The Sanatoga Post

TRICK-OR-TREAT (INSIDE, WHERE IT’S WARM!) – Children in costumes of all kinds packed Friday night (Oct. 28, 2011) into the gymnasium and other rooms at the Freedom Valley YMCA branch in Pottstown PA (right) to enjoy its annual Halloween Safe House. Groups like Doug’s Corner, a community service organization consisting of students at Montgomery County Community College, and other businesses and service clubs donated and helped distribute treats while the kids went trick-or-treating from table to table indoors. Other supervised Halloween activities were similarly held Friday night at the Brusters ice cream franchise and the Philadelphia Premium Outlets both in Limerick PA. Some of the seasonal events were advanced, or moved back, by a day to Friday or Sunday (Oct. 30) in anticipation of a winter storm predicted to hit our area tonight (Oct. 29).

Photo by Alana Mauger via YFrog

POTTSTOWN PA – If Halloween is your thing – or if it’s not, too – the coming weekend is filled with events intended to make you smile and, in some cases, help others.

A wide variety of Halloween holiday-themed events are planned for both children and adults, as the list below shows. For those looking for alternatives to Halloween, some area churches have scheduled those as well. And at several events, food or financial contributions will be collected to benefit local organizations and causes.

• These events have been added to The Post calendar.

Thursday, Oct. 28

An annual Halloween safe house for area children, sponsored by the Genesis Health Care centers, will be held Thursday from 5-7:30 p.m. at Sanatoga Court and Sanatoga Center, 227 and 225 Evergreen Rd. (respectively), Sanatoga PA. The free event features trick-or-treating at the rooms of some of the facilities’ residents, games, a mildly haunted house, and food. For more information, call 610-718-0900.

Friday, Oct. 29

Trick-or-treating and a costume contest are on the agenda Friday from 5-7 p.m. at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, West Lightcap Road off the Sanatoga interchange of U.S. Route 422, Limerick PA. The “Halloween Spooktacular,” as the event is being called, includes prizes for best costumes provided by the Famous Footwear Outlet, Lindt Chocolate, Maidenform, Nike and other merchants. The event is open to “children of all ages,” promoters say. Registration will be held near the food court from 5-6:30 p.m. For more information, call 610-495-9000.

The 20th annual Halloween Safehouse, Treat Trail and Food Drive – with a vampire theme – will be held Friday from 6-8 p.m. in the Freedom Valley YMCA at Adams and Jackson streets, Pottstown PA. The event is open to all children age 12 and younger, but they must be accompanied by an adult. The donation of a canned food item, which will be given to local pantries for families in need, is the price of admission. For more information, call 610-323-7300.

A witches’ brew (tea, that is) will be served up with a history of witches in America on Friday beginning at 6 p.m. in the Gilbertsville Tea Room, 1259 E. Philadelphia Ave., Gilbertsville PA. Guests are invited to wear their best witchy costume for the occasion. Tickets cost $30, plus tax and gratuity. Advance reservations, and a 50-percent deposit are required. For more information, call 610-369-0678.

Students of the “A Step In Time” dance studio, 2423 E. High St., Sanatoga PA, will do the spooking Friday and Saturday from 6-9 p.m. during a haunted house fund-raiser being held at the studio. A $5 admission fee will be charged, and all proceeds benefit the studio’s dance company. For more information, call 610-323-6732.

Saturday, Oct. 30

What has become an annual Halloween dance for historic Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Sanatoga PA, will be held Saturday from 7-11 p.m. at the ballroom. Tickets purchased in advance cost $25, and at the door, $32. Cash prizes will be awarded to the night’s best costumed man and woman, so plan to dress the part. For more information, call 484-624-5186.

A Step In Time haunted house, in Sanatoga PA, 6-9 p.m. See Friday’s listing.

