A Window on the Past -- Literally

January 24, 2014, 12:30 am

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From left, Dan Scavello, Dr. Myra Forrest, George Wausnock, and Russ Heist, from B & G Glass, Reading,

Work is progressing on the alumni gallery at Pottstown High School and recently, thanks to some
valuable donations, visitors literally got a window into the work being done and the history that will be on display there.

Don Moll, owner of B & G Glass, Reading PA, donated two large picture windows to the Foundation for Pottstown Education.

The windows, 14-feet long and four feet high, will offer a panoramic view into the Alumni Gallery now being assembled in the high school and organized, and funded, by the foundation.

The window was installed in the Gallery on a Friday in December, after all students were dismissed from the high school. The Alumni Gallery will open in spring of 2014 and will honor the history and alumni of Pottstown School District, founded in 1838, and currently celebrating its 175th anniversary.

The construction work is being done by Pottstown's own Scavello Restoration.

"The addition of a full length window will add to the welcoming atmosphere of the Alumni Gallery. As our students , staff and visitors pass thru the hall way they will always be reminded of the rich history the Pottstown School District has developed over the past 175 years," said George Wausnock, a Poitstown High School alum and the chairman of the committee charged with the creation of the gallery.

"Don Moll's donation brings us one step closer to being able to open the room to the public this spring," said Myra Forrest, executive director of the foundation.

If you have items you would like to donate for display or would like to give financial support, you can contact Forrest at 610-970-6616.

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A Musical Inter-County Interlude at Pottstown High School

January 26, 2014, 12:30 am

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Student musicians from 11 different middle schools and junior high schools took to the stage at
Pottstown High School Saturday night for the 58th Annual Inter-County Band Festival.

This is a wonderful tradition, in my view, that brings musicians from all the area school districts together to play and learn together, and to appreciate each other's skills.

A total of 16 different musical performances were made, including five by the jazz band and 11 by the joint concert band.

Because battery life is not eternal, your humble videographer did not record each performance, but rather went for a sampling.

The first is "Dies Irae," a portion of Guieseppe Verdi's "Requiem Mass," composed in 1874 in honor of the poet Alessandro Manzoni.

This piece was directed by Michael Agatone of Boyertown Junior High School East.



Next up is "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," which, as you no doubt have guessed, is a medley of songs from that landmark album by The Beatles.

This performance was directed by Paul DiRenzo of Perkiomen Valley Middle School East.



The Inter-County Jazz Band, directed by Brian Leonard of Arcola Intermediate School, played five pieces.

The first, "Jumpin' At the Woodside," by County Basie, which is posted here.



Unfortunately, in an attempt to preserve my i-Phone battery, I chose not to record the next piece they played, "Little Sunflower" by Freddie Hubbard, which was just excellent.

But I'm afraid you won't hear it here. What you will here next is "Libertango," a sharp Latin-themed piece by Astor Piazzolla. Enjoy.



The next performance I chose to record is a long one, more than seven minutes and is dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrated earlier this month.

The title"Until Justice Rolls Down Like Waters," which is from The Bible, Book of Amos, and was a favorite intonation of King's and appears in several of this speeches.

This performance was directed by William Bonnell from Phoenixville Area Middle School.



And finally, we bring you a performance of "Washington Post March," one of John Phillip Sousa's most famous.

It was directed by this year's host director, Benjamin C. Hayes from Pottstown Middle School.

Being a Better Father

January 28, 2014, 12:30 am

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Understanding Obamacare

January 29, 2014, 12:30 am

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Confused about Obamacare?

Who isn't?

But you can get some help this evening from experts from several area health providers will be on hand at the Pottstown Regional Public Library to answer questions and lend a hand.

Certified Application Counselors from VNA-Community Services, Personal Navigator Program and Community Health and Dental Care will be holding an information session and enrollment event on the Affordable Care Act on from 4 to 7 p.m. in the library's community room.

