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The Perkiomen Valley and Phoenixville chambers of commerce recently announced that they have teamed up as part of an Olympic promotion to get their members more networking opportunities. Throughout this month and next the two chambers are holding joint networking events in the area.

All events held by both are open to both members at membership rates.

On Feb. 24, the are hosting a business card exchange at Franklin Commons in Phoenixville from 4 to 6 p.m.

On March 2 there will be a Women In Networking meeting at the Perk Valley Chamber offices at noon with plans to discuss the PV WIN Expo.

Also on March 2 there will be a mixer at Phoenixville Tax Tacklers from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., 300 Bridge St. R.S.V.P for both by calling 610-489-6660.

According to a legal notice published in the Thursday, Feb. 18, edition of The Mercury, Bechtelsville Borough is looking to reconstruct Franklin Street. It is putting out a bid for contractors through March 5. According to the legal notice, the project will involved the "reconstruction of failed paved areas, the supply and installation of underdrain and the full width overlay of the roadway to the limits shown on the plan (available at borough hall)."

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Lower Pottsgrove residents who have any questions or comments to make about the expansion of the Ringing Rocks Elementary School should turn out at the public meeting of the township board of commissioners on March 1 at 6 p.m. in the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Road.

The land the expansion will affect is at 1401 Kauffman Road in the township.

Other upcoming meetings planned:

A hearing on a restaurant application before the Lower Pottsgrove township commissioners on March 1. The lot affected is at 2209 E. High Street and the business looking to put a restaurant in is Cilluffo Property Holdings.

The Pottstown Shade Tree Commission on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the council meeting room in borough hall.

The Boyertown Area Emergency Management Council on March 23 at 7 p.m. in Borough Hall, 100 S. Washington St.

The Pottstown Planning Commission on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers in borough hall.

There are a lot of ways to show you love someone this Valentine's Day. Here are a few ways that are locally focused and unique.

Flying Lessons:
You can give your loved one something that lasts long after the chocolates with a $99 flying lesson at any of the 3,500 area flight schools in the U.S., according to Jo Ann Guear of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Find a flight school (locally there is one at the Pottstown-Limerick Airport on Ridge Pike) at http://www.aopa.org/letsgoflying/ready/choose/search.cfm. During the flight, your sweetie can sit in the pilot’s seat and take the controls to taxi, take off and fly a plane for around 30-40 minutes before landing. All under the guidance of an FAA-licensed instructor.

Wine and Chocolate Trail:
Member wineries of the Berks County Wine Trail are participating in a special weekend this Valentine's Day. Feb. 13 and 14, the wineries involved are open from noon to 5 and are serving special desserts paired with their wines. Maps & directions for this self-guided tour are available on the wine trail's Web site, www.berkscountywinetrail.com. Additional directions are available on the individual Web sites for each participating winery. This event will also be a fantastic opportunity to taste medal winning wines from the 2010 PA Farm Show. Berks County Wine Trail wineries collectively brought home over twenty medals this year including four Gold Medals and a Best in Show!

For a Giving Heart:
Why not give your sweetie something to enjoy while helping others. A great gift for someone who loves to volunteer or make a difference in this world is a breakfast at
St. Mary’s Franciscan Shelter for Homeless Families, 209 Emmett Street, Phoenixville. The only annual fundraiser for the shelter, this breakfast features an all-you-can-eat buffet between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Cost is $9 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12. Children under age 5 get in free. The buffet will be prepared by Will Christman of Make It Special in Royersford. Included on the menu will be fresh fruit cup, orange juice, English muffins, pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried country style ham, sausage links, homefries, a selection of cold cereal, assorted desserts, coffee, tea and milk. Advanced reservations are requested; call 610-933-3097 by Feb. 5.

Do you want to help Pottstown be revitalized? Why not do so by helping out the area's newest arts venue?

On Saturday, Jan. 30, the theater could use help moving risers in the Newberry Loft from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in preparation for its Black History Month concert. The concert is slated for this Sunday.

Anyone interested in helping should contact to Barb Balaguer at volunteer@villageproductions.org or Facilities Manager Phil Richard at phil@villageproductions.org

The theater is also holding Volunteer in Partnership training on Feb. 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can tour the theater, meet the staff and attend training sessions. The theater is looking for help with Backstage and Technical (set construction, painting, costumes, props, lighting, sound, stage management, run crew, producers and assistant producers); Front of House (house management, ushers, box office, concessions); Facilities (janitorial, maintenance and repairs); and Administrative (marketing, fundraising, event planning and hosting, and lobby coverage). The volunteer coordinator will match your interests with various options.

Contact Barb Balaguer, volunteer coordinator, at volunteer@villageproductions.org if you plan on attending.

"From Out The Fiery Furnace," a one-act play written and directed by nationally recognized playwright Christine Emmert and performed by 40-year veteran of the stage and screen Barbara Hannevig, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Schuylkill River Heritage Center, 2 N. Main St., Phoenixville. This program is free.

The play features the stories of life in the 19th century at Hopewell Village. Hannevig brings to life several characters of the period including run away slaves, “fallen” women, indentured servants, orphaned children, and others.

“We are pleased to be able to bring the stories of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site to the community in an exciting new way,” said Hopewell Superintendent Edie Shean-Hammond. “This is an original drama and Hannevig is riveting to young and old alike.”

The play premiered during Hopewell’s Harvest Time event on Sept. 19 to two full house audiences. Emmert and Hannevig volunteered to take the show on the road to new audiences. The NPS chose Phoenixville as an appropriate venue as pig iron from Hopewell Furnace was processed at foundries in Phoenixville for weapons during the Civil War.

Future performances are scheduled at the Phoenixville Library, in Radnor and in Pottstown.

The National Park play showcases how a woman’s life and love could be singularly tracked through her relationship with a Hopewell Stove.

“Hopewell Furnace was famous for not only supporting George Washington in the Revolutionary War, but also for its proliferation of perhaps the most important innovation of the 19th century, the 10-plate cooking stove,” said Shean-Hammond. “We should never take for granted how this important innovation and the industry that created it freed women, both black and white, to pursue their just place in American Society."

At Hopewell Furnace, the National Park Service preserves and interprets an early American industrial landscape from natural resource extraction to enlightened conservation. The site is surrounded by the 73,000-acre Hopewell Big Woods, the largest forest in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Sunnybrook Ballroom is holding a Rock and Roll night this Saturday for a cost of $15. The Sunnybrook Rockers will perform and there will be plenty of room to dance.