It’s that time of year… spring seems to bring with it lots of arts, cultural and community activities as we all come out of our winter hibernation. Please check out the updated calendar here and start making plans to come downtown, plant a community garden, get involved in a neighborhood watch and participate in the life of your community!
What Heritage Resources are missing from this list?
LIST BELOW UPDATED AS OF 3/17/2011, 2:20 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE LISTING LOCAL, EXISTING RESOURCES
As part of the Heritage Action planning process, we’re in the midst of listing all the heritage resources that Pottstown has to offer. Think of a heritage resource as anything that is of any cultural, natural, historic or recreational significance in the history or current life of a community. Is there anything you’d like to see on the list?
Our next step will be to assess and rank these resources. Thanks for all the input so far!
NAME OF HERITAGE RESOURCE
Listed Historic Site/Structure
2 National Register Historic Districts
Pottsgrove Manor
Railroad Station
Roller Mills
Grubb Mansion
Jefferson Elementary School
Non-Listed Historic Site/Structure
The Carousel (planned)
Elks Club
Pottstown Historical Society
Historic Walking Tours
Potts Family Cemetery
Edgewood Cemetery
Candlelight House Tours
Cultural Site/Structure
historic churches
– Holy Trinity Church
– St. John’s Byzantine Church
– Emmanuel Lutheran Church
– Zion’s Reformed Church (Old Brick Church)
– St. Aloysius
– St. Peter’s
– Christ Episcopal Church
– Invictus Ministries
– Other churches
Edgewood Cemetery
Old St. Aloysius Cemetery
Archaeological Site/Structure
Museum or Interpretive Center
Pottstown Historical Society
Pottsgrove Manor
Educational Institution or Library
Pottstown School District
Pottstown Public Library
Montgomery County Community College
The Hill School
The Gallery School (arts)
High Street Music
Wyndcroft School
St. Aloysius School
Arts, Entertainment, Shopping
Assume all the downtown shops; maybe we’ll need a complete directory that’s easy to update on an informational kiosk?
The Gallery on High
Tri-County Performing Arts Center
Pottstown Arts & Cultural Alliance (PACA)
North Hall at MCCC
Boyer Gallery at Hill School
Center for the Arts at Hill School
High Street Music
The Ballroom on High (Swingkat)
Coventry Singers
Emmanuel Lutheran Concert Series
Sunnybrook Ballroom
Churchill – poetry & live music
Pottstown Symphony
Dada Gallery
Existing Murals
Trails, Greenways, Bikeways, Railroads
Schuylkill River Trail
Memorial Park
Bike Paths on High Street
High Street (wide – for parades)
Historic Bridges – 1903 Manatawny Bridge
Transportation
– PART – public transit
– Charles W. Dickinson Transportation Center (transit center)
– Pedestrian Underpass at MCCC
– Free bike program/bike lanes
– Airport
Natural & Scenic Sites
The Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River Trail
Riverfront Park
Manatawny Creek
Memorial Park
Parks & Recreation Areas
Pottstown Parks & Rec. Dept.
The whole Pottstown Parks & Rec. System, pocket parks, etc.
Pollock Park (Schuylkill River trailhead?)
Memorial Park
– Spray Park
– Trilogy Park
– Skate Park (planned)
– Miniature Golf/Manatawny Gateway (planned)
Riverfront Park
422 Sportsplex
High Street Yoga
Community Land Trust – Community Gardens
Pottstown Garden Club
The Dell & Far Fields at The Hill School
Festivals/Special Events
– In Riverfront Park
– Schuylkill River Festival
– Schuylkill River Sojourn (stopping point)
– First Saturdays
– Sunday Music in the Park
– Relay activities
– Weddings
– Fishing/rafting
– cross-country skiing
– biking
– Polar Bear Plunge
– Shiver on the River
Carousel of Flavor
Classic Car Shows
July 4th Celebration
Volleyball Rumble
Soapbox Derby
Parades
Family Fest
Open Doors (community day)
Halloween Parade
Candlelight Historic House Tour
Free Trolley Tours during special events
Heritage Tourism Business
– recreation
– Tri-County Bicycles
– Bike Share Program
– Bentley’s Boards (skate shop)
– Hidden River Outfitters (operates out of SRHA building)
– food/drink
– The Farmers’ Market
– Grumpy’s Handcarved Sandwiches
– Churchill, Inc.