No registration is required.

Individual enrollment assistance is also available to all Montgomery County residents by calling the Personal Navigator Program at 1-800-591-8234.

These Trojans Are Invading Greece! (With Your Help)

January 30, 2014, 12:30 am

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Trojans! Let's get revenge for that sneaky horse trick, and send  some of our own to Greece to wreak our revenge ... or at least to learn something. To the Bingo Tables!

So as all of us who know our Homer know, the Greeks arrived on the shores of Troy bent on destruction and, after a few years of posturing and fighting, they slipped in the front door inside a horse.

Well, the Pottstown Trojans want their revenge.

So, they're invading Greece, but they can only do it with your help.

Pottstown High School students enrolled in either Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics or Advanced Placement Calculus classes are planning a trip to the place where democracy and mathematics got their start -- in ancient Greece.

But since the robotics team has not yet invented a time machine, they can't go to ancient Greece, but have to be satisfied with modern Greece.

The trip is in April, but more money needs to be raised to give these students, many of whom have never been out of the country or, for that matter, on an airplane, the experience of a lifetime.

Although they have already collected more than $4,000 in donations, more is needed and one way you can help is by showing up on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the high school cafeteria for a Bingo fundraiser.

There's something in it for you -- more than $4,000 in gift certificates, gift baskets and other prizes -- as well as the knowledge that you helped to broaden the horizons of students who are doing some of the best work in the district.

Contact information is listed in the flyer above.

Forget the Picture, They'll Take the Thousand Words

February 1, 2014, 12:30 am

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Liz Driehaus, left, and Kelsey Lee

Blogger's Note:The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

Two students representing Pottsgrove High School recently won highest honors in this year's WordWright Challenge, a competition for American high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different kinds of prose and poetry.

In the year's second meet, held in December, junior Liz Driehaus, who earned a near-perfect score, placed second among the 88 highest-scoring eleventh graders in the country.

At the same time, Kelsey Lee, who also earned a near perfect score, placed among the 99th highest scoring twelfth graders in the country.

More than 69,000 students from 47 states entered the meet, so that's pretty good.

Teacher Todd Kelly oversaw the students' participation.

The premise behind the WordWright challenge is that attentive reading and sensitivity to language are among the most important skills students acquire in school.

The text students must analyze for WordWright can range from short fiction by Eudora Welty or JOhn Updike to poetry as old as Shakespeare's or as recent as Margaret Atwood's, to essays, such as classics by E.B. White, or as current as a Time Magazine essay by James Poniewozik.

Though the texts vary widely in voice, subject, tone and length, they have one thing in common -- style.

All use language skillfully to use language and shades of meaning not always apparent to students on a first or casual reading. Like the questions of the verbal SAT tests, the questions posed in the WordWright Challenge, ask students both to recognize the emotional and/or rational logic of a piece of writing and to notice the ways in which a writer's style shapes and shades his meaning.

Because the WordWright Challenge is a classroom activity and not a college-entrance exam however, it can be a learning experience and not just a high hurdle.

After completing a challenge, classes are encouraged to talk about the texts and and the answers to the multiple choice questions, and are also given additional topics for open-ended discussion and/or written response.

The texts for the WordWright Challenge this year were an Op-Ed piece from The New York Times for 9th and 10th graders, and an excerpt from a novel by Anthony Trollope for 11th and 12th graders.

The students will compete in two more WordWright meets in the coming months. Medals and certificates will be awarded in June to those who achieve, and or improve the most in the course of the year.

A Comprehensive Look

February 2, 2014, 12:30 am

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Pottstown's first Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1960.

Since then, the borough has seen more changes than a chameleon at a laser Pink Floyd show and few of them good.

Primary among those changes was the draining away of Pottstown's industrial foundation; the engine on which Pottstown was built.

Think of the many problems we have today -- crime, low-paying jobs and unemployment, a crumbling tax base, a high number of rental properties -- and recognize that most of them go away with living-wage employment.

