Local Jenny Hill (Wunderbarn) is the featured poet Thursday evening, October 20th, 2022, in Ardmore at Char & Stave ‘s open mic, which begins at 8 p.m. (21 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, PA). Sounds like a great spot, and great night out!
Also a reminder for literary types, the Friends’ Used Book Sale at the Upper Perkiomen Valley Library continues through this Saturday, October 22nd, 2022 (bag sale is Friday and Saturday, October 21st and 22nd; just $5 for a bag full of used books!)
The first official day of summer – and Make Music Upper Perk – is still a few days away – Tuesday, June 21st – but that doesn’t mean you have to wait to enjoy good music, art, theater, and more, inside and out!
Wunderbarn has scheduled a weekend of fun at their marvelous performance arts space in East Greenville (2979 Kutztown Road, East Greenville, PA – by Rainbow Tomatoes). The Only an Hour Variety Hour begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Friday, June 17, 2022; this open mic evening is open to poets, musicians, comedians, dancers and writers wishing to share some of their works in progress or in print with the audience. Folks should feel free to bring their own blanket or chair and snacks for this free public event – though some very tasty snacks, baked goods, and beverages will be for sale at the Rainbow Tomatoes farmstand.
Saturday, June 18th, Wunderbarn is celebrating self-declared Social Circus Day, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.;
Meet the multitalented circus artists of SpinCo Philly and learn how to juggle, spin poi, hoop, spin plates, and ribbon dance. Enjoy performances on the Wunderbarn stage at 1 p.m., play a game, and make a kazoo. Then go home tired and deliriously happy, ready to start your own circus! This event is free, but donations to SpinCo are welcome.
Wunderbarn
And on Sunday, June 19th, Wunderbarn is hosting a writing workshop “guided by a wide array of special instruments including handpan, medicine drum and gong.” Sound Immersion with Jen Ryan will be from 1 p.m. – 2:30. Registration is requested, via email (jenniferdunnhill@gmail.com), though drop-ins are welcome. There is a $20 fee.
Wunderbarn is also participating in this year’s Make Music Upper Perk! On Tuesday, June 21st, Wunderbarn is hosting an evening of Poetry, Prose, and Music. Check out Tom Mato’s report from Wunderbarn on Make Music Upper Perk on YouTube.
Of course, Wunderbarn isn’t the only place having fun this weekend.
Live music at multiple local breweries tonight, Friday, June 17th, including at the brand new Publication Brew Works (at the former Town and Country building) at the intersection of Main Street (Rt 29) and Route 663 aka Pennsburg Square, holding their Grand Opening tonight. Ian Althouse will be providing the live music from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Perkiomen Valley Brewery in Green Lane is hosting “Bluegrass with Gabe Delp and Friends” from 7 p.m. -9 p.m. tonight, as well.
The Stahl Summer Pottery Festival is outside this Saturday, June 18th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. At this festival there will be over 30 potters displaying and selling contemporary and traditional works, an opportunity to try using a potter’s wheel, and to tour the potting shed and kiln, demonstrations by master potters, an exhibit of historic Stahl pottery, food for sale, and more. Parking is free, there is a $4 entrance fee for adults (children are free). 6826 Corning Road Zionsville, PA
Celebrations for Juneteenth – now a national federal recognized holiday – are happening all over! Nearby celebrations include A Celebration of Liberty at SteelStacks in Bethelehem, PA;
Join us as we celebrate Juneteenth 2022 on June 18th from 11 am – 7 p.m. at SteelStacks in Bethlehem
There will be a theatrical presentation, a variety of musical bands (Soul, R&B, Jazz, and Reggae), ethnic food trucks and vendors, children’s activities (creative story telling and arts and crafts), relevant cinema viewing with a panel discussion, historical menu tasting, a fine arts display and more.
Juneteenth Lehigh Valley
Elmwood Park Zoo (1661 Harding Blvd, Norristown, PA) is hosting the Greater Norristown NAACP Juneteenth Celebration from 1 – 4 p.m. on both Saturday, June 18th and Sunday, June 19th, 2022.
This family friendly event will feature live music, animal meet and greets and keeper chats. On Sunday June 19, guests will have the opportunity to connect with local organizations in our community.