The Phoenixville Area Time Bank, a non-profit community group, is sponsoring its fifth annual “Halloween Bash” fund-raiser – a night of music, dancing, food, and beverages – Saturday from 7-11 p.m. at Franklin Commons, in Phoenixville PA. The band “National Bird” will be featured. The evening includes a silent auction and drawings for prizes donated by area merchants. All proceeds benefit the Time Bank. Tickets are $25 in advance, or $30 at the door. For more information or to make a reservation, call Coordinator Margo Ketchum at 610-608-9281. www.pa-timebank.org

Sunday, Oct. 31

The Halloween program at the Daniel Boone Homestead, 400 Daniel Boone Road, Birdsboro PA, is planned for Sunday from 1-4 p.m. with some old-fashioned partying, according to Interpretive Coordinator Amanda Bowman. It consists of pumpkin and face painting, stories told ’round a campfire, and play with 18th Century toys and games. Children in costume are welcome, and all will be encouraged to make the rounds to the homestead’s various historic buildings to collect a treat or two. Tickets for the event cost $4 per child age 3-15, and $3 per adult (considered age 16 or older). For more information, call 610-582-4900.

See the scary-crow products of the fertile imaginations of Skippack PA area residents Sunday at 3 p.m., as village merchants present the first- through third-place prize winners of their Create-A-Scarecrow contest. The awards ceremony will be held, and all scarecrow entries will be on display, in front of the village Christmas tree at Floral and Hardy Florists, 4007 Skippack Pike, Skippack. For more information, call 610-484-0797.

“Light In The Night,” an evening of free and safe Halloween activity for children, will be held Sunday from 6-8 p.m. in the Spring City Fellowship Church, at the corner of Bridge and Glass streets, Spring City PA. Free fun games and prizes will be offered, as well as free hot dogs and treat bags. The event is jointly sponsored by he Spring City Fellowship Church, the Living Hope Community Church, the First United Church of Christ, and the Royersford United Methodist Church.

The Stowe (PA) Brethren in Christ Church, 527 Glasgow St., Stowe PA, will conduct a free “Lite The Nite” party as an alternative to Halloween on Sunday from 6-8 p.m. at the church. The event is open to the public, and will include music, food, fun and candy, organizers say. For more information, call 610-326-4383.

Photo from Clipart.com

SANATOGA PA – Dozens of families and their children turned out Sunday (Oct. 24, 2010) in surprisingly warm weather and very high spirits to enjoy Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township’s annual Fall Festival – its Halloween party before Halloween – in a slightly new location, the upper portion of Sanatoga Park near the municipality’s baseball and soccer fields off South Park Road, Pottstown PA.

In years past the festival has been conducted near the band shell in the park’s lower section, off South Sanatoga Road. There was no musical entertainment planned for this year, allowing the event to be regrouped closer to favorite playground equipment near the upper fields. At one time or another every swing was filled with a smile (above), and every slide echoed with laughter.

Everyone, and the kids in particular, seemed to revel in the new site, and no one missed the music. Instead, they took away hats and animals and toys, all crafted by a skilled balloon artist (top). They giggled up and down Park Road as they rode a hay wagon (above) pulled by a township tractor. They created their own crafts (both below) beneath an awning that provided ample shade from an Indian Summer sun.

And they played games like bean bag toss (below) and web-a-spider for small candy prizes. There were no losers, by the way.

Proving he was a braver politician than most, township Board of Commissioners’ Vice President Bruce Foltz volunteered, or maybe was roped in, to be a judge for an accompanying costume parade (below). He had help from former board President Tom Troutman, Assistant Manager Alyson Elliott, and municipal building Receptionist Jen Corley. “They all just look so great,” Foltz said. “It isn’t easy picking winners in this group. There are so many good costumes,” Elliott added.

Entire families decided to play dress-up (below), many using their ingenuity and materials found at home.

Ribbons were awarded to those dressed in the most creative, scariest, funniest, and prettiest outfits. And true to Elliott’s words, extra ribbons were handed out to others in costume that judges thought should have been winners too.

