The Relay for Life returns to Phoenixville for the seventh time on May 7-8 on the track at Phoenixville High School. Since 2004, Phoenixville residents and their family and friends have celebrated the loves of people who have battled cancer, remembered those who have lost their cancer battles and raised money to help the American Cancer Society continue their fight against cancer.

Saturday, March 27: Paint the Town Purple—Make a $10 donation to the American Cancer Society and receive a purple wristband to wear on the 27th. Showing the wristband at certain businesses in downtown Phoenixville that day will give you a special discount. Participating businesses and their discounts include: PJ Ryan’s Pub (10 % off food, $2 domestic drafts); Bistro on Bridge (15 % off food, $2 domestic drafts and $3 select imports); Molly Maguire’s and Fenix (a coupon for a future visit); Potomac Bead Co. (20% off entire purchase, excluding gift cards, consignments, class signups, party deposits), plus additional discounts to be announced. Participating businesses will display a purple balloon outside their locations. If you are a business that would like to participate or if you would like to buy a wristband, contact Tracee (traceemyers@yahoo.com).

The Housing Authority of Chester County will hold a Special Board Meeting tomorrow, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. at the Housing Authority Main Offices.

30 West Barnard Street, Suite 2
West Chester, PA 19382

For more information, please call 610-436-9200

The pub-crawl on March 13 will start at 1 p.m. and end at 5 p.m. and will include not only the downtown establishments but also the Sly Fox and the Epicurean which are located on the south part of town.

Bistro On Bridge - Heavy Seas, Rogue, Brooklyn Brewery

The Pickering Creek Inn - Founders, Weyerbacher, Cigar City

Molly Maguire's - Victory, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale

Epicurean - Ithaca, Lagunitas, Spring House

Iron Hill - Iron Hill Beer

Sly Fox - Sly Fox Beer

Baxter's 101 Bridge - Stoudts Brewery

PJ Ryans - Longtrail

Columbia Bar and Grill - TBA

For more information online go to www.phoenixvillepubcrawl.com

Winter Markets

March 13 & 27
April 10 & 24
10am to 11am

Regular Season
Saturdays
May 8, 2010
to
November 20, 2010
9am-1pm

Holiday Markets
Saturdays
November 27, 2010
to
December 18, 2010
10am to noon

Bridge St. & Taylor Al.
Behind Family Dollar
Phoenixville, PA
*********


Hello Market Shoppers!

Our next Winter Market is from 10am to 11am on Saturday March 13th.

Here are some of this market's highlights:

John and Kira's are coming with chocolate. Pre-orders are welcome.
Oley Valley Mushrooms will have their delicious and very cool looking pom pom mushrooms
Saint Peters' Bakery will have baguettes, ang other delicious baked goods
Baues' Busy Bees have been busy as bees making Easter candles
Marci's Morsels will have gluten-free scones and muffins. They are so delicious, you don't have to be gluten free to enjoy them!

Don't forget to read this email to see what is available, make your list, contact the farmers to place your orders, and then come to our regular location between 10 am and 11 am on Saturday to pick up your delicious, local food. You might even see your neighbors and market friends.

If you are on Facebook, visit our Facebook page and become a fan of the market. We post interesting information about local food, farming and nutrition there, in addition to photos of the market and farmers! Just for the fun of it, we posted the following question on the discussion section of our Facebook Page: What was the favorite thing you cooked with something from the farmers' market this week? Pom pom mushrooms were a favorite. The Greek pizza with Forks Farm lamb, Shellbark feta and pesto sounds yummy - check it out and add your own favorites.

See you at the Market!


Helpful Hint: This newsletter is packed with information. You can click on a vendor's name on the sidebar to go directly to his or her product list.

Looking Ahead

Backyard Bison will return on March 27th as will Forks Farm. This may be the last week at Winter Market for Charlestown Farm- they'll be back in May with lots of vegetables. Jack's farm hopes to return in late March or early April, so we hope there should be a constant supply of fresh, local vegetables at the market.

The Women's Fellowship of St. Basil the Great, in Kimberton, is sponsoring "Fireproof," a feature-length movie about the importance of God's love in couples' lives. The film will be followed by a series of short talks by Fr. Jeffery Rott of Ss. Simon and Jude Parish.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. in the school gym and the day concludes with Benediction in the Chapel. Coffee and danish will be served during registration, and a soup lunch will be provided.

The film and program are recommended for: Mature teens, dating, engaged and married couples, young and old, parents and grandparents.

Come learn about the "Love Dare" and how it can change our lives.

RSVP to June Weiland, Spirituality Chair, at 610-933-6120 or via e-mail at junedonw@aol.com.

Phoenixville--The Phuture Phantom Grade School Classic is holding strong. Boys and girls in 4th and 5th grade at East Pikeland, Schuylkill and Barkley Elementary Schools will participate in this one day tournament designed to promote school spirit and sportsmanship. Each elementary school held try-outs to select twelve (12) boys and twelve (12) girls to represent their respective schools. Cheerleaders from each school also began practicing in support of their teams.

