Category: People

Harvest Moon to shine down on Cluster on October 12th

On Friday, October 12th, the First Annual Fundraising Dinner to benefit The Pottstown Cluster will be held at the Berean Bible Church on High Street in Sanatoga. 

The event committee, chaired by Dr. Myra Forrest, has been busy planning unique decorations and activities to go along with their theme:  Shine On, Harvest Moon.  The committee includes: Terryl Andrews-Marsh, Sharon Basile , Sue Creswell, Doreen Duncan,  Lesley Duall, Lois Georeno, Lalena Kennedy, JoAnn McKiernan, Linda Voytilla, and Carol Weitzenkorn.

The night promises to be memorable with performances by local  soprano and singing-actress, Maggie Heffner Moliterno, who has performed in operas, musicals, concerts, and cabarets across the United States and Europe; 11-year old Madison Kershner, a talented student from St. Aloysius School;  and an assembled choir comprised of members from many of Pottstown area’s worship centers.

To keep the night running smoothly, John Armato, Director of Community Relations for the Pottstown School District, will emcee the program.  Catering for this special event will be done by Pottstown’s very own Bause Catered Events.

Interesting auction items are being procured, table sponsorships are firming up, program ads are being placed, and tickets are now available to the public at $45 each.  Please call The Cluster at (610) 970-5995 or contact any event committee member to reserve yours today!

Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities
57 North Franklin Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610) 970-5995
Fax: (610) 970-6385

Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Barbara Wilhelmy, Executive Director

 

 

Let’s support our Boyertown “Buy Local” advocates!

Heidi Bostelle Bauer has been a huge advocate for Pottstown’s Cash Mob and Buy Local initiatives. She is spearheading the same kinds of activities in downtown Boyertown. If you have a chance to get over there tomorrow afternoon, go for it. Strong local businesses = strong communities!

4th annual Stop the Drugs/Stop the Violence Crusade to be held this Saturday

This press release contains updated information about this Saturday’s event.

Harris Family Ministries
Stop the Drugs Stop the Violence: “Love can Build a Bridge”

The fourth annual Stop the Drugs Stop the Violence Crusade will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 28 at Riverfront Park in Pottstown. The theme of this year’s campaign, conducted by The Harris Family Ministries, Inc., is “Love Can Build a Bridge.” The love of Jesus Christ can help those suffering from violence and addictions and unite the entire community. Crusade sponsors are Mt. Herman Missionary Church, Bethel AME Community Church and the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority.

This free event is open to the public. All church groups, community groups, businesses and individuals interested in the fight against drugs and violence are invited to attend and network.

In addition to free food, beverages and entertainment, there will be plenty of resource information available for attendees to take. Representatives of various organizations will be on hand for any questions people may have.
This year’s program participants include panelists Dr. Rocio Nell, Executive Director of Montgomery County Emergency services; Dr. Reed Lindley, Pottstown School District Superintendent; Rev. Joseph Bishop of Victory Outreach International; Heather Levandoski, Assistant District Attorney of Montgomery County narcotics Unit; and Richard Dodridge, Executive Director of Philadelphia Teen Challenge, who will also be the keynote speaker.

Music will be provided by the 40-voice First Baptist Church of Indian Trail, NC choir, directed by Jonathan Schallmo; the Victory Outreach International band and choir; and the 20-voice Teen Challenge combined Men’s & Women’s choir, directed by Sister Sherry. Face painting and other arts and crafts will be available to entertain the whole family.

Information tables will be hosted by: Debbie Tellis – Pure Love Works; Andrea Primus-YWCA Tri-County Area; Tri-County Network (TCN); Richard Dodridge-Teen Challenge; Dr. Rocio Nell- Montgomery County Emergency Services; Victory Outreach International- Brother Joseph Bishop; Heather Levandoski- Montgomery County District Attorney’s office; Gail Cooper- Pottstown School District; Cecily Nixon-Hearts of Harmony; Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department; and Sheila Dugan- Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority; Guardian Angels Youth Division; Laura Washington-Community L.E.A.N (Loving exercise and appropriate nutrition).

