Windows on the (Under) World

Photo by Evan Brandt

The winners of the Halloween Decorating Contest's People's Choice Award were artists from the Roller Derby Rockstars, Anita Smackin', Kessel Runt, Rogue Rage and F-Stop for this panorama on the Audio-Video Junction window.

Our sources in the great beyond tell us that the winners of the Halloween Downtown Window Decorating contest have been chosen are the results are thus:

The People's Choice Award, with the most money raised for next year's Halloween Parade, was the painting show above on the Audio Video Junction building at the corner of High and Hanover streets.

Photo by Evan Brandt

This painting by the O'Rourke family, was
chosen as Most Artistic

The artists, from the Roller Derby Rockstars, were Anita Smackin, Kessel Runt, Rogue Rage and F-Stop.

The Most Artistic Award, determined by a panel of art experts, was to be found on the old Ellis Mills building and was painted by the O'Rourke Family, Michelle, Christian and Abigail.

These winners will be presented with a trophy, provided by Laserworx, and a $50 voucher for purchases made in the downtown PDIDA district, courtesy of Pottstown Organizations Serving Together, or POST, the joint efforts of the Masons, Elks, AMBUCS and Order of the Eastern Star.

Photo by Evan Brandt

This painting on the window of the Steel River Playhouse

earned 12-year-old artist Jaelyn Kennedy an honorable mention.

An Honorable Mention Award was also provided to Jaelyn Kennedy, 12, of Pottstown Middle School for the decorations on the Steel River Playhouse.

She will receive a special trophy, also courtesy of Laserworx, and gift certificates from Milkman Cupcakes and Argento's Pizza.

The folks over at POST also offer their most sincere thanks to the laides of the Pottstown/Pottsgrove MOMS Club for their efforts to bring the contest about, and to Main Street Manager Sheila Dugan for her guidance.

Council Was Almost NOT A-Twitter

Photo by Evan Brandt

Montgomery County Planner Meredith Curran

address borough council prior to the adoption of 

the borough's comprehensive plan.

So who would have thought an old ink-stained wretch like me (now a carpal-tunnel impaired wretch) would get himself all a-Twitter about Twitter not Tweeting?

Arriving a little late to the council meeting (hey, I' a busy guy) I sit down to rip into my gripping Twitter coverage only to discover the app won't work.

Opens.

Closes.

Opens

Closes.

Luckily, they train us to be cool under pressure at reporter school.

So after I whined in a text to Reporter Frank Otto, who was covering a very hot Perkiomen Valley School Board meeting where students who had staged a walk-out were expressing their displeasure with the kind of school cuts Pottstown endured three years ago and definitely did not have time for my kvetching, it suddenly occurs to me.

I can do all this on the Web too, through my browser.

Duh.

(As always, remember to click the blue "Read Next Page" bar for even more spine-tingling Tweets.

We now join our Pottstown Borough Council meeting already in progress...

A Terrifying Proposition

Photo Courtesy of the Temple of Terror Facebook page, where more photos are posted.

By now, if you haven't read anything I've written about the Temple of Terror at the Pottstown Mason's lodge then you haven't been paying attention.


There are many remarkable things about this effort, not the least of which is the level of dedication displayed by the volunteers putting it together.

In addition to all the planning, the many late nights of construction have been augmented by a cadre of volunteer actors who really put the "fright" into "Fright Night."

As the photos I've posted here show, they've really gone all out and if you visit the Temple of Terror web site, you will see that there is entire back story that goes along with the haunt, so you will enjoy it even more.

It involves a Civil War veteran returning home to find out his wife has been unfaithful to him, and the murderous rampage that follows, a rampage that ended on the very site on which the temple now sits.

There are at least four more opportunities to check it out; this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18 and 19; and the following Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25 and 26. The cost is $15.

So far, those who have gone through have given it rave reviews.

In interviews on TV camera after last weekend's opening, "the first two said on camera that it was better than Pennhurst and one added 'plus it's cheaper,' Dave Hollenbach, a past master of the Mason's temple and one of the organizers, wrote in an e-mail to The Mercury.

You just never know who you might run into...

Hollenbach also wrote:

We had attendees last night from ages 7 to 70. Actors tailored their actions to the individual groups as they went through. Nothing but great reviews.

Screams were audible outside from the 2nd. flr. last night so the folks definitely seemed thrilled. One fellow left, returned with friends, and went through again, commenting it was even better the 2nd time through.

"I Went through with my ten year old -- well done," Linda McIntosh Meadows posted on the Temple of Terror's Facebook page. "The effects were great and the building is just amazing to look at."

"I had such a fun time screaming and running for my life tonight!" Jessica Skovronski posted in her review of the haunt. "Affordable, close to home, and definitely scary! Great job!"

