Don't Crawl Naked for Home Inspections (Pottstown)   Several years ago, I read an article in one of my trade magazines about making sure you are protected before going through crawl spaces.  When I do home inspections in Pottstown & surrounding and I have to go through a crawl space, I don't crawl naked!  By "naked", I'm referring to being unprotected.  The risk these crawl spaces pose when you crawl through them and stir up that old dust might be shocking if you knew what lies waiting in that old dust.   Almost a quarter of the home inspections I do in Pottstown and surrounding areas has a crawl space.  Newer homes, even with the polythylene vapor barrier, can pose a risk, but most dangerous of all are the older crawl spaces with the dirt floor.   If you have ever crawled through one o... 12/07/2011

    PDIDA is hosting another Super Sunday tomorrow, November 27th from noon-4 pm. Here’s the lowdown from PDIDA: Downtown Pottstown will host “Super Sunday” on Sunday, November 27th. Sheila Dugan, the Chairman of Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority (PDIDA), is inviting all to help celebrate National Support Small Business Day. Many downtown merchants will have their doors open to take part in the celebration from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. The Farmer’s Market will host a number of crafters and special deals will be found at Grumpy’s, Freeland Meats, and J. & H. Produce. There will be many activities for youngsters including face painting and a visit to the Santa house as it is being decorated for the upcoming holiday season. The Farmer’s Market will also be hosting “The Givin... 11/26/2011

A Coventry Christmas A wonderful Christmas event is being held by the Calvary Christian Center located at 426 Laurelwood Rd, beside the Coventry Mall. In the spirit of the holidays, Calvary Christian will host "A Coventry Christmas". December 4, 2011 at 3PM The event will give away over 100 Christmas trees and 200 filled stockings for children. Homemade soup, hot dogs, hot chocolate and coffee will also be available. Puppet Shows will be performed to delight the children. To learn more about the event call: 610 323-0480 There are no special requirements for receiving a tree.           11/23/2011

    Friday December 9th 8:00PM310 East High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464Pottstown Has the Biggest Balls of All!~Inspired by the ACDC Song~ Come in costume as your favorite work of art or your favorite poet, musician, dancer, painter, mime, writer, clown, acrobat or movie star!! $35-single $60-couple ALL INCLUSIVE: divine munchies, luscious libations, (beer and wine), cerebral celebrations and full-frontal festiveness! Dance the night away to the local, musical machinations of artists Marc Dryburgh (drums), Chris Coyle (bass), Ben Bullok (keyboard) Jazz, Blues and Funk. ~ Silent Auctions ~ #1 Our friend, Sam, at Milkman Lunch Co. & Cake Shoppe will auction two original cakes made especially for the high bidders of these Sweet auctions. #2 A tribute to Lady Gaga and doing good deeds in Pot... 11/22/2011

  How's this for a great deal: Enjoy a wonderful dinner, save 15% off your tab AND support the local arts?  Starting November 15, Juan Carlos Fine Mexican Cuisine will donate 15% of your Tuesday dining tab to the Gallery School of Pottstown, supporting our mission to bring access to the arts to everyone in our community. Simply print out this coupon and bring it to the restaurant with you. The offer is valid every Tuesday, giving you lots of opportunities to eat well with a purpose! Providing the culinary inspiration for your evening out, Juan Carlos is located in downtown Pottstown at the corner of Penn & High Streets. Juan Carlos combines Mexican and Brazilian influences to bring to you authentic South American cuisine, focused on only the freshest and finest ingredients. Check out th... 11/22/2011

  Embrace your local history... Looking for a unique holiday experience for your family?  Why not give them a glimpse into what the holidays were like in days gone by?  No Xboxes or Ipads under the tree-Oh my!   it just may give the kids a whole new outlook on celebrating the holidays... Twelfth Night Tours at Pottsgrove Manor 100 West King Street-Pottstown PA  19464 Friday November 25 to Sunday January 8 2012 Enjoy a guided tour of Pottsgrove Manor, decorated for the holidays.  Learn about traditional English celebrations of Twelfth Night and how they differed from our modern Christmas festivities.  Suggested Donation: $2.00 Museum Hours: Tues through Sat. 10:00 to 4:00PM Sundays 1:00 to 4:00PM Tours given on the hour with the last tour of the day at 3PM Closed on Mondays and Holidays 11/15/2011

