Come Enjoy the World as it Once Was, at the Williamstown Farmer Market!

 

 

 By Laura Robb

 

Don’t have the time to travel to Lancaster County this summer? Like many of our Philadelphia locals, time and money has restricted us from taking our families on as many excursions as we would like.

If you want to see how the world once was, try to travel down the Atlantic City Expressway to Williamstown, home to the Stoltzfus Farmers Market, located on the Black horse pike.

Nicknamed the Amish Market, due to the large amount of Amish that work the stands, you have the privilege to try some of the freshest foods you can get. First stop must be for the pretzels, where several young women make hundreds of different pretzels each hour, and where the line can stretch halfway down the market.

In the center of the market, is the candy shop, where nearly every candy you know of, and some you never have, are sold at a discounted price, and always served with a smile.

The market has tons of fresh meats butchered on premise. For the health conscious people, this is the place to buy your meats! The meats are free range, and have no hormones, and it is so fresh, there is simply no better tasting foods out there.

The butcher offers fresh cuts of steaks, ground beef, ribs, bacon and more and all at a competitive price. This is a go to place if you happen to be planning any barbeques in the near future.

If you do not really want to cook, there is a prepared foods section, ranging from a large variety of salads to pot roast, baby back ribs, and Mac-and-cheese. You can purchase already cooked foods and just take it home and reheat it.

The bakery, along with everything else is simply delightful. Fresh brownies pies and danishes will bring out the sweet tooth in any one.

Go past the market, and you will find tons of shops, not ran by Amish folk, ranging from and incredible irish wares store, to wicker furniture, to a puppy shop. You can purchase books clothing or even get a massage!

This market is only open Thursday 9 -5 friday 9-8 and Saturdays 8-4, so get there early to get the full experience of this exquisite market!

For directions and more information, please go to www.williamstownfarmersmarket.com

Local Farms Featured in South Jersey’s Restaurants

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• What: NJ Farm to Fork Week
• When: July 17-July 23
• Where: Restaurants across South New Jersey
• List of Participating Restaurants: www.sjhotchefs.com
• Reservations: www.opentable.com

 By Laura Robb

 There is no doubt that the economy has effected our local businesses. So many privately owned restaurants and bars have searched for new ways to reach the public and get them to patronize their establishment when they choose to go out.

A local program in New Jersey called SJ Hot Chefs, offer several special dining weeks throughout the year. This groups mission is to get the word out about Southern New Jersey’s  independently owned restaurants, and prove that you may not have to travel outside of your  own neighborhood or even cross the bridge to get a first class dining experience.

This upcoming week,  many South Jersey restaurants are participating in Farm to Fork Week, a week of specially designed menus featuring food and produce from our local farms. This week starting July 17, customers can choose to dine at one of the 33 participating restaurants at an incredible rate.

All of the restaurants are offering four course meals featuring our local meats/fish and produce at a fixed rate of 35 dollars. Several restaurants, such as the authentic Mexican restaurant, “La Esperanza,” are even offering their menu at only 25 dollars.

This week running until July 23, restaurant goers’ can experience a wonderful dinner featuring local produce at its seasons peak. New Jersey is famous for its tomatoes, peaches, strawberries and blueberries, so these items are featured on many of the restaurants menus.

Restaurants that may be pricey on an average day such as “The Chophouse” in Gibbsboro, are giving the public an opportunity to “dine on a dime,” giving us a chance to eat at a nice restaurant with freshly prepared foods, for the cost comparable to your local Applebees. 

New Jersey has way more to offer than all of those ‘Jersey shows, such as great dining and great local foods. For a small fee you too can enjoy a romantic evening, or a family fun night out without breaking the bank.

Inside Look at Flower Show

A portion of the Temple University Flower Show exhibit, "Ecolibrium."

Junior Kelsey Stanton offers an inside look behind this year’s Flower Show exhibit for Temple University.

By Mike Revak

“For starters, our design shows a balance between French traditions and our own modern interpretations, all with a sustainable twist. Now classic French gardens most people think of are rigid with elaborate manicured garden designs that were really just built to echo the architecture of the palaces they belonged to,” says Stanton. “Our design takes those superficial French garden themes and sort of throws them away.”

“Within the exhibit itself, our main components are: L’Orangerie, which features a green roof for stormwater maintenance; Le Parterre has a fairly wide variety of plants for color and pollinating insects; and Le Bassin is a water garden that is designed to collect stormwater and be a habitat for wildlife (we even have fish!!). All parts of our exhibit also feature recycled materials: we use recycled lumber originally from construction waste; mushroom wood which is recycled from mushroom farming; Papercrete, a plaster derived from recycled newspapers; and Plastisoil(TM), a permeable pavement in development by Temple professor Dr. Naji Khoury that is made of soil and crushed plastic water bottles. Our brochures are even made using 80% post-consumer waste!”

Starting yesterday, and continuing through Sunday, the world’s largest indoor flower show once again comes to Philadelphia. With a central theme of “Springtime in Paris,” attendees can look to experience a wide range of exhibits throught the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

In addition to the variety of exhibits on displays, visitors can also participate in daily wine tastings, live entertainment, culinary presentations, book signings and much more.

