Reader: Lower Frederick Among Bear-Sighting Spots

Franconia residents spotted a black bear this past week.

Lower Frederick residents have seen a bear around the township, according to an e-mail to Perkiomen Valley Patch. The message stated that one person saw a bear coming up from the Perkiomen Creek to Colonial Drive, and another person claimed to have seen a bear around Salford Station Road. A bear sighting in Fraconia Township recently made headlines, with residents spotting the furry visitor wandering through backyards and across the street from Vineland Elementary School, according to an NBC report. The bear, which wildlife officials believe is a young male who recently left its mother, was described as "just ambling through, kind of lost, not provoked, not aggressive,” in a witness account to NBC. It is not known whether the bear …

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Schwenksville Community Day Tomorrow

Dancing, music, magic, pet parade and more at annual event

Maureen Giacomucci submitted the following information: The Borough of Schwenksville will be hosting the 4th Annual Schwenksville Community Day, Saturday, May 19.  The event is held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain date June 2) at Meadow Park, 300 Main Street, Schwenksville, PA 19473, (behind the firehouse). Last year’s event was a great success, filled with music, activities, food, crafters and information. The Patriotic Order Sons of America Camp 387 will kick-off the Community Day Opening Ceremony with Raising the U.S. Flag, followed by The Pledge of Allegiance. The POS of A is a nonprofit organization that also conducts the Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony held in the Meadow in June the Sunday before Flag Day each year. This year we aim to …

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Schwenksville Man in Serious Condition After Car Crash

Two drivers injured in three-car crash in Limerick Township

From a Limerick Patch report: "Limerick Township Police Chief Bill Albany reported the driver of the Toyota Celica, an Anthony Kalil, 29 of Schwenksville, is in serious condition at Lehigh Hospital. There is no further information at this time. The driver of the silver Lexus RX300 was an Alycia Wertman, 27 of Schwenksville. That vehicle sustained minor damage and Wertman was sent to Pottstown Memorial Medical Center for general pain. The driver of the white Chevrolet Equinox was a Dianne Faith, 61 of Schwenksville, and sustained no reported injuries." Read the full story here.

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Adding Faces to the Names

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund wants a photo for every name on "The Wall" in D.C.

What if you could put a face to every name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial? The VVMF hopes you can. The National Call for Photos is a project organized by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to match a headshot or portrait photograph to every service member listed on The Wall. The pictures will be displayed in an exhibit at the future Education Center at The Wall, an underground visitors center to be built near the Vietnam Veterans and the Lincoln memorials. Everyday, the center will celebrate the birthdays of service members who died during the Vietnam War by featuring their photos on a giant digital wall. So far, 25,526 veterans have complete profiles with at least one photograph, according to George Pojani, a research associate at the …

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Fleet-Footed Locals in Boston Marathon

Run, PV, run!

Ten local faces will be among the runners lacing up today for the Boston Marathon. According to the Marathon's website, the participants are -- Collegeville Jamie L Berge-Slack, 36 Bib: 11362 Wave/Corral: 2/3 Robert Gealy, 42 Bib: 3283 Wave/Corral: 1/4 Baoqing Li, 45 Bib: 8106 Wave/Corral: 1/9 James D. Nolan, 48 Bib: 4240 Wave/Corral: 1/5 Kent L. Prizer, 62 Bib: 15158 Wave/Corral: 2/7 Schwenksville Stanley Cohen, 55 Bib: 6317 Wave/Corral: 1/7 John Hewlett, 36 Bib: 1116 Wave/Corral: 1/2 Susan Landry, 45 Bib: 12627 Wave/Corral: 2/4 Timothy Pfluger, 33 Bib: 4930 Wave/Corral: 1/5 Trappe Rick Clendaniel Jr., 29 Bib: 236 Wave/Corral: 1/1 Find more participant information here. Good luck to our participants!

