The Irregular September 2018

september 2018

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An aerial view of this year’s corn maze at The Farm In Harmony in Harmony Township, NJ. The maze opens September 8. photo by Drew Cannon

by Christine Lake Fall brings lots of traditional things to mind—cooler temperatures, pumpkin spice everything, hayrides and corn mazes. One that stands out is the military-themed maze at The Farm In Harmony in Harmony Township, NJ. Now in its second year, the maze offers two sets of trails, a memory wall, and facts about US military medals so you can learn as you play.

The Farm In Harmony was co-purchased in 2005 by Fred Grotenhuis, who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service. Fred was a lifelong resident of Harmony Township, and he was drawn to the farm property because it had a runway on it.

Fred had also started the popular Balloon Festival at the Warren County Farmers’ Fair in New Jersey around 2001. In 2011, Fred’s wife Giulia started an event called the Last Fling Pumpkin Sling, modeled off of the popular Punkin Chunkin event in Delaware, which used pumpkins grown on the farm.

The event involves building a device to toss pumpkins the farthest distance. Fred passed away from

complications from Parkinson’s in 2015, and Giulia turned to these tried-and-true events to keep her busy during the difficult time after his passing. “My husband was my life for so long that when he passed away I was in total shock,” she recalls. “He was always on the go, so I basically worked from home and tried to support his crazy adventures. After he passed, I wanted to develop the farm and come up with a way to honor his memory.”

The idea for a corn maze was born. The pattern of the maze itself would be military themed, in honor of Fred’s service, and Veterans and active-duty soldiers would receive discounts and dedicated special events. The maze opens the weekend before 9/11, and that opening weekend is “Bring Your Hero Days” where any youth age 12 or younger can bring military, police officer, EMT or firefighter family members for free with their paid youth admission. On Veterans Day, all veterans and their continued on page 3

A FLOOD OF CONCERN

by Christine Lake The summer of 2018 saw significant flooding issues in a good portion of the Lehigh Valley. In the first two and a half weeks of August alone, there were 18 stories about area flooding on mcall.com, and an additional 10 on lehighvalleylive.com. When weather events are happening so closely together, it can be easy to assume a catastrophe, but preparation and some small changes could be put into place to prevent and prepare for the worst.

The Lehigh Valley is home to many rivers, creeks and streams, such as the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers and the Bushkill Creek in Easton; Monocacy Creek in Bethlehem; and Jordan Creek in Allentown. Flooding has always been a part of the lives of the communities surrounding these waterways. “The flood history of the area, which is documented by the National Weather Service, shows that Easton has had 13 riverine floods since they started collecting records in 1903,” explains Rachel Hogan Carr, Executive Director of The Nurture Nature Center (NNC) in Easton. Some of the highest-impact floods in the Easton area came one after another in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and then again in quick succession in 2011 thanks to Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Flash floods along the smaller creeks tend to occur more frequently—an example is Musikfest in Bethlehem, which experienced flash flooding along the Monocacy Creek in 2011 and 2013, in addition to this year. This year’s floods required three areas to close, affecting multiple performers and over 85 vendors, artisans and sponsors for nearly two days on the festival’s opening weekend.

Bushkill Park along the Bushkill Creek in Easton also experienced flooding in 2004, 2005 and 2006, leading the park to close for about 10 years between 2007 and 2017. The rides still aren’t up and running, but the skating rink reopened in January 2017 and work has been progressing on reopening the remainder of the park. This August’s flooding created a breach in a rear retaining wall that once again flooded the area; all of that damage is repairable, and since everyone involved with the park knows that the area is prone to flooding, appropriate plans are in place as a result.

“What has received a lot of publicity of late that is standing out in people’s minds is local, stormwater flooding,” says Kathryn Semmens, Science Director Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

Artistic Endeavors page 10 The excessive rain this summer caused The Delaware River, seen here at the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge on August 4, 2018, to rise above average levels. photo by Matthew Cannon, Cannon Media, LLC

at NNC. “This flooding happens in areas away from creeks and streams during high-rain events, when large areas are covered with impervious surfaces like sidewalks and parking lots, which leaves little or no area for water to infiltrate back into the ground.”

The impacts of flooding can vary, depending on a lot of factors. The most recent stormwater and flash floods in August of 2018 saw streets turn into temporary rivers in some communities, and cars either stuck or washed away on these flooded roadways. Although riverine floods can be a slower process and give more preparation time, the impacts are generally much farther reaching. In those cases, homes and businesses are sometimes underwater up to the second floor, and it takes longer for water levels to recede. Personal property can be lost and damage can be extensive. “In all cases, the greatest risk to life and the most common way that people die is during travel in vehicles when they attempt to drive

Gardening page 12

continued on page 3

September 2018

The Irregular

THE LEHIGH VALLEY FALL FESTIVAL GUIDE

The Irregular

From Bacon Fest in Easton, to Bethlehem’s Celtic Classic Highland Games, to the storied football rivalries of Lafayette/Lehigh and Easton/Phillipsburg, the Lehigh Valley is home to many fantastic fall events. The Fall into Fun! guide, published by Lydia E. Bruneo and Dawn Ouellette Nixon, under the umbrella of The Irregular newspaper, provides a fun and informative exploration of all things autumnal in the Lehigh Valley. We are a free publication distributed throughout the Lehigh Valley, northwestern New Jersey and beyond. Full of interviews and articles related to the events, people and environment that make Fall so special in our area, The Lehigh Valley Fall Festival Guide has something for everyone who is looking to enjoy the season. Contact us for advertising rates and/or more information at bruneo1776@ aol.com/610-258-4330. Look for this new issue late-September!

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 Retail Ad Manager Colin K. Gregory

Reach us at: PO Box 85 Easton, PA 18044 610-258-4330 bruneo1776@aol. com

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Maze of Honor continued from page 1 families receive free admission to the maze as well as free music, food and games. This year any veterans that served in combat or were deployed during their time in service will be offered free admission to the maze any time they visit. “People may let their politics cloud their thoughts sometimes. War isn’t always black and white,” Giulia asserts. “But one thing to me that is absolutely black and white is that anyone who served overseas and saw combat deserves nothing but absolute respect, awe and gratitude, no matter what.”

This year’s design is the Purple Heart, and the maze consists of two mazes in one. There is a larger maze, which is 3.8 miles total, and then a smaller maze at .3 miles. The smaller maze is well-suited for younger children in the 3-6 year age range, or to use as a warm up for “the big one”. The smaller maze highlights six different war medals, with a punch card to

Battle Borne, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the Lehigh Valley, and crew pose for a photo at The Farm In Harmony on August 7, where they gathered for National Purple Heart Day and to preview this year’s corn maze. Farm owner, Giulia Grotenhuis is fifth from left. photo by Rick Knox, Know Designs

turn it into a scavenger hunt for the little ones; for each punch card returned to the farm stand, $1 will be donated to the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Donations last year totaled $587. “Putting in the maze is a pretty expensive endeavor,” explains Giulia. She estimates that it costs about $5,000 to design and cut the maze, and then another $5,000 to plant it with corn. She’s exploring ways to build a system that would allow her to design and/or cut the maze herself, saving that money to do even more for veterans and the community.

After the maze, you can take advantage of a few other things the farm has to offer. There is a sand box and mini-hay maze for smaller children, and an “apple slinger” where guests can shoot bad apples at posters. “Sometimes we have pictures of Jane Fonda out there,” Giulia laughs, “going back to my husband being not that fonda’ Jane.” There is a Farm Shoppe which sells items made with dried flowers grown on the farm, or things like purses and phone cases made with fabric dyed with flowers and plants such as indigo and marigold. A new product this year will be custom t-shirts with vinyl-pressed designs, printed on shirts tie-dyed with those plant-based dyes. And the farm has long made soaps from ingredients grown there, including leftover pumpkins not used for the Pumpkin Sling. (Pumpkin is very good for your skin, with vitamin C, carotenoids and B vitamins.) They also offer blackberry sage, goat’s milk and lavender, lilac, and lime varieties, among others, and those soaps are only available at the farm itself.

This year, Giulia will be offering custom-designed wreaths for holiday time, with a theme suited to the individual ordering. There are also how-to classes on quilt making and wreath making. More specialized events include Yoga for Veterans, held on Mondays, and two groups for women: The Knot My Style Girls Boot Camp, a program where girls come to the farm once a week to learn to make things; and The Harmony Girls Social Network, which brings together local female business owners to connect, network and even barter resources. The most up-to-date information on schedules and groups can be found on the farm’s website, www.thefarminharmony.com.

The farm is open for the corn maze and Farm Shoppe Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 AM to 6 PM, September 8 - November 11. Prices are: Adults $8, Kids 4-12 $5, Veterans/Military $5 (this fee is waived if you are combat wounded/disabled or have been deployed). Wear comfortable shoes—flip-flops and sandals are not recommended—and dress for the weather; airflow is limited in the maze, so hot days are very hot! Strollers should be sturdy enough to really handle rough terrain. The Farm In Harmony is located at 231 Brainards Road, Harmony, NJ 08865 (may also use Phillipsburg for GPS).

