Upper Bucks Free Press, January 2011 edition

What is Your Biggest New Year’s Resolution?

Rodney Ridley

QuakeRtown

To continue to enjoy life!

keith atlee

Richlandtown

1. Stay out of debt2. Stay healthy

3. Stay patient in this economy

Becky SpoR

tRumBaueRSville

Strive to be the best wife and mother for my family!

Billy RoBeRtS tRumBaueRSville

To do well in college at Penn

State’s Main Campus

Interviews and photos by Frank DiRenzo

Here's to the bright New Year,and a fond farewell to the old; Here's to the things yet to come,

and to the memories that we hold.

2 • Upper Bucks Free Press • January 2011

Upper Bucks Community Events

Find the Upper Bucks Free Press!

Quakertown

a-Plus Mini MarketBeer City

Cafe on the wayClassic temps

Captain Bob’s SeafoodDairy Queen

Dominick’s Pizzaexpress Food Mkt (former wawa)

Faraco’s PizzaFirst united Church of Christ

Frank’s PizzaGiant Food Markets

Giovanni’s Pizzathe Grundy HouseHobo’s Bar & Grill

James Michener LibraryJohn’s Plain & Fancy

Quakertown Family restaurantQnB Bank

Quaker Bakeryredner’s MarketSal’s Pizza randa

Sine’s 5 & 10wawa

Suelkes roadstandSwann’s Pantry

upper Bucks Senior Centerupper Bucks YMCaYum Yum Donuts

SeLLerSviLLe

a & n Dinervillage Market

PerkaSie

Bravo’s PizzaGiant Food Markets

Landis Food MarketsPierce Library

truMBauerSviLLe

Fino’s La CantinaSilver Shears

Spor’s General Store

CooPerSBurG

Giant Food Marketsthe inside Scoop

Moyer’s Copy & Printing CenterQnB Bank

weis Markets

and lots of other high traffic locations between here

and there.

January 3

Free Bread of Life Dinner, doors open 5pm, all welcome, Emmanu-el Episcopal Church, 560 S. Main & 9th Sts, Quakertown, Call if in need of transportation 215-536-3040

January 4&5

Upper Bucks Tech. School regis-trations for adult education courses to begin week of Jan. 31, daytime regis. is Mon. thru Fri. 10am-2pm, walk-in regis. Jan. 4&5 from 6-8pm, 215-795-2011

January 8

Soup Day at Dublin Fire Co, 11am-2pm, Route 313, homemade soups, Eat in or order on Soup Day between 11am and 1pm, 215-246-3740. Benefits Fire Co. Aux.

January 9

All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffet, 8am-1pm at Richland Twp Fire & Rescue, 64 Shelly Rd, Quaker-town, Lots of good food and baked goods, 215-536-7226

Breakfast at Upper Black Eddy Fire Co, Firehouse Lane, 7:30am-noon, $7, $5, under 5 is free. Ben-efits fire company

January 10

Pennridge Women’s Business

Network Meeting, 7pm at First

Savings Bk, 601 W. Market St.,

Perkasie

January 12

Little Yoga, 5:30pm-6:15pm,

Moon Dog Yoga, 44 Front St,

Qtwn, ages 3-7, Info at 267-923-

5237

January 13

Pizza Sale! Orders must be in by

Jan. 13, delivery is Jan. 21. Thick

or thin crust, plain or pepperoni,

Richland Twp. Fire & Rescue,

215-536-7226

January 15

Quakertown Basketball Free

Throw Contest, 6pm at St. Isidore’s

School Gym, 603 W. Broad St,

Qtwn , Sponsored Free by Knights

of Columbus, Boys & girls 10-14

are invited to participate, prizes

and awards, www.kofc4649

January 17

Tracks & Traces Family Pro-gram, 11am Nockamixon State Park, Hunt for animal tracks, then make one to take home with you. No pre-registration and FREE. More info at Education center at 215-529-7307

Soup Kitchen, 12pm-2pm, St. Isidore School, 603 W. Broad, Quakertown

January 18

Quakertown Neighborhood Assn. Meeting, 7 PM, Quakertown Bor-ough Hall. All are welcome to see what we’re all about!

January 21 & 26

Hide-N-Seekers Snow Spectacular, Jan. 21 at 1pm, Jan. 26 at 10am, Hosted by Nockamixon State Park, outdoor program for 3-5 year olds, bring an adult and enjoy time out-doors, crafts, stories and fun. $5 fee. Pre-register 215-529-7307

January 22

Chicken Pot-Pie Supper, 4pm-7pm at Trinity Great Swamp UCC, 9150 Spinnerstown Rd, Spinnerstown, $8 adults, ages 2-12 $4, under 2 free. Take-outs available, benefits Church World Service “Safe Wa-ter Project”

Pennsylvania’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LI-HEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season, according to Senator Bob Mensch (R-24). Grants are based on in-come, family size, type of heating fuel and region.

“Rising fuel costs have taken a toll on all of us, especially those who rely on oil to heat their homes,” Senator Mensch said. “This burden has been especially heavy on low-income families and those people on fixed incomes. I urge everyone who may be eligible

for LIHEAP to apply.”Additional information, such as

specific income limits, and applica-tions for LIHEAP grants are avail-able online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) Web site at www.compass.state.pa.us. Appli-cations are available at Mensch’s district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies. Should you need assistance with your application, please schedule an appointment by calling Senator Mensch’s office at 215-529-1215,

Heating Assistance Grant Program Now Open

January 2011 • Upper Bucks Free Press • 3

By Michele Buono

Last month, we reported on the new partnership that has emerged concerning Internet Safety and the community. The Quakertown Community School District part-nered with other local civic orga-nizations to alert the community to Internet security issues. Semi-nars were held at the Quakertown Branch of the Bucks County Free Library.

The Quakertown Community School District wants to be sure its students learn the rules of good “digital citizenship”. Students are given regular instruction through-out their school careers in safe cy-

ber-surfing. Beginning with basic safety and good “netiquette” in the first grade, children are taught per-sonal safety and appropriate online behavior throughout their school careers.

The more things change it seems the more they stay the same. Pass-ing notes used to be how kids com-municated privately with each oth-er; today it’s texting. Diaries and journals have been replaced with blogs. Avatars are the new “paper dolls”. The big change with all this new online behavior is the public nature of it. Kids need to learn ac-ceptable parameters and govern their online behavior.

Internet technology seems to de-velop at such an astounding pace today that it is sometimes hard to keep apace of all the new innova-tions. QCSD is giving its students the basic know-how to use the In-ternet as, not only an educational tool, but also an increasingly es-sential part of everyday life. Be-ginning last year, all incoming freshman (9th grade) were given a netbook computer to assist them in the schoolwork. Students take these computers home with them and will continue to use them throughout high school. Eventu-ally all QCSD students will have access to the Internet via school-

issued computers. These will help

facilitate a transformation in how

and when students can access their

lessons.

