LACKAWANNA SKY TO APPEAR AT EPHRATA THIRD SATURDAY

2. Lackawanna Sky L – R David Rose, Russell Ferrara..

Elizabethtown, PA – Lackawanna Sky comes off the road to perform on Saturday, June 20 at 10:00am for the Third Saturday Open Air Market on Main Street in Ephrata, PA. The performance is sponsored by the Ephrata Merchants Association. The performance is free and open to the public.

Spirit Wind Records recording artists Lackawanna Sky, David Rose, Native American flutes, and Russell Ferrara, classical and synthesizer driven guitars performs a unique blend of original, Indie-Classical instrumental music weaving Native American and classical influences with Latin American and African rhythms and Scots Irish, American Folk and Flamenco flourishes. Rose also performs New Age flute and double flute solos and Ferrara from his classical repertoire as well as his selection of garage band instrumentals arranged for classical guitar.

Lackawanna Sky returns to PA on June 15 following a week of performing and teaching in the Lake Lanier region of Northwest Georgia. The duo performs regularly in the Susquehanna Valley region with upcoming performances at the 1719 Hans Herr House Museum in Willow Street and at the Kipona and Spirit of Oneness Festivals in Harrisburg.

The mission of the Ephrata Merchants Association is to promote the identity and the awareness of the Ephrata business district through advertising, promotions, and special community toward the goal of working together to satisfy their customer markets and to continually enhance the vitality of each member business and the community as a whole.

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Bethlehem Main Street Streetscape Project Scaled Back, Next Phase To Start In March

Instead of another $2.7 million in upgrades, Bethlehem’s Main Street will be getting a $500,000 overhaul come spring.

Building upon a $532,000 upgrade of the intersection of Main and Market streets, city officials had planned on an extensive $3.2 million streetscape project between Broad and Church streets. But both the city and property owners say a scaled-back $1 million total project is more feasible.

The city had planned to replace all of the street’s sidewalks as it did at Main and Market but will instead just be repairing broken slate and brick on the four blocks, which is Bethlehem’s busiest business thoroughfare.

Hotel Bethlehem managing partner Bruce Haines said he and other Main Street property owners couldn’t afford the higher-priced overhaul. The city is seeking a 50-50 project cost split with property owners.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2015/01/bethlehem_main_street_streetsc_1.html

Bethlehem To Reverse Back-In Angled Parking On Main Street

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Come on Pottstown, follow suit!

The back-in angled parking on Bethlehem‘s Main Street is going to be reversed.

Mayor Bob Donchez said merchants on that end of Main Street have long been asking for the parking to be switched to head-in and he’s complying with their requests.

“It was clear the back-in angle parking was a negative to bringing people to lower Main Street,” Donchez said. “It’s the right thing to do to help the merchants.”

Donchez is hopeful the switch could occur in time for the Celtic Classic Highland Games & Festival scheduled Sept. 26-28 or shortly thereafter.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2014/08/bethlehem_to_reverse_back-in_a.html

Collegeville Farmers Market Opens For Fourth Season Saturday

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — Although Phil Schmidt was in Virginia Beach on Wednesday, wrapping up details on several new barbecue sauces that will soon debut at his restaurant, he said he was looking forward to helping Collegeville Farmers Market open its fourth season on Saturday.

The owner of Phamous Phil’s BBQ & Grille — recently featured on the Food Network — will be in the back section of Da Vinci’s Pub parking lot all day cooking up smoked apple sausage, pulled pork and burgers.

Sandwiches — washed down with Phil’s homemade lemonade — will make for a tasty, easily portable and much less messy lunch than Phil’s trademark ribs as folks stroll through the market.

Barbecue buffs who crave the restaurant’s specialty can always choose to chow down on the “phamously” meaty smoked ribs at Schmidt’s eatery a couple of miles away in Evansburg.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/business/20140509/collegeville-farmers-market-opens-for-fourth-season-saturday

Norristown Residents Ask Commissioners How To Revitalize The Area

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NORRISTOWN, PA — Conversation at the commissioners “conversations” meeting at Norristown Municipal Hall largely focused on bringing Norristown back to its glory days.

Peggy Dellisant, a Norristown resident who used to own Main Changes Clothing, said the town needs foot traffic on Main Street to make a comeback.