On The Mercury's Facebook page, Linda Passuth Dudley posted the following review: "We went last Friday and is literally made me cry it was so scarey. My son had gone to Pennhurst and said this was as good. There was also a woman doing psychic readings outside and she was right on with my reading. The area was fine, well lit with a lot of staff and vendors around. Plus, a staff member told me that 100% of the proceeds are donated back to the Pottstown community"

To see more photos, check out the slideshow I posted on The Mercury web site.

As impressive as this effort is, it's part of an even larger picture.

You see it's more than the Masons involved. It's also the Ambucs, the Elks and the Order of the Eastern Star.

They've teamed up ... yes, you read that right ... TEAMED UP....in Pottstown .....

Ahem, they've teamed up to try to build up Pottstown as the Halloween capital of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Given that, after Christmas, its America's most popular holiday and the one on which we spend the most money, after Christmas, this seems to me like a stroke of brilliance.

So in addition to this haunted house, in addition to Pottstown's signature Halloween Parade, which takes place next Wednesday, Oct. 23 and for which donations are still needed, this group of civic clubs
has also planed another Halloween-themed event -- The Monster Dash 5K and Relay.

The Monster Dash takes place this Sunday, Oct. 20, down at the Pottstown campus of
Montgomery County Community College and the route runs along the Schuylkill River Trail.

Much like the "Funky Santa" 5K that takes place around Christmas time, the Monster Dash STRONGLY encourages people to run in Halloween costumes.

I think perhaps the thing that Hollenbach said which so struck me was this: "People go to Bethlehem for Christmas, we want them to come to Pottstown for Halloween."

And I thought the whole set of Bethlehem Christmas attractions did not just materialize out of thin air, someone got together and planned them. They worked together and it worked.



There is no reason why it could not happen here.

So start supporting this effort this year by stopping by the Temple of Terror tonight or tomorrow night.



Bring some friends and help build up your town and have a good time in the process.

Because the alternative to a rejuvenated Pottstown, which attracts thousands of visitors during the month of October, is downright scary.

And that would make these fellows very, very sad.

You don't want to make them sad.

You really, really don't....

Pottstown People: Always With the Helping Hand they Often Cannot Afford

One reason I have grown to grudgingly love this frustrating muddle of a town is that just when I think we don't have any more feet to shoot ourselves in, people come out of the woodwork and plug the bullet hole.

The latest example of this redeeming quality is the infamous Halloween Parade.

It is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. by the way.

As you have in all likelihood read by now, the parade was threatened by a misunderstanding.

Undertaken once and planned twice previously with a waiver of borough fees in hand, this year's organizers had proceeded with planning after being assured by former borough manager Jason Bobst that the borough fees -- more than $5,000 worth for police overtime -- would again be waived.

Unfortunately, Bobst left for greener pastures before the parade and with him left that assurance.

So the parade organizers -- the AMBUCS, the Pottstown Rotary Club and the Parks and Recreation Department -- were brought up short when interim borough manager Mark Flanders informed them the fees could only be waived by council.

And council balked at waiving the fee, saying it was not in the budget.

Making a point about sticking to their budget is understandable in these tough times, particularly seeing as this issue has come up before.

But sympathy for that position evaporated when, moments later, council blithely agreed to pay as much as a whopping $33,000 that was ALSO not in the budget for a consulting firm, now found to be costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of extra dollars on the elementary school construction projects, to deliver a report on ways to makes the codes department more efficient. But that's another story.)

Ultimately, after a story or two in The Mercury and on this blog, council blinked and agreed to waive half the cost.

Although a welcome compromise, that left the parade organizers $2,500 short.

One might be justified in being discouraged at this point in the story.

Here are a group of people raising money and devoting time to stage a major event in the town, and a mere $2,500 could doom it.

And here's where the optimism comes in.

After just one story in The Mercury about the need to raise funds, people started stepping out of the woodwork and stepping up to the plate.

These were not the elected officials, the pontificators or the complainers, who are all too often front and center in Pottstown's public spotlight.

Many a donation walked through these doors.

These were the "doers," the people in this town who believe in that delightful Missouri motto: "Show me, don't tell me."

And show they did.

First the German Club stepped up with $1,000 donation on the first day, followed in no short order by the Masons, who ponied up another $1,000.

Add to these other donations (the fullest list we can muster appears below), ranging from $500 down to $15 and in no time, not only had the required money been raised, but the organizers had a jump start on next year.

Next year, not only will they have to pay the full $5,000-plus to the borough, but also the $2,000 it costs to actually put the parade on.

And its these people, their generosity that is repeatedly displayed when there is a fire, or during The Mercury's Operation Holiday, who once again renew at least a hope that Pottstown can get back on its feet.

It may not be enough financially to really turn things around, but it demonstrates, in a way no speech, or resolution, or election result can, that people in this town have a willingness to support things they care about, things that make their lives better.

And by people I include people in the surrounding towns, many of whom can be found on that donor list.

Alan MacBain's GREAT editorial cartoon on the subject.

Borough Council President Stephen Toroney was right when he said those other towns should help with the cost of regional events like this.

The donor list shows that those residents are willing to help shoulder the cost.

