2008, was created by Charles A. Frank, III, Hill School Class of ’59 and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and his wife, Betty. The program allows Hill students to learn about the value and processes of philanthropy. In addition, the program provides funding to Pottstown nonprofit organizations with strategic initiatives focused on enhancing the health and overall wellness of area families and communities.

The Gallery School of Pottstown is a 501c3 non-profit community art school and gallery. The School offers day, evening and weekend classes to all ages. The goal of these classes is to help students develop their creative skills through self-expression and independence. The Gallery on High hosts rotating shows featuring local artists. The Gallery also sells handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gift items.

The Gallery School of Pottstown
@ Gallery on High
254 E. High St.
Pottstown, PA 19464
610-326-2506
www.galleryonhigh.org

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.

How would you spend $25K to attract River Trail users to Pottstown?

For those who have been following the development of Pottstown’s Heritage Action Plan or HAP, it’s time to rank the various projects and strategies that have surfaced.

The purpose of a HAP is to inventory and assess our heritage resources – arts, culture, history and recreation – and then come up with a vision and marketing strategy to entice hikers and bikers off the Schuylkill River Trail and into the downtown. We have already identified our resources and are now at the point of prioritizing projects and strategies for the $25,000 we hope to receive in implementation funding from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area in the coming months.

Anyone can participate! We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who care about the revitalization of Pottstown’s downtown. Here’s what to do:

Attached is a TRAIL TOWN COMPONENT RANKING  spreadsheet. If you have a few minutes over the next 24 hours, please follow the instructions below and return your rankings by tomorrow, May 11th to ptownHAP@gmail.com.

1.       Click on the link above to open the file.
2.       Rename file, adding your name, e.g. “REPKOtrailtowncomponentranking.xlsx”
3.       Rank each component on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being extremely important to 10, not important.
4.       In the suggested location column, add a suggested location or a comment, if you want.
5.       Return the completed ranking form as an attachment in .xlsx or .xls (EXCEL) format by tomorrow, May 11th to ptownHAP@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your input and ideas!

If you want to learn more, you can find previous blog posts and discussions here:
https://positivelypottstown.wordpress.com/category/trail-towns-tours/ or check out Pottstown Heritage Action Plan on Facebook.

Ranking projects for Pottstown’s Heritage Action Plan

For those who have been following the development of Pottstown’s Heritage Action Plan or HAP, it’s time to rank the various projects and strategies that have surfaced. These rankings will determine the initial priorities for funding and completion.

To bring everyone up to speed… With funding from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, Tom Carroll and I have been leading a cross-section of the community through a Heritage Action planning process on behalf of the Borough. The purpose is to produce a plan with a vision and marketing strategy around our heritage resources – arts, culture, history and recreation – so that we can entice hikers and bikers off the Schuylkill River Trail and into the downtown. We have identified our resources and ranked them, and are now at the point of prioritizing projects and strategies for the $25,000 we hope to receive in implementation funding from the SRHA in the coming months.

Anyone can be a participating partner! We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who care about the revitalization of Pottstown’s downtown. Here’s how to participate in the ranking:

Attached is a TRAIL TOWN COMPONENT RANKING  spreadsheet. If you have a few minutes over the next few days, please follow the instructions below and return your rankings by next Wednesday, May 11th to ptownHAP@gmail.com.

1.       Click on the link above to open the file.
2.       Rename file, adding your name, e.g. “Repkotrailtowncomponentranking.xlsx”
3.       Rank each component on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being extremely important to 10, not important.
4.       In the suggested location column, add a suggested location if you are so inclined; i.e. “Bike Lane Striping” Suggestion: “Add bike lanes to Evans and Franklin Streets; connecting the North End to the Downtown”
5.       Return the completed ranking form as an attachment in .xlsx or .xls (EXCEL) format by Wednesday, May 11th to ptownHAP@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your input and ideas!

If you want to learn more, you can find previous blog posts and discussions here:
https://positivelypottstown.wordpress.com/category/trail-towns-tours/ or check out Pottstown Heritage Action Plan on Facebook.

The musical NUNSENSE at Tri-PAC in Pottstown!

NUNSENSE, the hilarious international hit musical, opened last night at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center in downtown Pottstown, and it runs this weekend and next weekend only.

The show focuses on the five surviving sisters at the Little Sisters of Hoboken nunnery. The nuns are organizing a talent show as a fundraiser after their order is reduced by the tainted vichyssoise soup prepared by Sister Julia, Child of God. With humor, song and dance, and audience interaction, NUNSENSE is a huge crowd-pleaser. No two shows are alike due to audience participation and improvisation by the actors. The original production received four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including best musical and became the second-longest running Off-Broadway show, bested only by THE FANTASTICKS.

NUNSENSE is showing tonight and tomorrow at 8 pm and Sunday at 3 pm. It will run next weekend too, from Thursday through Sunday. See show times below. Ticket prices are reduced for Thursday shows and always discounted for students and seniors. Tri-PAC is located in the heart of Pottstownat 245 E. High Street. If you haven’t seen a show there, you’re missing out on one of Pottstown’s arts and cultural gems. For more info and tickets, check them out on the web at www.tripac.org.

Thursdays
May 5 (preview) & 12
7:30 pm

Fridays
May 6 & 13
8:00 pm

Saturdays
May 7 & 14
8:00 pm

Sundays
May 8 & 15
3:00 pm

Special Events
Talkback with the Director/Cast: Thursday, 5/5 & Sunday, 5/8

Tickets

ADULT:  Thurs $15; Fri, Sat & Sun $17
STUDENT/SENIOR(65+): Thurs $13; Fri, Sat, Sun $15
CHILD (12 & under): Thurs $11; Fri, Sat & Sun $13

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