The Irregular October 2018

october 2018

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Vegging Out in Easton There will much deliciousness available from a variety of food vendors at the inaugural Easton VegFest. Above are treats from: top l-r: Eat Nice Foods, Cinnamon Snail, Freakin Vegan. Bottom l-r: Sweet Doe Bakery, and two more from Cinnamon Snail. photos courtesy of the vendors

by Christine Lake October is traditionally a time of harvest and of celebrating the bounty of the Earth. A new festival in Easton is aiming to get visitors thinking about how to harness that harvest for better wellness. The first Easton PA VegFest on October 13 will feature food trucks, chef demos, wellness speakers, harvest games and more, all with a focus on ethical eating, ecoconsciousness, animal welfare and heathy living.

The festival is the brainchild of event director Rachel Douglass. “I have been involved with festivals for the past 12 years, selling my original oil paintings and doing face painting,” she explains. “After discovering the benefits of veganism, I started designing and selling t-shirts revolving around that message and it would come up in conversations with friends about how great a vegan festival right in Easton would be.” In April of 2018, Doug-

lass was walking along the bike trail parallel to Bushkill Creek that goes past the Llantrisant Retreat & Wellness Center in Tatamy. “I had always thought that area was so beautiful, with the Farm Bureau on its left and the whimsical landscaping of the Grist Mill on its right,” she says. “Out of curiosity, I reached out to Llantrisant and learned the building is owned by the Kellyn Foundation, whose core message aligned perfectly with the mission of a vegan festival.” After a meeting to discuss ideas, the Kellyn Foundation signed on as event host and the Easton VegFest was born. The Kellyn Foundation, founded in 2008, is a non-profit in the Easton area with the mission to support, develop, facilitate and implement programs that encourage physical and emotional wellness for families and communities. Housed in continued on page 3

SOLIDLY BOOKED

by Christine Lake When you’ve been in business since 1745, there are bound to be some big changes. The Moravian Book Shop, noted by some as the world’s oldest continually operating bookstore, has just completed a change in ownership that has been mostly business as usual.

Four years after the city of Bethlehem was officially founded, the Moravian church determined that the settlement would need new books, and Samuel Powell of the Church’s Crown Inn on the south side of the Lehigh River was appointed to run a bookstore. After several location moves, including one to Arch Street in Philadelphia, the Book Shop was moved to the Church’s publication building on Main Street in 1871. At that time, the site had a print shop and lending library, and offered novels, children’s books, sheet music, office supplies and sporting goods for sale, in addition to church publications. The first Moravian Stars were offered for sale in 1924. A second branch location was opened in Center City Allentown in 2015; that location closed in 2017, leaving the Main Street location as the sole iteration of the Moravian Book Shop in the Lehigh Valley once again.

A discussion of the Book Shop’s history isn’t complete without touching on the “oldest bookshop” designation. The Guinness Book of World Records officially gives that title to the Bertrand Bookshop in Lisbon, Portugal, which was established in 1732. However, a massive earthquake in Lisbon in 1755 (incidentally the inspiration behind Voltaire’s Candide), caused the Bertrand Bookshop to be shut down for a period before eventually relocating, leading to the belief by many, particularly locals, that the Moravian Book Shop should actually be recognized as the oldest, continually running bookstore in the world. Regardless, the Moravian Book Shop is unequivocally the oldest bookstore in America.

Regardless of who gets the official honor, the Moravian Book Shop’s Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

Artistic Endeavors page 10 A glimpse inside the children’s section of Moravian Book Shop, the oldest bookstore in America. photo courtesy of Moravian Book Shop

longevity is something to celebrate. In April of 2018, the Moravian Church Northern Province announced that they would be transferring ownership to Moravian College effective mid-June of 2018. The Church and College saw this as a kind of natural progression; the College was, after all, founded by the Church and the Church owns the college’s charter, so the bookstore would remain “in the family” in this way. Additionally, the transfer to the College means that college students would be coming to the Main Street location to purchase their school books, bringing new customers to both the store and the area. Some locals worried that the store’s independent nature would be compromised by the sale, since the Moravian College Bookstore would be managed by Barnes & Noble’s College division.

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October 2018

The Irregular

IRREGULAR THOUGHTS

HARDENED HEARTS

Welcome to October! Hopefully Mother Nature will straighten herself out and give us some nice autumn weather this month.

There’s nothing like frolicking through rustling leaves in the crisp autumn air at your favorite pumpkin patch! On a more serious note, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM).

Last month I had the great pleasure of meeting Patricia Leese at Ahlum Gallery in downtown Easton. On September 21, Ahlum Gallery hosted an opening for a unique, three-day pop-up show featuring a grass roots art project created to bring awareness to Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault. The project is the work of Patricia Leese and features the artwork of her late husband David Leese, and the work will now remain at Ahlum Gallery for the remainder of October.

David Leese’s painting “Love” was started in 2012 and finished in 2013. Featured on the painting are the statistics of domestic violence and sexual assault. The painting suggests a kind of tapestry that illustrates the myths of love, money and power.

“Love” was the beginning of a planned series of paintings titled The Myth Series. David had designs in progress for the second painting when he passed away unexpectedly in May 2014.

Also in 2013, David developed plaster “hardened hearts”. According to David, “After pouring some excess Plaster of Paris into a beat up, 15+ year old, heart-shaped candy box cover, something very interesting happened. Once cured, I removed the casting from the mold and the surprise came when I turned it over and saw that the plaster had drawn all of the accumulated grime from the cover and implanted it on the new plaster surface.

With the cracks, holes and spaces created by my staggered pours of plaster and this new element of grunge, I remember thinking, this heart has incredibly interesting character. I realized that it was a lot like my own. It’s a heart that bears the scars and patches of a life well lived. Every loss, every gain along with every joy and every pain were represented. It was a ‘Hardened Heart’. One that has withstood the test of time and still beats on with warmth and passion.” He went on to design a series of hardened hearts as well as prints of the hearts to offer people a variety of mediums to collect relating to the series. He also designed large-scale sculptures for both indoor and outdoor pieces because, according to his wife Pat, “he loved the design process and was interested in new mediums, processes and sizes. He loved to experiment.”

David was an educator and he loved to talk about art. According to Pat, David’s goal was to take the intimidation out of the art world. He was also always passionate about equal rights and respect for all. “‘Love’ and the ‘Hardened Heart’ series were the last pieces completed by David so it was a starting point for me after his unexpected death,” says Pat. There were hearts curing all over the studio and their house. Pat remarks, “I thought I could use the painting as an educational tool for both exposing art and the subject of domestic violence/sexual assault. I started to-

The Irregular Lydia E. Bruneo Publisher & Editor Michelle L. Corby Creative Director Contributors: Carole J. Heffley Richard F. Hope Christine Lake Janene Otten Dawn Ouellette Nixon Gene Palmiter James Jacob Pierri Pam Ruch Reach us at: PO Box 85 Easton, PA 18044 610-258-4330 bruneo1776@aol.com Founded by Carole J. Heffley and James R. Hicks, Jr. 1996

A 13” x 9” NO MORE Hardened Hearts from Domestic Violence Poster is $40, and 50% of funds raised from the sale of this poster go directly to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV).

Remember, support your community.

Buy local.

ward the end of 2014 to approach galleries, colleges etc., but the subject matter was too intense for people to take on for a show.

But as I went around trying to sell the concept, people started to tell me about a friend, family member, or about themselves being a victim. So the artwork was getting people to open up which is what David’s social commentary artwork is all about. Around October 2017 and #metoo is when things started to change. So now 4 years later, I am now getting interest in shows/events.”

David’s Studio met with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) to share the painting and their idea of using art to help spread awareness of this cause. “After sharing David’s ‘Hardened Heart’ series with the PCADV, we decided to create two new hearts - one purple and one teal - to specifically represent domestic violence and sexual assault,” recalls Pat. “We felt that the symbolism beDomestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) evolved from the “Day of Unity” held in hind this series was perfect to represent the survivors working October 1981 and conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The to spread their message.” The purple heart and teal heart posters intent was to connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against were created, and are now being sold for $40 with 50% of funds women and their children. The Day of Unity soon became an entire week devoted to a range raised from the sale of the posters going directly to the PCADV. of activities conducted at the local, state, and national level. The activities conducted were as “It is our hope that these posters will reach the eyes of men and varied and diverse as the program sponsors but had common themes: Mourning those who women of all ages - the young who are still developing their have died because of domestic violence, Celebrating those who have survived, and Conviews on relationships and the opposite sex, and those who may necting those who work to end violence. These three themes remain a key focus of DVAM find themselves, a family member or friend in an unhealthy situevents today. In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. ation and need support to get out.”

In 1989, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 101-112 designating October of that year as In addition to the display at Ahlum Gallery throughout OctoNational Domestic Violence Awareness Month. ber, 106 N. 4th Street, Easton, PA, David Leese: “The Hardened Heart” Series - Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence and Statistics (visits National Coalition Against Domestic Violence at ncadv.org for more): Sexual Assault will be at Outrage, Old City, Philadelphia for a one day event on October 7; and at Emerald Foundation, 2120 Oregon - On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in Pike in Lancaster, PA through mid-December with opening dates the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. on Sunday, October 22 from 2 to 4 PM and Friday, November 30 from 5 to 7 PM. The show is also planning an appearance at Out- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate rage, Old City, Philadelphia for first Friday in December. partner in their lifetime.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault are two of the most - On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence serious and prevalent social issues of our times. These subjects, hotlines nationwide. often difficult to discuss and hidden in the shadows for decades, affect people of all ages, genders, races, religions and economic - The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%. backgrounds. For additional information on events, hosting an - Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner. event or to purchase artwork, please visit davidleesestudio.com.

You can also email LeeseARTS@aol.com or call 610-462-0851.

- Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.

Enjoy the month and all of the fun festivities fall offers. See you - Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries. next month in the Lehigh Valley Christmas Book. As always . .

- 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States has been raped in their lifetime. . remember to support your local community, BUY LOCAL!!

And… NO MORE HARDENED HEARTS FROM DOMES- 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these TIC VIOLENCE OR SEXUAL ASSAULT… even if indirectly, children are eyewitnesses to this violence. it affects all of us!

- Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of 8.0 million days of paid work each year.

Lydia E. Bruneo - The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $8.3 billion per year.

