Issue 6, Community Issue - Phoenixville Area School District

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 6 CCMMUNITY ISSUE
By: Charles Hanlon
Imagine yourself sitting at
home with nothing to do and
nowhere to go. You dream of
going out on the town, but
you can‘t think of anything
to do. One thought seems to
permeate through your
brain: This town sucks!
According to the 2000
census, Phoenixville had a
population of 14,788. Before
Phoenixville became Phoenixville, it was known as
Manavon. Phoenixville
played host to the roaring
industrial heyday of the
early twentieth century and
became an important manufacturing center of steel and
pottery. The Phoenix Steel
Company closed in
1987. Presently, the
Phoenixville Historic District is the
largest National
Register of Historic
Places site in
Chester County.
But all this really
doesn‘t affect much
in our day to day.
What teens really
want is someplace
to go or something
to do and that‘s why
this special edition
of The Purple Press
is for you. This
paper gushes at the
brim with interesting things to see
and do around
Phoenixville, as
well as interesting
The Phoenixville
Foundry Building
people, facts, stores and
restaurants.
Many top-notch restaurants
and breweries are proud to
call Phoenixville home.
Whether you yearn for the
tastiest pub fare, the grandest Irish food, the yummiest
Asian selection, or the spiciest pizza, Phoenixville has a
lot to offer! As for the sweeter
things, like coffee, tea,
cookies, and cream, Phoenixville plays host to many community coffee houses and
specialty stores.
But, as everyone knows, it
takes more than food and
drinks to entertain. It takes
instruments, weapons, beads,
movies, spectacles, and
bizzarity to truly capture
your attention! Have no fear! With the
plethora of new stores and activities
in Phoenixville, how can anyone be
bored?
A satisfying town to live in doesn‘t
just feature group affairs. Sometimes,
it takes some time alone in order to
fall in love with the town that you live
in. In this respect, Phoenixville is
lucky because it holds a wealth of
natural resources that can be enjoyed
alone, as well as in a group.
No matter what you enjoy, Phoenixville has something for everyone. So
let‘s be honest, it could be worse: we
could live in Boyertown! (kidding!)
The mural on the side of
Steel City Coffeehouse
Barry Taglieber
Restaurants
P-ville Speak Out
Sweets and Specialties
By: Lydia Deal
The Purple Press
is written, edited,
and produced by
the Phoenixville
Area High School
Journalism class.
The opinions
expressed in this
paper are those of
the writers and
don’t necessarily
reflect those of
school administration and/or faculty
members.
If you have a
comment, question, or concern
about the paper or
you wish to submit
an article to The
Purple Press please
e-mail zittelj
@pasd.com.
Like all towns, Phoenixville
has a mayor in charge to help
everything run smoothly. The
head honcho in our quaint town
is Leo S. Scoda. Not only does he
manage the important tasks, he
is also the phenomenal tennis
coach who led the PAHS boys‘
team to an impressive 196 consecutive wins in the Pac-10
league. Below is a Q and A session with the mayor, as he provides insight on his political career and the town of Phoenixville.
Q : How did you get involved
in politics? For which political party?
A: [It was] a long time ago in the
upstate town where up grew in
Pittston. My family was involved
in politics. My uncle ran for office
when I was 12 and that was my
initial baptism into politics. I‘ve
been interested ever since. I‘ve
been actively involved in helping
out with campaigns. I‘m a Democrat. I was elected to borough
council in the seventies, then
dropped out of local politics and
in 1997 I ran for mayor.
Q: What did you do before
being a mayor?
A: I was a school teacher. I
taught here [at PAHS] for 35
years, mostly Biology 2.
Q: How many years have you
been a tennis coach? Why do
you still enjoy it?
A: Forty seven years now I‘ve
been coaching. The program
started in 1964 and that was my
first year. I still enjoy being
around the young people. Things
have changed, but on the other
By: Mary Kate Fain
Phoenixville is full of exciting
sports, entertainment and news.
All of these events have their
own special qualities and appeal
to their own separate audiences.
However, across the board, there
is one constant when it comes to
Phoenixville‘s newsworthy happenings: Barry Taglieber, head
photographer for The Phoenix
newspaper. It is practically impossible to live in Phoenixville
and have never seen Barry. With
his Nikon 35 mm constantly in
tow (Nikon, he says, has the best
lenses), Barry seems to anywhere
and everywhere at once. Those
who have stopped to talk to him
for a minute have undoubtedly
discovered the warm, chatty man
behind the camera and probably
even become lifelong friends.
Phoenixville has been Barry‘s
home since he was born. In fact,
he actually still lives in the house
which he grew up in. He atPage 2
hand kids still have the same
qualities and I enjoy being a mentor.
Q: What are your duties as
mayor?
A: The mayor doesn‘t have a lot of
power in a borough. Most of power
is given to the borough council. My
key thing is the police department.
I‘ve been in office twelve years and
that‘s something I‘ve been working
with. My goal is to provide a safe
city. I think we‘ve been fairly successful. I can participate in discussions but I can‘t vote. I have the
power to veto. It‘s hard to override
the mayoral veto. I try not to overuse it.
Q: What area do you serve?
A: Just the borough of Phoenixville.
Q: What are some important
issues in Phoenixville?
A: The downtown district has
made a lot of improvements. Now
our big thing is parking. There‘s
an increase in social crime. Most
of it occurs once the bars have
closed. There‘s always tradeoff.
We‘re as proactive as we can in
the downtown. Overall, the community is a nice looking town and
we have well kept property. We
changed from an industrial community to a bedroom community.
We‘re six miles from the Great
Valley Corporate Center and from
King of Prussia; all of a sudden
they look at us and say ‗that‘s a
nice community.‘
Q: What’s a funny story you
have from being mayor?
A: I love getting into the elementary schools to read. I get a kick
out of after teaching for 35 years
how enthusiastic the elementary
school kids are. Also they‘re funny.
They
have the
image
that the
mayor
lives in a
mansion,
has a
limo and
has
bodyguards
like the
big city
mayors.
Q: What
are the
Pros
and
Cons of being mayor?
A: Best part of it is the social interaction with the various parts of
the community. That‘s what
makes you a good mayor is the
ability to get out, whether it‘s a
church or social function. I try to
be there as much as I can. It does
keep me busy. I make the effort to
go out into the community.
Q: Describe a day in the life of
Mayor Scoda.
A: It‘s never the same. Every day
is different. Some days are occupied with all serious police matters that I need to be aware of.
Others have to do with social and
cultural events. That‘s the other
thing that‘s enjoyable about it, it‘s
never the same.
Q: What words of advice do
you have for aspiring politicians?
A: I encourage young people, I
really do. When I was in college
JFK was elected. He affected a lot
people in my generation. It was
the commitment to service. There
tended elementary school at St.
Ann‘s (now called Holy Family)
and Second Avenue Elementary
School. He went to Phoenixville
Junior High for middle school and
then high school at North Chester
County Technical School (or as it
is now known, CAT Pickering)
where he specialized in commercial art. Today, Barry is best
known in Phoenixville for his photography, a passion he picked up
in college at The Art Institute of
Philadelphia. There, he spent
every free period he had working
on photography. ―I fell in love with
the black and white,‖ he stated.
After college, Barry made his
way back to Phoenixville. His first
job was for The Phoenix newspaper doing what was called ―pasteup.‖ This basically involved arranging the articles with the ads
on the main sheet before it went
through the main printing press.
Barry never really left The Phoenix, but with his paste-up experience he held a couple other jobs in
Phoenixville.
Finally,
though, he had
the opportunity to work as
a full time
photographer
for The Phoenix. At first he
did just sports
and weekends,
but eventually
became the
paper‘s lead
photographer
and has so
been for nineteen years. Sadly, the decline of
The Phoenix into a weekly newspaper (it comes out every Saturday now) has forced Barry to
branch out a bit. Currently, he is
trying something totally new for
him by working at Petrucci‘s Ice
cream where he says, ―I have a
blast!‖
Barry‘s time at the Phoenix has
given him the chance to attend
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are a lot of negatives in politics.
Sometimes you do get bashed, but
you learn to roll with that. This is
our system, whether you‘re a Democrat or Republican. I always
encourage [young people] to get in
the political system.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish as mayor before your
term expires?
A: Well, I just started my 4th term
as mayor and if I complete this
term, I will have served 16 years.
Right now I have no plans to run
again. I think I spent a lot of time
in public service. There‘s still improvements that have to be made.
We really need a new Borough
Hall. And our police station is
really cramped. I‘ve also pushed
for a better educated police department.
Q: Well Mayor Scoda, thank
you so much for taking time
out of your day to answer a
few questions!
A: Oh you‘re welcome, and thank
you.
many events and meet many interesting people. He has had pictures published in the New York
Post as well as a book. Some of his
favorite events to cover have been
the 1983 Sixers championship
which he followed all the way
through and the 2001 Phoenixville
Basketball championship. The one
(continued on next page)
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candy at Frieda‘s.
10. You have been to the woods
behind the high school, a.k.a. ―The
Bike Jumps.‖
11. You remember when Bridge
Street was shady.
12. You remember Ames/
Jamesway/―The Valley Forge Mall‖/
and Tarrytown hardware.
13. You are sick of the King of Prussia Mall.
14. You honk at tourists driving
slow in Valley Forge Park.
15. You work, or know somebody
who has worked, at Gateway Pharmacy.
16. You hang out at or have hung
out at Rocco‘s.
17. You remember the teacher
strike of 1999/2000.
18. You played Peco or KYAL baseball/softball.
19. You went to YMCA summer
camp.
20. You couldn‘t care less that ―The
Blob‖ was filmed in our town.
21. You think we can use just one
more pizza shop, nail salon, Chinese restaurant or drug store.
22. You remember the Vale Rio
Diner.
23. You thought that Kmart was
going to be epic when it opened up.
24. You were afraid of The Phoenixville bomber.
25. You don‘t want to live in Phoenixville anymore.
By: Tim Keenan
If you are reading this then it‘s
assumed that you attend Phoenixville Area High School. If you go to
Phoenixville Area High School then
there is a good chance you were
born and raised in Phoenixville.
And if you were born and raised in
Phoenixville or even just moved
here, there is a good chance you
remember a town that is a lot different than the way it is today.
Here is a list of the top 25 things
that say that you are, indeed, from
Phoenixville.
1. You call it P-ville.
2. You remember the line out the
door when Taco Bell merged with
KFC..
3. You know Mike Bike/Jump Rope
Jesse.
4. You realize that the CITGO station next to the Exxon on Route 23
will never open up.
5. You remember the old Schuylkill
School/Kindergarten Center/Second
Avenue Elementary.
6. You think it‘s cool that we have
two Wawa‘s and two Rite Aids all
within a half a mile.
7. You remember when the Colonial
Theater and the Foundry Building
were dumps.
8. You have only had one mayor in
your lifetime and he is also the
tennis coach.
9. You remember buying penny
thing that he never enjoys covering,
though, is fires and accidents. ―I
just know too many people in Phoenixville,‖ he said. ―You always hope
that it‘s not someone you know and
that everyone‘s alright. But even
when it‘s bad, it‘s news. And people
want to know.‖
Out of all of Barry‘s experience as
a photographer, though, he holds
that his favorite thing to shoot has
always been high school sports. ―I
just enjoy the enthusiasm and pureness of the kids. It‘s so neat to
watch them!‖ he stated. Barry‘s
love for sports has carried through
into more than his photography.
