National Night Out Set for Aug. 1 at Pocket Park

The event will again be held at the neighborhood park Washington and Chestnut streets.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Genesis Housing Corp.

Genesis Housing Corporation and the Victory Christian Life Center are pleased to announce that the annual National Night Out Community Block Party will be held on the first Tuesday in August, Tuesday, Aug. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Chestnut Street Park located on Washington and Chestnut Streets, in Pottstown.

The event will promote neighborhood spirit, community partnership, law enforcement and residents for a safer Pottstown at a free community block party filled with family fun, music, games, info and food. Come out and meet your neighbors at the Chestnut Street Park. (Rain or Shine). 

The event kicks off with DJ dance music and great community information. There will be free food – hot dogs, hamburgers, nacho chips, water ice, soft drinks and more. The Phillies Fire Company is bringing a fire truck and will be providing a water spray demo.

Be a part of Pottstown’s National Night Out to learn about businesses and non-profit agencies in the area. This year’s participating groups include Art Fusion, BB&T, Genesis Housing, Grace Lutheran Church, Habitat Montco, Harris Family, Hobart’s Run, Pottstown Human Relations, Maternal and Child Health of Chester County, Maternity Care Coalition: Early Head Start, Matt Green - Glocker Realty, Mosaic Community Land Trust, Pottstown Cluster, Victory Christian Life Center, Women’s Center and YWCA Tri-County.

The National Night Out Community Block Party is funded, in part, by BB&T Bank and the Pottstown Neighborhood Partnership. 

More information is available by calling Victory Christian Life Center at 484-941-0693 or Genesis Housing Corporation at 610-275-4357.

Since 1994, Genesis Housing Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has served Montgomery County as a community housing development organization (CHDO) and is dedicated to the development of affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization and the education of consumers on housing and financial issues.

For more information about Genesis Housing Corporation, our programs and housing counseling classes, please visit our website at www.genesishousing.org, email at info@genesishousing.org, visit us on Facebook or call 610-275-4357.

A (National) Night Out on the Town

Photos by Evan Brandt

Kelise Smith, 16, and Pottstown High School classmate Deandre Sanders, 16, visit with mascots-in-training Trojan Men Aaron Diamond and John Oister during National Night Out celebrations in the park at Washington and Chestnut streets in Pottstown.

There were fewer National Night Out celebrations in Pottstown than there have been in the past, but the two that were held Tuesday night enjoyed overflow attendance.

At Trinity Reformed United Church of Christ, right across the street from The Mercury and an awfully convenient place to get a hot dog, there were so many people out front they were running out of sidewalk.

Erika Hornburg-Cooper, Judy Memberg and
Christopher Willman at the Beech Street Factory display, which was
"creating quite a buzz," according to Hornburg-Cooper.

And at the park at Washington and Chestnut streets a few blocks away, the music blared and people spilled out into the closed section of North Washington Street where food and useful information were being offered in near equal measure.

I had two favorite quotes from the evening, which floated up above the laughter of the kids and the gentle
murmur of adults agreeing with each other.

The first one came from Judy Memberg, the tireless and (most important) effective head of Genesis Housing Corp.

She said, in an almost off-hand way, "“We can rebuild every house in a block, but if we don’t rebuild relationships among neighbors, than we haven’t revitalized the neighborhood.”

Having joined Erika Hornburg-Cooper at the display for the Beech Street Factory project -- which will also be the new home of Hornburg-Cooper's art center -- Memberg was observing that it will take more than physical improvements to spruce up a neighborhood.

Investment in human capital is just as important -- something National Night Out highlights.

Pottstown Mayor Sharon Thomas, right, visits with Gloria Dunn

My other favorite quote came from Mayor Sharon Thomas -- whose church, Victory Christian Life Center, was the other primary sponsor of the evening.

She said, again without a lot of forethought, “National Night Out is very important so neighbors get to know each other instead of just passing each other getting out of their cars.”

The mayor is right, and its sad that she's right, but we have to learn how to get better at being neighbors.

I will admit that there are plenty of people on my block whose names I should know, and I don't.

As the mayor intuited, we are literally nodding acquaintances when we head to our cars and scurry into our blissfully air-conditioned homes.

When kids threw a rock at our front door and broke the glass several years ago, it was the neighbor across the street -- long moved away -- who charged out of his house and chased them while I tried to keep the glass out of the house.

I never did learn his name.

Here are the Tweets and video links from last night's events.

National Night Out Comes to Pottstown Aug. 2

 Pottstown is once again gearing up for National Night out on Aug. 2 and at least two events have been planning in the borough.

Chestnut Street Park

Genesis Housing Corporation and the Victory Christian Life Center will host the annual National Night Out Community Block Party at the Chestnut Street Park located on Washington and Chestnut Streets, starting at 6 p.m.

The festivities will promote neighborhood spirit, community partnership, law enforcement and residents for a safer Pottstown with a community block party filled with family fun, music, games, info and food. 

The event, held rain or shine, kicks off with DJ dance music and community information tables.

National Night Out at Chestnut Street Park.