If you have followed my blogs in the past, you are well aware that I treasure the wonderful unique-ness of the Pottstown area's architecture and culture.  From the beautiful facades in the downtown area to the unique historical advertising murals on some of the buildings, I understand and value this town's individuality. Discussions at this weeks borough council meeting could mean our town is at the beginning stages of erasing that heritage in the name of "moving forward" for successful future business partnerships... Pottstown's Architectural Integrity At Stake Changes to the borough's certified local historic district took center stage at Monday's Pottstown Borough Council meeting. Courtesy of Brian Zarley A move intended to make downtown Pottstown more business friendly may have an a... 11/15/2011

Pottstown Home Inspector finds himself Thankful… As Thanksgiving approaches, I thought it was a good time to sit back and think about the things that I’m truly thankful for.  Here are a few things that came to mind: First, because I know she’ll be reading this, I should say I’m thankful for my loving, beautiful wife, Tina. Her sense of adventure keeps life interesting and she makes a great travel partner (except for her propensity to approach wildlife).  She has grown my business in ways I didn’t know were possible and still find time to keep my tummy happy.  Tina makes life… great.     Second, although my cats would vehemently disagree, I’m thankful for our dog, Buster.  We rescued him from the shelter last Spring and he’s managed to keep us entertained ever since.  If you asked Buster... 11/08/2011

   A while back I did a series on the Schuylkill River Trails.  The beautiful weather and some of the wonderful things happening in the downtown Pottstown area have prompted me to remind everyone in the area just what a great family day you could be having on the trails in and around the Pottstown area.      First stop, would be to stop by and grab yourself a bite downtown.  Grumpy's Handcarved Sandwiches will pack you a yummy boxed lunch for the trails.  Grumpy's is located inside the Pottstown Farmers Market- while you're waiting for Grumpy to get your lunch together, why not have a look around to see what the Market has to offer?  Need a bike for your ride on the trail?  No problem!  Stop by and visit Tri county Bicycles (just down the street from Grumpy's)  and ask about the Bike Po... 11/06/2011

The Pottstown Regional Public Library provides so many different events and experiences to you and your family.  Hopefully, you are making good use of this wonderful source of education and entertainment in our area.  The Library needs your support in order to continue bringing all these wonderful things to our community.      There's still time to get your tickets to the fundraiser that is taking place this Saturday... Wines of the Southern Hemisphere November 5th 6:30 - 9PM Pottstown Library 500 East High St. Pottstown PA. 19464 610 970-6551 $40 per person   The event will include food by Chef Jerry Delena , music by classical guitarist Dillon Taylor and you will be able to learn more about wines than you ever could imagine from Dean and Lisa Foster of Vintage Connections.  So why not... 11/03/2011

Genesis Housing Corporation Brings the Dream of Home Ownership to Local renters...   The Washington Street Neighborhood Project is revitalizing Washington Street in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The Washington Street Neighborhood Project emphasizes home ownership and encourages local renters to become homebuyers.   The Washington Street Neighborhood Project purchases, rehabs, and resells homes at affordable sale prices with an interest free soft second mortgage for the difference between the sale price and the appraised value of the home.   Families interested in purchasing a home should contact Genesis Housing Corporation to review program requirements, available locations and to fill out an application.       Genesis Housing Corporation is dedicated to the development of affordable housin... 11/03/2011

Pottstown's Weitzenkorn's Men's Store is now welcoming yet another generation to its long history serving the area.  Fifth generation, Aaron Weitzenkorn will be following in some very big foot steps.  I can remember going to the store with my grandfather to shop for his ties when I was small.  The Weitzenkorns always treated every customer that came through their door as if they were their VERY BEST customer.  Weitzenkorn's, located in a stately building at 145 E. High St., is celebrating its 147th year in business. It's not just one of the oldest businesses in town, it's one of the oldest family-owned men's specialty stores in the country. The secret to Weitzenkorn's longevity and success, according to brothers Marc and Gregg, who represent the fourth generation of the Weitzenkorn fami... 11/03/2011

  A Tradition at the Hill School Center for the Arts   The Schuylkill Valley Regional Dance Company will be performing a brand "new to the area" "Nutcracker" this year to celebrate its 40th Anniversary. Two former principal dancers from the Kirov Ballet, Andrei Ustinov and Elena Martinson, will be setting choreography on the Company based on the original work by Marius Petipa (originally performed at the Kirov in 1892). The performances will take place at the Hill School Center fo...r the Arts in Pottstown on Saturday Dec. 3rd at 7:30pm, as well as on Sunday Dec. 4th at 2pm. Also, there will be specially priced matinees for school and senior citizen groups on Friday, Dec. 2. Artistic Director, Michelle Jones Wurtz, will be assisting the ballet masters and will be joining the cast for a ... 11/03/2011