Students are expected to use their

netbooks in a responsible manner.

They and their parents are required

to sign the school district’s Ac-

ceptable Use of the Internet and

District Computer System Policy.

This policy outlines the students’

responsibilities regarding their

school-issued Netbooks and the

consequences of breaking those

rules.

Reading, Writing, and Digital Citizenship

Charles Malseed, a senior from Palisades, has been named the Stu-dent of the Month for December. Charles has been enrolled in the Diesel Equipment Technology pro-gram for three years.

Charles has consistently earned the Honor Roll at Palisades High School and First Honors at Upper Bucks County Technical School. He won second place in the District 11 SkillsUSA Diesel Technology competition his junior year and at-tended the SkillsUSA Professional Development Leadership Confer-ence in Fall 2009.

Since the summer of 2010, Charles has held a Cooperative Ed-ucation Diesel Mechanic position at JBS Carriers, Souderton, PA. His mentor, Keith Fratrik states, “Charles is a conscientious and knowledgeable worker.”

After graduation, Charles plans to attend college and own his own business.

Palisades Senior Named Student of the Month

at Upper Bucks Tech School


New Developments in Hearing Technology

Entering my 24th year of private practice, no time is better than the present to see and utilize the latest in technological advances for hear-ing aids.

Presently, we are enjoying the twelfth generation in digital prod-uct with no end in sight. The new-est premium class hearing systems provide ultimate performance, learning volume control, personal acclimatization, various environ-mental settings, and wind noise reduction. The new devices are all about providing highly adaptive hearing systems that can cope with all the situations that make up your life. Furthermore, the benefits in-clude:

• Situation-sensitive hearing with auto-steered directionality• Up to four personal programs to ensure superior hearing in various listening situations• Learning volume control that keeps track of the typical changes the wearer makes, then starts mak-ing them automatically• Acclimatization manager allows the hearing aid to catalog and cre-ate special programs based on the

listening environment• Having the ability for ultra-pre-cise adjustment of the system to meet the wearer’s needs

The automatic output features adjust the volume of the hearing system when venturing from one place to another, like leaving a noisy restaurant for the quiet of the car. The device can ‘teach’ your hearing system to respond to an in-dividual’s volume requirements. In addition, the hearing system gradu-ally increases the degree of am-plification over time to suit a par-ticular wearer’s needs. These new smart hearing aids are comfortable to wear and ensure a more natural sound quality, especially the per-son’s own voice.

Not all listening situations are the same, and increasingly com-plex sound scenarios place high de-mands on any hearing aid system. The new hearing aids are especial-ly designed to cope with the acous-tic challenges of an active life style with many different and constantly changing listening situations. They automatically adjust what a person hears according to the situation.

The end result is a superior under-standing in any situation.

Among the listening situations where these devices excel are:

• On the telephone• Speech in quiet• Situations without speech• Passive Music• Live music• Loud environments like parties and adverse working conditions• Office situations with direct con-versation and noise• Speech in constant background noise like a car• Speech in noisy situations like group conversations, talking out-doors, and traffic• Changing situations from group meeting to informal conversations.In summary, if you or someone you know has a hearing loss, the first step is to get the hearing checked. Should amplification be recom-mended, with patient motivation, success is a phone call away.Get your hearing checked today!

Patrick MurPhy, M.ed., ccc-a, Faaa has Been in Private Practice since 1987 and wears Binaural digital coMPletely-in-the-canal hearing aids.


By kiMBerly kratz

As I write, January is nearly here, a clean slate, a new begin-ning. Ten years ago or so, I re-solved never to make a New Year’s resolution again. I mean, why re-ally? Resolution Schmesolution! I had never made one that lasted more than a week anyway. That realization empowered me to forgo the practice entirely but because it’s a woman’s prerogative, this year -- I’m changing my mind. I’m not throwing out my former old self in the process; I’m not changing my ideals. I’ll still be the same lovable freak I’ve always been.

This year I resolve to celebrate my actual age on my birthday. For the last seven or eight years, I’ve celebrated my thirty seventh birth-day. To their credit, my family and friends have gone along with me and made “Happy Thirty Sev-enth” birthday cards, cakes with thirty seven candles, and plastered the number “37” all around me. I loved being thirty seven! Besides, subtraction was never my strong suit. I’m a writer after all, not a mathematician and doing the math to figure out my age was simply too much trouble, especially after 2000 – all that borrowing and crossing off. I think it’s time to move on.

I resolve to lose five pounds. I’m planning on losing ten, but if my resolution is five, I’ll feel like a real winner when I lose the ten. Plus the bonus is that I’ll qualify weight-wise to do a tandem jump skydiving. I have not yet done the jump-out-of-a-plane thing and it’s on my list of things to do to help me fully conquer my fear of heights.

Oh, sidebar! Guess what I did just for fun right before the Christ-mas break? I volunteered to pres-ent a couple of Spanish culture lessons to students at Quakertown Community High School. When I grow up, I plan to work as a public speaker to advocate for social jus-tice, so I thought, “If I can speak to high school students, who are collectively known for their brutal honesty, and not walk out covered in tomatoes, I can speak to any-one.” I’d like to take this oppor-

tunity to say, “Thanks!” to Mrs. Sharp and her six Spanish classes for their kind attention and for their honest evaluations.

I learned things from them. The first is that Mrs. Gontz, my Girl Scout leader was right. “Be pre-pared”, she always said. This ap-plies to technology. I had some minor technical difficulties dur-ing two of classes where the vid-eos stopped in buffering, played a little and paused again. That was frustrating, but I had an arsenal of plenty of information so I aban-doned the videos. This, I learned, does not rest well with the younger generation. The second revelation for me was that their expectations are, in the words of Kurt Cobain, “Here we are now. Entertain us.” At the end, I asked them to fill out evaluations to help me gauge my effectiveness.

The last question on the survey was, “What advice would you give that could make the presentation better?” I set aside all of those that answered, “I don’t know” or “nothing, it was good”. And here are the answers they gave verba-tim:

“Spanish food!”“Make it more short & sweet”“Have the kids more involved”“Music”“Maybe more humor”“More stories, :) not facts.”(The happy face was part of the quote.)

“If it wasn’t 8 in the morning.”(This was second period.)

“Speak more slowly.”(Fair assessment; working on that one.)

Their answers bring me to my third resolution. I resolve to pay better attention to what high school students can offer me in the way of advice. They have the unique ben-efit of the candor that comes with youth and lack of experience that is gradually lost as we age.

