The Sanatoga Post

The Philadelphia-based Give And Take Jugglers.

POTTSTOWN PA – Beth Reifsnyder’s friends are setting aside Jan. 22 (2010, Friday) as a night that’s all hers.

Reifsnyder, a second-grade student at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School, was diagnosed in September with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer that affects the nervous system of children and infants. She is being regularly treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and attends school when possible.

To help offset costs being borne by her family, the Lower Pottsgrove Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) last week announced it would conduct a fund-raiser during its Family Fun Night on Jan. 22 at the school, 1329 Buchert Rd., Pottstown PA. The evening features a performance by the Give And Take Jugglers of Philadelphia.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Donations to the effort will be accepted at the door, and the PTO also will conduct a basket raffle, according to co-Presidents Leigh Chancler and Maria Carroll. More than 35 baskets of products, services and gifts have been donated by community members and businesses, they reported.

The doors at the school will open at 6 p.m. Raffle ticket and refreshment sales will begin at 7 p.m.. The jugglers take the stage at 7:45 p.m., and basket winners will be called after the performance.

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NORRISTOWN PA – Montgomery County (PA) emergency dispatchers directed police units, firefighters and emergency medical responders within the past 24 hours to a variety of incidents. A selective list of their activity appears below.

The entries are taken from publicly available feeds supplied by the county Department of Public Safety. Feed content has been edited by The Post for relevance to readers in Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick PA townships, the borough of Pottstown, and surrounding municipalities. It consequently is incomplete and is not intended to be comprehensive.

In most cases, the entries can be read as:

1. Type of service (EMS = emergency medical services, Traffic = police, Fire = firefighters);
2. Type of incident (vehicle accident, etc.)
3. Location of incident (usually by closest intersection or landmark, and the name of the municipality)
4. Date and time of the incident (YYYY-MM-DD) @ (“at”) (HH:MM:SS) in military time format.

Wednesday, Dec. 30

EMS: Respiratory Emergency
Walnut St & Myrtle St; Pottstown; 2009-12-31 @ 02:49:31;

EMS: Assault Victim
Foxcroft Cir & Foxmeadow Dr; Limerick; 2009-12-31 @ 01:11:16;

EMS: Hemorrhaging
Landis Rd & Mt Airy Rd; Skippack; 2009-12-30 @ 23:19:54;

Fire: Fire Investigation
Jamestown Rd & Johnny Cir; Skippack; 2009-12-30 @ 22:52:38;

EMS: Assault Victim
Cherry St & Daub Aly; Pottstown; 2009-12-30 @ 21:06:37;

Traffic: Vehicle Accident
Bleim Rd & N Charlotte St; Lower Pottsgrove; 2009-12-30 @ 21:03:10;

EMS: Cardiac Emergency
Colonial Dr & Hamilton Rd; East Greenville; 2009-12-30 @ 20:46:29;

Fire: Gas-Odor/Leak
High St & Beech St; Pottstown; 2009-12-30 @ 19:02:13;

EMS: Assault Victim
Swinehart Rd & Grosser Rd; Douglass; 2009-12-30 @ 19:09:17;

EMS: Choking
Green Tree Rd & Egypt Rd; Upper Providence; 2009-12-30 @ 19:01:18;

EMS: Vehicle Accident
Fruitville Rd; Limerick; 2009-12-30 @ 18:47:48;

Fire: Vehicle Fire
Gay St; Pottstown; 2009-12-30 @ 18:47:46;

Traffic: Vehicle Accident Injuries
Gay St & N Charlotte St; Pottstown; 2009-12-30 @ 18:45:59;

EMS: Syncopal Episode
Faust Rd & Mill Rd; Limerick; 2009-12-30 @ 18:38:53;

EMS: Unknown Medical Emergency
Clover Pl & 1st Ave; Royersford; 2009-12-30 @ 18:30:57;

Traffic: Vehicle Accident
Swamp Pike & Wagner Rd; New Hanover; 2009-12-30 @ 18:16:34;

Traffic: Disabled Vehicle Blocking
S Collegeville Rd & Town Center Dr; Upper Providence; 2009-12-30 @ 17:10:30;

Traffic: Disabled Vehicle
Rt422 Wb & S Township Line Rd Overpass; Limerick; 2009-12-30 @ 15:54:18;

EMS: Back Pains/Injury
Hanover St & Mervine St; Upper Pottsgrove; 2009-12-30 @ 15:50:26;

EMS: Unknown Medical Emergency
Faust Rd & Little Rd; Upper Frederick; 2009-12-30 @ 11:28:34;

EMS: Head Injury
Macoby St & E 5th St; Pennsburg; 2009-12-30 @ 11:25:03;

