Heating Up For The Fourth

Today we're heading into our first brutal heat wave of summer, but there are cool things to do around town (if you don't have A/C, bring the kids to the library or let them cool off at the Carver Center). And remember, Independence Day is Wednesday. Parade, parties, concerts, and fireworks.

Friday, June 29, 1-4 pm at the George Washington Carver Community Center (Jacoby and Arch). Get Out of School Splash Party. FREE. Music, Food, Games, Swim. Info call Ericka Wharton, 610-272-7480 or email gwcarvercenter19401@gmail.com.

Saturday, June 30, 9 am-3 pm at Norristown Area High School, 1900 Eagle Dr. (enter at Whitehall Rd.). Hazardous Waste Collection. Bring non-latex paint products, automotive products, outdoor and household chemicals for disposal. Complete list of acceptable materials at this link (scroll down).

Saturday, 10-11:30 am, Montco Courthouse (Swede and Airy). Families Belong Together Protest Rally led by Senator Daylin Leach. Just show up.

Saturday, 7-11 pm, Five Saints Distilling (Green and Main). Lou Monaco performs. No cover.

Sunday, 7 pm at Elmwood Park Bandshell. Summer Concert Series continues. This week, Wildflower performs. FREE. Bring a lawn chair or something to sit on.

Tuesday, 6:30-9:30 pm at Christ UCC Church (W. Marshall and Noble) parking lot (inside if it rains). Independence Eve Music Festival. FREE outdoor concert. Local performers, The Song Sheets, will share the "Best of Americana" including patriotic songs, folk music, and even some show tunes. Concessions are available for purchase (benefits Appalachian Mission trip). Please bring a chair. For info, contact Melanie Eberhard, 610-275-3092, church@uccchristchurch.org.

No Council meeting is listed on the municipal calendar for this week.

Wednesday, JULY 4 Celebration. 9:30 am-10 pm. Parade begins at 9:30 am at St. Francis (Buttonwood and W Marshall), goes down Marshall to Astor, right on Astor, left on Airy, right on Arch, right on Main.

When the parade is over, a block party will begin downtown. Live bands, food trucks, beer tent, kids' zones. Around 1 pm, head over to Elmwood Park for 2 concerts (Old School, 1 pm, and Wildflower, 7 pm). Fireworks at Elmwood Park will cap off the night.

Thursday, 11 am-2:30 pm, in front of the Courthouse. The Norristown Farmers' Market. Stop by Thursdays through October 25.

Next Friday, July 6, 9 pm (gate opens 8:30 pm) at the Carver Community Center. Poolside movie night. $3 admission for movie alone. $5 for movie, snack and beverage. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Info call Ericka Wharton, 610-272-7480 or email gwcarvercenter19401@gmail.com.

Next Saturday, 8-11 am at the Carver Center. Carver Kids' Car Wash. $7. Info call Ericka Wharton, 610-272-7480 or email gwcarvercenter19401@gmail.com.

Independence Holiday Festivities (and the rest of the week's events)

Theater and music this weekend, then activities for the July 4 holiday begin on Monday night.

Friday, June 30, 7:30 pm, Theatre Horizon (410 Dekalb) presents a concert reading of "Zanna Don't (A Musical Fairy Tale)". Pay what you decide.

Saturday, 8-11 pm, Five Saints Distilling (Main and Green). Jazz-180 performs.

Sunday, 1-4 pm at Coffee Talk (507 W Marshall). Open Mic.

Sunday, 2-5 pm at Elmwood Park Zoo, residents who live within Norristown's boundaries who present valid photo ID may enter the zoo free of charge.

Sunday, 7 pm at the Elmwood Park Bandshell, Summer Concert Series presents Diamond Reno (with the music of Neil Diamond). Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. Concession stand will be open.

Monday, 6-8 pm at Norristown Library (Powell and Swede). Robo Code: Hands-on learning using iPad apps and our robots, Dash and Dot. Kids will learn to code through fun projects and puzzles. Class size limited to 18. For kids entering grades 3-6.