Elmwood Park Zoo
Norristown Borough residents (19401) can attend the event (June 18 or June 19) for free by PRE-REGISTERING HERE
Zydeco-a- Go-Go takes the stage at the Green Lane Park Amphitheater at 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 19, 2022. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, and maybe a picnic or some snacks, and head over to the Green Lane Park to enjoy this free, family friendly, two hour concert of ” Louisiana Zydeco dancehall hits and Cajun blues mixes with vintage New Orleans rhythm & blues” outdoors in the park (not far from the playground and tennis courts). 1960 Snyder Road, Green Lane, PA
This is the last weekend to catch the stage play Murder on the Orient Express at DCP Theater, just down the road in Telford. Tickets are available online and at the door. 795 Ridge Road, Telford, PA. Masks are recommended but not required.
This weekend (and all next week), head over to Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center to look back at favorite photos, posters, and programs from 2013-2022 – 10 Years of Make Music Upper Perk! – upstairs in the large meeting room with the grand piano (where musical performances open to the public will be happening from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21st). The Schwenkfelder Library is open 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturdays, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, CLOSED on Monday, 9 -6 Tuesday, June 21st, 9-4 Wednesday, 9-8 on Thursday, and 9-4 on Friday.
And don’t forget to celebrate the first day of summer at Make Music Upper Perk! Tuesday, June 21st, at 19 locations, 130 acts, over 300 musicians, all over the Upper Perkiomen Valley; all free, all day (9 a.m. – 10 p.m.), all types of music, for all ages.
Jenny Hill has decided the show must go on, so the Wunderbarn Open Mic is still happening this Friday night, March 20, 2020, beginning at 6:30 p.m. – but NOT in East Greenville, PA (its usual location). Instead, the one hour variety show will take place on Zoom (a free program that works on desktop and laptop computers, Android and iPhones, and tablets).
Join us from your space to share what you’ve been creating in these wild days of quarantine. Dance, music, writing, artwork, performance art … bring it to our adumbrated stage. Let’s touch each other without touching!
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It’s not too late to sign up for this Saturday afternoon’s Palm of the Hand Memoir workshop, originally scheduled to take place at the Wunderbarn, but now happening via Zoom at 1 p.m. (Saturday, March 21, 2020). Message Jenny Hill via Facebook or email her at jenniferdunnhill@gmail.com for additional information (including Zoom meeting link!).
Friends, the Palm of the Hand Memoir workshop with Michael Czarnecki is on for this Saturday at 1 p.m., and we’ll be using Zoom to connect and write together. If you want to join us, please let me know in the comments, or PM me, and we’ll get you the info. Let’s write together!
Everyone has stories to share and many people have a desire to write about their life. This workshop will help to make that desire a reality.
Participants will be introduced to a method I call “Palm-of-the-Hand” writing, after the “Palm-of-the-Hand” stories of Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata. After deciding on story possibilities, the method helps focus the writer’s energy into completing short individual pieces about their life.
These workshops have been very successful in helping people to write extensively about their life experiences – whether for family members or to someday be published in a book.
Suggested donation for the workshop is $30. Please message us with any questions and your intent to attend. We’ll be using Zoom for this workshop. As soon as you message us and have paid, we’ll send you an invite link to the workshop. You can learn more about Zoom here: https://zoom.us/ It is free to join.
About Michael: Poet, Oral Memoirist and Small Press Publisher, Michael Czarnecki has made his living through the creative word for nearly a quarter of a century. He has published 18 books of poetry and has traveled thousands of miles and given hundreds of readings throughout America. He has facilitated scores of Palm of the Hand Memoir Workshops all across the country and many writing groups are now meeting regularly to share their Palm of the Hand Memoirs. You can follow Michael’s adventures online at http://www.foothillspublishing.com/poetguy/index.html
Welcome to The Wunderbarn! We’re new to the Upper Perk neighborhood (just moved in March), and are excited to become a part of the arts community.
The Wunderbarn is true to its name—it’s a barn filled with wonder. It is the dreamspace of Jenny Hill, a circus performer, poet, and PA Council on the Arts rostered teaching artist. When Jenny and her husband, Dan Waber, sought out property in the area, they knew they wanted enough acreage to grow organic vegetables, and a barn to turn into a theatre and arts space. They found their perfect spot in East Greenville. Jenny set to work immediately turning one of the stalls in the barn into a stage, and as soon as the ground was ready, Dan began gardening.