Located just a few blocks away from City Hall, the Philadelphia Flower Show continues through this Sunday.

The Review of 2011 Philadelphia Auto Show

This year,  the auto show got greener.

By : Judy Kim

The 2011 Philadelphia International Auto Show went on at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for nine days, ended on Feb. 6th. The show was owned and produced by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia. There were approximately 700 vehicles, including pre-production, vintage, classic, exotic, and green model cars, displayed throughout 550,000 square-feet on three different floors.

America’s passion for cars has brought more than 200,000 visitors annually.

The show provided an opportunity for auto dealers to introduce and showcase new vehicle models, without having to approach every single customer from their own stores. This show was also very helpful to attendees, who can be the future car buyers, because the program educates visitors about up and coming vehicles and allows them to compare different models.

Technology was definitely a dominant theme in this auto show.  The technological, yet economical car characteristics like fuel efficient engines drew potential buyers’ attention. The looks of these cars were quite unique, too.

“I really loved the newer technologies at this event,” George Swales, one of attendees, said. “The fact that we are looking at the greener cars, like the electric vehicles and the hybrids… Twenty years from now, we’ll be all driving a very, very different vehicles than the ones that are brought today,” Swales added.

Although any form of selling, purchasing or even signing car buying contracts was banned during the show, the auto dealers agreed on exit surveys that the increase in the area’s new car sales is always influenced by this auto show. The auto sales are expected to increase more this year, since the show had the test ride event that Toyota and Kia were offering to visitors on certain products for the first time. This year, the test ride event took place outside, but it will take place inside of the building next year.

SEPTA Receives First of New Train Car Order

Introducing the Silverliner V

By: Daniel Ferrarello

Interior of one of SEPTA's new Silverliner V model regional rail cars. Photo courtesy of planphilly.com.

Last week SEPTA received its first three  of one hundred and twenty-car regional rail cars, all of which will be integrated into SEPTA’s fleet throughout the first half of next year.  The new cars, which will replace ones built in the 1960’s, offer modern amenities such as wider doors and better heating and air-conditioning systems that will make the daily commute more pleasurable for SEPTA’s riders.  While the full order of cars won’t be in use until later this year, SEPTA has the schedule of the three active units on their website so if you are curious to see the new additions you can plan your trips accordingly.

Another transportation related note:  The New South Street Bridge opens tomorrow.  The bridge features a much wider sidewalk and bicycle lane than its predecessor.  It will be open to pedestrians and bicycles exclusively from 2:00-4:00pm, before opening to motor-vehicles.  There will be a ceremony at 3:00.

Wednesday’s Free Concert at Rittenhouse Park

On Wednesday, Philadelphians celebrated the coming of September with the last of Philly Weekly’s Concerts in the Park.

By Daniel Ferrarello

Concert-goers listening to The Homophones at Rittenhouse Park. Photo by K. Leonard

Terrible Things and The Homophones, two up and coming local bands, played in a buzzing Rittenhouse Square on Wednesday.  Music lovers of various ages gathered to enjoy the free show and to escape the heat of a brutal ninety-five degree day under the trees and beside the fountains of the park.  Rittenhouse Square had a party atmosphere Wednesday night with Vitamin Water providing refreshments and Y-Not Radio (previously Y100) giving away tickets to see The Pixies Tuesday at the Tower Theater.  When The Homophones came on to close the show at sunset on Wednesday, they brought the only thing this festive send-off to the summer was missing, balloons, which they tied to each of their microphone stands, and then they proceeded to entertain a large group of excited fans with their dancey pop-rock music.  While this was the last show of the year for PW’s annual Concerts in the Park series, keep your ears to the ground, because Rittenhouse Square is one of the City’s finest public spaces, and one can bet that as the weather transitions from blistering heat to Autumn’s mild crispness, there will be no shortage of fun, free events in this park.

It’s not easy being green

Though the new trend of living in America promotes a cleaner living with less pollution but despite attempts at cleaning the city up Philadelphia still remains covered in trash.

Image found on Google Images

By Mia Cammisa

It’s hard to go anywhere these days and not see something telling you to “go green.” It’s on billboards, on clothes, commercials and mentioned in everyday conversations.

This amount of Green images and products it supposed to encourage everyone to try and do their part but since media is such a pig part of the American life it’s easy to tune out serious things or things we sometimes see as a burden thus the problem goes unsolved.

Being a city, Philadelphia has it’s fair share of trash but despite this push to litter less little has changed. A recent trip to FDR showed me this.

As a young girl I was in love  with FDR park which, I called “The Lakes.” My memory of the park is of a lush green space with castles and lakes surrounded by willow trees with gaggles of geese gliding over the water. I went back the other day for the first time in years and though I loved being in the familiar space it definitely has changed. There is trash on the ground, chicken bones peppering the grass and empty beer cans floating in parts of the lakes.

