Families First Receives Donation from Grand Central Landfill

BLUE VALLEY TIMES
JANUARY 19, 2016
PAGE 5
Families First Receives Donation
from Grand Central Landfill
By Adrienne Fors
PEN ARGYL- The holidays
may be over but the act of giving continues. The management
team at Grand Central Sanitary
Landfill surprised the board
members of Families First with
a $7,000 donation from Waste
Management on Jan. 13.
Families First Director Frank
Jones and President Spring Shank
accepted the donation from Grand
Central District Manager Scott
Perin. Funds for this donation were
raised during Waste Management’s
annual Charity Golf Tournament.
The tournament is hosted each
year by different operating areas of (L to R) Director Frank Jones, Landfill Manager Scott Perin,
President Spring Shank
the company. The 2015 tournament
was played in the company’s Greater Mid-Atlantic Area.
Families First of Pen Argyl is a non-profit organization that provides services, programs and resources to family members in the Pen Argyl School District. One aspect of the program includes after school tutoring and homework assistance. The program is servicing 35 students, its maximum,
and has a long waiting list. The after school tutoring and homework assistance program began in
the fall of 2008 and has since had 188 students complete the program.
“We have a number of programs and ways to assist the family members in need. From the after
school tutoring program to the kindergarten ‘Welcome to Reading packets,’ which we distribute to
all families at kindergarten registration,” Mr. Jones said. “There is also a Families First scholarship
that is awarded annually to a Pen Argyl High School senior committed to volunteerism and community service. To date, we have provided 12 scholarships.”
The program has also been providing resource and referral services to assist families with housing, insurance and counseling to improve and enhance their quality of life.
“Families First has always been an organization that Grand Central has felt strongly about. Their
dedication and extensive work to make sure families of the Pen Argyl School District have the resources and information available, is one that we at Grand Central support,” Mr. Perin said.
“We at Families First are so grateful for the generosity of Waste Management. This contribution will help to fund our tutoring and after school programs within the school district. One of the
greatest qualities of our community is our ability to pull together and help each other in times of
need; Waste Management continues to lead by example in that regard,” Ms. Shank said.
ATTENTION PEN ARGYL RESIDENTS
Pen Argyl Borough is Seeking Interested
Citizens to Fill the Following Vacancies
• Disruptive Conduct Board of Appeals: Hears appeals to the
disruptive conduct eviction process:
One (1) alternate member-must be an owner, operator, responsible
agent or manager of a residential unit.
One (1) member and one (1) alternate member-must be an occupant
of a residential rental unit residing in the Borough
One (1) member and one (1) alternate must be a member of a
recognized community group in the Borough.
• One (1) Pen Argyl Civil Service Commission: Presently
inactive but must be maintained.
• One (1) Pen Argyl Planning Commission: Meets only as needed
to assist in review of plans and development in the Borough.
All applicants must have had residency for at least one (1) year and
registered to vote. If you have any questions regarding the positions
please call 610-863-1822. Please send a letter of interest and proof of
residency by January 28, 2016 to the attention of:
Robin Zmoda, Borough Manager
11 North Robinson, PO Box 128, Pen Argyl, PA 18072
Commerce and Conversation highlights
the unique sights, sounds and personalities
at the center of Slate Belt revitalization.
This week’s interview is with Gary & Sherry Haycock,
owners of The Little Corner Café, 136 S. 1st Street,
Bangor.
This column appears bi-monthly
Exclusively in the Blue Valley Times
Sharon Davis,
Manager of the SBCP
Commerce & Conversation: Gary and Sherry,
please tell us how you came to buy an old house and
turn it into a restaurant.
Gary Haycock: For about 5 years I had a passion to
open a restaurant in Bangor. We started looking for
the right building. Realty Executives told us about
this house. Its in the commercial district, zoned for
a restaurant, nearby parking, and it just seemed like
the right place.
C&C: You both have deep roots in the Bangor area.
Tell us about your families and your own backgrounds.
GH: I grew up in the area. I graduated from Bangor
High School in 1978. I’ve always been in the food
business. I met Mark Shields, our chef, 30 years
ago through our mutual employent in the food business. We’ve both worked at country club. Mark
was with the Glasbern Inn, a four-star rated B&B in
Fogelsville. Currently I work at Lehigh Country Club
as a food & beverage buyer, so we both know this
business.
SH: I’m a lifelong resident. My parents are Duane
and Janet Miller. Our family owns Miller’s Paint
Store and members of our family have held various
roles in serving the community. I’m also a 1978
graduate of Bangor High School. Gary and I got
together while planning one of our high school class
reunions. The house we now live in is the historic
Miller House. We hold seasonal craft fairs and tea
socials there.
C&C: The Café’s interior has some incredible
features, especially the Mercer Tile Fireplace and the
hand painted ceilings. Was preservation of these
features important to you?
GH: We took a lot of time to open. Everytime we
cleaned or moved things, we found another feature
to restore back to its original beauty. I was also
working at my regular job so it took longer than we
had originally anticipated, but, seeing it finished, it
was worth it.
Gary & Sherry Haycock
SH: Many people have commented about how cozy
and quaint this house feels. A warm feeling that
makes them want to linger awhile.
GH: We hope to create a certain ambience, a different choice in dining right here in the Slate Belt.