Finally, I resolve to encourage others to make a fresh start. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. If you have to, sans habillement as the French say, and consider your destiny. We have only one oppor-tunity to fully live our lives, but many to change course, adjust our priorities and improve ourselves.

Resolutions Schmesultions

By Michele Buono

What happens when communi-ty-minded people unite and just do what needs to be done? With a definite “can-do” attitude and a lot of community spirit, this is the Quakertown Neighborhood Asso-ciation. An idea of Ali and Dave Johnson that came to light because of their realization that people can and should be helping each other instead of waiting for “someone else” to do it.

The Upper Bucks area has no shortage of non-profit community groups. With 82 non-profit groups in the Quakertown area, all with targeted causes, the QNA wants to “fill in the gaps” and be there when needed. Last month, they hosted the Cookies, Cocoa, and Shar-ing event at the Quakertown train station. Previously, the event had been organized by former Quaker-town resident David Zaiser. Mr. Zaiser moved out of the area, but had asked QNA to keep it alive. Gift cards were collected on be-half of the “Give the Gift of Giving Project”. $500 was raised at the train station that night to help give local needy families a Christmas.

The QNA’s centerpiece is the Wish List. This is what it is all about – neighbors helping neigh-bors. Have a need, but not the re-sources? Perhaps the Quakertown

Neighborhood Association can help. Snow shoveling, yardwork, home repair… the Wish List is available for you to submit your need. One of their first projects was to find a temporary home for a local woman’s dogs. She had found a place to stay, but no dogs were allowed in the new place. Because the Quakertown Neighborhood As-sociation got involved, someone generously donated kennel space for her pets and the woman would go visit and take care of them dai-ly. Thankfully, she has since found a pet-friendly place to live.

The group is also looking for community members that are able to fill local needs. If you are able to donate your time or talent to your neighbors in the community, you can also sign yourself or your busi-ness up on the Wish List.

Want to come see what the Quak-ertown Neighborhood Association is all about? Their next monthly meeting is Tuesday, January 18 at 7 PM at the Quakertown Bor-ough Hall. To contact the Quaker-town Neighborhood Association, please visit www.quakertownna.org. You can also reach them at 267-424-0479.

Quakertown Neighborhood Association Continues to Lend

the Community a Helping Hand

Richland Twp. Supervisors Rick Orloff, Craig Staats, Tim Arnold, Township Manager Stephen Sechriest, other con-tributors and attendees held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the comple-tion of Richland’s new “Solar Farm” on the afternoon of December 13th. The project, consisting of 1,350 PV solar panels, is proposed to supply 25% of the electrical needs of both the Munici-pal and Water Authority buildings and is a joint effort. The “Solar Farm” is lo-cated in the Walnut Bank Farm commu-nity as this area was deemed to be the most central location to the buildings to

be supplied, those being within a two mile radius of the site.The project was completed at an es-timated cost of $2,730,309.00. The American Recovery and Rein-vestment Act provided a grant of $500,000.00. The remainder of the debt, $2,230,309.00, is said to be cov-ered by a Township bond. The panels will generate about 426,275 Kilowatt hours per year, save $59,675.00 per year, generate $119,346.00 in renew-able energy credits and will temporar-ily save 29 jobs, as well as create 3 jobs. Photo by brien Caldwell


The following programs are of-fered by the Quakertown Branch of the Bucks County Free Library. The library is located at 401 W. Mill St. in Quakertown. For more information, or to register for the programs, please call 215-536-3306 or online at www.buck-slib.org . Please note that the li-brary will be closed on Saturday, January 1.

January 8 Family Storytime Beach Party 11am – 12noon Come to a beach party and bring your towel and sunglasses for stories and fun activities. All ages welcome,no registration needed. Join us!

Reading Goes to the Dogs 2pm – 3:30pm Read with a canine and bring your camera. All dogs are certified therapy pets. No reg-istration is necessary. All ages welcome.

January 18 & 25 Bouncing Baby Storytime 10:15am – 10:40am A gentle storytime for you and your little one with stories, songs, and rhymes. Ages 0-24 months with caregiver.

January 18 Bedtime Stories 7 – 7:45pm Wear p.j.'s and bring the entire family for a relaxing time before bed.

January 25 Teen Gaming Night 7 – 7:45pm Show us your skills on the library's Wii console. Program is geared towards youth in grades 5-12. No registration is necessary.

January 26 Eager Readers 6:15 – 6:45pm Build vocabulary, read-ing skills, and fulfill your school reading requirements while read-ing aloud with the librarian. Take home activities based on the sto-ries. Grades K-3. Registration rec-ommended.

January 29 Doll’s Tea 2pm – 3:30pm Bring along your favor-ite doll or stuffed animal and join us for refreshments and activi-ties based on the American Girl Doll series of books. Grades 1 +. FREE. Registration is a must.

Beginning January 3, 2011 the Quakertown Branch of the Bucks County Free Library will have new hours:

Mondays & Tuesdays10am – 9pm

Wednesdays & Thursdays10am – 7pm

Fridays & Saturday9am – 5pm

What’s Up at the Library?

The Power of a Niche'Talk about niche marketing.

Toyota released the new VENZA. A "Pet-Friendly" car. Will it work?

One thing we know about pet owners is that they are incredibly faithful....consumers. They are not afraid to spend money on their furry friends, and they view their pets as family....yes....just like children.

One interesting fellow I re-cently met is a "Compounding Pharmacist" up in Allentown, PA. He is NOT a CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc. As a matter of fact, he showed me a very small shelf, about the size of a 6ft tall bookshelf in his pharmacy. He said that is the extent of his com-mercially manufactured medica-tions. The rest he made in his compounding lab. Just the way the old apothecary did. Some people cannot tolerate dyes or flavors or certain binders...and he custom-izes their meds according to their needs. I found it absolutely fasci-nating. What a blast from the past and soooo different than getting your meds from a large commer-cial pharmacy chain.

A major portion of his market is Veterinary Meds. He is well-known for that. He creates meds for people's pets...their buddies...their family members.

Now this is where it gets inter-esting.

He has clients where a husband may pass away. The wife may never call to say the husband died and to remove him from the data-base.

BUT...there may be a pet he was compounding medications for and the pet died. People will call him and send him letters and pic-tures of their pet. The letters may read something like "Thank you for extending our beloved Fido's life another six months, etc..."

I was warmed by that story and thought that this man is add-ing pleasure to people's lives by contributing to their pets lives or making their last days a little more bearable. Kind of an unsung hero in my world, but a true hero in the lives of dedicated pet owners. A sub-cultural hero. A niche hero.