Pottstown had that with industry, but does not any more.

So what to do?

Plan for the future is all we can do and that's what's going on right now, with the

The draft plan considers downtown Pottstown an "opportunity site."

help of the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

For more than a year, the draft of the new comprehensive plan has been underway and it is now available for public review.

I have posted the draft on Document Cloud and you can read it by clicking here.

(If you like things more official, you cal also read it on the borough web site here.)

Understand that its a draft and it is being put out there for you to look and and offer comment about ways to improve it, flaws you may see or things you like about it.

Last month, county planner Meredith Curran Trego, who works with the Pottstown Planing Commission, gave borough council an overview of the draft.

Try not to be too surprised when I tell you there was little if any discussion about it. (Not sure if we want to suggest that the level of discussion may have reflected the level of understanding, but let's not go there.)

Meredith was kind enough to provide me with a copy of the presentation as well, which I have also uploaded to Document Cloud and you can read by clicking here.

It includes the basics, a public profile for example, that includes things like:

• Population: (22,377, a 12% decrease since the last plan in 1985); 
• Employment: (10,812 with 11,508 by 2040, a 6.4% increase in the next 26 years)
• Median income: ($46,066, nearly 40% lower than Montgomery County's median of $76,381)
• Median owner-occupied housing value: ($136,700, 46% below Montgomery County's median of $255,000)

It is on facts like these, and how our land is currently used -- 38.1% residential; 11.1% commercial; 8.8% open space and 28.3% industrial or institutional -- that a plan for the future must be built.

The overview identified several "opportunity sites" near the airport, along the riverfront and in the downtown among the 156 acres of undeveloped land in the borough.

The overview identifies several broad goals for the borough, including "grow business and employment (duh); "expand heritage tourism infrastructure and attractions;""build on existing arts and culture activities and an economic development tool to bring more visitors into the town," and so on.

It also calls for improving and expanding the airport; capitalizing on existing rail infrastructure; and improving access and awareness to public parking, among other transportation-related goals.

Housing goals include "encourage the development of properly located multi-

family apartment complexes, attached townhouses and adaptive reuse of quality older structures for dwellings;""support the transition of rental housing units into owner-occupied housing where appropriate;""look to promote downtown housing by encouraging the renovation of the second- and third-floor stories above downtown retail spaces.

In terms of the borough's historic and cultural aspects, the draft will "preserve the historical as well as the architectural qualities of Pottstown's built environment through the creation of a comprehensive preservation program;""work with the owners of historic properties to education them as to the value of their properties. Ensure that owners of historic properties receive appropriate technical assistance and financial incentives information from government sources;""develop marketing and outreach for coordinated promotion for Pottstown's historic resources and offerings."

In addition to goals for maintaining and improving school buildings and water and sewer infrastructure, the comprehensive draft also calls for expanding and upgrading the existing library facilities and to "consider relocation to a site nearer to the downtown.

Obviously there is much more to the plan, and this merely scratches the surface, but its the kind of thing which will become the official plan without any public input.

So if you have the time, take a look through the plan and avail yourself of the opportunity being offered -- to have a say in the future of your community. 

Beer, Bread and Bologna (Sounds like my diet in college)

February 3, 2014, 12:30 am

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Blogger's Note:The following was provided by the folks over at Pottsgrove Manor.

Historic Pottsgrove Manor will host an open-hearth cooking demonstration featuring “Beer, Bread, and Bologna” on Saturday, Feb. 8,  from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In the 18th century beer was viewed as a “healthful family drink” and was popular among people of all social classes and ages.

Even the small town on John Potts’ plantation included a brewery, which shows how important the beverage was in colonial America. 

For this program, brewer Frank McMahon will demonstrate historic beer-making techniques over a fire in the courtyard outside of the manor house. 