A Flood of Concern continued from page 1

through water on roads,” says Hogan Carr. “You should never drive into a roadway that has flooded.

Failure to evacuate is also extremely dangerous, and puts not only the individuals at risk but also the emergency rescue personnel who must then attempt a rescue.” The impact is greatest on public works and municipal operations, which must work to keep a clean water supply and safe passage for emergency vehicles.

Climate change projections indicate that the Lehigh Valley is likely to experience an overall increase in rainfall for the future, meaning that all of these impacts will continue and likely worsen in the years to come. So what can communities do to prevent floods? “While it’s human nature to want to prevent floods, flooding of creeks and rivers is a part of natural processes,” explains Semmens.

“These bodies of water are naturally designed to flood, and they should be expected to flood. The job is to learn to live safely with the river, which sometimes means backing away from it—removing highly vulnerable structures or re-routing traffic patterns, for example.” Stormwater flooding is a slightly different story. The impact of this type of flooding can be lessened by using green infrastructure approaches that protect, restore or mimic the natural water cycle. This can include everything from rain gardens, green roofs and trees to permeable pavements and rainwater harvesting systems.

On an individual level, homeowners should consider flood insurance, which is available to any property owner. “Many properties outside of the regulatory floodplain are also subject to flood risk and would benefit from a lower-cost, preferred risk flood insurance policy,” expresses Hogan Carr.

Anyone who lives, works or travels near flood-prone areas should be sure to sign up for and pay attention to available warning systems. For example, the City of Easton and several surrounding townships use Nixle to alert residents of emergency situations, but it requires that you sign up to receive alerts. (You can sign up by texting your zip code to 888777). The National Weather Service has a Wireless Emergency Alert System that is used to alert people of dangerous weather conditions such as flash or riverine flooding. These alerts will be sent automatically to phones and devices with participating mobile services; these messages are active for the area in which your phone is located, not just the area where your phone is registered, so can be invaluable while you are traveling. “The critical thing is to acknowledge that floods happen,” says Hogan Carr, “but you can lessen the loss by planning, mitigation and preparation.”

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September 2018

The Delaware River, seen here from Riverside Park in downtown Easton, slowly recedes beneath the Free Bridge after Hurricane Irene in August 2011. photo by Lydia E. Bruneo

The Irregular

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WALKING TOUR

Bull Apartments (139 North 3rd Street and 256 Bushkill Street in Easton, PA)

by Richard F. Hope 3-story, apparently blond brick building, with trim above second story, and purple-on-white decorative metal frieze at roofline. Although the frieze and entablature decorations over the windows, together with the flat roof 3-story design, reflect a “Greek Revival” architectural style, the double windows and general character of the building suggest it was actually constructed in the early 20th century in the “Victorian” style. Entrances at both 139 North 3rd Street and 256 Bushkill Street.

This property was part of original town Lot No. 50, as surveyed by William Parsons when Easton was founded in 1752. That Lot fronted on North 3rd Street (then called Pomfret Street) as well as Bushkill Street. At a very early date, the property was informally occupied by Martin Adam. After his death, his widow (Anna Margaret Adam) and her second husband (laborer John Dengler, also spelled Dingler) were appointed administrators of Martin Adam’s estate in 1759: Anna Margaret Adam/Dengler inherited whatever property rights Martin Adam had in the property. An early map of Easton lots shows that Lot No. 50 was fenced in by George “Tingler”, while he occupied a house on Lot No. 52 next door on Pomfret Street. The house was valued by the 1759 estate at only £6, which “was an extremely low figure and the dwelling must have been a poor structure.” Dengler appears in a record during the Revolution, when he was paid £1 and 10 shillings in continental currency (said to be the equivalent of only 7 shilling and sixpence in specie) for digging the grave of Easton’s first resident lawyer, Lewis Gordon, after Gordon died in 1778.

The Dengler Family’s free ride finally came to an end in 1789, when the Penn Family’s collection agent Anthony Butler made a push to collect past due rents in Easton, and to sell properties to squatters (such as the Denglers) who had not obtained any formal titles. Dengler’s son, George Dengler (also known as John George Dingler) accordingly purchased formal title to the land from the Penn Family in 1789. In 1807, Dengler sold the two Lots to Samuel Sitgreaves, an Easton lawyer, politician and financier who had erected his “Spring Garden” mansion at the corner with Spring Garden Street in 1793. Sitgreaves ultimately acquired the entire “Square”, all the way from Spring Garden Street to Bushkill Street, and used most of it for a garden behind his “Spring Garden” mansion at the Spring Garden Street corner. After Sitgreaves died in 1827, his estate sold the entire Square to brewer John G. Marbacher for $6,500. Marbacher divided up the Square, and proceeded to sell it off in separate pieces. In 1833, the SE corner of Bushkill and Pomfret (now North 3rd) Streets was sold to Jacob Lesher and his wife for $1,350. No building was explicitly listed on this land in the deed, which is consistent with Samuel Sitgreaves’s use of it as a garden.

Ten years later, in 1843, Jacob Lesher placed his land (as well as a number of other pieces of real estate) in trust for his wife, Anna Maria Lesher. The deed of trust described the SE corner of Bushkill and Pomfret Streets as containing a single “Brick Messuage Tenement”, despite its ability to identify multiple “Messuages” on a single parcel of land where they existed. This suggests that Lesher, a “House-Carpenter”, had constructed a single building on the land by this time, probably at the corner itself.

In 1851, a building at the corner housed the Union Hose House, a volunteer fire company. In that year, a local newspaper enthusiastically described that fire company’s new fire “carriage” (presumably what we would now call a “fire engine”).

The Union Hose Company was disbanded after five years. It was replaced, in 1857, by the Keystone Fire Company, which had originally been organized as a Library and Literary Association the year before, and applied to the City to be recognized as a fire company after the Union Hose Company disbanded. The Keystone also took over the Union Hose Company’s firehouse at this location. The Keystone – which was volunteer company No. 5 in Easton – was the first in town to wear a uniform. In 1861, the Keystone men volunteered for the Army, and the building was closed with the sign “All Gone to War” hung over the door. It was reopened in 1863, and the members promptly petitioned the Borough Council to have their house repaired. Two years later, in 1865, the Company petitioned Council for a new house, which was built on Bushkill Street near Bank Street.

On 8 January 1868, Mrs. Lesher and her trustee sold the property, with its “Brick Messuage tenement”, for $10,000 to William W. Clark. At the last prior federal census (in 1860), Clark had been listed as a “Merchant” with no assets.

Eighteen months later, Clark was only 42 years old. On 5 July 1869, Clark contracted to sell this property for $16,000 to John Martin. The sale was to close on 1 August. However, Clark died on 14 July, and his estate had to get court permission to complete the sale after his death, which was finally accomplished on 31 August. Newspaper items indicate that Clark’s wife, Susan, had died the

year before, and Clark himself was subject to “temporary fits”. On Wednesday, 14 July, he had “succeeded in getting away” from his family and went missing; on Friday his body was “found hanging . . . in a stable in the rear of his late residence on Bushkill street.” He was considered to be a suicide.

The large increase in sale price obtained by Clark (or his family) in only a year and a half, suggests that extensive construction was conducted under Clark’s ownership. The 1869 deed only gave a general description of the construction as a “brick tenement”, but when (only a few years later, in 1874) the modern street numbering scheme was inaugurated, all three modern addresses now located in the Italianate Apartment Building next door (at 246, 248 and 250 Bushkill Street) were assigned to different occupants, strongly suggesting the presence of the building by that time. An Atlas of 1874 confirms this, by showing the footprint of four buildings along Bushkill Street in place by that time, in addition to a substantial building at the corner. Thus, Clark’s construction likely included the construction of the residential town houses in an ornate Italianate architectural style that currently lie along Bushkill Street.

139 North 3rd Street, Easton, PA. photo by Lydia E. Bruneo

The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire and before art is born, the artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation.

- Auguste Rodin

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Walking Tour continued from page 4

The 1874 renumbering plan also designated addresses higher than 250 Bushkill Street, which (based upon the modern numbering) were probably in the building located at the corner. Specifically, these included:

• No. 252, the residence of Israel Crockett; • No. 256, the residence of Ellen Mickes; • Along North 3rd Street, Nos. 139 and 141 were both assigned to residences of the Van Ness family.

Accordingly, it appears that either Clark, or his purchaser John Martin, renovated or replaced the firehouse building to turn it into apartments as well.

Property owner John Martin had been born in Ireland, and had come to America in approximately 1847. He arrived in Easton in 1852, and “made considerable money in the rag and junk business”. He reinvested his money in real estate, becoming “one of the largest property owners in Easton”. In his later years, he also operated a bookstore out of the building that served as his home, at 116 South 3rd Street.