– The Brickhouse
– Juan Carlos
– Funky Lil Kitchen
– Henry’s
– Positively Pasta
– Martha’s Famous
– Beverly’s Pastry Shop
– Company Cakes
– Burger King
– McDonald’s
– Dunkin Donuts
– Wawa
– Pottstown Diner
– High Street Diner (VIP)
– Very Best Restaurant
– Frankie & Johnnie’s
– Jack Cassady’s
– The Pourhouse
– The Icehouse
– Maria Angela’s
– Maximilliano’s
– Brunish Brothers Hot Dogs & Sausage
Media & Marketing
Borough Website
Tri-County Chamber of Commerce
Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority (PDIDA)
Roy Keeler/Roy’s Rants – blogger
WPAZ
PCTV
The Mercury
The Pottstown Post/Sanatoga Post
Positively!Pottstown – blog
Citizens for Pottstown’s Revitalization
Other
Walkable town
Wide, tree-scaped streets
Plenty of parking
Coordinated programs & activities promoting physical activity & health.
Historic architecture
Keystone Opportunity Zone
Mrs. Smith Pies
Pottstown Memorial Medical Center
Health & Wellness Foundation
Great volunteers
Elks Club, Rotary Club, Ambucs, Kiwanis,
Veterans Groups & other civic associations
Brookside Country Club
Train line
Small town atmosphere
Eagles/Firebirds
Hurricane Agnes
Underground Railroad
Reading/Philadelphia Railroads/Stations
Mills/Forges
Native American Lenni Lenape tribe
Dutch naming of the river
Steel industry & metal fabrication legacy
Firestone
Guest blogger recommends Maximiliano’s for Mexican cuisine
Please welcome guest blogger, Carrie Grabowicz, who enjoyed her visits to Maximiliano’s at 569 W. High Street so much that she just had to write about it. Carrie Grabowicz is the owner of Hammi Jammi Jewelry and blogs about her craft here. She lives in Pottstown with her husband and two sons. Welcome and thank you, Carrie!
This is the second time I’ve been to Maximiliano’s Mexican Food in the past month. The first time was for a business lunch, and the restaurant, owners, décor and – most importantly – the fresh food pleasantly surprised me. I wasn’t overly familiar with the location, but after that initial visit, I decided to help out the owners in any way I could to promote this fantastic find. As a small business owner myself – of Hammi Jammi Jewelry, which I design – I constantly strive to expand my network and support them. Hey, you never know when you will need someone else’s services or help! On my second visit to Maximiliano’s, I brought a dear friend and my three-year-old son with me. Here is my attempt at informing the Pottstown public about this must-try Mexican restaurant. 
Mexican cuisine (if we can even call it that) was introduced to the United States by that culinary haven known as Taco Bell, a fast-food stand that first appeared in 1962, offering hungry diners something called tacos. It made it seem like the essence of Mexican food was fried tortillas, bent into a uniform shape, so rigid that they seemed to have been shellacked. These prefab tacos became the culinary icon of what is actually a large, diverse nation. Mexican cuisine was defined as a rigid shell carelessly stuffed with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, crumbled beef and a red sauce of varying degrees of heat. If this is your idea of Mexican food, then Maximiliano’s is NOT for you!