Can a car actually "designed" with pets in mind actually survive in the market year after year? After meeting this particular pharmacist and being introduced to this whole new world of ultra-dedicated pet owners....I'm going to have to say yes.

george Bruno writes aBout Media and culture and is a PoPular sPeaker and host/sPokesPerson. an avid writer, Movie goer, and Motorscooter Fan. he is avail-aBle to sPeak to your organization. you can see More at www.georgeBruno.coM

Madison Sagan (left) and Victoria Caldwell (right), recent graduates of St. Isidore School in Quakertown, recently participated in Lansdale Catho-lic’s Annual Christmas Concert “Christmas Time Is Here.” Photo by Mr. “C”


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By Brien caldwell

“Not on my watch...”Those were the words of Town-

ship Supervisor Rick Orloff re-garding any increase in taxes. That should keep the Richland taxpayer happy for the next three years. The 2011 Budget was passed at the Board of Supervisors Meeting held on December, 13. There were no comments or questions broached by the seven attendees. A copy of the budget was not available, but it was stated that the budget was prop-erly advertised at the November 8 Meeting and upon questioning, Su-pervisor Tim Arnold advised that the townships taxpayers may view same at the township building and obtain for a fee. The Budget is said to be about $6.4 million, which holds the rate at 9.5 mills.

In other business, Ordinance #245 was proposed and passed. It is now illegal for any large vehicle, such as a Bus or Semi-Trailer, to park within Ten Feet of any Prop-erty Line. An escrow release for “Powdersize” came into question due to some issues which need to be addressed by the Township En-gineers and Manager. The release was voted down for now and it was agreed upon to re-address at the next Meeting. Supervisor Tim Ar-nold reported that he had been in contact with other township “Park and Recreation” departments to discuss conflicts due to duplication of events. Other than this, there were no Board and Staff Reports. There was no Public Comment or Presentations.

Ordinance #246 was considered and approved. The purpose being to establish a new Cable Franchise Agreement with Comcast. This agreement is more detailed than the one previously entered into and, in effect, mirrors the one presently established with Verizon. Super-visor Rick Orloff also brought up the possibility of some permit in-creases and a penalty to be levied on those who proceed without per-mit. This will be on the January 3 agenda.

Mr. Orloff commented on the success of the “Staff and Volun-teer “ dinner, stating that a good time was had by all. There was no Public Comment and the 22 minute meeting was adjourned.

The next Board of Supervisors meeting is being held on January 3, 2011 and then the schedule will return to the second Monday of the month.

Richland Twp.Municipal Update

“Yes, Veterans, there is a Santa Claus” Quakertown American Legion Post 242 members Leslie Walters (left) and Charlie Wahl (center) present the Legion’s annual Christmas gifts donation to April Harley (right), Volunteer Coordinator, Southeast-ern Veterans’ Center. Donations from Post 242 and other groups and individuals are used to provide Christmas gifts to 230 men and women veterans residing at the Spring City, PA Veteran Facility. Photo subMitted by leslie walters

By colin ingraM, Qchs senior

Mrs. Carol Boerner’s sixth grade combined Social Studies/RELA Honors Class constructed a project displaying its perception of Milford Middle School during the Stone Ages and the future.

Students spent more than a month enhancing the visual appeal of the classroom with their con-struction. Students conceived the idea during a study of archaeolog-ical dig sites. They brainstormed ideas of what Milford would look like in the Stone Age and the fu-ture. Determined to transform the two entrances of the classroom, students split into two groups and opted to work on one time pe-riod or the other. They created a

Tunnel of Time. Boerner said the project was to-

tally student driven. She allowed students to take their idea and run with it. The project taught students about archaeology while imple-menting engineering. Traveling back in time to Milford Middle School in 110,000 B.C., students imagined a cave, cave paintings, fire and a wheel.

They constructed these items out of long sheets of black paper and lots of duct tape!

Passing through the tunnel, visi-tors noticed the tools become more complex, including a hammer and an arrow head. Eventually the Stone Ages progress to the innova

tive complexity of the wheel and fire.

“Notice the artifacts we placed in the Old Stone Age section,” said tour guide Sierra Camburn. “You can see the identification signs, interesting tools made of animal hooves and things found in nature by the hunters and gatherers, and even Elmo is dressed in his best animal skins!”

The future section of the project entails a crawl-through tunnel de-signed to make a visitor feel like he is traveling through time. One feature is a poster of a future imag-ined president in the year 5010. The tunnel includes a vision of a relationship with aliens!

Milford Sixth Graders Give Tour of Past, Future


Over 300 people attended a recent “coffee house” event at East Swamp Church and were treated to music, good food, and fellowship. Attendance at this successful event far surpassed the expected crowd of under 200. Photo by Frank direnzo

The Quakertown Senior High School Band, under the direction of Frank C. Parker, entertained the crowd at their annual Winter Concert last month. Photo by Frank direnzo

The Quakertown High School Girl’s Basketball Team warmed the spirits of LifeSpan senior residents with their Christmas caroling recently. Photo by Frank direnzo


The children of St. Isidore’s parish from the school and the PREP program joined together for a live re-enactment of the Nativity on Christmas Eve. The 10 pm mass started with girls from the parish and Miss Cindy's School of Dance walking in on pointe as St. Lucia girls as the choir sang.

The custom of using a baby to symbolize the New Year began in Greece around 600 B.C. The Greeks celebrated their God of Wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket to represent the annual rebirth of Diony-sus as the spirit of fertility. The early Egyptians also used the baby as a symbol of rebirth.

Although the early Christians denounced the practice of us-ing a baby as being pagan in nature, its significance as a personification of rebirth later forced the Church to reevalu-ate its position. Eventually, it was decreed that Church members would be permitted to celebrate the New Year us-ing a symbolic baby, provided it illustrated the birth of the baby Jesus.

Where was Baby New Year Born?

(left) Santa’s throne was handmade from blocks of ice before a huge crowd awaiting his arrival at Quakertown’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. (right) Cheerfulcarolers from East Swamp Church gather for a photo op in downtown Quakertown. Photos by ChristoPher betz


By deB crouthaMel-Blowars

19686 – Is this a zip code? NO….. believe it or not it is the number of Crouthamel descen-dents to date! Andreas Crouthamel and his family came to the US on September 30, 1754 and settled in Bucks County. They were the only Crouthamels to come over from Germany, fleeing religious perse-cution. They were hard working people, many of whom had been farmers, shoemakers, storekeep-ers, etc.

My interest? Well, I was born Crouthamel – as a matter of fact, both of my parents were Crouthamels from birth. For the last 10 years or so I became in-creasingly interested in genealogy and the like, finding out interest-ing stories of family through the years and gathering pictures and the like to pass the story onto my future grandkids and such. Two years ago I became the family his-torian for the Crouthamels, and I am looking to reach out to others to gather their family histories to be recorded for the future.