Meanwhile, inside the warm kitchen, foodways historian Deborah Peterson will cook at the open hearth, preparing 18th-century-style bologna sausage and making bread in a bake kettle. She will also talk to visitors about common foods for the winter season during this time period.

As the brewing demo will take place outside, please dress for the weather. 

There is a suggested donation of $2 per person for this program. 

The site’s museum shop will also be open throughout the event and will offer special discounts on featured products related to food and drink.

Pottsgrove Manor is located at 100 West King Street near the intersection of King Street and Route 100, just off Route 422, in Pottstown. 

Pottsgrove Manor is operated by Montgomery County under the direction of the Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites Division of the Assets and Infrastructure Department. 

Regular museum hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are given on the hour. The last tour of the day begins at 3 p.m. The site is closed Mondays and holidays. 

Groups of ten or more should pre-register by calling 610-326-4014. 

For more information, call 610-326-4014, or visit the website at www.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor. Like Pottsgrove Manor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pottsgrovemanor.

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Give Blood

February 5, 2014, 12:30 am

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Everything You Wanted to Know from Last Night's Council Meeting

February 6, 2014, 12:30 am

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...as told with Tweets, Tout video (and additional explanation).

Skating for a Good Cause

February 7, 2014, 12:30 am

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The Hill School's ice rink

Blogger's Note:The following was provided Thursday morning by Jennifer Bechtel at The Hill School:

The Hill School’s 7th annual “Skate Against Cancer” event will place on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 8 to 10:30 p.m.

The entrance fee is $3 and skate rentals will be available for $2. 

There will be raffles pizza and refreshments, and t-shirts for sale. 

A DJ will be playing music throughout the event. 

The public is invited to attend this fundraiser which benefits the American Cancer Society through the Pottstown Relay for Life. 

Last year this event raised more than $2,000 and the goal is to surpass that this year! 

It’s important to note that all skaters must where a knit hat when on the ice.

New Washington Insights at Hopewell

February 8, 2014, 9:11 am

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The Landsdowne portrait

Blogger's Note:The following was provided by Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.

Just in time for Presidents’ Day, Valley Forge National Historical Park Archivist Dona McDermott will shed new insights into the life and times of President George Washington at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site on Sunday, Feb. 9.

Sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace, the free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the park’s Conference Center.

Using the famous Landsdowne Portrait, McDermott will discuss how Gilbert Stuart included symbols that reflected Washington’s career and legacy.

Stuart painted the portrait in 1796 and it has served as a guide for Presidential portraits ever since.

Dona McDermott manages the extensive archives and collections at Valley Forge.

A 30-year career employee of the National Park Service, McDermott has also worked at Independence Hall and Hopewell Furnace.

Before joining the National Park Service, she worked at the Atwater Kent Museum in Philadelphia and the Peter Wentz Farmstead in Worcester.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Eastern University and a Master of Arts in history and certification in Museum Studies from the University of Delaware.

In 1771, Mark Bird established Hopewell Furnace. Bird raised a militia in support of the American Revolution and sent badly needed supplies to George Washington at Valley Forge during the harsh winter of 1777-1778.

There are numerous records of Hopewell cannon and shot being used by Continental forces during the Revoluntionary War. One hundred and fifteen big guns for the Continental Navy were made at Hopewell, and ten inch morter shells from Hopewell were used in the final battle at Yorktown in 1781.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings and learn about the Iron Making Industry and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history.

With grounds accessible on Mondays and Tuesdays, the park is fully open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off of Route 345.

For more information stop by the park's visitor center, call 610-582-8773, visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/hofu, or contact the park by e-mail at hofu_superintendent@nps.gov.

Recycle Mania at MC3

February 9, 2014, 12:30 am

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Blogger's Note:The following was provided by Montgomery County Community College.

Montgomery County Community College will once again take part in RecycleMania, a nationwide tournament among colleges and universities designed to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization.