Publisher & Editor

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October 2018

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Vegging Out in Easton continued from page 1

the Llantrisant Retreat & Wellness Center at 336 Bushkill Street in Tatamy, they offer yoga classes, nutrition and wellness presentations on site, and a mobile market that brings fresh, local food to neighborhoods without easy access to a grocery store, plus educational programs for children in schools.

The principles behind the Easton VegFest have been gaining a lot of momentum nationwide lately. According to an article by Food Revolution, the number of self-reported vegans in the United States rose from 1% to 6% between 2014 and 2017. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2016 indicated that 75% of adults in the US are particularly concerned about helping the environment as they go about their daily activities, and 72% of millennials polled by Nielsen in 2015 indicated that they would be willing to pay more for products and services that came from companies committed to positive environmental impact. Locally, the website happycow.net lists 57 restaurants or stores in the greater Lehigh Valley area where one can get vegan and vegetarian options.

The festival will feature 70 vendors. “You can expect your traditional festival food, just veganized!” exclaims Douglass. Options will include hot dogs, burgers, mac and cheese, ice cream, smoothies and more. “You will

also find animal rescues, artists, homemade bath and health products, and other eco-conscious vendors,” Douglass continues. “Our vendors are so skilled in creating cruelty-free foods and products that it’s easy to forget it is all 100% vegan. And be sure to look out for the booths of local groups and clubs that share your same interests, whether that’s animals, the environment, or community.”

The venue grounds start at the bridge at Bushkill Street and end at the Tatamy Volunteer Fire Department Hall. The Fire Department will be holding their annual fall event on the same day, so it will be one big community celebration. A hayride will be making its way through both festival areas, and bikes and pets on leashes are welcome at the VegFest grounds. Entry to the festival is free, but you can purchase a VIP wristband for $18. Perks include unlimited beverages and discounted snacks from the Main Tent, a free yoga class at the event, and the chance to receive an early-bird “swag bag” full of goodies that will be given to the first 50 VIPs in line. “There will also be perks offered by vendors with a gold star displayed at their booths, so wear those wristbands and get special treatment!” remarks Douglass. The event is rain or shine, with plenty of activities scheduled indoors to help pass the time between rain showers, but rain boots are a good idea if the weather is wet. “Make sure you keep an eye out for the festival map, schedules and signage at the event so you don’t miss out on anything you want to experience,” Douglass says. “And please be sure to thank our generous sponsors who helped to make this event possible! You’ll see their logos on event signage around the festival.”

The first Easton PA VegFest will take place on Saturday October 13 from 11 AM to 7 PM at the Llantrisant Retreat & Wellness Center at 336 Bushkill Street in Tatamy, PA. For complete information about the festival, including a current event map and lists of sponsors and vendors, or to purchase a VIP wristband in advance, visit eastonpavegfest.com. You can also email EastonPaVegFest@gmail.com for more information.

Solidly Booked continued from page 1

As the shop has now been operating for a couple of months as the College’s official bookstore, there have of course been some changes and there are more to come, but perhaps more notable is what remains the same.

“We’re still in the planning stages for renovations and have some exciting plans in mind, but as of the end of September the biggest change is the Moravian College gear that’s now displayed in the store,” says Michael Corr, Director of Marketing & Communications at Moravian College.

“There have been some renovations already—the old deli area in the back has been removed—but the layout has not changed that much yet.” The trade book and children’s sections of the stores will remain unchanged outside of some minor aesthetic improvements of new floors, new lighting and new bookshelves. The store façade will be improved with some new awnings and new paint, and there have been some consultations with designers on how to improve entrance areas to further highlight the historic beauty of the Moravian Book Shop is now the official book store for Moravian College. building. “Our intention has alphoto courtesy of Moravian Book Shop ways been to maintain the legacy

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October 2018

and charm of the oldest book seller in America, while making it a financially successful business,” explains Corr. “The Northern Province of the Moravian Church ran the Book Shop for as long as they possibly could, until it was no longer financially sustainable. Luckily, Moravian College was in a position to help.”

The book shop’s selection of Bethlehem- and Moravian-themed gifts will remain, including Christmas items all year long, so those Moravian Stars won’t be going anywhere. Additionally, ten of the Book Shop’s employees under previous ownership were retained, so familiar faces will still abound. The store will look into hiring Moravian students on a part-time basis to round out the staffing. The shop’s ghost tours will also remain. Every Friday and Saturday in October, costumed guides will share ghost stories of over a dozen locations in the Historic District of Bethlehem, including the Book Shop’s resident ghost, on a one-mile, one-hour walking tour with only candles to light the way. Tours depart every 30 minutes between 6 and 8 PM. Tickets for the tours are $13 (plus tax) for adults, and $10 (plus tax) for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-866-55841 or on-site at the Book Shop 428 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA. Private tours can be arranged for groups of 8 or more by calling the Book Shop. Further information on the shop and the tours can be found at moravian.edu/bookshop.

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WALKING TOUR

Henry Eyerman’s House (121 North 4th Street in Easton, PA)

by Richard F. Hope

Narrow (2-bay) frame house attached to its southern neighbor, 2-1/2 stories high with a dormer window in the roof, in “Federal” architectural style. Entrance door is in the right-hand bay. A small “baker’s alley” runs down the northern side of the property.

The property is part of original town Lot No. 155 as surveyed by William Parsons when Easton was founded in 1752. That Lot was originally occupied by John Deichman, a weaver first assessed taxes for a house in 1774 and thereafter assessed until at least 1789. Later descriptions of the property mentioned a house of stone, which probably described the house built by Deichman.

Deichman did not bother to obtain title from the Penn Family for his property. That was not done until 1794, after Mathias Eyerman had taken up residence. Eyerman (1753-1816) was a stocking weaver, and so probably replaced weaver Deichman in the weaving shop, presumably also installing his family in the residential portion of that building as well. John Deichman appears to have left town after he sold his Easton property by 1794: he probably moved to Moore Township, where the estate of a weaver named John Deichman was settled in 1815.

The federal “Windows Tax” of 1798 assessed Mathias Eyerman for a house built of stone, 243 square feet in size, apparently located on this Lot. This assessment did not indicate whether the house was old – i.e. what Deichman had provided – or was new construction by Eyerman, but it does establish the presence of a stone house on the property in the 18th century. In 1803, Mathias Eyerman took out a loan for £ 200, and (in accordance with the standard usage of the time) gave a penal bond (a form of mortgage) for double its value (i.e. £ 400) against the property, to the lender, the prominent Easton politician Robert Traill. Mathias Eyerman had a household of six persons in Easton at the turn of the century, presumably in his homestead on this Lot. In 1812, Eyerman “sold” the northern 16 feet of the Lot (up “to the stone House”) to his son, Henry Eyerman, for $400, and took back a mortgage from Henry for the same $400. This would appear to be the origin of the little house at 121 North 4th, built by Henry Eyerman attached to his father’s residence.

Young Henry Eyerman (born in 1784) advantageously married Elizabeth Herster, a daughter of John Herster.

His father-in-law in the course of a long career became a prominent Easton merchant, miller and investor during the first half of the 19th century. When Henry Eyerman died on 22 February 1814 at age 29, apparently without a will, John Herster became the administrator of Henry Eyerman’s estate. In 1815, Herster (as both estate administrator and guardian for the Eyerman minor children) began to “clean up” his charges financial affairs, beginning by paying Robert Traill 5 shillings to be released from any obligation on the mortgage of the main Eyerman house, leaving Traill with recourse only against the main house.

Henry Eyerman’s father, Mathias Eyerman, died 1816 (just two years after his son). In his will, he gave his deceased son Henry’s children a forgiveness of the mortgage debt they owed to him on the little house.

The remainder of Mathias Eyerman’s estate, including the main house next door was left to be managed by his daughter Elizabeth and another Easton businessman, as co-executors. In 1819, Elizabeth Eyerman (by now married to James Doran) foreclosed on a debt of $15.52 plus $1.12½ “costs” owed by Henry’s estate to his father’s estate, and got the Sheriff to seize the little house from Henry’s estate administrator, John Herster, to be sold at public auction. The purchaser at auction was then none other than John Herster himself, for $170. This (no doubt pre-arranged) transaction essentially left the property in the hands of John Herster, free of the claims of Henry Eyerman’s other creditors, where (as estate administrator and guardian to the children) Herster undoubtedly allowed Henry Eyerman’s family (i.e., John Herster’s grandchildren) to recover from their father’s death. Herster had a history of providing property and “loan” funds for a large number of his relatives during his lifetime, as shown by his Will after his death. In particular, Herster appears to have helped launch Henry Eyerman’s son John (1808-1883) into his later prominent position in Easton society and business – a career that was heavily advanced by business relationships with John Herster and the Herster Family.

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In another, similar clever transaction involving the other Eyerman heirs, John Herster also took over Robert Traill’s mortgage on the main Mathias Eyerman homestead next door. He arranged in 1819 for the Sheriff to seize the property from Mathias Eyerman’s estate, and then sell the main homestead to Christian Flemming for the substantial sum of $1,000. These proceeds up to the value of the mortgage would then have been protected from the claims of any other (unsecured) creditors, if (as seems likely) Herster chose to use them to provide for the Eyerman Family.

In 1825, presumably with Henry Eyerman’s children all safely taken care of, John Herster also sold Henry Eyerman’s little house for $200 to Christian Flemming, the same man who had purchased Mathias Eyerman’s main house, thus re-uniting the two properties.

Christian Flemming was a butcher, sufficiently successful in business to own several buildings at the SW corner of Centre Square and Northampton Street. He made his “Homestead” in the house next door, at what became 117 North 4th Street, and died in 1869. His son, John C. Flemming, inherited the “Homestead” property on condition that he pay his sister, Mrs. Mary Ann Keiper (wife of an Indiana doctor), $5,000. John C. Flemming died in 1874. In 1880, Orphan’s Court granted a motion to “partition” his estate’s real property.

