Around Phoenixville

In its March issue, Philadelphia Magazine features '10 Awesome Neighborhoods to Call Home' and Phoenixville made the list! View the article here . Thanks to reader Brian for the link.

Agnostics Anonymous exists to promote an open and friendly environment for frank and respectful dialogue on questions regarding, among other things, human knowledge, morality and life's purpose. AgAnon strives to be a place where an honest and thoughtful exchange occurs among a gathering of friends who are committed to authentic inquiry. Dogmatic skeptics, absolute relativists and wily cynics are always welcome. Meetings are held from 7-8:30pm on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month at Wolfgang Books , 237 Bridge St., Phoenixville, PA. For more information, visit ag-anon.com .

Wasko’s, located at 223 Gay Street, is one of Phoenixville’s best kept secrets. Off of the beaten path of Bridge Street, this small sandwich shop is becoming well known, and deservedly so, for their roast pork sandwiches, pierogies and kielbasy. They also serve up delicious prime rib sandwiches along with more standard hoagies. Wasko’s is owned and run by Jim Wasko, a Mont Clare native, who opened the restaurant a little over two years ago. At the time, Jim had little experience as a cook but felt this was his life’s calling and has been learning ever since. A quick glance at Yelp shows that he is a quick study. Wasko’s is open every day but Sunday, from 11-6pm Monday-Thursday and Saturday and 11-7pm on Friday. Their phone number is 610-933-6720. For more information including their full menu, visit waskoscatering.com .

The Banff Mountain Film Festival will be making another visit to Phoenixville on March 5th and 6th, 2010. The event, which previously had been held at the Colonial , is moving to a new, bigger location at Valley Forge Christian College . The festival is once again being hosted by the Philadelphia Rock Gym with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Schuylkill Canal Association . For more information and for tickets, please visit the Banff 2010 site at PhilaRockGym.com

From Downtown Phoenixville News : The pre-Saint Patrick's Day pub crawl will be held on March 13th 1-5. There will be breweries at the participating pubs are as follows: 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, One more to be named shortly

From the Hipster Home email list: Hipster Home will be featured on the TV Show FYI Philadelphia (ABC 6) and we need customers in the store to help with the shoot. This is your big shot to get discovered........... well, OK, but at the very least you can be on a TV show and help a local business. Tomorrow only (Tuesday 2/23/10) (UPDATE: Shoot will be held on Thursday 2/25/10) at around 12 noon we will be offering a 30% discount on any non-sale items (excludes Gus and Geneva). Not a bad deal huh? We think it's pretty awesome. So if you've been thinking about stopping into Hipster, for any reason, then this is a great opportunity to save some big bucks. Don't miss out!

KIMBERTON, Pa. --- Two Pennsylvania registered non-profit organizations, Veniños - Venezuelan Children In Need - and Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, are working together on a spring fundraiser to benefit the missions of both organizations. On Sunday, March 21, 2010 , they will co-host a concert in Rose Hall at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, located at 1601 Pughtown Road , Kimberton , Pa. The concert’s program will feature Venezuelan folk music performed by the popular Casa De Venezuela Music Ensemble, accompanied by their vivacious dance group. Also performing will be the talented a cappella groups the Hilltones and the Hilltrebles from The Hill School, Pottstown. The concert will start at 2 p.m. A ticketed reception will follow and provide the opportunity to meet with and talk to the artists. Latin American inspired refreshments will be served. Tickets are available in advance from Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. For more information call 610-935-0300 ex. 12 or e-mail

The Phoenixville Youth Babe Ruth League will be holding signups the next two Sundays, February 21st and 28th. Phoenixville Youth Babe Ruth League (PYBRL) Sign-Ups for T-Ball, Baseball, and Softball Ages 5 - 12 This Sunday, Feb 21 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Also Sunday Feb 28 and Mar 6, 1 - 4 PM The Field House at Vic Marosek Park/PECO Fields 1101 Jefferson St. Phoenixville, PA First Time Players must bring a birth certificate. All Players must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For further information call 610-933-1177 or email: pybrlhn@aol.com

On Saturday, February 20th, the Valley Forge Fire Company is hosting their annual Soup Sale. The event, which runs from 11-2, features homemade soups made by their auxillary volunteers. For more information and to preorder, please visit their site at www.valleyforgefireco.com .