For thirty years Barry coached
minor league girls‘ softball. Most of
the girls he‘s taught are in college
or graduated by now, but there are
a few still in the high school and he
still has a good relationship with
them.
Judging by Barry‘s friendly and
easy going manner, one might
never suspect the obstacles he has
had to overcome to get to where he
is today. As a senior in high school,
he discovered that he was losing his
hearing. Back then the technology
was unimpressive for the hearingimpaired, but luckily for Barry, as
his hearing got worse, technology
got better.
This wasn‘t his only problem
though. Twelve years ago in a softball accident Barry lost vision in his
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dominant right eye. As a photographer, this could have been extremely detrimental. However,
Barry was determined to overcome
this injury. He said, ―People
thought it would slow me down,
that my depth perception would be
affected. But I turned out just fine.‖
Barry had to adjust from focusing
with his right eye to his left. During
six weeks of doctor-prescribed rest,
he found inspiration in his nieces
and nephews. He began taking
picture after picture of them and by
the time the six weeks was up, his
eyes were totally readjusted. Now,
looking at Barry, it is impossible to
guess that his right eye is prosthetic, and looking at his photos, it
becomes even harder to believe that
using his left eye has become second nature to him.
Growing up and spending his
whole life in Phoenixville, Barry is
able to provide insight as to how
the town has changed since the
sixties. ―Phoenixville was just as
bustling in the sixties as it is today,‖ he said. ―I‘m glad to see Phoenixville come from where it was to
where it is now.‖ Barry has experienced many changes in Phoenixville
and the world of technology as a
whole through his work with The
Phoenix. The greatest of these
changes, he says, is obviously the
change between film and digital
cameras. Barry stated, ―People said
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‗once you go digital you never go
know all of the kids. So, next time
back.‘ I didn‘t believe them and I
you see Barry around, be sure to
was wary of the switch… but now
take the time to introduce yourself.
it‘s amazing what technology can
He is sure to have a smile and a
do.‖ Barry and his camera have
story to share.
seen Phoenixville change
from a steel
town where
―You could see
the fire and
molten steel
glow in the
night‖ to the
bustling suburbia it is today.
Barry Taglieber has become
an icon of Phoenixville. Due to
his photography, dedication
to community
service and to
kids as well as
his new adventure at
Petrucci‘s,
nearly everyone
knows him in
some way.
Though he enjoys keeping to
himself at
Barry Taglieber poses with his camtimes, Barry says
that one of the cool- era on his way to photograph a boys’
est things about his
basketball game.
job is getting to
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already so popular in West Chester
and Philadelphia.
Throughout the past several
Ryan‘s is laid out exceptionally; it
years, Bridge Street has become
may seem to be extremely crowded,
quite a popular spot for Phoenixbut the seating arrangements are
ville residents, adding several
very accommodating to everyone.
new restaurants, thrift shops,
The restaurant includes a breezy
and boutiques. PJ Ryan‘s Pub,
indoor porch for its larger parties of
one of the most popular restaupeople, and several comfortable
rants in Phoenixville, joined the
booths and tables for families and
Bridge Street family in July,
groups of friends to eat together.
2008, introducing its traditional,
There is a sports bar in each of the
Irish family-style food that was
two rooms at Ryan‘s, providing
plenty of good drinks for adults to
enjoy.
PJ
Ryan‘s
may
carry the
name
―Irish
pub,‖ but
don‘t
walk in
dreading
a menu
full of
corn beef
and cabbage!
Ryan‘s
has tremendous
menu
PJ Ryan’s has a nice, at-home feel;
variety. Start
most seats are nearby a television for
your night
with an apcustomers to view sporting events.
Photo Credit: pjryanspub.com
petizer of
By: Kelly Marini
By: Lydia Deal
can order off of the
kid‘s menu. While
adults can enjoy a fine
array of alcoholic beverages, children eat
free every Monday.
The prices are affordable and the meals
vary anywhere from
five dollar onion rings
to a twenty-four dollar
filet. The bistro is
open on Mondays to
Thursdays from 4pm
to 2am, and Fridays to
Sundays from 11am to
2 am.
We are all aware of the blossoming social scene in downtown
Phoenixville, primarily on Bridge
Street. One of the newest additions to our small town is a combination bistro and night club.
On the lower level sits a classy
yet laid back restaurant, aptly
named Bistro on Bridge, while
the upstairs is occupied by the
trendy new night club, Club 212.
At Bistro on Bridge, the environment is subtle and feels like it
belongs more on the Main Line
than in our quaint town. They
pride
themselves
on being
enjoyable for
everyone,
from
those
who
enjoy
the bar
area, to
the
youngest of cusThe upstairs of Bistro on Bridge,
tomers, who
trendy new Club 212.
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honey barbeque or
teriyaki wings, or
perhaps indulge
in crab cakes,
nachos, or one of
the other seventeen appetizers
available. To appease a certain
soup craving, you
may choose between a baked
onion soup, soup
du jour, and crab
and pepper jack
cheese bisque. If
soup does not
An outside view of PJ Ryan’s
satisfy your hunger, maybe
Pub in Phoenixville, highone of Ryan‘s seventeen
lighting its indoor porch.
salads will do the trick.
Photo Credit: pjryanspub.com
Already so much food and
we are yet to discuss any possible
All in all, PJ Ryan‘s is one of my
main courses! Choose between a
favorite places to eat in Phoenixvariety of pub entrees, pub burgers, ville. It offers something for each
and pub sandwiches, or settle for
member of my family, and the serone of the traditional ―Old Country
vice is top notch! One complaint I
Pub Platters.‖ Ryan‘s also has a
have about PJ Ryan‘s would be the
children‘s menu for ages 12 and
lighting. Several times I have seen
under; the next time you‘re babysit- my parents trying desperately to
ting, be sure to check this place out! use their cell phones as lights to see
I suggest a visit to Ryan‘s any
the menu. Other than this minor
night from Friday to Sunday, beissue, PJ Ryan‘s is a fun environcause, although possibly a tad
ment for all consisting of great food,
crowded, these weekend nights
a cozy environment, and speedy
offer several Ryan‘s specials that
service. For more information
cannot be purchased during the
about PJ Ryan‘s Pub, visit
week. They also have a tasty Sunwww.pjryanspub.com .
day brunch buffet!
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The Bistro on Bridge storefront.
Photo Credit: bistroonbridge.com
the
6
Once the fine cuisine has been
digested, patrons can drop their
children off at home with the babysitter and venture upstairs to the
newly renovated Club 212 on Fridays & Saturdays from 9PM to
2AM. One must be 21 years of age
with valid ID, of course. They play
Dance, Party and Top 40 music and
claim to provide the largest selection of wine, spirits, beers,
and Mojitos in the area. On certain
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nights, local
comedians
showcase their
acts to those in
attendance.
Club 212 is
not just for
adults, however.
On Sunday
nights, when a
majority of the
local schools
don‘t have
school the next
day, Club Revive comes to
town and hosts
the No School
Monday event.
Revive is an
underage club
where ages 1419 are permitted, and
ID is required upon
request.
Bistro on Bridge and Club 212 are
great places to either relax downstairs while eating dinner or dance
the night away upstairs at 212. So
if you are interested in these two
establishments, make sure you visit
their joint website, http://
www.bistroonbridge.com/. Or better
yet, plan an evening of fine dining
and dancing and experience it firsthand.
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By: Zack Weber
I have been to the Iron Hill Brewery on several occasions. The majorIron Hill Brewery is a brewery
ity of those, I was accompanied by
and restaurant chain that has locamy family—my mom, my dad, and
tions throughout the Delaware
three younger sisters. In compariValley. In Phoenixville, the restauson to other local restaurant-bar
rant is located on the east side of
combinations, such as the Sly Fox
Bridge Street. It is within walking
and P.J. Ryan‘s, it is a little fancier
distance of the various attractions
and slightly more expensive. Howof downtown Phoenixville. I have
ever, it can definitely still be dedined at Iron Hill several times,
scribed as ―kid-friendly.‖ A substanand believe that overall it is one of
tial kids menu, activity page and
the top eateries in town.
crayons were provided for my 6year-old sister.
Furthermore,
each of us found
at least one
item on the
menu that interested us,
including my
other two sisters who admit
they are picky
eaters. My opinion, which my
family shared,
is that the food
was average.
Excluded from
that generalization are a few of
the excellent
specialty items,
such as the naA photograph of a glass of Iron Hill
cho appetizer
Brewery beer. But don’t worry – they and bruschetta
serve soft drinks too! Photo Credit: ironhillbrewery.com platter.
The entrance of
the restaurant is
impressive:
wide and
heavy
wooden
doors open
into a
short hallway with
benches on
either side.
On the left
is, literally
and figuratively, a
A nighttime photograph of the Iron Hill
window
Brewery on Bridge Street in Downtown
into the
Phoenixville. Photo Credit: ironhillbrewery.com
world of
brewing
beer. Several bronze-colored brewwhen just my father and I ate there,
ing tanks are visible, exemplifying
as we wanted to watch the Phillies
the fact that the majority of the
game, but, logically, only customers
beer on the menu is brewed on site.
21 years of age or older are permitThe atmosphere of the restaurant
ted to sit at the bar.
coincides with most Pennsylvania
Like all restaurants, Iron Hill is
breweries. Several large, flat screen
not exempt from a few criticisms.
televisions display the night‘s most
Personally, I think that the entrées I
exciting match up (obviously prefer- had could use a little improvement.
ring Philadelphia sports teams
Still, I feel it offers an enjoyable
above all others). The bar is paratmosphere and meal for families,
ticularly large and is surrounded by sports fans, beer lovers, and everymultiple elevated tables for smaller
one in between.
parties to sit away from the bar,
For more information about Iron
but still have a clear view of the
Hill Brewery, visit
game. This was a perfect setting
www.ironhillbrewery.com.
2008. Since then, the restaurant
has changed its menu, changed
At the intersection of Starr Street managers, and changed its name a
and Bridge Street, sits a large
few times. It was known as
brown building with as sign that
―Baxter‘s at 101‖ for most of 2009,
has the numchanging
bers ―101‖ hangback to
ing above the
101
door. What is
Bridge in
this place you
the bemight ask? This
ginning
is a restaurant
of 2010.
known as 101
The
Bridge Street
restauand it‘s another
rant
of Phoenixville‘s
itself has
well-known
two separestaurants.
rate dinAlthough 101
ing
Bridge is a resrooms
taurant, the
and also
building itself
a bar
has a lot of hisarea. The
tory to it. It
dining
used to be the
rooms
building that
are carcontained the
peted,
offices for the
accompamanagers of the
nied by
Phoenix Steel
tables
Company. The
with tan
The
front
entrance
to
building stood abanand black
101 Bridge Street
doned for years after
tablecloths.