This year the Crouthamel family celebrated our 102nd family re-union. As my second year as histo-rian, and being one of the youngest on the committee, I look forward

to what we can do to make the re-unions more of an interest to the future generations. So many I talk to have stopped having reunions or have had numbers so low they talk of ending them. I would hate to see that happen. After 102 years of reunions, it would be a shame to not have families get together, share a meal, stories, purchase home baked goods, etc. As a par-ent of teens ( I KNOW this does not rank high on their list of fun things to do on a Saturday night) I hope that they may meet extended family members and make new friends. I hope that someday this will be an event that they would bring their family to.

Our event this year was held at Generations in Souderton. The events included dinner, recognition of oldest man and oldest woman present, family business meeting, election of officers, roll call of those laid to rest this last year and the auctions. The couple married the longest were married 68 years, we had 7 veterans present and 10 born Crouthamels were at the reunion. We had a new business discussion which is to hold a summer reunion picnic this coming year. We are hoping that this will increase our attendance. The thought is maybe

a new type of venue is needed to increase attendance and bring new Crouthamels to the event.

We now have a website – www.crouthamelinfo.com and we are also on Facebook under the Crouthamel Family group. I am looking to gather family informa-tion such as marriages, deaths, births, addresses, emails, etc. By passing on this info, you are help-ing us get the records correct. It is important, as I have some people I am missing parents, grandparents for and I need help gathering the records together. You may contact me at [email protected] and send me the above info. You may also contact me on Facebook, Deb Crouthamel Blowars. We would also like relatives to reach out with your questions, comments, complaints. We cannot fix it if it is not brought up. We want you to tell us what you would like to see at the future reunions and what we can do to make it more fun and interesting for your kids and grandkids – they are our future. Take our survey on our website. I personally would hate to see this event cease to ex-ist. I think it is great what we have been able to do – 102 years I think is amazing!

Crouthamel Descendents Aim to Fill Empty Branches on Family Tree

Did you know that Julius Caesar was the first to set January 1st as the New Year? He did so when he established the Julian calendar. The self-named Julian calendar decreed that the new year would occur on January 1st. Caesar wanted the year to be-gin in January since it celebrated the beginning of the civil year and the festival of the god of gates and, eventually, the god of

all beginnings, Janus, after whom January was named.

Home School Books - Saxon Math 6/5, Science, Pre-Algebra, Vocabulary, Spell-ing, Geography, Workbooks & Reading Books, Responsibility for Boys and more. Good Prices. Karen 215-368-5148

Papillon Puppies for Sale. Ready to go! Both black and white. One fe-male and One male. Call for details 215-855-6646

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The Abominable Snow-man is more than an invention of a televi-sion Christmas special. While there is no proof that it exists, many people believe that the Yeti, or an abomina-ble snowman, lives in the Himalayas in Nepal. The word Yeti means snow bear, and many people believe the Yeti

is related to Bigfoot.


Birth Defects Prevention MonthBlood Donor Month

Birthstone: Garnet (symbol of constancy and fidelity)

January 1 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!January 2, 1788 - Georgia became the 4th US StateJanuary 3, 1959 - Alaska became the 49th US StateJanuary 4 - Braille Day honoring the blind (Louis Braille birthday)January 5, 1956 - Snoopy first walks on two legs in Peanuts comic stripJanuary 6, 1838 - Telegraph was first demonstrated by Samuel MorseJanuary 7, 1927 - Transatlantic telephone service beganJanuary 8, 1935 - Rock & Roll Day (Elvis' birthday)January 9, 1956 - "Dear Abby" was first publishedJanuary 9, 1793 - Philadelphia launched first balloon flight in AmericaJanuary 9, 1788 - Connecticut became the 5th US StateJanuary 9, 1799 - First Income TaxJanuary 10, 1984 - Clara Peller's "Where's the Beef" ad first airedJanuary 11, 1935 - Amelia Earhart began solo flight across the PacificJanuary 12, 1971 - "All in the Family" TV series premieredJanuary 13 - Stephen Foster Memorial Day (died 1864 American songwriter)January 14, 1952 - Today Show premiered on NBC w/ Dave GarrowayJanuary 15, 1967 - First Superbowl (Packers beat Kansas City Chiefs)January 15, 1973 - Nixon orders ceasefire in VietnamJanuary 16, 1991 - Gulf War beganJanuary 16 - Religious Freedom Day (drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1786)January 17 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (born 1929, assassinated 1968)January 17, 1991 - Operation Desert Storm beganJanuary 17, 1920 - Prohibition beganJanuary 23, 1849 - Elizabeth Blackwell is the first woman to receive a medical degree in AmericaJanuary 24, 1935 - Beer in cans first soldJanuary 24, 1964 - First Heart TransplantJanuary 25, 1949 - First Emmy AwardsJanuary 25, 1956 - Elvis's first No 1 hit released "Heartbreak Hotel"January 27, 1880 - Electric light patented by Thomas EdisonJanuary 28, 1915 - United States Coast Guard was establishedJanuary 28, 1986 - Challenger space shuttle explodedJanuary 28, 1878 - First Telephone Exchange established in New Haven, ConnecticutJanuary 29, 1861 - Kansas became the 34th US State

Memorable Moments in January History

Ongoing CommunityActivities

FREE Diabetes Prevention Pro-gram, sponsored by PA Dept of Aging, 312 Alumni Ave., Har-leysville. Free 15-week program runs Jan. to April. Tuesdays 5:30pm, Thursdays 12:30pm, Kay Pagni 215-256-6900 or [email protected] Artists of the Gallows Run open thru Feb. 1, a benefit exhibition and sale for land conservation, Palisades High School Gallery, 35 Church Hill Rd, Kintnersville. For hours visit www.grwabucks.org

Juried Spring 2011 Craft Fair is looking for participants for the event taking place April 16 be-tween 10am and 3pm, Pennridge Senior Ctr, www.craftsfaironline.com/userpages/northeast/PCSC-SPRINGFAIR.html [email protected]

Bingo at Richland Twp Fire & Res-cue every Tues. 5:30pm, 64 Shelly Rd, Qtwn. 215-536-7226

Upper Bucks Kiwanis meets for lunch 2nd & 4th Wednesday every month at John’s Plain & Fancy, Qtwn, 12:30pm, Meet new friends and join our Kiwanis Family. [email protected]

Bedminster Nar-Anon meets every Tuesday 7pm at Deep Run West Mennonite Church, 1008 Deep Run Rd, Perkasie. Support group for family & friends with a loved one struggling with an addiction. Adults only, [email protected] or 267-897-0695

Quakertown Library ages 4+, 1st &4th Friday each month, 10:30am, fun and activities, Just drop in! www.buckslib.org

