Greenway Heritage and Hops Tour Sold Out

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area has introduced a new brewery tour that will pair beer tastings with lessons on history and the environment.

The unique Heritage and Hops Brew Tour being offered on Saturday Feb. 24 will take 45 participants to four local breweries located within the Schuylkill River Watershed from Phoenixville to Reading.

Unfortunately, it is also sold out and the wait list is full. But it sure sounds fun.

Each brewery, in addition to offering tastings of beers produced on site, will provide a presentation about its connection to the Schuylkill River, Schuylkill River Trail or regional history.

The Heritage and Hops Brew Tour has proven to be overwhelmingly popular. Past events sold out one week after ticket sales opened. Cost of the tour is $55 per person.

The tour will begin at Oakbrook Brewing, in Reading, where the presentation will focus on its historic firehouse location. 

The next stop will be Sly Fox Brewery, in Pottstown, where participants will learn about how SRT Ale supports the Schuylkill River Trail. 

After that, Hidden River Brewing Co., located in the Historic Brinton Lodge in Douglassville, will discuss the fascinating history of its 18th Century building. 

The final stop will be Root Down, in Phoenixville, where the topic will be the history of Phoenixville and their building’s industrial past.

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA is introducing the Heritage and Hops Brew Tour to draw attention to some of the unique breweries in the area, while simultaneously promoting regional history and underscoring the value of clean water.

“You can’t make great beer without clean water,” said Schuylkill River Greenways NHA Executive Director Elaine Schaefer. “We know the people who will take this tour all enjoy local beer. But they may not consider how integrally beer making is connected to protecting and preserving the Schuylkill River, which is a source of drinking water for over 1.5 million people.”

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA, located in Pottstown, is dedicated to connecting people and communities to the Schuylkill River, and to encouraging people to value the region’s history and protect the environment. The organization is best known for its role in working with partners to build and improve the Schuylkill River Trail.

Building the trail and protecting the river both have economic development and community revitalization benefits that are related to the rise of breweries throughout the Schuylkill River region.

“Breweries benefit from the presence of the Schuylkill River Trail, just as they benefit from clean water,” said Schaefer. “Sly Fox Brewery created SRT Ale because they recognized that beer and recreation often go hand in hand.”

Schaefer said she is excited about the popularity of the tour. But she hopes the message about the importance of history and conservation resonates far beyond the tour itself.

“Beer and breweries are a valuable and fun piece of our regional culture. We want people to recognize the role the river and the Schuylkill River Trail play in building that culture,” she said. 

For more information, call 484-945- 0200

The Schuylkill River Greenways NHA mission is to connect residents, visitors and communities to the Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill River Trail by serving as a catalyst for civic engagement and economic development in order to foster stewardship of the watershed and its heritage.

Beer Sales Fuel $4,700 Donation to Heritage Area

From left, Sschuylkill River Heritage Area Board Member Wendy Wheeler, SRHA Executive Director Silas Chamberlin, Sly Fox Brewmaster Brian O’Reilly, SRHA Grants Program Coordinator Tim Fenchel.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Schuylkill River Heritage Area.

Sly Fox Brewing Company presented a check for $4,711 to the Schuylkill River Heritage Area recently to benefit the Schuylkill River Trail.

The money was raised through the sale of SRT Ale, a seasonal beer introduced by Sly Fox last year to benefit and celebrate the Schuylkill River Trail.

Sly Fox Brewmaster Brian O’Reilly presented the check to Schuylkill River Heritage Area Executive Director Silas Chamberlin at Sly Fox’s popular Can Jam Music Festival in Pottstown on September 24.

In conjunction with the check presentation, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area also held its inaugural Ride for the River event, a bike ride that benefited the Schuylkill River Trail. The ride, which took place primarily along the trail, attracted over 300 cyclists and began and ended at the Can Jam Music Festival.

This marks the second year that Sly Fox has both brewed SRT Ale and donated a portion of the proceeds from the beer to the Heritage Area. Last year, $4,018 was donated. Therefore, over the past two years, the sale of SRT Ale has garnered over $8,000 for improving, maintaining and expanding the trail.