Authentic Mexican cooking is way more subtle than that. According to Eve and Maximiliano Luna, the owners and gracious hosts of Maximiliano’s, different regions of Mexico have their own style of cooking, where different ingredients and methods of cooking produce different results. Additionally, in the Mexican household cooking is a planned, all-day event. This gave the young Maximiliano plenty of time to watch his mother, grandmother, and sometimes his father, cook different meals. This is how he learned the family recipes that he still cooks today at the restaurant.
On our visit, my friend, son and I sat at our table by the stained glass windows and were immediately given some homemade chips and salsa. I ordered the Enchilada Verde Platter with two cheeses – not that standard, shredded nacho cheese, but real Mexican crumbled cheese – and onion enchiladas with the best verde sauce I have ever tasted. The entrée came with a side of refried beans that had been boiled and crushed just that morning and some rice. As we were sitting and talking with Max and Eve, the table next to us got up to leave and said, “Sorry we don’t come in as often as we like, but we come from Boyertown on our lunch break and there’s just not enough time over lunch hour.” Maxmiliano offered for them to just call in the order and he’d have it ready for them when they came in.
My son had the cheese quesadillas. He occupied himself during our lunch by playing little peg games at the table and interjecting that he had to use the bathroom, which is small and quite nice, but I digress. 
Maximiliano’s food was so authentic and fresh. Since I had a meatless entrée, I inquired about their tacos and was informed that they are made using steak and chicken breast and not crumbled meat. The food is prepped and made from scratch each day. They have a small menu but what they do offer is done right!
Eve and Maximiliano Luna are gracious hosts and it is my hope that Maximiliano’s Mexican Food becomes a staple in Pottstown. I am very grateful to have found this restaurant to fulfill my Mexican food urges….I wouldn’t want to have to go to Taco Bell ever again, now would I?
Maximiliano’s is offering up free sopapillas to anyone who mentions this blog. Just say you heard about them on Positively!Pottstown to receive this yummy dessert on the house. 
Maximiliano’s Mexican Food
569 W. High Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
(484) 948-1681
Find Maximiliano’s on Facebook here.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Thursday 11-8; Friday 11-9; Saturday 12-9
Payment Options: Visa, Mastercard, Discover
Services: Takes Reservations; Walk-Ins Welcome; Good For Kids; Take Out;
Catering
Specials:
Taco Tuesday (Chicken tacos $1.50; Steak tacos $2.00)
Family Special (10 Chicken tacos, 2 Cheese Quesadillas, and chips and salsa $20)
Big Turnout for Farmers’ Market Happy Hour
Sheila and Gene Dugan of Grumpy’s provided a really nice spread, including scrumptious chocolate cake and carrot cake by Company Cakes at 26 N. Charlotte Street.
We heard inspirational words and updates from Mayor Heath, Superintendent Dr. Reed Lindley, Borough Manager Jason Bobst and WPAZ station manager Ross Landy. 
There were a lot of new faces at this event, and I hope we can keep bringing people together to make connections and forge partnerships that will create a better Pottstown.
The next Happy Hour will be on Friday, March 18 from 5-7:30 pm at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center at 245 E. High Street. Tri-PAC will be putting on The Crucible that night, and I encourage you to purchase your ticket to the show in advance, then come out to the Happy Hour for a good time before the show. My BUY LOCAL pitch includes supporting the local arts scene! I’ll get the invite out on Monday, but anyone can rsvp for the next Happy Hour by sending an email to positivelypottstown@gmail.com. Hope to see you downtown!
Marketing Pottstown as a Trail Town: We need you!
On February 9, I first blogged about the Heritage Action Planning process getting underway in Pottstown with a grant from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area. As a consultant working with Pottstown resident Tom Carroll on implementing the grant for the Borough, I also sent out emails & a questionnaire to a list of potential “Partners” in the process.
The overall intent of creating a Heritage Action Plan (HAP) is to improve the connections between the Trail and downtown Pottstown and to identify and leverage existing arts, cultural, historical and recreational resources to spur economic activity. 
