May 2013 Newsletter.pub - Valley Forge Mountain Association

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Volume 37, Issue 2
www.vfmountain.org
Sunbowl Clean-up Day
VFMA Directors—2013
Karen Zach
President
Missy Farkouh
Vice President
Luke Jennings
Treasurer
Tracy Simpson
Secretary
Marla Stevens
Schuylkill Liaison
Keith Hollander
Tredyffrin Liaison
Andrew Sherriff
Property & Civic
Improvement
Membership &
Hospitality
Planning Committee
Karen Magiso
David Holmes
A big thank you to all those neighbors who
came out on Saturday April 27th and pitched
in on our annual cleanup fest at the SUNBOWL. What a perfect
day with the sun shining. We were able to
spread the 20 yards of
playground mulch, install a number of new
fence posts & rails, raise the canopy, get rid
of all the excess twigs and brush.
The Sunbowl is now officially open for the
season !!!!
Other Key Communication Roles
Doug Moeller
VFMA Website
Marla Stevens
Yahoo Groups
Mike & Marla Stevens
2013 Directory
2013 Calendar of Events
Easter Egg Hunt
March 23 (3/24 rain)
Spring Clean-Up
April 27 (4/28 rain)
4th of July Party
July 4
New Neighbor’s Party
September 8
Halloween/Octoberfest
October 26 (27 rain)
Ladies Wine and Cheese
December 8
Santa’s Visit
December 15
Annual Meeting
January 22, 2014
Dinner Dance
February 1, 2014
If you are receiving this newsletter in the mail, and
would like to receive an e-mail copy instead, please
send an e-mail to Tracy Simpson at
[email protected]. Thanks!
May 2013
The following are those who signed in on the
cleanup sheet:
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Luke & Charlotte Jennings
Andrew Sherriff
Stephen and Tracy Simpson
John, Jackson and Jamie Alexander
Kris DePolo
Al and James Bommentre
David Hodder
Chloe and Karen Zach
Hunter & Keith Hollander
The McCann Family
Dave Holmes
Eileen Blazek
Russ & Kris Cunningham
The McGarrity Family
Karen Magiso
Don Wildauer
Richard Culbert
Duncan Ellis
Beth Sellers
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Sunbowl Clean-up
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Lyme Disease—At Risk May through November!
About Lyme
Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia
burgdorferi. This bacterium is usually found in small animals
like mice and carried to people from mice by ticks (known as
black-legged or deer ticks). Ticks are small and can be hard to
see. Immature ticks are about the size of a poppy seed. Adult
ticks are about the size of a sesame seed. Many people who get
Lyme disease don't remember being bitten. The good news is
that most tick bites don't result in Lyme disease.
Signs and Symptoms
Lyme disease can affect different body systems, such as the nervous system, joints,
skin, and heart. The symptoms of Lyme disease are often described as happening in
three stages (although not everyone experiences all three):
1. A circular rash, typically within 1-2 weeks of infection, often is the first sign of infection. Although it's considered typical of Lyme disease, many people never develop one.
2. Along with the rash, a person may have flu-like symptoms such as swollen lymph
nodes, fatigue, headache, and muscle aches. Symptoms of this stage of Lyme disease usually appear within several weeks after the tick bite, even in someone who
has not developed the initial rash.
3. The last stage of Lyme disease can occur if the early stages were not detected or
appropriately treated. Symptoms of late Lyme disease can appear anytime from
weeks to years after an infectious tick bite, and can include arthritis, particularly in
the knees, and memory lapses (mainly in adults; this symptom is rare in kids and
teens).
Prevention
Here’s some ways that seem to be effective in preventing tick bites:
1. Damminix Tick Tubes—http://www.ticktubes.com/ - for treating the woods
around your house. Small tubes filled with cotton balls. The cotton is treated the mild insecticide Permethrin. To use it, simply place Damminix Tick
Tubes® in areas around your yard where there are mice. That's it. Mice will do
the rest for you by gathering the cotton to build nests in their burrows.
Young ticks feeding on the mice are killed by the insecticide .
2. Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent—simply soak your clothes in this solutions for 2 hours, hang dry and stay protected for 6 washings - no guess
work!
3. Don’t forget your pets! Treat monthly with flea and tick control.
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Name the New Trail Bridge Contest
A major new trail bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists will be constructed to cross the Schuylkill River within
Valley Forge National Historical Park. The trail bridge will link the north and south sides of the Valley Forge
National Historical Park with regional trail systems including the Schuylkill River Trail, future Schuylkill River
West Trail, Valley Forge's 26 miles of trail, and the Chester Valley Trail and Patriot's Path.
