Around Phoenixville

Note, this is for the 2008 July 4th Celebration, click here for the 2009 schedule July 4th promises to be an activity packed one as we are faced with a sort of perfect storm of events. Not only are fireworks once again planned, we also have First Friday and the Summer Street Music Series . Because of this, this year the fireworks will be held downtown to coincide with the rest of the events. The Alexandra Day Band kicks things off at 2pm with a concert at the corner of Bridge and Main. Following them at 3pm will be Telleri Band and at 4 the Michael Packer Blues Band takes the stage. Finally, headlining the day is Craig Newell's Evening with Elvis . All of this will be accompanied by the usual First Friday festivities. The evening will end with a firework celebration scheduled to begin around 9:30. And for those of you who missed the fireworks last year because of the weather, the early report is for a 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms, which is pretty much par for the co...

As promised a while back (and not followed through on), here is an overview of things going on around town this weekend: Tonight Molly Maguire's Summer Street Music Series - 6-9pm. Headliner this week is Beatnik Brown who takes the stage at 7:30. From their website, Beatnik Brown is described as "Philly Improvisational Rock with a side of Funk. Always out to make it new, this is a jam band that actually jams!". Saturday Phoenixville Farmers Market - 9am-1pm Sunday Canal Day 2008 - 9am-4pm Lock 60 on the Schuylkill Canal and Saint Michael's Park, Mont Clare, PA. Annual Canal Day celebration featuring "5.5 mile Trail Run & 2 mile Loop Walk; Paddle Boat & Canoe/Kayak Races; 3 Lock Openings with audience participation; K-9 Rescue Demo; Always Exciting CANAL JOUST; Back by popular demand CANAL VAULTING!; Fishing Derby; Highland Games; Face Painting; Kids Games and Arts & Crafts; Orbitron and Trampoline Thing; Business Expo with lots of give-aways! ...

For those of you who have been looking for a more upscale drinking experience, you may soon have your wish. Coming later this summer will be The Fenix , "Phoenixville's Only Martini & Whiskey Bar". The Fenix is owned by the same people who run Molly Maguire's and will be located right next door, at 193 Bridge Street. There is a website setup at thefenixbar.com but there isn't a whole lot there just yet. Update 7/6: Reader Pete L. was able to confirm that the Molly Maguire folks are planning to open the Fenix at the end of August. Thanks Pete!

Received a phone call from my sister (who happens to be moving into Phoenixville on Saturday) who said there is a sign in front of the new 101 Bridge Restaurant saying that it will be opening tomorrow(6/25). It appears they are having a private opening tonight. If anyone here attended tonight or plans to attend over the next couple of days, please write in with your thoughts on Phoenixville's newest restaurant. Editor Note 6/25: This has been confirmed by a couple of the commenters.

On Saturday, September 27th, I will be participating in the 28th Annual Bike MS: City to Shore Ride . I will be participating in the 75-mile ride and my goal is to raise at least $250 $400. Obviously, the more the better! :) If you wish to make a donation, please visit the site the National MS Society has setup for me at http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/JimNorthcott . For those of you unfamiliar with Bike MS, here is a brief overview: --- Every hour of every day, another American is diagnosed with MS -- we need to take action now to help the growing number of people affected by this disease. I will be riding in Bike MS: City to Shore 2008 to help the 11,000 local people living with this devastating disease. Today, there is no cure for MS, but we're fighting to change that. This is why I am writing to you: I need your help and support. This year, I've set a personal goal of raising $250 $400 and I'm asking you to make a contribution. Simply, click on this link to vi...

On select Sunday evenings's throughout the summer, Phoenixville Federal Trust will be sponsoring free concerts at Reeves Park. The concerts, which start at 7pm, kick off this Sunday with the Ringgold Band performing "a medley of show tunes, overtures, and marches." For more information, please see the Phoenixville Federal Trust Summer Music Festival website . Source: The Phoenix

Over the past week, a number of articles and a podcast have come out regarding the proposal to bring a minor league baseball stadium to Phoenixville. In Sunday's Inquirer , a brief overview of the timeline for a decision was presented. --- The group seeking to build a minor-league baseball stadium in Chester County is writing the criteria to evaluate the 11 sites that have been nominated. "We hope to have site visits and evaluations completed by the end of summer," said Tom McIntyre of the Chester County Development Council and a member of the Chester County Stadium Project Task Force, which now has 30 members. Members of the task force's 12-person steering committee are putting together the evaluation criteria. The committee is scheduled to meet later this month with the full task force slated to hold its next meeting July 23. "We're a volunteer group so there's been no hard schedule," McIntyre said. "We'd like to visit the sites, either i...