Music, Ghosts and Lots More

AGAIN, a big variety of fun and informative things to do around town this week. Music, a benefit marathon, a Public Works Town Hall, Ghost Tours at Selma, etc. Plus Fire Prevention Week starts Sunday. The NFD will be doing smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector blitzes of selected blocks, fire drills at the schools, and Firesmart at the zoo. Talk to your family about how to escape from your house and meet outside in the event of a fire. It's important.

Today, Friday, Oct 7, 8 am-10 am. National Coffee with A Cop Day. The NPD will offer free coffee and conversation in the parking lot behind the police station at 235 E Airy. Stop by for your morning java.

Friday night, 7:30-10:30 pm at Five Saints Distillery (Green and Main), Lenny Martinelli will perform (Norristown native and Nashville recording artist). Free admission. The Butler will provide burgers, wings and more from 5-9 pm.

Saturday, 9 am at the Norristown Farm Park (Whitehall Rd). 3rd Annual Sole Harvest 5K Run/Walk, benefiting the Norristown Ministries Hospitality Center (530 Church St). Register at this link. Fee $20-$35. Contact Denise, Volunteer Race Director, 610-275-4585, poboxhall@gmail.com.  http://www.hospitalitycenter.org/soleharvest5k/

Saturday, 10 am-3:30 pm, downtown, Norristown Car Show (I've also seen this listed for the 15th, so maybe call first). Awards presented at 2:30 pm. Price is $10 for early registration and $15 day of show. Registration 9-11 am day of show. Benefits Norristown Parks & Rec. For more info, please contact: Frank Pileggi or Bill Plichta 610-270-0467.

Saturday, 6-10 pm, Ghost Tours at Selma Mansion. Quiet, candlelit tours of the mansion featuring its history and infamous ghost tales. Adults $5, Children 5-12, veterans and seniors, $3; Active military, Norristown Police and Fire personnel, FREE with ID. All proceeds benefit the restoration of the mansion. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Saturday, 2-9 pm, The Perky BBQ Truck will be out front of Five Saints, and from 7-11 pm, Matt Plaisted, acoustic artist, will perform. For a complete listing of Five Saints events, go to this link. 

Saturday, 8-10:45 pm at August Moon, 2nd Saturday Jazz featuring the Barbara Walker Story. Sets on the hour. Soulful, funky, jazz-infused. Presented by Crying Sam Entertainment.

Monday, Oct 3 through Nov. 2, The Norristown Police Department will be collecting winter hats and gloves for boys and girls in need at 3 locations: The NPD at 235 E Airy, Redemption 1010 Church (308 Stanbridge) and Starbucks (413 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting).

Mondays for the next 6 weeks, 5-6:30 pm and 6:45-8:15 pm.. Montgomery County OIC (Arch and Basin) will begin their fall Spanish in the Workplace series. The early session is for beginners, later for returning students. Cost of the full course is $50. First come first serve. To register or for more information, call 610-279-9700.

Tuesday, 6-7:30 pm, Municipal Hall. Public Works Town Hall. Opportunity for residents to meet the new Director of Public Works, Thomas Odenigbo, and to find out about strategies the department has for the fall and winter seasons. The discussion will include leaf collection, snow plan and trash issues. Please RSVP by email gprete@norristown.org

Tuesday, 7 pm, Municipal Hall, Planning Commission Meeting. (Yes, scheduled at same time as the Town Hall above ~ should be interesting.)

Tuesdays in October at 6 pm at the Norristown Library (Powell and Swede) ~ Nutrition Matters presented by Komal Shah from Penn State Extension. Begins Oct 11, but you need to register. Please visit or call the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library Reference Desk at 610-278-5100 ext 2.

Wednesday, 1 pm at the Norristown Library, in the 2nd floor Board Room. FREE movie matinee, "Money Monster," starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Click on the Library link at the right for more Library events.

Thursdays, 5-10 pm at Five Saints Distilling. Open Mic.

Thursday, 5 pm at the Historical Society (Dekalb and Roberts). Abandoned America by photographer Matt Christopher. History of the dismantling of the state hospital system. The program is FREE. For more info, contact Barry Rauhauser, 610-272-0297, barryr@hsmcpa.org.

Thursday, 7:30 pm, The musical "A New Brain" opens at Theatre Horizon (401 Dekalb). Thursday is a Pay-What-You-Can preview. Other performances next week are Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. Tickets on sale at this link . The show will run October 13 through November 6.

Next Saturday, either 10-2 pm or noon-5 pm (both listed on town calendar), Firesmart at Elmwood Park Zoo presented by the Norristown Fire Dept. Fire Smart is a family-friendly day filled with activities to promote fire safety and prevention. This year's activities include a meet and greet with Norristown firefighters, police officers and EMTs, opportunities for children to dress up as a firefighter, operate a fire hose, tour a fire truck, and much more.

Martha's Choice Marketplace, 353 E Johnson Highway (St Paul's Church) will hold their Fall Harvest Fest on November 3, 6-8 pm. They're looking for vendors~non-profits or local restaurants. If interested, contact Eli Wenger at ewnger@chs-adphila.org. Space is limited so contact them now.

The Norristown Preservation Society will be hosting their 1st Annual Holiday Craft Show at Selma Mansion on November 19th. They're looking for vendors. $15 a spot or 2 for $25. Must supply own table. This will be held inside the mansion. Santa and Christmas Carolers will be making a visit. To reserve a vendor space, call or text Dee Kirkpatrick at 484-860-2533. Also, mark your calendars for the annual Haunted House at Selma on October 29. Details in the coming weeks.