John Martin appears to have continued to use these buildings for residential rentals. For example, in 1880:

• No. 254 was the residence of Annie E. Kessler, her son and a boarder.

• No. 256 was H.C. Tilton and his wife, Emma. Tilton (a Civil War veteran) was then associated with a garage.

• By 1883, Henry C. Tilton became an Easton constable, and by 1885 he had risen to become Easton’s Chief of Police (serving in the role until 1896). He moved on to another address a block away on Bushkill Street by 1887.

The corner building was also the location of “Pappy” Rice’s ice cream and oyster saloon on North 3rd Street. He was apparently otherwise known as George Rice, and lived two doors down (where the King Building now stands at 131 North 3rd Street). George Rice was also a Civil War veteran, having served with the 47th Pennsylvania Regiment and attained the rank of corporal. By 1889, it appears that the North 3rd Street oyster house was being operated by Frank Dudley.

Property owner John Martin died on 10 May 1897. Within a few months after his death, both lots were sold together at Sheriff’s sale to partners S. Holland Hackett and Anderson D. Chidsey for $13,000. The Hackett and Chidsey firm was a “private banking and brokerage house” founded in 1889 by Andrew Dwight Chidsey, Sr. and S. Holland Hackett. Chidsey was one of the sons of Russell S. Chidsey, owner of a stove store on Northampton Street and a founder of the Warren Foundry and the Thomas Iron Co., and an organizer of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank (later the First National Bank of Easton). It appears that John Martin’s underlying debt that led to the Sheriff’s sale, had been owed to the estate of Russell Chidsey, Andrew’s father.

In 1899 (only two years after their purchase), Hackett & Chidsey sold the corner property to James V. Bull. They retained the Italianate Apartments along Bushkill Street at that time, but in 1901 they also sold that property to Bull for $10,000.

James V. Bull (1841-1930) was one of the two partners in the famous Bush & Bull Department store. His Bull Mansion was also located down the street at 226 Bushkill Street.

In 1901, James Bull made an agreement with Charles Siegfried (owner of the house next door on North 3rd Street) that established that Bull was rebuilding his corner building in that year. That Agreement allowed Siegfried to use “iron pins or spikes” to join his building (located at 135-37 North 3rd Street) to the South wall of Bull’s “brick building now in course of construction”. The agreement with Siegfried further provided that if Siegfried’s building should ever be removed, then the agreement would be considered “null and void”. Given the similarity in brick construction between Bull’s new apartment building and the Bull Mansion down the street, it should be no surprise that Bull was responsible for rebuilding this apartment building. A comparison of Sanborn Fire Maps from before (1897) and after (1904) the suspected 1901 construction date, confirms that the open space and separated building that appeared in the earlier footprint was all incorporated into a single building by 1904, similar in footprint to the modern structure.

In 1904, James Bull and his wife Mary gave both Bushkill Street rental properties to their two daughters, Helen and Jesse, for $1 plus “the natural love and affection they have for their daughters”. The deed was conditioned that the properties were not to be sold without their father’s permission during his lifetime, and after his death were not to be sold or mortgaged without the consent of the other sister. In that deed, the two Bushkill Street properties continued to be described separately, as two different tracts. In 1915, the two sisters signed a deed that eliminated their own refusal rights on each other’s interests, although they did not then sell. The issue became academic, when (after James Bull’s death in 1930) his daughter Jesse Bull died on 30 May 1936, willing her half interest to her sister. Helen (by then married to S. Henry Harrison) then held the entire rights to both properties.

• In 1920, the tenant at 256 Bushkill Street (apparently part of this building) was William Hefferman.

In 1930 his widow, Mrs. Jennie Hefferman, was the tenant at that address.

In 1948 Helen Harrison separately sold off each of the “three Brick dwelling houses” along Bushkill Street (i.e. 246, 248 and 250 Bushkill Street), but continued to own the corner building until her death in 1967. In 1973, her heirs sold it to Herbert Snyder and his wife.

Snyder was a photographer, who had assembled a block of adjacent 3rd Street properties. His main studio was in the King Building (131-33 North 3rd Street), and he used portions of the buildings on either side in his business. All of his four buildings were linked via connecting doors. In addition to a successful photography business, Herbert Snyder lectured on the subject in some 15 states. He was also well known in Easton for his charity and community work. Among other things, he was the President and a founder of ProJeCt, the organization that established Easton’s Neighborhood Center. He was named the “Outstanding Young Man of the Easton Area” in 1958, and received the Easton Sertoma Club’s “Service to Mankind” Award in 1970. Herb Snyder Memorial Park (named for him) is the area around the “Welcome to Easton” sign, South of Route 22 and Bushkill Street and West of 4th Street.

Herbert Snyder died on 19 June 1984. After Herbert Snyder’s death, Mrs. Snyder sold off the four properties in the block, including this one in 1985 to Drew and Huldah Anderson for $99,000. The Andersons were residents on College Hill. The Andersons held the property until 2004, when they obtained $335,000 for it from Robert and Christine Wilke. Christine Wilke had offered marriage and family counseling services from her office in the building (previously under the name of The Center for Positive Change) as a tenant, long prior to her property purchase. In addition to her practice, several tenants also live in the building.

[In the interests of space, this article has been condensed and the endnotes 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 at www.eastonhistory.com.]

256 Bushkill Street, Easton, PA. photo by Lydia E. Bruneo

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September 2018

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IRREGULAR BOOKSELF with Carole J. Heffley

MY THREE SUMMER LOVE AFFAIRS: Rick Bragg, Mitch Albom and W. Bruce Cameron *****THE BEST COOK IN THE WORLD: Tales from my Mother’s Table by Rick Bragg, Knopf, NYC ©2018, 512pgs., hardcover This is a big book. I wore out three weeks with “Ricky” during the library allowed loan on new books plus a week of fines to keep it a bit longer. This was because Best Cook is so dense, so terribly packed with splendid sentences, rich phrasing and wonderful story telling that it takes longer to absorb than do other books. You cannot rush a good thing and Best Cook is a good thing. The recipes are priceless and I had to copy many of them, especially the Chocolate Pie, Vegetable Soup and Beef Shortribs. I left behind the Hog Jowl recipe though it was fascinating and had my tummy rumbling after reading it, and the Baked Possum and Sweet Potatoes. There are some things just better left alone. I first fell in love with Rick Bragg years ago from reading his hilarious columns in Southern Living and Our State magazines. In the tone of down home southern meandering story telling, Mr. Bragg tells hilarious stories of his mother’s family in the back hills of Georgia and Alabama, the “hollers” of the states. Jim heard me laughing out loud one night while reading of the hog that committed suicide and, on another occasion, the tale of “Sis”, a part of which I will relate here. But I could write down nearly the whole book with its extraordinary tales of hard times back in the depression in the rural south and, previously, following the destruction wrought by the Civil War. Here is a bit from the story of “Sis”, the greatest cook ever according to Mr. Bragg’s grandmother to whom this book is dedicated: “1937. The Big Woman came all the way from Rome (Georgia). She stomped through the door without knocking, her strong arms full of groceries . . . Ava slept, exhausted, the doctor at her side. It had not been an easy birth. ‘Has she et?’ the big woman asked. ‘Just some broth,’ Edna said. The big woman cursed so loud it woke everyone—not just the folks in the house, but in the holler and perhaps in the mountains beyond. It was that kind of voice, a voice almost biblical, except that every third phrase seemed to be ‘son of a bitch’. . . The big woman stomped into the kitchen. Stomping was apparently the only form of locomotion of which she was capable or aware. Her legs were as solid as the posts on a pole barn.”

I met Sis several more times in Best Cook along with a host of other characters and most notably Rick Bragg’s Great Grandfather whom, it seems, was the genesis of the family cooking wisdom. This book should get the Pulitzer in literature for preserving tales of a way of life now long gone, American to the bone. But be warned, this is not just a weekend at the beach kind of book. Best Cook is delightful and warm and needs time to simmer, just like the vegetable soup recipe. Take it slow and savor this story. Best Cook in the World has earned a perfect 5-star rating on Amazon. You gotta love it!

****A DOG’S WAY HOME by W. Bruce Cameron, Forge Books, NYC ©2017, 336 pgs., hardcover My Love affair with “Brucie” goes back years to his book, the award winning, A Dog’s Purpose. In this lovely story, Bella, the doggie heroine, is dragged out of her home under the porch of a condemned house by animal welfare volunteers. Despite the “fact” that Bella is only 2-3 months old, she falls in love with the hand and body of the young man who pulls her out of her home. She loves being handled by the man, Lucas. Bella’s life up to now has been quite unusual. She was being raised by a feral cat who also had a litter of kittens under the porch. (Bella’s mom went out one day for food and never came back.) Lucas falls in love with Bella the minute he sees her. He takes her home. But the developer who owns the condemned house wants revenge on Lucas for feeding the cats who live under the house. The presence of the cats have interrupted plans for the immediate demolition of the house since the animal welfare folks filed court papers to have the demolition delayed until all the feral cats can be saved. The developer stalks Lucas and Bella until he is able to steal Bella and dump her hundreds of miles from Lucas. Bella will find Lucas again, or die trying. Along her way, Bella has several adventures in the mountains between her and Lucas, including an interlude with “Big Kitty” whom we may assume is a mountain lion. She also spends time with a homeless Vietnam veteran, giving him a purpose to life. Will Bella ever find her way back to Lucas? A Dog’s Way Home is a poignant tale that will tug at your heartstrings.