The commissioners administering this “partition” were able to divide the property into three economically-

121 N. 4th Street, Easton, PA. photo by Lydia E. Bruneo

October 2018

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Walking Tour continued from page 4

viable pieces (not enough to accommodate all the heirs), and these were offered to the Flemming heirs at appraised prices. One of these pieces, Purpart No. 3, was accepted by C. Fleming Sandt at the assigned price, but no other heirs agreed to take Purparts 1 and 2 (the Flemming Homestead and back lot) at the values appraised for them. Accordingly, in accordance with Orphan’s Court procedures, they were offered for sale to the public. At the resulting sale, Edward Hilliard purchased both remaining “Purparts” for a bid of $6,275, confirmed by the Court at the end of 1880 and commemorated in a formal deed finally in March of 1881. The Flemming Homestead purchased by Hilliard contained the full 60 feet of frontage on North 4th Street that had originally been included in original town Lot No. 155 – and accordingly incorporated Henry Eyerman’s small house. Hilliard was a dealer in coal, shoes and leather, and more importantly was a close neighbor, living at 123 North 4th Street in 1880. He had been a member of the Orphan’s Court Commission that had apportioned and evaluated the Flemming property.

Edward Hilliard died in 1891. In 1892, the executors of his estate sold the little house at 121 North 4th Street separately to Ellen A. Bixler, for $2,250. She eventually became the resident, along with her husband, clerk Edmund L. Bixler. She continued to own the property until she died on 12 April 1937. Her will named Edward H. and Mary H. Green, and Anna Hilliard, as her executors, but the ladies declined their offices, leaving only Edward Green to serve.

In 1944, he sold this property for the Bixler estate to William Walters for $3,200.

A year later, in 1945, the house was purchased by Harry and Gertrude Redline. He was a doorman by occupation, and the couple became the residents. After Gertrude died in 1962, her husband sold the house in the following year for $5,000 to Wood and Robert Moore, and their wives. Together, they operated the real estate and insurance firm of W.L. Moore & Son. Four years later (in 1967), they got $6,500 for the property in a sale to James and Ethel Moularokostas. Unfortunately, Ethel died in March of 1968, and her husband, a maintenance man at Ingersoll Rand Co., appears to have remarried by 1969. The couple sold the little house to Dominick Lockwood in 1970. Nine months later it was purchased by Patti and James Kirkhuff, Jr., who made it their residence. James Jr. died on 5 August 2006, but Patti did not sell the house until 2014 – at that point to another James Kirkhuff, who was apparently a cousin.

[In the interests of space, the endnotes to this article have been omitted. The complete article (including endnotes) will be filed in the Marx Local History Room of the Easton Area Public Library, and in the Sigal Museum Library of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society. The author’s articles on this and other buildings in the Easton Historic District are also available for review or download from the www.eastonhistory. com website.]

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IRREGULAR BOOKSELF with Carole J. Heffley

Sometimes you get hooked on one author’s style . . . ****CLOCK DANCE by Anne Tyler, Knopf ©2018, 304 pgs. (including Book Club guide), hardcover Had it not been for a poster in our Barnes & Noble, I would have probably never noticed this book, much less read it.

But the poster proclaimed B&N’s first Book Club meeting and so it piqued my curiosity. Of course, one had to buy the book in order to be at the meeting, although I suppose the book purchase was really not necessary if you did not want to participate but just listen. What fun is that? Several of the 10 attendees had read many of Ms. Tyler’s other books and did not like this book as much as A Spool of Blue Thread which I hastened to find at our library since I enjoyed Clock Dance so much. The titles of Ms. Tyler’s books have nothing to do with the story. Clock Dance is mentioned just once in the story, for example, as a silly dance the heroine sees some teens performing. The story follows Willa, a woman whom we first meet as a pre-teen, selling cookies door to door with a friend to raise money for their school band. We find that Willa has a younger sister, a kindly father, and a mother who can best be described as bi-polar. It is her mother’s erratic behavior that is at the heart of Willa’s future personality as we follow her to college, an early engagement, the birth of her own children, widowhood and re-marriage.

It’s the story of a woman’s character development with the passage of time. I came to love Willa through the pages of this book and I bet you will too. ****THE SHACK by Wm. Paul Young, Windblown Media ©2007, 256 pgs., paperback It seems everyone has read this book except for me so I had to “catch up” to friends and acquaintances, so to speak. This book caused a sensation (in a good way) when it was published eleven years ago and a movie based on the book came out a few years ago to no great applause although I have met folks who loved the movie and one friend who proclaimed that the book was the “Best Book” she has ever read. Heavy on religion (sort of), the story follows our hero, Mack, who is described as a fairly normal guy but one who holds a dark secret from his tortured past at the brutal hands of a nasty, mean and hateful father. Tragedy again finds Mack who now has four beloved children when his youngest, six-year-old Missy, is abducted during a family camping weekend. She is murdered by the abductor who we find out is a serial killer of little girls. It is a father’s worse nightmare. Later, one winter day, a note is found by Mack in his mailbox asking him to meet “Papa” (the word his wife oddly uses for God) at the shack where Missy was murdered, but her body was never found. The note tears Mack apart but after much thought, he secretly goes to meet “Papa”, who might turn out to be the killer, or a terrible prankster, in the wild woods near the camp grounds where the tragedy happened. He goes without telling his wife who is away with the remaining children at her sister’s house in another state for the weekend.

He takes a gun and borrows his friend’s 4-wheel drive jeep for the icy winter drive to the shack. When he gets to the shack, his life undergoes the most startling transformation.

Suspend all belief and ride along on this gentle (aside from the murder of a child which is the catalyst for the story) and amazing tale. Ask the Easton Area Public Library or Wilson Boro’s Mary Meuser Memorial Library for a copy of this book. I purchased this book for $5.00 on Amazon.

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October 2018

****A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD by Anne Tyler, Ballantine Books ©2016, 384 pgs., paperback The promotional paragraph reads: “A freshly observed, joyful and wrenching, funny and true new novel…” I don’t believe the “true” part but I do agree with fresh, joyful, wrenching and funny. I wondered after the first couple chapters where the story was. Again, with Anne Tyler, the title has nothing to do with the story unless you count the mention near the end of the book or allude to the thread of family life. The book follows the Whitshank family through three generations. Grandfather Whitshank was a handyman/contractor who built a house for a rich man and later purchased it himself when it became for sale. It continues to Grandfather Whitshank’s son, Red, and Red’s wife, Abby, then to their four children: Denny, who is the bane of their lives, dependable Jeannie, upwardly mobile lawyer Amanda, the “kind of” adopted “Stem” (whom we find out later is actually named Douglas), and a couple of dogs who live out their lives in the Whitshank household. The book is “told” rather than “shown” which used to be a real “no-no” in writing years ago. But the telling moves the story along till the reader is so immersed in the lives of this family that he or she cannot put the book down. The sparse dialogue is true to life…the reader can imagine the words spoken in their own family. As the years pass, Grandfather Whitshank’s house almost takes on a life of its own as the second generation fills its rooms and spaces. At first, I thought the story was about the mother, Abby, who is “flighty”, a frustrated poet and artist, but much later the novel turns to Denny, the eldest son, whose life is a mess. He is uncommunicative to his family. He is secretive; the family never knows who his friends are. In adulthood, they walk on eggshells around him and guess his whereabouts which they find out about only sporadically through the years. I guess in the end this is a book about family dynamics realistically told and charming in the telling. As one online reviewer said, “The characters seem to breathe in Anne Tyler’s novels.” Maybe that is the truest genius in the author’s writing.

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IRREGULAR BEATS

Hire Education article and photo by Janene Otten

The twenty-first century keeps advancing with a whirl of technological advances, thrusting whole generations into a world of choices at their fingertips. Outside influences are more dominant than ever.

Kids’ minds often change as quickly as the weather. They are also fiercely influenced by shows like American Idol, The Voice, America’s Got Talent and other programs that glamorize the process of becoming an artist. Committing to the discipline of being a musician competes for importance with every other cool activity offered by entrepreneurs promising to make your child even better at whatever it is they want to learn or for which they’ve demonstrated a talent. I recently spoke with Lehigh Valley music teachers and students to get their perspectives on higher learning in the age of indulgence.

EASTON: I was probably promulgating the cruciality of sophisticated music when I met my good friend Esme Montgomery, an Easton music studio owner at 719 Northampton. She and I spend a good portion of our time discussing music and teaching. Recently, she disclosed that when a student has a desire for learning she wants to facilitate the learning, “As long as there is not complete stagnation from one lesson to the next lesson, the more time you put in, you’re going to get more out of it.” Esme makes another good point about the saturation of opportunities that digital technology presents (YouTube instructional videos, for example) saying “the technology is new to all of us but you want to support the idea that anything, whether it’s music or something else, there’s a different qualitative experience of putting a lot of time into one thing than putting a little bit of time into a lot of things. I want to be available for that kind of The band Teddy plays at The Lesson Center in Park Plaza on Sullivan Trail during Forks Community Days. Pictured from left are experience.” In response to sharing with her my observation that to Ethan Benner, Emily Owens, Devon Schmidt and Tyler Martucci. keep kids committed, educators have shifted from a more structured form of discipline to making music lessons more for fun, she agrees, “It seems natural when working with children to introduce them to that idea. Not everything is fun.

There’s the thing you want to do immediately and this thing you want to do because you want something less immediate. But not everything is fun that you’re responsible for as you grow into adulthood.”

HELLERTOWN: I presented the same ideas to “Miss” Erin Jividen, owner of Encore Studios in Hellertown. She strongly agrees that in today’s world, educators are going head to head with technology. “Some younger students won’t learn [a song] until they are shown a video on my phone.” She senses that the kids come to her studio for lessons thinking ‘let me play the piano but let me be a kid’. Parents that have young children are part of an overindulgent generation. In addition to their private music lesson, students are in karate, dance class, lacrosse, gymnastics, drama; the list goes on. Erin offers a safe place where kids can sometimes use music as therapy, asking them, “Do you just want to bang on the piano? Do you just want to sing?” adding that “As a business owner, there is one side of me that has to keep it successfully running but also understand that some children are just not going to be the best. When a child comes in at any age and has the capability and ability to be challenged, discipline is absolutely important. And there are more of those kids than not. The ones who achieve are the ones you push.” Miss Erin summarizes, “I want them to look back on music class and say ‘I had fun’.”

EASTON/NORTHAMPTON/BETHLEHEM/ALLENTOWN/CENTER VALLEY: The Lesson Center offers private music instruction on many instruments and group music classes for young musicians, choral programming, singer/songwriter courses and rock band coaching. There are five Lehigh Valley locations. Lesson coordinators are available by phone to keep the kids and the parents on track.

