After the Fire, the Fire Still Burns.

Blogger's Note: Another quality submission from Friend of the Blog, John Armato, Pottstown's Number One Cheerleader

RIVERFRONT PARK -- High water could not stop the Pottstown High School Bonfire tradition Wednesday night.  

With the rising water of the Schuylkill River only a few feet from the fire, the annual Pottstown/O.J. Roberts pre-game Thanksgiving Day bonfire proceeded undaunted. 

 

Sponsored by the Touchdown Club it was complete with players, music, cheerleaders, coaches and fans. 

As an added treat the class of 1961 was on hand and added to the event and the celebration of their 50th reunion by adding a eight foot tall wooden 61 to fuel  the fire.

(And for those you who don't already know, Pottstown won that game today in what may well be the very last Thanksgiving Day game between the two rivals in a 49-6 blow-out at Grigg Memorial Field.

Someone must have lit a fire under those kids ....

Van Gogh's Secret Studio

When my son attended Lincoln Elementary School, the PTA would host a special shop for kids to pick out Christmas presents for family and family.

I volunteered to be a helper once or twice and it was nice to see the kids get as excited about buying something for Christmas as they were about getting something.

The merchandise was through one of the traditional fundraising firms and helped raise money for the PTA. 'Nuff said.

A similar experience can be had downtown this season, which will allow you to support a local non-profit business and include open up something Christmas morning other than a mug which say "World Greatest Dad" ... which is not to say I don't like that mug son ....

On two Saturday,s Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, the Gallery School of Pottstown will play host to "Van Gogh's Secret Studio" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Now in it's second year, the secret studio is a special shopping opportunity for kids 12 and younger at Gallery on High, 245 E. High St.

"Galaxy on High" by Jane Debow Gridley

The young gifters can choose from a selection of handcrafted gifts ranging in price from $1 to $5 and volunteers will be on hand to help them shop and stay on-budget.

Also a bonus, all gifts will be wrapped.

Children younger than 5 must be accompanied by an adult, but mom or dad can browse the gallery's other offerings while a volunteer elf helps the young one pick out a present.

While you're there, check out this year's holiday show, "Peace," which will be on display through Jan. 7.

You can even download and print a special shopping list for the young consumer by clicking here.

If you have any questions, give the folks at the Gallery a call at 610-326-2506, send them an e-mail to info@galleryonhigh.com or visit their web site at www.galleryonhigh.org or by clicking here.


Give it a try and make this year's holiday shopping experience a work of art ... (OK, that was bad.)

In the Spirit of the Season

Mrs. Dianna Hofmanner's first grade class at Edgewood Elementary School, with Stacey Foster classroom assistant on the right and the children and their turkeys in the middle. 

 

If you don't remember doing things like this as a kid, you should.

And at the very least, you should remember those your own children made and brought home which are now worn and torn but which you probably don't quite have the heart to throw away.

Personally, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because its about getting together to eat (and drink!) and be merry instead of about buying stuff.

Don't get me wrong.

I love Christmas.

I love the decorations.

I love the Christmas cards (yes some of you are on my list).

And I particularly love the music, the inescapable spirit of fellowship and "goodwill towards men" and sense of wonder it evokes.

And hey, who doesn't like watching their kid(s) tear through a pile of swag under the tree?

But the buying of the swag, the detailing of the proper swag and, most particularly, the ever-present, incessant, non-stop, creeping, ever-expanding, insidious MARKETING of the swag is a burden no unwilling soul should have to bear.

So, me? Here's a Pilgrim's hat's off to Turkey!

(Having recently finished and enjoyed Sarah Vowell's most excellent revelatory book on what the Pilgrims and Puritans REALLY did and believed, titled "The Wordy Shipmates," I will nevertheless spare you all the rant and let sleeping turkeys lie so we can all have some peace at the table.)

Instead, I'll lift a glass and toast you all. Here's hoping you have something to be thankful for.

Dogs' (and Cats') Best Friend

POTTSTOWN -- If all went according to plan this weekend, a group of very dedicated animal lovers from Pottstown Borough Hall made some stray cats and dogs very happy.

A photo Bill shot of the donations to help stray animals.

The hall's most dedicated animal lovers, Karen Lewandowski and Bill Sharon, both of whom work in the codes office, have collected about 200 pounds of cat and dog food and "hundreds, I  really mean that, of towels and blankets" to bring to the Montgomery SPCA and the Animal Control kennel and the cat shelter, according to an e-mail I received from Bill.

"We are probably going to do this until the end of the month, and then will start a holiday card drive for the troops," Sharon wrote.

"This will be our third load" to the animal shelters, he wrote. "Your readers have been been very generous to the animals."

He is refering to Mercury readers who responded to the donation drive after it was announced in a Nov. 15 letter to the editor.

"There is a table located in the lobby of Pottstown Borough Hall for any donations," Karen and Bill wrote in that letter. As you can see from the photo, it's getting filled to overflowing.

Pet Fair photo by Mercury Photographer John Strickler

"With the state of our economy, more and more pets are being abandoned in our streets and alleys and after being taken care of, are now being left to survive on their own," they wrote.

"After doing our first annual Pet Fair in Pottstown, the turn out and interest in all animals was overwhelming. We are not asking for your help in lending a hand to help these unfortunate animals," the letter said.

(Here is a link to Mercury video of the pet fair, held in September)

My mother would say to me in Polish, "The way you treat animals, is the way you treat people." We know there are a lot of good and caring people in Pottstown," the letter concluded.

Bill says that the collection will probably go through the end of the month, so if you have some extra food, or just some extra space in your heart or your budget, you know where to put it.