Commissioners proclaim Nov. 5 as "Newtown Borough 325th Anniversary Day"

By Petra Chesner Schlatter
BucksLocalNews.com

The historic Newtown Movie Theatre on North State Street provided the setting for the Bucks County Commissioners' Nov. 5 meeting.

While holding the meeting in the historic building, the commissioners proclaimed Nov. 5, 2008 as "Newtown Borough's 325th Anniversary Day" throughout the county.

Commissioner Charley Martin read the proclamation that followed Newtown's history from its purchase by William Penn's agent, William Markham, purchased from Native Americans its time as the county seat of Bucks from 1726 until 1813.

"This year, we join members of the federal, state and municipal governments in celebrating Newtown upon the achievement of its 325th anniversary, a milestone that offers the community a time to recognize its residential village character and its diverse cultural fabric.

"Newtown Borough continues to thrive as a hub of commerce, social interaction, dining and cultural significance," Martin read.

He continued, "We congratulate the borough for its success in maintaining the unique character it has developed and fostered for more than three centuries."

"We wish the borough -- its leaders, residents, business community, and visitors -- continued prosperity in all areas of stewardship, historical preservation and civic dedication."

Commissioner Chairman Jim Cawley opened the meeting by describing the building as "beautiful." He noted that Newtown's theatre is "the nation's oldest continuous-use movie theater."

Today, in addition to showing movies, live productions are also staged there by the Newtown Arts Company.

Commissioners Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, Martin, Cawley, and David Sanko, chief operating officer, signed the proclamation.

November Aha! Friday

There will be a Meet and Greet for 325 poster artist Bob Gilanyi at Love Illuminati, 23 S. State Street, Newtown on Nov. 7.

Trisis Technologies will have its grand opening at their new location at 120 S. State St.
In addition, from 6-9 p.m. Countryside Framing will host Newtown artist Bill Jobes, an outdoor photojournalist and multiple Emmy Award winning television journalist.

He will be highlighting his photographs of flowers, landscapes, birds and wildlife; light refreshments and wine will be served. AHA! (Arts, History and Adventure!) is an open-house evening, held the first Friday of each month in downtown Newtown, blending the arts and history with a marketplace boasting unique shops and restaurants.

Bring your family and friends to Newtown’s historic downtown to see visual and performing arts, nurture a sense of history, enjoy the unique, ever-changing and expanding variety of shops, galleries, restaurants and nightlife, or merely people-watch while catching a bite to eat.

Come home to your town, my town, Newtown. Check the Web site www.newtownpa.us for more details!

Newtown 5K and Music in the Park!

Please join us for the 2nd Annual Newtown Library Company 5K & Kids Fun Run as we help Newtown celebrate is 325th birthday.

Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in the second annual 5K Run/Walk for the Newtown Library Company on October 11, 2008. This year the library has added a one mile fun run for kids! Day-of registration begins at 9:30 am, the Kid’s Fun Run starts at 10:30 am, and the 5K begins at 11:00 am.

Runners will meet at the Brian S. Gregg Memorial Park on Congress Street where they will be greeted with live music and a prerace stretch led by Yogasphere. The race route starts on Chancellor Street and continues left on Frost Lane, down Congress, right on Greene, up Liberty, left on Jefferson, right onto Edgeboro Drive to the end, where racers reverse the route.

A detailed map of the course is on the library’s website, www.newtownlibrary.com .

All of the race will be on the North side of the borough, and will cross no major streets, having the least impact on local traffic. We thank the residents for their patience for this good cause.
All proceeds from the race will benefit The Newtown Library Company, a unique historical institution that has enriched the lives of Newtown’s citizens since its founding in 1760.

Last year the monies raised by this event allowed the library to enhance the book selection for their new juvenile section.

"We hope that this event will be both a successful fund-raiser for the library and a fun recreational opportunity for the community." says Heather Lewis, Newtown 5K Event Organizer. "With this in mind, we have again planned the race date to coincide with Newtown Borough’s annual Music in the Park event." Participants are encouraged to celebrate their finish with refreshments and live musical entertainment at Brian S. Gregg Memorial Park following the race.

Our very generous sponsors, including Steaz Energy Drinks, Chuck’s Natural Grapevine, First National Bank, Team Toyota, Firstrust, CVS, The Athletic Shoe Shop and many others, have allowed us to provide our participants with commemorative T shirts as well as wonderful awards to the many winners of the race.

All interested in participating in the race may register online at www.active.com or pick up a mail in registration from the Newtown Library Company located at 110 Centre Avenue in Newtown Borough. Registration will also be possible on the morning of the race, October 11. The pre-race registration fee is $20 for the 5K and $10 for the Kids’ Fun Run, the fees increase by to $25 and $12, respectively, on race day.