What’s happening in The Wunderbarn? Each Third Friday, the doors open in the theatre for the Only An Hour Variety Hour Open Mic at 6:30 p.m. Participants share poetry, music, dance, comedy, flash fictions, memoir, and performance art. When the weather is nice, we sprawl out on the lawn (as pictured), and open the doors wide. If it’s rainy or chilly, we’ll keep the doors closed and the space transforms into an intimate, barn black box theatre. This event is free and open to the public. We only ask that you RSVP so we can set up a parking plan-o-gram. Parking is limited.
Each Second Sunday, we run Yoga Refresh, with yoga instructor Natalie Bedouin. The yoga and meditation session is followed by a delicious plant-based lunch, which features some of the organic vegetables Dan is growing in the greenhouses and gardens. This event is by donation. RSVP to save your spot. Class is limited to six.
The full schedule for the month can be found here (actsofjennius.com/events), and features October classes in hoop fitness, yoga, creative writing, and mask making. Future plans include performances, a summer camp for 2020, and after school programming.
All events at The Wunderbarn are Pay What You Like donation. What’s Pay What You Like? Well, it’s just that. Take the class, and pay what you like once it’s over. You decide the value based on your experience. Pay What You Like donation provides an equal opportunity for people of any financial background to participate. Donations made after class go right back into making future classes, workshops, and events possible.
Do you have a talent you’d like to share in The Wunderbarn and with the community? Reach out to Jenny at jenniferdunnhill@gmail.com and we’ll talk. We look forward to seeing you soon at a Wunderbarn event!
The public is invited to come and hear up and coming poets, spoken word performers, singers, and musicians at Upper Perkiomen High School on Friday, April 13, 2018 for the annual (and always amazing) Poetry Cafe, held in the high school library. This event is produced by the Writer’s Club at the Upper Perkiomen High School, and their advisor, librarian Kathy Stattel. The Upper Perkiomen High School is located at 2 Walt Road, Pennsburg, PA. Poetry Cafe begins at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments are included in the $3 ticket price.
After you’ve been mesmerized and inspired by these students, sign up to attend a free poetry workshop at the public library in Red Hill; Monday, April 23, 2018 at 7 p.m. This event is free, for ages 12 to adult, but folks are asked to register in advance. Upper Perkiomen Valley Library, 350 Main St, Red Hill, PA; 215-679-2020.
Don’t Panic! Instead of starting with a blank piece of paper, library staff will guide you in fun ways to create and find poems. For example, you’ll have the option of starting with pages of words (also known as “books”) and be guided in finding your poem within the text, using crayons, pens, and more.
The author of How To Train Your Dragon, Cressida Cowell, will be making one stop in Pennsylvania with her new book, The Wizards of Once – in EMMAUS! Yes, the “Philadelphia, PA stop listed on her poster is actually Emmaus High School, 500 Macungie Avenue, Emmaus Pa ! Let’s Play Books! – the wonderful independent bookstore on Main Street in Emmaus – has arranged the event, and thanks to the English Department and the Collage Club of Emmaus High School who are sponsoring this event, admission is free of charge. Tickets are required – just pre-register at no cost on the website. The event begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2017, and is appropriate for all ages.
Books may be purchased at a discount before the event at Let’s Play Books Bookstore, or on-site. Only books purchased from Let’s Play Books Bookstore will be eligible to be signed, two books per person.
Pennsburg author (and Make Music Upper Perk volunteer!) Terri Kuenzer, was recently written up in the newspaper about the inclusion of her short story, The Understudy, which will appear in the anthology, Beach Reads. The publisher, Cat and Mouse Press, is hosting a book launch party on November 12, 2017, at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, DE. This is a great opportunity for the public to meet the authors, get the book (and get it signed), and have some cake! The event will be held from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Terri’s published works appear under her pen name, Terri Kiral.
In case you missed it, Australian author (and recent visitor to the Upper Perk Valley), Laura Goodin is “virtual writer in residence“ at Diehl’s Real Teas (Main Street, East Greenville, PA), is running an online discussion group for writers, and has offered to Skype with writing groups meeting at Diehl’s Real Teas. Laura is writing short stories just for Diehl’s, which can be found at their website on the “virtual writer in residence” page.
Hi, fellow writers —
Just a reminder that EVERYONE is welcome in this group. They don’t have to live in the area. So if you have other writer friends, no matter where they live, please go right ahead and ask them if they’d like to join.
Moreover, NaNoWriMo is fast approaching (see nanowrimo.org if you’re not sure what I’m talking about), and I’d love to set up a real-time write-in during November at Diehl’s Real Teas, perhaps even with a Skype link between me in Australia and y’all in the tea shop so we could all write together. Who’s interested?