“On behalf of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area and all of the partners working to build the Schuylkill River Trail, I want to thank Sly Fox for their partnership,” said Chamberlin. “We count on great community partners like Sly Fox to help us expand and maintain the Schuylkill River Trail.”

Money donated by Sly Fox has been targeted for the Heritage Area’s Safe Crossing program, which improves safety at various places where the trail crosses roadways.

SRT Ale was re-released for 2016 on Earth Day and was available from April through September. Sly Fox brewers said the beer was brewed specifically for craft beer fans who love the outdoors, and thousands of cases were sold throughout the 2016 season.

SRT Ale has annually debuted at the SRT Spreekend, a weekend-long celebration of the trail that included a 50K relay race, a group kayak paddle on the river and a series of trail cleanups.

SRT Ale was developed as a tribute to the Schuylkill River Trail, one of this region’s most beloved recreational resources. A section of the trail meanders near the brewery in Pottstown, PA, as well as near Sly Fox's original Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville.

The Schuylkill River Trail will one day span the entire length of the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia to Pottsville totaling an estimated 130 miles, and running through five counties (Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Berks and Schuylkill). Currently, there are over 60 miles complete.

The trail is owned and maintained by a number of different organizations. The Schuylkill River Heritage Area operates and maintains about 30 miles of the trail, and works to promote and improve the entire trail.

Sly Fox Brewing Co. describes SRT Ale as “a golden, delicious, hop-forward American Pale Ale, and at 4.7% alcohol by volume, it's designed to be the perfect post-activity beer.”

What the Firkin?

The beer at Pottstown Firkin Fest was served in a commemorative glass.

Never one to turn down an opportunity to taste many beers, your humble blogger was among the hundreds who made their way to Pottstown's Memorial Park Saturday for the first-ever Pottstown Firkin Fest.

As crack Mercury reporter Marian Dennis reported in her story on the subject, a Firkin is "a type of barrel that holds cask-conditioned ale. According to the Firkin Fest website, the beer has less carbonation and, as a result of being unfiltered, is more cloudy and has a 'complex flavor and aromatic profile.' The specific type of beer allows brewers to experiment with different flavors and since all the beers available at the event were brewed specifically for the Pottstown Firkin Fest, guests got a unique opportunity to taste and admire the craft.

Mercury Editor Nancy March was one of several judges,

and, as this photograph shows, she took the job seriously.

What's not to like?

Well, to be honest, I did not like all of them.

But why should I expect to? It was beer, certainly I could find a brew to suite my tastes.

Those tastes run more toward Belgian whites, lagers and pilsners, with an inexplicable fondness for Sly Fox Brewer's oatmeal stout thrown into the mix.

I'm not much inclined toward India Pale Ales, IPAs as we beer-lovers know them, so that limited my choices as many of the selections used that beer as a base for their experimenting.

But some determined searching found a number of brews I favored.

Your humble blogger conducts research.

That searching meant that I spent less time than I should have at The Mercury's table, where we gave away free pretzel necklaces, pens, tote bags and papers.

But this journalist stops at nothing to get to the bottom of a story (or a glass) .... ahem. 

Ever the odd-ball, the beer I discovered I liked best won no awards. 

And even more odd, it was a "double IPA," brewed by "Evil Genius," a name which I confess drew my both my attention and admiration immediately.

What Trevor Fitzgerald had discovered, to my delight, was that running the beer through nectarines not only gave it a fruity taste, but extracted what I find to be the overly metallic bite of an IPA's hoppy character.

It seemed from the smiles on the faces I saw that plenty of other folks found plenty to be happy (and hoppy) about as well.

Happiest among them, perhaps, were the volunteers from the Pottstown Regional Public Library whose volunteerism earned them the proceeds from Pottstown's second great beer event in six months.

And if you don't believe me, take a look at all these Tweets....

Welcome to Pottstown Senator

Photo by John Armato

State Sen. Robert Mensch, left, meets with Steel River Playhouse director Marta Kiesling and PAID director Steve Bamford during his recent tour of Pottstown.