The bridge is expected to be under construction in late 2013 and completed in the fall of 2015. Final selection will be announced in October 2013. Recipient will be invited and recognized as a special guest to The
Friends of Valley Forge Park's annual reception.
Here is the link to submit your suggestion:
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e7bj9vvohfcvmdo0/a00ahfpxpsrn/greeting
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Friends of Valley Forge, go to this link,
http://www.friendsofvalleyforge.org/membership.shtml, and join today.
From attending Friends’ social events and our popular Speaker Series that includes an exciting and diverse
group of speakers, authors and historians; to participating in Park celebrations, preservation projects and
volunteer work days... there’s something for everyone.
Whether you love the Park for its history and heritage, its natural beauty, its peaceful recreation or simply
that it is an oasis in a sea of urbanization, becoming a member demonstrates your commitment to the
shared stewardship of Valley Forge National Historical Park.
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Opening Day at Phoenixville Farmers' Market - May 4th
The Phoenixville Farmers’ Market is thrilled to announce its opening day of its 12th season on May 4, 2013
under the Gay Street Bridge in downtown Phoenixville! Shoppers will hardly recognize the site thanks to the
efforts of Harkins Builders who together with several of their subcontractors, Brubacher Excavating, Drumheller Concrete, MK Builders and Reel Electric, built a performance stage, installed new gravel, concrete and
new walkways, as well as pedestrian friendly rubber mulch in our seating area. The Market will be open
every Saturday from 9:00am until 1:00pm, May 4 through November 16, providing the local, farm fresh
food that our customers have come to value and enjoy. Free parking is conveniently located right next to
the Market in Municipal lot 4, accessed by Taylor Alley. The Phoenixville Farmers’ Market is a producer/
grower market committed to supporting local farms and preserving local agriculture, building community in
downtown Phoenixville, improving health through nutrition education, increasing access to fresh, nutritious
food, and encouraging the development of a local, sustainable economy.
Website: www.phoenixvillefarmersmarket.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Phoenixville-Farmers-Market/212007240376
The opening day market will feature food and handmade products from the following:
Freshly made guacamole from Anita’s Guacamole
Chocolates from John & Kira’s
Strikingly beautiful serveware from Artifact
Gluten free baked goods from Marci’s Morsels
Coffee and cold drinks from Artisan’s Café
Fruit popsicles from Mompops
Pasture-raised buffalo from Backyard Bison
Artisan nut butters from Naughty Nutty Love
Local honey from Baues’ Busy Bees
Mushrooms from Oley Valley Mushroom
Local cheeses, veal & beef from Birchrun Hills Farm
Local wine from Paradocx Vineyard
Local vegetables from Charlestown Farm
Produce and baked goods from Peach Bottom Farm
Nutrient dense lacto fermented foods from Cucina Verde
Matcha Tea from Pureblend Tea
Poultry and eggs and beef from Deep Roots Valley Farm
Soy candles from Pure Scents Candle
Luscious soaps from Ellen April
Bread & baked goods from St. Peter’s Bakery & Cafe
Tasty and unique hummus from FreshaPeel
Goat cheese & products from Shellbark Hollow Farm
Hanging baskets and bedding plants from Huyard’s Farm
Hot off the griddle sandwiches from the Sunflower Truck Stop
Cupcakes from ICED by Betsy
Breads, rolls & granola from Sweetwater Baking Co.
Produce & plants from Jack’s Farm
Fresh pasta & sauce from Vera Pasta
Artisan gelato from Jenny and Frank’s Artisan Gelato
More providers, new and old, will join the Market as their crops come into season. A complete list of providers
can be found on our website at http://www.phoenixvillefarmersmarket.org/providers.
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Researching Your English Ancestry from this Side of the Pond
(A bit for our resident Brits)
Nearly 24 million Americans claim wholly English ancestry and another almost 26 million claimed English
along with another ethnic ancestry. If you have English ancestry and would like to learn more about your
family history, then the April meeting of the Main Line Genealogy Club is for you.
If you have discovered English ancestors, you don't need to fly to London to pursue the records they left in
parishes, censuses, and courts. Sandra M. Hewlett, certified genealogist, will share with you her experiences
with the valuable resources now online for English research and will touch on websites for Ireland, Northern
Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And she will introduce you to British educational programs available in the United States.
