The Pool's Open! (and other Events for the week)

Today is the Grand Opening of the Carver Pool (Jacoby and Arch), just in time for the summer's hot, steamy weather. 10 am speakers, noon lunch, 1 pm pool opens. For program info, contact Yahnee Weldon, Program Director, at 610-272-7480 or click here to email.

Tonight from 6-10 pm and tomorrow (Saturday) 4-10 pm, check out the carnival at the high school to raise money for the NAHS Athletic Complex. Rides, Food, Dunk Tank.

Saturday from noon to 3 pm, Greater Norristown PAL (340 Harding) will hold a Norristown Youth Rally. Fun, free food, games, face painting, DJ, music and more. Call 610-278-8040 for details.

The Norristown Library's Teen Summer Reading Program begins on Saturday and goes through August 15. It's for students entering grades 6-12 this fall--read 3 books a week for a chance to be entered into a weekly drawing for prizes such as a $25 Amazon gift card and a final prize of Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones. Register for the summer reading program at www.mc-npl.org  Assistance is available at the library. Registration begins June 13th. Other summer programs will begin June 16th. Check the website or ask at the library for details.

Also Saturday at Almaz, from 9 pm until closing, a fundraiser party for the Father's Day Softball/Tailgate Event that will take place on June 21 (described at end of listings).

Sunday's free concert at the Bandshell in Elmwood Park will feature Mark Reno, Elvis Impersonator. Starts at 7 pm. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Tuesday at 6:30 pm is the Council Meeting at Municipal Hall. No agenda yet.

Wednesday, 7-9 pm at Jus' Java (317 Swede). Open Words--Poetry and discussion forum. $10 (includes wine, raffle ticket and a souvenir wristband). Hosted by Mydera SpeakMeFree.

Next Friday, June 19th, free breast cancer screening at Rep. Matt Bradford's office (1846 Markley) starting at 9 am, by appointment. Must be 40 or older and have a prescription from your doctor. Call 610-270-1150 to schedule your appointment. (Note: Since the passage of The Affordable Healthcare Act, ALL mammograms are free (except of course, for whatever you have to pay your doctor to get the prescription, but no charge for the procedure)).

Next Sunday, June 21, from 11 am to 8 pm at the ball fields at Eisenhower School (Coolidge Blvd) is the Father's Day Softball/Tailgate Event. Come out and watch fathers gather with family and friends as they take to the softball fields to have some fun. Far from the reach of even the best sluggers will be moon bounces along with live entertainment from Jazzy The Clown. DJ Mike Scott will spin music on the 1's and 2's while the aroma fills the air from the many grills that will be cooking up the food. The Cowboy Buck Jones will provide pony rides for the children. At an intermission halfway through the day, an award will be given to THE FATHER OF THE YEAR (nominated and voted on by the committee) followed by a live performance. Photography will be provided by Mz. SNAPSHOT Jodi Pendleton. This event is free of charge and only able to be successful through donations from each team and members of the community. DONATIONS ARE ACCEPTED IN FORMS OF CASH, GIFT CARDS AND FOOD!  Contact Sean Tuggle at 484-686-6217 if you want to participate and/or make a donation.

CADCOM's Community Day is just a couple weeks away (June 27), to be held at Oak St (Simmons) Park. Vendors from both for profit and nonprofit businesses and service providers can set up tables that day. To keep providing this event free to the community, CADCOM needs financial, in-kind, and human (volunteers) donations in addition to the low, low for-profit vendor fee of $15. No charge for non-profit vendors. For info, contact Heather Lewis at 610-277-6363 x166.

Registration is open for ACPPA's Summer Dance Camp for 8-14 year-olds. From Monday, June 29th through Thursday, July 2nd, from 6-8 pm, students will have the opportunity to do ballet, hip hop/street jazz, and learn about stage makeup and theater performance/etiquette. Camp is just $60 per student (members get a discount). You can sign up in the office, or through ACPPA's website. 

Registration is also open for Theatre Horizon's Summer Drama Camp for 5-6 year-olds at the theater in Norristown (401 Dekalb). The dates of the camp will be July 13-17, 9 am to noon. Cost is $105.  Go to this link for details or to register or call the theater at 610-283-2230. 

Stay cool.

VOTE Tuesday, Party FOURTH FRIDAY

The most important event this week is PRIMARY ELECTION DAY! Don't forget to vote. Come and choose the candidates who'll be on the ballot in the November election. Don't let your neighbors decide for you. Voting gives you the power to change things. If you vote at Eisenhower, I'll be clerking at the 3-3 table. Stop by and say hello.