They offer eight programs of music of varying levels and present musical & theatrical events at Temple Theatre in Allentown’s historic Masonic temple. One of The Lesson Center’s teachers of the week, Travis Hobbie, told me about his own journey. His parents “goaded him into” taking private lessons. If he didn’t learn a song the teacher would be angry and show him the notes as he recalls, “That was when you go by the book. You follow the book lessons. I felt like the teacher was just doing what he would do with any student, any age, any time. It was not about like, hey, how do we get you to enjoy music and connect with music more.” Travis seeks to make that connection with his students.

Managing Director Lori Roberts, who did not have private lessons and wishes she had, recalls school music classes. “You were lost in this sea of all the other kids in chorus class or all the other kids in your orchestra.” She and Travis both observed that especially when someone is shy and afraid to break out in those larger groups, the one-on-one helps the student to break down those walls. Kids that may show a lack of confidence and capability are also shy singing or playing music at home. As an administrator, Lori explains the role that parents are expected to play in the learning process. “…we’ve not been afraid to take a parent aside and say [the student] is wasting your money because they’re not practicing at home and they’re not invested in it. They’re clearly just coming because you make them come every week. Sometimes that’s the wake-up call the parent needs to get invested at home.”

I chatted with the kids to find out the results of this combined effort. Palisades High student Emily Owens takes private lessons at The Lesson Center in Coopersburg (Center Valley location). In school she does classical pieces and musical theater in choir. At lessons, she focuses on her band Teddy and other personal music that she performs out at gigs. Studying several genres this way helps her to have a fun experience.

In school she says she doesn’t really have time to do the personal stuff. Teddy’s drummer Devon Schmidt does play in his school’s marching band but about The Lesson Center (he studies at their Trexlertown studio), he remarks, “When I come here it’s just more fun to practice with the band, to sit behind the kit and rock out with the band. It’s more enjoyable.” Teddy’s bass player Tyler Martucci agrees, “I practice more with my bass here [at The Lesson Center] than with stuff for school because at school I have a piano class.

It’s not anything special but I do way more with this band. And it’s cool.” Music that students have to learn seems to take a lot of the fun out of it for the kids because, as Emily explains, she enjoys popular music and bands more than she does classical or musical theater but when she comes to lessons she can choose what she does. Guitarist Ethan Benner has had four years of lessons and the band music comes more easily to him now, leaving him time to learn some theory, but that doesn’t come easy so, yeah, they’re focusing more on the band’s music.

The perspective of these teachers and students in 2018 seems to dictate, in part, that to keep kids enthused about music class, permit the kids to choose what they want to do. Facilitate in the learning process and support whatever enthusiasm is present enough for them to enjoy it. The teaching methods have changed but that’s because the world has vastly changed. The old methods have morphed into new methods to ensure that students connect with music and take with them through life what they’ve learned.

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October 2018

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ARTSPACE Gallery Pocono Arts Council 18 N. Seventh Street Stroudsburg, PA 570-476-4460

Contrasts: Dark and Light October 5-27, reception October 6, 4-6pm.

Open Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm & Saturday-Sunday 12-4pm. poconoarts.org/artspace-gallery

Banana Factory 25 W. 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300

The David E. Rodale and Rodale Family Galleries The Baum School of Art 510 Linden Street, Allentown, PA 610-433-0032

Jane Conneen: It’s a Small World thru October 20, Barnaby Ruhe: REGENESIS thru October 20, and High Tech/Low Tech: Smart Phone Image Makers Matthew Beniamino and Jett Ulaner Sarachek October 25-November 15, artist talks November 1, 6:30pm. Open Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm, Friday & Saturday 9am-3pm. baumschool.org

Ahlum Gallery 106 N. 4th Street, Easton, PA 610-923-7101

David Leese: “The Hardened Heart” Series - Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault through October 28. Open Friday & Saturday from 12-5pm & by appt. ahlumgallery.com

Allentown Art Museum 31 N. 5th Street, Allentown, PA 610-432-4333

Molas: Social Fabric thru December 9, Power and Piety: Spanish Colonial Art thru December 9, Angel SuarezRosado: Talisman thru December 16, The Soviet Lens: Photography by Dmitri Baltermants and Mark MarkovGrinberg thru January 6, Stephen Antonakos: The Room Chapel thru May 19, Indian Sculpture: Avatars of the Hindu Gods thru June 2, Katagami: The Japanese Stencil thru July 28. Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-4pm (3rd Thursdays 11am-8pm) & Sunday 124pm. allentownartmuseum.org

Alvin H. Butz Gallery ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks 101 Founders Way Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300

Sharon Bartmann and Gillian Pokalo: The Past is Present: Visions of Bethlehem Steel thru January 6.

Open Monday-Wednesday 3:30-9pm, Thursday 4-11pm, Friday 4pm-12am, Saturday 11am-12am, and Sunday 12-9pm. artsquest.org/arts

Arts Community of Easton: The Susan Huxley Gallery at the Quadrant 20 N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 484-894-6652

Kristen Barnes, Cleaning Out The Closets: Artworks From 2004-2016 thru December 31. Open TuesdaySaturday 8am-5pm & Sunday 8am4pm.

Andrew Catanese: The Good Men of Hell thru October 14, ArtsQuest Staff & Teaching Artist Exhibition thru October 19, Banana Factory Resident Artist Exhibition thru October 21, Carol Guzy: Puerto Rico ¡Adelante! October 20-December 9, and 8th Annual InVision Juried Exhibition: The American Experience October 27-December 16.

Open Monday-Friday 8am-9:30pm, Saturday & Sunday 8:30am-5pm. bananafactory.org/events/exhibitions

Voices of Conscience 2018: Identifying Freedom October 12. allentownpublictheatre.com

Buck Hall Lafayette College 219 N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 610-330-3311

National Theatre Live: Macbeth October 21, and The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed November 2-10. williamscenter.lafayette.edu

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The Irregular

The Rocky Horror Show October 1228, Connection Beyond *LIVE* with Medium Marisa Liza Pell October 16, and I Hate Hamlet November 9-December 1. bcptheater.org

Civic Theatre of Allentown 527 N. 19th Street Allentown, PA 610-432-8943

Billy Elliot the Musical October 1228. civictheatre.com

Arts Community of Easton (ACE) Artists. Open Wednesday-Saturday 9am-7pm & Sunday 9am-5pm.

Original etchings, drawings and paintings by Charles Klabunde.

Open Thursday-Saturday & 1st Sunday 12-5pm & by appt.

CharlesKlabundeArtist.com

Communications Hall Northampton Community College 3835 Green Pond Road Bethlehem, PA 610-861-5300

The Postmodern Condition - Two Approaches thru October 13, and ArtsQuest InVision Photography Month Exhibit: Waiting Still November 1-December 15. Open Monday-Thursday 8am-9pm & FridaySaturday 8am-5pm. northampton.edu/ news/ncc-events-calendar.htm

A Softening of Her Eyes October 21-28 at the IceHouse (56 River St., Bethlehem, PA). ckplayers.com

Bucks County Playhouse 70 S. Main Street, New Hope, PA 215-862-2121

Works by Lauren Beauchner thru October 30, artist talk October 11, 1:45-2:30pm. Open Monday-Friday 8am-3pm & during cultural events. hs.nazarethasd.org/en-gallery-home-page

Easton Public Market 325 Northampton Street Easton, PA info@eastonart.org

Charles Klabunde Gallery & Studio 73 N. 2nd Street, Easton, PA 610-252-1938

Crowded Kitchen Players Allentown, PA 610-395-7176

Allentown Public Theatre St. Luke’s Lutheran Church 417 N. 7th Street, Allentown, PA 888-895-5645

The Eagle Nest Gallery Nazareth Area High School E. Center Street, Nazareth, PA 610-759-1730

Arts Community of Easton (ACE) Members’ Fall Exhibit thru December 23, reception October 5, 6-7:30pm.

Open 90 minutes prior to most performances. statetheatre.org/gallery

Souvenir Drawer: Artwork by Brian Barto thru October 20, 6-9pm, and Berrisford Boothe and Benjamin Long November 3-December 1. Open Friday 1-6pm, Saturday 12-6pm & by appt. brickandmortargallery.com

Peter Pan, Jr. thru October 7. countrygate.org

Shout - The MOD Musical October 11-14, The Velveteen Rabbit November 1-4. cedarcrest.edu/academics/ performing_arts/events.shtm

Ed Vatza: 20 Photographs October 5-November 11, reception October 13, 7-10, artist talk October 21, 2pm.

Open Monday 12-5pm, Thursday 12-7pm, Friday 12-8pm, Saturday 11am-8pm & Sunday 12-6pm. connexionsgallery.com

Easton Hospital Gallery State Theatre Center for the Arts 5th & Northampton Streets Easton, PA 800-999-STATE

Brick + Mortar Gallery Silk Mill Complex, Unit 101 1247 Simon Boulevard, Easton, PA 908-319-2914

Country Gate Theatre 114 Greenwich Street Belvidere, NJ 908-475-1104

Cedar Crest College Theatre Samuels Theatre at Tompkins College Center 100 College Drive, Allentown, PA 610-606-4608

Connexions Gallery 213 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-250-7627

DeSales University Act 1 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA 610-282-3192

Picnic thru October 7, Dames at Sea October 11-21, and Activate: Emerging Choreographers Concert November 2-4. desales.edu/act1

Easton Theatre Co-op Easton, PA 610-216-5151

Gallery at St. John’s 330 Ferry Street, Easton, PA 610-258-6119

Mixed Media Moments: Artworks by Louise M. Marina thru October 28, and Holiday Art Show: Fine Art & Fine Crafts for Holiday Gift Giving November 4-December 16, reception November 4, 12-3pm.