The new 24th State Senatorial District will soon include Pottstown.

When Pennsylvania's long-delayed legislative re-districting finally falls into place in the beginning of

the year, Pottstown will not only have a new, additional representative in the House of Representatives, but a new state senator as well.

The boundaries of the 44th District, currently represented by John Rafferty, will shift south and the 24th senatorial district, will slide south to encompass Pottstown, as well as West Pottsgrove and Upper Pottsgrove.

The 24th district seat is currently held by Republican Robert Mensch.

Photo by John Armato

Mensch tours the Sly Fox Brewery

In an effort to get out in front of the change, Pottstown officials last week invited Mensch for a day-long visit to the borough to help him re-familiarize himself with town and to be sure Pottstown's issues are front and center.

Schools Superintendent Jeff Sparagana spear-headed the effort and reported on the results to the school board Monday night.

It began with a walking tour of the downtown area.

"To start, we visited VideoRay, ArtFusion, Steel River Playhouse and Weitzenkorn's, which Senator Mensch remembers because his father used to work at OxyChem and that's where he bought his suits," Sparagana said.

The group included Borough Manager Mark Flanders, PAID Executive Director Steve Bamford,

Photo by John Armato

Mensch meets with ArtFusion 19464 director 

Erika Hornburg-Cooper.

TriCounty Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Eileen Dautrich, Hill School Headmaster Zach Lehman, PMMC CEO Sharif Omar, PDIDA Executive Director Sheila Dugan and Myra Forrest, executive director of the Foundation for Pottstown Education.

From downtown, the group boarded a trolley and visited the Pottstown campus of Montgomery County Community College, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area headquarters, The Hill School campus and the community gardens on Chestnut Street.

From there, the group went to Pottstown High School where the culinary arts class prepared lunch

Photo by John Armato

Mensch meets with Weitzenkorn's proprietor Marc Weitzenkorn.

and, in the process, "really went above and beyond," Sparagana said.

Afterwards, Sparagana said the group visited Pottstown Municipal Airport and the Sly Fox Brewery on the Circle of Progress.

"Senator Mensch told us he never expected to have the type of day he had and he was pleased and impressed by all the collaboration he saw taking place in Pottstown," Sparagana said.

"It was a good opportunity to demonstrate what happens here as this community comes together as one," Sparagana said.

So Much to Do, So Little Time (Or, Spend Your Weekends in Pottstown) Now Updated with Even More!

Mercury File Photo

Now in its third year, the Pottstown Pet Fair has grown by leaps and bounds every year

"There's nothing to do."

Parents, how many times did you hear that this summer as your kids lazed about the living room complaining of terminal boredom?

Well they can't say that this month as September is one of those months were everything happens
all at the same time:

First and foremost, let's talk about the Third Annual Pottstown Pet Fair.

 Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury
Angel Jones, 6, holds her new Chihuahua puppy named Junior
at the pet fair last year. 

Scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, the event has grown so big that is has moved to Memorial Park.

Speaking to Pottstown Borough Council last week, the organizers said that it has now attracted more than 80 vendors, "which is phenomenal," said Codes Enforcement Officer Bill Sharon.

As a result, it has grown to the largest free pet fair on the East Coast, he said.

Among the activities will be:

• Blessing of the animals
• Animal rescue organizations
• Pet photos
• Retail vendors
• A food court
• Workshops
• A dog walk to benefit the Bark Park in Memorial Park 
• A rabies vaccination clinic run by the Montgomery County Health Department ($10 per shot).
• Rotary Club Duck Race

* **

Speaking of which, let's talk about The Annual Rotary Club Duck Race. 

Mercury File Photo

Moved from the Fourth of July Celebration, which this year did not include any events in Memorial Park, the annual duck race raises money for 25 different community groups.

Last year, the Rotary and participating organizations sold about 3,300 tickets. Through this project, the community has contributed more than $295,000 to non-profit organizations in the Pottstown area.

The club organizes the event and provides personnel, as well as selling tickets, along with the community groups benefited.