Saturday is the Norristown Men of Excellence 2nd Annual Excellence Ball, 8 pm-midnight at Theatre Horizon (410 Dekalb). Tickets $50 per person, $90 per couple. All proceeds benefit the NMOE Scholarship Fund. Contact kberry@nmoe19401.org or call 484-601-2828. Info at www.nmoe19401.org

Sunday afternoon at Jus' Java (317 Swede), Acoustic Open Mic. For info call 610-277-5282. Or just drop by after noon to listen.

Tuesday is PRIMARY ELECTION DAY. Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm. You can view a sample ballot at this link. I'll post more candidate info tomorrow and Monday, but help yourself by googling the candidates' names and reading their bios. It's easy.

Tuesday from 7-9 pm - A four-week workshop on Beginning Genealogy presented by Genealogist Rose Brown at the Historical Society of Montgomery County, 1654 Dekalb St. $15 non-members, $10 members. This workshop is set up for those wishing to learn the basic techniques of genealogy research. Continues May 26th, June 2nd and 9th. 610-272-0297, contact@hsmcpa.org

Wednesday, at 6:30 pm, Council meeting (Wednesday due to the election on Tuesday). Municipal Hall. No agenda yet.

Wednesday, 8 pm at Jus' Java (317 Swede), Open Words. All artists welcome. $10 at door, $5 online at www.poetry247.com/openwords

Next Friday (May 22nd), kick off your Memorial Day Weekend at FOURTH FRIDAY Downtown. Come to the Public Square for lunch between noon and 2 pm (food trucks and vendors--Diva's Kitchen will be on hand), then come back after 5 pm to enjoy international cuisine and live music at your choice of FIVE venues, or Salsa Dancing on Cherry St. Free parking on the streets after 6 pm. Here's the FOURTH FRIDAY evening schedule so far:

5-7 pm – Sessano’s Café & Deli (500 Swede) – Award-winning Italian sandwiches and live music.
5-9 pm – Banh Mi Bar & Bistro (31 W. Main) – Vietnamese cuisine and live acoustic music.
7-9 pm – Salsa on Cherry Street (216 Cherry, 2nd floor)– Salsa lessons 7-8 pm ($7 per person) followed by free dancing.
8-10 pm – Las Palmas Del Sur (10 W. Main) - Mexican cuisine and live Mexican music.
8-10 pm – Jus’ Java (317 Swede) – Open Mic Night. Gourmet coffee, tea and café food.
10-midnight – Almaz Café (24 W Main) – Ethiopean/American cuisine and live music.

A heads up for May 30 -- Community paper shredding event at the office of Matt Bradford, Logan Square. More details next week but start gathering your old bank statements and tax papers to recycle.

CADCOM is currently soliciting vendors from both for-profit and nonprofit businesses and service providers for their June 27th Community Day at Oak Street Park (Oak and Arch Sts) from noon to 5 pm (rain date June 28). Vendors can set up tables to sell items and promote their organizations. For-profit vendor fee is $15 per space. CADCOM would also apreciate financial or in-kind donations and volunteers. Contact Heather Lewis, 610-277-6363 x166 for more info and a vendor form.

Baseball, Gardening, Arts and Other Events for the Coming Week

We're finally going to get some warmer spring weather this coming week, just in time for our Little League season openers and gardening at the library.

Saturday is Little League Opening Day. Parade starts from Eisenhower Middle School at 9 am as the teams march to their playing fields. After the singing of the National Anthem, special guests will throw out the 1st pitch for baseball and softball. The snack bar will be open. Practices and games to follow. Any questions please contact the Parks and Rec department at 610-270-0467.

Saturday from 11 am to 12:30 at the Norristown Library - Gardeners, learn how to create healthy soil with less work and more benefit to the environment. Guest Speaker, Tom McGlynn, of Feed the Burbs will instruct. Workshop takes place in the library parking lot. $5/workshop. Please register in advance by calling 610-278-5100.

Also Saturday at 1 pm at Jus' Java, a book signing by Toni McCloe, author of "Rude Awakening."

And also Saturday from 1-3 pm, the Norristown Public Library will host an Open House to kick off National Library Week. Door prizes, live music, refreshments and much more!

