Tag: Dining

A Week on the Town

So many new places have opened recently on High Street, I thought I’d try a few of them this past week.

The Avenue is a new Caribbean restaurant that opened in the old @107 location across from Borough Hall. I tried the Curry Chicken, Spicy Tomato Bisque, and the Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding. The chicken had a rich flavor, and the fried plantains were the perfect compliment. The soup was fantastic, and my only complaint about the bread pudding is I wish it were served warm, but it was still very good.

The next day, I was about to meet someone at Connections on High when we noticed the new pub across the street, Pottstown United Brewing Company, was opening its doors for the first time. We quickly changed plans so we could be among the first to say we had tried it (but don’t worry, I was back at Connections just a few hours later…I’ll never leave you, Gotta Love Rachel, the best sandwich ever!). We only had time for a quick stop, so I grabbed a soda and a plate of the tasty jalapeno poppers, but I will be back. FYI, the PUB is not open on Mondays or Tuesdays, but I’ll be back and to enjoy some live music and fun with friends.

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I’m not ashamed to admit that I have been to the new Ice Cream Cafe three times this week. I’d blame it on the fact that my mother is addicted to the peach ice cream, but it’s really just that the Banana Peanut Butter Chip ice cream is just so darned good! In my defense, one of the three times was during the FARM while happily listening to the live music. What’s a girl to do when it’s RIGHT THERE? Ice Cream Cafe is located at 250 East High Street.

Speaking of the FARM, if you read the last post, you know this was opening week of this seasonal market. FARM has relocated to the clock tower plaza at the corner of High and Charlotte, and it’s a change I highly endorse! The vendors are all closer together now, and the proximity creates a buzz and excitement that makes the market so much fun. It was great to try several products from the new vendors.  I’m looking forward to June 28th when FARM will be in Riverfront Park for the 5K Run to the River. I hope to see you there!

Arts scene in downtown Pottstown this weekend

The arts scene in downtown Pottstown is blossoming, and you’ve got your pick this weekend.

Get your tickets now for Toys in the Attic at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center at 245 High Street. The show opened last night and will run Thursdays through Sundays until March 25th.  Toys in the Attic is an award-winning drama from the brilliant and tempestuous Lillian Hellman.  Written in 1960, it unfolds like it’s today with explorations of greed, envy, economic struggle, deceit and so many skeletons in the closet. This is a chance to see a live performance where the actors say one thing, mean something else, and yet make the difference clear to the audience. Toys in the Attic will play in the Tri-PAC’s black box theater; to add even more intensity, it istaged in-the-round, practically bringing the audience into the living room of this family. For tickets, visit www.tripac.org.  Or call 610.970.1199. Student, Senior discounts available. Groups welcome and there are discounts for 10 or more tickets.  Need help arranging your group visit?  Give them a call!

Local and international pop artist James Enders has got a spring exhibition, Once Upon a Time, at Juan Carlos Fine Mexican Cuisine this Saturday at 6 pm. Enjoy free food and drinks, check out the work of this local artist, see and be seen! Juan Carlos is at 235 East High Street, just a few doors away from the TriPAC. Why not check out James’ show before going to see Toys in the Attic?

Also downtown on Saturday night is the opening reception for photographer Karl McWherter‘s exhibit at MOSAIC Community Land Trust‘s gallery at 10 S. Hanover Street. This reception coincides with MOSAIC’s Open Mic from 7-11 pm. Stop by to meet Karl and check out his haunting images, splashed with color, of an abandoned school in Philadelphia. Also, if you’re a writer, poet, musician, singer, juggler or whatever, come perform for friends. I’ll be there to read from my memoir-in-progress. Participants have up to 20 minutes to do their thing. The last event drew 40 people. This is your chance to take center stage!

This Sunday, March 11 at 4 pm you can hear CANTATICA, a professional chamber ensemble that is the artist in residence at Emmanuel Lutheran church at 150 N. Hanover Street in Pottstown. On March 11th they will be presenting CABARET SONGS: CLASSICAL AND CLASSIC.,  TICKETS are available at the door. They are $12 Adults – $10 Seniors – $8 Students

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For INFORMTATION/RESERVATIONS email info@cantatica.org or  call 484-951-5113

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Next Happy Hour on March 16th at Ranieri’s Carpet & Flooring downtown!

This month’s party is in the heart of the downtown! Join the gathering on Friday, March 16th from 5-7 pm at Rich Ranieri’s, established in Pottstown since 1980. The $5 cover will get you appetizers from the Icehouse; beverages are complimentary.

RSVP NOW!
positivelypottstown@gmail.com
BUY LOCAL!
Rich Ranieri’s Carpet & Flooring, Paint & Wallpaper
Icehouse
King & Manatawny Streets
Pottstown, PA 19464

Support the Gallery School: Carnival in Venice event on March 31st!

Fashion Plates 6: Carnival in Venice

The Gallery School of Pottstown asks you to save the date!

Fashion Plates 6: Carnival in Venice is coming in March. Join them on March 31 at Brookside Country Club for another fabulous fundraiser.

