Register Now for SCORE Small Business Workshops in September

This just in from Pottstown SCORE…

Pottstown SCORE is offering to local entrepreneurs a fall workshop series, “How to Start and Operate a Small Business.” This seminar is scheduled to be presented from 7:00 to 9:30 pm on four consecutive evenings beginning on Monday, September 10.  All classes will be held in Suite 102 in the New York Plaza Building, 244 High Street, Pottstown. There is ample free parking in the lot behind the building.  Use the entrance from the parking lot to reach the SCORE office.

This workshop series, presented by SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business, is for those who are considering starting a business as well as those who are currently operating a small business. 

The workshop sessions are as follows:

  1. Sources of Information and the Tax and Legal Implications of the Different Legal Structures, September 10
  2. The Business Plan and The Business Loan, September 17
  3. Sources of Market Information, Marketing, September 24
  4. It’s All About Profit, October 1

The instructors for this workshop series are local business partners and experienced SCORE counselors.  Tap into their expertise to gain practical, real-life information on how to start and operate a small business.  The instructors are as follows: Ralph Clemmer, former Chairman of the Board of Evans-Houseman & Richard, Inc.; Don Havas, President of Applied Technology and Sciences, Inc; James Hufford, Business Services Manager at Diamond Credit Union; Jeff Kofsky, President of Higher Vision Coaching and Counseling; David Megay, Esq., Attorney with O’Donnell, Weiss & Mattei, PC; Scott Rakowski, CPA, of Rakowski and Company, and Carolyn Wiker, Head of Adult Services at the Pottstown Public Library.

Registration begins at 6:45 pm, and all classes start promptly at 7:00 pm.

Each session costs $25.  A manual on preparing a business plan will be available for $20.  A special price of $100 is offered for the 4 classes as a package, and this includes the manual.  As an added bonus, there is a 50% discount off the workshop fee for each additional person.

This has been an extremely successful and well-attended workshop.  Early paid reservations guarantee a seat.  For more information or to register, call the Pottstown SCORE office at 610-327-2673 or register online at www.pottstownscore.org.

 

Reserve now for “Cyber Bullying & Stalking” workshop at YWCA’s Girl Talk series

Time is winding down to RSVP your attendance to the YEAR OF THE YOUNG WOMAN “Girl Talk” series event. The topic is “Cyber Bullying and Stalking.” The workshop will take place this Saturday, July 28th from 10 am – noon. It is free with a reservation. Call the YWCA Tri-County Area at  610-323-1888. The YWCA is located at 315 King Street (Park in the Permit spaces in the Evans Street lot across the street.)

Guest speaker is Colleen McIntyre, Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County with experience on the Narcotics, Juvenile and Sex Crimes Units.

Why do people participate in cyber bullying and stalking?
1. Anger
2. Bigotry
3. Fear
4. Jealousy
5. Low self-esteem
6. Revenge
7. Righteousness
8. To get the attention of the target or others

Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Cyber Bullying is the use of the Internet and Cell Phones to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner.

The speaker is Colleen McIntyre. Ms. McIntyre is Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County with experience on the Narcotics, Juvenile and Sex Crimes Units.

Future Girl Talk Series events cover the topics:
Advocacy – September 22, 2012
Go Green! – November 10, 2012
For information about events, please contact the YWCA at 610-323-1888.

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

Grand opening of Mercury’s Media Lab and PDIDA Visitors’ Center tomorrow at 11 am! HUGE Sidewalk Sale this Saturday!

The Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority (PDIDA) office at 17 N. Hanover Street will be opening its re-furbished Visitors’ Center tomorrow. The Center will include information on local events, businesses, and organizations, and the framed photos on its walls will give visitors a visual taste of Pottstown’s history.

Just across the street, The Mercury will unveil its newly-tricked out Community Media Lab, where members of the community can use computers, do research in Mercury archives on microfilm,  and grab a cup of coffee. Workshops on blogging and other aspects of linking the public with technology and communication tools are being planned.

PDIDA and The Mercury will celebrate with a “ribbon-joining” ceremony that begins at 11 am tomorrow and runs for about a half-hour. The first block of N. Hanover Street will be closed from 10:30 am – 1 pm.  Refreshments will be available in both locations. The ribbon-joining, as opposed to a ribbon-cutting, is meant to symbolize the spirit of cooperation between The Mercury and PDIDA in helping residents and visitors alike learn more about the history of Pottstown, take pride, and participate more in civic life.

Speaking of civic life… it’s everyone’s duty to BUY LOCAL! whenever they can! The recent, incredible BUY LOCAL! challenge in the Pottstown public schools, which netted over $55,000 in one month for downtown merchants, shows that there’s plenty of wonderful stuff to be had in downtown Pottstown. Why not come out and do it again this Saturday, July 21 from 11 am-4 pm when there is a GIGANTIC Sidewalk Sale taking place? PDIDA is still getting calls from vendors wanting a table at the event. There will be a face painter, juggler, clown/balloon artist, raffles and loads of FREE FUN, so come on down!