Kristen Caperila , local independent education consultant for Usborne Books, is helping raise money for three local groups: Stepping Stone Education Center - Preparing pre-schoolers for life...One step at a time! Click on Fundraising and shop the Usborne link to help them earn 15% on all sales. Buried With Dignity - This incredible organization's goal is to provide memorial stones for children in the Greater Philadelphia area whose families cannot afford them, so every child can be "buried with dignity". Visit their website and look for the Usborne Books link at the bottom of the home page, 10% of all sales placed through that link go to this wonderful organization. While visiting their site you can also make a donation directly to BWD! Renaissance Academy Charter School - Click here to help the Renaissance Academy's Family School Organization. 15% of all sales will go to the FSO.

Stepping Stone Education Center, 400 Franklin Ave. Suite 250, Phoenixville, invites the community to a Family Fun Fair on Saturday, February 20th, 2010, from 10AM to 2PM. The fair will feature hands-on science demonstrations by High Touch-High Tech®. There will also be a silent auction, games, crafts, face painting, hoagies and pizza. For more information please call 610-933-7710. Stepping Stone Education Center offers full time childcare from 6 weeks to 6 year olds with a variety of preschool classes and kindergarten enrichment. Additional information regarding the school can be found at www.SteppingStoneEducation.org or calling 610-933-7710. High Touch-High Tech® offers unique programs designed to stimulate the imagination and curiosity of children in the sciences. More information regarding High Touch-High Tech® is at www.hightouch-hightech.com .

Christopher Latzke (left) as Algernon, and Kristin Krikorian (right) as Cecily in Forge Theatre’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” Beginning February 26th, the Forge Theatre will be presenting Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest". What happens when two pretty young girls both fall in love with men they believe to be named Ernest? Will they learn that a rose by any other name still smells as sweet? Forge Theatre in Phoenixville presents "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde. This delightfully witty, light-hearted romp through high society follows the antics of two bachelors trying to win their ladies’ hearts by earnestly pretending to be Ernest. Performances of this frothy comedy are February 26 and 27 at 8pm; March 7 at 2pm; March 5 ,6, 11, 12 and 13 at 8pm at Forge Theater, 241 First Avenue, Phoenixville. Tickets are $12 (ages 18 and under, $10). For reservations, call 610-935-1920. Further information: http://ForgeTheatre.org/

Mom's House , a free daycare for single parents attending school full time, is having two fundraisers in the next month. February 16, 2010 - Iron Hill Give 20% Fundraiser. On that night, Iron Hill will donate 20% of all food purchases to Mom's House. Patrons will need to bring a coupon to Iron Hill which can downloaded here . March 21, 2010 - Miles for Moms 5k and family fun run. Information for this will be available on their site shortly.

Each quarter, The Hand Crafted Cookie Company chooses a local organization whose work they believe is important to make a donation to. For the first quarter of 2010, they have chosen Mom's House on Church St. They will make a donation of 5% of all sales, up to $500, plus whatever amount their customers donate during that time. Last quarter, they raised $536 for PACS and, the quarter before, $594 for Citizen Advocacy of Chester County . They have set a goal of at least $600 for this quarter. So stop in, have some great cookies and help a good cause in the process!

Tickets are Available Now for PACS’ Annual Murder Mystery Comedy Dinner Show and Auction What could be more fun than a special evening of laughter , drama and mystery ?? Make plans now to attend the 3 rd Annual Murder Mystery dinner show to benefit Phoenixville Area Community Services (PACS) slated for Friday, March 26.  You will be treated to an enjoyable evening of food and entertainment, where you take part in solving the "crime." "Theatre of Horror," performed by actors from Phoenixville’s Forge Theatre, is set in a dinner to announce the new schedule for "Style Theatre Company," a repertory theater group which has seen better days.  Unfortunately, at this celebration someone is murdered !   There will be mystery, drama and lots of laughs!  During the investigation, audience members participate by questioning suspects, examining clues and figuring out motives.  And whoever solves the crime wins a prize! Ticket price is $75 per person and inc