ArtFusion's Fifth 'Souper Bowl' Set for Jan. 23

ArtFusion 19464's popular Soup Bowl fundraiser turns 5 this year!

This year it will be held on Jan. 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

There will be lots of yummy soups to try, fresh baguettes and crackers, homemade desserts, and a one-of-a-kind ceramic bowl to take home.

They will have a great menu of soups to choose from, including vegetarian options.

Tickets are $20 each, and can be bought online or in person at ArtFusion.

Tickets at the door, if any are available, will be $25.

Wanted: Soup Chefs!

Are you a famous soup chef among your family and friends? 

ArtFusion is looking for donations of homemade soups for this event. 

Please email or call 610-326-2506 for more details. 

As a thank you, each chef will receive one complimentary ticket to the event!

All You Can Eat Italian Monday at Western Center

Police Promotions and Council Goals

Photos by Evan Brandt

Newly promoted Corporal Steven Morrisey, center, is congratulated by Pottstown Police Chief Rick Drumheller, right, and Police Captain Robert Thomas, left.

Mark Boyce, center, is congratulated on his promotion by
Pottstown Mayor Sharon Thomas, right,
while his wife and boss look on.

Two Pottstown Police officers moved ahead in their careers Wednesday night, and borough council members outlined goals they hope will help Pottstown move ahead.

Pottstown newest sergeant is Mark Boyce and its newest corporal is Steven Morrisey.

Both were promoted in a ceremony Wednesday that filled the council room with family, fellow officers and well wishers.

Council also heard from organizers who want to revive a 10-year-old bicycle race in town -- the Pottstown Criterium.

And there was more discussion about reviving, or revising, the Pottstown Human Relations Commission.

Council will also vote Monday on whether to modify the lease for the former Pottstown Metal Weld building to the Carousel at Pottstown. The current lease required them to be open by the end of 2014. Terry Jones, the carousel vice president, said the facility will be open by April.

And there are vacancies caused by expired terms on the Blighted Property Review Committee, the Borough Authority, the Code Board of Appeals, the Environmental Advisory Commission, the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority, the Planning Commission and the Zoning Hearing Board.

Most of those currently in the seats have asked to be re-appointed.

And then there were the goals.

Council President Dan Weand had asked each council member to come up with one goal for 2016.

To find out what everyone said, read the Tweets below!

Eleventh Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Set for Sunday, Jan. 17 at The Hill School

The 11th Annual Community Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will take place 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17 at The Hill School Center for the Arts on Beech Street.

All are invited and Hill School chaplain, the Rev. John Houghton, will serve as host.

Organizers hope to put together a 50-voice community choir to sing at the event.

There is a rehearsal tonight, 7:30 p.m. at Bethel Community Church of Pottstown, 575 N. Keim St. and another scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. for those interested in participating.

"We are working extremely hard to have a 50+ Voice Choir and we would love to have 50 Churches participating," said Vernon Ross, Bethel pastor and one of the event organizers.

Hezekiah Hill, Bethel's Director of Music, is organizing the choir and Don Corey Washington is coming off Broadway to sing Dr. King's favorite song "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," Ross said.

BCCP's Mission Ministry, headed by Juanita Jackson, in collaboration with Wegman's, is providing refreshments for the celebration.

All proceeds from the collection at the event will benefit the Salvation Army of Pottstown.

The MLK Celebration began as an effort to remember the life and work of Dr. King. But it was also initiated to bring the entire "Faith Communities" together to let the residents and others see us as a unified body, Ross wrote in an e-mail.

"Given all that's happening in the country and even here in Pottstown, I would think that everyone would be on board with advocating the message and work of Dr. King," wrote Ross. "We need 'Peace.' 'Love,' 'Unity' and 'Inclusiveness' more today than ever before now." 

Ross also wrote that organizers would like to see more "discussion and effort to get more of our youth in Pottstown to attend the celebration. Youth of all color need to understand the life and work of Dr. King' and just not understand it but pattern their lives after him when it comes to non-violence and peace."

A New Era Begins for Pottstown Borough Council

Photos by Evan Brandt

Pottstown Mayor Sharon Thomas, a Republican, poses for a

"bi-partisan photo" with newly selected Borough 

Council President 

Dan Weand, a Democrat.

So a rumored floor fight between Third Ward Councilwoman Sheryl Miller and Fifth Ward Councilman Dan Weand for the presidency of Borough Council failed to materialize Monday night.

Rather, a rather sedate re-organizational meeting put Weand, now in his sixth year in office, into the top spot and Miller, still in her first term, as Vice President.

Newly sworn-in Sixth Ward Councilwoman Rita Paez cast the only vote against Weand and she tried to enlist First Ward Councilman Ryan Procsal to be council president.

He declined, saying he had every intention of nominating and voting for Weand, which he did.

Otherwise it was pretty much business as usual as re-organizational meetings go.

New Fourth Ward Councilman Dennis Arms, right, is welcomed to 

borough council by Mayor Thomas and new Pottstown School Board

member Emanuel Wilkerson, who was Arms' student not too long ago.

Chuck Garner remains borough solicitor, although how he plans to attend meetings on the same night as those in New Hanover Township, where he was sworn in as an elected supervisor Monday night, remains an unanswered question.

There was one fly in the ointment however,

Borough Manager Mark Flanders said he received a letter of resignation from Coleen Belovich, who had been elected in November as Pottstown's new tax collector.

He did not say why she resigned, but it is the second time that has happened in Pottstown. The first time both in Pottstown and in Upper Pottsgrove, was due to new legal requirements to be a tax collector.

New elected Sixth Ward Councilwoman Rita Paez, center, 

takes the oath of office Monday.

By the way, Holly Gauger, the women voters chose to be Upper Pottsgrove's new tax collector, also announced on Township Commissioner Martin Schreiber's Facebook page, that she too would not be able to fill the office due to "reasoning outside of my control."

Not sure what that means, but we'll let you know when we do.

We'll also let you know what happened at the organizational meetings for Lower Pottsgrove, Douglass (Mont.) and New Hanover, all of which also happened last night (as they did in North Coventry and East Coventry as well.)

In the meantime, here are the Tweets from Monday night's council meeting.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree at Althouse Arboretum

Student volunteers help recycle Christmas Trees at a previous

event at the Althouse Arboretum. 

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Green Allies.

GreenAllies, in cooperation with students from Spark the Wave Club at Pottsgrove High School and Upper Pottsgrove Township, will hold its annual Community Christmas Tree Recycling Program on Sat., Jan. 9, at the Althouse Arboretum at 1794 Gilbertsville Road. 

The program will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The recycling day is open to everyone in the region and is free of charge. 

Members of the public are encouraged to give their trees a second purpose and drive them to the Arboretum where volunteers from the newly established nonprofit organization and local high school students will assist each vehicle in removing the trees. 

With assistance from Upper Pottsgrove Township, the trees will be chipped and donated to the new Althouse Arboretum, where they will used to cover walking trails.

This community event is sponsored by GreenAllies with its mission to “Empower and support students to innovate and lead environmental sustainability efforts”.

If you have any questions, call or email Ken Hamilton, executive director of GreenAllies. at 267-371-2288 ken@green-allies.org