After finishing second in Pennsylvania in the Waste Minimization category during the 2013 challenge – collecting 15.292 pounds of combined trash and recycling per capita – MCCC expects to maintain momentum in this, its seventh consecutive year of competing.

Pre-season practice weeks were held from Jan. 19-Feb. 1. Then, the official competition kicked off on Feb. 2 and extends eight weeks to March 29.

During the program, campuses compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita or have the highest recycling rate. Final results will be announced on April 11.

In 2013, 523 colleges comprising 3.5 million staff and students recycled and/or composted 90.8 million pounds of waste. In addition, 

Recyclemania 2013 resulted in a reduction of 121,436 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2E). 

Of the totals, MCCC contributed 34,132 pounds of recycling and averaged 4.252 pounds of recycling per person each week.

According to the U.S. EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM), MCCC’s recycling efforts during the competition resulted in a greenhouse gas reduction of 48 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), which translates to the energy consumption of four households or the emissions of nine cars.

RecycleMania is made possible through the sponsorship support of Alcoa, SCA, The Coca Cola Company, Keep America Beautiful, and the American Forest & Paper Association. Additional program support is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise program, College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), Campus Conservation Nationals, the United Negro College Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology program.

Check out MCCC’s Think Green blog at mc3green.wordpress.com for RecycleMania stats and updates.

To learn more about the RecycleMania 2014 competition, visit recyclemaniacs.org.

Staying Connected with Your Teen

February 10, 2014, 12:30 am

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Monday Night's Council Meeting was a Quick One

February 11, 2014, 12:30 am

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Here, without further ado, is the "Storify" of the live-tweeting I did from the meeting.

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1 of 50 Acts of Kindness

February 12, 2014, 12:30 am

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Student leaders at Montgomery County Community College’s West Campus in Pottstown will host their 13th Annual Lasagna Dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 7 p.m.

The dinner, which includes a special presentation by the West-End Theatre student drama club, will be held in the South Hall Community Room, 101 College Drive. 

Take-out meals will be available from 3-5:45 p.m. Both dine-in and take-out options are open to the public.

The dinner includes a choice of meat or veggie lasagna, salad, bread, beverage and dessert and costs $10 for adults, $5 for children age 10 years and under, and $7 for MCCC students with a valid college ID.

All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the West Campus Student Scholarship fund through the College’s Foundation, as it has since 2012.

The Annual Lasagna Dinner raises money for the scholarship fund.

Each year, the scholarship is awarded to a West Campus student who is engaged in community service and is in good academic standing. Representatives from the Foundation will be on hand at the event to answer questions about this and other scholarship opportunities.

In previous years, the dinner raised money for:

• United Way
• Barth Elementary School
• Reach One Touch One Ministries
• Pottstown Downtown Foundation
• Pottstown Library Children’s Department
• Relay for Life
• Family Services of Montgomery County

For more information, contact MCCC’s Office of Student Leadership and Involvement at 610-718-1852.

The West Campus Lasagna Dinner Theater is one of MCCC’s “50 Acts of Kindness” as part of the College’s 50th anniversary celebration. 

Throughout 2014, MCCC students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters are committed organizing 50 acts of community service – one for every year of the College’s existence. 

To learn more at the College’s 50th anniversary activities, visit mc3.edu/50.

Pottstown's Got Talent

February 13, 2014, 12:30 am

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Saving Lives with Rock and Roll

February 14, 2014, 6:37 am

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Bobby Rydell

On Valentines Day, the organ that most comes to mind is the heart, but the body needs all its organs and you can save lives being an organ donor.

Just ask Rock and Roll legend Bobby Rydell.

Rydell will be the featured performer at a Concert for Organ Donor Awareness held Saturday, March 29 at the Davenport Auditorium at Pottstown High School.

Himself the beneficiary of an organ and kidney transplant in 2012, Rydell promotes organ donation and has a web site dedicated to his efforts and telling his story.

