PowWow on Manatawny Creek Moved to August

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by Ron Williams, organizer of the Annual PowWow on Manatawny Creek:

The news and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic has caused us to pay closer attention to the messages and warnings being made by media and government officials as we prepared for our 7th Annual PowWow on Manatawny Creek. 

Our PowWow is one that I know we all look forward to as we come together to celebrate with friends, family and neighbors. It is an opportunity to share our love and respect with others and to teach a lesson of fellowship in dance and song. 

It isn’t easy putting this event together. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle and I am always anxious up to the moment of Grand Entry, hoping we got it right. But I am ever grateful for the support and encouragement I get from the community and all of you.

As this Pandemic continues to impose its viral impact on our communities it is very likely that the current responsibility which we all share in either practicing healthy distances from one another or otherwise quarantining ourselves will not soon be ended.

Ron Williams

Regretfully, we are postponing our May 2, May 3 PowWow on Manatawny Creek and re-scheduling it to Aug. 20, Aug. 30.

I hope that you will understand our reason for making this difficult decision but as it has become undeniably apparent that this disease is not going to simply disappear in a month, it would be irresponsible to encourage anybody to participate in a gathering such as this at this time.

I will be posting any updates as to our rescheduled celebration over these Facebook pages: “PowWow on Manatawny Creek,” “Reflections of Turtle Island,” “Pottstown Parks Foundation,” and “Pottstown Apropos,” as well as my website “nativeheritagespirit.com,” so stay in touch. 

My prayers and thoughts are with and for all the people of this our Turtle Island.

Take care of yourselves, be cautious and Be Well

Ron Williams

Polar Plunge Makes the Start of 2019 'Official'

Photos by Evan Brandt

Some Pottstown Borough Council members started 2019 in Riverfornt Park Tuesday by jumping into the Schuylkill River. From left are Seventh Ward Councilman Joe Kirkland, Council Vice president Carol Kulp, Third Ward Councilman Don Lebedynsky and Mayor Stephanie Henrick. If Kulp looks warm and dry to you, it's because she stayed on the shoreline.

Pottstown School Board
member Raymond Rose.

For the 11th consecutive year, people flush with the holiday spirit plunged into the not-so-chilly waters of the Schuylkill River Tuesday morning to mark the start of another year.

Fueled by coffee, hot dogs and sauerkraut -- and dressed in everything from matching pajamas, to tutus to full scuba body suits -- they took leave of the shoreline, and some might say their sanity, for a quick dip in the fast-moving current.

Swimmers waded into a small roped-off area of the river, due to the high water levels and rapid current, under the watchful eye of the dive rescue team there to safeguard the swimmers.

Among those in full rescue gear was West Pottsgrove Township Manager Craig Lloyd who, it turns out, is a fully certified scuba instructor and has been running with the dive team as a volunteer for a full seven years.

In fact, he volunteers with two dive teams, Lloyd said.

So yes, he knows his New Year's Day will be "cold and wet" every year, "so I take it easy on New Year's Eve," he joked.

West Pottsgrove Township Manager
Craig Lloyd, right, in full dive regalia.

Also among those making the plunge more "official," was Pottstown School Board member Raymond Rose; Pottstown Mayor Stephanie Henrick and fellow borough council members Joe Kirkland and Don Lebedynsky.

Council Vice president Carol Kulp was there too, but stayed dry on the shoreline.

Rose took the plunge with about as many inches of skin covered as is humanly possible, while his fellow board member, John Armato, again the declined the ritual of an actual dunking.

No doubt, should Armato ever decide to take the plunge, he would insist on swimming to the North Coventry shore on the other side.

Pottstown School Board member John Armato, right,
admires Mayor Stephanie Henrick's swimwear.

But given how high and swift the Schuylkill was Tuesday morning, he might not have made the opposite shore until he reached Phoenixille, so perhaps its best he remained a landlubber this year.

In the true appreciation of the absurd nature of Pottstown's river ritual, Henrick and Lebedynsky donned ballet tutus.

No really.

Hey I'm not kidding. I'm a professional journalist. I wouldn't just make something up .....

Look, I've posted pictures OK? Geez.

Others wore hats, crying baby face masks or even swim trunks that left little to the imagination (yeah, we're talking about you Mosaic Community Garden Manager Dan Price.)

Hey, if you're going to jump into a river in the middle of winter,
you might as well do it in style.

My personal favorite this year was the family who took the latest trend of wearing matching pajamas to a whole new level (shown here at left.)