Based on a few recent conversations, I’d like to give a pared down explanation of what this process is all about and why it needs strong participation from arts & cultural organizations, educational institutions, government, businesses and restaurants – all of whom are known as “Partners.”
1. When we finish the Heritage Acton Plan or HAP by the end of April, we’re going to immediately turn around and apply for $25,000 from the SRHA to enact the plan by May 2012. This isn’t going to be just another planning study that sits on a shelf; we’re going to get something done.
2. The HAP will include marketing strategies, branding, and physical enhancements to make people aware of what’s downtown.
3. We want to create a Trail Town identity for Pottstown. More and more it’s looking like High Street will become a permanent leg on the Schuylkill River Trail. As the Trail connections are completed between Philly and Pottsville, more and more people are going to be coming through Pottstown. We want them to know that they can stop in Pottstown and find something to do and something to eat. (Pottstown needs to simultaneously look at its zoning and create a package of economic development incentives for new & existing businesses downtown, too, but that’s not part of the HAP process.)
4. Visitors coming off the Trail might not be in a position to go to a nice restaurant or the Tri-PAC that day. But once we get them downtown, we want them to know EVERYTHING that’s available so they want to come back again to experience something else. 
5. One of the main outcomes of this plan will likely be VISIBLE & ATTRACTIVE KIOSKS at the Riverfront Park Trailhead, at a possible new trailhead in Pollock Park in south Pottstown, and in the downtown. The trailhead kiosks will make it clear how to get to High Street. All of them will have maps and show what’s available downtown by categories like: The Arts, Historical Attractions, Casual Dining, Fine Dining, Recreation.
6. These kiosks will essentially be “telling a story” that informs and entices EVERYONE to walk around, enjoy local history & architecture, see an art show or the performing arts, and stop in at a restaurant. The marketing of Pottstown as a Trail Town is meant to touch a wider audience of visitors, not just Trail users.
7. The Schuylkill River Heritage Area wants to help the towns along the river use the Trail as an economic engine. This Heritage Action Planning process is the first step.
Anyone interested in being a Partner is invited to meet other Partners and participate in a workshop with the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s consultants, Peter Johnston & Associates, on Friday, March 4 from 1:30-5 p.m. at the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce, 152 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464. Please RSVP to Sue Repko at PtownHAP@gmail.com or 609-658-9043.
Next Happy Hour at Farmers’ Market, Feb. 25
Come out and meet the new owners of The Farmers’ Market
– Ben Moscia & Elise LeBoutillier –
and hear their plans for reinvigorating this crucial corner of High Street!
Friday, Feb. 25 from 5-7 pm
300 E. High Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
Your $5 cover gets you food by Grumpy’s
and complimentary beverages!
RSVP to positivelypottstown@gmail.com
Would your business or organization like to host a
Positively!Pottstown Happy Hour?
We want to promote Pottstown businesses and organizations
and get people into your space.
Email Sue Repko at positivelypottstown@gmail.com.
Heritage destination location: Pottstown
The Borough of Pottstown recently received a $2,000 Trail Towns and Tours Grant from the Schuylkill River Heritage Area (SRHA). Pottstown resident and biking and greenway advocate, Tom Carroll, and I have been retained by the Borough to implement this grant, and this blog post is meant to kick off that process and give some details about how it will work. Along the way, we’ll keep the community informed via this blog. For a good summary of the purpose of the grants, see Evan Brandt’s article from January 29th here.
The Trail Towns and Tours Grant is to be used to create a 30-page Heritage Action Plan (HAP) by the end of April 2011. It’s a deliberately short time frame in order to get results and for the SRHA to meet the William Penn Foundation’s time limits for spending the funds.