Your Virtual Writer-in-Residence,
Laura
The discussion group for writers who come and drink tea (and write) at Diehl’s Real Teas in East Greenville, PA. Associated with the Virtual Writer-in-Residence project, run by writer Laura E. Goodin in conjunction with owners Kevin and Fenny.
Laura Goodin is author of several plays, librettos, poems, short stories, and two published novels, After the Bloodwood Staff, and Mud and Glass.
Spend Sunday afternoon, June 4th, in East Greenville with visiting Australian author (and ex-pat American) Laura Goodin; free refreshments, a chance to attend a book reading, talk with the author, and maybe buy a book or two (some proceeds of which will go to Make Music Upper Perk) – what’s not to love? Tell your friends (bring your friends)!
The reading and refreshments are free, book purchase not required; event is open to the public, 2 – 4 pm at Diehl’s Real Teas (private room), 239 Main St, East Greenville, Pa.
Enjoy air conditioning , cosplay, comics, sci fi, games, and more at the Coventry Summer Con over at Coventry Mall (351 W. Schuylkill Road, just off Route 100) in Pottstown, PA on Saturday, August 13, 2016, from 1 p.m. – 8 p.m. This family event will also be hosting artists, vendors, special guests, and “all things pop culture.” Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door.
Enjoy Celtic Music, Irish dancing, Valley Chorale Society’s “greatest hits,” jazz at Ursinus College, ReSourced Art Fusion in Pottstown, a student film festival, and plays on stage, in between enjoying the (slightly) warmer weather and brighter sun that comes with spring’s arrival.
Charlie Zahm will be having a Celtic music concert in the Pottstown Pubic Library, 500 East High Street, on Friday, March 21st , 2014, from 7 to 9 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.This is a fundraising event. Tickets may be purchased at the door the night of the event; $12 for adults, $8 for ages 5-14, children under 5 are free.
If you prefer jazz, the Ursinus College Jazz Ensemble will be performing a mix of swing, latin and ballad styles at their free spring concert on March 21, 2014, 7:30 p.m. at the Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center’s Lensfest Theater, 601 E. Main Street, Collegeville. Open to the public, no tickets required.
Enjoy Oscar Hammerstein’s music as performed by The Bucks County Town and Country Players on Saturday, March 22nd, 3 p.m. at Doylestown Bookstore, 16 S. Main Street, Doylestown. This free event is celebrating the release of the book The Hammersteins by Oscar Andrew Hammerstein, who will be signing copies of the book purchased at the store that day.
There will be bagpipe playing, Irish dancing, fiddling, a Kids mural, instruction in Irish Ceili dancing, a chance to make Irish crafts, and Irish theater at Allentown Fairgrounds in the AgriPlex, 302 N 17th Street, on Saturday, March 22, 2014 from noon to 5 p.m. as part of Irish Cultural Community Day. This is a free, family friendly, event.
The Valley Choral Society is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a free concert on Sunday afternoon, March 23, 2014 at 3 p.m at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Main Street, Pennsburg, where they will be singing their favorite pieces from their 30 year performance history.
Several plays run this weekend only, beginning tonight, Friday, March 21, 2014. Souderton Area High School is performing 42nd Street. Tickets for 7 p.m. evening and Sunday’s 2 p.m. matinee are available online. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is on stage at Emmaus High School, 500 Macungie Avenue, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. 610-965-1650. Pennridge High School, 1228 N. Fifth Street, may be showcasing the most ambitious high school production this weekend with their performance of Aida, opening at 7:30 tonight, and continues on Saturday with a 2 p.m. matinee and 7:30 p.m. evening final performance.
“Aida” is the story of a Nubian princess who is captured by the Egyptian army during a war. The princess pretends to be a slave to avoid being killed, and then falls in love with Radames, an Egyptian army captain who is betrothed to the princess of Egypt, Amneris. The play follows the three characters as the love triangle — and raging war — develop. In addition to being a less popular musical, “Aida” is of a different breed than the usual Pennridge performance. This year’s spring musical is a serious step up for the high school performers. It’s the first show in four years that isn’t a children’s show; even the seniors in this year’s production have never done a serious show before.
