Boyertown’s Firefly Cafe Goes Fully Vegan, Plans For Expansion

Firefly Interior: Fire Cafe offers diners a cozy and relaxed atmosphere in downtown Boyertown.

Firefly Sign: Firefly Cafe is located at 12 N. Reading Ave., Boyertown.

Vegan Pulled Pork: Firefly Cafe’s vegan pulled pork sandwich is a customer favorite.

Boyertown, PA — Firefly Cafe, located at 12 N. Reading Ave. in Boyertown, ushered in the new year with a fully vegan menu, replacing its dairy cheeses with plant-based alternatives. 

“This is something we always hoped to do,” explained Loriann Wade, who owns and operates Firefly Cafe with her husband Michael Martinez. “Since opening, we slowly started to remove dairy items from the menu with positive feedback from our customers.” 

The announcement drew high praise and support from Firefly’s Facebook community.

“The improved quality of vegan cheeses and our customers’ responses to those cheeses has made the transition from vegetarian to vegan pretty seamless,” said Wade.

Going vegan is only the first of several big changes in store for Firefly Cafe in 2017. Later this month, the cafe will introduce a grab and go section, featuring items such as vegan chicken and egg salad sandwiches, vegan sides like potato and quinoa salads and house-made vegan dressings.

Then, in fall 2017, Wade and Martinez have plans to open a vegan general store adjacent to the cafe. Here, customers will be able to purchase prepared grab and go items, specialty and hard to find vegan products, natural bath and body products and even holistic dog treats.

“Our expansion plans have drawn a positive response. There’s a huge need for this type of vegan outpost in the area,” said Wade.

To compliment the cafe and general store, Wade and Martinez look to expand Firefly’s catering services and introduce vegan cooking classes. Firefly will also continue to host vegan pop-up cafes throughout the region—like the Caribbean-inspired vegan fare the cafe offers during monthly Reggae Nights at The Other Farm Brewing Company.

Located in the heart of Boyertown, Firefly Cafe is a vegan restaurant that offers organic, gluten-free and locally sourced food options. For cafe hours, menus and catering info, visit fireflycafeboyertown.com or join the cafe on Facebook, http://www,facebook.com/fireflycafeboyertown]facebook.com/fireflycafeboyertown; Twitter, @fireflycafeveg; or Instagram, @fireflycafeboyertown. 

Firefly Cafe, Red-I Join The Other Farm For Reggae Night In Boyertown

Boyertown based reggae band RED-I performs at The Other Farm Brewing Company on Nov. 25, 2016. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

Boyertown, PA —The Other Farm Brewing Company, located at 128 E. Philadelphia Ave. in Boyertown, will host its monthly Reggae Night on Thursday, Dec. 22. The event will feature food from Firefly Cafe and music from local reggae band RED-I. Admission is $5. Doors open at 7 p.m., with music and food service beginning at 8 p.m. For information, visit fireflycafeboyertown.com or call the cafe at 484-415-5066.

Boyertown’s own Firefly Cafe will offer vegan, Caribbean-inspired street food for purchase during the event. Music will be provided by RED-I, a Boyertown-based reggae band fronted by Firefly Cafe co-owner Michael Arcangel on guitar and vocals. Other members include Stephen Kurtz on bass, Paul Jameson on guitar, Kyle Seivard on keyboard, Jordan Lambert on percussion and Tim Leslie on drums.

This is the third collaboration between The Other Farm, Firefly Cafe and RED-I. Future Reggae Nights will be scheduled monthly.

Located in the heart of Boyertown, Firefly Cafe is a vegetarian restaurant that offers organic, vegan, gluten-free and locally sourced food options. For cafe hours, menus and catering info, visit fireflycafeboyertown.com or join the cafe on Facebook, facebook.com/fireflycafeboyertown; Twitter, @fireflycafeveg; or Instagram, @fireflycafeboyertown.

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Police Cracking Down On Aggressive Drivers Across Pennsylvania

Map of Pennsylvania, showing major cities and roads (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MONTGOMERY TWP, PA — Along Route 309 in Montgomery Township on Monday afternoon, lights from police cruisers flashed next to an orange “Aggressive Driving Enforcement” sign as every few minutes, a vehicle was directed to pull over by a contingent of township cops who were doling out citations for speeding, tailgating or other traffic infractions spotted moments earlier by officers stationed a half-mile up the road. It was part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s ramped-up efforts — which began on Monday and lasts until May 4 — to crack down on a spectrum of illegal and dangerous driving habits in a big way across the state.

Boyertown police announced their aggressive driving details will continue through Sept. 14.

“We’re here today to raise awareness about the dangers of aggressive driving, and to target those drivers who are causing far too many crashes on the roadways,” said PennDOT spokesman Lou Belmonte at a Monday morning press conference inside the Montgomery Township Building, where he was joined by law enforcement officers and members of the Montgomery County Health Department and Buckle Up PA to announce the first wave of the PennDOT-funded 2014 Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Project).

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140325/police-cracking-down-on-aggressive-drivers-across-pa

Reading Woman Falls Into Fountain At Berkshire Mall While Walking And Texting

You have to love this stuff folks. 

A Reading woman was strolling through Berkshire Mall and texting on her cell phone at the same time.  You know what they say about walking and chewing gum…so I suppose texting and walking is about the same.  When we are not paying attention to what we are doing, accidents happen.  Consequently, the woman fell into a fountain at Berkshire Mall in Reading. 

Now, she is angry that the security footage was released.  The “victim” has hired a lawyer and is contemplating a lawsuit against Berkshire Mall.  She thinks mall security should have been more concerned about her welfare.  However, she immediately got up and walked away, apparently unharmed.

The reason people know her identity is because she released her own name to the public.  Her face was digitally covered in the video footage.

OH PLEASE!  Does somebody want their 15 minutes here or what?

UPDATE – this just keeps getting better.  Read all about the “faller” in this Reading Eagle article http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=280672