March School Closing for Renovations?

College Hill is a abuzz with news that March School, as well as Paxinosa Elementary in Forks, may be closing during the 2008-09 school year for $30 million in renovations and expansions. Read the story in the Express-Times.

Students from both schools would be sent downtown to the former middle school, and no ones particularly thrilled about the decision, or how the school board made the preliminary decision without soliciting public input. The board votes on the plan at its November meeting, but folks in College Hill intend to meet and talk about it before then. There will be a meeting of concerned citizens at 7:30 PM in the basement hall of the College Hill Presbyterian Church on Monday.

Followup

There's also an article about this at the Morning Call. The article echos the express one; there are a few more quotes but that's about it. There's no reference to how/if the school might be modified (or procedures at the school modified) to accommodate the new students or if the administrative structure (principles, etc.) will remain the same or be merged. The Call article also has a six-post comment thread that gives some of the history on previous elementary school movies and shows some of the anger parents have for how the move came about (as well as previous promises made).

I'm coming into this late; our daughter will be entering preschool next fall, so it wasn't on our radar until this year, so I can't really comment on what's come before.

Radio Active #57: Nanowrimo, Kit Bag, Crisis on Finite Macs, Unquiet Desperation, Halo 3

I finally got out a new episode of Radio Active. In Episode #57, I become an uncle again, contemplate a Crisis on Finite Macs, geek out about Halo 3, look ahead to National Novel Writing Month, listen to the Unquiet Desperation podcast and the geeky Secret Agent internet radio station and consider the merits of a geek dad kit bag. Check out the podcast.

National Novel Writing Month

Because, you know, I wasn't busy enough. Details on Nuketown. Friend me on Nanowrimo.org

Uncle Redux

I posted this over at Nuketown, but it's worth mentioning here as well. I'm an uncle again; my sister had a baby boy -- Benjamin Francis -- on Tuesday. He weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 22.5 inches (what a tall kid!). More on her blog.

Museum of Indian Culture’s Fall Powwow

The Museum of Indian Culture's Fall Powwow will be held this weekend in Allentown, Pa. The powwow features food, dancing demonstrations and lots of other fun stuff. My wife Sue (Red-tail Designs) will be there selling jewelry and demonstrating porcupine quillwork.

The cost is $5 per adult; $3 per senior; $3 per child (kids under 12 free). Driving directions are here; more information about the event can be found on the museum's web site at www.museumofindianculture.org.

Easton Arts Council

One of the great things about Easton is its art community, which has been growing steadily since I moved here a decade ago. The Easton Arts Council provides a framework for bringing the city's artists together and sponsors and/or coordinates a number of events throughout the year.

The web site lists the group's annual events as well as upcoming ones. A member list is in the works (come on guys, let's see that blog roll!); you can join the group by downloading its membership form.

Lehigh Valley Crafters Guild: Blog & Podcast Links

My wife Sue and I gave a presentation on "Blogs, Podcasts and Other Modern Marvels" last night at the Lehigh Valley Crafters Guild. Sue's a member of the guild -- she designs horsehair and porcupine quill jewelry -- and has her own business, Red-Tail Designs. She spoke about how blogs and podcasts can help artists, from finding inspiration to promoting their work, while I talked about the technology behind them.

Here are some quick notes from the presentation, including links to the blogs and podcasts we talked about.

Blogs
A successful blog has:
• Lots of pictures and some text
• Lots of close up pictures
• A good balance between personal and professional information

Example Blogs
• Art Biz Blog, http://www.artbizblog.com
• Craft Magazine Blog, http://craftzine.com/blog
• Paul Grecian Photography, http://photonz.wordpress.com
• Monkeyfoot Designs, http://monkeyfootdesigns.blogspot.com
• Soule Mama, http://soulemama.typepad.com
• Out West Carving, http://outwestwoodcarving.blogspot.com
• Pottery Blog, http://potteryblog.com
• Quilling, Art and Expression, http://quilling.blogspot.com
• Wee Wonderfuls, http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com
• Wicker Woman, http://wickerwoman.blogspot.com

Blog Hosting Services
• Blogger (free), http://www.blogger.com
• Typepad (fee-based), http://www.typepad.com

Podcasts

What are podcasts?
• Free internet radio that you can listen to whenever you want.
• You can listen to it on your computer or portable music player.
• Doesn't require an iPod.

Example Podcasts
• Art Biz Blog, http://www.artbizblog.com
• Craft Sanity, http://www.craftsanity.com
• Craft Cast, http://www.craftcast.com
• Wood Talk Online, http://www.woodtalkonline.com

Podcast Directories
• iTunes, http://www.apple.com/itunes
• Podcast Alley, http://www.podcastalley.com
• PodcastPickle.com, http://www.podcastpickle.com

Podcast Hosting
• Libsyn, http://www.libsyn.com
• PodBean, http://www.podbean.com
• PodShow, http://www.podshow.com

Tina Madonia at Connexions

Connexions Gallery is featuring Tina Madonia's show "The Lehigh Valley As I See It" Sept. 27 through Nov. 11. The gallery's located at 213 Northampton St., Easton Pa. Its open Thurs-Fri, 12-5 p.m., Sat. 11-6 p.m., and Sun. and Mon. from 12-4 p.m. Alas, there's no web site, so I can't link to it, but the landscape on their promotional card looked beautiful, so take my word for it that this show is worth checking out.

Scarecrow Festival

The 16th Annual Scarecrow Festival will be held October 19th and 20th in downtown Easton.

There will be a farmer's market, scarecrow clinic, face painting for kids, pumpkin bowling, henna painting and a tattoo and body art competition (the last one seems a little out of place but hey, it takes all kinds). You can learn more by visiting the Easton Farmers Market web site.

No word on whether Batman will be there.

Easton UnDressed

I first learned of Easton UnDressed at the Cosmic Cup, where I saw a postcard for the blog.

Checking it out revealed a hodgepodge site that that incorporates blog posts, a mishmash of weather and media links, and an online chat/forum. It can be a bit difficult to follow, as it assumes a more comprehensive understanding of what's going on in Easton and the surrounding area then most people have (or at least, more than I have).

Visitors can find notes (and audio) about City Council meetings, editorials on Easton politics, interviews with political candidates and much more.

The Phillies are out

'Nuff said.

Lehigh Valley Ramblings

Blogging has been catching on in the Lehigh Valley, so much so that newspapers like the Morning Call and the Express Times have started paying attention to them (which in turn is what got me looking for new LV blogs.

Lehigh Valley Ramblings is a blog featuring a hodgepodge of political news and scuttlebut from around the Valley, including geographically-clueless mayoral candidates in Easton, proposals for free box seats at IronPig games in Allentown, challenges for minority-owned businesses (also in Allentown) and the race for state attorney general.

Josefina's of Easton

If you're looking for some excellent South American food, check out Josefina's, located at 1104 Butler Street, Easton, Pa. Some friends and I went there for a great, satisfying $5 lunch. Haven't tried it for dinner yet, and can't pronounce half of what's on the menu (ok, I can't pronounce most of what's on the menu, but hey, I failed most of your major European languages in high school, so this should be no surprise to friends and family).

The Mets are out...

Well, the Mets are out of it. Even worse than the loss, IMHO, was Tom Glavine's first-inning implosion. 

Yes, I know that may seem contradictory, but Glavine was good for so much of the season that -- what with winning 300 games and all -- that to see him crash like that was mentally painful.

The rest of the game was also difficult to watch, particularly once Casto's would-be grand-slam fizzled ... it became just a question of counting down the innings until the season was over.

Oh well, there's always 2008...