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Student Unharmed in Bus Crash in Schwenksville

Driver taken to hospital for observation

Lower Frederick Regional Ambulance Corps took a Student Transportation of America (STA) driver to Phoenixville Hospital for observation following the small bus's crash into a parked car at 192 Main St., Schwenksville, Monday morning, Feb. 27. The driver complained of chest pains following the crash. The young boy he was taking to Schwenksville Elementary School was uninjured. According to reports, the driver was traveling Main Street/Route 29 when he hit a car parked in front of an apartment building. When asked, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Kenneth Noto said the driver hit the gas instead of the brake. The parked sedan was heavily damaged, and the bus suffered front-end damage. Norm's Save Station towed both vehicles from the scene…

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John Scioli

10:12 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

It seems as though the shoddy workmanship that was done with the new traffic pattern in the borough has been the cause of more than a few accidents involving parked cars. Was it necessary to mark a new traffic pattern and omit 60% of the parking available in town? From the perspective of this small town barber, I would think it would be time to go back to the drawing board so to speak. With the …   more ›

Schwenksville: Reward for Information about Vandalism

Borough seeking to end ongoing problem

A press release from Schwenksville Borough provided the following information: Schwenksville Borough is offering a cash reward to any person(s) who provide reliable information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for acts of graffiti vandalism and defacing public property within the borough. Meadow Park has been particularly hard hit by graffiti problems. There is a current commitment for a $500 reward, according to Mayor Joe Giunta. "We will determine the payout on a case-by-case basis. We will fund the account with donations," Giunta wrote in an e-mail. "We are hoping more people will donate to this tax deductable cause." Anyone with information about these acts can contact the Pennsylvania State …

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Schwenksville Mayor: Keep Trails, Parks and Historical Sites Funded, Open

Resources have been put on the chopping block for potential county budget cuts.

To Montgomery County Commissioners: On behalf of the citizens and Council of the Borough of Schwenksville, I am writing this letter to express our firm opposition to the County of Montgomery’s proposal in their 2012 Budget for the closure of OUR County’s Parks, Trails and Historical Sites and the elimination of the County Departments that so efficiently service these facilities. The Parks, Historical Sites and especially the Trails, have proven to be not only a wonderful cultural and recreational experience for our citizens, but also a tremendous economic boon for the many small businesses in our local communities, Schwenksville in particular. Our borough is building its revitalization plan around the County Trail that so prominently …

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linda wilde

5:01 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012

John, I think I can help you "unofficially" with your questions about snow removal, based on my 25 yrs. of living on Main St. PennDot does the plowing and diverts a good portion from the roadway, parking spots are then left with heavy plowed snow. You must have seen some of this during last years snowfalls. It is the responsibility of the home/business owner to remove snow from the sidewalk. …   more ›

Calling All Perkiomen Valley Santas

Jerusalem Community Food Pantry needs more support for toy drive after reportedly losing corporate sponsor.

Portions of this story are from the Patch article "Jerusalem Community Food Pantry's toy drive embraces spirit of giving": For years, the Jerusalem Community Food Pantry -- at Schwenksville's Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church -- has benefited from the kindness of strangers when it comes to donations. This Christmas, however, it needs a few more heroes as it strives to bring a brighter holiday to area families. A corporate sponsor has reportedly withdrawn an offer to help provide toys for the annual drive benefitting the children of the hundreds of families who receive food from the Pantry. According to a 2010 interview with co-manager Loretta Stever, about 500 families from the area qualify for assistance from the Pantry, but a bit …

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Police blotter

Police: Schwenksville Man Suffers Head Wound in Assault

Pennsylvania State Police released the following information. A report does not indicate a conviction; all accused are innocent until proven guilty.

A Schwenksville teen was treated for a two-inch cut on his head after he was struck by a “football-sized rock” during an altercation with another Schwenksville man in the borough on Monday afternoon, Pennsylvania State Police said. According to a police report, the two men became engaged in an argument in the 100 block of Park Avenue on Nov. 28 when the 18-year-old man was struck with the rock. The investigation continues; anyone with information can call the Pennsylvania State Police Skippack Barracks, 610-584-1250, and reference incident number K03-1818643. Thousands of Dollars’ Worth of Jewelry Reported Stolen Three wedding rings were reportedly taken from the 260 block of Bridge Street, Perkiomen Township, sometime between Nov. 17 and …

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