Starting Monday, 9-10:30 am, TD Bank will present a 4 part program for Financial Literacy Month. Learn How to Get Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise at the Montgomery County - Norristown Public Library. Monday's session will be Business Plan Basics; Wednesday, 1-2:30 pm - Are You Making Money?; Wednesday, 3-4:30 pm - Applying for Financing; Thursday, 9-11:30 am - Analyzing the Competition. For more info, go to www.mc-npl.org

Tuesday starting at 10 am, classes begin for the Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) program by CADCOM, Micro-Enterprise and Small Business Resource Center. The class will meet 12 two hour sessions. If you are interested in developing new business enterprises or capacity building for those who already own them. Classes held at CADCOM Office, 113 Main St, Norristown. Free based on eligibility. Call Cy Burke, 610-277-6363 ext 141 or email cburke@cadcom.org.

Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm, LAST AARP Tax Aide session at the Norristown Library. Get help with your taxes. AARP Foundation Tax Aide is available free to taxpayers with low and moderate income, with special attention for those 60 and older. Contact: 610-278-5100 .

Tuesday at 7 pm, Planning Commission Meeting. Only thing on the agenda is the 2040 Montco Shared Vision Presentation and Telecommunications Ordinance.

Wednesday at 8 pm at Jus; Java (317 Swede), Open Words Norristown. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Tickets online for $5, at door, $10. Information at www.poetry247.com/openwords

Thursday at 7:30 pm is Opening Night for Theatre Horizon's IN THE BLOOD. Continues Friday and next Saturday at 8 pm. Ticket info and schedule at http://theatrehorizon.org/shows/intheblood.html

Next Saturday from 10 am-noon, Spring Fling sponsored by In His Eyes Outreach at 1430 Dekalb Street. FREE event for women of all ages and walks of life. Childcare available. Keynote speaker Nia Campbell, rejuvenate your body with nutrition tips from Joan Anderson Gangwer, and celebrate with us as we close out the day with a Zumba party. Giveaways, Raffles, Networking. For more information, contact Carla at 484-284-2008 or at inhiseyes2008@aol.com

Also next Saturday, April 18th from 11 am to 1 pm, ACPPA, 506 Haws Ave, Lower level, will host another Community Creation Day. All are invited to join them in exploring the cultural imagery of the play, Asian Cinderella: The Story of Pear Blossom, through the creation of props, backgrounds, and costumes. Please register at this link so they can have enough supplies for everyone.

Starting May With The Arts

Today is May 1st. May Day started as a Celtic holiday, but spread through western Europe, and eventually much of the Northern hemisphere--a day when everyone took time off from their farming and other work to sing, play instruments, dance, and act out short plays. In other words, a day not only to welcome the coming of warm weather, but to enjoy the arts.

So it's appropriate that Norristown will celebrate our 5th annual Arts Hill Festival this Saturday on Dekalb Street between Lafayette and Airy Sts, from 10 am to 5 pm.

I've heard that the festival will have A LOT of music this year. You know how sometimes you hear about a new performer or band playing locally and you're not sure you want to pay the admission or cover charge to go hear them, in case you don't like them. Well, Saturday, you can hear a variety of groups for FREE. Jazz, blues, classical, rock, reggae, country, funk, rap, hip-hop, folk, childrens' music, you name it.

Can't get enough of our great live theaters? Or maybe you've never tried one of their plays? Saturday you'll be able to view our own and other local theater groups in action, again for FREE. You might even see some drama or comedy in the middle of the street. And a few magicians.

Usually you have to go to Philly to see dance performances. We do have several local dance companies, but unlike music in town, you can't go out and see dance each weekend. Saturday these troupes come to Norristown to perform all kinds of dancing.

The Arts Hill Festival is advertising film as well. When was the last time you saw a good film in Norristown? (We really do need a return to summer film nights.)

We've had a renaissance in town of spoken word performances this past year, so it makes sense that you'll find some of our local poets on the Saturday's schedule.

Besides that, the festival will have food vendors. Food is definitely an art in Norristown. I'd go for Willis Brothers Barbecue alone, but this year I hear there will be all sorts of cultural foods offered, plus the usual festival fare.

Other arts to be represented--face painting, art jewelry, painters, sculptors, and other craft vendors. Plus a kids area with activities for children.

The festival will go on, rain or shine. Right now there's only a slight chance of rain in the afternoon, and the high will be around 70 F. Take some time off and come downtown for a few hours to enjoy the arts. Find out what Arts Hill has to offer our community and how it can be a big part of the revitalization of our town.

Traditionally, May Day celebrations kicked off the summer season. Appropriately, our Arts Hill Festival kicks off Norristown's summer season--which means more festivals to come!