The number on each ticket matches one on a plastic duck which is released with a whole passel of others down the meandering Manatawny Creek. 

About 100 prizes are awarded worth more than $10,000.

• First prize is $1,000 cash
• Second Prize is a 40-inch HDTV television
• Third prize is an i-Pad

***

On Friday, Sept. 20, an opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. for the opening of a new exhibit at ArtFusion 19464 at 254 High St.

The exhibit is called "When We Were Soldiers" and is the work and personal story of the area's Vietnam War veterans.

The exhibit will be in the High Street gallery through Nov. 9. 

Look to upcoming Mercury issues for a full story on this exhibit and videos of the veterans telling their stories.

* * *

Right across King Street from Memorial Park, historic Pottsgrove Manor will be having its own program that features -- wait for it -- CHOCOLATE!

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, Pottsgrove Manor will host an ongoing series of demonstrations about how chocolate was enjoyed by Americans in colonial times.

The demonstrations will be performed by American Heritage Chocolate (a division of Mars Chocolate North America.)

Also, perhaps most importantly, they can taste a sample of a colonial chocolate drink.

As many of you know, Pottsgrove Manor is the refurbished home of Pottstown founder John Potts.

It is located at 100 W. King St. and is owned and operated by Montgomery County.

* * *

The submissions just keep coming, Barth Elementary Principal Ryan Oxenford sent us this message:

On behalf of the students and staff at Barth Elementary School, we would like to invite you to the rededication celebration on Saturday, September 21. The staff is working hard to plan activities to celebrate our newly renovated elementary school and hope you will join us for the event.

The activities will run from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with some remarks at 2:00 p.m.

We look forward to seeing you there.

All the best,

Ryan Oxenford and the Barth Family

* * *

The next day, The Carousel of Flavor turns 10 this year on Sunday, Sept. 22 from 12 to 4 p.m. in Smith Family Plaza on High Street, right in front of Pottstown Borough Hall.

The event raises money for the Carousel at Pottstown effort.

In addition to the wine and beer tent, with three beer vendors, 20 restaurants have signed up to sell samples of their best dishes.

There will be musical entertainment. Stroll around the tables of Crafters Row where vendors will have their unique creations on display. Rainbow the Clown will be making her debut, making balloon animals for the kids. Children can climb into a fire truck and the DARE truck.

To get a look at the progress of the Carousel, hop on the trolley for a ride to the carousel’s home at 30 King St., across from Memorial Park.

For the 10th Anniversary new attractions have been added. Chef Mike Pezzillo will teach new skills and answer questions during his engaging cooking demonstration. The Magic of Kevin Joyce will amaze the crowd with his sleight of hand tricks. A raffle of gift certificates from the participating restaurants will be running throughout the day. Also new this year, students from Pottstown High School’s Culinary Arts program will serve up examples of their growing culinary skills, participating as a restaurant this year.

Poster by Alan MacBain

Many restaurants look forward to the friendly competition that day as they vie for the Best of Show awards. The Montgomery County Community College Culinary Arts program officiates the judging of Best Appetizer, Best Entrée, and Best Dessert. 

This year's restaurants are: Armstrong Ales LLC – beer only, Bairds Catering, Batter Up!, Bause Catered Events Inc., Boardwalk Pizza, Boneyard Joe's, Brunish's Grocery and Sandwich Shop, The Copperfield Inn at Lakeside, DaVinci's Pub, Greshville Inn, Grumpy's Handcarved Sandwiches, Mike's Brick Oven Pizza (gift cards available for raffle), Philly Pretzel Factory, Phillies Fire Co – Beer only, Piazza Presto, Positively Pasta ,introducing Lily’s Grill
Pottstown High School Culinary Students, Tacie’s Café’ & Bakery, The Pourhouse Tap Room and Sports Bar – Beer only, The Very Best, Thyme To Serve, Tornetta's Pizzeria, West End Alley

* * *

The following weekend, visitors will revel in the high-borne antics of Pottstown Municipal Airport Day.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, the Pottstown Municipal Airport, located at the intersection of Glasgow Street and Shoemaker Road, will hold a number of ground-bound and

 Photo by Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury 

A colorful blue and yellow bi-plane on display at Airport Day.

airborne events.