Other sponsors are Jeffery Jackson Enterprises, Inc.; The Hill School; Coles Tobacco; McDonald’s High Street; Ink & Essence; Wegmans of Collegeville; Giant of Pottstown; Empire Hook & Ladder Fire Company; D & C Short Landscaping; Grumpy’s and SBX Entertainment.

Anyone looking to volunteer or donate goods or services, especially signage and food items is invited to call 610-323-8718 or e-mail gharris@harrisfamilyministries.org or you can visit our website at http://www.harrisfamilyministries.org and click the PayPal link for cash donations. All donations are tax deductible.

Riverfront Park is located on College Drive across the street from Montgomery County Community College’s West campus.

Company Cakes Sticky Buns: Short and Sweet

Plain & Raisin Sticky Buns

Due to some unfathomable mix-up and confusion on my part, I did not realize Company Cakes was still selling their famous sticky buns on Sunday mornings. Yesterday, on my way downtown to the fabulously successful Sidewalk Sale organized by PDIDA, I saw a sign announcing the sale of said sticky buns on Sunday beginning at 8 am. I stopped in to double-check and, sure enough, the sticky buns are on, I was told.

I didn’t exactly count down the hours, but the thought of a really good sticky bun crossed my mind many, many times the rest of the day and was the last thought I had before falling asleep last night, and the first thought this morning when I woke up. It was just about 8:15 this morning that I was back in Company Cakes, where owner Mark Neiman was serving up his sticky, yeasty creations. I was shocked to hear the prices: $1 for a plain and $1.25 for a raisin or nut sticky bun. I got one plain one, took it home, and dug in with a knife and fork. It was still warm. It had melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Really, it’s almost incomprehensible, the deliciousness. Look at the photos. Go get some for yourself. And, at those prices, get some for a few of your loved ones. They’ll love you all the more.

Company Cakes: 26 N Charlotte St  Pottstown, PA 19464, 610-705-9450
Nut Buns

MOSAIC Gallery hosts weekend reception for local photographer

“Feed Shop,” Pottstown, PA

Local photographer Sharon K. Merkel will be on hand at MOSAIC Gallery, 10 S. Hanover Street in Pottstown, this Saturday, July 21 from 6-8 pm. All are welcome to attend this free reception.

Ms. Merkel’s work is on view now at the gallery along with the paintings of Sharon McGinley in MOSAIC’s latest show, Nurturing Hope.  The show highlights the beauty in nature and in urban spaces, much like a community garden. MOSAIC Community Land Trust, which runs the gallery, built Pottstown’s first community garden at 423 Chestnut Street this past spring. Gardeners are now realizing the fruits of their labor at the garden site.

In the artist’s statement on her website, Ms. Merkel says, “My photographic work looks at my world with a very direct approach. Photography is the art of exclusion – knowing what to include and what to leave out to create the correct balance and narrative.” Her photos of urban buildings and barns often feature intersections with a brilliant sky or a lone tree. Several prints of industrial buildings in Pottstown are included and for sale at MOSAIC Gallery.

MOSAIC receives a standard 30% commission on all art sales, so a purchase not only supports these local artists, but also the community garden, arts, and affordable housing mission of MOSAIC Community Land Trust.

“Electric,” Pottstown, PA

This show is being curated by MOSAIC summer interns Amanda Hoffman and Blake Wrigley, who spent their early years in Pottstown and graduated from Boyertown High School. Blake is a recent graduate of Messiah College and Amanda is a senior art major there.

Nurturing Hope will run through July 28. The MOSAIC gallery is located at 10 S. Hanover Street in Pottstown. Regular gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday from 4-7 pm. MOSAIC’s website is www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org. Sharon Merkel’s website is www.skmerkel.com.