Photo Credit: 101bridgest.com
the steel company
Candles on
closed.
the tables light up the dining rooms
101 Bridge Street opened up as a
and create a serene atmosphere.
fine dining restaurant in June
One can sit at the bar or in the bar
area and receive the same quality
Salmon, Flat Iron, Risotto, New York
service while watching your favorStrip, Clams, Top Sirloin, Crabcakes,
ite sport on the plasma TV‘s.
and the Fish of the Day. I personally
101‘s manager, Tony Heiser, is
love the Caesar Salad, Buffalo
very hopeful that 101 will continue
Wings, Calamari, and Ciabatta
to grow. ―It‘s been very challenging
Chcicken Sandwich.
being the manager here,‖ said
101‘s top floor is now a GayTony, ―but I have faith the restauStraight Bar called the Lizard
rant will continue to become more
Lounge. The Lizard Lounge is owned
popular and we can expand the
by Paul Dungee, who also owns Snipmenu.‖
pity DooI have
Da on
worked at
Bridge
101 Bridge
Street.
Street for a
The Lizard
year and a
Lounge
half and
works
have
directly
tasted a lot
with the
of wondermanageful food.
ment and
101‘s menu
employees
is filled
of 101.
with many
Although
good101 is a bit
A side view along Bridge Street more upquality,
Photo Credit: 101bridgest.com
tasty foods.
scale than
Some appetizers include: Baked
Molly McGuire‘s or PJ Ryans, it does
Top Neck Clams, Buffalo Chicken
give good quality food that serves the
Wings, Calamari, and Bruschetta
appetite well. It combines a bar-like
Du Joir. Some salads they have
atmosphere with beautiful dining
include a wild lettuce salad and a
rooms and excellent food to create a
classic Ceasar. Their sandwiches
wonderful dining experience.
include an Angus Burger, Crabcake
(By the way: 101 Bridge is open for
Sandwich, Pork Sandwich, and a
Mother‘s Day! Call 484-927-4481 for
Ciabatta Chicken Sandwich. They
reservations. Walk-ins are welcome
have a variety of entrees including
too!)
By: Mike Zolovich
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our waiters and
waitresses have
been extremely
Well-known for the Kimberton
friendly and
and Seven Stars Inns, Kimberaccommodating
ton, Pennsylvania is quickly beto our needs. We
ginning to make its mark in
were able to orPhoenixville‘s food service. Loder almost right
cated across from the Kimberton
Inn, the Station Bistro is a family away, and the
food was deliv-friendly eatery that deserves
recognition for its sweet, welcom- ered quickly,
compared to
ing environment (and of course,
several other
great food)! It is located in Kimlavish restauber Hall on Kimberton Road,
rants at which
originally founded as a boarding
we have dined.
school in 1787.
The hosts and
The Bistro has one dining room
hostesses encourand plenty of space for all guests
The Station Bistro has one dining room, creating ultiaged substitutions for any
to feel completely at home. When
side dishes and allowed my
mately an at-home experience for all. Photo Credit: stationbistro.com
my family and I have been there,
family to share
fasts; the meats seemed to be a tad
vanilla ice cream.
An outside view of Kimber Hall, one dessert.
The Bistro is well
undercooked. We went to the Bistro
One warning I would give before
home to the Station Bistro.
known for its
a different night for dinner and
traveling to the Bistro would be to
breakfast
thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The
use caution when parking. The
choices, served
menu had great variety: meats,
Bistro has a limited parking lot
from 8-11 a.m.
seafood, pastas, and, of course, desbehind the restaurant, and, if
from Monday
serts.
crowded, may require you to find a
through SaturPersonally, I recommend the
different lot to park in.
day, and from 8 Southern Fried Shrimp, and my
The Station Bistro is a small, cozy
-1 p.m. on Sunentire family enjoyed the pasta e
eatery and is an excellent restaudays. Though a
fagioli soup. My younger sister,
rant for families with children. If
great variety of ever the picky eater, was offered a
you are interested in trying their
choices are
kids menu to occupy herself; it infood but do not have time to eat out,
offered, neither cluded several ―kid-friendly‖ foods.
take-out service is also available.
my parents nor She was especially thrilled when
However, I highly suggest making
myself personour waiter brought her strawberry
the time to go out in person to have
ally were imsmoothie to the table! For dessert,
the ultimate Station Bistro experipressed by the
my family personally enjoys the
ence. For more information, visit
Bistro‘s breakmolten lava cake, served with
www.stationbistro.com.
By: Kelly Marini
By: Bobby Brink
Looking around Phoenixville, it
seems that all we see are Chinese
restaurants, drug stores, and
pizzerias. Many of us have our
own favorite pizza, or place to
order from. Over spring break, I
put my health on the line to conduct thorough research analyzing
two particular pizzerias: TD Alfredo‘s and Rocco‘s Pizza.
My research was conducted on
three different levels. First, I
compared the taste of fresh
pieces of pizza from both pizzerias. Second, I compared the
taste of those same pizzas reheated the following day. Finally,
I analyzed the best side foods
that each pizzeria has to offer.
TD Alfredo's creates a pizza
that contains a ton of flavor. The
sauce is spread lightly but provides a sweet taste that complements the powerful cheese. The
secret to the savory taste is the
Italian flavoring blended within
the cheese. The only downside to
this pizza is its crust, which I
found to be chewy and sometimes
a little tough.
When reheated, the pizza
maintains most of its original
Page 6
Italian zest and some of its
cheesy flavor. The sauce,
however, all but disappears
and the crust becomes even
tougher than before. At
$9.75 for a large pizza, TD's
is great buy that will leave
you fully satisfied. Be sure
to buy on Tuesdays, when
the price drops to $5.99.
TD's is a traditional pizzeria, but their best food
comes in the form of their
desserts. Their milkshakes
are tremendous, which is
why it is what they‘re best
known for. They have a
variety of flavors to choose
from, ranging from Chocolate or Vanilla to Butter
Pecan or Chocolate Marshmallow. Aside from the
milkshakes, my favorite two
desserts are the Banana
Split and Banana Delight.
Rocco's Pizza tastes very similar
to TD's. Much like TD‘s, Rocco's
uses little sauce, though it has more
than TD's. The sauce is also sweet,
but lacks the Italian flavoring of
TD's. There is a lot of cheese, but it
doesn't have as much flavor. The
pizza features perfectly made thin
crust. The middle of the crust is
V O L U M E
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I S S U E
6
very tenRocco’s Pizza is located at 517 Kimberton
der, while
Road in Pikeland Village Square.
the end is
nice and
crispy.
still perfectly tender with a little
When reheated, the pizza retains
crisp. A large pizza costs $10.50,
almost all of its flavor. However, at
and the increase in price is not
points where there is little sauce
the pizza tastes bland. The crust is
continued on next page
CO M M U N I T Y
I S S U E
THE
PURPLE
PRESS
By: Zack Weber
New Golden Buffet is a Chinese
buffet and take-out restaurant located in the Phoenixville Plaza
Shopping Center on Nutt Road. It is
tucked back in the corner of the
shopping strip and is adjacent to
Giant, Goodwill, and Pet Supplies
Plus. Delicious food and delightful
service are accompanied by attractive traditional Chinese paintings
and decorations, making New
Golden Buffet one of the more attractive of the many Chinese restaurants in Phoenixville.
In my opinion, the most important facet of a restaurant, especially
buffets, is the selection and quality
of the food. New Golden Buffet features a wide variety of fresh Chinese and American cuisine, all of
which comes hot and fresh from the
kitchen. Two central buffet counters hold about twenty trays of Chinese food and are bookended by two
large pots of different types of rice.
The dishes include an assortment of
chicken, beef and vegetables, or a
combination of them. Another par-
continued from page 6
worth the decrease of flavor over
TD's. However, Rocco's provides an
extraordinary special on Mondays
that lowers the price of a large
plain pizza to only $5.65. That‘s a
sweet deal.
Rocco's specialty comes in from
their variety of other food choices.
One of their most popular is their
Above: A picture of the buffet counters at the New Golden Buffet.
Larger buffets tend to
Nick Jones and seniors Josh Sommers, Mike Semenuik, become extremely
Hoover enjoy themselves at the New Golden Buffet.
noisy and
allel counter contains a selecgetting your food can be a hassle.
tion of American food, includThe New Golden Buffet, however,
ing onion rings, French fries,
features a calm and relaxing enviand more. Along the back wall
ronment. Traditional Chinese music
of the restaurant is a fruit
plays softly throughout the restauselection. Last but not least,
rant, which is kept very clean and
in the corner is a small freezer provides spacious seating.
with multiple flavors of ice
The New Golden Buffet offers some
cream as well as a selection of
of the best cuisine in town and propastries and other desserts.
vides its customers with a laid back
I have walked the halls of
setting in which to unwind and enjoy
this paradise several times
a delicious meal. The wide variety of
and can say from experience
American and Chinese dishes enthat all of the food is mouthsures that there is something for
watering and delicious. My
everybody. I highly recommend the
favorites include pork fried
New Golden Buffet to anyone looking
rice, chicken with broccoli,
for an enjoyable night out at a qualand wonton soup. I also have
ity local restaurant.
a sweet tooth for strawberry
The New Golden Buffet is open
ice cream which I can satfrom 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. from
isfy—that is, if my stomach
Monday through Saturday, and from
has room!
11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sundays.
In addition to the food, I find For more information, visit
the atmosphere of the buffet
www.newgoldenbuffet.com.
to be particularly pleasing.
Below:Junior
and Ryan
unique side called Pepperoni Sticks.
By filling a breadstick with a little
cheese and pepperoni, Rocco's provides a delicious appetizer for only
$.90 a stick. Dipping the sticks in
Marinara sauce magnificently tops
off a wonderful snack.
They also have a renowned tomato pie, which is made of thick
dough formed into a square and
filled with tomato sauce and a
sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Rocco's also
has tremendous cheese
fries, which I
don‘t recommend for the
health conscious. The
cheese fries
are slathered
TD Alfredo's is found at 468 Nutt Road
THE
PURPLE
Photo
Credit: newgoldenbuffet.com
PRESS
V O L U M E
6 ,
with plenty of
cheese and
are toasted
delightfully.
When deciding which
pizzeria to
buy your food
from, you
must also
take into
consideration
what else you
want to eat.
TD Alfredo's
provides
mouthwatering
pizza and great ice cream and milkshakes. Rocco's Pizza offers good
pizza, an array of exceptional sides,
and a delectable tomato pie. Both
pizzerias provide delicious food, a
I S S U E
6
C OM M U N I T Y
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variety of subs, cheese steaks, and
pasta dishes all for reasonable
prices. Whatever your choice may be,
you can't go wrong, especially if it's
on Monday or Tuesday.
Page 7
By: Alex Miller
My first impression of
O‘Grady‘s was that they make
you feel as welcome as possible
when you first enter. A ―Hello
how are you?‖ with a smile and
welcoming attitude is always the
first thing you‘ll hear when you
walk through the door. O‘Grady‘s
is a very clean establishment
with very accommodating servers
and managers. The wait staff is
always checking back on you to
make sure you have everything
that you
need to
make your
dining
experience
pleasurable.
O‘Grady‘s
is a communityoriented
establishment that
hosts various fundraisers and
benefits
that benefit nonprofit or-
ganizations. Many fundraisers include ―baskets‖ which are filled
with various prizes and are set on
display at the entrance foyer. Pa-
Mike’s sausage, egg and cheese
on a bagel with home fries
Mike with the
Drew Pilcicki cooking
at O’Grady’s.
By: Chris Birkbeck
Got nothing to do and you‘re
hungry? Stop by the Sly Fox
Brewery. They have a menu that
ranges from pasta to burgers to
chicken wings. Some of the best
food I‘ve tasted has come out of
the kitchen of the Sly Fox Brewery. There are also T.V.‘s that
can be seen from every seat in
with them on a
certain day, or
host a certain
benefit. In April O‘
trons have the opportunity to pay for a
ticket and be entered
to win each basket,
and the organization
gets to keep 100% of
the proceeds.