It’s not as if the Philadelphia Streets department isn’t trying to improve things. City hall is now sporting a very large “UnLitter Us” campaign poster. The campaign is calling attention to the on going litter problem. The Department itself “the ongoing collection and disposal of residential trash and recyclables, as well as the construction, cleanliness and maintenance of our entire street system” says their website. The Unlittle Us campaign seems like an earnest cry for help. Instead of just telling Philadelphians the usual message of reduce reuse and recycle it is instead just asks for city dwellers to stop littering which i feel is what we need.

There is no need to join a movement that is now banking on T-shirts (which in my opinion totally cheapens the sentiment of the cause)  instead joining the Unlitter Us movement means pledging to not litter. Not too hard, right? Simple solution so that I can get my childhood back.

Wissahickon Valley Park

Enjoy your summer outdoors!  Philadelphia is home to an historic and extensive park system.

By Daniel Ferrarello

Indian Statue at Wissahickon Valley Park. Photo by: Daniel Ferrarello

The Fairmont Park Commission oversees all of the City’s parks, from small neighborhood parks to the vast Wissahickon Valley Park.  It was the Wissahickon Valley Park that caught my interest yesterday.  I entered this park on Rex Street in Chestnut Hill and walked into a picturesque collection of streams and creeks, ancient stonework bridges and beautiful deciduous trees scaling the rugged terrain.  One could spend a whole day walking the paths in Wissahickon Valley Park with no purpose but to enjoy nature’s beauty.  Yesterday, however, I had a purpose.  I was decided to find the giant statue of the Lenne Lenape chief.  The statue is massive at fifteen feet tall, and sits hidden on one of the park’s cliffs.  Finding the Indian is a common activity for parkgoers, and the payoff is rewarding.  Standing on the edge of the cliff, dwarfed by the white marble man, one cannot avoid a sense of awe over the beauty of art and nature acting together.  There are many other interesting points to discover within Wissahickon Valley Park.  Other statues include the depiction of a Quaker man with the words “Toleration,” and the park is littered with old buildings and beautiful stonework.  When not trying to find pieces of Philadelphia’s rustic past, these woods are a great place for dog walking or mountain biking.  So next week, when the weather dips back down to the high 80’s, get outside and explore Philadelphia’s parks!

http://www.fairmountpark.org/

“Reclaim Concrete” along Passyunk with Pepsi’s Refresh Everything Votes!

Securing grant money through this contest could bring a new look to the intersection of Passyunk, 12th and Morris.

By Megan Linkfield

Wouldn’t it be nice to see portions of ugly and unused concrete space along Passyunk Avenue transformed into a greener, more pedestrian-friendly place? That could soon be in the works, but the city needs your help to make it happen!

Through May 31, you can vote for an exciting new project proposal “Reclaim Concrete for Park Space” here that will completely renovate the often confusing and chaotic 6-way intersection at 12th, Morris, and East Passyunk Avenue. Part of the plan is to add 4,000 sq. ft. of public space by converting idle portions of the intersection into more attractive park space, while simultaneously making it easier for motorists to navigate.

This initiative comes from the Planning Collective, which has partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities and the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District to see the vision materialize. The group is in the running to secure $50,000 in funding from Pepsi’s Refresh Everything Project, an online grant program which funds great community ideas based on how many people vote for them. This means that “Reclaim Concrete for Park Space” must be within the top 10 in the $50k category to receive the grant.

For more information about the initiative, visit http://www.planningcollective.com/Reclaim.htm.

The intersection definitely needs this facelift, so vote now and be sure to vote often! (You can vote once a day, every day until May 31st!)

Megan can be reached at MeganLinkPRH@gmail.com.

Verde Styles: Past, Present, and Future

Are you ready to lend a hand to help Philly go GREEN?!

In the hype of going green in this city of brotherly love, Verde Styles has definitely lent their hand in helping Philly go green.

Shirts for sell at the Bell Tower at Temple University on the Recyclemania dates.

It started out with three guys with no business background, Nish Patel, Matthew Muchnick, and Chris Zachariah, selling wristbands in local high schools through high school clubs. Patel said, “We sold wristbands because it was the least expensive way to start an apparel line. And we started it all because we wanted to start a business that had some kind of a social Impact.” Through the help of American forests, they planted one tree for every five bands sold. They sold over 2,000 wristbands and raised enough money to plant 800 trees.

Nish Patel, the founder of the company, holds the sign proud.

The guys competed in a business plan competition at Temple University in early 2009. The guys lost the competition, but remained confident in their idea. New talents were found and the company grew to eight talented young individuals from entirely different backgrounds.

Verde Styles selling shirts.

Verde Styles do not only plant trees. They are working to hold more and more recycling drives like the two that took place at Temple University this semester. The recycling drive involved many sororities and fraternities on Temple University’s campus. Both drives had fierce competition. Alpha Sigma Rho Sorority, Inc. won both drives. Verde Styles also sold their merchandises at the event and vowed to plant one tree for every t-shirt sold. You can also check them out at verdestyles.com.

The sisters of Alpha Sigma Rho Sorority, Inc. jumping for a photo-op after winning their second Recyclemania.

Patel stated, “Planting trees alone isn’t going to save the world, therefore we go out and physically do things to make a difference.”

Contact Linda Lam at: Linda.LamPRH@gmail.com