Those inclined to look to the skies can enjoy a sky-diving demonstration, as well as free airplane rides for kids.

(The children must be 8 to 17 and accompanied by a parent or guardian.)

Back on the ground visits will find airport displays, games, give-aways, a paper airplane contest, snacks, drinks and information about learning to fly.

* * *

On the same day, right next door and a little bit later in the day will be the Second Annual Can Jam Music Festival at Sly Fox Brewing Company's grounds at 331 Circle of Progress Drive.

The free event will feature a half-dozen of the region's top musical acts and a Kan Jam

Tournament in which the winning team will be awarded its combined weight in Sly Fox beer.

The entertainment for the day includes performances by Ataloft, Travel Lanes, John Train, Swift Technique, The Lawsuits and Toy Soldiers; a lineup which Sly Fox brewmaster Brian O'Reilly says will offer "as solid and diverse a sampling of the best performers on the current Philadelphia area music scene as Ive ever seen."

The first act will appear on the outdoor stage at noon and the final performance is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm, providing over 8 hours of music for the crowd. During that time attendees will be able to enjoy BBQ and pizza from the popular on-premises Tastin' Room, draught beer inside at the bar, and canned and draught beers sold at stands out front. Can Jam Lager, a special beer brewed for the event each year, is expected to be a popular choice.

The Kan Jam Tournament will be a competition among 80 pre-registered two-person teams

The Can-Jame game is simple to learn and fun to play.

conducted on a playing field adjacent to the Tastin' Room. The round robin contest features a series of three-game matches in which scoring involves throwing discs into barrel-shaped goals 50-feet away. Sly Fox adds its own cantacular touch to the game by requiring all contestants to play while holding a can of beer in one hand.

Tournament play will begin at 10 a.m. and the championship match is expected to take place at approximately 4:30 p.m. The weighing ceremony of the championship duo and the awarding of their weight in beer will follow immediately.

The Can Jam Music Festival is named to celebrate Sly Fox's role as the first craft brewery in the Mid Atlantic region to can beer; that choice in 2006 made them one of the earliest adapters of what has since become the hottest packaging trend in the industry. Sly Fox Pikeland Pils became the first canned craft beer to win a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver in 2007.

* * *

This just in!:
Another great event scheduled from 10-2 on Saturday, 28 September is the Family Fun Fair at First United Methodist Church, 414 High Street.

There will be games for all, a bounce house for the young, face painters, a juggler, a duck pond, a clown and balloon animal artist, a reptile expert with his animals at 10:30, crafts for the kiddies, live music, and a hot dog lunch. The event is free, so be sure to come by and say hello!

***

Tony Smith

If Gospel is you thing, you should know that Tony Smith, Award Winning and Grammy Nominee, Gospel Jazz Artist along with “You Know How We Do It Crew” will present a Gospel Concert on Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 7:00 PM.

The Concert will take place at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 150 North Hanover Street and Tickets ($20.00) are available by calling the Church at 610-326-9171.

The entire Pottstown Community is invited to attend an event, which is brought to Pottstown by Bethel AME Church..

Pottstown, the Economic Development Winner

Representatives from Chamber Member Companies with Significant Anniversaries from left to right: Jeff Graber and Lauren Graef, Graber Letterin’ Sign Co.; Adele Klein and Ashley Hoke, Klein Transportation; Susan Keddie, Visiting Nurse Association; Megan Bauer, Coventry Corners; Stephen Longacre, The Longacre Co.; Julie Keilman, Greater Reading Economic Partnership

Blogger's Note: The information below was provided by the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce. However, before we go to that, a comment from interim borough manager Mark Flanders.

Wednesday night Flanders told borough council that "for the first time in the many, many years that I have been going to the chamber's economic development luncheon, the winners of all three economic development awards went to Pottstown businesses."

He added, "it does show things are moving forward. We hear a lot of negative about Pottstown, but there is a lot of positive going on here and people need to pay attention to that as well."