EMS: Cardiac Emergency
Franklin St & South St; Pottstown; 2009-12-30 @ 10:56:37;

EMS: CVA/Stroke
View Rd & Salford Station Rd; Lower Frederick; 2009-12-30 @ 10:16:21;

EMS: Medical Alert Alarm
Main St & Church St; Schwenksville; 2009-12-30 @ 10:14:46;

EMS: General Weakness
New Hanover Square Rd & Swamp Pike; New Hanover; 2009-12-30 @ 09:48:44;

Traffic: Disabled Vehicle
Hanover St & Glocker Way; Chester County; 2009-12-30 @ 09:43:37;

EMS: Cardiac Emergency
Longview Rd & Rr Underpass; Limerick; 2009-12-30 @ 08:10:08;

EMS: Fracture
Providence Forge & Vaughn Rd; Upper Providence; 2009-12-30 @ 07:21:06.

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These guys took the plunge in 2008. You could too!

SANATOGA PA – Weekend activities for western Montgomery County residents (and anyone else!), Jan. 1-3, 2010:

• These events have been added to The Post calendar.

Friday, Jan. 1

Start the New Year with a cold dip or, maybe better still, by watching someone else take one.

The annual Polar Bear Plunge into the Schuylkill River, sponsored by the Pottstown (PA) Parks and Recreation Department, will dive into the frigid waters at Pottstown Riverfront Park on College Drive beginning with a sign-up at 9 a.m., and the plunge itself at 10:30 a.m. You can join in the fun (that’s fun?), but you must sign a release form, or you can watch from the shore, warm up later by a bonfire, and enjoy a pork and sauerkraut snack for only $2.

Only a few miles east, at the riverside boat launch on Route 113 in Phoenixville, between the Parkhouse complex and Black Rock Sanctuary, the Black Rock Skiers will conduct their annual New Year’s water skiing performance atop, not in, the Schuylkill. The skiers start at noon, weather pemitting. If Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate, the event will be postponed to Saturday (Jan. 2) at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 2

Youngsters can join Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army in its battle with the British, in a manner of speaking, during a Junior Ranger program that begins Saturday (Jan. 2, 2010) at 11 a.m. in the Visitor Center of Valley Forge National Historical Park in King of Prussia PA. The program is free. For more information, call 610-783-1099. (This event from ParentsSource)

A free community swim will be held Saturday (Jan. 2, 2010) from3-4:45 p.m., at the Boyertown Area YMCA in Boyertown PA. For more information, call 610-369-YMCA. (This event from ParentsSource)

The Monarch Fire Company, 50 Pennsylvania Ave., Monacacy PA, is having a steak and shrimp night Saturday (Jan. 2). The dinner begins at 5 p.m.. For ticket information, call 610-385-3310.

Sunday, Jan. 3

A free community swim will be held Sunday (Jan. 3), both from3-4:45 p.m., at the Boyertown Area YMCA in Boyertown PA. For more information, call 610-369-YMCA. (This event from ParentsSource)

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Monthly meetings allow TCN members to network to meet common needs, solve mutual problems, and address community concerns.

POTTSTOWN PA – People working together for the common good can create change during 2010, according to the Pottstown-based TriCounty Community Network (TCN), a federation of local non-profit organizations, businesses and community residents that has begun its annual membership drive.

TCN consists of more than 140 representatives from across western Montgomery, northern Chester and southeastern Berks (PA) counties who are interested in collaborating on grassroots that positively affect local youths and education, caregivers and health issues, public transportation issues, and environmental awareness.

The group specializes in creating free and low-cost programs to address community concerns, Executive Operations Assistant Jan Morris said.

Membership costs range from $15 annually for individuals to $50 for businesses and organizations. For more information, visit its website or call 610-705-3301.

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The Pottsgrove Middle School Choir performs "North Pole Rock N' Roll."

POTTSTOWN PA – The biggest surprise during a Pottsgrove Middle School holiday concert filled with delights, according to Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ Treasurer Fred Remelius, was the tuba player.

Handbell players joined in.

An audience of more than 800 people packed into the school’s auditorium at 1351 N. Hanover St. two weeks ago (Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009), for an annual festival of song and music staged by student members of its band and choral groups. The “thrilled” crowd got what it expected, Remelius reports: a memorable night of performances and celebration.

It also got one thing more it wasn’t prepared for: Mrs. Lamb.

She played tuba. At age 86.

The mother of band director Kathy Williams was introduced to the audience as the Middle School band’s newest – albeit temporary – member, because she could play the one instrument the group lacked for its presentation. The crowd cheered wildly.

Kathy Williams conducts the sax ensemble.