O‘Grady‘s will also
donate 10% of their
profit to organizations
who choose to fundraise
brew 14 year-round beers and 16
seasonal beers. They produce 3,600
barrels of beers annually.
Trying to stay
active within the
community, Sly Fox
holds yearly events.
Incubus Friday is
held on the first
Friday of every
Grady‘s
featured
an MS
Awareness
event to
hopefully
‘Easter’ bunny. bring treatment options closer to Phoenixville. I was
very impressed with O‘Grady‘s
willingness to help raise money for
the community.
After walking around O‘Grady‘s
for a bit, Mike Zolovich and I decided to sit down and indulge in a
breakfast. I ordered a Western omelet with home fries. The food arrived promptly and I was VERY
satisfied with the portion size and
the pricing, as was Mike who got a
sausage, egg, and cheese on a bagel.
O‘Grady‘s is open seven days a
week with a breakfast buffet on
Saturday and Sunday. Also, soup
and salad comes with all dinner
meals; however, there is an additional charge to have soup and
salad with a lunch meal.
O‘Grady‘s is a great place to eat
and relax in a laid back and extremely welcome atmosphere. I
recommend O‘Grady‘s to anyone
looking for a place to have a great
meal at a fabulous price or people
who are looking to a way to raise
funds fast! O‘Grady‘s caring and
attentive staff made my dining
experience at O‘Grady‘s one of the
it‘s when you may earn raffle tickets to win a trip to Ireland and is
held nine or ten
weeks before St.
Patrick‘s day.
The most popular
of the events held
by Sly Fox is the
Bock Beer Festival
and Goat Race.
They celebrate bock
The normal turnout for the day‘s
events normally exceeds 2,000.
In 2004, Sly Fox opened a new
location in Royersford. The new
Phoenixville location is now where
the BlockBuster was located inside
the Maple Lawn Shopping Center.
It moved in on April 24th, 2010.
The Sly Fox Brewery is a nice
place to eat out and bring your family. There is an area in the Phoenix-
the house. Sly
The old Phoenixville location
The Royersford Location ville location that
Photo Credit: slyfoxbeer.com
Fox is always a
is secluded from
nice destination to watch some of
month and it involves a single keg
-style beers and they feature a trathe bar. There is no longer a smokthe local sports teams like the
of Incubus Tripel being tapped until ditional German-style menu typiing section, which is good news to
Philadelphia Phillies.
it kicks. The Firkin Fest is held on
cally on the first Sunday in May.
some people. Go to the Sly Fox.
Many adults agree that the third Friday each month and
The goat race has multiple heats
Who knows? The food and the
the beer served at the Sly Fox is
they tap a certain beer until it runs
with the overall victorious goat
atmosphere might just make it your
terrific. Their beer is brewed
out. The St. Patrick‘s Day Boot
getting a beer named after it. It is
new favorite place to eat.
right there on the premises. They Camp is not really a boot camp, but
held in the adjacent parking lot.
Page 8
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CO M M U N I T Y
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THE
PURPLE
PRESS
By: Aaron Bilash
Tso‘s beef is much spicier than the
regular General Tso‘s chicken but is
a favorable and chewy delight. If
It‘s a Friday night and you are
wondering what to eat.
You don‘t feel like cooking anything and pizza
was for dinner the last
two weekends. It is too
late to go out to eat in a
restaurant and you are
too tired to travel far. If
you have no idea what
restaurant can fill
these needs, than have
no fear—King Chef in
Phoenixville is the
place for you!
Located on 278 Valley
Forge Road in the Kimberton Square Shopping Center, King Chef
is a small building with
a very large Chinese
food menu. I have been
there on several occaThe counter at King Chef
sions and have tried
numerous appetizers and main
these traditional Chinese
course meals. The menu ranges
foods don‘t interest you
from egg rolls, pork dumplings and
then maybe their special
crab rangoon to General Tso‘s
meals will. Some of the
chicken and boneless spare ribs.
special meals include CocoI think the best food in the resnut Chicken, Mongolian
taurant is the dumplings, the fried
Beef, and even Sweet and
wontons, and the General Tso‘s
Sour shrimp. Of course,
beef. Heated to perfection, the
many people want an addidumplings and wontons are enortional flavor with their
mous with about 8 dumplings or 16
meal so they also offer aswontons in one order. The General
sorted packs of soy sauce and duck
By: April Wagner
As a huge fan of oriental food I
have been to Golden Buffet, Thai
Place, King Chef and Liki and I can
honestly say that Liki is the best of
the bunch. What‘s so amazing
about Liki? First of all, they have
a Hibachi. Hibachi is a type of food
cooked on a stove, but it‘s cooked
by a chef right in front of you. The
chefs do tricks with their knives
and the food as well, like a show.
Liki offers many different kinds
sauce.
The King Chef staff works fast
and is respectful to their customers.
When ordering
food there are two
ways you can do
this—by either
calling 610-9833800, or ordering
in person at the
store. You may
pick up the food to
take home, eat in
the store, or have
The entrance to King Chef
of Hibachi to choose from, such as
Chicken, Shrimp, and Beef, all
them cooked right in front of you so
you can watch and enjoy the sights.
I tend to wait for the entire display
to be over before I dig into the food,
them deliver it to your house for an
extra $5 fee. The food is always
ready within less than 15 minutes of
any order and an additional five to
ten minutes for delivery. The prices
range from as low as fifty cents for
noodles to about $7.45 for some of
the special meals. I think the servings per order are larger than any
regular Chinese restaurant. Sometimes they put so much food in the
container that is hard to finish it all
in one sitting. This is when leftovers
come in, and their food is even better
as leftovers. Believe me, I
eat their
food more
as leftovers
than when
I initially
order it!
In my
opinion
King Chef
rates a 10
out of 10
for good
service and
delightful
food. If you
like Chinese food
and want
super fast
service
then King Chef is the place to go.
free refills), a
salad (the ginger dressing
comes in a dish
on the side if
you don‘t like
Hibachi Meal (From Top): Drink, Salad
(Left), Clear Soup (Right), Chicken Hibachi
From Top: Liki Menu,
Hibachi Room Windows,
Hibachi Tables and Grill
THE
PURPLE
it), and clear
soup (with
mushrooms and
onions). For a
Decorative Cherry (Top Center),
small additional price I
Fried Banana (Left), Fried Cheesegot my white rice changed
to fried rice (prepared in
cake (Right), Sushi Piece (Bottom
front of you on the grill).
Left), Bento Box (Bottom Center),
Fork(for those chopstick challenged) Of course, my chicken
hibachi came with vegetabut some people eat as the food is
bles (carrots, broccoli and mushplaced on the plate.
rooms). If you have allergies or a
The prices aren‘t very high at
special diet tell them and they
Liki, especially during lunch. I orWILL satisfy your needs.
dered the Chicken Hibachi meal for
Fan of Sushi? Mr. Zittel stated,
$8.95. This included a drink (with
―Their sushi is top-notch.‖ I‘ve
PRESS
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C OM M U N I T Y
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never tried it but I trust his taste in
fine food. Craving something a little
sweeter? For dessert they have fried
banana, fried cheesecake, normal
cheesecake, fried ice-cream, regular
ice-cream, and sherbet, each adorned
with a cherry on a few leaves of basil
as a cute decoration.
So whether you love Asian food, or
just want to try something different,
don‘t be afraid to stop by and experience the art and taste of Liki Hibachi
Bar and Sushi Restaurant located at
243 Schuylkill Rd right here in Phoenixville. You won‘t regret it.
Page 9
pub environment. People are chatting amicably, there is laughter in
On the corner of Main and
the air, and upon being seated, you
Bridge streets, where Seacrist‘s
are immediately immersed in a
general store used to be, sits
quaint setting featuring various
Molly Maguire‘s Irish Restaurant knick-knacks that would not be out
and Pub. Opened in September
of place in a Dublin pub.
of 2007 by Declan Mannion and
The food at Molly Maguire‘s is
Connor Cummins, the restaurant well worth the visit and the cost.
has since become a favorite hang- Their Sweet Potato Fries, served
out of diners from Phoenixville
with maple syrup, are a delicacy
and the surrounding areas. With
worth indulging in, as are their
its Irish-style charm, friendly,
Fried Pickles, which come breaded
prompt service, and delicious
and served with a flavorful horsefood, it‘s easy to see why.
radish cream sauce. Notable enStepping inside Molly
trees that I have had the pleasure
Maguire‘s deposits you in a lively of trying include Molly Maguire‘s
authentic Irish-style
Boxtys (traditional Irish
The storefront of Molly
Maguire’s Photo Credit: mollymaguirespubs.com potato pancakes), specifically their
signature
‗Yellow
Jacket‘
Boxty,
which consists of a
ground
bacon
cheeseburger with
lettuce,
tomato,
and onion,
and flavored with
Molly‘s
special
By: Jacob Unson
By: Jacob Unson
Nestled on the 200 block of
Bridge Street is Xpress Pizza and
Grill, a no-nonsense pizzeria.
Like many of the pizza-slinging
restaurants in
Phoenixville,
Xpress offers
standard pizza
shop fare:
cheesesteaks,
burgers,
strombolis,
(obviously)
pizzas, and so
on and so
forth. You
might be asking then,
―What makes
this place different from the
million other
pizza shops in
town?‖
Run by Moe
Sakr
(pronounced
―suh-car‖) and
his brother
Mike as well
as two of their
cousins,
Xpress Pizza is a relative newcomer to town, having been es-
Page 10
tablished in March of 2004. Unlike
the other pizza shops in Phoenixville, Xpress Pizza bucks the trend
of Italian-style pizzerias by
going the Greek route. Accord-
If you have ten dollars,
expect to get fed
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sauce. The fish
Molly Maguire’s during St. Patty’s Day
and chips are
Photo Credit: mollymaguirespubs.com
also worth a
try. Make sure, however, that your
potentially impress or embarrass
wallet is padded with cash, because
themselves in front of complete
food isn‘t what one would call cheap strangers. Another attraction is
at Molly Maguire‘s. My meal alone
‗Quizzo‘ night, held every Wednescost me upwards of twelve dollars
day from 9pm to 11pm, where conplus tax for Fried Pickles, Fish and
testants test their trivia ability and
Chips, and a soda.
compete for prizes, such as Molly
The food, however, is but one
Maguire‘s T-shirts and gift certifiaspect of Molly Maguire‘s. Fun is
cates.
also a big part of the atmosphere, of
All in all, Molly Maguire‘s is an
which there is no shortage. Sunday
excellent place to go. If you have
nights from 9:30pm to 12:30am are
the cash to spare and are looking
karaoke nights, presented by ZLAM for a good time, it‘s hard to beat
Entertainment, where Molly‘s pathis cool Irish restaurant and pub.
trons get the chance to sing and
ing to Sakr, Xpress Pizza is the only
pizza shop in town that offers
Greek-style Pizzeria fare. No other
Sal‘s Pizza Box, and Liberty
Square.