For reasons that escape explanation, the Pottstown Parks and Recreation Personnel -- who deserve our thanks for staging and turning out for this event every year without fail -- settled upon an AC/DC sound track through the loudspeakers prior to the 10:30 dunking, giving the lead up to the affair a distinctive feel that I will decline to describe, other than to say it may not have been welcomes by those of us who were a little hungover.

After a well-delivered rendition of the national anthem, which was accompanied by an unsought partnership with several howling dogs in the crowd, the few, the brave and the unbalanced, left dry land for the Schuylkill's 45-degree embrace.

Parks and Recreation Director Michael Lenhart estimated about 75 went into the water.

Far more kept a good grip on their common sense and watched them do it.

It looked like this:



Afterward, the moistened revelers scuttled to the other side of the park where a bonfire warmed and dried them much more quickly and thoroughly than one might have thought possible.

The heat from the fire was intense and, after several people tossed their hopelessly muddied swim shoes into the blaze, the smell was of more than just burning pallets.

As always, the Phillies Fire Company was on hand, firehoses in hand, to tame the blaze and to ensure it did not get out of hand.

And so we lumber into another year, the turn of the century fading in the rear-view mirror.

Let's hope it's a good one for all of us.

Int'l Day of Peace Concert Gets PA Senate Citation

State Sen. Andrew Dinniman (left) presents a special 

Senate citation to Bill McAdoo (right), 

President of Concordia Choral Arts, at the
International Day of Peace 

concert in Phoenixville.

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by the office of state Sen. Andrew Dinniman.

State Senator Andy Dinniman, D-19th Dist., recently presented members of Concordia Choral Arts with a special Senate citation in honor of their performance at the recent International Day of Peace Concert.

Dinniman presented the citation to Bill McAdoo, President of Concordia Choral Arts, following its performance at the free concert at the First Presbyterian Church in Phoenixville.

The International Day of Peace, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, is observed around the world each year on Sept. 21. 

This year’s celebration featured works of classic and contemporary choral music along with performances by Phoenixville singer/songwriters Anna Spackman and Shawn Cephas, story-telling artist Celeste Montgomery, and local students.

Concordia Choral Arts (CCA) is a non-profit choral organization dedicated to providing an environment that culturally enriches the community through exposure to the performing arts. CCA’s choirs rehearse continually and perform a concert series every year along with outreach performances and hired gigs.

Every Picture Tells a Story (of A Community)

Our sense of the TCN photo contest is that they are looking for something a little more current than this.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by TriCounty Community Network and seems like a capital idea to us!

As part of its 10-year anniversary celebration, the TriCounty Community Network (TCN) invites children and adults to share photos of places, things and symbols that inspire them in the Greater Pottstown community.

“The photo contest provides community members with a great way to celebrate the positive aspects of our

Photo by Evan Brandt

Maybe just a photo like these twin homes
on North Charlotte Street.

area,” said Holly L. Parker, TCN executive director. “For example, we encourage people to take photos of places that are special to them or things that inspire pride in our town.”

Photos, with contact information, should be submitted by email to info@tcnetwork.org by Sept. 1.

All photo entries will be displayed during TCN’s anniversary celebration on Sept. 20 as well as in other community spaces. Gift cards will be awarded for winners in two categories: children and youth ages 1-17 and adults age 18 and older.

The TriCounty Community Network is a non-profit partnership of companies and organizations, public agencies and community advocates working together to solve problems in the greater Pottstown region. The network extends across community and workforce sustainability, health, social and environmental sectors of communities in Western Montgomery, Northern Chester and Eastern Berks counties.

To learn more about TCN, visit tcnetwork.org or join the conversation on Twitter @TCN_Pottstown or by searching for TriCounty Community Network on Facebook.

The Shirt Off Your Back

If you've ever given someone the shirt off your back, then you know the next thing you need is another shirt.

At a two-day class at Pottsgrove Manor on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13, you can not only learn how to make your own, you can make your own the colonial way!.

Wendy Moyer of "Historically Sew" will present the two-day class on making shirts and shifts.

Participants will learn how to draft their own shift or shirt pattern and will have a mostly completed garment by the end of the weekend, according to information provided to the Digital Notebook by Lynn Symborski, the educator extraordinaire at Pottsgrove Manor.

However it's not for everyone.

In fact, class size is limited to six and registration and payment is required by Jan. 4.

The class is open to those 15 and older and the $80 fee includes information packet, personalized pattern and snacks, however fabric and notations are not included.

For more information, call 610-326-4014.