A myriad and rich selection of English records are available online, with many of these websites offered at no
charge from county record offices, genealogy-interest consortiums, universities, the National Archives (U.K.),
and from FamilySearch.
When:
Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Where:
Easttown Public Library, 720 First Ave., Berwyn, PA 19310
Cost:
$5 (donation suggested)
Main Line Genealogy Club meets the 2nd Thursday of every month at the Easttown Library with a different
program each month. Please visit the website at www.mainlineroots.org.
Conestoga Crew Team Prepares for Philadelphia City Championships - May 5th
While the Conestoga Crew Club’s Varsity and JV rowers had a break from racing the final weekend
of April, the Novice rowers traveled across the Ben Franklin Bridge to compete in the Cooper Cup
Regatta on the Cooper River in Camden, NJ .
Alternating between Women’s and Men’s events, the Women’s Novice 4X of Emily Hompe, Caroline
Gosnear, Carly Robins, and Leah Palomo finished 1st which was followed by Ted McGovern, Michael Kling, Jacob Hinderer, and Jacob Novak finishing 1st in the Men’s Novice 4X. In the Women’s
Novice 2X Callie Maslowsky and Ivy Hollander finished 1st in their heat (2nd overall) while Timothy
Kao and Sean Johnson finished 1st in the Men’s Novice 2X.
The Conestoga Crew Club team returns to racing next weekend (May 5th) to compete in the PSRA’s
Philadelphia City Championship Regatta, the first in a series of preeminent scholastic regattas that
will start a busy month of fun competition for the team.
For more information about the Conestoga Crew Club go to www.conestogacrew.org.
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Recipe Corner
Southern Burgoo
Long served at political rallies in the South, burgoo is a dish for which
no two recipes are alike. Country cooks use whatever poultry, meat,
and vegetables they have on hand in this spicy stew.
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
4 cups water
1 14-1/2-ounce can tomatoes, undrained and cut up
3/4 pound boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules
1 pound meaty chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks), skinned
2 cups cubed, peeled potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)
1 10-ounce package frozen succotash
1 10-ounce package frozen cut okra1 cup sliced carrot (about 2 carrots)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Directions
In a 4-1/2-quart Dutch oven or large pot combine the water, undrained tomatoes, beef, and chicken bouillon granules.
Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken pieces. Return to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, covered, about 45 minutes more or until beef and chicken are tender. Remove chicken pieces and set aside.
Stir potatoes, succotash, okra, carrot, onion, curry powder, and sugar into mixture in Dutch oven or pot. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard skin, if any, and bones. Cut the
chicken into bite-size pieces. Add chicken pieces to Dutch oven or pot. Cook about 5 minutes more or until the chicken
is heated through. Makes 5 servings.
Cheap Grill Thrills
You know one more thing you really need for your grilling experience? A bunch of disposable aluminum pans. That's right, the cheap ones that you see hanging by a peg in the kitchen supply
aisle of any supermarket. It might seem odd to include these in a list of essential grilling tools,
but they are incredibly useful. To begin with, they are just the thing for carrying raw materials to
the grill and cooked food from grill to table. More importantly, though, they are a near-essential
tool for grilling all kinds of items—from a monster pork chop to a small lamb roast—that are too
thick to be completely cooked right over the coals. If you tried to do this, each of these would be
incinerated on the outside before it got cooked all the way through. So instead, as soon as your
chop or mini-roast has acquired a nice, dark, sear on the exterior, just move it to a cooler part of
the fire and cover it with your aluminum pan. This creates a kind of mini-oven effect, so your food
can finish cooking without getting scorched. And when the pan gets too beaten and burnt, just
start using a new one; at less than a quarter apiece, it's one grilling tool you can afford to replace
often.
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2013 VFMA Dues
$55, Was due May 1, 2013
Use PayPal @
www.vfmountain.org
Make checks payable to: VFMA
Mail, with name and address, to:
VFMA, P.O. Box 111
Valley Forge, PA 19481
VFMA Welcoming Committee
If you happen to meet, or find out about, a
new neighbor moving into the neighborhood, please let the Welcoming Committee
know, so that they can plan a welcome visit
and basket.
Email Karen Magiso with any updates.
The Valley Forge Mountain Association
P.O. Box 111
Valley Forge, PA 19481
www.vfmountain.org
Mountain News
An informal bulletin published periodically by the Board of Directors of the Valley Forge
Mountain Association , Inc. for the residents of The Mountain.