Quakertown Library all ages, 3rd Tuesday each month, 7pm, Wear pjs and listen to bedtime stories, Just drop in! www.buckslib.org

Bingo every Tuesday night (doors open at 5:30pm) Richland Twp Fire & Rescue Fire Co, 64 Shelly Rd, Qtwn, 215-536-7226

Community Meal-every third Thursday of the month, First UCC, 4th & Park, Qtwn, 215-536-4447

Quakertown Neighborhood As-sociation – meets 3rd Tues-day every month, 6:30pm, w w w . q u a k e r t o w n n a . o r g 267-424-0479

“Singles Drop In”, every Wednes-day, 5-7:30pm, Revivals Restau-rant, Perkasie, 215-258-3463

A Woman’s Place (support for domestic abuse & violence) 24-hour Hotline – 1-800-220-8116 www.awomansplace.org

All You Can Eat Breakfast, 1st Sunday each month October thru April (except Jan.), Springtown Fire Company, 3010 Route 212, Springtown

Emma Mininger, 4, of Hellertown got an early visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve at her aunt’s house in Trumbauersville. Despite battling a multi-alarm blaze in Sellersville earlier that day, Trumbauersville Fire Company was able to carry out its annual tradition of Operation Santa Claus. Photo by ChristoPher betz


By Jack h. schick

Peter Lester (1660-1742), is one of the best know ‘characters’ from the dawning days of civiliza-tion in the Upper Bucks region. His family members were the first documented settlers in the Great Swamp, forming the initial core of Richland Friends Meeting and the Quaker community. They es-tablished farms straddling (what is now), Old Bethlehem Pike between Tollgate Rd and 9th Street, and formed the first permanent hamlet it what was to become Richland Township, then Quakertown.

Born about 1660, in Leicester-shire, England to a Quaker family, Peter ‘Leicester/Luister’ relocated to the new city of Philadelphia in 1682. He soon moved to Spring-field Township in (what was then), Chester County, where he became a successful farmer and county constable. He changed his name to Lester and, with wife Mary Dun-coff, had seven children. Upon re-ceiving an inheritance in 1695, the Lesters moved to Moreland Manor and became members of Abington Quaker Meeting.

Peter’s oldest daughter Hannah married Abraham Griffith, and in about 1710, they relocated to “Ye Swamp,” with their two children. They built a house of tree bark un-der a leaning rock near Beaver Run on Old Bethlehem Pike. Finding life profitable in the “Rich Lands,” the Griffiths persuaded Abra-ham’s sister, Patience and husband

George Phillips, Hannah’s sister Catharine and husband John Ball, and Hannah’s parents, Peter and Mary Lester to join them by 1712.

Peter Lester and Abraham Griffith were instrumental in estab-lishing the Richland Friends Meet-ing at The Swamp, under the care of Gwynedd. Until 1723, when a Meetinghouse was built on the Phillips property at the juncture of Old Bethlehem Pike and “Station Road,” Quaker worship services were held in the home of Peter Lester. As new settlers arrived, the Lester clan began buying prop-erty and moving to the “upper end” of the community in the vicinity of what is now Main and Broad Streets.

Family patriarch, Peter was about 52 years old when he came to Richland. His grandson, Abraham Griffith Jr. (b. 1713) is consid-ered by many to be the first “white child” born, in what would become Quakertown. The Lesters and Balls remained important citizens in the community for the next 100 years. They were instrumental in the establishment and management of the growing community. Their descendent went on to produce im-portant American citizens: Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon, United States Presidents.

Peter Lester died in 1742. By that time the area had experienced vast changes. Swamp Road (Rte 313), had been completed to the county seat in Newtown (1730), the Township of Richland had

been designated (1734), Richland Friends Monthly Meeting had been established (1742), and “The Quak-ers’ Town” had become a growing and thriving community.

In 1773, prominent Richland Citizen, Provincial legislator, and long time Friends Meeting Clerk, Samuel Foulke prepared a docu-ment for the 50th anniversary of a Quaker Meetinghouse “at Ye Swamp.” He lauds Peter Lester as “our ancient Friend” and consid-ers him the founding father of the community. Peter Lester cannot but be considered the Grandfather of Quakertown.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~Descendants of Peter Lester of

Richland 1. Peter Lester and Mary Dun-

calf had a son--Peter Lester, Jr. in 1693

2. P. Lester, Jr. and Joyce (un-known), had a daughter--Martha Lester in 1721

3. Martha Lester and Moses Coppock had a daughter--Mary Jane Coppock in 1743

4. Mary Jane Coppock and Mar-maduke Coate had a son--Henry Coate in 1770

5. Henry Coate and Mary Ann Haskett had a daughter--Lydia Coate in 1793

6. Lydia Coate and John Davis had a daughter--Mary Davis in 1820

7. Mary Davis and Eli Hoover had a son--Jesse Clark Hoover in 1846

8. Jesse Clark Hoover and Hulda

The Grandfather of QuakertownMinthorn had a son in 1874:

Herbert Clark Hoover - 31st President of the United States

The most recent of these descen-

dents of Peter Lester believed to have lived in Richland and been a member of Richland Friends Meet-ing is Martha Lester.

1. Peter Lester and Mary Dun-calf had a daughter-- Hannah Les-ter in 1686

2. Hannah Lester and Abra-ham Griffith had a son-- Isaac Griffith in 1721

3. Isaac Griffith and Ann Brunson had a daughter-- A n n Griffith in 1754

4. Ann Griffith and William Mathews had a daughter--Marion Mathews in 1786

5. Marion Mathews and Jacob Burdog had a son-- Oliver Burdog in 1821

6. Oliver Burdog and Jane Hemingway had a daughter--Almi-ra Park Burdog in 1849

7. Almira Burdog and Franklin Milhous had a daughter--Hannah Milhous in 1885

8. Hannah Milhous and Francis Anthony Nixon had a son in 1913:

Richard Milhous Nixon - 37th President of the United States

The most recent of these descen-

dents of Peter Lester & Abraham Griffith believed to have lived in Richland and been a member of Richland Friends Meeting is Ann Griffith.

Did you know that today, ‘losing weight’ is the most common New Year’s resolution? More than sixty

percent of adult Americans are considered overweight and the number of overweight children has more than

tripled since 1980.


By christoPher Betz

The Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce serves the business-es and residents of Upper Bucks – effectively the top third of the county. Upper Bucks has diverse business and cultural communities and is uniquely positioned between the Lehigh Valley and the Greater Philadelphia region, easily acces-sible from New York, New Jersey, and points south via an abundant network of highways.