The Post took a total of 44 different photos at the event; see them below, simply by clicking once on a thumbnail image to enlarge it.

SANATOGA PA – An annual Halloween safe house for area children, sponsored by the Genesis Health Care centers, will be held Oct. 28 (2010; Thursday) from 5-7:30 p.m. at Sanatoga Court and Sanatoga Center, 227 and 225 Evergreen Rd. (respectively), Pottstown PA, according to Admissions and Marketing Director Earl Stingel.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

The free event features trick-or-treating at the rooms of some of the facilities’ residents, games, a mildly haunted house, food, and generally “freaky fun,” Stingel said. For more information, call 610-718-0900.

Photo from Clipart.com

SPRING CITY PA – “Light In The Night,” an evening of free and safe Halloween activity for children, will be held Oct. 31 (2010; Sunday) from 6-8 p.m. in the Spring City Fellowship Church, at the corner of Bridge and Glass streets, Spring City PA.

Free fun games and prizes will be offered, as well as free hot dogs and treat bags. The event is jointly sponsored by he Spring City Fellowship Church, the Living Hope Community Church, the First United Church of Christ, and the Royersford United Methodist Church.

Everyone loves a pumpkin, especially when it's free. His was chosen Sunday at Lower Pottsgrove's Fall Festival.

POTTSTOWN PA – It’s the weekend that dentists dread (all that candy), that mothers obsess over (all that costume preparation), and that kids revel in (all that fun).

Halloween is Saturday. Many events and activities are scheduled; a list compiled by The Post follows.

None usually are bigger, however, than the annual – and by now traditional – YMCA Halloween Safehouse Treat Trail that will be held Friday (Oct. 30, 2009) from 6-8 p.m. in the Pottstown branch of the Freedom Valley YMCA, Adams and Jackson Streets, Pottstown PA.

The YMCA Safehouse serves two purposes: it provides a sheltered and supervised place where costumed (or not) youngsters can enjoy themselves without trouble; and it also collects canned food (the price of admission is one food item) that is donated to local food banks.

Local organizations, businesses and service groups provide and distribute goodies on the Treat Trail. Music will be offered by SS Entertainment; Joe Magic will perform magical tricks, and local volunteers will conjure up a few Halloween surprises. For more information, call The Y at 610-323-7300 Ext. 10.

If you’re up for a pageant, the Collegeville Halloween Parade will be held tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009) beginning at 6:30 p.m. from the 400 block of Main Street in Collegeville PA. The Birdsboro Halloween Parade follows on Thursday (Oct. 29, 2009) beginning at 7 p.m. from the parking lot of Daniel Boone Senior High School, Chestnut Street, Birdsboro PA.

Also scheduled:

Friday, Oct. 30

• Ride Noah’s Ark … Sort Of
  Wilcox Farms, 1134 Reading Ave., Boyertown PA, again this year hosts one of the largest corn mazes in the area, open Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Nov. 30 (2009). This year’s maze is carved in the image of Noah’s Ark. Cost is $8 per person; $6 per person for groups of 10 or more. The farm also offers a play area; its admission cost is $5.
• How The Schools Celebrate
  Not “Halloween,” but Fall Festivals, will mark the season in Pottsgrove School District elementary schools, Pottstown PA. Activities are set to begin at 2:50 p.m., and vary by school.
• Shop In Costume
  Philadelphia Premium Outlets is hosting a Halloween “Spook-tacular” party from 4-7 p.m. in the shopping center on West Lightcap Road, Limerick PA. Children of all ages may go trick-or-treating  at participating stores, which will provide candy and sweets while supplies last. A costume contest will be held near the food court at 6:30 p.m. Winners will be eligible for stores’ prizes, as well as tickets to productions at the Kimmel Center theater in Philadelphia. Live entertainment during the evening will be provided by the Kimmel Center’s Broadway performers.
• Pizza, And A Side Order Of Creepies
  Mike’s Brick Oven Pizza, 601 N. Charlotte St., Pottstown PA, has built its annual Horror Hotel with new features this year, and is open Friday through Sunday from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Parents can take kids on “not so scary tours” from 6:30-7:30 p.m.; after that, all bets are off on the creepiness. Admission is $10 per person with group rates for 15 or more people.
• Calling All Saints
  A Fall Saints Festival, which intends to provide a non-scary and safe environment to celebrate Halloween with small children, will be held from 6-8 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church and Preschool, 660 N. Charlotte St., Pottstown PA. The event includes fun activities for families, food, a costume parade and Bingo games. It is free and open to the public. For more information, call the church office at 610-323-9320.