“The material is much more challenging,” senior Jessica Dowling, who plays the show’s eponymous character Aida, said. “It’s not a kid’s show. We’ve done ‘Annie,’ ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Suessical.’ This is a big step up. The music is a lot different because it’s rock music.” With music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, it’s different from previous shows because “the music has been more like pop than rock.” read more and see a video clip from a recent rehearsal at Perkasie News Herald
Tom Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, (8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday) followed by the premiere of butyou’reaman or: The Seven Men I Came Out to in India, written and performend by university senior Matt Kicken for one ticket price, and a children’s show (recommended for ages 8 and up) Still Life with Iris (8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday) are at the Studio Theater, Muhlenberg College this weekend. The Crowded Kitchen Players,newest show is Shropshire Lad, which will run through April 6, 2014 at McCoole’s Arts and Events, 10 S. Main Street, Quakertown.
A Shropshire Lad presents the simple story of a young aspiring writer, Terence Hearsay, sitting alone one winter’s night at a table in a busy pub in County Shropshire, just on the border between England and Wales, in the year 1887….a cast of 18 sturdy CKP alumni portray farmers and barmaids, soldiers and widows, jilted lovers, murderers, constables, drunks, ghosts, and trollops in this light-hearted embrace of the bittersweet miseries of life.
For one night only, DCP, 795 Ridge Road, Telford, will be screening a short documentary film by senior high school student Gunther Druker, Directions for Life. Run time is 40 minutes and there will be a short discussion time afterwards.
This engaging film explores
the possibility that the ever increasing sense of urgency and pressure that teenagers feel
to “Hurry up and get it together and figure out what you want to do with your life!” might be artificial.
Maybe the cookie-cutter approach to education and careers doesn’t work for everyone. Sometimes
you have to find your own path. Follow Gunther’s journey as he interviews friends and mentors that
have influenced his life, including Bill Algeo, Reba Baliles and Kate Henry. Ask yourself the question,
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s not too late…
DeSales University is hosting their 14th Annual Student Film Festival, Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22, 2014, 8 p.m. each evening (approximately 120 minutes).
The annual Student Film Festival is our celebration of the short films, documentaries, and music videos created by our performing arts majors. Giving special focus to our TV/film majors who conceive, write, direct, shoot, and edit these works, this is often their first chance to premiere their films before a live audience. Join us for this eclectic evening of inspirational, provocative, and entertaining cinema.
Celebrate Spring with the Allentown Art Museum, 31 North Fifth Street, on Sunday, March 23, 2014, between noon and four at their Spring Festival: Going Green! This is a free event – no admission charge to the museum this Sunday.
Come to the Art Museum for a day full of family-friendly activities and entertainment inspired by the special exhibition Paul Harryn: Essence of Nature. All ages will enjoy Kit’s Interactive Theatre, featuring award-winning actress Kitty Jones as she presents her one-woman show Mother Nature and Her Friends. Wildlands Conservancy will share fun ways to keep our environment clean and green, and our Crayola Learning Center is the place to be for art-making activities featuring recycled materials. Show your support of Mother Earth and wear something GREEN! Spring Festival is part of Free Sundays at the Museum, made possible in part by the Society of the Arts (SOTA). There will be no adult guided visits offered on festival day.
ArtFusion in Pottstown, 254 E. High Street hosts an opening reception on March 21, 2014 from 7-8 p.m. for their newest art exhibit, ReSourced, featuring recycled and upcycled art.This exhibit will be on display through May 3, 2014.
Seamus Heaney (April 13, 1939 – August 29, 2013); Irish poet born in Northern Ireland, called the greatest Irish poet since Yeats, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995,and greatly lauded for his 1999 translation of Beowulf. If you’d like to read some of his poetry, or perhaps, even better, hear him read his own work, check out ibiblio’s Internet Poetry Archive.
Below is an excerpt from ibiblio’s home page, explaining how Heaney’s poetry and voice came to be on their site.
We were lucky and privileged in the course of Seamus Heaney’s live to have crossed paths with him several times. First when he agreed to be part of an early experiment in putting poetry on the WWW by not only granting us the use of some of his poems, but he agreed to record his readings of those poems himself with the help of Harvard’s Poetry Room in the 1994. Heaney had not yet won the Nobel Prize at that point. That would come the next year when his work was cited “for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past”.
Certainly the poems he chose for the Internet Poetry Archive are exemplars of that sense of beauty, depth and exaltation.
No, there is no connection between Seamus Heaney and the Valley, beyond our shared humanity, and love of words. For tonight, that’s enough.
Valley Art Scene 