Joe Clevenger solos on trumpet, playing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

Also during the evening:

• Carole Bean led more than 130 members of the school’s Varsity Singers in 14 different holiday songs. The Varsity Singers has several sub-groups, including an 8th Grade Ensemble, The Grovesmen (boys), The Le Choeur Des Filles (girls) and the Show Choir.
• Terry Rhinebold led the eight-member Handbell Ensemble in “Ring Jubilee” and “Frosty the Snowman.”
• Williams conducted the expanded, 115-member middle school band, which includes a jazz band and a wind ensemble, as they played nine holiday tunes.

The finale of the evening was “Silent Night,” performed by all of the more than 200 student musicians and accompanied by the singing audience.

Santa's caps gave the Grovesmen a finishing touch.

Photos by Fred Remelius

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POTTSTOWN PA – The 18-year-old Pottsgrove High School man who drove the sports utility vehicle involved in a Dec. 12 (2009) accident, in which Pottstown High School students Breanne Brothers and Andrea Antonio-Harris were killed, has been charged with homicide by vehicle and other offenses, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported yesterday (Dec. 29) on its website.

A Facebook memorial page contains 21 photos of the two girls who died earlier this month.

The charges came on the same day in which the family and friends of Antonio-Harris gathered at a Pottstown church to remember her in a memorial service.

Police say Thomas Andrew Kocon “was driving nearly 20 miles over the 55-m.p.h speed limit on Route 100 in Upper Pottsgrove just before midnight when he wrecked the 2003 Durango,” Inquirer reporter Derrick Nunnally wrote in a story posted late Tuesday. An affidavit of probable cause was filed earlier in the day, charging Kocon with two counts of homicide by vehicle and five counts of recklessly endangering others.

Kocon was taken to the Montgomery County (PA) Correctional Facility; his bail was set at $50,000. His re-appearance in court for a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 8 (2010).

The office of Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, which had previously issued two news releases about the accident investigation, had not posted an official announcement of the charges by Tuesday at 9 p.m.

The vehicle reportedly was owned by Kocon’s father. Earlier reports that the vehicle was uninsured at the time apparently have been confirmed.

Montgomery County prosecutors allege the driver “had refused to put the Durango’s rear seat down,” which kept passengers in the rear from buckling their seat belts, The Inquirer story said. Two other girls, students of Pottsgrove High and Boyertown Junior High schools, respectively, were injured in the accident and later hospitalized.

Other resources:

• Pottstown Teen Behind Bars for Role in Fatal Car Crash (KYW-AM, Philadelphia PA)
• Driver Charged In Crash That Killed Two Fellow Teenagers (WFMZ-TV, Allentown PA)
• Teen driver charged in crash that killed two girls (The Mercury, Pottstown PA)
• Thomas Kocon (Pottstown’s Blog. Editor’s note: this is a local blogger’s expression of opinion, and not a news article.)

Related:

• Accident Driver Uninsured, TV Report Claims
• Services Set For Pottstown Accident Victim
• Candles Flicker In Students’ Memorial
• Dealing With Grief In Accident Aftermath
• Two Killed, Others Injured in Route 100 Accident

Screen shot from Facebook.com

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Sunnybrook's Jazz Combo.

SANATOGA PA – A night of jazz music, performed by the Sunnybrook Jazz Combo, will enliven the village Jan. 16 (2010; Saturday) beginning at 8 p.m. as the group plays its hip sounds at historic Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Sanatoga PA. Tickets are $15 per person at the door. For more information, call 484-624-5186.

This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Last year's chamber crowd was attentive during King's fifth annual discussion of the economy.

SPRING CITY PA – Prognosticator James D. King, who’s likely better known as president and chief investment officer of National Penn Investors Trust Company, will again attempt to glimpse into the future of market and economic events Jan. 14 (2010; Thursday) as the featured speaker during the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce annual Economic Forecast Membership Breakfast.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

King is scheduled to offer chamber members a review of the economic year just past, and an overview of expectations for the year ahead, at the breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. in Spring Hollow Golf Club, Spring City PA. Tickets cost $25 per member prepaid, $30 per member invoiced, and $50 for non-members.

The event is sponsored by National Penn Investors Trust Company and National Penn Bank. For more information or to register for the event, visit the chamber website or call 610-326-5158.

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POTTSTOWN PA – Army National Guard Pvt. Mark A. Eselby, a 2007 graduate of Pottsgrove High School, has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Knox KY. He is the son of Debi Grace of Walnut Ridge Estates in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, and Mark Eselby of Artmar Road, Norristown PA.

During the nine-week training period, Eselby received instruction in drill and ceremony, weapons, rifle marksmanship and bayonet training, chemical warfare, field training and tactical exercises, armed and unarmed combat, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, traditions, and core values.