Pottstown YMCA offers yoga hour next Tuesday, July 24th

Wear comfortable clothes, bring water and a mat and join in an hour of yoga outside on the lawn of the Pottstown Y from 7-8 pm on Tuesday, July 24.  You will be guided in an experience that connects mind, body and spirit, leaving you feeling peaceful, relaxed and wonderful. 

Open to the community – $10, ages 14 and up.  Register at 610.323.7300 by July 20 – that’s tomorrow!

Rain date July 30.

Questions?

Jane Alan

Administrative Services Director

Freedom Valley YMCA at Pottstown

724 North Adams Street, Pottstown, PA 19464

610.323.7300 ext 10

jalan@fvymca.org  l  www.fvymca.org

Freedom Valley YMCA: We’re here for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

 

Stop the Drugs/Stop the Violence Crusade set for July 28th at Riverfront Park

This news comes to us via The Harris Family Ministries…

On Saturday, July 28th, from noon until 4 pm, the Harris Family Ministries brings their annual Stop the Drugs /Stop the Violence Crusade to Pottstown’s Riverfront Park on College Drive, across from the west campus of Montgomery County Community College. The theme this year is “Love Can Build a Bridge,” and the keynote speaker is the Rev. Richard Dodridge, Executive Director of Philadelphia Teen Challenge.  The event is sponsored by The Harris Family Ministries, Mt. Herman Missionary Baptist Church, and Bethel AME Community Church.

Please spread the word! If you know of someone who has a problem with sustance abuse, and they would like help, please let them know.  If you want more information so that you can help someone…please come out.  There will be lots of information, prayer, free food and non alcoholic beverages, music, and several guest speakers.

If anyone would like to help or make a donation, please call 610-323-8718.

Butterfly Garden Open House on August 11th

I recently received the invitation below from local butterfly naturalist Ron Richael. He’s a Pottstown resident who’s also a butterfly expert!

A Butterfly Garden open house will be held on Saturday, August 11th from 1pm – 4pm at the residence of Ron & Carol Richael at 344 West Beech St., Pottstown, PA 19464.  About 15 –20 species of butterflies are usually seen at this event.  18 nectar plants &11 host plants will be shown at the event. There is no rain date for the event.  Everyone is invited & there is no charge.  Hope to see you there!

Ron Richael

610-323-3805

Butterfly open house directions to 344 W Beech St, Pottstown, Pa 19464

We are located near the intersection of West King St. & Route 100.  From Reading go 422 east & then north on Route 100 & make your first left onto West King Street (Pottstown Diner is your landmark) Go 100yards & turn right on Gable Ave. into the complex.  Go to the stop sign & turn right. (Gable Ave.)  Follow this to the back street & bear left. (Gable Ave.) After you bear left the street turns into West Beech St.  It is a colonial blue house with two orange butterflies on the front door– you can’t miss it.   A yellow butterfly crossing sign will be on the telephone pole in front of the house.

From Boyertown  – Allentown – take 100 South & turn right onto West King St.  Use the same directions from there.  Please do not go to Beech Street – we don’t live there.  We live on West Beech Street, off of West King Street in the Pottsgrove Manor development.

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.

 

Grumpy’s now open at 137 E. High Street!

As of yesterday morning Grumpy’s is at its new location at 137 E. High Street. They are open from 8 am – 6 pm, Tuesday – Saturday. They are now serving locally roasted Twin Valley Coffee, breakfast sandwiches, muffins and scones from Company Cakes, in addition to their signature soups, salads, and hand-carved sandwiches. Check them out!

Memoir and essay-writing class for adults to begin this Wednesday

I’m teaching a writing class through The Gallery School and it begins this Wednesday evening, and it’s not too late to sign up! If you want to try to make meaning out of anything that’s happened in your life – give it some shape, make it resonate for others – and have something to read at the next MOSAIC open mic, this class is for you!

FLASH MEMOIR AND ESSAYS FOR ADULTS with Sue Repko

In this workshop, writers will share short pieces (no more than 3 double-spaced pages) of nonfiction for discussion. Word limits force us to see how every word really does count, and the very short form provides practice in establishing setting and character, scene-building, creating mood and tension, and exploring a theme. Along the way we’ll talk about the submission process and getting our stories out into the world. We will also read and discuss some short nonfiction provided by the instructor. Please bring some of your work for the first class. Writers at all levels are welcome!

Here’s a prompt to get you started: Think back to the closet of your youth, and write an essay about what was inside. Let the contents of the closet become a metaphor for who you were as a child, who you might have wished to be, and who you have become.

Sue Repko is a writer and urban planner, who founded the Positively!Pottstown blog. Her work has appeared in many online and print journals. She recently received her MFA in creative nonfiction from Bennington College.

SUMMER SESSION Begins July 11. Class runs Wednesdays from 6:30-9pm. $140 (member), $150 (non-member). Sign up at The Gallery School website. Got a question? Call 610.326.2506 during regular hours (Tuesday-Friday 10am-4:30pm; Saturday 10am-3pm)

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