 

Composting workshop to be held at MOSAIC Community Garden

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 14th @ 423 Chestnut Street, Pottstown, 9am – 11am  

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

The Wonderful World of Worm Composting…

Our first presenter, Laura Washington, is going to talk about how to turn kitchen scraps, junk mail, cardboard and even dryer lint into rich, dark nutrient soil for your garden – otherwise known as vermicompost!  Learn the in’s and out’s, do’s and don’ts, and the many benefits of using this innovative “recycling system”!

Laura is a member of the Mosaic Community Garden and she is a Homestead Herbalism and Lifestyle/Weight Management Specialist.

Our second presenter, Scott Winter, is a BIG compost enthusiast and interesting experiences.  Scott’s going to talk about how to make a home composter out of things everyone will have lying around the house.  

Here’s a tantalizing tidbit about Scott’s background:

Growing up in rural Oregon, we had a compost pile for as long as I can remember and taking out the compost was one of the less popular chores in the house when my sister and I were kids.  After we grew up and moved away, I didn’t think much more of composting until I went to work for Sunriver Utilities LLC in central Oregon at the age of 28.  It was there that I had the pleasure of working on a pilot composting project with multiple benefits to the community that was paid for through a grant from the 2000 National Fire Plan.  The goal was to helps prevent forest fires through ladder fuel reduction, improve air quality, enhance the areas poor soil quality, reduce materials going to landfills and reduce the cost of disposal for yard waste and bio-solids from the waste water treatment plant.  Within a year we were operating year round producing class A compost in the heart of the Deschutes National Forest.  It has been eleven years since we cleared the land and filled our first bag of compost and I still miss being there, but life sometimes takes you where you least expect it to.  So when life hands you lemons, you turn them into compost, right?  One great thing about living in Pennsylvania is that the climate is good for gardening compared to what I was used to in Central Oregon.  Now I compost mostly just to support my other hobbies, but composting has become one of my hobbies in the process.  Making compost is easy, but I believe making good compost is a craft that comes in many forms.  

We’ll have cold drinks and light snacks on hand – Hope to see you there!!

 

 

 

Pottstown’s Memorial Day Parade starts at 10 am

The Pottstown Memorial Day parade begins at 10 a.m. today at Goodwill Fire Company at 714 E. High Street. It is being organized by VFW Post 780. All veterans are encouraged to walk in the parade, which will continue down to the Vietnam veterans monument in Memorial Park at the end of King Street. There will be a ceremony there that includes a short speech from Severin Fayerman, a survivor of the Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen concentration camps and eventual co-founder of Baldwin Hardware in Reading, PA. Mr. Fayerman has recorded his story as part of StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit oral history project. His story will be archived in the Library of Congress along with other stories from around the country.

Goodwill is also serving breakfast today, so grab your lawn chair, head out early, get a bite and then watch the parade begin!

LointerHOME completes another gorgeous home in Pottstown

New to the market today, 542 Chestnut Street is the latest renovation by LointerHOME, the residential construction team headed by Amanda and Cristian DeSeta. 542 Chestnut is a New American Craftsman that boasts 1,736 square  feett, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and features a jacuzzi tub, all granite counters, and stainless steel appliances.  The new gas-fired heating system provides long-term savings on heating bills, and the 2-car garage is relatively rare in Pottstown. 542 Chestnut is within a couple blocks of the Hill School, the Chestnut Street playground, MOSAIC Community Garden, and downtown Pottstown. It is listed at $125,000.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Pottstown real estate market, you’ll have noted that in the past year LointerHOME has successfully renovated and sold homes at 116 King Street, 467 Farmington Avenue, and 426 King Street. All of their homes are brought back to life with major systems overhauls and an attention to historic details like hardwood floors, lighting fixtures, and facades. Clean lines, cool palettes, and stainless steel appliances have brought these properties into the 21st century. (542 Chestnut includes one of my favorite materials of all time: “subway tiles.”)

Please enjoy these photos by Betsy Barron Photography. If you like what you see, check out the listing here and get in touch with realtor Lori Vanderbilt of Coldwell Banker Hearthside in Collegeville today at 610-489-7700.