The 56 year old organization has over 700 members and partners who work together to form and maintain a bond between the busi-nesses that employ us and the com-munities that make Upper Bucks the great place it is. The Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce maintains strong partnerships with such or-ganizations as the Bucks County Economic Development Corpora-tion, the Small Business Develop-ment Center at Lehigh University, the Bucks County Department of Community & Business Develop-ment, area school districts, vol-unteer service clubs, and the mu-nicipalities making up our region. Additionally, the Chamber main-

tains cooperative relationships with surrounding chambers both inside and outside of Bucks County.

Upper Bucks Chamber of Com-merce prides itself on its effective Legislative Voice. Strong rela-tionships are maintained with our local state representatives, state senators, county commissioners, as well as our representatives to the Federal government. Issues that directly affect our local busi-ness community are continually presented to these government li-aisons from the grassroots level. These representatives also keep the chamber abreast of governmental legislation and activity of interest to businessmen and women in the region. The chamber, in turn, facilitates numerous informational and educational programs and fo-rums to address the issues.

One of the Chamber’s most unique assets is the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce Founda-tion, effectively the Chamber’s “charitable arm” with a very strong emphasis on education.

Through the Foundation, a dedi-cated committee of local business-people and educators brings togeth-er the resources of local businesses

and students from the Quakertown and Palisades School Districts, and Upper Bucks Vocational and Technical School. The committee also administers a very successful scholarship program for outstand-ing seniors at these schools. The Foundation also offers “mini-grants” to support educators and their students with projects, field trips, and other opportunities.

The Chamber’s educational out-reach goes far beyond our schools with their exciting new initiative, Leadership Upper Bucks. Partici-pants discover and develop their leadership skills, learn how to use community impact models to effect change, and experience working with others in a team environment. Personal leadership development is emphasized, not only knowledge.

According to Tara King, the Chamber’s Executive Director, “Through LUB, we are develop-ing our own leaders from within [the Upper Bucks area], which will make Upper Bucks a stronger busi-ness community.”

The Chamber has been an effec-tive force in forming community bonds. King passionately calls the Upper Bucks Chamber “The cata-

lyst. That bridge between com-merce and community. That one thing that brings everybody togeth-er.”

The Chamber’s recent orches-tration of a computer giveaway is one excellent example of the orga-nization’s success in forming those bonds. 600 retired computers from the Quakertown School District were collected, refurbished by lo-cal businesses, and then distributed to members of the community in need of a computer.

The Chamber is not without its challenges. According to King, “One of the hardest things is to make all businesses realize the value of being a part of the com-munity.” She cites that there are a number of industrial and manu-facturing businesses in the area that just do not participate. “Your tar-get customers may not be here, but your employees are.”

So the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce still has much to do, and they welcome your par-ticipation. Visit them at www.ubcc.org or give them a call at 215-536-3211.

Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce Bridge Between Commerce and Community

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The chambre de commerce of Marseilles (1599) was the first organization to use the name; the idea spread through France in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first to be formed in Great Britain was on the island of Jersey (1768). In America, the first was the Chamber of

Commerce of the State of New York, organized in 1768. By 1870, there were40 throughout the United States.


It is that time of year again, Christ-mas has come and gone and the New Year is upon us. And I am sure that if any of you are like me there are still people from far and wide whom are home for the holidays that you are try-ing desperately to see and spend some time with. There are friends to wel-come home and family members to catch up with. And although you are undoubtedly happy to see these fine folks you are probably not too stoked on having them over to your home. Because if you are like me, your house is torn up from Christmas. And you just headed back to work after the whirlwind of the holidays. And you are gearing up for New Years. And you are tired. And your ability and desire to entertain people, no matter how much you like them, has dwin-dled significantly. This is why all of the entertaining of my friends and fam-ily between now and when they hop a plane back to where they came from will be done outside of my house. I will rely on someone else to feed us and provide us with tasty drinks. And to clean up after the fact.

This time of year most of my free evenings will be spent enjoying my-self and my company at Bubba’s Pot-belly Stove. I know that I mentioned Bubba’s in my previous article; but my three sentence blurb can not do the joint the justice it deserves. Bubba’s has been a Quakertown institution seemingly forever, ok; actually it has been around since 1977, when what was formerly the Red Cabin Inn was turned into Bubba’s Pot Belly Stove,

on Route 309 in Quakertown. Back then they had one bartender, one wait-ress, and two cooks and ran off a soup and sandwich menu. But in the years since Bubba’s has been happily serv-ing the Quakertown area the size, staff and menu has grown exponentially.

They still serve soup and sand-wiches. And most people that fre-quent Bubba’s would attest to them serving the best French Onion soup in the area. Served in a crock full of all kinds of deliciousness and cov-ered in baked mozzarella cheese it is a meal in and of itself. And if that is the only thing you have for your meal you will not be disappointed; but when coupled with one of the dozen ‘piled high’ sandwiches they offer you will be thrilled. My personal favorite is the Mamie Duffy, tuna salad, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and tomato stacked up open face on toasted rye bread and a side of Russian dressing. But if tuna salad isn’t your thing there are 11 oth-er options to choose from.

Or maybe you aren’t into soup and sandwiches; perhaps you are more a burger and fries type. Bubba’s is a burgers and fries haven. Their burg-ers are the size of the plate they come on. And you can get one to suit any taste. A plate of crispy steak fries is

all you need to make a meal of any burger on the menu.

They also offer the greatest 3 egg omelets in town. And don’t be fooled, omelets aren’t just for breakfast. Odd-ly, the omelets they offer are often my go-to menu choice when dining there. They have all the usual omelet fair; but also give you the option to build your own from a list of fantastic ingre-dients they offer. I continuously re-ceive strange looks when I order mine with sour cream, salsa and cheese, it doesn’t look pretty on the plate; but it tastes unbelievable. And while the wait staff may look at me funny when I order it, it never fails to arrive on my table hot and filled to the breaking point with everything I ask for. And if a giant omelet isn’t quite enough of a meal for you they all come with a plate of those fantastic steak fries.

But please don’t think that Bubba’s is a one trick pony of pub food. They also offer a sophisticated dinner menu boasting Filet Mignon, Jamaican Pork Chops and Apple Stuffed Chicken. There is also an impressive array of seafood ranging from Chesapeake Crab Cakes to Stuffed Flounder. And that is just scratching the surface. I don’t have enough room in this article to list all of the fabulous dinner offer-

ings that Bubba’s serves up.

And since we are coming up on a

new year and I am sure resolutions are

being made fast and furious for things

like weight loss and eating right, there

is a whole chunk of the Bubba’s menu

devoted to delicious salads made with

super fresh ingredients and filled to

the brim wraps offering fillings like

roasted chicken and grilled veggies.