Regarding their menu, Xpress
offers good
value for a
customer‘s
money,
featuring
excellent
portions
for ten
dollars or
less. Their
value
menu features combos that
would cost
significantly
An amusing sign reminds customers more at other restaurants, such as a
of their options at Xpress.
four-piece chicken
pizza shop in town offers items like
meal, a shrimp basket, and a footGreek Salads and Gyros on their
long cheesesteak, all served with a
menus. Xpress Pizza also prides
side of fries and a drink. My peritself on speedy, prompt service to
sonal favorite, though, is the deliits customers, often serving up orcious Gyro combo. With plans to
ders in well under twenty minutes.
revamp the menu completely by the
Their location on Bridge Street also
end of summer, all sorts of possibiliprovides convenience to locals and
ties are sure to arise.
passers-by alike, resulting in good
If what you desire is quick serbusiness. As they are the only pizvice, convenience, and getting a lot
zeria in downtown Phoenixville,
of ―Mmm‖ for your money, Xpress
they have a specific advantage over
Pizza is one of the best places in
other shops such as TD Alfredo‘s,
town.
CO M M U N I T Y
I S S U E
THE
PURPLE
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By: Alex Miller
Dining at Nudy‘s Bridge Street
Café is a homey experience. The
service is friendly and talkative
while the food is traditional with a
flavorful ―kick.‖ The café is more
like a diner, with breakfast being a
popular choice of patrons no matter
what time it is. While the inside
isn‘t special in comparison to other
restaurants, the back patio truly
boasts
the café
setting
that the
namesake
implies
(think a
little
piece of
Paris in
Phoenixvillesmall,
black
tables for
two).
Nudy‘s
provides
excellent
service
no matter how
busy
they are, even during the Sunday morning rush! Almost im-
By: Chris Birkbeck
The Black Lab Bistro arrived
seven years ago in the ―up-andcoming‖ downtown area of Phoenixville and has been a part of what I
would like to describe as somewhat
of a Renaissance period here. Many
of us know how many new shops,
eateries, specialty stores and bakeries have come and gone in our town
Penne and Swordfish
Photo Credit: www.yelp.com/biz_photos
THE
PURPLE
mediately after walking
through the front doors, a
host/hostess seats you and
takes your drink order. When
the drinks are quickly served,
you get to know your waiter/
waitress on a personal level.
They‘ll kindly comment on
the weather and ask what
your plans are for the day.
Jokes are exchanged, and you
are instantly in your comfort
To
expand
on the
hometown
dinervibe,
Nudy‘s
serves
breakfast
during
all
hours
of
business
operation.
They
serve
panzone.
Nudy’s from the outside cakes and wafDining
fles along with
at Nudy‘s feels like an
flavorful twists on those classics.
extra- personal experiEverything from cinnamon- bun
ence where the employFrench toast to broccoli and cheddarees seem to take an
cheese omelets can appeal to the
interest in the people
more adventurous diner within - and
they‘re serving. In a
they‘re delicious! Along with the
corporate fast- food
breakfast favorites come newer
world, it‘s nice to slow
dishes, such as the barbecue chicken
down and see the face
salad or the crab cake sandwich. No
that‘s handling your
matter what time of day, Nudy‘s has
food. The service is a
something scrumptious that can
positive compliment to the expanfulfill your cravings for wonderful
sive menu.
food, fun, and atmosphere.
The pleasant seating area
inside Nudy’s
in the past several years, but the
Black Lab Bistro is here to stay.
The Black Lab Bistro is located
on 248 Bridge Street in downtown
Phoenixville. The quality of the
food they serve is out of this world.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant, according to their website, is
guided toward attracting men and
women in their thirties. I love how
three of the walls are painted a
calming yellow and one
wall is all brick, but I really
like the black labs with
wings flying in the clouds
painted on the front wall. I
thought it was clever. One
other thing that I admire is
the amount of light that
shines in on the Bistro. In
the summer they open the
French doors to let in the
fresh air. The ambience
probably is as equally important as the food. I love
the food and the surroundings and I‘m pretty sure
that I‘m not the first to say
that.
Their dinner menu goes
from lobster Mac ‗N‘ Cheese,
to Goat Cheese Gnocchi, to
Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna
and you can finish it all off
with very elegant Banana
Crepes. I seriously wish I
could order everything off the
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V O L U M E
6 ,
menu items are comprised of
combinations of colors, textures and flavors designed to
complement one another and
to appeal to the senses on
many levels. The greatest
compliment I receive is from
self confessed ‗foodies.‘ They
feel compelled to tell me the
menu offers so many great
choices they have a hard time
choosing just one.‖
When I went there last I
ordered the Bistro Steak. Wow
was that good! It was maybe
one of the best entrees I‘ve
ever had. The rest of my family ordered different types of
pasta. Not one bad review
came out of their mouths. The
cost of our dinner was around
eighty dollars, but it was
worth it. The service was good
and the time it took to serve
our meals was about average.
The Black Lab Bistro is a
Black Lab Bistro on a busy
great destination for any occaafternoon. Photo Credit: www.yelp.com/biz_photos
sion. They‘re open for lunch
between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm,
menu. You can tell the how good
while dinner is served between 5 and
the food is just by taking of peek at
10 pm. Brunch on Sundays is served
the delicacies at surrounding tabetween 10 am and 2 pm. Making a
bles.
reservation is a good way to get in,
On their website Chef Guy Claubut they also operate on a first come,
son comments, ―[I] simply use the
first serve basis. Be sure to check out
finest available ingredients to cretheir website:
ate the most flavorful dishes. The
www.blacklabbistro.net
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C OM M U N I T Y
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o
The Prima- C
urtney Kedra
Valley Forge Pizz
aMr. Bombick
bia- Mrs.
The Colum
ye r
Lachenme
ney
Black Lab- Syd
Berry
Bridgeside
DeliDucky Ry
an
N ud y
‘s – M
Fosn onicka
ocht
Pretze
lF
JoJo actoryGreen
My Favorite MuffinLaura Casmay
aggie
Artisans- M
Celentano
Lutz‘s- Sarah
Cummings,
Rachael Beu
tler
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V O L U M E
6 ,
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Iron Hill- Ms.
Roccos- Dan Drach
Express Pizza- William
dt
Leasa, Alexandra Schmi
6
CO M M U N I T Y
I S S U E
THE
Tea GardenMelissa Hyden
PURPLE
PRESS
Speckhals
Mrs.
Diversityye r
Lachenme
a secretNothing‘s
o
iGirolom
Ashley D
aThe Dram
ns on
Tina Joh
Two Wawas
within a bloc
k
of each other
.- Jill Bird
The Grave
yard- Mick
ey
Mclimon
The drunksBryan Woodall
Most phar
mac
The Purp ies, ever–
le Hoode
d
Maniac
RateCrime
r
renne
Rich B
6-12- Thom
as Valko
i de -
rth S
o w n No
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e
We hav uren Amos
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sse- Joe
Jump Rope Je
m
Kirschenbau
There‘s a
lot of var
iet
at Heidi
Sue Varie y
tyTHE Mr
. Curley
Boom BoomMelissa Hyden
THE
PURPLE
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V O L U M E
6 ,
r. Vining
The people- M
I S S U E
6
C OM M U N I T Y
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Mike BikeParker Webbe
Page 13
r
puts them into a small, convenient
cookie bag and says, ―That‘ll be two
You walk through the doorway
dollars.‖ You give him the money,
of The Handcrafted Cookie Comsit down at one of the tables and
pany and smell the sweet and
take out one of the hot freshlysavory aroma of the newest batch baked cookies. You take a bite and
of cookies being baked. You walk
close your eyes as you enjoy the
up to the counter and stand in
chewy, chocolately, and absurdly
line, deciding what flavor cookie
delicious taste of the tasty treat.
you want. Ding!! ―Excuse me,‖
Some of my fellow students at
says Chad, the store owner, as he PAHS can relate to this experience.
fetches the new warm batch of
You may have been walking
cookies out of the oven. You see
through downtown Phoenixville on
that the fresh batch of cookies
Main Street one day in January of
just baked is the Classic Choco2008 and walked past Brown‘s Cow
late Chip flavor and decide to get
and seen The Handcrafted
some. You order, ―Two chocolate
Cookie Company and been curious
chip cookies, please.‖ He takes
enough to stroll into the store. As
two cookies from the tray and
you walk in you are blasted with a
wonderful
smell of
freshlybaked
cookies.
Since
the cookie
store
opened,
the owners, Chad
and
Theresa
Williams,
say they
have been
doing very
well in
terms of
A peek at the inside of the store customers and busi-
By: Marcus Tavani
By: Charlotte Roberts
Who doesn‘t like ice cream?
Well, if you are one of the many
ice cream lovers Brown‘s Cow is
the place to go. Browns Cow is
located on South Main Street
between Prospect Street and
Page 14
Church Street. They were closed for
the winter but reopened on April
15th for the summer season.
This will be Brown‘s Cow‘s fourth
season in business. Therefore, those
of you who are already acquainted
with Brown‘s Cow know all the
interesting flavors that they already have, but
there is a new
flavor this year:
green tea! The
reason behind this
new flavor is that
Bassett‘s (the
company Brown‘s
Cow gets their ice
cream from) is
expanding to
China where
green tea is a
popular flavor. So
Warren Brown,
who owns Brown‘s
Cow, thought it
would be a good
addition to his ice
cream case.
Aside from the
new green tea
flavor, Brown‘s
Cow has 35 other
delicious flavors!
They have the
essentials of vanilla, chocolate,
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ness. They are
coming up with
new and intriguing flavors
all the time.
They offer all
kinds of cookie
flavors and desserts such as cut
and decorated
sugar cookies
for holidays and
special occasions, cookiecrust cheesecakes, molten
cookie pies,
cookie dough
Street View of the cookie store on
pops (egg-free) and
ice cream cookie
Main Street
sandwiches. Some of
their mouth-watering flavors are
If you want to learn more about
Cinnamon Delights, Chocolate HotPhoenixville‘s only cookie store,
ties, Lavender Vanilla, Island Destop by the store or browse around
lights, and of course, Classic Choco- on their website. Their website tells
late Chip.
a bit about Chad and Theresa and
The Williams have received positheir story, has a lot of information
tive reactions from their customers
about all the cookies and the great
about all of the flavors they offer.
ingredients that go into them, and
Though not everyone enjoys their
has an online store. Just visit them
more ambitious flavors (i.e. Lavenat 24 Main Street in Phoenixville
der Vanilla, a smooth blend of lavWednesday through Sunday (Wed,
ender and vanilla in a warm sugar
Thurs 10am-8pm, Fri, Sat 10amcookie, or Chocolate Grapefruit,
10pm, Sun 10am-4pm) to enjoy a
with bursts of juicy, ruby red) altasty treat or learn more about the
most all of the customers appreciate store by going to their website at
The Cookie Company‘s commitment www.thehandcraftedcookiecompany
to all-natural, top-quality ingredi.com.
ents.
and strawberry
ice cream (with
real strawberries in it), but
they also have
coffee, pecan,
and even chocolate covered
pretzels in their
chocolate and
vanilla Gadzooks ice cream!
Plus they have
other treats
such as milkshakes, banana
splits and Sundaes, which you
can pick any ice
cream to go
with! Their
most popular ice
creams are
chocolate and
vanilla, but my
favorite is a
banana split
with one scoop
moose tracks,
one chocolate
marshmallow and one peanut
butter swirl with whipped cream
to top it off, all for a reasonable
price.