Monday, 7 pm  at Christ United Church of Christ, W Marshall and Noble Sts (parking lot). Annual Independence Eve Concert. FREE Peace Concert. Come enjoy the music of the Song Sheets (Plus), including folk songs, early American, multi-cultural, inspirational and patriotic selections. Bring a chair. Park on the surrounding streets. Hotdogs, snacks and homemade goodies available. Donations accepted to benefit the church's youth programs. In the event of rain, the concert will be inside the church.

Tuesday, July 4th Festivites:
10 am - Parade beginning at Dekalb and Airy Sts. The route will proceed west on Airy, right onto Astor, left onto W Marshall, right onto Stanbridge, right onto Sterigere, and end at the bottom of the hill in Elmwood Park.
11:30 am - Rest of the day in Elmwood Park, concerts begin with a performance by Old School.
1 pm - Kids' crafts, rides, food trucks, and a beer garden.
6 pm - Wildflower performs
9 pm - Fireworks.

Wednesday, 1:30 pm (also Thursday) at Norristown Library. Leap Into Science, family science exploration by the Franklin Institute. For kids 4-7 and their parents/grandparents.

Wednesday, 6:30-9 pm at Municipal Hall (conference room). The NPD will host a Neighborhood Watch training class. Topics covered include crime reporting, active violence, and a Q&A session. Contact Gina Davies at 610-270-0490 or email gdavies@norristown.org

Wednesday, 7:30 pm at Municipal Hall. Council meeting.

Thursday, 11 am-2:30 pm on East Main in front of the Courthouse. Norristown Farmers Market. Every Thursday through Oct 26. Variety of fruits and vegetables, farm fresh.

Next Saturday, July 8, noon-2 pm at Riverfront Park (1 Haws Ave). Birding With Binoculars, a FREE program presented by the John James Audubon Center. Observe wildlife right on the Schuylkill River. Explore local waterfowl and learn how birds survive in their habitats by finding food, water, shelter, and space. Participants get a pair of binoculars to use during the program. Great for kids and families.

CADCOM is looking for vendors for their Community Day on August 5 (raindate Aug 12) at 340 E Oak St. $15 for business, FREE for non-profits. If you're interested, contact Heather Lewis at 610-277-6363 x166 or email hlewis@cadcom.org.

Have a happy and safe Independence Day.

Independence

I was in Norristown's July 4th parade (as part of a local singing ensemble). Since I couldn't sit and take photos of the parade, I took photos of the onlookers instead. Here are some of the many children who lined this year's parade route.

We saw expressions of delight, wonder, happiness, patriotism, and pure friendliness, from kids and adults alike. When I smiled and waved, people smiled and waved back, frequently calling out "Happy 4th!" Hundreds of flags were in evidence. For one day of the year, race, religion, economic and cultural background don't matter. We're all neighbors.

Norristown can be surprisingly wonderful at times.

That same day we had two shooting incidents in town. One was a murder. I personally know of one house that had a break-in. No doubt there were others, given the current rate of burglaries. Crime has gotten completely out of hand during the last year and no one in charge seems to want to talk about solutions. We keep hearing that better days are coming for Norristown, that it's the next "hot neighborhood." If by "hot" they mean stolen or dangerous, then yeah, maybe that's true. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a renaissance for our town, but we need to solve immediate needs before expecting newcomers to flock here.

Not one of the kids above wants to be scared. They don't want members of their families or their friends killed. They don't want bullets or intruders coming through their house windows.

So I think it's time for our townspeople declare their independence from the rhetoric and poor choices of our council, and start demanding, first of all, safe neighborhoods for ourselves and our children.

Norristown can be a wonderful place. More than once a year would be even better.

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Coming up this week:  Wed., July 10. 6 pm

Zoning Meeting at Municipal Hall, 235 E. Airy St.

Topic: Proposed changes to zoning in Norristown neighborhoods. These changes will effect a lot of residents. More tomorrow.
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