Open Sunday 12-3pm & by appt. stjohnseaston.org/ministries/gallery

Moravian College Theatre Arena Theater/Haupert Union Building 1200 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-861-1489

Truth/Delusion October 12, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead November 15-18. moravian.edu/theatre

Muhlenberg College Theatre 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 484-664-3333 Brigadoon October 26-November 4, and Moving Stories November 8-10. muhlenberg.edu/main/academics/ theatre-dance

Pennsylvania Playhouse Illick’s Mill Road, Bethlehem, PA 610-865-6665

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum thru October 14, and Giving up the Ghosts October 26-28. paplayhouse.org

Pines Dinner Theatre 448 N. 17th Street Allentown, PA 610-433-2333

The Marvelous Wonderettes thru October 21. pinesdinnertheatre.com

Northampton Community College Theatre 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem, PA 610-861-5524 Merrily We Roll Along October 18-21. ncctix.org

Broadway Cabaret at the Pomfret Club October 6 (33 S. 4th St., Easton, PA), and First, Act. Enjoy the first act of a classic or new play every third Thursday 7pm thru October at Easton Public Market (325 Northampton St., Easton, PA). eastontheatrecoop.org

Hunterdon Hills Playhouse 88 Route 173 West, Hampton, NJ 800-447-7313

Run For Your Wife thru October 18, Ivery Bell’s Just Praisin’ Gospel Revue October 20-21, Christmas in the Air November 1-December 20, and Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience November 10-11. hhplayhouse.com October 2018

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Lehigh University Art Galleries 420 E. Packer Avenue Bethlehem, PA 610-758-3615

The Teaching Museum: Selections from the LUAG Teaching Museum Collection thru December 9. Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-5pm & Sunday 1-5pm. luag.org

Liberty Bell Museum Gallery 622 Hamilton Street Allentown, PA 610-435-4232

Towards a Greater Muhlenberg: The Evolution of Muhlenberg College 1848-2018, and WMUH: 70 Years on the Air with the only Station that Matters thru October 31. Open Monday-Saturday 124pm (3rd Thursdays 12-8pm) & 2nd Sunday of the month 12-4pm. libertybellmuseum.org

Martin Art Gallery Baker Center for the Arts Muhlenberg College 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 484-664-3467 Museum of Ethnography 22 S. 3rd Street, 2nd Floor, Easton, PA 908-798-0805

Tolerant No Longer (6-minute film) October 20-September 30, 2019, reception October 20, 6-9pm. Open Tuesday & Friday 11am-4pm, Saturday 11am-2pm & by appt. maryaclarity.com

Forks Area Art Society Cottage in the Woods 700 Zucksville Road Easton, PA 610-250-2260

Member’s Fun Fall/Halloween Show thru November 17. Open Saturday 2-4pm & by appt. forksareaartsociety. yolasite.com

Grossman Gallery Lafayette College 243 N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5361

Kate Gilmore: In Your Way thru November 17. Open Tuesday-Friday 11am-4:30pm, Saturday 11am-4pm & by appt. galleries.lafayette.edu

Hunterdon Art Museum 7 Lower Center Street, Clinton, NJ 908-735-8415 Lace not Lace: Contemporary Fiber Art from Lacemaking Techniques, Walter Chandoha: A Lifetime of Photography, and 2018 Members Exhibition thru January 6. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-5pm. hunterdonartmuseum.org

IF Museum/Academy 107 N. 4th Street, Easton, PA 610-258-0777

Open Sunday & Thursday 1-4pm, Fourth Friday 5-9pm & by appt. facebook.com/IFMuseumAcademy

Lauren Kindle Studio and Gallery 7B N. Bank Street, Easton, PA 267-247-6364 Works by Lauren Kindle. Open by appt. laurenkindle.com

Shawnee Playhouse River Road Shawnee-On-Delaware, PA 570-421-5093

2018 Cabarets thru December 20, The Sunshine Boys October 5-21, A Number October 26-27, and Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol November 9-December 23. theshawneeplayhouse.com

State Theatre Center for the Arts 453 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 800-999-STATE

Stage On Stage: Early Elton October 5, The Hit Men October 13, Diana Krall October 14, The Greatest Love of All: The Whitney Houston Show October 19, Haunted Illusions October 20, Jim Witter’s The Piano Men October 26, The Making Comedy Great Again Tour October 27, Raffi October 28, Something Rotten November 1, The Naked Magicians November 2, and Eric Clapton Retrospective: Craig Thatcher Band & Friends November 9. statetheatre.org

Niki Kriese thru October 31, artist talk October 24, 5-6pm, Peter d’Agostino: COLD / HOT - Walks, Wars & Climate Change thru November 3, and David Mann: In Focus thru January 2, artist talk November 7, 5-6pm.

Open Tuesday-Saturday 12-8pm. muhlenberg.edu/main/aboutus/gallery

ME-Art Studio 22 S. 3rd Street, 2nd Floor Easton, PA 908-319-4864

Ronald K. De Long Gallery Penn State Lehigh Valley 2809 Saucon Valley Road Center Valley, PA 610-285-5261

SmARTivities Showcase 60 Centre Square, Easton, PA 484-544-3954

Various artists on display thru October 31. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm & Sunday 11am-5pm. smARTivities.net

Sellos de una colección: Rigo Peralta’s Cigar Band Collage Paintings & Abstract Fantoms thru October 13, and Charles F. Stonewall: Between Silence and Light October 30-December 15, reception Novermber 1, 5-7pm. Open Monday-Thursday 11am-5pm, Friday 11am-3pm & Saturday 10am-2pm. lehighvalley.psu. edu/ronald-k-de-long-gallery

Tomi J. Petrella, Art, Etc. 9 N. 2nd Street, Easton, PA 908-303-0519

Paintings, portraits, murals, and design. Open Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-1pm or by appt. tomiartetc.com

Rotunda Gallery at City Hall 10 E. Church Street Bethlehem, PA rotundashows@bfac-lv.org

Williams Center Gallery Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5361

William Christine: Paintings thru October 18, and Lehigh Valley Photography Club October 24-December 6, reception October 28, 2-4pm. Open Monday-Friday 8:30am4:30pm. bfac-lv.org

William Wegman: Instant Miami thru December 8, artist talk October 11, 4:10pm (Skillman Library), and conversation b/t William Wegman & John Reuter October 29, 4:10pm (Rm. 108). Open Tuesday-Friday 11am5pm, Thursday 11am-8pm, Saturday & Sunday 12-5pm, and performance nights 7:30-9:30pm. galleries. lafayette.edu/category/exhibitions

Sigal Museum Northampton Historical & Genealogical Society 342 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-253-1222

Sign Language: Protest, Passion, and Politics, Photographs of Ed Eckstein thru January 6. Open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-4pm (Fourth Fridays 10am-9pm) & Sunday 12-4pm. sigalmuseum.org

Gallery and working studio of Beverly Murbach-Erhardt featuring watercolors, acrylics and art cards.

Open Thursday-Saturday 11am-4pm. me-artstudio.com

Nurture Nature Center 518 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-253-4432

Urban Pathways: Safe or Sacred Space: Solo Exhibit by Femi J. Johnson, Traffic: Paintings by Jared Balogh, and In Hot Water: Photographs by Harmony Hancock thru October 23. Open Wednesday 12-4pm, Thursday 6-9pm, Saturday 124pm & by appt. nurturenaturecenter.org

Touchstone Theatre 321 E. 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-867-1689

TseSho? (What’s That?) October 5-6. touchstone.org

Nazareth Center for the Arts 30 Belvidere Street, Nazareth, PA 610-614-0404

Plain Air Landscape Oil Paintings by the late Thomas Burke October 7-27, reception October 7, 2-4pm. Open Thursday 6-8pm, Saturday 10am-12pm & by appt.

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

Williams Center for the Arts Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5009

Bob Marley

Private Peaceful October 10, Faculty Spotlight: Skip Wilkins Quartet October 12, Stile Antico: Queen of Muses October 14, Steve Coleman and Five Elements October 19, JazzReach - Stolen Moments: The First 100 Years of Jazz October 20, and The Nature of Forgetting October 26. williamscenter.lafayette.edu

Zoellner Arts Center Lehigh University 420 E. Packer Avenue Bethlehem, PA 610-758-2787 ext 0

Dept. of Theatre: Dog Act thru October 6, Notations: Letters Aloud-Private Letters Read in Public October 2, Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner: Beethoven & Liszt October 7, Spectrum Dance Theater: A Rap on Race October 9, Nicole Henry October 13, LU Philharmonic: The Romantic Orchestra October 19-20, Pinocchio by Theatre Tout a Trac October 21, LU Choral Arts: I Hear America Singing October 27-28, RIOULT Dance NY: Street Singer Celebrating the Life of Edith Piaf November 2, LU Jazz Repertory Orchestra: Big Band Tribute November 3, and Dept. of Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream November 9-16. zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu

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October 2018

The Irregular

9

Artistic Endeavors The Journey Home: Transforming trauma into a culture of belonging and empowerment article and photos by Dawn Ouellette Nixon Dr. Bonnie Winfield directs an art therapy group inside the Northampton County Departement of Corrections called The Journey Home. Bonnie’s work with the incarcerated women inside is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking. For Bonnie, her work with The Journey Home is her life’s calling.

“I didn’t go to college until I was 35,” says Winfield. “ I got my PHD in my mid 40s. I taught at Binghamton in New York, and went through a sort of dark side of my soul period. There was a lot of stuff going on and that’s when I discovered making art. The whole process of art and drawing and telling life stories changed my life. I became a different kind of person, more open and more giving. I decided to give that to other people, that that was what I needed to do.”

Winfield’s career evolution eventually brought her to Lafayette College where she became the Director of their Community Outreach program. She met a Monmouth University student who was interning at the Northampton County Prison. “We went into the jail and found there was no programming there like this one for women,” she remarks, “so we started it.”

The Journey Home is a trauma informed practice where Bonnie and student volunteers work with women inside the local jail to help them cope with their trauma through making art. “We help them learn to be mindful,” Winfield explains, “so they can not have so much anxiety and be successful in the world. It’s really about healing and being creative.”

Winfield gets to know the women in the program, most of whom are mothers in their 20s and 30s, and who all have signed up for the program voluntarily. “I do keep in touch with some of the women after they leave the program.” she says. “I’m in touch with many of them on Facebook. It is challenging to let go of the women and the stories they tell. The deaths are hard. In the past year I’ve experienced four deaths of women in my group. That has increased with the opioid crisis, that did not happen in years past. A lot of the women talk about how safe they feel on the inside. They worry that if they go back out into the real world that they will die.”

Despite the heartbreak involved with her work with The Journey Home, the program is a life changing gift to so many. “The most rewarding thing has been being able to be with the women in the moment,” remarks Winfield, “to see the process in the moment. I can’t allow myself to get caught up in what happened in the past and

A collectively painted mural by incarcerated women who participate in The Journey Home program hangs above the sink at the new location, 12 S. Sitgreaves Street in downtown Easton, PA.

what will happen in the future, I try to just be in the moment. We are all just women painting together, in the room together.”