Thank you to LointerHOME for recognizing the architectural gems here in Pottstown and continuing to invest in the Borough’s future!

“Buy Local” spirit is at heart of PDIDA, WBZH and this month’s Happy Hour

The “Buy Local” movement is sweeping across the country and it has arrived in Pottstown like a force from Mother Nature. So, what does it mean to “buy local?” It’s pretty simple: By shifting even a fraction of your spending to locally-owned businesses in your hometown, you are supporting the employment base, the tax base, the school system, and your neighbors and friends. And, when the word gets out that there is support for local businesses from area residents, Pottstown could become a more attractive place for those considering expanding or opening up a new business.

During the month of May, the Pottstown School District and the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority, otherwise known as PDIDA (puh-dee-duh), have teamed up to help Pottstown flex its economic muscle with a “Buy Local” competition in the school district. All the schools and the administration are competing to see who can spend the most money during the month of May in the PDIDA district. PDIDA encompasses High Street from York to Evans Streets and Hanover and Charlotte Streets from Queen to King Streets. Students, staff and their families are shopping in those areas, getting a receipt, asking the merchant for a “Buy Local” sticker for the receipt and then turning it in at a School District building. In just two weeks, more than $16,000 was spent in the downtown! See Evan Brandt’s article here.

Did you know that there’s another Buy Local wave rolling through the region?

Local radio station WBZH, The Buzz (1370 AM), has been living and breathing the “buy local” philosophy 24/7 since February, when they announced that “buying local” would be the essence behind everything they do.

While their programming has always included local voices and up-to-the-minute local news and coverage, they have come up with advertising packages with customizable options that fit every business budget. They even offer free “buy local” taglines that you can record, along with your business name and location, to get the word out about the importance of supporting the people who are working and making an investment in your community.

We are bringing these two entities together for the next Positively!Pottstown Happy Hour, taking place tomorrow, Friday, May 18 from 5-7 pm at the PDIDA office at 17 N. Hanover Street. WBZH will be broadcasting the “Suki Says!” show live from 4-7 pm. Come out to network and meet local folks who are running businesses and trying to support local business, arts and culture in Pottstown every day. A $5 cover charge will get you food from Giuseppe’s, a new Italian restaurant and pizza place at 864 E. High Street; chocolate-dipped pretzels by Sugar High, a new sweet shoppe at 250 E. High Street; and complimentary beverages.

To rsvp, send an email to positivelypottstown@gmail.com; we also won’t turn anyone away at the door, so just stop by to get your weekend started right, right here at home, keeping it local.

Pottstown Borough clean-up slated for tomorrow morning!

 The Borough’s annual clean-up day will take place tomorrow from 8 am-noon. This event is organized by Bill Sharon and Councilman Mark Gibson. If you want to work with fellow residents, bring a pair of gloves, a broom, a rake – whatever tools you think will be helpful – and meet at Borough Hall (100 E. High Street) or at Empire Hook & Ladder (Franklin & Chestnut Streets) at 8 am. The Borough will be going around to pick up trash bags, and there will be dumpsters at Borough Hall and the firehouse. You can also join other volunteers for refreshments at Smith Plaza at noon.

Please note that if you can’t make the downtown clean-up, please take a few moments to clean up in front of your house, out by the curb, and/or in the alleyway. A neat & tidy yard and sidewalk actually can lift your spirits – at least it does for me!

If you want to extend the good feelings, here’s another volunteer clean-up opportunity from The Mercury…

“If you’re still in the cleanup mood on Sunday, you can join the Mercury staff and other local volunteers who will be giving a similar treatment to Ganshahawny Park in Douglass (Berks) Township from 8 to 10 a.m. The cleanup area was found with the help of the   Schuylkill Action Network    and the votes of Mercury readers on Facebook.  The Schuylkill Scrub    organization is providing trash bags and reflector vests, and several people have volunteered to help.For directions or to learn more, read editor   Nancy March’s blog post    on pottsmerc.com.”

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