*****THE TIMEKEEPER by Mitch Albom, Hatchette Books (Reprint edition), NYC ©2015, 240 pgs., paperback edition This book is pure Albom. Mitch sucks the reader in and then, BOOM!, it becomes evident that the tale he is telling is pure fiction. Yet it reads like non-fiction. Beginning the story is an old man who is sitting alone in a cave. From a corner in a pool in the cave comes voices, lots of voices. They are the voices of all the people of earth. They only want one thing: Time. In The Time Keeper, the hero, Dor, is at the dawn of mankind. Time keeping has not yet been invented. Dor is obsessed with counting things, every thing. One day Dor notices the shadow of a stick on the ground moving as the sun moves. He reasons that this will happen day after day, and he is right. Dor has found “time”. Dor is punished for inventing “Time” by God. His penance is that he sits in the cave for eternity listening to the voices coming from the pool. An old man wants more time. A young teen wants less time. She wants to commit suicide to end being bullied. It becomes Dor’s way out of his curse to help these two disparate people. The story weaves back and forth in time from Dor’s own story to the story of his redemption in our time with both the old man and the teen. The story is Charming with a capital “C”. I loved it. The Time Keeper is a fast read—a weekend will do. I could not put this one down. My love affair with Mitch was all too brief but not to worry, his latest book, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven is due out in October. Stay tuned.

ADVERTISE WITH US! Email bruneo1776@aol.com for rates.

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September 2018

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IRREGULAR BEATS Keeping the Flame Alive article and photo by Janene Otten In my newfound role as columnist for The Irregular, I’ve begun a quest to share with you the discoveries that I’ve made in the Lehigh Valley, leaving little to chance when you decide on stepping out to hear some new music. If you’ve been following local music, you know that there is an eclectic scene.

Yes, you read that correctly.

It’s a scene. There is a multifold of wandering musical souls around who spend much of their time existing to make a connection through their passion. The passion is music and it comes alive through melody & rhythm. The passion burns like a flame inside. Enter the metaphor. Metaphors have long been a part of lyric writing. Some of the most memorable songs use the literary device to make literal ideas into an extraordinary expression.

“You ain’t nothing but a hound dog” and “Heart of gold” come to mind. Throughout our lives we begin to hear metaphors so repeatedly that they become cliché and leave us begging please, Let it go already!

There’s just so much music out there in the ether that we’ve become desensitized to its effects. Treat yourself, and your ears, to something new. New doesn’t have to be the young adult demographic, either.

Take the song “Keep the Fire Ralph Pagano poses with his guitar after his recent performance at Sleepy Cat Urban Winery in Allentown which features live music and other cool events.

Burning”, the upcoming title track from his next full-length CD. I wanted to hear more from this guy after hearing that track. I later learned that the song’s metaphorical title is a crystal-clear literary trajectory to where he is now on his musical journey. He leads us through it, having crafted a song whose metaphors are not necessarily new or unique but poetically express his desire to center his life around music. I had initially met Ralph at an open mic at Pearly Baker’s in Easton well over 2 years ago. He was on his way out by the time I got my chance to play but he stopped to listen and later sent me a Facebook friend request. I made a point of viewing his event invitations, even if I couldn’t make it, and there were many! He tirelessly promotes and plays whenever and wherever he can. It’s great! He gigs not only in the Lehigh Valley but hoofs it around PA, western New Jersey and in New York. He’s even formed a 5-piece band named The Criminal Element. I asked Ralph if we could chat at one of his gigs. I had become quite curious about what drives him to get out and play. Is the fire burning in him or was he inspired by someone (or something) else?

He says he’s not real sure what got that started other than his thoughts about finally getting himself out into the music world again after a long hiatus. He felt more of a passion for his original songs.

He told me that it’s “a dream he should’ve thought about chasing a long time ago. Never say never.

Never say it’s too late.” Many of his lyrics are written in the second person: “So cast aside your fears.

Clear your mind of doubt”. I asked him if “you” refers to a particular person. He followed up by saying that he wants to inspire others but he most likely was also attempting to inspire himself. The Criminal Element plays mostly in the classic rock style. Classic rockers have colorful stories to tell.

These rockers have lived more than half of their lives and won’t let the years gone by sit in a dusty vault. Rather, they are invigorated by each other and by the music living inside of them. That’s music worth getting out of the house for.

To listen to “Keep the Fire Burning” and other tracks, as well as find upcoming performance dates, search @RPaganomusic on Facebook or visit and www.reverbnation.com/ralphpagano.

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September 2018

The Irregular

7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Bethlehem House Gallery 459 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-419-6262

The 2018 Summer Show: Ross Brodar, Douglas Ihlenfeld, Elizabeth Johnson, Michael Lebson, Rigo Peralta and Ian Summers thru October 6. Open Wednesday-Thursday 11am-7pm, Friday-Saturday 12-9pm & Sunday 12-5pm. bethlehemhousegallery.com

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

Original etchings, drawings and paintings by Charles Klabunde.

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

CharlesKlabundeArtist.com

Molas: Social Fabric thru December 9, Power and Piety: Spanish Colonial Art thru December 9, Stephen Antonakos: The Room Chapel thru May 19, Katagami: The Japanese Stencil thru July 28, Angel Suarez-Rosado: Talisman September 9-December 16, and The Soviet Lens: Photography by Dmitri Baltermants and Mark Markov-Grinberg September 9-January 6, Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-4pm (3rd Thursdays 11am-8pm) & Sunday 124pm. allentownartmuseum.org

Evolvere: Mixed Media and Sculptures

by Andi Grunberg thru September 8, and Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse September 21-23 (Sun. 12-5), reception September 21, 6-9pm. Open Friday & Saturday from 12-5pm (Fourth Fridays 12-9pm) & by appt. ahlumgallery.com

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

Lusus Naturae: Caitlin McCormack & Alex Eckman Lawn thru September 16. Open MondayWednesday 3:30-9pm, Thursday 4-11pm, Friday 4pm-12am, Saturday 11am-12am, and Sunday 12-9pm. artsquest.org/arts

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

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

Member’s Fun Fall/Halloween Show September 8-November 17. Open Saturday 2-4pm (closed September 15) & by appt. forksareaartsociety. yolasite.com

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

Mixed Media Moments: Artworks

by Louise M. Marina September 9-October 28, reception September 9, 12-3pm, artist talk 12:30pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Architecture: Built Environment September 1-29. Open MondayFriday 10am-4pm & SaturdaySunday 12-4pm. poconoarts.org/ artspace-gallery

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

Create + Connect Skateboard Design Competition thru September 9. Open Monday-Friday 8am9:30pm, Saturday & Sunday 8:30am-5pm. bananafactory.org/ events/exhibitions

The Postmodern Condition - Two Approaches thru October 13, reception September 14, 6-8pm. Open MondayThursday 8am-9pm & Friday-Saturday 8am-5pm. northampton.edu/news/nccevents-calendar.htm

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

The 12th Annual Morning Call Juried Exhibition thru September 6, Jane Conneen: It’s a Small World September 20-October 20, reception September 20, 6-9pm, and Barnaby Ruhe: REGENESIS September 20-October 20, reception/live paint jazz collaboration September 20, 6-9pm. Open Monday-Thursday 9am9pm, Friday & Saturday 9am-3pm. baumschool.org

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

Arts Community of Easton (ACE) Members’ Fall Exhibit thru December 23, reception October 5, 6-7:30. Open 90 minutes prior to most performances. statetheatre.org/gallery

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

Ken Jones Jr.: Ruckus thru September 15, and Brian Barto September 22-October 20, reception September 22, 6-9pm. Open Friday 1-6pm, Saturday 12-6pm & by appt. brickandmortargallery.com

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

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

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

First, Act. Enjoy the first act of a classic or new play every third Thursday 7pm at Easton Public Market, 325 Northampton Street, Easton, PA. eastontheatrecoop.org

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

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

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

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

National Theatre Live: Follies September 16, and Votes for Women!