The Gallery School’s signature fundraiser returns to its roots as an evening, couples-friendly event. Guests will enjoy amazing food, unlimited signature cocktail, and wonderful entertainment, from a  fabulous fashion show, sponsored by Boscov’s Department Stores, to a strolling magician, a harpist and more. They will give away fun door prizes, and their fabulous silent auction will bring out the bidder in everyone.

Purchase your individual ticket before March 10 for only $65. After March 10, individual tickets will be $70. Or take advantage of their two for $120 ticket deal.

Sponsors

VIST Financial
Boscov’s Department Stores

Table Sponsors

Boenning & Scattergood, Inc.
Independence Planning Group
Heartland Abstract, Inc.
Dolan & Mayerson, P.C.
Sager & Sager
J.H. White Financial
Creative Health Services

Entertainment Sponsors

Pete La Rosa Productions
513 Entertainment
Betsy Chapman, Harpist
Magical Illusions of Kyle and Kelly

Positively Pottstown joins “Fill the Media Lab” food drive

The Mercury’s Community Media Lab, Town Square bloggers, and other local newspapers are teaming up for a food drive to help stock the shelves of area food pantries.  With the tight job market, high unemployment, and sky-high gas, heating oil, and healthcare costs, more and more area residents are finding themselves relying on food pantries for the first time ever. 

Here’s how the food drive will work:

The Mercury, Post newspapers, including The Sanatoga Post, and various bloggers are announcing their participation in the food drive to collect at least 20,000 food items by April 7th. See The Mercury article here and The Sanatoga Post article here.  The bloggers can team up with their local pantry and feature them in recurring blog posts. They can also team up with various businesses who want to serve as collection sites.

While the food drive will run until April 7th, we will not be holding onto all the food collected until then because that would mean it’s not on the shelves of the food pantries, getting used up by those who need it now. So… as the food is collected, it will periodically be delivered to the pantry of choice by the blogger or business. Pantries in towns throughout the region will benefit: Pottstown, North Coventry, Boyertown, Royersford, Spring City, Phoenixville, Collegeville, and the Upper Perkiomen Valley. But first we’ll take a picture of what’s collected and send it to The Mercury, where it can be pinned onto an image of the Media Lab. In this way, we will virtually “fill the Media Lab” while filling up local food pantries in reality.

 Positively Pottstown is on board! We’re going to be directing the results of our collection efforts to the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities, commonly known as The Cluster.  The first Pottstown business we’re teaming up with is Grumpy’s, the homemade sandwich and soup shop in The Farmers’ Market. Grumpy’s has generously offered not only to be a collection site, but to match every single food donation that comes in. That’s two for the price of one, all going to The Cluster. 

Positively Pottstown would like to team up with other locations in Pottstown. Let me know if you want to be a collection site, and I will get the word out to readers and Facebook friends.

I should note here that food items are not the only things in demand. We’re also putting a special focus on laundry detergent – it’s expensive and it’s something that tends to drop in priority when children are hungry… but kids want to go to school in fresh-smelling clothes. So please consider picking up an extra bottle of detergent the next time you’re shopping. We’re hoping to collect 1,000 bottles of detergent before all is said and done.

Now, it’s up to you. Positively Pottstown has many readers and Facebook friends outside of Pottstown. Whatever community you live in, please consider finding the food pantry, bloggers, and businesses that are taking part in our Fill the Media Lab initiative and make a donation soon. Or, since this campaign is running through Lent, consider a weekly donation. There’s a tradition of giving things up for Lent and then there’s plain, old-fashioned giving. We all thank you in advance for your support.

The Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities
57 N. Franklin Street, Pottstown, PA 19464
610-970-5995
The Cluster welcomes all cash, food, and clothing donations between the hours of 8:30am-12:00 Monday through Friday. Please come to the back door off the alley.

Grumpy’s Handcarved Sandwiches
300 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464 (in the Farmers’ Market)
610-323-1232
Open Tuesday-Saturday
Tuesday-Wednesday: 11am-6 pm
Thursday-Saturday: 8:30 am-6 pm






Info sessions on Pottstown’s first Community Garden to be held tonight and Saturday

MOSAIC Community Land Trust is holding another information session tonight about the community garden being built this spring at 423 Chestnut Street. (See the concept plan below.) All Pottstown residents, business owners, community organizations, and youth groups are encouraged to attend.

Have you ever wanted your own garden, but didn’t have enough room in your yard? Would you like your children to learn how to grow their own fresh vegetables? Would you like to grow fresh herbs for your restaurant?

Thanks to a grant from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, MOSAIC Community Garden will give individuals, families, and community groups the chance to  work side-by-side on their own garden plots. 

Information sessions will be held tonight and this coming Saturday:

February 21 from 7-8 pm, MOSAIC’s office, 10 S. Hanover St.

February 25 from 2-3 pm at Victory Christian Life Center, 28 N. Washington St.

Applications will be available at the meetings or on our website: www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org. They can be dropped off at any of the above locations or mailed to MOSAIC Community Land Trust, 10 S. Hanover St., Pottstown, PA 19464 by March 1.

For more information, contact Sue Repko, MOSAIC Executive Director, at 609-658-9043 or srepko@mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org.