  SUPER SUNDAYS in DOWNTOWN POTTSTOWN November 27th   We will be kicking off the holidays with all kinds of fun.  Bring the family out for a visit.  Come and see what's new in Downtown Pottstown.  We've got great eateries, Theater and the Arts along with all the special fun of the day: Tree Decorating Contest Decorate Santa's House Tri County Performing Arts Center is performing "A Christmas Story" Bark for LIFE is Coming on December 4 The Gallery will have a Santa Shop for kids on December 10 Come on out and enjoy some fun and kick off your Holiday Season!   For more information on what's happening in Downtown Pottstown visit the website 11/02/2011

    *PREMIERING TODAY on our own local radio station: WPAZ1370* THE COMMUNITY SPEAKS is a new daily show which brings you interviews and features informing you about what's happening in the listening area. Familiar voices, eye-opening topics, and great music -- it's THE COMMUNITY SPEAKS!! Today's show features interviews with Reed Lindley (Pottstown school district superintendent), Alicia Taschner (host of Heaven Talks on WPAZ Tuesdays at 8:30pm), and Adrianne Blank (Main Street Manager at Building A Better Boyertown). Tune in online every day between 9am and 1pm!!   10/24/2011

A new show opened at the Gallery on High on Saturday, October 15. The Fall Member Show features work by the Gallery’s local Working Artist Members. Visitors will be treated to a gorgeous array of art in mediums from traditional oil and photography to mixed media using clay, fiber, sand and wood. The Fall Member Show will run until November 12. The show can be seen during the Gallery’s regular hours: Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4:30pm and Saturday from 10am-3pm. The Gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.      The Gallery on High, along with The Tri County Performing Arts Center and Village Productions afford local residents the wonderful opportunity to investigate the arts right in their back yard. Have you have ever been curious about the arts but have been at a loss as to where t... 10/21/2011

      I'll just bet that you've had some visions of apple dumplings and apple cider dancing in your head these days.  In this area it is apple time and they are abundant all around, in every possible way- baked, boiled, carmelized, I could go on and on..... A trip to a local apple farm is pretty common for many families living in the Berks and Montgomery County areas.  Here is another fun event to round out your Apple theme:  Pottsgrove Manor is holding interactive demonstrations on how the colonial settlers made hard cider, apple butter and other apple recipes. It’s taking place this Saturday, October 22 from 11 am-3 pm. Plenty of fun for all including trying out the cider press and "apple crafts" to take home. Bring the camera for some fun photo opportunities.  A suggested donation of... 10/20/2011

  Downtown Pottstown is offering worldwide flair for your dining experience these days...    Recently added to the upscale Mexican eatery Juan Carlos is Bistro 137, a coffee house and restaurant that specializes in a broad range of Mediterranean fare. The restaurant is owned by Ilknur Basol, a native of southern Turkey who comes from a family focused on food. Her brother lives in Switzerland and is a professional cake and chocolate baker there and, she said in an email, she hopes to soon bring him (and his delicious cakes) here to Pottstown. "Cooking is a gene that runs in my family," she wrote in an email to The Mercury. In addition to cooking for large charity organizations, Basol is also a member of several Turkish food organizations and has worked in a number of restaurants and coff... 10/18/2011

Over the past two months, a forest scene has come alive in Pottstown's Washington/Chestnut street park in the form of a mural. Jeff Margraf, an accomplished local artist living in Phoenixville, was commissioned to design and create the mural for all to enjoy. The artwork depicts the change of seasons set in a natural wooded scene, with flora and fauna scattered throughout. Several young budding artists had an opportunity to assist Margraf during the recent National Night Out Celebration held on August 2 at this same park. Children of all ages helped fill in tree trunks and the grassy field, bringing to life this beautiful natural scene. Susquehanna Bank has donated funds to Genesis Housing Corporation as part of a comprehensive community-based revitalization effort for the Washington St... 10/17/2011

Okay, it's Monday morning, I know that if you're anything like I am, you're already planning what to do NEXT weekend!  here are some ideas for those of you in this area!   FUN THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS IN AND AROUND THE POTTSTOWN AND SURROUNDING AREAS... The Gallery on High - Gallery School of Pottstown, 254 E High St, Pottstown, will host Bees, Butterflies, Beaches and Bridges through Aug. 13. The event is free and open to the public. The Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tues. - Fri. and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat. • McLicky's - a new ice cream and water ice restaurant at 250 E. High Street, features a 1,000-square-foot shop with indoor seating for 16 to 18 people, outdoor seating, serves ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, water ice and other goodies. • Warwick County Park, 191 County P... 10/17/2011