So if you ever go downtown and
are in the mood for a sugary treat,
CO M M U N I T Y
I S S U E
THE
The front of Brown’s Cow
on Main Street.
go to Brown‘s Cow. Warren Brown
invites you to ―Come on down and
enjoy a cone!‖
PURPLE
PRESS
By: Nicole Dark
In downtown Phoenixville, there
are many shops that can catch the
eye. There are restaurants, boutiques, and convenience stores. But
nothing can compare to The Steel
City Coffeehouse. If their coffee or
friendly hospitality doesn‘t reel you
in, the performers will do the trick.
The Steel City Coffeehouse is an
invigorating place you can go to
whenever! Their food and drinks
are priced affordably, and the performers set a cozy, relaxing mood.
Not only does Steel City have coffee, but they have hot chocolate
(which in my opinion is amazing!),
smoothies and food. Their
food includes salads, sandwiches, quesadillas, and even
pies and cakes for your sweet
tooth. It‘s a good place to go
to when you and your friends
want somewhere to hang out,
or simply just to relax or get
some homework finished.
Where is this fantastic
place? Well, it‘s on the corner
of Bridge Street and Main
Street. On weekdays, it opens
at 7:00am, and closes between 6pm and 11pm depending on the day. It opens a
little later on the weekends.
On Saturday it closes at
11pm, and on Sun- Steel City
day it closes at
6pm.
While you‘re checking your
schedule to see when you can run
down to the coffee house, let me
inform you of Open Mic night. It
is held every Thursday from 7:30
- 10:30. Did you know many famous musicians started their
new career at an open mic somewhere? THIS CAN BE YOUR
CHANCE! Several PAHS students have preformed there.
They also have a Mad Poet's
Society Open Mic. This is for all
the poets out there who want to
share their talent. This is a spe-
Inside Steel City Coffee House
By: April Wagner
Some teens don‘t enjoy dark
rooms and loud music. Before Artisans they didn‘t have many places
other than book shops to hang out.
Artisans is a café where you can
buy coffee, tea, or even soda… hungry? Grab a sandwich, soup, wrap
or one of the many pastries or icecream flavors on sale. Everyone
enjoys yummy food, but comfort is
important too. Four large chairs
around a square table sit in the
front of the café with a view of the
town through the large front window. A couch and coffee table are
positioned in the back. Small round
tables and chairs fill the empty
spaces, with one right across from
the checkout counter. With tasty
food and drinks, not to mention free
Wi-Fi for those who like to game or
surf the web, Artisans provides a
peaceful escape for all ages. It is
located at 236 Bridge Street, directly across from the Colonial
Theater.
Not only does Artisans provide
something new to Phoenixville,
they display the local artistic talent
within our town with Artist of The
THE
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Month. Artist of The Month is a
tradition that displays the work of a
different local artist each month.
Pieces of the artist‘s work are
placed around the café in a homey
way, without
huge signs or
price stickers
to bring attention to them.
Some of these
pieces are for
sale and the
café provides
the contact
information for
each artist for
curious customers.
Want to
know when
you can stop
by? Artisans is
open from 9am
-10pm Monday
through Thursday, 9am-11pm
on Fridays and
Saturdays, and
9am-6pm on
Sundays. So
come sit down
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V O L U M E
6 ,
with your friends to enjoy a tasty
cup of your choosing, or try one of
the many wraps, sandwiches,
soups, or pastries offered at the
Artisan‘s Café. You may find your-
I S S U E
on Bridge Street
cial held
the first
Tuesday of every month. Not only
that, but there is an Acoustic Tuesday's Open Mic. This is every Tuesday, except the first Tuesday of the
month because of the Mad Poet‘s
Society special.
Next time you go downtown,
check out the Steel City Coffee
house! Experience the delicious
food, excellent service, and amazing
talent. Maybe even get up on stage
yourself. Steel City is a wonderful
hangout filled with opportunities,
comfort and great coffee!
self entering their lighted nest more
often. More information, including
a more detailed menu is available
on their website:
www.artisansgallery-cafe.com.
Photo Credit: artisansgallery-cafe.com
6
C OM M U N I T Y
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By: Alex Miller and
Marcus Tavani
Do you know that there are
businesses on the north side of
Phoenixville too? Well on the
corner of Franklin Street and
Grant Street, the industrial
building and grounds known as
Franklin Commons has taken up
residence.
Franklin Commons has been in
Phoenixville for around 100 years
and to this day has had only four
owners and has been used for
only four businesses. In 1907, the
first company to occupy the
grounds was a silk mill. It was
then followed by a carpet factory
and in the mid-70‘s, the building
was purchased by Budd Company (which made plastic pump
parts for sewage treatment
plants).
After the company ceased operations around 2003, the building wasn‘t used for the next three
learn there. Also, any
kid who wants to learn
how to be a rock star can
hone their skills and
desire at the Rock & Roll
After School Program. If
people want improve
their theatrical skills,
whether it be musically
or not, they can take
part in classes at Facetime Performing Arts
Studio. And if anyone
ever gets hungry while
hanging around Franklin Commons, they can
grab a tasty meal at the
Franklin Bistro for under $5 while also browsing the web with the
Franklin Commons‘ free
WIFI throughout the
building.
The Franklin Commons also features a
variety of businesses,
such as Miller Designworks, Seraph, and 21st Century
Phoenixville Area Positive Alternatives, also
known as
PAPA. The
Franklin Commons is going
to bring Phoenixville new
businesses,
new educational institutions, and it
will help our
local economy
prosper.
―The great
thing about
having many
businesses
under one roof
is because it‘s
like having one
big family
under one roof!
The future site of Renaissance Academy
Edison Charter School
Everyone‘s business benefits one
another,‖ said Teri Eide, Director of
Public Relations at Franklin Commons. They are still working on
getting new businesses to lease
space. They feel that if they can get
gymnastics, karate, dance, and a
fitness center to come to the Commons, everything would pull together. There is still 10% of the
space available (25,000 square feet)
and one day all of it will be in use.
So if you are looking for a place to
take a class in theater, or improve
your inner rock-star, or further
your studies in Phoenixville, or if
you just want to grab a bite to eat
and browse the web, then Franklin
Commons is the place to go!
Old Grounds of Franklin Commons Silk Mill, Phoenixville, PA
Circa:1907
Products, LLC.
years until Palma, L.P. bought
21st Century
the building in 2006. Before they
Products also
could even begin construction on
provided the
the old factory building, the enFranklin Bistire building (225,000 sq ft) had
tro with mobile
to be cleaned up. Afterwards, it
vending units,
was then divided into spaces that
which are used
were available for lease beginas an adverning in 2007 after the building
tisement for
was renovated.
their business.
Franklin Commons, also known
The Franklin
as Phoenixville Education CenCommons also
ter, now has plenty of businesses
features Paul
there and is very education –
Drucker‘s camoriented in most of the busipaign headnesses. Anyone from Pre School
quarters, Tri(Stepping Stone Education Cenumphe Capital
ter) to K-12 (Renaissance AcadAssociates,
emy, coming soon in 2012), to
LLC, and the
Grad School (Lansdale School of
offices for
Business and
Neumann UniThe back foyer to The
versity) has an
Franklin Commons
opportunity to
Page 16
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CO M M U N I T Y
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THE
PURPLE
PRESS
By: Charlotte Roberts
You‘ve picked out your dress and
shoes for prom, but since your outfit
is so unique you can‘t find the right
jewelry… what a dilemma! Well,
your problem can be solved right in
our very own downtown Phoenixville. The Potomac Bead Company
is one of the newer stores in our
town and is just the place to go to
create and/
or purchase
cool jewelry.
It‘s easy,
fun, and
doesn‘t have
to be expensive!
They have
every kind
of bead from
crystals to
wood beads,
huge beads
to sand
beads, sterling silver to
lap work
beads (glass
beads that
look like
frogs, sandals, fish or
flowers.) All
these beads
could be
hard to
choose from,
but there
are classes
that can
help you
By: Nicole Dark
make the perfect jewelry to suit
your style! They have over 70 different classes to choose from such as
Making Link Jewelry, Beginner
Earrings, and Bangle Bracelet
classes. They also host parties for
all ages, and they threw a one year
anniversary celebration on Saturday April 24.
The Potomac Bead Company is
located on 167
PURPLE
Tuesday through Saturday from
10am to 7 pm and 12pm to 5 pm on
Sunday.
The manager, Connie, said she
thinks ―The town needed something
different‖ and the Potomac Bead
Company is just the right different
that Phoenixville needs. So bring
your family and your friends to The
Potomac Bead Company and you‘ll
find something for everyone!
Left: A wall of
beads inside
the store
Above: Outside the company.
Right: Looking down
from the second floor of
The Potomac
Bead Company
ments, and accessories are available to be bought for your family,
friends or yourself. Their instruments are beautiful and affordable.
The setting is soothing and mellow,
and makes you want to learn how
to play something in their store.
They have music lessons available
for many musical instruments such
Music is part of everyone‘s lives.
You hear it if you‘re listening to it
on your iPod, or hearing a kid
across the class making a beat on
his desk. Jaworski‘s is a place that
inspires and creates musicians by
expanding their talent in a fun way.
Jaworski‘s can
be found
on Bridge
Street, a
few doors
down
from
Molly
Maguire‘s.
When you
walk in
the front
door,
there are
musical
notes that
wander
through
the store
and into
your ears.
Jaworski’s
Music sheets, gifts, instru-
THE
Bridge Street in downtown Phoenixville. You can call them at 610415-9991(or 9992) or e-mail them at
[email protected] if
you‘re ready to upgrade from your
plastic Toys ‗R‘ Us beads and enjoy
the many options of beautiful beads
at The Bead Company. If you would
just like to stop by to say ―hi‖ and
see what the choices are, they are
open
PRESS
Jaworski‘s is for everyone that loves playing music. The music teachers are
friendly and inspiring, and eager
for you to learn from them. Don‘t be
afraid to go in and ask to take a
lesson. Before you know it you
could be a music master!
Jaworski’s on Bridge Street
Beautiful Guitars
V O L U M E
6 ,
as drums, piano, and guitar. It
costs only 20 dollars per half
an hour. If you decide to take a
lesson, you‘ll walk all the way
to the back of the store, down
the steps, and you will have
your own room with your
teacher to practice.
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By: Jacob Unson
Located next to Staples at The
Shoppes at Valley Forge, French
Creek Outfitters is Phoenixville‘s
primary source for outdoor activity supplies. This establishment
carries everything: camping supplies, fishing supplies, archery
equipment, firearms, airguns,
airsoft guns, and paintball equipment. Each department is run by
a staff of well-versed experts in
their respective types of merchandise.
Owner and proprietor Michael
Friedland and his wife opened
French Creek outfitters in 1993,
with their original store located
in North Coventry. French Creek
Outfitters‘ present location was
established in 2000. The store
and its approximately 38-person
staff cater to customers from all
walks of life—amateur outdoorsmen, campers, kayakers, law
enforcement personnel, even
school teachers.
While not as large as ―big box
stores‖ like Cabela‘s and Dick‘s
Sporting Goods, French Creek
offers something that its competitors cannot, and that is patient
service to its customers. French
Creek Outfitters is essentially
the only outdoor goods retailer in
the area with the most helpful
expert staff you can find. With
several departments dedicated to
fishing, archery, firearms, and
By: Mike Zolovich
It‘s the site of one of the scenes
in ―The Blob‖…it‘s home to the
―Rocky Horror Picture Show‖
every October…it hosts many
concerts, shows, and independent
movie festivals…and most locals
pass by it every day of their lives.