The overall intent of creating the HAP and going through a planning and consensus-building process (however quick) is to identify and leverage existing cultural resources, market Pottstown as a heritage destination, and get Schuylkill River Trail users (and other visitors) into the downtown to spur economic activity. Just as important will be the chance to develop and formalize solid working partnerships among individuals, organizations and businesses committed to promoting downtown Pottstown. This is what we’ve all been talking about for quite a while, and this grant gives the community a chance to try it out – working together and presenting a new image to potential visitors, outside governmental agencies and funders, as well as residents themselves.
It should be noted that heritage tourism IS economic development, but that it should be considered just one prong of a multi-pronged economic development strategy for Pottstown. There is still plenty of room to develop and promote Pottstown as an arts community, or one that values and hosts sustainable technology companies, or whatever other approach comes out of other visioning/planning efforts.
So, what is a heritage or cultural resource? I’ll just give a few examples: the River and its trail; historical architecture, markers & walking tours in the downtown; arts organizations; restaurants, including “heritage eateries,” such as The Very Best and the diner; the Historical Society; The Hill School; Pottsgrove Manor; Riverfront & Memorial Parks; a completed Carousel & mini-golf, etc. Visitors want an authentic experience when they decide on a destination and how to spend their money. Pottstown has loads to offer and the point of this grant is to identify and package it all in a way that will appeal to these visitors.
Another key part of this planning process will be looking at what needs to be done to make it very easy for people biking or hiking on the Trail to know what’s available in town and then actually direct them off the trail and safely to High Street. This whole approach is based on the idea of making the Pottstown Business Loop – a stretch of High Street – an official part of the River Trail, since it’s unlikely a right-of-way along the river will be available from Norfolk Southern anytime soon.
We’ll be helped along in this process by using what’s known as the Heritage Towns and Tours Toolkit, provided by the SRHA and created by their consultants, Peter Johnston & Associates of Easton, MD. From a planning perspective, this Toolkit is just amazing, allowing communities (& consultants, I might add) to dive in where they might otherwise be totally intimidated. The Toolkit lays out a step-by-step process to create a HAP with the rationale, forms and examples that make it seem do-able. Even better is that the SRHA grant comes with $5,000 worth of consulting services from Peter Johnston & Associates. They will be in Pottstown at least once for a 3-4 hour workshop to help us work our way through the Toolkit. We’ll also have support from the SRHA staff, who are right around the corner at 140 College Drive.
Basically, we will go through the following 5 steps:
1. Organize & Plan – What do we want for our community as a heritage destination? Form Useful Partnerships; Create a Vision & Goals, and Define Partner Expectations.
2. Identify & Assess – What do we have to offer as a heritage destination? Identify Heritage Resources; Assess Heritage Resources; and Bring People and Ideas Together. 
3. Market & Improve – What do we need to market our community and what has already been done? Create an Image; Market Your Community; Improve Effectiveness.
4. Protect & Manage – How do we get there? Build Public Support, Look at Ordinances & Other Regulations, Make Any Recommendations That Will Help Protect Resources.
5. Prepare & Implement – How to complete the Heritage Action Plan?
Define Projects and Activities, Assign Costs, Manage Resources Over Long-Term
By the end of this process, Pottstown will have:
• A List of Partners and Stakeholders
• A Vision, Goals, and Objectives
• A Summary of Stakeholders and Assigned Jobs, Tasks, and Other Duties for Partners
• An Inventory of Heritage Resources, which have been Evaluated and Assessed for the Heritage Program
• A Marketing Plan Summary including an Image/Brand
• A Listing of Current Government Protections for Heritage Preservation and Tourism
• A Summary of Needed Policy and Regulatory Protections for Heritage Resources
• A Project List, Description of Projects, and Budgets
• A Final List of Recommendations or Strategic Actions including projects; and
• An Organizational Structure for the Long-Term Management and Oversight of the Heritage Program
The HAP will then be used to make another application to the SRHA for $25,000 in implementation funding to carry out the top priorities in the Plan. Those activities must be completed by May 2012.