“I just retired. I watched Main Street die a slow death,” she said.

Dellisant said that the abandoned prison on Airy Street is beautifully made, and turning it into something modern would help to bring the foot traffic into Norristown that the businesses need.

“The prison on Main and Airy is coming apart,” she said. “It really would be a shame to see that building just deteriorate. This town really needs a lot of help.”

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140227/norristown-residents-ask-commissioners-how-to-revitalize-the-area

Geisinger Health System Gives Nanticoke $3M Booster Shot

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NANTICOKE, PA — Another Geisinger health care site in Luzerne County also is a shot in the arm for Nanticoke’s revitalization.

Patients have been coming in to the Geisinger-Nanticoke family practice center since late November. On Thursday, the health care system and local officials made it official with speeches, a ribbon-cutting and an open house.

State Sen. John Yudichak, who was among the speakers during the brief ceremony, characterized the nearly $4 million center at 128 E. Main St. as another part of the plan to aid Nanticoke’s ailing downtown.

He said local officials came together 10 years ago to put together a plan to revitalize the city. The health care facility joins Luzerne County Community College’s adjacent Health Sciences Center and the nearby Joseph A. Paglianite Culinary Arts Institute in the city’s downtown.

Read more: http://timesleader.com/news/local-news/1113901/Geisinger-gives-Nanticoke-$3M-booster-shot

Spencer Announces Plan For Reading Development Corporation

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer announced his plan Wednesday to form a community development corporation dedicated solely to the city.

He said that in the past Reading has not taken a unified approach to attracting development.

Spencer added that efforts to develop Reading historically have been carried out by state or county development authorities, where the city isn’t always the top priority.

He said recent efforts generated by the city, like the Main Street designation and the purchase of properties in the 400 block of Penn Street, will soon become the purview of the Reading Community Development Corp.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=512694

Norristown Officials Tout Micro-Loans For Small Businesses

Location of Norristown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NORRISTOWN — Local officials are putting their noses to the grindstone to lure more businesses to Norristown, and they say they have the bucks to back up their plans.

Specifically, the municipality wants new restaurants, boutiques, delis and coffee shops along the so-called Main Street corridor, which runs along the Schuylkill River Trail from West Norriton to Plymouth Township.

Ron Story, director of the Norristown Small Business Assistance Center (NSBAC), and Gabriele Prete, Norristown’s business development coordinator, presented Norristown Planning Commission with a series of short promotional videos Wednesday targeting would-be businesses.  Prete said there are 13 countries represented on Main Street in the form of restaurants.  The videos and an interactive map are available on the municipal website, www.norristown.org.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130711/NEWS01/130719906/norristown-officials-tout-micro-loans-for-small-businesses#full_story

Man In Stable Condition After Early Morning Shooting In Norristown

NORRISTOWN — A 27-year-old man was shot multiple times in the area of Main Street and Haws Avenue at 2:40 a.m. Wednesday.

He was air lifted to Jefferson hospital for treatment.  He is in stable condition and recovering.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130703/NEWS01/130709885/man-in-stable-condition-after-early-morning-shooting-in-norristown

Collegeville Farmers Market Moves To “New And Improved” Spot

COLLEGEVILLE — Collegeville Farmers’ Market is on a real “power” trip this year.

As it opens for its third market season on May 4, one of the local shopper’s favorite haunts for engaging in homegrown commerce is relocating across the street to the grounds of Davinci’s Pub, where it will be empowered by plenty of parking at the adjoining Power House Antique and Flea Market lot.

The market simply outgrew its original space behind the AmeriGreen Gas Station, noted Cathy Kernen, co-chair of the Collegeville Farmers’ Market committee and president of the Collegeville Economic Development Corp.

“We needed more space in order to attract more vendors and grow our market. We were maxed out at 23 vendors at the previous site,” she explained. “We needed more space for customer parking. Lou’s Too, a popular Trappe Restaurant, moved their restaurant adjacent to our market site, and although we had limited parking for handicapped patrons and parents with small children before, we were afraid that operating our market on the same parking lot as that of a popular restaurant would not provide enough parking for both of us.”

Read more:

http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130502/FINANCE01/130509950/collegeville-farmers-market-moves-to-new-and-improved-spot#full_story