Mother's Day Weekend Events, then Election Day

Once again, N-town is loaded with activities this weekend. Rain is predicted, so forget your garden work. Go to one or more events instead. And remember to vote Tuesday for Council, School Board and judges. Let's have a great turnout at the polls.

Friday, May 12, 7 pm at Ebenezer Methodist Church (234 E Spruce). Pre-Mother's Day Concert with The Sounds of Apostle Linda Henry and The Mighty Aires Gospel Quartet. Donation $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Friday, 8 pm at Theatre Horizon, "White" continues its run. Availability for tonight's show is limited. This week's performances are Saturday at 4:30 pm, Sunday at 2 pm and Thursday at 7:30 pm. The play's been held over until May 28. Tickets and performance schedule at this link.

Saturday, May 13, 10 am-noon at New Life Internet Cafe (19 W Marshall). Photo ID Clinic. If you're in need of a photo ID, bring ID and proof of residence. If you have questions, call 610-945-6398.

Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm at Selma Mansion (1301 W Airy), a special Mother's Day weekend event: The Ladies of Selma Mansion. A FREE living history open house. Meet the women who made Historic Selma Mansion a home from 1794-1980. Spinning and wool-craft. Learn how mothers used herbs to nurse their families back to health. Churn butter. Handle and try on historic clothing. Take a tour of the mansion to hear about the lives of the women who lived there. More activities for children and adults. Tea and goodies. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Saturday, noon-4 pm at Norristown Maenner-Chor Club (920 Haws Avenue), Help K9 Officer Jerry Get a Jitney. Fundraiser for a new K9 vehicle for the NPD. Adults, $20; 15 and under free. Food and beer. Listen to the great sounds of the Transister Trio band. (kids under 15 free) Lots of great baskets, large bonus baskets and 50/50. Meet our new K9 Jerry. Purchase tickets from the NPD at 235 E Airy, at the Maenner-Chor Club or at 40 E Main.

Saturday, 5-8 pm at Haws Avenue Methodist Church, Spaghetti Dinner and Sundae Bar to benefit the Dragon Boat Youth Team. Tickets are $15 at door and $13 online at this link.

Saturday, 8-11 pm, usually Second Saturday Jazz at August Moon, but I couldn't find information this month, so call before going.

Saturday, 8-11 pm at Five Saints Distilling (Main and Green). Sons of Thunder performs.

Tuesday, 7 am-8 pm, ELECTION DAY at your local polling place.

Tuesday, 2 pm at the Norristown Library (Swede and Powell). Leap Into Science. Since the schools are off for election day, the children's library is hosting a special Franklin Institute Science Program for kids grades K-6. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Council Workshop is listed for Tuesday at 6:30 pm, but since it's Election Day, I suspect it will more likely be Wednesday. Call borough hall to confirm. 610-270-0421.

Wednesday, 6:30 pm at Municipal Hall. Special and Events Committee Meeting.

Thursday, 7 pm at the Elmwood Park Bandshell, the 1st Summer Concert Series event of the season: International Night with the Irish Band, Belfast Connection.

Next Saturday, May 20, 10 am at Centre Theater. Kids Movie Club presents the movie "Moana." FREE.

Next Saturday from 1-3 pm at the Norristown Library (1001 Powell), the Friends of the Library will hold an Open House in the back of the library. The event is FREE and will include performances by Colonial Revelers at 1 pm, the Norristown School Jazz Band at 1:30 pm, and the Grupo de Danza Nuevo Mexico Dancers at 2:15 pm. Plus you can take a Hidden Library Tour (see parts of the library no one sees), enjoy refreshments and maybe win a door prize. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult.

Happy Mother's Day to all moms.

Norristown River Update

It's been a while since I've reported on what's going on down at our riverfront. Half of Norristown is only vaguely aware that we HAVE a riverfront, or a river, for that matter. Meanwhile other communities like Conshohocken, Phoenixville and Manayunk have active groups advocating for more river recreation opportunities for their residents. Hey, Norristown, as summers get hotter, spending time down by, or on, the nice cool river is going to sound pretty inviting.

Currently, all our river recreation is centered at Riverfront Park (at the end of Haws Avenue) with events led mostly by the Dragon Boat Club of Norristown. One such event, very family-friendly, is this Saturday: RIVERFEST, from 2-6 pm. FREE event, with FREE boat rides in the dragon boats and outrigger canoes, cardboard boat judging contest and races, kids games and music. The DBC will have their grill fired up for hotdogs and other food for purchase. And lots of pirates will be wandering around. In fact, if you have an inner pirate, dress him/her up that day. Everyone is welcome. If you haven't been down to Riverfront Park, this is a great reason to visit.

One other thing, this Saturday, at 2:30 pm, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will open the new floating dock. Norristown Municipality installed this to make access to small boats easier. It's not just for the Dragon Club, but for the community--anyone with a canoe or kayak or rowboat can use it. You can fish off of it (just clean up after yourself, please--leftover fish guts and bait won't help others enjoy the river). You can just sit and dangle your toes in the cool water.

Another improvement you'll see Saturday is the Youth Dragon Boat Team. This was begun last spring. The kids trained and went on to medal in the races they attended. (In the photo above, that's GOLD medals the kids are wearing.) The Youth Team not only trains at the river, they participate in all kinds of fun activities ~ water balloon fights, tubing, etc. They do fundraisers through the year and they're currently working on a secret project which will be unveiled at Riverfest. They're always looking for new members. If you know a kid who might be interested, bring him/her along on Saturday.

One Youth Team member who turned 17 has decided to go on to train for Team USA. How cool would it be to have a native Norristonian on a USA dragon boat team at the World Championships? (It's not an Olympic sport yet, though there's been talk of including it.)

So there you have it, your river update. Come out Saturday and check it out for yourself. Bring your kids and your friends.

But also, start thinking beyond Saturday. Once the Lafayette Extension Project is completed and the section of our riverfront between Markley and Ford is opened for development, we can let developers tell us what that riverfront will look like, or we can start planning now what WE want for our riverfront. A walking path along the water? A picnic area? A fishing dock? A beach? A place to put in paddle boats? Maybe vendors for renting canoes and kayaks or selling food? A nice, inviting park the whole length of the riverfront, for our community to have and pass on to our children? And to entice visitors from communities without a river to come and spend money here?

Think about it. See you Saturday at Riverfront.