There will be free food – hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, soft drinks and more. There will be games for the kids to play along with a moon bounce.

Visitors will have have an opportunity to learn about businesses and non-profit agencies in the area. 

Among them, Genesis Housing Corporation will be available to answer questions about their upcoming free classes at the Pottstown YWCA, 315 King St. 

The first session, “Understanding Credit” will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 3, followed by “Money Management” on Wednesday, Aug 10 and “Home Buying Basics” on Wednesday, Aug. 17. 

All classes are from 6 – 8 PM. Registration for the free classes is recommended, as space is limited. Register online at www.genesishousing.org or by calling 610-275-4357.

The National Night Out Community Block Party is funded, in part, by BB&T Bank (formerly National Penn Bank) and the Pottstown Neighborhood Partnership.

Pottstown Armory

Pottstown Karate Club will hold a free work out, open to the public, at the Armonry at 263 King St.

The work-out, which will feature D.J. Sean Robbins, starts at 6 p.m.

A Great Night to be Out Covering National Night Out

There is always some nice sidewalk chalk work at the National Night Out event at Trinity Reformed United Church of Christ at King and North Charlotte streets.

Every year, it seems, the celebrations, participation and organization of National Night Out events in Pottstown gets better and better.

I had the opportunity to attend three events this year, but this year I changed the order.

Last year, when I arrived at the event at First Church of the Brethren in my neighborhood last, my Councilwoman Sheryl Miller made me feel guilty.

So this year, I was sure to arrive in plenty of time.

This year, I shot most of my video there as well:


As always, there was lots of music and food and play going on at the park at Washington and Chestnut streets.

And Fifth and York had the giant cow from Turkey Hill.

And at Trinity Reformed UCC Church across King Street from The Mercury, the newest of the celebrations continued to provide my favorite chalk work of the evening.

I had a grand old time, and a few too many hot dogs....

Here are the Tweets from the evening.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

This year's Garden Contest winters are Anna Johnson, Vanessa Wyatt, Ryan Procsal, Athena Singer and Robbin Pineda

For gardeners, this time of year is about exciting as it gets.

Harvesting, weeding, planning next year's garden.

And that's as true for the gardeners of the Mosaic Community Gardens as farmers in the field.

However, some extra excitement was added recently when the winners of the second annual home gardening contest were announced during National Night Out at the park at Chestnut and Washington Streets.

The contest is sponsored by Pine Hill Farms in North Coventry.

I won't keep you dangling in suspense, here are the winners:

Ground Gardening, 1st Place -- Robbin Pineda, who wins $150 as well as an award certificate.

Ground Gardening, 2nd Place -- Athena Singer, who wins $100 with her certificate.

Container Gardening, 1st Place -- Anna Johnson, who wins $125 and a certificate.

Container Gardening 2nd Place -- Ryan Procsal who, in addition to winning $75 and a certificate.

Honorable Mention -- Vanessa Wyatt, who won $50.

The entries were judged by the Pottstown Garden Club.

The contest began in the summer of 2012 when Dick Heylmun, the owner of Pine Tree Hill Farm, contacted Mosaic Community Land Trust, after learning about their work in the Community garden on Chestnut Street.

Mr Heylmun, an avid gardener himself, conceived of the idea to offer prize money to people living in the Beech to High Street, Adams to Charlotte Street area for creating beautiful street-side gardens and plantings. 

 He knows how pretty a block can be when the residents take pride in their homes and gardens and he revels in the joy and sense of pride that gardens bring to the gardener and all who pass by.

Mosaic partnered with the Pottstown Garden club to develop, advertise and judge the contest. Flyers were distributed to all the homes in the area while the Mercury helped promote the contest in an article about both the garden contest.

That's not all that's going on with the community garden's two locations on Chestnut Street, the produce cart is back in business.

The cart will sell fresh produce from our gardens, donated vegetables from members of the Pottstown Garden Club and local farmers. There will also be a resource table with loads of free information to
learn more about gardening, health and nutrition!

Produce sales will happen each Saturday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and will continue each week until they run out of vegetables to sell.

The Mosaic Land Trust was also among the sponsors of the showing of  “Frozen” last Saturday. 

"There were bunches of families and loads of kids who showed up to take part in the event.

"The balloon artist was there and make dozens of great balloon animals for the kids.

"Parents and kids alike shared in the experience and had a great time.

"Look forward to another great movie presentation next year," garden manager Laura Washington reported in an e-mail.

In addition to showing movies, the community gardens also host borough youngsters from summer camps at the Olivett Boys and Girls Club at the Ricketts Center and maintains a garden plot for students at Pottstown Middle School, who learn how to grow their own food, and the importance of healthy food.

A Night on the Town

Photo by Evan Brandt

Sometimes, when you want to take back the streets (and sidewalks) of your community, you have to put your message in just the right place....

Tuesday night was National Night Out and I had a little help covering things in Pottstown from Michilea Patterson, our Fit for Life reporter and my co-Tweeter for the evening.

And if you would like to see an awesome 40-photo slide show of the evening by Mercury Photographer John Strickler, click here.

As always, remember to click the blue "Read More" bar to make sure you get it all.