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Spring and summer events al fresco at Veterans Square Park

April 25, 2012 By

The Lower Makefield Township Veterans Square Monument Committee has announced a number of events being held at Veterans Square Park (corner of Edgewood and Heacock Roads in Lower Makefield), over the spring and summer and would like to invite the public to attend. 

They are fundraisers for the monument, but guaranteed to be FUN. 

YOGA at the Park – Liz Conner, owner of the Prancing Peacock Yoga Studio in Lower Makefield, along with June Miller, well-known yoga instructor in the area, are holding yoga classes al fresco at the park each Tuesday evening in May from 6:30 to 8:00pm. The cost is $10, 100% of which will go toward helping build the monument! Bring your own yoga mat. Call 267-274-1195 in case of inclement weather to see if the class will be held any time the weather is questionable.

ZUMBATHON at the Park – Zumba is the latest dance fitness craze to catch on with both young and older people. It burns a lot of calories and is a lot of fun! Leslie Maxwell, local zumba instructor, is working with other area instructors to hold a zumbathon at the park from 2:00 to 4:00pm on Sunday, May 6th. The cost is $15, and the entire amount will go to the monument fund! In the event of rain, the zumbathon will be held at the Masonic Lodge, diagonally across the street from Veterans Square Park.

Fourth Annual FLEA MARKET, Saturday, June 9th, 8:00am–1:00pm – The community is invited to set up a table for $20, donate unwanted items (other than clothes) to the Veterans Committee to sell, and come shop. Rain date is Sunday, June 10th – 8:00am to 1:00pm. Music and food will be available. Contact snatale3@gmail.com or call 215-736-8925. 

TRENTON THUNDER NIGHT, Friday, July 20th, 7:00pm, Trenton Waterfront Park – The Yankees Minor League Team faces off against the Reading Phillies! Tickets are $11 and can be purchased by contacting jeff_benedetto@yahoo.com or calling 267-981-0209.  

Second Annual LABOR DAY CONCERT featuring the Pennsbury Community Band – Monday, September 3rd – 3:00 to 5:00pm. The second year with the semi-professional band put together by Frank Mazzeo, Pennsbury School District Instrumental Music Coordinator. The members play professionally, teach in the school district, or are graduates of the PHS music program. The Veterans Committee is planning food and other family entertainment for the Labor Day event. In the event of rain, the Labor Day concert will be held at the Masonic Lodge diagonally across from Veterans Square Park.

Weekly FARMERS MARKET – The Lower Makefield Farmers Market is held at Veterans Square on Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:30pm beginning sometime in May and continuing through October. There is always a table with basket raffles and opportunities for the community to participate in the Stepping Stone Campaign to purchase an engraved paver which will be a permanent part of the monument.  

Over three years, the Veterans Square Monument Committee has raised over $130,000 in total and getting closer to their goal. They are currently seeking a contractor to work with them on the project. 

Visit www.VeteransSquare.org or call 267-274-1195 for updated information on all events.      

 

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Filed Under: Yardley Voice Events Tagged With: , , , ,

Turning the world teal every month of the year

April 25, 2012 By

The Teal Tea Foundation, an ovarian cancer awareness organization, is hosting its Sixth Annual Teal Tea. The Teal Tea will occur Sunday, May 6th, at 1:00pm at the Princeton Hyatt, Princeton, New Jersey. Advance registration is required at http://tealtea.com/Teal_Teal_Foundation/Teal_Tea.html. 

This year’s theme is “Turn the World Teal Every Month of the Year,” and table captains will decorate and compete for the best interpretation of the theme. Teal is the color that represents the fight against ovarian cancer.

Dr. Michael V. Seiden, President and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center, will be the keynote speaker. As President, Dr. Seiden has the responsibility for all strategic planning, finances and operations within the Center and serves as the Principal Investigator for the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored Comprehensive Cancer Center grant.

“The Teal Tea is a magical, inspirational, motivational event designed to support women who are currently fighting ovarian cancer and to encourage them to keep up the fight;” said survivor and Teal Tea Foundation Executive Director, Jean Shipos.

In addition to the keynote speaker, the Teal Tea will also include a plated lunch, entertainment from Princeton’s own Minister William D. Carter III and 14-year-old contemporary artist Gabe Greenwood, silent and live auctions, a hat parade contest, a table decorating contest, and special comments from and recognition of ovarian cancer survivors. 

The doors of the Teal Tea open at noon with guests experiencing vocalist Eden Casalino accompanied by Amanda Samaha, magic by Magic Mike, and an appetizing antipasto station.

During this time, guests can also register for Parade of Hats, participate in 50/50 sales, raffles, and bid on the silent auction items.      

The Teal Tea is an awareness and fundraising event designed to give information about ovarian cancer and to promote awareness of the warning signs of the disease. Funds raised are donated to research focused on ovarian cancer.

The Teal Tea Foundation is dedicated to helping all women with the quality of life and long-term recovery. For more information contact Cynthia A. Brown at tealteainfo@gmail.com or 610-324-2247. 