The Journey Home program recently celebrated the opening of its new physical location in historic downtown Easton at 12 S. Sitgreaves Street. The space is an expressive arts studio and maker space. In addition to a space where Winfield can bring incarcerated women who are permitted to leave the jail, it will also serve the community by offering creative experiences in the form of workshops, open studio time, and expressive arts facilitation for individuals and groups. Women in the jail are encouraged to come and continue their healing through the expressive arts work after they return to the community and their families.

Winfield’s mission for the new space is to provide a creative open space for the creative spirit to thrive. The Journey Home community space offers one time, weekly, or monthly time slots to let your creative self explore and have fun. A variety of what’s to come includes trauma-informed expressive arts for individuals and groups, group development and restorative activities, creative mindfulness workshops, art journaling, book making, printmaking with gelatin, mixed-media explorations and sip and paint events.

To learn more about Dr. Bonnie Winfield’s work with The Journey Home or to volunteer, visit facebook.com/TheJourneyHomeEaston or thejourneyhome.blog. Donations to the program are greatly appreciated and can be made at: gofundme.com/expressive-arts-studio. Your generosity will assist in supporting programming and purchasing art supplies and inspirational books to be used both inside and outside the correctional facility.

Masks dry at one of the art stations at The Journey Home’s new location at 12 S. Sigreaves Street in downtown Easton, PA.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! FACEBOOK.COM EASTONIRREGULAR Dr. Bonnie Winfield of The Journey Home stands next to self portraits made by the incarcerated women in the program.

10 The Irregular

October 2018

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with Dawn Ouellette Nixon ZEKE ZELKER: HOMETOWN FILMMAKER, WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE Filmmaker Zeke Zelker could make his films anywhere in the United States, but chooses to live and work here, where he grew up, in the Lehigh Valley. His pride of place is strong and comes in part from the family that he was was born into, a family that has helped make the Lehigh Valley what it is today. Zelker’s family started Dorney Park in the 1800s.

Thus, he was raised firmly rooted in both the Lehigh Valley and the entertainment business.

“I was always interested in entertainment,” says Zelker. “At first I thought I wanted to be on Wall Street, and then a friend of mine said I might be interested in being a film producer, and that started it for me.”

The change of heart proved to be smart. Zelker has built an impressive film career over the years, directing, producing and working on dozens of films including the Sundance Film Festival grand jury prize nominee, Loggerheads, the film In Search Of, which screened at the London Film Festival and his current work, Billboard.

Billboard is loosely based a true event, one familiar to many Lehigh Valley residents of a certain age. In the 1980s, a radio contest had three men camping out on a billboard off of Route 22 in Whitehall in hopes of winning a mobile home.

“I was 11 years old,” recalls Zelker, “and I remember driving by the billboard and thinking about the people behind the scenes. Billboard is inspired by the true story, but I didn’t want to know too much about the real story. I took my creative license and ran with it. The film is really about an entrepreneur’s struggle for success.”

Many high profile and celebrated actors have come on board for the project including Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, Darlene Cates, known for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Heather Matarazzo of Welcome to the Dollhouse.

Zeke Zelker, right, on the set of Billboard with actor Eric Roberts who plays Rick. photo courtesy of Zeke Zelker

Billboard is a cross media project, with an interactive website and mobile app to offer movie-goers a fully interactive experience.

For Zelker, seeing his idea go from a diagram on paper many years ago to a fully realized project has been exceedingly rewarding. “It’s hard, heartbreaking work,” remarks Zelker of film making. “Money and finances are always challenging. But I’m lucky that my films have made money. I’m grateful to everyone who has worked on this film with me. There are over 2,000 people who have worked together to make this possible. I love what I do and I love the Lehigh Valley. I’m proud to have made this movie here. I came back because I wanted to change people’s perceptions and show them what can be done here. I’ve got so much pride for this area and I’ve been able to share that through my films all over the world.”

To learn more about Zeke Zelker’s newest film, visit billboardmovie.com. A sneak peak screening of Billboard will take place Thursday, November 1 at 7 P.M. at Civic Theatre of Allentown’s 19th Street Theatre. Tickets are $20, but seating is limited: order at civictheatre.com/cinema/season/billboard.

On location of Zeke Zelker’s film Billboard. photo courtesy of Zeke Zelker

©2018 Satori Publishing

Crossword Answers (Puzzle on page 14)

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October 2018

The Irregular 11

GARDENING Why We Garden article and photos by Pam Ruch I overheard a conversation a couple of weeks ago: “It’s never been this bad. I need a machete to clear the weeds. I’m feeling defeated. It’s more work than fun!” grumbled one gardener.

“That’s exactly how I feel about my garden this year. I just could not keep up with the weeds!

They’re taller than the veggie plants!! So defeating,” commiserated another.

“I quit! I’m ripping out my garden bed and tilling it all and planting grass. I will grow my veggies in containers next year. The weeds are too much,” concluded a third.

“So you had a bad year. Don’t give up!” I wanted to say. But I didn’t. Because who am I to tell them how to live their lives?

Since that time, however, I have gathered my thoughts, bolstered my arguments. Trust me on this: The answer is not to quit, but to dive a little deeper into this thing we are compelled to do.

I get it. It’s been a tough summer. Tomatoes didn’t set fruit well due to the heat, and then cracked from all the rain. Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) has commandeered the lawn, weeds have taken advantage of every spot of bare soil and for whatever reason zucchini, that most stalwart of garden vegetables, has gone on strike. But still, if you give up you’ll be sorry. Because it’s not really about the tomatoes and zucchini. Ok, it’s partly about the juicy, sun-ripened tomatoes that we deserve after a summer of watering and weeding, dang it! But there’s so much more to it than that.

It’s about the community of gardeners you are a part of—caring, generous to a fault, full of anecdotal information that often turns out to be surprisingly relevant to life as well as gardening, and most of all connected to the natural cycles in a way that links us to each other.

As a gardener, you gain a deep understanding of the complexity of nature, even as you realize that what you have learned is just a tiny fraction of what there is to know. And so you learn a healthy humility, and a degree of comfort with the realization that there’s always going to be a level of understanding beyond your reach no matter how knowledgeable you are.

You learn that there are dozens of answers to every gardening question … or, you might say, just one: Should I prune my tomatoes? It depends Should I spray my aphids with soap? It depends.

Should I till the soil? Plant peas in fall? It depends.

It depends on multiple factors. What other factors exist in your garden? What types of tomatoes are you growing and how are you growing them? Do you have aphid predators in your garden? Have you familiarized yourself with no-till practices? Are you feeling lucky? You’re in charge of your garden. Yet, you’re so rarely in control.

Gardeners have great problem-solving skills. This year’s problems—excessive rain, out-ofcontrol weeds, water-logged soil—will probably not be next year’s. You learn that cycles happen. You’ve lived through Japanese beetle infestations, stink bug invasions, aphid population explosions, summer droughts. The list goes on. Cycles often work themselves out before anything

Plant a cover crop of buckwheat to prevent weeds in beds after the spring harvest. Pollinators, like this beneficial scoliid wasp, love it!

A ripe, backyard tomato is one of the great rewards of gardening!

catastrophic happens. Nature keeps you on your toes. You learn where the groundhog lives, which insects prey on your pests, how to think like a deer, or a squirrel, or a bird. You learn where the water collects and where it drains. You’re nimble. You’re adaptable. You make adjustments.

Gardeners become immersed in the seasons of birth, growth, death, decay, and rebirth. In this modern era we have the power to control the temperature, light, humidity, sound, and light of our indoor environment by literally shutting the door on the outside world. Many people take that option. We do not.

So take heart. Don’t give up the garden. And next year, with any luck at all, there will be tomatoes!

Horticulturist and writer Pam Ruch, caretaker of the Nurture Nature Center Urban Recycle Garden, tends gardens in the Lehigh Valley and beyond, and presents gardening and nature journaling programs throughout the region. She explores the intricacies of nature on her website, ArtofNatureJournaling.com.

Know your weeds: Common burdock is a biennial, that is, it produces seeds in its second year of growth. Its roots are edible and the seeds are said to have inspired Velcro. To control, pull it before it sets seed.

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO ABOUT THE WEEDS, BEFORE NEXT SPRING: 1) Go buy some straw and leave it outside. Next year it will be sufficiently “seasoned” for use as mulch.

2) Stockpile newspapers and cardboard. Next year, lay them down on your garden paths, soak them, and cover them with your seasoned straw, or with wood chips.

3) Stockpile newspapers and cardboard. Next year, lay them down on your garden paths, soak them, and cover them with your seasoned straw, or with wood chips.

4) After you pull everything from your garden (except the garlic, of course) sow winter rye seed.

Next year, in early May, pull it out by the roots and chop it, or turn it under. Wait two weeks to plant your vegetable seeds.

5) Study your weeds. Learn if they are annual, biennial, or perennial, and when they set seed. In order to break their cycles you need to know their cycles.

12 The Irregular

October 2018

Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild offers Halloween Storytelling Extravaganza article courtesy of Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild

Looking for a spook-filled afternoon or evening this October? Well look no further. Libraries all over the Lehigh Valley will host the scariest tellers available all through the month. Tellers from the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild will visit eight libraries to chill spines, tickle funny bones, and spin webs of horror. All library shows are free and open to the public.

MaryAnn Paterniti and Robin Reichert kick off the Fright Night season with a family scary story event October 11 at the Parkland Community Library. The scariness begins at 6:30 PM. This is a family-oriented event. The fright factor of the stories will get more intense as the evening goes on. Expect chills up and down your spines and tickles in your funny bones.

The frightful fun continues as Robin Reichert and Ingrid Bohn add their woeful tales to the family Haunted House event at Mary Meuser Memorial Library October 19 from 7-8 PM. The Haunted House is open to all ages. Stories and songs will get more frightful as the evening goes on.

The Bethlehem Area Public Library (Main Branch) will be the next target for frightful and horrid tales. On Saturday, October 20 at 2 PM, Ingrid Bohn and Denise McCormack will cast a web of spine-tingling fear. These stories are for the braver listeners, designed for children 10 and up, teens and/or adults.

Will the horror never end? On Monday, October 22 at the Public Library of Catasauqua at 6 PM, Karen Maurer and Denise McCormick will share stories and scare listeners. Expect chants, rants, songs, and tales to make you wail at this family-oriented Fright Night event. The first 20 minutes or so will be fairly tame fare but then. Oh, then things get hairy and scary.

Oh, the horror continues! On October 24 at 6:30 PM, Charles Kiernan and Judy England-McCarthy continue the campaign of horrible tales and frightening vignettes at the Whitehall Township Public Library. This is a family-oriented event so there will be material for all ages. The scariness increases as the evening wears on.