"My life donor saved many lives, myself being just one," he wrote on July 18 while recovering from surgery. "I am alive today because of the value one grieving family placed on life. My hearts go out to them."

The Philadelphia native's hits include "Volare,""Wild One, "Wildwood Days" and more.

Here is a video from his web page in which he sings "Mack the Knife" post surgery.



Last week, organizers appeared before Pottstown Borough Council to promote the concert and Mayor Sharon Thomas issued a declaration making March 29th "Bobby Rydell Organ Donor Awareness Day.

Also appearing at the March 29th concert will be The Duprees and the First Ladies of Rock and Soul.

The Duprees hits include "You Belong to Me,""Take Me As I Am" and "Have You Heard?"

The First Ladies of Rock and Soul perform hits by The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Crystals and more.

Tickets for the show, arranged by Tom Coyle, are $55 for reserved seats and $45 for general admission.

You can purchase tickets by phone at 610-853-6776 or at 610-306-9361.

You can purchase tickets by mail by sending a check payable to Tom Coyle to P.O. Box 912, Pottstown, PA 19464.

And you can purchase tickets on-line at www.FirstLadiesofRockandSoul.com

The show starts at 6 p.m.

Below is Tout video of Coyle and Lou Ballezzi of Classic Productions Inc. speaking to Borough Council.

Benji's in DA HOUSE!

February 15, 2014, 12:30 am

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Franklin Elementary School Principal Kevin Downes looks the part, center, while playing Ben Franklin Jeopardy against teachers Matt Cohen, left, and Tina Lundy, right.

Blogger's Note:The following was shamelessly stolen from the Pottstown School District web site:

Recently, Benjamin Franklin celebrated his 308 th birthday and thanks to the students and staff at Pottstown’s Franklin Elementary School he is not in jeopardy of being forgotten.

Benjamin Franklin, aka Franklin Principal Kevin Downes, paid a visit to a full school assembly where he demonstrated his knowledge of history while competing in a game of jeopardy. His opponents for the day were Franklin teachers Matt Cohen and Tina Ludy.

As the master of ceremonies, Mike DiDonato gave each contestant a chance at the various categories. 

Ben Franklin won hands down because it seems that the answer for each of the categories was “Who is Ben Franklin?” As scorekeeper teacher Jen Swenk totaled up the number, and student expressed their enthusiasm for the contest and Dr. Franklin.

Downes said, “We were looking for a way to honor one of our country’s founding fathers and teach American history at the same time. Dressing in costume and using the jeopardy game format made American history come alive for our students and reminded them that learning can be fun.”

During the assembly, Ben Franklin gave the students many things to think about through his words of wisdom. 

 His parting words at the end of the day were to remind students to think of the future and he said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

A Reminder of Summer

February 16, 2014, 12:30 am

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"Bottle on the Beach" is the name of this oil painting by Lauren Marsh of Pottstown.

Blogger's Note:This was provided by the folks at the community college and normally, I would have waited to post it. But this painting reminds us that eventually, summer will return and frankly, I thought we could all use a little reminder of warmth right now.

Montgomery County Community College will be highlighting the talent of its art students at its Ninth Annual Art Students’ Exhibition and Competition, which opens Monday, March 17, and continues through Friday, April 28, at the Fine Arts Gallery, North Hall, 16 High St., Pottstown.

Approximately 50 students will be displaying their artwork in the show. 

“The Tent,” oil painting by Sarah Schleiden, Gilbertsville.

The artists’ reception will be held Wednesday, March 19, from 5-7 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 6 p.m. 

The exhibition and reception are free of charge and open to the public. 

The Fine Arts Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed weekends.

The exhibition includes a full-range of media, including ceramics, sculptures, oil paintings, water colors, drawings, photography, digital arts and mixed media.

For more information about the exhibition, contact MCCC Gallery Director Holly Cairns at 215-619-7349 or hcairns@mc3.edu.

Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.