Holiday meals with family and

friends are almost always punctuated

with over the top desserts and won-

derful seasonal cocktails and having a

meal at Bubba’s is no different. They

offer all kinds of beers, wines, and

seasonal mixed drinks. And decadent

desserts the likes of which you have

never seen.

The atmosphere at Bubba’s is cozy

and inviting. You can’t get much co-

zier then the main portion of the build-

ing being built in an 1800’s log cabin.

If you look hard enough you will find

a black and white photo of the original

building sitting on a dirt road.

Bubba’s has been diligently pro-

viding the fine folks of Quakertown

and their out of town guests with

great food, wonderful hospitality and

great prices for 33 years and shows no

signs of stopping. And their tagline

of “You’ll never leave hungry” has

never been truer.

Linda Stauffer, of the Katie Stauffer Memorial Arts Center, paints a design on Jordan Zuck’s cheek at the Upper Bucks YMCA’s “Christmas at the Y” event. See the front page for the final results! Photo by ChristoPher betz

James Durham of Coopersburg puts the final touches on his glitter snowflake ornament at the Upper Bucks YMCA’s Christmas event. Photo by ChristoPher betz

The Upper Bucks Free Press is made possible by our sponsors and advertisers. Please stop in to visit and thank them.


HAPPY NEW YEARSNOWY DAYS

SNOWMANRESOLUTIONS

ICICLECHILLY

MITTENSSCARF

FROZENICE SKATING

SKIINGSNOWBOARDINGHAT AND GLOVES

WINTERSNOWBALL FIGHTS

EPIPHANYJACK FROST

MUMMERS PARADEROSE BOWL

SUZY SNOWFLAKE

Being diagnosed with lung can-cer has put me in the position

of examining long held beliefs. I suppose everyone at one time has had that particular abstract discus-sion; what would you do if you got cancer?

When I was about 13, I saw a TV movie called “Sunshine.” It was based on a true story about a young mother who is diagnosed with bone cancer in her leg. She refuses amputation, saying, “I don’t want to be learning to walk on one leg while my daughter learns to walk on two.” When the chemothera-py and radiation made her sick and bad-tempered, she stopped the treatments with the reasoning that if all her daughter knew was a mommy who only yelled and spanked, then it wasn’t worth the added time. She dies at the end.

I decided at that time that living well was better than living long. As I learned more about cancer and the treatments for it, the more I was convinced that the “slash, burn, and poison” approach was barbaric. I would never do that to myself.

I have watched a friend battle

cancer and other ailments for the past six years. Not a single day has been lived while he has been fight-ing for his life. He is sacrificing the years he has now in hopes of adding years to his life. He is con-stantly sick and miserable. Watch-ing him has made me even more determined to concentrate on living well over living long.

Now this is no longer an abstract question to be discussed and debat-ed. I have cancer. How firm are the beliefs I developed as a teen?

When I was told my x-ray showed something, I knew without a doubt it was cancer. But I wasn’t afraid. I drove myself to tests and doctors. I gathered information and thought about everything. I came to the conclusion that living well is better than living long. The only accept-able treatment for me would be a minimally invasive surgery to re-move the cancer. Other than that, I would simply live with it for as

long as I could.The surgeon was confident that a

lobectomy (removing the right up-per lobe of my lung) could be done with two small incisions and I had a good chance of being completely cured. So I agreed to surgery on January 5.

That date has now been pushed back to April. There are a couple of reasons for this. The surgeon had a scheduling conflict, so he needed to put it off for a couple of weeks. The next reason is that I’ve had a cold since mid-November that has settled in my lungs and refuses to go away. I’ve had two rounds of antibiotics and now have to use a machine to breathe in medication to help clear my lungs. Last, but not least, is the fact that I live in 60 degrees all winter long.

The simple reason for this is expense. My apartment build-ing switched over from oil heat to electric baseboard heat a few years

ago, which meant that my heat was no long included in the rent. In or-der to be able to afford the electric, I keep the baseboards off and use space heaters to keep the tempera-ture at 60 degrees. I dress in lay-ers and use blankets to stay warm. Hardly the ideal conditions to re-cover from lung surgery.

It is a good sign that the surgeon had no problem delaying until spring. It indicates that my cancer is slow growing. I’ll have tests in March to see if it has spread. If it hasn’t, then I will have the surgery. If it has spread, then it is what it is. I will live with it as well as I can. My daughter doesn’t under-stand how I can be so “Zen” about this. She makes “Zen” sound like a four-letter word. I understand her feelings, but this is my life, and living well is better than living long.

Beth coulter is a long tiMe resident and historian oF the Quakertown area. she holds degrees in coM-Munications and aMerican studies. Follow her writing on FaceBook @Just Blowin’ My Mind. eMail her at [email protected].

By Brien caldwell

On Wednesday the 22nd of De-cember the Quakertown Food Pan-try was presented with a $1,000.00 gift from the “Women’s Club of Quakertown”. The check was presented to Mr. Marty Mack, treasurer of the Quakertown Food Pantry. The proceeds intended use will be to help support the pantry during the post-holiday months of January and February.

Pat Bossert, Co-President of the “Women’s Club of Quakertown”,

(left to right) Pat Bossert, co-president; Afra Agostino, craft show organizer; Marty Mack, treasurer of Quakertown Food Pantry; Sandy Shelly, co-president; Marie Duczak, vice president Photo by “Mr. C”

explained that the money was gen-erated from the proceeds of a Craft Show that was held on the 4th of December at the Quakertown Train Station. The craft show was orga-nized with the help of Afra Agos-tino and she looks forward to mak-ing this an annual event, sponsored by the “Woman’s Club of Quaker-town”. Current plans are to hold the craft show on the 1st Saturday of every December. Also, the “Woman’s Club of Quakertown” is very excited about celebrating their 100th year on 11 October 2011.

Women’s Club Gives $1000.00 to Area Food Pantry


The

View

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ere

Members of the Quakertown Community Senior High School choir perform at their recent Holiday Concert. Photo by Frank direnzo

Quakertown’s #53 makes a great shot.Photo by Frank direnzo

Haycock Elementary student, Marina O’Toole, joins her classmates in sending handmade Christmas cards to our troops in Afghanistan. Photo by Frank direnzo

(above) Kevin and Isabella Garcia catch Santa during his recent pitstop at theQuakertown Train Station. (below) Members of the Quakertown Lions Club take over Redners Market to buy over $800 in groceries for needy families.

Photos by Frank direnzo

Sadie, Abbie, Elisabeth, and Audrey do their best to stay on the “Nice List” while waiting in line to visit Santa at the Upper Bucks YMCA recently. Photo by ChristoPher betz

Upper Bucks Free Press, January 2011 edition

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Transcript of Upper Bucks Free Press, January 2011 edition