It's one reason why we should keep calling our home the GREATER Pottstown area.

Here are those who made the parade financially possible:

SPONSORS

Rotary Club of Pottstown

AMBUCS of Pottstown
Department of Parks and Recreation

Borough of Pottstown
The Mercury

GREAT PUMPKINS

Pottstown German Club — $1,000

Stichter Lodge No. 254 F&AM — $1,000

Lowa Insurance Group — $500
Pottstown Memorial Medical Center — $500

TALL SHOCKS OF CORN

Wheel to the Future — $350

Montgomery County Community College — $300

Pottstown Rumble — $300
Anonymous — $200

Sager & Sager Assoc. — $200
Little Italy Restorante — $150

Ice House Steaks & Pizza — $150

Heartland Abstract — $150
Dr. Lawrence Gribb — $100

Jean Spotts — $100
Donna & Aram Ecker — $100

Vision Painting — $100
David & Gloria Schwab — $100

Scott Palladino — $100
Harry Leister — $100

Reed’s Fuel Oil — $100
Roger Baumann — $100

MANY KERNELS OF CORN

Frank Smith

J.B. Supply 

Dale & Cynthia Conard

Caitlin Mattingly
Ted & Lori Freese

Ken Schaeffer Family (for Jenny)

Jim Derr
Doris Jean Sweeney
Charles Fischer

Gerald Richards
Michael Sloane

Pamela Rowland, Cynthia O’Neal, Deborah Fine (PHS Band Alumni)

Roy Reifsnyder
Sanatoga Thriftway

Halloween Parade's Fate May Rest with Council

Is Pottstown's Annual Halloween Parade doomed? A borough
council vote Monday may tell the tale.

Blogger's Note: A correction. The initial version of this post said the council meeting is Monday. That is incorrect. Monday is Columbus Day. The council meeting is Tuesday night.

A vote by borough council Tuesday night may determine whether or not Pottstown's Halloween Parade occurs this year.

The parade is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. and, as in past years, its organizers have asked council to waive the permit fees and costs that taxpayers will then have to shoulder.

Interim Borough Manager Mark Flanders told council Wednesday night that the overall cost to the organizers is more than $5,000.

The 2012 budget only allocated $3,000 for such parade and event waivers and it is already over-budget, council having waived roughly $5,000 in event fees already, Finance Director Janice Lee told council.

Making the decision even more difficult for council was Flanders' observation that "if council chooses not to waive the fees, I'm not sure there will be a Halloween parade."

"It was my understanding that we would have the same arrangement as in 2010 (our first year) and last year (which was rained out)," said P. Richard Frantz, who was speaking on behalf of the Pottstown Rotary Club which is staging the parade, along with the AMBUCS and Parks and Recreation Department as partners. 

"Since we were not planning on this scenario, we have not made an effort to contact additional sponsors. With the parade less that three weeks away, I don’t think we can come up with that kind of money." Frantz wrote in an e-mail to yours truly.

"Rotary and AMBUCS rescued the parade in 2010," said Frantz. "Personally, I don’t want to see it canceled. It has been a tradition for the kids in Pottstown since I was a kid (and that’s a long time ago)."

This is not the first time council has faced this question.

Last year's parade was rained out, so the event became moot. 

In the past, such requests have torn at council priorities; pitting the desire not to spend money not outlined in the budget against the desire to support borough organizations and events that bring people to town.

There is a funding spectre haunting Pottstown's
Annual Halloween Parade

But those events require police coverage, fire police closing streets and directing traffic away from High Street and set up and take-down of barriers, all of which costs money.

Last year, in an attempt to get a handle on it, council adopted a budget that set aside $3,000 for the waiver of such fees.


But various events that have already occurred, with the exception of the July 4th Parade, have already consumed that fund, and then some.

Council President Stephen Toroney said like the July 4th Parade, the Halloween Parade tends to bring people from surrounding townships but puts the cost solely on the backs of borough taxpayers.

"It's a Catch-22," said Councilman Travis Gery. "We are working to attract people into the borough, which is what we're trying to do, to sell ourselves and this is an excellent marketing tool."

Main Street Manager Sheila Dugan said "there is some revenue from the parade" for local merchants who stay open, but yes, I'd like to see more fundraising done because lots of people come, but if it falls on the taxpayers, that burden is an issue."

Is Pottstown's Halloween Parade a treasure to be preserved
or a sinking ship? Council will decide Monday night.

Nonetheless, she added, "it's not something PDIDA would like to see go away."

Lee confirmed that there is money in the borough's reserves, but added "its up to council to decide if this is something you want to dip into reserves to pay for."

Councilman Dan Weand, who heads council's finance committee, said "it is not in the reserves for this purpose."

Councilman Mark Gibson asked if perhaps council could waive part of the fee.

"It's up to council," replied Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. "You can waive how ever much of the costs you want."

Toroney said the matter will be listed for a vote at Monday's council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. and is the meeting at which the public is permitted to speak.