Yes…I am talking about The
Colonial Theater.
The theater was started by
Harry Brownback, who opened
up the Colonial as an opera
house. Fred. E. Wright starred in
the first musical The Colonial
hosted, called The Beauty Doctor.
Page 18
indoor firing
range where
people can
plug away with
weapons up to
a certain caliber. For those
of proper age
French Creek
Outfitters also
offers rental
guns, available
at their comprehensive
firearms sec-
Above: The Firing Range at French
Creek Outfitters in one of its rare
quiet moments.
Right: Spread throughout the store
are various mounted animals.
paintball, a customer can come in if
they have a question about their
equipment, or need maintenance
beyond their abilities, whether
their product is a crossbow, a fishing rod, or a firearm. Novices who
might be going kayaking in the
boundary wilderness of Minnesota
will be able to seek advice and helpful suggestions from people who
have actually been there.
Since firearms are also an integral part of French Creek Outfitters, the store has its own 10-lane
tion located
adjacent to the
firing range.
Civilian-legal
weapons of all
shapes and
sizes can be
found there,
ranging in
everything
from military
and policestyle semiautomatic rifles, carbines,
and pistols, to more traditional
sporting firearms such as target
pistols and hunting arms like rifles
and shotguns.
In addition to their extensive
firearms department, French Creek
Outfitters also features respectable
archery, paintball, and fishing departments where the staff can help
novices make the best decisions
regarding their equipment, from
what kind of bows to use, to the
best lures and rods, to the best
upgrades for people‘s paintball
‗markers‘. There‘s something for
everyone at French Creek Outfitters and if
anyone
needs help
with something, the
staff is more
than willing
to help.
So if you
need a good
fishing pole,
a decent
paintball
marker, or a
reliable and
durable
tent, but
don‘t know
how or
where to
start, just
head up to
French
Creek Outfitters—they‘ll send you
nicely on your way.
It was performed there on September 15th, 1903. The first movie presentation there was on December
19th, 1903 and was a series of short
films lasting 40 minutes.‖
When you enter the theater, you
come into a great lobby with staircases on both sides and double
doors leading into the auditorium.
The lobby includes a concession
stand, pamphlet stations and souvenir booths. The actual auditorium
is lined with seats accompanied by
lights that guide your way down the
aisle. In the front, there is a stage
for performances and a screen for
movies. The ceiling is beautifully
decorated,
making
the theater look
like an
opera
house.
Although
The Colonial Theater is
most
known for
showing
independent
movies, it
does a lot of
other things
as well. The
Colonial
hosts ageoriented film
festivals,
ranging
from children‘s films
to films for
the elderly
(as well as
Phoenixville
High School
own PhanThe Colonial at night. Photo Credit:
tom Philm Phestival!). The
http://media.photobucket.com/image/colonial%20theater%20ph
oenixville/Pavy1/ColonialTheatreNightPhoenixvillePA.jpg
Colonial hosts its annual
BLOB Fest every year along
with Oscar parties, concerts, and
If you want, you can even behorror fests.
come a member of The Colonial and
Some upcoming events at The
get discounted tickets or free adColonial Theater include showings
mission to special parties, banof the movies House of 1000
quets, and movies.
Corpses, The Girl with the Dragon
Anybody who lives in Phoenixville
Tattoo, Sweetgrass, What Ever Hap- is well aware of the Colonial Theapened to Baby Jane?, and Dark
ter‘s existence and some of the hisVictory, all playing in May.
tory that surrounds it. I recommend
that people of all ages go there. The
The Balcony View at The Colonial. Colonial has something for everyPhoto Credit:
one and no matter what you see
http://midmodmapretroroadmap.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/n38236992336_
there, it‘s always a fun experience.
1119553_2609.jpg
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CO M M U N I T Y
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PURPLE
PRESS
By: Kathryn Sutton
Celebrating its 16th anniversary
this April, the novelty shop Ellie‘s
Choice has become a staple of
Bridge Street. Having survived
through the many transitions of
this town from the mid 90s to the
present, it‘s hard to imagine a
Phoenixville without Ellie‘s.
Ellie‘s Choice is well-known
among Phoenixville residents for
the wide variety of cool gifts, collectibles, and natural products it
sells. One of the most popular
items, for which the store has a
reputation, is incense, the smell of
which greets all who enter. Other
favorites among customers are the
handmade bags and some wild
clothing (like moccasins and hemp
sweatshirts), which a number of
high school students have
been seen sporting. Natural
handmade soaps and candles
are also widely featured, and
a variety of new fun things
are always in stock.
The owner of the store, and
yes her name is really Ellie,
Muk luks, moccasinlike slippers, are
featured in the store
started the
business with
her husband
when he lost
his job in
1994. The store was
originally located in
Collegeville, but the
rent on Bridge
Street was cheaper
so within a few
months the store
was relocated and
has been there ever
A
since. According to Ellie, the reason
that the items inside are so distinctive is that, ―I make sure that my
wholesalers do not sell what I carry
in our store to other businesses
downtown or within a 15-20 mile
radius. It just keeps us unique for
the area.‖ She is always in search of
new, quality items to sell at reasonable prices.
baja (traditional MexiIt‘s always great
to browse through
can sweatshirt)
Ellie‘s Choice and
we find an example of
such a place? 360
In this day in age, full golf
Schuylkill Road, that‘s
courses just aren‘t very practical to
where.
run. Huge, open tracts of land cost
The place is called
lots of money to maintain. ThereMarkie‘s Mini Golf, and
fore they charge high prices to join
it is a fine example of
the clubs that run the courses, aswhat miniature golf
suming they accept you. Miniature
should be. It has many
Golf solves these problems by makof the obstacles you
ing the game of golf, well, miniawould expect from real
ture. An 18-hole course can be congolf. Water hazards,
tained within the space of a parking ―sand‖ traps, rough
lot. But where in Phoenixville could patches, they‘re all
there.
And there
are none of the weird
obstacles that some
places put in their
miniature golf
courses, such as windmills and castles. This
miniature golf course
tries to keep it as close
as possible to normal
golf when it comes to
obstacles.
While admittedly
most of the terrain is
fake, it is
Markie’s beautiful miniature golf course. still pretty
Photo Credit: http://www.markiesminigolf.com/Photo_Gallery.html
nice to look
look
The storefront
around;
there constantly seems to be something new or different. For a last
minute gift or novelty item, Ellie‘s
Choice is the place shop on Bridge
Street, but it‘s great to just stop by
and have a look around too.
Ellie‘s Choice is located at 211
Bridge Street and the store hours
are Mon - Thurs 11:00 - 6:30, Fri 11
- 7:30, and Sat 10 – 5.
By: Michael Heinz
THE
PURPLE
PRESS
V O L U M E
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at. There are green hills, a flowing
Markie‘s also does parties, with
river, and even a cave with a water- packages that include food and cold
fall that you walk through (the
storage for birthday cakes and the
cave, not the waterfall). Benches
like.
are placed throughout the course,
So when you feel the urge to test
so when you‘re waiting around for
your golfing skills, head on over to
others to take their shots you can
Markie‘s Mini Golf on 360 Schuylsit back, relax, and enjoy the scenkill Road. For golf, goodies, and
ery. And when you‘re done with the
glory Markie‘s is the way to go.
course there
are plenty of
I’ll let you in on a little secret. One of the holes
snacks you can
runs by a small stream. Most people would think
purchase, such
to avoid said stream, but don’t. If your ball falls
as pizza and
in, it will flow down the river and come out next
ice cream.
to the hole. But you didn’t hear that from me.
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By: Mike Zolovich
As you pass over the bridge
from Phoenixville into Mont
Clare,
there is a
road to the
left that
leads off
the bridge
and rides
along the
river.
Where does
this road
lead? And
why do so
many people go back
there? This
road leads
to none
other than
Phoenixville‘s own
Lock 60.
Lock 60,
commonly
known as
just ―The
Lock‖, is a
device
along the
Schuylkill
River that raises or lowers water
levels so boats can pass through.
In Lock 60‘s case, when boats are
Page 20
going upstream, they pass through
a gate and the gate closes. Then,
the water is pumped between the
two gates to raise the boat to level
it with
the water that
is higher
on the
upcoming river.
Once the
boat is
level, the
other
side of
the lock
opens to
let the
boat pass
safely
through.
Lock
60 lies
about 20
yards
from
Black
Rock
Dam,
making
it a
quick,
easy
walk. Not only do people like to
hang out near the actual lock, but
they also like to jump into the wa-
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I S S U E
6
ter the dam runs into, swim in the
Schuylkill, hike the mountains
around the area, fish, kayak, or just
chill.
I go to
the Lock a
lot during
the
warmer
weather. I
find it
very
peaceful
to sit
there,
listen to
the water
run over
the dam,
fish, or
bathe in
the sun. I
also like
to climb
the mountains at
look at
the river
from the
top (not to
mention
it‘s a good
work
out!).
Lock 60 is home to many community events. Some events include an
Earth Day Clean-Up on April 17th-
CO M M U N I T Y
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THE
18th, the Locktender‘s Open House
on April 18th, and a Spring Bird
Hike on May 8th. The Lock hosts a
Community Day every year that
includes a
bunch of
activities
from face
painting, to
clowns, to
live music.
The Lock
also has a
Canal Day
every year
and hosts a
duck race
where people race
rubber
duckies in
competition.
For more
information,
head on
down to the
Lock! Explore, walk
around, pick
up a few
pamphlets,
hike a few
hills, go
fishing,
swimming, or just hang out! Enjoy
the outdoors!
PURPLE
PRESS
The library also provides
community computer‘s along
with working printers. The
computers are useful for
completing projects and
doing internet-related activities. If anything needs to
be printed it costs ten cents
per page for black and white
and fifteen cents per page
the library to present information
about bettering your life and financial situation. Some other programs
are the Phoenix Book Club, the
Body Image Group, and AARP
Driver Safety. For young kids, the
library offers storytelling times for
different ages.
More recently, the library has
more to rent than just books. The
library offers a
huge movie collection of documentaries, travel, selfhelp and theatrical
films. They cost a
dollar to rent one
movie, but on
Tuesdays it costs a
dollar to rent two.
They have the
newest movies
that are also present at movie
rental stores. For
free, people can
rent music CD
albums from many
genres, as well as
Carnegie Hall Wing
for color.
current video games
The Phoenixville Public Lifor many different systems.
brary is very good at giving
The library is open on Monday,
back to the community, as there Tuesday, and Thursday from 9AM
are many community events
to 9PM, Wednesdays, Fridays and
that they sponsor. The first
Saturdays from 9AM to 5PM, and is
Thursday of every month Repclosed Sundays. The Phoenixville
resentative Paul Drucker holds
Public Library has quality service
a forum to get input on the
and programs that benefit the enneeds of community members.
tire community. For more informaThe library also offers classes to tion call the library at 610-933-3013
teach people how to work Micro- or visit their website at http://
soft Office programs and issues
www.phoenixvillelibrary.org/. Betpassports as well. There are
ter yet, ―check‖ it out!!!
also guest speakers that come to
By: Aaron Bilash
It‘s the evening or a weekend and
you have a research report to finish
or you need to find a book to read
for school. Where do you go? You
should obviously head down to the
Phoenixville Public Library. But
did you know the library offers
more than simply checking out a
book?