September 29-30. williamscenter. lafayette.edu

Dollar Quartet thru September 15, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] September 26-30. bcptheater.org

Run For Your Wife September 6-October 18. hhplayhouse.com

Truth/Delusion October 12. moravian. edu/theatre

Muhlenberg College Theatre 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 484-664-3333

TAL: Beyond Imagination September 21-23, and Machinal September 27-30. 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 September 28-October 14. paplayhouse.org

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

The Marvelous Wonderettes September 7-October 21. pinesdinnertheatre.com

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

Shout - The MOD Musical October 11-14. cedarcrest.edu/academics/performing_arts/events.shtm

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

Peter Pan, Jr. September 29-October 7. countrygate.org

8

The Irregular

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

Billy Elliot the Musical October 1228. civictheatre.com September 2018

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

Picnic September 26-October 7 in LaBuda Center. desales.edu/act1 Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Martin Art Gallery Baker Center for the Arts Muhlenberg College 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 484-664-3467

Niki Kriese thru October 31, reception September 12, 5-6:30pm, Peter d’Agostino: COLD / HOT Walks, Wars & Climate Change thru November 3, reception September 12, 5-6:30pm, David Mann: In Focus thru January 2, reception September 12, 5-6:30pm, and Alumni Art Show thru September 24, reception September 23, 3-4pm.

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

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

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

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

Museum of Ethnography 22 S. 3rd Street, 2nd Floor Easton, PA 908-798-0805

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

Domenick Naccarato: Ode to the Object thru September 30. Open Monday 12-5pm, Thursday 127pm, Friday 12-8pm, Saturday 11am-8pm & Sunday 12-6pm. connexionsgallery.com

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 September 23-January 6, reception September 23, 3-5pm.

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

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

Towards a Greater Muhlenberg: The Evolution of Muhlenberg College 1848-2018 September 8-October 31, reception September 20, 5-7:30pm, and WMUH: 70 Years on the Air with the only Station that Matters September 8-October 31. Open Monday-Saturday 124pm (3rd Thursdays 12-8pm) & 2nd Sunday of the month 12-4pm. libertybellmuseum.org

Complacent No Longer (show + 8-minute film) thru September 30.

Open Tuesday & Friday 11am-4pm, Saturday 11am-2pm & by appt. maryaclarity.com

Nazareth Center for the Arts 30 Belvidere Street, Nazareth, PA 610-614-0404 Printmaker’s Society of the Lehigh Valley thru September 29. Open Thursday 6-8pm, Saturday 10am12pm & by appt.

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

Sellos de una colección: Rigo Peralta’s Cigar Band Collage Paintings & Abstract Fantoms thru October 13, reception September 6, 5-7pm. Open Monday-Thursday 11am-5pm, Friday 11am-3pm & Saturday 10am-2pm. lehighvalley.psu. edu/ronald-k-de-long-gallery

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 20. Open Wednesday 12-4pm, Thursday 6-9pm, Saturday 12-4pm & by appt. nurturenaturecenter.org

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

Rotunda Gallery at City Hall 10 E. Church Street Bethlehem, PA rotundashows@bfac-lv.org William Christine: Paintings September 9-October 18, reception September 9, 2-4pm. Open MondayFriday 8:30am-4:30pm. bfac-lv.org/ events/rotunda-gallery-shows

William Wegman: Instant Miami September 4-December 8. Open Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm, Thursday 11am-8pm, Saturday & Sunday 12-5pm, and performance nights 7:30-9:30pm. galleries.lafayette.edu/ category/exhibitions

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

MunOpCo Music Theatre Scottish Rite Cathedral 1533 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 610-437-2441

Brigadoon September 21-29. munopco.org

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

2018 Cabarets thru December 20, No Laughing Matter September 1523, and The Sunshine Boys October 5-21.theshawneeplayhouse.com theshawneeplayhouse.com

Star of the Day McCoole’s Arts & Events Place 10 S. Main Street Quakertown, PA 484-809-9228

Man of La Mancha September 14-29. staroftheday.org

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

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

Williams Center for the Arts Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5009 Orpheus with Nobuyuki Tsujii September 14, The Hot Sardines September 21, and Amirah Sackett September 27. williamscenter. lafayette.edu

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

NY Jazz Repertory Orchestra: For Lew September 8, Cirque Eloize: Hotel September 16, The Ultimate Queen Celebration Starring Marc Martel September 22, Dept. of Theatre: Dog Act September 28-October 6, Eddie Palmieri & His Salsa Orchestra September 29, LUVME: The Irish and The Italian September 30, and Notations: Letters Aloud--Private Letters Read in Public October 2. zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu

September 2018

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

Steven Wright September 7, A Conversation with John Cusack after a screening of Say Anything September 20, An Evening with Jon Dorenbos September 21, iLUMINATE September 23, and Stage On Stage: Early Elton October 5. statetheatre.org

The Irregular

9

Artistic Endeavors

A Passion for Arts and Crafts!

Local women bring their creativity into the community at two new shops in Palmer Township and Downtown Easton

by Dawn Ouellette Nixon Board & Brush Easton opened in August at 2210 Corriere Road in Palmer Township For Deborah Kouassi and Buffy Allen, opening their own Board & Brush creative studio in Easton was the culmination of a journey of midlife reinvention. Recently, I had the chance to visit the DIY studio, where both women greeted me warmly, eager to discuss the merits of the business that defines their second act in life.

The studio is airy and welcoming, with a charming farmhouse chic vibe. One immediately feels at home and wants to stay awhile. Board & Brush Creative Studio is a franchise that offers DIY wood sign workshops. Materials, tools and instruction are provided. Everyone leaves each class with their own custom personalized sign.

“This is all you,” says Buffy, “you pick the stain, the paint color, every single piece is different. It’s all you. There is a new concept of working with your hands today that is very meditative. To be able to work with your hands and tools—drills, hammers—feels good. You make something that you can put on your wall as soon as you get home.

It’s so satisfying, so gratifying. People are so nervous and scared when they come in, and to know that they finished something beautiful makes them feel great.”

Deborah nods her head in agreement. “You are actually doing the work,” she confirms. “Our designs make us different, the many choices. There are ten different people doing ten different projects. And we are byob. Bring snacks, bring wine. It’s a party. Music is pumping. It’s a party with a purpose. At the end, you walk out of here with a fabulous farmhouse sign.”

Board & Brush hosts workshops for the public and also private workshops for teachers, team building events, bachelorette parties, holiday events and more. All workshops are instructor led, with one assistant for every table of 6, making easy work of every project.

“I have a creative background,” says Buffy. “I really love to teach people how to make something creative. Debbie is more of the business side.”

“My background is in insurance,” adds Debbie. “I’ve been an agent for years. My journey with Board & Brush started in January of 2017. I was turning 60. I wanted to have a 60th bday party and I chose Board & Brush. I had a great time. I enlisted my daughter-in-law and we decided that we needed to bring this to Lehigh County. My daughterin-law and I both own Allentown Board & Brush and that’s how we started. Buffy came to work with us and she loved it so much, she came to me and said ‘What do you think about bringing Board & Brush to Easton?’ We said, ‘Why not?!,’ and here we are.”

“I had intended to continue with my insurance business but insurance is taking a back seat to Board & Brush and that’s ok. I’m really enjoying it. I have grandchildren now and I’m building a legacy for them, for family.”

“Family is a big reason for me too,” remarks Buffy. “I couldn’t be here without family support.”

For both Buffy and Deborah, the opportunity to share their passion for creative projects while embarking on a new adventure in life, is wholly satisfying. Each and every workshop is rewarding for them and they encourage the public to join them on their journey. “Our workshops are a fun time for all,” says Buffy. “We are so happy to bring Board & Brush to Easton.”

SmARTivities Showcase opens September 21 at 60 Centre Square in Downtown Easton Like Deborah and Buffy, April Tennille Khalil’s journey to personal fulfillment also included opening her own creative studio at midlife. For April, her dream to become an artist began early in childhood. Growing up in her family’s arts and crafts business gave her the opportunity to develop her artistic and creative skills. A talented artist in her own right, she grew up to travel the East Coast, selling her work at professional arts and crafts shows, hand-painting and handcrafting designs in various mediums, making special keepsakes for all ages.

Today, April’s designs are showcased in private homes, retail stores and restaurants. She enjoys inspiring others to harness their own creativity through teaching classes at Northampton Community College, and by hosting birthday parties for children and other special events. “I love sharing ideas and creativity,” remarks April. She is a member of the Arts Community of Easton and serves on the its committee for the Riverside Festival of the Arts in Easton.

All of April’s artistic endeavors have motivated her to open her own art store/studio in downtown Easton at 60 Centre Square, where she can share her love of arts and crafts with the public. Her studio, aptly named SmARTivities Showcase, will offer a retail area, a workshop and children’s area for hosting classes, and a party room. “We will be carrying fine art supplies, handmade gifts, and offering classes, workshops, and party entertaining, says April. “We invite all to come celebrate the arts with us!”

SmARTivities Showcase specifically caters to the client. “Classes are for all ages and abiliites and we teach the individual to suit their needs. Projects are customized and specialized. We are a specialty creative center that focuses on the needs of the customer. Our art supplies, selection of handmade gifts, classes, and parties are all customized to the client,” expresses April.

The space also gives local artists the opportunity to share their work. “We will be showcasing local artisans works and offering open studio space to artists to show and sell their work,” she explains. There are ten 8x10 foot spaces available for rent.