Please leave the children at home for this program of frightening, gory, awful stories at the Easton Area Public Library, October 25 at 6:30 PM. The Easton Area Public Library is built on the site of an abandoned cemetery. What an excellent site for Larry Sceurman and MaryAnn Paterniti to share stories of visitors from beyond the grave, or of untimely deaths!

Next up for adults is a program of frightening, gory and consciousness twisting tales. This event at the Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity is for the bravest listeners. On October 30 at 6:30 PM, Larry Sceurman and Karen Maurer will chill bones and fill the air with whispers of wraiths.

Halloween!! The day of spirits and wailing demons has arrived. Rob Aptaker and Judy England-McCarthy will keep families entertained with stories of the scary season October 31 at the Emmaus Public Library. The frightful fun begins at 7 PM. This is the library’s Silly and Scary Tales event, suitable for all ages. Rob and Judy will not disappoint.

Also on Halloween, Godfrey Daniels and Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild present Haunted: An Evening of Frightfully Good Tales, a night of psychological thrillers and chillers, stories for adult audiences from 7 to 9:30 PM at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. Tickets are $12.50. Tickets are available at the door, or visit haunted.brownpapertickets.com to order online. Light refreshments available for purchase and BYO-Beer&Wine. This program is not suitable for children. Sit back and hold on tight as Charles Kiernan, Denise McCormack, and Karen Maurer lead listeners down a dark and haunting path to celebrate this season’s favorite holiday: All Hallows Eve.

photo by Michelle L. Corby

For more information, please visit lvstorytelling.org, email iubtheater@yahoo.com, or call 215-541-1429.

Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

October 2018

The Irregular 13

IRREGULAR EVENTS ONGOING: Book & Puppet Co. Free Events: Story Hour Tues.-Sat. 10:30-11:30am; Fractured Fables Puppet Show every Sat. & Sun. 1-2pm; Meet a Storybook Character every Sat. & Sun. 2pm; Jazz Concert with Andy Laties 1st Thurs. 7-8pm; Writers Read Open Mic 1st Fri. 7-9pm; Writers Group 3rd Thur. 7-9pm; Comics Jam 4th Sat. 4-6pm; and Stitch n’ B!tch 2nd & 4th Sun. 5-8pm. 466 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 484-541-5379, bookandpuppet.com Chapter #14, Soc. PA Archaeology Meeting: Bring your Indian artifacts for typing, age determination. Every Thur.

7pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Place, Easton, PA. Info: Len Ziegler 908-750-4110

Cops ‘n’ Kids Reading Room Story, Craft & 3 free books. 1st & 3rd Sat. 10am12pm and every Thurs. 11am-7pm. Easton Community Center, 901 Washington St. (9th St. entrance), Easton, PA. Info: 610250-6562, copsnkidseaston@gmail.com, copsnkidseaston.org Easton Farmers’ Market. Every Sat. 9am1pm thru Dec. (Oct. 6: Garlic Fest, Oct. 20: Apple Jam, Nov. 3: PA Bacon Fest).

Centre Sq., Easton, PA. Info: 610-330-9942, eastonfarmersmarket.com Open Mic Nights. 1st Tues. of the month 6:30-8pm. Mary Meuser Memorial Library.

1803 Northampton St., Wilson Borough, PA. Info: 610-258-3040 Quilting Club. 1st & 3rd Mon. of the month 6-8pm. Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-2917 Science on a Sphere & SOS Explorer Touch Screen Kiosk at Nurture Nature Center.

Every Wed. & Sat. 12-4pm, Thur. 6-9pm. 518 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-2534432, Liesel@nurturenaturecenter.org Senior Connection, a free community senior program offering social and mental stimulation for older adults. Every Tues. & Thur. 10am-3pm. Arndt’s Lutheran Church, 1851 Arndt Rd., Forks Twp., PA, Info: 610253-3732, Nancy Walters 610-253-0726, nancywalters@rcn.com

The Writers Café. 2nd Thur. of the month 7-9pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: glvwg. vebmeister@gmail.com OCTOBER 3: Introduction to Essential Oils For Health.

7-8pm, reg. req. AusetGypsy Metaphysical Emporium, 15 S. 2nd St., Easton PA. Info: 917-536-6393, Ausetgypsy@gmail.com OCTOBER 4-5: Fall Fair & Flea Market. 8am-4pm. St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Freemansburg & Stones Crossing, Palmer Twp., PA. Info: 610-252-2258 OCTOBER 5-6: Fall Rummage Sale. Fri. 9am-3pm, Sat. 9am12pm (bag day). Christ United Methodist Church, 400 W. Berwick St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-4762, eastonchristumc.com OCTOBER 6: Civil War Day. 11:30am-4:30pm. National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd., Easton, PA. Info: Loretta Susen 610-9233548 x221, canals.org Signs of Autumn Hike. 2:30-4:30pm, reg. req. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov Family Night: Celestial Wildlife. 7-8:30pm, reg. req. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@ pa.gov OCTOBER 6-7: Easton Garlic Fest. 10am-6pm. Downtown Easton, PA. Info: eastongarlicfest.com OCTOBER 6-27: The Friends of the Delaware Canal 31st Annual Canal Walk. 9am. Dates, location & miles are on the website. Info: 215-862-2021, friends@fodc.org, fodc.org OCTOBER 7: Walk in Penn’s Woods. 9-11am, reg. req.

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-7462801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

Sew Others May Be Warm Knitting/ Charity Group. Every Thur. 1-3pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-7492

OCTOBER 8, 15, 22, 29: Halloween Makeup with Libby Ortiz.

6-7pm, reg. req. Bethlehem Area Public Library South Side branch, 400 Webster St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610-867-7852, bapl.org

Silver Connections: Fun for Seniors. Every Tues., Wed., & Thur. 9am-1pm. Easton Area Community Center, 901 Washington St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-8271, Saints1@ ptd.net

OCTOBER 9: Tuesday Trails. 5:30-7pm. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

OCTOBER 9: Leading Edge Martial Arts presents “Be Safe” Family Event. 6:30-7:30pm.

Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610-8673761, bapl.org

Allentown Halloween Parade. 2pm. Begins at 17th & Chew Sts., east at Hamilton & ends at 9th St. Info: allentownpa.gov/Parks-andRecreation/Recreation-Programs/HalloweenParade

Classic Book Club: Auntie Mame. 7pm.

Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908454-3712

OCTOBER 15 & 22: Monday Morning Birds & Beans. 8-10am.

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-7462801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

OCTOBER 10: Mom’s Night Out: Painting with Jen Avitabile. 6-7:30pm, reg. req. Memorial Library Of Nazareth, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-759-4932, info@ nazarethlibrary.org

OCTOBER 16: Palmer Adult Book Group: The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife by Maryann McFadden.

6-7:30pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-7492

Nazareth Book Club: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. 6:30-8pm.

Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: Amy 484-767-8049

OCTOBER 17: Book Forum. 1:30pm Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712

Ghost Hunting Basics: Just the Bare Bones. 7pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 OCTOBER 12: Speaker Series: Dr. Megan Rothenberger - Assessment of Dam Removal. 7-8pm, reg. req. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov OCTOBER 12 & 26: Pinochle Club. 12:30pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 OCTOBER 13: Phillipsburg Pork Roll Palooza II. 11am-8pm. Riverside Way, 7 Union Sq., Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: info@porkrollpalooza. org, porkrollpalooza.org The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema – When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960).

2-4pm. Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610-8673761, bapl.org Dinner on the Canal: Celtic Culture Night.

4-6:30pm/$55. National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd., Easton, PA. Info: Loretta Susen 610-923-3548 x221, canals.org OCTOBER 14: Bushkill Township Open Space Bus Tour.

9am-3pm, reg. req./$20 (include bus & lunch). Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

Family Craft Program. 6:30-7:30, reg. req.

Memorial Library Of Nazareth, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-759-4932, info@ nazarethlibrary.org OCTOBER 18: Destination Arts: Third Thursday. 5-8pm.

Multiple Art Venues in Downtown Allentown, PA. Info: elizabethr@lehighvalleychamber. org, downtownallentown.com True Crime Library Book Club: The Blooding by Joseph Wambaugh. 6pm.

Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-7492 Film Screening: Spotlight. 7pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 OCTOBER 18-20: Rummage, Soup and Cookie Sale. Thur.

9am-6pm, Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. 9am-12pm (bag day). St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 305 Delaware Rd., Riegelsville, PA. Info: 610749-0830 OCTOBER 19: Easton Star Party in Scott Park. 7-9pm. reg. req. Scott Park, Larry Holmes Dr., Easton, PA. Info: liesel@nurturenaturecenter. org OCTOBER 19, 20, 26, 27: Haunted Hugh Moore Park. 6-9pm; $18 (adult), $12 (3-15)/reg. req. National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd., Easton, PA. Info: 610-923-3548 x221, canals. org/product/haunted-hugh-moore-park OCTOBER 19 & 31: Sleepy Hollow Haunted House. 6:308:30/$3. Mary Meuser Memorial Library.

1803 Northampton St., Wilson Borough, PA. Info: 610-258-3040, meuserlib@rcn.com OCTOBER 20: Lehigh Valley BooFest. 10am-3pm. 1115 Linden St., Bethlehem, PA (Liberty High School). Info: boofest@lvbg.org, BooFest. org Family Maker Space: Spooky Saturday.

12-4pm. Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610-8673761, bapl.org Nazareth Halloween Parade. 1pm.

Belvidere & Liberty Sts. to Main St. to circle, down Center St., ends at high school. Info: vigilancehose.com/content/Halloween Northampton County 4-H Trunk or Treat.

2pm. Northampton County 4-H Center, 777 Bushkill Center Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: Tammy Haydt 4hsmallengineclub@gmail. com OCTOBER 21: Easton Food Truck Festival. 12-6pm. Scott Park, Larry Holmes Dr., Easton, PA. Info: glvmfa@gmail.com The Meaning Behind 19th Century Tombstone Symbols with Tammy Schane.

3pm. St. Johns Church, 2720 Morgan Hill Rd., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-8951, LHH2@lehigh.edu OCTOBER 22: PFPL Writers Group. 6pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 OCTOBER 23: Family Fun Night: Halloween Happening.