Administrators, teachers, and students have worked closely planning and developing this worthwhile event. Members of the Phoenixville Area High School basketball and cheerleading teams have volunteered to serve as coaches and mentors to the elementary school teams. The high school members also serve as scorekeepers, referees, and concession stand attendants. They are an integral part of the success of this tournament. Barkley, East Pikeland, and Schuylkill will compete against each other and begin to develop a relationship with our high school coaching staff. These “phuture phantoms” have been working diligently on their skills to compete in this competition.

The tournament will take place on Saturday, March 6, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Phoenixville Area High School. Here is the schedule of events:


8:30 a.m. Barkley vs. East Pikeland Girls
9:45 a.m. East Pikeland vs. Schuylkill Boys
11:00 a.m. Barkley vs. Schuylkill Girls
12:15 p.m. Middle School Hot Shot Competition
1:00 p.m. East Pikeland vs. Barkley Boys
2:15 p.m. Schuylkill vs. East Pikeland Girls
3:30 p.m. Schuylkill vs. Barkley Boys
4:30 p.m. Championship Play-Offs

The Phuture Phantom Grade School Classic started seven years ago with 4th and 5th grade boy’s basketball teams competing against one another. The following year the girls division for 4th and 5th grade girls was added to the tournament. Last year, the PAHS cheer leaders began coordinating teams from each of schools. And this year we’ve added a Hot Shot Competition for the Middle School students at halftime. The Phuture Phantom Committee would like to thank everyone who helped plan the event, and all that that continue to support our Phuture Phantoms.

Green Energy Event hosted by: State Representative Paul J. Drucker. At Delaware Valley Friends School, 19 E. Central Avenue, Paoli, PA 19301. To be held on Thursday, February 25 from 3 P.M. to 7 P. M. Come visit and see how you can “Go Green” this year by talking with experts and seeing products that will help you conserve your home energy and save your money.

My name is Betty Cauler and I am a graduate student in the English and Publishing program at Rosemont College. I also worked for 23 years as a newspaper photographer and videographer in Allentown, Pa.
I'm currently working on an educational video documentary called “The Pennhurst Project.” The goal of the project is to record and archive first-person narratives from the staff, administrators and residents of Pennhurst State School and Hospital. I grew up not far from Pennhurst and I have always had an interest in the controversy that seems to surround this institution. Now that the campus has been deserted for over twenty years and has recently been bought by a private developer, I feel it is extremely important to document people’s memories about what life was like there.
Like it or not, Pennhurst was in the national spotlight for many years, thanks to the NBC 10 exposé by Bill Baldini in 1968 and the ensuing class-action lawsuit in 1974 that finally shut it down. This was an important time in history for the civil rights movement as public opinion was shifting away from “warehousing” of those with developmental disabilities into large, isolated institutions and towards more community-based group homes.
The results of the project will be included in an interactive history-based Web site and video documentary that will show the sights and sounds of Pennhurst through the stories and experiences of those who were connected with the institution in some way.
I am looking for men and women in the Spring-Ford, Pottstown and Phoenixville areas who were residents or employees of Pennhurst and who would like to be interviewed for this project. I realize that Pennhurst is a controversial subject to a lot of people and that there may be some hesitation in talking about it on-camera. Therefore, those of you who respond may remain anonymous if you wish, and I will only record your voice but not use your name.
Please feel free to contact me at: betty@bettycauler.com or by phone at 484-866-1540 or 610-435-3501 if you have any questions or concerns. Your story is very important in documenting this era in our national history.
Thank you.

Jerry Wheaton (pictured above), 61, poses in his Spring City apartment. Wheaton was sent to Pennhurst State School and Hospital when he was 3 years old and lived there until age 21.

The Chester County Orphans’ Court appoints guardians for people who need help in making decisions about their daily lives. The guardian is responsible for protecting the person under guardianship (called a Ward), to manage any funds the person may have, and to arrange for care which will adequately provide for the Ward’s well being. The purpose of the Court Volunteer Program is to give the Court a way to obtain current information about Wards and to verify that each is receiving good care.
The Court Visitor goes to the Ward's residence, observes conditions and talks with the Ward about his or her needs.
The Court Visitor will also speak to the guardian and to any other caregivers. Visitors need good communication skill, friendliness and common sense, objectivity and an ability to maintain confidentiality.
Training covers the guardianship process, wards' rights, communicating with wards that may have communication difficulties and what to look for on visits.
A volunteer should be able to give about a half a day per week. Volunteers are also needed to update information from Court files.
Training for new volunteers will be held on March 22. Please call Jean Gardner at 610-344-6074 for an application and more information.

Bryan Exley, a senior at the public cyber school Commonwealth Connections Academy, is using his musical talents and connections with local musicians to give back to the community for his senior project.

Exley has organized 4 concerts with his band and other local musicians, with all proceeds being donated to The Clinic in his hometown of Phoenixville – a free medical center for the uninsured. The last concert of the series will be this Friday, February 5 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Epiphany Church, 209 South 3rd Ave, Royersford.

With his first three concerts, Exley has raised about $500 and hopes to hit the $800 mark with his last show on Friday.

There will be 6 local acoustic acts in Friday’s show, including Exley’s Indy rock/jazz band The Charlotte Hotel. Tickets will be $7.00 at the door. Other local acts playing are The Rescue, Hillary Wallace, Boog, Pelley, and Nicole Vell