Buffy Allen and Deborah Kouassi are co-owners of Board & Brush Creative Studio in Palmer Township, which opened in August. photo by Dawn Ouellette Nixon

The grand opening of SmARTivities Showcase is set for September 21, with a ribbon cutting at 4:30 P.M. and family festivities running until 7 P.M. SmARTivities Showcase is the culmination of April’s decades long creative dream that began in childhood. With this dream, she aims to focus on each person’s unique desires and abilities. April aspires to do great things while helping others through the arts and hopes to continue to inspire others for years to come. By the words of St. Francis of Assisi—“He who works with his hands is a laborer; He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman; He who works with his hands, his head, and his heart... is an Artist.”

—April Khalil is an Artist.

Proud students at NCC Acrylic Beginners Class, taught by April Khalil, show off their masterpieces. April is opening SmARTivities Showcase in downtown Easton later this month. photo courtesy of April Khalil

10 The Irregular

September 2018

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with Dawn Ouellette Nixon September brings one of Easton’s biggest cultural and social events, the annual Movies at the Mill (MME) film festival. This year the festival returns to its place of birth, the historic Simon Silk Mill. This year also marks the festival’s 10th anniversary. In honor of the occasion, we spoke with Gershon Hinkson, the highly successful filmmaker behind MME, to learn more about his career and the festival itself.

Festival Date: Saturday, September 29

DN: You’ve had a long career in film. Your film editing credits include True Grit, Spiderman 2, Ocean’s 8 and so much more. When did you first become interested in filmmaking?

Festival Location: The Simon Silk Mill (located at 1247 Simon Boulevard, Easton, PA 18042)

GH: I first became interested in film when I was 10 years old and I watched E.T. for the first time. It was 1982. I was smitten. I knew I wanted to make movies. Growing up in Brooklyn in the crack era and seeing lots of broken dreams around me, what allowed me to be productive was my love for movies. Fast forward to me attending Brooklyn College as an English major, and I was bored to death. I took a video class at a local church, worked on a documentary and that solidified my interest in film.

DN: What projects have you been most proud of throughout your career?

GH: Well, I’m really excited about the project I’m working on right now, She’s Gotta Have It, the Spike Lee Netflix series. I’ve worked on three films with Spike. The series is hard work and the hours are long. We start at 6 A.M. and go for 14 or 15 hours. It’s satisfying work. It’s fantastic to be working with an icon of filmmaking.

DN: Tell us about where the idea for Movies at the Mill came about?

GH: I was approached by city hall for some ideas to drum up interest in renovating the old silk mill. In my research, I thought about an article I was a part of in the Elucidator magazine on the film industry in the Lehigh Valley. I saw that article and thought, “I love that Easton allows you to do this.” The article showed me the filmmakers that are around me. And the idea for the festival was born. I thought we can probably project the work on the side of the building.

We can transform this dilapidated space into this wonderful moment. It just goes to show how people can make a difference. Credit goes to all the volunteers and restaurants who helped make this event work. It has been so well done.

10TH ANNUAL MOVIES AT THE MILL EASTON

Festival Time: The festival opens at 6 P.M. and ends at 11 P.M. Festival Tickets: General Admission Tickets are $30 in advance & $40 at the gate. VIP Tickets (limited) are $125. Filmmaker Seminar Tickets are $40.

For additional information and/or to purchase tickets, visit moviesatthemill.com.

DN: Of all the places a highly successful film industry veteran like yourself could settle, why Easton, PA? GH: I came to Easton from Brooklyn by way of Los Angeles. I was working on the remake of The Poseidon Adventure called Poseidon. I sold all my stuff and moved to L.A. We had friends who had a place in Easton and told us how much we would love it. We came to visit and fell in love with Easton.

It’s peaceful but has elements of the city. We’ve found a place that we could call home here. We’ve been happy ever since.

DN: What makes MME such an important part of Easton’s culture?

GH: I do my best to make sure that MME stays an event that our guests can feel special at. It’s got that red carpet feeling. I believe that we each only get about 5 really amazing days each year. One of those days you wish wouldn’t end.

I aspire to make MME one of those days. Good films, good food, good music, that’s the formula.

The festival has grown over the years. We kick the day off with a seminar. This year Director and Artist Julian Schnabel leads the seminar. Film is a pretty new language in the Lehigh Valley; I’m proud to have been a part of the growth of film here.

Economic development and economic opportunity are brought to Easton through these events. It fosters growth. It’s all well worth the cost of admission.

MME also brings well deserved exposure to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, which winds its way around to the Silk Mill.

DN: With so much going on in your career and here in Easton, where do you see yourself five years from now?

GH: In five years my daughter will be a college graduate. I’ll be making sure that I make the time to get back to my own projects, to tell my stories. I’ll be working on newer ways to grant a bigger offering of films at Movies at the Mill.

And I’ll be doing more travel.

Filmmaker and Movies at the Mill creator Gershon Hinkson poses with Mayor Sal Panto Jr. at Movies at the Mill Easton in 2017 atop the City’s South 3rd Street parking deck. photo courtesy of Movies at the Mill Easton

Crossword Answers (Puzzle on page 14)

©2018 Satori Publishing

Guests view one of the short film selections at Movies at the Mill Easton in 2011 at the Simon Silk Mill.

The festival returns to the Mill this year. photo courtesy of Movies at the Mill Easton

My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

- Clarence Budington Kelland Call 610-258-4330 to advertise

September 2018

The Irregular 11

GARDENING

Late Summer Fun in the Garden article and photos by Pam Ruch The great rains of 2018 have created fabulous garden lushness. Hydrangeas are positively voluptuous, tomatoes are bursting from their skins, and basil has grown monstrous. The tiny petunia and marigold seedlings you planted just three months ago are glorious shrubs of brilliant color.

But … go on vacation at your peril. The ground ivy will leap across your lawn, blanketing the grass and obscuring your garden edges, and wood sorrel will seize the opportunity to germinate in every bare inch of soil. Turn your back on pilewort, that ragged-leafed wonder that seems to shoot up overnight, and it will produce seed (and lots of it!) all in a rush before you even notice it’s there.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all this garden madness, late summer life-and-death dramas play out day and night. On a recent walk at the Easton Urban Farm we saw black swallowtail caterpillars on dill—dozens of them of all sizes. One had eaten its fill and attached itself to a stem, beginning the process of transforming itself into a pupa. There were minute monarch butterfly eggs on milkweed leaves. It only takes about four days for the eggs to hatch into tiny larvae, barely 1/10 of an inch long. But the caterpillars grow quickly and in less than two weeks, there will be chrysalises somewhere in the garden, dangling from twigs or fence posts or hidden in the late season tangle. You may not see them, but they are there.

This is a dangerous stage for the monarchs, and a small number of them may fall prey to tiny parasitic wasps, which are always about but seldom seen. Still, overall, these wasp parasitoids do much more good than harm. In fact, most species of wasps are solitary, helpful garden predators. Some, like the cicada killer wasp, are huge and scary. Others are so small you might think they are fruit flies. Some drug their prey and transport it, still alive, to egg chambers for their developing young.

Others lay eggs in the bodies of cabbageworms, tomato hornworms, aphids, and other unwelcome garden inhabitants, where their larvae will consume the slowly dying hosts. If you want to get a glimpse of the grand diversity that exists in the wasp family, grow goldenrod, or dill, or mint, or allium. Late in the season you will see these non-threatening (to us!) insects on the flowers, benignly sipping nectar. Spend enough time outdoors and you may catch the fascinating spectacle of a cicada killer wasp dragging its drugged prey into a belowground chamber.

Yellow jackets, those ornery late summer pests, give all wasps a bad name that they don’t deserve. Treat your wasps well and they will help keep your pests in check. Plant flowers for them!

Another thing you can count on in late summer: aphids will discover your milkweed plants. One day there are none, and the next day, uncountable thousands of bright yellow orbs with black legs are sucking the sap from stems and pods. A few may have wings, the better to start life anew should this settlement get overcrowded. Examine the colony with a magnifying glass and you will likely find voracious larvae of lady beetles, syrphid flies, and lacewings eating the aphids alive. You’ll see little brown, puffed-up “aphid mummies”, which indicate that tiny parasitic wasps are out and about. When the developing wasp inside the mummy is good and ready, it will chew its way out and fly free.

And keep an eye out for spiders, those fascinating masters of disguise. They masquerade as flowers even changing colors as the situation warrants, or decorate their webs with lines of waste ingeniously engineered to look like bird droppings. Spotting them in the garden is a challenge, and always a delight. Hunting spiders, such as huntsmen or wolf spiders, blend right into their surroundings—the better to surprise

Dill attracts solitary wasps, which can be beneficial garden residents. This potter wasp preys on caterpillars.

and run down their unsuspecting prey.