For someone who may not have
ever gone there, the library is located on the corner of Second Avenue and South Main Street. It has
two levels. The bottom floor is the
children section, which is full of
children‘s books and games. The
main floor of the library contains
the adult and young adult reading
material along with the reference
center and quiet study hall. The
library was set to expand on a 6.3
million dollar venture across Second Avenue and into a small part of
Reeves Park, but this plan has been
officially terminated due
to financial issues.
The library offers a
large amount of opportunities and benefits for
teens in the community.
They offer a tutoring
program to help high
school and middle school
students academically.
There is also a reference
desk that is located in
the back of the Carnegie
Hall wing of the library
making finding research
and source material for
reports and projects
easier. The copier at the library is
useful for copying research materials and worksheets, but it costs
fifteen cents per copy. The Carnegie Hall wing offers tables for
people to come and work or read, a
teen corner full of teen reading
material and sofas for people to sit
and converse, and armchairs in
front of the fire where people can
read the abundance of newspapers
and magazines.
Outside the Phoenixville Library
By: Mary Kate Fain
Twenty-Six steps above historic
downtown Phoenixville, next to PJ
Ryan‘s, resides Wolfgang Books, a
small, quiet, literary haven for
those who appreciate an off-thebeaten-track take on fiction, the
classics, and poetry. Wolfgang is a
great place to shop for books, meet
with peers to discuss interesting
topics or even just sit down for a
read.
―The idea of the store is to be the
literary answer. Sometimes big
book stores go for just the best sellers, and I don‘t think that‘s always
the best literature out there,‖ said
owner, Jason Hafer. The store contains a wide variety of between ten
and twelve thousand books including rare books such as a first edition Ernest Hemingway.
Wolfgang Books is also host to
many literary clubs including a
literary fiction group, classics
group, philosophy group and poetry
club. Anyone is welcome to join the
clubs. Simply pick up the current
discussion book at Wolfgang and
walk in during the meeting time.
Groups range in size from four
THE
PURPLE
The sun-porch reading
room overlooking downtown Phoenixville.
members to twenty members and
all ages are welcome. The store is
open to the idea of any group, so for
anyone looking for a place to host
their literary-themed club, contact
Jason.
Wolfgang Books has also recently
started a new Student Readership
Program in order to get high school
and college students more involved
in reading and to help reduce the
costs of books for students. All you
need to do to get involved is show
your student ID and give your
PRESS
V O L U M E
6 ,
email (members receive exclusive offers online) and you
will receive a bookmark with
increasing discount percents
(ranging from ten to twenty
five percent!). The Student
Philadelphia by myfoxphilly.com in
Readership Program is a
both 2007 and 2008. So, climb the
great way to save money on
twenty-six steps and stop in to the
your own personal reading or
second floor of 237 Bridge Street
summer reading books.
next time you‘re downtown and
Another new program becheck out this great little store for
ing hosted by Wolfgang is
yourself.
author reading, discussion
To find out more, visit http://
and book signings at Steel
www.wolfgangbooks.com. The store
City. These will take place on the
is open Tuesday - Thursday: 11:00
first Saturday of every month at
am - 8:00 pm, Friday and Saturday:
three pm. This monthly event will
10:00 am - 10:00 pm and Sunday:
feature nationally acclaimed auNoon - 5:00 pm.
thors, (who are not necessarily
publicly recognized) beginning
with David Rhodes, author of
Driftless, who shared some of his
book with fans on April 10th.
These events are free and open
to the public, so stop on in one
Saturday afternoon and check
out who‘s there!
Wolfgang Books is a great
place for anyone who enjoys escaping into fiction or poetry.
Wolfgang was even voted
the Best Bookstore in
Wolfgang book store, main room.
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By: Charles Hanlon
All of the other articles in this
special involve some exchange of
money, which as teenagers is
generally something we DO NOT
HAVE! As an experienced teenager, I know all about the best
places where you can hang out in
and around Phoenixville for free.
So when you have no money,
take a trip to these five fun, free
things!
The Bluffs and Lock 60
The Bluffs and Lock 60 are
located within walking distance
of downtown Phoenixville. To get
to the bluffs, you turn left on the
railroad tracks near the river. To
get to Lock 60 you cross the
bridge over the Schuylkill and
then make a left.
Both places offer some of the
best places to hang out in the
area. There is nothing more
pretty than
sitting at the
top of a
cliff overlooking
all of
Phoenixville
and
sharing
that
moment
with your
special someone. Or if you
went down the
One of the many musical groups that
slide?
performs at First Friday Celebrations
One of
Photo Credit: http://www.mainstreetphoenixville.org/photos/first-friday.html
the
easiest places to
go that you might
overlook is simply
your
neighborhood park.
Some of Phoenixville‘s
Parks include famous
Reeve‘s Park,
Morris St.
Park, and Reservoir Park on the
North Side. It is both
fun and relaxing to
have been like. Some graveyards
around Phoenixville include Morris Cemetery and St. Ann‘s
Cemetery.
First Friday
Although First Friday showcases the stores and shops
around Phoenixville, it‘s still a
perfect event to go to without any
cash. First Friday is a monthly
street festival in which people set
up sidewalk booths, performers
wander around, and bands play
during the summer. First Friday
begins on the first Friday of the
month at 6pm on Bridge St. in
Downtown Phoenixville. There
are always lots of people and
plenty of fun!
Valley Forge Park
Valley Forge Park is a Phoenixville favorite spot for recreation.
During the winter, VFP offers
recreations such as cross-country
skiing and sledding. The summer
offers hiking, running, biking, and
bird watching. Valley Forge offers
Replica Cabins at Valley Forge Park
ing a loved one.
One entertaining
thing to do while
you‘re there is to
read the epithets
and imagine what
the person might
are more of a thrill seeker,
that you
Reeve’s Park pretend
it‘s quite common during
still have the enthe summer for kids to jump
ergy, optimism, and innocence of a
from the railroad bridge into the
4th grader.
water at Lock 60 (The Purple
The Graveyard
Press in no way endorses this
As bizarre as it sounds, gravebehavior). In addition, there is a
yards are a surprisingly good place
system of trails along the Schuyl- to visit, particularly if you‘re alone
kill River that are great for walk- and in a contemplative mood.
ing, running, or riding a bike.
They‘re quiet, outdoors, and peaceNeighborhood Parks
ful. You‘re almost guaranteed that
When was the last time you
nobody will disturb you because for
hung onto the monkey bars or
all they know, you may be mourn-
Page 22
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I S S U E
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some historical opportunities as
well. If you have never seen any of
the reenactments or talked with
any of the role playing actors, it‘s a
must. So be sure to visit Valley
Forge Park for some fun, history,
and exercise.
The amazing view from the cliffs above Lock 60
CO M M U N I T Y
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THE
PURPLE
PRESS
By: Aaron Bilash
Your house is on fire or you need
to be rescued in Phoenixville. 911
has been called and you hear the
wail of the siren. Who is responding
to your emergency? It is none other
than the heroic Phoenixville Fire
Department! These brave people
are here to save the day and keep
Phoenixville safe and secure.
The Phoenixville Fire
Department
is made up of
three companies: Station
65, Friendship Station
66, and West
End Station
67. I am a
junior member of Station
65 located in
downtown
Phoenixville
at 177
Church
Street. Our current Fire Chief for
the whole department is Jim Gable.
At Station 65 there is a total of one
cles, one utility truck, one engine,
and one ladder truck.
Anyone 16 and older can join the
Phoenixville Fire Company and all
it takes is a
completed
application
form, parental signature and
fifteen
dollars.
They run
an extensive background
check on
you before
voting you
in at the
board
meeting
following the submission of your
application. Once voted in, those
under 18 become junior firefighters.
There
are currently
11 juniors.
Some of
the juniors
attend
the high
school
and they
include
me,
Austin
Valko,
and
Thomas
Valko.
The fire
gear is
Engine 65 and Ladder 65
capnot issued until a test
tain,
by an officer is completed, which
two lieutenants, and 34 firefighters. covers the equipment, trucks, and
Station 65 consists of three vehihow they operate. Furthermore,
Inside of Ladder 65
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members need to attend fire school
present. It is very fun to hang out
to get additional training.
with other members at the fire
The Phoenixville Fire Company
house, especially on Friday nights
does a lot around Phoenixville. So
where you can walk around Phoefar this year, they have responded
nixville at night.
to a total 115 fire calls and over
The Fire Company also runs mul1,085 Emergency Medical Service
tiple fundraisers and community
calls. In April alone they responded
events. Every Tuesday night from
to 33
fires and
383
Emergency
Medical
Service
calls.
These
types of
calls
include
smoke
and odor
investigations,
house
fires, car
accidents,
and medical emergencies
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm the
Utility 65
ranging from heart probfire company hosts bingo
lems to injuries from falls.
for prize money. They
The Phoenixville Fire Company
run every year at the Dogwood Fair
does more than respond to emera booth with rides on the engine
gencies. They teach discipline and
and information about joining the
lifelong lessons of reliability, workcompany. They run to other funding in teams, and community serraisers called ―Night at the Races‖
vice. The
members
are all very
nice and
willing to
help anyone at anytime. For
new members, they
are very
accepting
and help
you get on
your feet
and start
out well at
the company. It is
very simiFire Gear Rack
lar to a brotherhood.
and ―The Boot
The schedule is very tedious for
Drive,‖ which takes place at least
Station 65. Every Wednesday is
once a month. The Phoenixville Fire
drill night for extra fire training for
Company gives back to the commujuniors. The second Wednesday of
nity it serves and offers fun events
every month is the station‘s board
which the community can enjoy.
meeting followed by a meeting with
These brave firefighters protect
all the members to discuss issues
our community and put a lot of
and concerns as well as approve
effort into their job to save lives. So
new applicants. The first Wednesthe next time you see or hear the
day of the month is Station 65‘s
fire engine, just think of how heroic
Junior Night, where junior firethese people really are. For more
fighters either clean the fire house
information about the Phoenixville
or go out on training. Once a memFire Department or Station 65, call
ber, you can go down the fire house
610-933-9717 or visit their webpage
whenever you wish as long as anat http://www.phoenixvillefire.com.
other member who is 18 or older is
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Directions: Find all of the words from the list below. After you are done, take the first 25 leftover letters in
order and fill in the blanks below to unlock a secret message!
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THEHAPPENING
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VFCC
WAWA
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SECRET MESSAGE!!!
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Editor’s Note: Why
Red?
Each issue of The Purple Press
usually has a purple, white, and
black color scheme, so why did we
stray from perfection? Well, we here
at The Purple Press wanted to make
this issue extra-special so we decided
to change up the color scheme.
Although some will argue that Phoenixville’s colors are Purple and
White, I wholeheartedly believe that
the Borough of Phoenixville’s color is
red. From the Borough’s website to
the it’s very own, unique seal the
prominent color is red. If you enjoy
the color change, that’s great! If you
prefer the Purple, White, and Black,
then don’t look at the front and back
covers of this issue and look forward
to our next issue where the Purple
returns!
Page 24
V O L U M E
The Staff of the Purple Press (Not Shown: Nicole Dark)
6 ,
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THE
PURPLE
PRESS