6:30-7:30pm. Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610867-3761, bapl.org Paint Box Art Club tree painting techniques with Donna Haney. 7-9pm.

Nazareth Center for the Arts, 30 Belvidere St., Nazareth, PA. Info: Carol 908-319-6983, Carolcockerline@gmail.com OCTOBER 24: Happy Bookers Discussion Group: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel Brown.

7pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908454-3712 The Open Temple: casual round table soirée open to Pagan, Wiccan or Metaphysical inclined persons to discuss topics related to the practice of witchcraft, Paganism and other related themes.

7-9pm. reg. req. AusetGypsy Metaphysical

Answers on Page 11

14 The Irregular

October 2018

Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

Emporium, 15 S. 2nd St., Easton PA. Info: 917-536-6393, Ausetgypsy@gmail.com

Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-2917 x393

Have an event taking place in the area?

OCTOBER 25: Local Author Scott Morro: Book Talk & Signing - Fortunate. 6-7:30pm. Memorial Library Of Nazareth, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-759-4932, info@ nazarethlibrary.org

NOVEMBER 3-4: PA Bacon Fest. 10am-6pm. Downtown Easton, PA. Info: pabaconfest.com

Email it to us here at The Irregular,

Scary Stories for Adults with the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild. 6:30pm. Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-2917 x310

NOVEMBER 14: Nazareth Book Club: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan. 6:30-8pm. Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: Amy 484-767-8049

bruneo1776@aol.com.

Events will be placed on the events calendar at the discretion of the publisher.

OCTOBER 26: Easton Out Loud: Fourth Fridays. 5-9pm.

Downtown Easton, PA. Info: 610-250-6533, jo@eastonpartnership.org, eastonoutloud. com

Aries- Protect your ideas, your heart, and most importantly, your soul! It’ll be a couple of weeks of being lead by strange voices, temptations into dark corridors and the blurred lines of reality and illusion. Use what the Gods gave ya! A good head on your shoulders - when caught between confusions, remain logical; reason will be the shield over your vulnerable heart. When choosing Halloween costumes for parties or trick or treating, go with what’s natural - a Roman soldier, Hyptolia Queen Of The Amazons (leave Wonder Woman to the kids); avoid characters who lose their heads like Ichabod Crane; see the illusion there?

Taurus- The treat over the tricks is where it’s at; don’t avoid any Autumn soirées and accept every invitation! Mix potions of cinnamons and nutmegs over coffee brews like a savvy witch or add a dash of Ginger or turmeric into tasty morsels! These magic spices and herbs have the ability to keep you healthy during season changes and avoid stress with a lover. Accept truths with dignity and repose. Halloween costume suggestions: Lavish, regal queens or heroes that save the day without raising a fist. My point: pick something like that and play it up all month; it’ll help you get through the scary woods of dealings with people!

Poetry Reading: Rhyme and Reason Poetry. 5:30-7pm. First Moravian Church, 225 N. 10th St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-2586317 Shovels and Scalpels: Medical Vampirism in 19th-Century Pennsylvania. 7pm. Sigal Museum NCHGS, 342 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-1222

Gemini- Don’t let your Devil twin possess you! Keep a reign on your Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex! Unless these are choices for Halloween costumes then that could be a good excuse. A dark night of the soul is usual this time of year.

Early sunsets and picking up on the supernatural vibe floating in the air might trigger some of these pit and the pendulum like mood swings; it might also be Guiding Star Mercury descending into the mysterious and dark sign of Scorpio!

Don’t say anything that you’ll hang for around the 19th and wait for a better opportunity to raise the dead topic and expect a better outcome.

OCTOBER 27: Hawk Watching on the Kittatinny Ridge. 9am-12pm, reg. req. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov Volunteer Work Day. 1:30-3:30pm.

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-7462801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

Cancer- Like werewolves, the sign of Cancer is at the mercy of the Moon for their moods. Luckily for you the month begins in a festive and social place. Get a head (or somebody else’s) start on Autumn gatherings and Halloween activities, especially if your life is dominated by children or Children of the Corn! By mid month and under the Full Moon, fill your home with spirits and treats of all kinds. Don’t compete with bigger parties, instead host smaller get-togethers as appetizers for Halloween crazed zombies!

After Dark: Costume Bash.

6-9pm/$20(mem.). $25(non-mem.). Sigal Museum NCHGS, 342 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-1222

Leo- Earlier sunsets could have melancholy effects on your sun shining personality; unfortunately we are in the season of descent. Keep spirits high by working with daylight saving; go to sleep earlier and wake up sooner! Allow yourself to fall under the spell of the Halloween season and pick one or two of the top Halloween parties to attend and go all out for a costume; you could possibly even win a few contests. Steer clear of candy corn and too many devilish sweets and remember everything in moderation especially in your love life; one bride or groom of Dracula suffices, more than that could lead to a pain in the neck.

Spooky Lantern-Led Historic Nazareth Walking Tour. 7, 7:30 & 8:15pm, reg. req./$5. Moravian Historical Society, 214 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-7595070, eventbrite.com/o/moravian-historicalsociety-8305308025 OCTOBER 27-28: Market Faire & Rendezvous. Sat. 10am4pm, Sun. 10am-3pm/$5 (12 & under: free). Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov, jacobsburghistory.com/news/rendezvous

Virgo- You’re the practical and brave one, the one who wouldn’t dare go into that old dark house, the person who turns on all the lights if strange noises were heard upstairs and possibly the guy or gal who’d also shove aside any shower curtains in bathrooms. A loved one or friend might need your survivor strength this month and require your Exorcist skills in battling a demon or two, so keep some holy water handy, be it blessed or just a spike to add to orange juice to settle down the beast within. Believe in Magic this month and don’t over analyze.

OCTOBER 28: Easton/Philipsburg Halloween Parade.

3-5pm. Begins at McKeen St., Phillipsburg, NJ & ends in Centre Sq., Easton, PA. Info: Laurie Nelson laurien@lehighvalleychamber. org, facebook.com/events/295657627876271

Libra- Forever the good little white witch! Sea salt isn’t only good for seasoning, it comes in very handy when creating a protective circle to keep yourself from harmful entities. Keep some in your pocket all month long. Expect trials and tribulations akin to Dante’s Inferno. Take notes while witnessing unknown powers doing their best to distract the righteous and corruptible because it’ll serve you later when dealing with a deceitful friend or lover. Spin through the spiraling Autumn leaves doing your best Stevie Nicks impersonation and accept love potions sent your way, as long as you know what conjurer sent it!

Bethlehem Halloween Parade. 2pm. Begins at 8th Ave. Rose Garden to Broad St., onto Main & finish ends at Sand Island.

OCTOBER 30: Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild: Story Telling for Adults. 6:30-7:30pm, reg. req.

Memorial Library Of Nazareth, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-759-4932, info@ nazarethlibrary.org

Scorpio- Early in the month both Sun and Moon are in your dark and mysterious sign of Scorpio. Gather together your coven for a wild night out mid month under the Full Moon. Make it complete with howling, spell casting, magic potions and raising energy directed at the unseen forces that attempt to lasso and hold you down. Look directly into the eyes of the night and be fearless when proceeding ahead. However, if too much dancing around the Cauldron is felt, park your broomstick and call an Uber.

OCTOBER 31: Non-fiction Book Group Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King. 7pm. Easton Area Public

Sagittarius- You’ve already won best costum; you’re the hero all year long that people rely on. But the dark shadows plan on casting a spell of doubt over you this month! Resist, it’s all an enchantment created to make you believe otherwise. A Luna square Jupiter energy triggers some unnerving vibes. Face the serpent, look it deep in the eye and tell your self it has no power over you!

It’s as simple as that. The hex will be broken and life will resume to previously scheduled programming. Hopefully with a romantic and happy ending.

Capricorn- Ambition, desire, want ... all things that can possess the living turning them into one track minded zombies wreaking havoc on lovers, family and coworkers leaving a trail of bodies in your wake. Sinister forces that know just what to do to win you over will wage bets for your soul; see through those designs. Let people help, let the right ones in and remember things you can’t see could hurt you. Some truths surface and might bring a past misdeed back from the dead; accept your fate for if it’s Karma it may just be a lesson to learn.

Aquarius- All the cards seem to be in your favor! The Stars aligned just right and the spirits wish to assist you instead of work against you. Look deeper into the crystal ball and the future will be crystal clear! Monsters from the past can be released from their curse with forgiveness and watch how they resume human form and surprise you with rewards. Voodoo and hexes once cast over you dissolve and your power outshines those casting such things like a thousand glowing jack-o’-lanterns! Spend time in pumpkin patches with friends and loved ones.

Pisces- By the light of the night it’ll all be alright! Cast your powerful spell this month filled with your irresistible charms, light candles and release your evocations to the Scorpio Moon and watch wishes come true. Wander through graveyards and have a tea party with cheerful spirits there. People who want to snatch your magic will try to eclipse it if they can’t have it. Don’t be afraid of the things that go bump in the night; they’re just clumsy ghosts a little like yourself and their presence known means you are not alone, ever.

Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

October 2018

The Irregular 15

Irregular Eats with Gene Palmiter I recently joined Monica McAghon and Neldon Barron (pictured with the day’s special) for lunch at Sette Luna where there are several choices for lunch that can be had for under $10. The least expensive item was the Tuscan White Bean & Rosemary Soup for just $6. It’s at once simple and wholesome and it will satisfy until dinnertime. On my second visit I again ordered from the antipasto menu and made a lunch of the Pulpo for $10. Warm poached octopus, fingerling potatoes and cherry tomatoes on a bed of baby arugula. Again, a satisfying and interesting lunch all by itself. On my third visit I ordered the Antipasto plate of Italian hams and cheeses, roasted tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, arugula, and EVOO. My best choice yet at just $10.

Sette Luna Tuscan Trattoria is located at 219 Ferry Street in Easton, PA (610-253-8888).

They are open Monday thru Thursday 11:30am-9:30pm, Friday & Saturday 11:30am-10:30pm and Sunday 10:30am-9pm.

Visit them online at SetteLuna.com or follow them on Facebook.

Pictured clockwise from left: Eastonian Nelda Barron enjoys a lunch special at Sette Luna in downtown Easton, PA; outdoor seating at Sette Luna is quaint and cozy; the Antipasto plate can serve as a filling snack or a light lunch for just $10; and Pulpo, warm poached octopus salad, is a delicious lunch option at only $10.

BUY LOCAL.

The Irregular

October 2018

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