Every day in the garden brings adventure and intrigue, but much of it is not visible from the kitchen window, or from the lounge chair on the patio. To truly involve yourself in the countless escapades playing out in your garden every day, all the time, your must examine the backsides of leaves, inspect aphid colonies with a magnifier, find mysteries, track down answers. Discover your garden’s secrets by spending quality time with your flowers and their many visitors, large and small. Each one, you’ll find, has a story.

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.

Late season garden.

HERE ARE THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE HELPFUL GARDEN PREDATORS: 1) Examine your plants frequently. Get in the habit of checking on your plants every day. Look closely and do your best to identify the insects you find, especially on the backs of leaves. Learn to recognize insect eggs, pupae, and larvae as well as the easily recognizable adults.

2) Plant flowers! Perennials such as golden marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria), mint, goldenrod, milkweed, anise hyssop, and mountain mint (Pycnanthemum spp.) provide resources for predator insects. Annual flowers, in particular sweet alyssum, dill, and cilantro, are favored by lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid flies, and parasitic wasps.

3) Allow populations of pest insects to remain in your garden. Soap-spraying aphids may offer temporary relief, but if you restrain your impulse to control them, predator insects will come to your aid, and the following year your garden may have a marked decrease in insect damage.

Plant any species of milkweed to attract monarch butterflies. Eggs laid on the leaves hatch into hungry larvae.

12 The Irregular

September 2018

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TIPS FOR A HEALTHY START BACK TO SCHOOL As summer begins to wind down and students prepare to return to school, it’s never been more important to buckle down and get organized – especially as it relates to your child’s health. Aparna Tamaskar, MD, is a board-certified family medicine doctor with Easton Hospital’s Steward Medical Group. To help you during this hectic time of year, Dr. Tamaskar has provided helpful health and wellness tips to ensure your family has a healthy start to the school year.

Early to bed, early to rise.

With some schools starting the day as early as 7 a.m., students will have to get back in the habit of getting proper rest for the day ahead. That means restricting the hours that your child spends staying up late watching Netflix or Snapchatting with friends. Parents should do all they can to make sure children are getting at least eight hours of shut-eye each night.

Required examinations and immunizations.

Most, if not all, schools in the country require students to have updated shot records, and if your student is also an athlete, he or she will need a physical before getting back onto the field or court. My practice offers extended hours and same-day appointments to accommodate your family’s busy schedule.

Healthy diet and exercise.

Electronics aren’t the only source of tired teens. Researchers have found that kids that drink soda or lack physical activity have more trouble sleeping than students that avoid these unhealthy habits. Encouraging your children to change these behaviors will let them stay focused in and out of the classroom.

Mental wellness.

Parents should also take an active role in a child’s mental health. Transitioning back into such a structured routine with academic pressures and athletics is difficult, and students can sometimes have trouble juggling it all. If you notice a change in your student’s energy, eating, or sleep, it’s important to ask them what’s going on, and if need be, seek out a healthcare provider for a professional opinion. A healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body.

Going back to school is an important milestone each year, so don’t miss this opportunity to reflect and evaluate your family’s health for the coming year!

Dr. Tamaskar provides personalized, patient-centered care for the entire family from pediatrics to geriatrics with special qualifications in women’s health.

Her practice is located at 1723 Northampton Street in Easton, Pennsylvania. To schedule an appointment, please call 610253-7211.

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IRREGULAR EVENTS ONGOING: Book & Puppet Co. Free Events: Story Hour Tues.-Sat. 10:3011:30am; Friday Pajama Puppet Show every Fri. 5:30-6pm, Jazz Concert with Andy Laties 1st Thurs.

7-8pm; Writers Group 3rd Thur.

7-9pm; Comics Jam 4th Sat. 4-6pm; Fractured Fables Puppet Show every Sat. & Sun. 1-2pm; Meet a Storybook Character every Sat. & Sun. 2pm; and Stitch n’ B!tch 2nd & 4th Sun. 5-8pm.

466 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 484-541-5379, bookandpuppet.com

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: 610-2533732, Nancy Walters 610-253-0726, nancywalters@rcn.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. 10am-12pm and every Thurs.

11am-7pm.

Easton Community Center, 901 Washington St. (9th St. entrance), Easton, PA. Info: 610-2506562, copsnkidseaston@gmail.com, copsnkidseaston.org

Silver Connections: Fun for Seniors.

Every Tues., Wed., & Thur. 9am-1pm.

Easton Area Community Center, 901 Washington St., Easton, PA. Info: 610253-8271, Saints1@ptd.net

Easton Farmers’ Market. Every Sat. 9am-1pm thru Dec. (Sept. 1: Sunflower Day, Sept. 15: Chile Pepper Day).

Centre Sq., Easton, PA. Info: 610-3309942, eastonfarmersmarket.com Open Mic Nights. 1st Tues. of the month 6:30-8pm. Mary Meuser Memorial Library. 1803 Northampton St., Wilson Borough, PA. Info: 610258-3040 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. 124pm, Thur. 6-9pm. 518 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-4432, Liesel@nurturenaturecenter.org

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

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 SEPTEMBER 5: Film Screening & Discussion w/ filmmakers: Billboard Boys.

6:30pm. Easton Area Public Library, the filmmakers. Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-2917 x310 SEPTEMBER 6: Solarize Lehigh Valley Open House at Nurture Nature Center. 6:30-8pm.

518 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: solarizelv.org SEPTEMBER 7: Speaker Series: Dr. Thomas LaDuke - Rattlesnakes in Pennsylvania.

7-8pm, reg. req.

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov SEPTEMBER 7-9: Holy Cross Celebration. Fri. 6-10pm, Sat. 5-10pm & Sun. 3-9pm. I-78 & Morgan Hill Rd., Easton, PA. Info: holycrosssociety.com

SEPTEMBER 8: Historic Nazareth Walking Tour.

2pm; $7/adults, $5/youth/srs., members free. Moravian Historical Society, 214 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-759-5070, info@ moravianhistoricalsociety.org Dinner on the Canal: Jazz on the Josiah White II. 5-7:30pm/$55.

National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd., Easton, PA. Info: Loretta Susen 610-923-3548 x221, canals.org SEPTEMBER 8-9: Annual Book Fair. Sat. 9am-3pm (Lehigh Valley Therapy Dogs 10am1pm), Sun. 9am-2pm. Mary Meuser Memorial Library. 1803 Northampton St., Wilson Borough, PA. Info: 610258-3040, meuserlib@rcn.com

Nazareth Book Club: The Great Swindle by Pierre Lemaitre. 6:308pm. Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity, 295 E. Center St., Nazareth, PA. Info: Amy 484-767-8049 WASPs: Women Air Force Service Pilots of World War II . 6:30-7:45pm.

Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610867-3761, bapl.org SEPTEMBER 13 & 27: PFPL Writers Group. 7pm.

Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 SEPTEMBER 14: Live at the Falls: Nat Osborn Band.

5:30-9:30pm. Scott Park, Larry Holmes Dr., Easton, PA. Hosted by GEDP. Info: 610-330-9947, liveatfalls.com

SEPTEMBER 9: Monarch Butterfly Tagging.

10am-12pm, reg. req. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

Jams on the Josiah Cruise. 5:306:30pm/$25. National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd., Easton, PA. Info: Loretta Susen 610-923-3548 x221, canals.org

Volunteer Work Day. 1-3pm.

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@ pa.gov

Family Night: Snakes Alive.

6:30-8pm, reg. req. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

SEPTEMBER 10: Laughter Yoga. 12pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-4543712

SEPTEMBER 14 & 28: Pinochle Club. 12:30pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-4543712

SEPTEMBER 11: Tuesday Trails. 5:30-7pm. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov

SEPTEMBER 15: Lehigh Valley Business Group Annual Fall Community Yard Sale.

9am-1pm. YMCA, 1225 W. Lafayette St., Easton, PA. Info: Yardsale@lvbg. org

SEPTEMBER 12: Compose Your Life Song - Caring for Your Parents: Education for the Family Caregiver. 1pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712

The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema – Rashômon (1950). 2-4pm.

Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610867-3761, bapl.org

Cruise Night. 5-9pm. Downtown Easton, PA. Info: 610-250-6610, kroscioli@easton-pa.gov Dinner on the Canal: Caribbean Connections. 5-7:30pm/$55. National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd., Easton, PA. Info: Loretta Susen 610-923-3548 x221, canals.org SEPTEMBER 15-16: Riverside Festival of the Arts. 10am5pm. Riverside and Scott Parks, Larry Holmes Dr., Easton, PA. Info: eastonriversidefest.org SEPTEMBER 16: Crime Victims Council of Lehigh Valley 19th Annual Rally Through the Valley Motorcycle Poker Run & Pig Roast. 9am-3pm. Route begins at Nazareth Borough Park, N. Broad St., Nazareth, PA & ends at Lone Lane Park, 30 Lone Ln., Allentown, PA. Info: 610-437-6610, cvclv.org/rally Engraved: The Meanings Behind 19th-Century Tombstone Symbols, A Walk & Talk of Historic Easton Cemetery. 2pm. Co-sponsored by NCHGS & Easton Cemetery; free/$5 for chapel talk. Easton Cemetery, 401 N. 7th St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-2531222 SEPTEMBER 18: Family Fun Night: Arr You a Pirate?