Don't worry: those are only plastic Black Widow spiders being thrown into the web during Lower Pottsgrove's Fall Festival last Sunday.

Saturday, Oct. 31

• Horsin’ Around For Halloween
  The Central Montgomery County 4-H Horse and Pony Club will present its Halloween-themed 2009 Fall Fun Horse Show beginning at 9 a.m. in the county Cooperative Extension Center, PA Route 113, Skippack PA. The show’s costume division includes a special class for “best dressed any animal,” and the event also offers gaming and racing classes, and food. For more information, call 610-287-7619.
• Enchanting Halloween With A Nature Theme
  The Great Valley Nature Center will hold an Enchanted Halloween Story Trail for the 16th year from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its headquarters, 4251 State Rd., Devault PA. It features storybook characters than fit an environmental theme: Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, Tinkerbell, Wall-E, Professor Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series, and even Super Mario. Reservations for hourly walk-throughs are available. Cost is $5 for members, $6 for nonmembers. Regisgration is required; call 610-935-9777.
• Trick Or Treat, It’s The Grease Band
  As a Halloween treat, rock ‘n roll oldies performed by The Fabulous Greaseband return at 8 p.m. to the stage of Sunnybrook Ballroom, 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Pottstown PA. Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling the Sunnybrook box office Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon, or from 1-4:30 p.m. at 484-624-5186.
• Community Block Party In Douglassville
  Hope United Methodist Church and Thunder Outreach, both in Amity, will provide a free community block party and safe zone from 6-9 p.m. at Amity Gardens Park, Lake Drive, Douglassville PA. The event features safe candy, food, games, music, and fun activities.
• Horns And Halos
  A Horns and Halos Halloween Party for adults will be held tonight at The Brick House Grille and Restaurant, 152 E. High St., Pottstown PA. It features a disc jockey, contests, prizes, costumes and special prices on beverages. For more information, call 610-906-3527.

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Toss a treat into the basket, and win a prize. It really was that simple, even for a container of milk ... or a youngster dressed like one.

POTTSTOWN PA – The sounds of laughter and fun filled Sanatoga Park, 200 S. Sanatoga Rd., Pottstown PA, on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 25, 2009), where the Verizon Fall Festival was  held by Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township‘s Parks and Recreation Department. Hay rides, a children’s music show, games and crafts, treats, and a costume contest were among the day’s activities.

• See a Post gallery of 41 photos from the event.

How many spots on this dalmation? Don't forget to count the nose!

A young farmer finds interest in the candy inside his box.

A tractor-pulled hay ride traveled along South Sanatoga Road, carrying children and adults alike past hundreds of trees painted by nature.

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Happy faces at last year's fun in Sanatoga Park.

SANATOGA PA – The annual celebration of all things Halloween in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, known this year as the Verizon Fall Festival, will be held Sunday (Oct. 25, 2009) from 1-3 p.m. in the township’s Sanatoga Park, 200 S. Sanatoga Rd., Pottstown PA.

The Parks and Recreation Department has scheduled hay rides, a children’s music show, games and crafts, treats, and a costume contest. Parents can enter their children in the contest on the day of the event, but registration is required. An advance registration form is available for download.