Now on to the chamber's release:

 TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce Members gathered at Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown for the Chamber’s Annual Economic Development Luncheon on Nov. 1.

The keynote speakers for this event were from the office of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Susann Morrison, an executive assistant for unemployment compensation programs and Gwenn Dando, policy director for unemployment compensation, worker compensation, and workforce development gave their perspective along with the information needed to understand the system, Act 60, the recent bond sale, and how all initiatives are working to provide a stable financial future for the commonwealth.

Mark Flanders, interim Pottstown Borough
Manager, left, and John Vestri,
Director of Operations at VideoRay, LLC

At this year’s luncheon, the Chamber presented five awards to local businesses related to economic development:


The Economic Development Award went to VideoRay LLC. This award is presented to a project that provides quality land use improvement, generates economic benefits for the community, and has the potential for creating new jobs.


VideoRay is the largest volume producer of “remotely operated vehicles,” or ROVs, in the world.

VideoRay, which has between 30 and 40 employees, will move from a 5,000 square foot barn, into 32,000 square feet of flexible office and light manufacturing space, purchased for $275,000, in the Borough of Pottstown in the former Levitz building on High Street.

Steve Bamford, Executive Director, PAID, Inc.
and Peter and John Giannopoulos,
Managing Partners of Sly Fox Brewing, Co.

The Economic Impact Award went to Sly Fox Brewing Co., Inc. This award is presented to an organization that provides a significant contribution to the economic vitality of the communities that the Chamber serves.

Their Royersford location was sold in 2011 and Sly Fox opened a 50-hectoliter, 30,000 square-foot state-of-the-art brewery on the Circle of Progress in Pottstown in January 2012, investing over $6 million and housing more than 20 employees.

A Tastin’ Room was also opened in Pottstown to attract patrons from near and far.

The Environmental Impact Award went to Cigas Machine Shop, Inc. This award is presented to a business who is taking a “green” proactive approach for a more sustainable business environment.

Michelle Maher,
Human Resources Manager,
Cigas Machine Shop, Inc.

Cigas Machine Shop is a leading manufacturer of high quality stainless steel plate products for industrial, commercial and architectural applications.

The Pottstown building was purchased in 2007 in the Pottstown Industrial Complex which previously housed the old Bethlehem Steel Building.

The 100,000 square foot Pottstown facility underwent extensive renovations including conventional and solar heating; daylight harvesting; rainwater harvesting; and also the facility is a zero energy building – large roof areas are ideal for solar panels generating clean, renewable power making the building an energy producer rather than consumer.


The Regional Planning Award went to Boyertown, Colebrookdale and Pike Townships. This award is presented to two or more intergovernmental agencies that develop and implement a multi-organizational plan that fosters smart growth.

Rod Martin, left Chairman,
TCACC and Jake Lea,
Chairman of the Joint
Zoning Board Committ

The Boyertown, Colebrookdale, and Pike Joint Zoning Ordinance divides Boyertown Borough, Colebrookdale Township, and Pike Township into various zoning districts with varying regulations for each district.

 The ordinance was created with consideration for the character of the borough and Townships, and the suitability for particular uses and structures in the various districts.

The Legislator of the Year Award went to State Representative Marcy Toepel. This award is presented to an elected official for their leadership in helping to create and/or support a pro-business environment.

Toepel brings her experience from county government and the private sector to the state Capitol. Toepel had 100 percent voting record and took tough stances on issues of importance for the business community, including voting for tort reform and two no tax budgets. She has a clear understanding of how government can negatively impact the economy.

Nine companies were recognized at the Luncheon for their significant anniversaries and their commitment to doing business here.

• Malvern Federal Savings Bank -125 years
• St. Aloysius School - 100 years
• Visiting Nurse Association of Pottstown & Vicinity - 95 years
• The Longacre Co. - 90 years
• Klein Transportation - 55 years
• Coventry Corners - 30 years
• Community Music School - 20 years
• Graber Letterin’ Sign Co. - 20 years
• Greater Reading Economic Partnership - 10 years

For more information, visit www.tricountyareachamber.com or contact 610.326.2900.