C&C: The Café fulfills our Program’s goals to have
a destination restaurant here; a place that attracts
not just locals but people from the Lehigh Valley, the
Poconos and NJ. Your location on 1st Street is highly
visible to passers through. Have you met many out
of towners?
SH: There have been people here from Easton, a
couple from Lancaster County traveling to Stroudsburg stopped on New Years Eve day. We have
some ladies from Mount Pocono who come down
every week.
C&C: Right now you’re open for breakfast and
lunch. Any plans to open for dinner?
SH: We saw the potential when we first did a walk
through. We got in touch with the people from the
Mercer Museum in Doylestown. They told us that
the theme of our fireplace tiles is from Charles Dickens’ first novel, The Pickwick Papers. These tiles
are unusual in that they are in the natural buff color.
There is an identical fireplace in the Mercer mansion.
SH: We hope to start being open on Friday and
Saturday nights and offer a Sunday brunch.
C&C: Our Program was pleased to award you a
façade grant for exterior renovations.
GH and SH: Yes, we had to install an accessible
ramp and reconfigure the entrance. The façade
grant from the SBCP really helped us budget for that.
C&C: We look forward to working with you on our
special events.
GH & SH: Yes, we want to be involved with helping
to promote this community.
C&C: Tell us about your chef and the menu.
GH: We’ve also done after hours parties and
catering for family events such as bridal showers,
birthdays, etc. We expect that side of the business
to grow.
C&C: What are your hours and how can you be
reached?
GH: Mark Shields, our chef graduated from Le
Cordon Bleu in Paris. His description of our current
menu is “a humble beginning that will grow and
prosper.”
SH: 7am-3pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Phone:
610-452-9170
People can call for reservations during regular hours
and ask us about private parties.
SH: Its American Nouveu Cuisine. The desserts
are made by our family members. The signature
rice pudding is made by Gary’s sister, Laura and my
mother bakes many of the cakes.
C&C: You’ve had some time to get the staff into
the routine, so now its time for us to host an official
ribbon cutting.
C&C: The menu and presentation bring a new level
of sophistication – white linen table coths, china
cups and saucers.
GH: Yes, Please Join us on Wednesday, January
27, at 3:00 p.m. for the Ribbon Cutting.
The SBCP welcomes everyone’s ideas and efforts. Please contact
Sharon J. Davis at (610)390-6692 or [email protected] to get involved.
PAGE 6
Continued from page 1- PA Farm Show
Each year hundreds of thousands of people flock to
the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center
in Harrisburg, to experience apples and alpacas, butter sculpture and blue-ribbon contests, milkshakes and
mushrooms, square dancing and grape stomping, rodeos
and tractor pulling, and everything else the state’s farms,
rural areas and agricultural industries have to offer.
The 2016 Pennsylvania Farm Show theme was
100th Pennsylvania Farm Show: Our Commonwealth’s
Blue Ribbon Experience – it’s a nod to individual experiences visitors have enjoyed since the first exhibition
took place in 1917. The logo – a blue ribbon – recognizes the range of exhibits and contests that take place
throughout the week-long event and make the Farm
Show Pennsylvania’s state fair.
This year, the Farm Show included a Farm-to-Shelf
exhibit in the Weis Expo Hall and interact with farmers, processors and grocery store staff and learn about
how the food you purchase at your local grocery store
is grown, harvested and sourced and then makes its
way to you. The exhibit portrayed the journey of four
commodities apples, pork, dairy and potatoes from the
farm to the grocery store shelf.
The famous PA Preferred™ Food Court offered new
items as part of its taste of Pennsylvania. Blended
mushroom burger from the American Mushroom Institute, a carrot cake funnel cake from the Pennsylvania
Vegetable Growers, walking goat meat tacos and ribs
from the Pennsylvania Livestock Association, a BBQ
Beef Bowl from the Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s Association or chocolate-covered bacon, chicken bites, fish
sliders, fish nachos, oversized fresh-baked cookies
and breakfast pretzel rolls from the PennAg Industries
Association.
Most events and activities are free. There was an
admission charge for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Rodeos because it’s part of their
yearlong Pro circuit ‘These guys were the real deal’.
The most popular events were Opening Ceremonies, the Pennsylvania High School Rodeo, Weis
Markets’ Farm-to-Shelf Display, horse pulling competitions, the PA Preferred™ Culinary Con-
BLUE VALLEY TIMES
JANUARY 19, 2016
nection, the butter sculpture, the Great Grape Stomp,
the Rabbit Hopping competition, and the Sheep-toShawl competition.
Valentines Weekend
Magic and Illusion Show
At The VFW
In Bangor
Featuring
Magician and
Illusionist
Tom Yurasits
Fun for all ages!
VFW Post 739
Saturday February 13th, 2016, 3PM, Doors Open at 2PM
202 Washington Blvd, (Rt. 191) Bangor, PA
Tickets Available at Post & Door, $7 Each Under 5 years Free
Immediate Families of 4 or more $20
Snacks and Soft drinks available for purchase
Spend an afternoon with your children and grand children enjoying a
professional magician and illusionist and his act with live animals.
228 S. Broadway, Suite D, Wind Gap, PA 18091
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Dawn R. Miller, PA licensed Real Estate Agent • Thomas R. Wilkins, Broker
[email protected] • 610-881-4373 • www.TimeshareOasis.com