The next step for Tom and me is to get in touch with folks from an initial list of local “Partners,” inviting them to participate in the process and start filling out a Partnership Form from the Toolkit. Please give me a day or so to get that email out. We invite others who want to participate to get in touch with us at PtownHAP@gmail.com.
Obviously, I think there’s a lot of potential here to get some solid forward movement on the economic development front. I appreciate the Borough giving Tom and me the chance to work on the project and rally the community around common goals – an improved local economy, stronger partnerships and more positive exposure and marketing of all that Pottstown has to offer.
Pushing back against Ol’ Man Winter
It’s the end of the third week of January. It snowed again last night. It’s windy and bitterly cold out, and you might be thinking, “This is turning out to be a long winter. How am I going to survive?” Why not bundle up and head out to some of Pottstown’s fine restaurants this weekend to carve out some warm space and good memories with family and friends?
Feel like dancing away all that energy from being cooped up with kids who were home from school? Line up a sitter and call everyone you know, set the time, and crash The Brickhouse; they’ve got a dj every Friday and Saturday night.
You can also bust a move at Sunnybrook Ballroom with DJ Bruce Miller from 7-11 pm on Saturday night.
Get on Facebook and organize an impromptu and affordable “parents with kids” gathering at The Very Best. Or maybe it’s “dads with kids” or “moms with kids” so at least one of you can go the gym or run an errand or watch a basketball game in peace!
In the mood for sports, casual drinks, no fuss? Stop in at Jack Cassidy’s Irish Pub, Frankie & Johnnie’s or The Pourhouse.
For a more intimate dining experience, call ahead to Funky Lil’ Kitchen, Henry’s Cafe or Juan Carlos Fine Mexican to see if they can seat you.
Book groups, knitting groups, play groups – why not plan your next get-together at Churchills?
Are you or any of your kids a history buff? Check out this Sunday’s lecture by historian Dan Graham at Pottsgrove Manor (details on the calendar page). He’ll be talking about John Potts, Jr.: Ironmaster, Judge, Loyalist. Unlike the other children of John and Ruth Potts, this son supported the Crown during the American Revolution, and it cost him his property, wealth and standing in the community. The talk starts at 1 pm.
The key to breaking out of a mid-winter rut is to find an activity and food to share with people you love. With so many options close to home, it shouldn’t be hard to do. 🙂
Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
I had a stomach bug for the better part of the past week and just started feeling better yesterday, which meant I got way behind in baking cookies. I’m catching up today, and the first batches were these melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies with a tiny dollop of jam in the center. For me, they mean “Christmas” because that’s the only time my mom makes them and so do I. An added bonus this year was using the strawberry jam made by my sister-in-law – thanks, Megan! I also used a store-bought four-fruit preserve. Enjoy!
Thumbprint Cookies (yield: 120 cookies) 
1 lb. butter
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Measure flour and salt into large bowl. Cream butter & sugar well with mixer. Add egg yolks. Mix well. Add vanilla. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well between additions.
Form into balls the size of a quarter. Place on slightly greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with palm. Press in center with thumb or fingertip. Be careful not to crack the dough around the edges or the jam will run out the side. Fill with a berry, cherry or apricot jam.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until brown around edges. Reverse baking sheets once during baking. Keep an eye on the jam. If you keep these in too long, the jam evaporates too much and then the cookies look kind of sad.
High Street or bust!
I’m hitting the road now to head to Pottstown, where I will do some window-gazing and actual shopping. 🙂
Thanks for all the replies regarding the Happy Hour. We’ve got at least 28 revelers, who will be hanging at The Brickhouse tonight from 5-7 pm. If you’re inclined to get out of the cold before heading home, no need to RSVP at this point, just show up!
For the many folks who can’t make it, I look forward to seeing you at the next event: Friday, January 28th, location TBD. In the meantime, enjoy the holidays, be safe, and I hope 2011 is good to you and your loved ones!
Positively Pottstown blog 