In the event that there are more applications than garden plots, a public lottery will be held at MOSAIC’s offices on Sunday, March 11 at 2 pm.

Garden Concept Plan

Still deciding where to dine on Valentine’s Day?

Today is Tuesday, February 14, 2012…

Complimentary bottle of wine and romantic acoustic guitar by Russ Ferrara at Juan Carlos Fine Mexican Cuisine tonight. Call 484-624-4931 for reservations. Juan Carlos is at 235 E. High St., Pottstown, PA 19464. On the web at www.jcmexicanfood.com.

Or…. the Brick House is offering several special packages…

Funky Lil’ Kitchen collecting new socks for homeless until Feb. 18th

Editor’s Note: This recently came in from Funky Lil Kitchen. If you can provide some new socks for the homeless, FLK is gladly collecting them until February 18th. See details below, and thank you for your generosity!

Hello Friends,
Our server Val, who some of you might know, has teamed up with non-profit Joy of Sox, whose mission is to bring socks to the homeless.  To help out with this cause, we are holding a sock drive at F.L.K. from Feb. 10th to Feb. 18th. there is a box set up in the restaurant where you can drop off  NEW SOCKS with tags only, for men, women and children during business hours.
If you would like more info on The Joy of Sox or the Sock Drive please contact Val Cap at vhopem@yahoo.com or610.574.7482.
Thanks for helping us make a difference in our local community,
Michael, Tonda & Val

Funky Lil Kitchen is located at:
232 King Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
Phone: 610.326.7400
Fax: 610.326.0746

All-you-can-eat Soup Bowl Fundraiser at The Gallery School next Saturday

Sent in by The Gallery School…

Support your local art school and beat the winter chill at the same time!
Soup Bowl Fundraiser
Saturday, February 18 from 12-3pm
All you can eat!

Join us for a delicious, beat-the-winter-chill event! You will be able to choose a handcrafted ceramic bowl and then fill it with your choice of homemade soup. Bread, beverages and homemade desserts will round off your lunch.

We will have a nice variety of soups to sample, made by our members and volunteers, and donated by local restaurants. (Vegetarian soups will be included in the selection.) Have fun sampling every option, or fill up on your favorite!

Vegetarian * Italian potato * black bean * chili * stew * tomato * French onion * broccoli cheese * and many more!
Tickets are only $15 and all proceeds benefit the non-profit Gallery School of Pottstown. There will be a limtied number of tickets available for sale at the door, so be sure to buy your ticket today! Tickets can be purchased online (or through the orange PayPal button below.)

When you finish your soup, be sure to take some time to see our Winter Member Show: “Baby, it’s cold outside!”. This fun show is all about contrasts: warm and cold, tropical paradise and winter wonderland.

 
The Gallery School of Pottstown

@ Gallery on High
254 E.High St.
Pottstown, PA 19464

Buy Your
Ticket Today

through PayPal

Buy Now

or via our website

 

MOSAIC to hold information sessions about Community Garden

Have you ever wanted to have your own garden, but didn’t have enough room in your yard? Would you like your children to learn how to grow their own fresh vegetables, but don’t know where to begin?

This spring MOSAIC Community Land Trust is building Pottstown’s first community garden at 423 Chestnut Street. They will be holding three information sessions during the month of February to explain what community gardens are all about and to take applications for approximately 40 raised bed garden plots for the 2012 season.

In addition to the garden plots, there will be compost bins, rain barrels, pavers, fencing, trellis, perennial gardens, a storage shed, and water service for irrigation.

The MOSAIC Community Garden is being built with a $30,000 grant from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation. The property at 423 Chestnut Street was donated by thePottstown School District last spring, and other major donors and volunteers includePottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation. Other donations have already been received from Genesis Housing/Susquehanna Bank, Lowes, Davey Tree Experts, Andrew Monastra, Esq., the Borough of Pottstown, and many other individuals and volunteers.

According to the American Community Gardening Association, a community garden is “any piece of land gardened by a group of people.”

Typically, community gardens transform vacant lots into beautiful and positive community gathering places. While fresh, organic food is typically more expensive and out of financial reach for many people, the cost to grow and harvest one’s own food is significantly less. Residents pay a small annual fee to lease their plot and actively cultivate it throughout the entire growing season. MOSAIC plans to provide educational workshops for new and experienced gardeners. Individuals, families, community organizations, youth groups, and local restaurants are all welcome to apply for a plot.

The information sessions will be held at the following times and locations in Pottstown:

Tuesday, February 14 from 7-8 pm at the Ricketts Community Center, 640 Beech Street

Tuesday, February 21 from 7-8 pm at MOSAIC’s office, 10 S. Hanover Street

Saturday, February 25 from 2-3 pm at Victory Christian Life Center, 28-30 N. Washington Street

Applications will be available at the meetings and can be dropped off at any of the above locations or mailed to MOSAIC Community Land Trust by March 1. In the event that there are more applications than garden plots, a public lottery will be held at MOSAIC’s offices on Sunday, March 11 at 2 pm. For more information, contact Sue Repko, MOSAIC Executive Director, at 609-658-9043 or srepko@mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org.

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