This is an official event of the Newtown 325 Anniversary Celebration. For more information contact Event Organizer Heather Lewis at: hmshirley@verizon.net or 215-504-1536.

October AHA! Friday

Jennifer Marsh has created the third design in the series of 12 Anniversary posters for Newtown's 325 Celebration. As a former employee of The Advance of Bucks County, Marsh used her newspaper experience as a source of inspiration.

"I came to Newtown to work at The Advance of Bucks County", explained Marsh. "My poster is homage to the smalltown newspaper."

When Marsh was invited to create one of the posters for the 325th Anniversary, she immediately polled her newspaper colleagues. "The answers I got were quite similar, and I had great fun gathering information," she said. "What I learned, and came to love about Newtown, is that its history and future are embraced in an equally enthusiastic way. Working at the newspaper, you see a lot of stories. When you dig into the history, you uncover even more stories, but you are also reminded that the most important stories haven't changed."
Marsh was with InterCounty Newspaper Group as a graphic designer and Out & About editor for two years.

She is currently employed by the New Jersey Education Association in the communications department as a graphic designer. Marsh is also a stained glass artist.

As part of the 325th anniversary celebration, she will be featured at a "Meet and Greet the Artist" during AHA! Friday on Oct. 3. The reception will be held at Newtown Chocolates beginning at 6 6 p.m.

325 Poster Series Continues!

Newtown’s 325 Celebration presents the second in a series of 12 Anniversary posters, which was created by Leigh Sheek-Vogel of Turning Point Design + Marketing.

The inspiration for her poster is the founder of Newtown, visionary proprietor William Penn.

“Penn’s decision to embrace Quaker beliefs at the young age of 22, even against his father’s and English society’s approval, spoke to his courage and commitment to religious freedoms,” explained Leigh.

Yet what Leigh finds most impressive about Penn was his unwillingness to force Quaker beliefs upon Pennsylvania. His officials held a variety of ideologies.

His representatives were equally Dutch, German, Finnish and Swede settlers as well as members of the Society of Friends (Quakers).

One of the first counties of Pennsylvania is Bucks County, named after Buckinghamshire, England, the Penn family seat and original home of many of the first settlers.

As a reference to the English origin of Bucks County, Leigh wanted to include a younger image of Penn in England, which is the image on the lower right.The image of Penn on the left is more in line with the founding of Newtown 325 years ago, with his agreement in hand and Native Americans behind him underneath a tree. Penn’s Wood is reflected in the tree imagery.

Penn called the area Sylvania (Latin for woods), which King Charles changed to Pennsylvania in honor of the elder Penn who actually paid for the purchase with repayment of a loan from the King.

The acorns represent the growth of this historic town to the wonderful community that exists in Newtown today. Quaker beliefs still thrive here today among many other religious freedoms. Penn would be pleased.

Leigh Sheek-Vogel is the owner of Turning Point Design + Marketing and has been a graphic designer and marketing specialist for over 27 years. Details and portfolio are available at http://www.turningpointdm.com/.

'Let them eat cake!'

Newtown finally kicked off its 325th anniversary in style during the Newtown Classic and Antique Car Show on July 20.

After weeks of anticipation, 325 committee members unveiled the contents of the 1983 time capsule buried under Pickering Field.

Among the items in the weather proof steel case were souveniers including 300th anniversary hats, pennants and mugs, a commemorative tile and plate and a 1983 copy of The Advance.

The souvenirs of Newtown’s history were initially scheduled to be displayed at First Fourth, however, inclement weather forced a delay in the fun.

Also delayed was the cutting of Newtown’s 325 birthday cake.

“Let them eat cake,” First Fourth committee chair Victoria Bowe announced to the hungry crowd, calling on the famous Marie Antoinette quote.

Bowe, along with NBPA heads Paul Salvatore and Mick Petrucci, then helped cut and serve the large sheet cakes, which spelled out “325” and wished the town a happy birthday.

Time Capsule Schedule

From The Advance News Desk

Due to wet weather on First Fourth, the Newtown 25- and 50-year time capsules will be on display and opened during the NBPA's Newtown Antique and Classic Auto Show on July 20, according to Main Streets manager Chris Ortwein.
The time capsules will be displayed through the morning and unveiled at 12 p.m.
Following the unveiling, Newtown's 325 anniversary birthday cake will be cut and State Rep. David Steil (R-31) will read a resolution passed by the Pa. House of Representatives.
The cake is sponsored by Firstrust Bank.
The Newtown Antique and Classic Auto Show will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on State Street in Newtown Borough.
A rain date is set for July 27.