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NORRISTOWN PA – Montgomery County (PA) emergency dispatchers directed police units, firefighters and emergency medical responders within the past 24 hours to a variety of incidents. A selective list of their activity appears below.

The entries are taken from publicly available feeds supplied by the county Department of Public Safety. Feed content has been edited by The Post for relevance to readers in Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick PA townships, the borough of Pottstown, and surrounding municipalities. It consequently is incomplete and is not intended to be comprehensive.

In most cases, the entries can be read as:

1. Type of service (EMS = emergency medical services, Traffic = police, Fire = firefighters);
2. Type of incident (vehicle accident, etc.)
3. Location of incident (usually by closest intersection or landmark, and the name of the municipality)
4. Date and time of the incident (YYYY-MM-DD) @ (“at”) (HH:MM:SS) in military time format.

Tuesday, Dec. 29

EMS: Overdose
Henry Rd & Keller Rd; Douglass; 2009-12-30 @ 05:17:08;

EMS: Dizziness
Deer Run Ct & Fawn Ct; Limerick; 2009-12-30 @ 04:26:30;

EMS: Fall Victim
Pruss Hill Rd & Karen Dr; Lower Pottsgrove; 2009-12-30 @ 00:56:51;

EMS: Head Injury
Rivendell Ln & Oakdale Dr; Lower Pottsgrove; 2009-12-29 @ 22:59:25;

EMS: Cardiac Emergency
Little Rd & Kulp Rd; New Hanover; 2009-12-29 @ 22:57:25;

EMS: General Weakness
Scenic View Dr & Creekwood Dr; Skippack; 2009-12-29 @ 22:25:48;

Traffic: Disabled Vehicle
N Pleasant View Rd & Buchert Rd; Lower Pottsgrove; 2009-12-29 @ 18:58:39;

Traffic: Vehicle Accident
Rt100 Sb & Upland Square Dr; Upper Pottsgrove; 2009-12-29 @ 17:49:42;

Traffic: Vehicle Accident
N Washington St & Wilson St; Pottstown; 2009-12-29 @ 17:49:15;

Traffic: Vehicle Accident
Black Rock Rd & S Collegeville Rd; Upper Providence; 2009-12-29 @ 17:10:15;

EMS: Overdose
Prison Rd; Skippack; 2009-12-29 @ 15:56:35;

EMS: Respiratory Emergency
3rd Ave & Walnut St; Collegeville; 2009-12-29 @ 15:49:30;

EMS: Abdominal Pains
Carmen Cir & Caroline Dr; Upper Providence; 2009-12-29 @ 15:09:14;

EMS: Respiratory Emergency
Charlotte St & Nightingale St; Pottstown; 2009-12-29 @ 15:11:11;

Traffic: Vehicle Accident
Ridge Pike & S Township Line Rd; Limerick; 2009-12-29 @ 12:30:04;

Traffic: Road Obstruction
Rt422 Byp & Ramp Rt422 EB To Rt724; Chester County; 2009-12-29 @ 11:48:28;

EMS: Fracture
Big Rd & Colonial Rd; Upper Frederick; 2009-12-29 @ 11:36:38;

Traffic: Road Obstruction
Rt422 & S Trappe Rd Underpass; Upper Providence; 2009-12-29 @ 10:58:23;

EMS: General Weakness
Schoolhouse Rd & Bishop Rd; Chester County; 2009-12-29 @ 10:55:35;

EMS: Cardiac Emergency
Skippack Pike & Voit Dr; Skippack; 2009-12-29 @ 10:39:20;

EMS: Abdominal Pains
Bridge Rd & Mensch Rd; Skippack; 2009-12-29 @ 10:37:18;

EMS: Head Injury
Liberty Bell Dr; New Hanover; 2009-12-29 @ 09:55:01;

EMS: Respiratory Emergency
Rice St & Lemon St; West Pottsgrove; 2009-12-29 @ 09:33:44;

EMS: Cardiac Emergency
Big Rd & Colonial Rd; Upper Frederick; 2009-12-29 @ 09:24:09;

EMS: Respiratory Emergency
Shenkel Rd & Fernbrook Ln; Chester County; 2009-12-29 @ 08:38:16;

EMS: Unconscious Subject
Hoffmansville Rd & Erb Rd; New Hanover; 2009-12-29 @ 07:57:32;

Traffic: Hazardous Road Conditions
Maugers Mill Rd & Yarnall Rd; Upper Pottsgrove; 2009-12-29 @ 07:27:12;

EMS: Subject In Pain
Arch St & S 3rd Ave; Royersford; 2009-12-29 @ 06:25:35.

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