6:30-7:30pm. Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610-867-3761, bapl.org SEPTEMBER 19: Book Forum. 1:30pm Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-4543712 Shoeless Joe, the Babe & the Steel: The Highly Unlikely 1918 Bethlehem Steel League. 7-7:45pm. Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 W. Church St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 610-867-3761, bapl.org

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September 2018

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SEPTEMBER 20: Destination Arts: Third Thursday.

5-8pm. Multiple Art Venues in Downtown Allentown, PA. Info: elizabethr@lehighvalleychamber.org, downtownallentown.com Nature Journaling Workshop for Educators. 6-8pm, reg. req. Nurture Nature Center, 518 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-4432, liesel@nurturenaturecenter.org Film Screening: Loving Vincent. 7pm.

Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 Love Stories with Master Storyteller Denise McCormack. 7pm. Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem, PA. Info: 609-807-8238, denisemccormack. live, brownpapertickets.com SEPTEMBER 22: Museum Day Live! - Free admission for two. 10am-4pm. Sigal Museum NCHGS, 342 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-1222 Dinner on the Canal: Wine Tasting with Sand Castle Winery. 4:307pm/$55. National Canal Museum, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd., Easton, PA. Info: Loretta Susen 610-923-3548 x221, canals.org SEPTEMBER 24: Monday Morning Birds & Beans.

8-10am. Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 400 Belfast Rd., Nazareth, PA. Info: 610-746-2801, jacobsburgsp@pa.gov Full Moon Paddle. 6:30-8:30pm, $10/ reg. req. Giving Pond Recreation Area, 1125 River Rd. (PA-32), Upper Black Eddy, PA. Info: Katie Martens 610-

982-0161, kmartens@pa.gov, events. dcnr.pa.gov SEPTEMBER 25: Palmer Adult Book Group: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks.

6-7:30pm. Easton Area Public Library Palmer Branch, 1 Weller Pl., Easton, PA. Info: 610-258-7492 SEPTEMBER 26: Happy Bookers Discussion Group: Close to Shore by Mike Capuzzo.

7pm. Phillipsburg Free Public Library, 200 Broubalow Way, Phillipsburg, NJ. Info: 908-454-3712 Non-fiction Book Group Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky. 7pm.

Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-2582917 x393 SEPTEMBER 28: Easton Out Loud: Fourth Fridays.

5-9pm. Downtown Easton, PA. Info: 610-250-6533, jo@eastonpartnership. org, eastonoutloud.com Easton Out Loud - Opening of Sign Language: Protest, Passion, and Politics, Photographs of Ed Eckstein.

6-9pm. Sigal Museum NCHGS, 342 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Info: 610-253-1222

611 S at Royal Manor Rd., Williams Twp., PA. Info: Linda Heindel 610253-8951, LHH2@lehigh.edu Movies at the Mill. 6-11pm; $30.

Easton, PA. Info: 610-250-6610, moviesatthemill.com OCTOBER 4-5: Fall Fair & Flea Market. 8am4pm. St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Freemansburg & Stones Crossing, Palmer Twp., PA. Info: 610-252-2258

Aries- Having clearer feelings about The Who, what, where and when works to your advantage early in the month. Foreseeing surprises or otherwise; any other kind of unpredictable situation keeps you one step ahead of the curve. Process any last minute information quick and be ready to make precise decisions and don’t deviate from the original strategy; stay patient during moments of uncertainty.

Taurus- Hearing from old friends or former lovers has its pleasant surprises. Keep communication light and within boundaries.

Disagreements with partners or family members could ruin a good moment; forgiveness is key. Personal moods might fluctuate when Guiding Star Venus switches signs from Libra to Scorpio influencing a dip in optimism. Limit how much time a coworker takes up talking about his/her problems, it’s not up to you to solve them.

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Gemini- The month ahead is pretty auspicious; Uranus and Saturn form positive aspects with Guiding Star Mercury in Virgo. Editing, a keen eye and overhearing conversations which provide some savvy information all equal up to providing the right edge. Getting too sappy in love is cute for a limited time; don’t over do it with extreme or over the top emotions if a loved one isn’t ready to receive them.

bruneo1776@aol. com.

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

Cancer- The New Moon and Sun in Virgo energies early in the month serve well to let go of the old before drawing in something new. This can be inspiration for new career directions, commitment to long term travel plans or choosing new courses in school. The full moon in Aries provides the confidence needed to overcome competition and provide how ready you are for taking destiny into your own hands. Timid lovers need some attention; don’t forget that.

Leo- True power lays in allegiances and partnerships. Who you surround yourself with are merely emanations and reflections of various aspects of your self. Remind yourself to collaborate with others; it’s no fun to go it alone. If a complicated relationship is absorbing too much of your abundant energy, a little separation is good for the soul. Consider your budget before making any expensive or major purchases.

SEPTEMBER 29: The Friends of the Delaware Canal 31st Annual Canal Walk. 9am.

Riverfront Park in Historic Bristol Borough to Falls Township Community Park (6.2 miles). Info: 215-862-2021, friends@fodc.org, fodc.org

Virgo- Work or school gets off to a steady and good start, though decisions to self-sabotage when things are going too good should be thwarted ASAP! Sometimes knowing things you shouldn’t can get too burdensome, but be particular in who you share the contents of your head with because some people won’t hesitate to use that knowledge to undermine you. Start lighting autumn scented candles early to keep the home cozy.

Streamside Tour & Native Plant Sale.

10am-1pm. Fry’s Run Park, just off Rt.

Libra- Consult your Stars, your local Fortune Teller and latest Autumn fashion trends. Take any and all predictive tidbits of advice to heart, pay attention to details in dreams and watch for personal omens to keep you moving on the right track. Truths revealed about a partner don’t shock you, what does is how long you’ve been denying it!

Scorpio- The two steps forward, one-step back dance halts and becomes all steps forward! Feelings of freedom and breaths of fresh air change your whole demeanor and let a very powerful vibe radiate from you. If others try to steal your thunder, do your best to show them their own light within, but if they can’t do it themselves, stay patient and watch for miracles.

Sagittarius- Now’s not the time to be lazy; there’s so much to do and get done. Fate will put you in the right spot at the right time with the right people, but only if you go with the flow instead of against it. Accolades come easy, maybe too easy, and remember, offers made that sound too good to be true often are. Proudly assume leadership roles and know when to pass the torch when the time comes.

Capricorn- Gravity can be the heaviest under your feet compared to the other zodiac signs. Possibly because complicating your life might be a favorite Pastime. If others come to lend a helping hand, take them up on it! However, don’t take advantage of their good nature either. Know the difference between keeping some matters to you yourself and blatantly lying; this comes in handy when having to explain certain out of the norm actions or deeds done when confronted by authorities, teachers or parents.

Aquarius- Mars negatively aspecting Guiding Star Uranus can steal some of your thunder; let it go. Do some healing work on your self through meditation, massage, diet and better rest. Taking care of you must become a personal priority or how else will you look out for and take care of yourself. When collaborating with others on ideas, stay open minded. Learning different ways to expand on business or creativity helps in the long run.

Pisces- Some things come so natural to you, so emphasize those skills but don’t shy away from skills that require more diligence, practice or time to hone. New friends and experiences are just what Fate ordered and should invigorate your drive and determination.

Quiet times to reflect and daydream are sacred moments that should be shared with those only who respect, value and have something to contribute. Not everyone has that special ability to express themselves that you possess, so choose who you let in wisely.

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Irregular Eats with Gene Palmiter Black & Blue has long been known for its fine dinner menu and live music but now they have a lunch menu that precisely follows the theme of our recent dining articles: Lunch for under $10. I went with a Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich. All the lunch sandwiches come with fries and are still under $10.

I have also tried the chili (beef or vegan) for just $6, and the Taco Trio, three corn tortilla tacos, the same or mix it up (choice of steak, fish, tofu, vegetables, chicken, or pork), for $7. Black & Blue offers a wide variety of vegetarian options. Veggie items falling below the $10 mark include Vegan Nachos, Hummus Platter, Cauliflower Wings, Cobb Salad, Greek Salad, Vegetable Panini, or the Caprese Sandwich.

The decor is dark and New Orleans inspired. They offer cozy tables. The Kings Table seats at least 14 persons; great for a casual business luncheon or just a friendly get-together. Intimate seating for two can be found in front of the cozy fireplace. Outdoor seating is also available.

Black & Blue is located at 638 Walnut Street in Easton, PA (610-438-3604).

They are open for lunch Tuesday thru Friday 11am-3pm.

Visit them on Facebook at facebook.com/pg/BlackandBlueEaston.

BUY LOCAL.

The Irregular

September 2018

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