The festival, now in its seventh year, this year bears the name of a sponsor, Verizon Corp. Its substantial contribution paid for most of the activities scheduled, township Assistant Manager Alyson Elliott recently (Oct. 5, 2009) told members of the township Board of Commissioners. Verizon earlier this year won a franchise agreement to sell its multimedia communication services in the township.

In fact, Elliott added, Parks and Recreation succeeded this year in obtaining outside funding for all of its special programs. Candy for the spring Easter Egg Hunt was donated by Paul Kennedy of SK Advertising, Pottstown PA. The summer Fishing Derby was underwritten by Wells, Hoffman, Holloway and Stauffer, the law firm of township Solicitor R. Kurtz Holloway. The seven performance Summer Concert Series won sponsorship from Exelon Nuclear.

One of those performances, by the Ernie and Neal Kids Band, was not held because of inclement weather and return scheduling problems. Consequently, the band is now slated to provide the musical entertainment for Sunday’s festival. “We didn’t plan it that way, but it worked out pretty well,” Elliott told the board.

In costume and at work on crafts during last year's bash.

The Lower Pottsgrove event is one of several Halloween activities happening within the Greater Pottstown area during the next two weeks. Others include:

Friday, Oct. 23

• Dracula On Stage
  Halloween thrills and chills take to the stage during October as “Dracula,” the play based on the novel by Bram Stoker, is presented in evening and matinée performances by Village Productions at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, 245 High St., Pottstown PA.Performances are scheduled for  Friday (Oct. 23) at 8 p.m.; Saturday (Oct. 24) at 8 p.m.; and a Sunday (Oct. 25) matinée at 3 p.m.
• Gothic Gala At Downtown Gallery
  The Gallery On High, 254 High St., Pottstown PA, will host the opening of its fall members’ show with a “Gothic Gala” from 5-8 p.m. at the gallery. Costumes are preferred but not necessary. Light refreshments will be served. The show features the work of more than 25 local artists, and runs through Nov. 14.

Friday, Oct. 30

• YMCA Conducts Its 19th Annual Safehouse
  Looking for someplace not too terrifying – spooky enough, but not that much – to take the kids for Halloween? Look no further than the Pottstown Y.
• How The Schools Celebrate
  Not “Halloween,” but Fall Festivals, will mark the season in Pottsgrove School District elementary schools next Friday. Activities are set to begin at 2:50 p.m., and vary by school.

Saturday, Oct. 31

• Trick Or Treat, It’s The Grease Band
  Attend a Halloween part at Sanatoga’s Sunnybrook Ballroom. Costumes are optional.
• Community Block Party In Douglassville
  Hope United Methodist Church and Thunder Outreach, both in Amity, will provide a free community block party and safe zone next Saturday from 6-9 p.m. at Amity Gardens Park, Lake Drive, Douglassville PA. The event features safe candy, food, games, music, and fun activities.
• Horsin’ Around For Halloween
  The Central Montgomery County 4-H Horse and Pony Club will present its Halloween-themed 2009 Fall Fun Horse Show next Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. in the county Cooperative Extension Center, PA Route 113, Skippack PA. The show’s costume division includes a special class for “best dressed any animal,” and the event also offers gaming and racing classes, and food. For more information, call 610-287-7619.

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A young girl plays among hay bales during the All Hallow's Festival at Montgomery County's Pennypacker Mills ... on Oct. 19, 1997.

SCHWENKSVILLE PA – A variety of Halloween-themed and fall-related activities are scheduled for the annual All Hallow’s Fall Festival Oct. 17 (2009; Saturday) from 1-5 p.m. at Pennypacker Mills, the Montgomery County (PA) historic site, at 5 Haldeman Rd., Schwenksville PA.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

The day’s activities include hayrides through the surrounding meadows, pumpkin painting, kids’ crafts, jumping in a hay pile, beanbag toss games, gravestone rubbings, corn-shucking and cider making.

For more information, call 610-287-9349.

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