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Filed Under: Home2, Morrisville Times Events, New Hope News Events, Yardley Voice Events Tagged With: , , , ,

Jenna Williams wins national First Amendment competition

April 25, 2012 By

Jenna Williams by June Portnoy

Yardley resident Jenna Williams, a senior at Pennsbury High School, was the only student in Pennsylvania to win the recent national “Free to Tweet” competition. Over 17,000 students from ages 14 to 22 entered this contest reaffirming the value of the First Amendment by expressing themselves creatively through social media. Jenna was among these young people who emailed her message about the First Amendment on December 15th, the 220th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

Contestants were given the freedom to express themselves anyway they wished, and therefore submissions came in various formats ranging from videos and essays to digital pictures and tweets. Jenna, who learned about the contest on Facebook, created a video that was a little under one minute to express her feelings about the First Amendment.

She used a webcam to capture herself talking as she stated, “Two hundred and twenty years, that’s 220 years of freedoms that our country could have never dreamed of having without our First Amendment. And as we come to an official end of the Iraq War, we learn that freedom is not free and we thank the ones who fight for us to keep these freedoms alive, just as we thank those who fought to make those freedoms possible.

“So as long as our rights are known, that church and state are separate and the establishment and free exercise clause are still alive, the First Amendment continues to be one of the greatest amendments, and to it, we say Happy Birthday.”

Says Jenna, “I have always felt strongly about the rights of people. I think it’s important for people to remember that these amendments are there and should not be taken for granted. We can be whoever we want to be and that’s because of the freedom granted to us in these amendments.”

Out of the thousands of submissions to “Free to Tweet,” 22 winners representing the 22 decades since the signing the Bill of Rights, were chosen, and each was awarded a $5,000 scholarship to continue their education. Each entry was judged by a panel of First Amendment and journalism experts who support 1 for All, an unprecedented educational and public service campaign that builds an understanding of the First Amendment and its five distinct freedoms, including speech, press, religion, assembly and petition.

Winners were selected for their creativity and passion for the First Amendment, as well as their comprehension of the importance of these rights. Each winning message was tweeted, one an hour, on March 16th, the 261st birthday of Bill of Rights’ author, James Madison, on 1forall.us/winners.

Jenna says her family is very proud of her winning this particular competition.

“Being African American, my family and I especially appreciate our First Amendment rights,” says Jenna.

[Read more...]

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Successful food drive

April 25, 2012 By

St. Ignatius The Social Action Committee at St. Ignatius Church in Yardley recently held a food drive to benefit local food cupboards. 

Pictured are Msgr. Samuel Shoemaker, Pastor, and Tom Wallin, drive coordinator, with the van-load of food and $625 in gift cards that were donated by parishioners.

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Dance Arts of Yardley opens new studio

April 25, 2012 By
Dance Arts of Yardley

 

Melissa Profy, the owner and director of Dance Arts of Yardley, Inc. announces the opening of a new studio space at 208 Floral Vale Boulevard in the Floral Vale Professional Park.

Dance Arts has been instructing area children in the art of dance since 1999. The school has been operating two studios and is home to six competitive dance teams. Growing interest and enrollment necessitated the expansion to a third studio.

For additional information on upcoming classes and registration, visit danceartsofyardley.com or call 215-968-3377.

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Yardley Borough Recycling Day is April 28th

April 25, 2012 By

Once again, Yardley is putting together their annual Recycling Day Event, co-sponsored by the Yardley Borough Environmental Advisory Commission and the Yardley Business Association. The event is designed to pull together the borough and surrounding communities to enhance the quality of life through reducing waste, recycling, and repurposing items that are no longer usable, or needed by you.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 28th, from 9:00am until 2:00pm at Buttonwood Park, adjacent to the Yardley Town Center in Yardley Borough. Entry will be from Main Street, between Firehouse Cycles and Face and Body Spa. You will be directed to drop off locations within the park.

This year, the following items are being collected – computers, electronics, and related equipment, bicycles in any condition, cell phones, printer, toner and fax cartridges, bubble wrap, packing materials, air packs, Styrofoam peanuts, dry and clean sneakers (no cleats), car batteries, used antifreeze, used motor oil, non-alkaline batteries, LPs, cassettes, CDs, and American flags. Also, there will be on-site document shredding. Any sensitive documents, in paper or CD form will be shredded right in front of you and disposed of properly.

No lead paints or regular paint, alkaline batteries, or hazardous waste or materials will be accepted.

There will be information provided about proper recycling and composting on-site, as well as refreshments and an opportunity to speak to members of the YBA and the EAC with any questions you may have. In conjunction with this event, the Yardley Borough Police are having a drug collection pickup in front of Borough Hall. They are collecting Medical Waste, outdated prescription medication, and related items.

If you have any questions feel free to call Marybeth Reed at 215.493.1349 or email at maryblooom@gmail.com.

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Get a Grip! – Think ahead about banisters and grab bars

April 24, 2012 By

submitted By Tom Wells, Tom Wells Construction, www.tgw-construction.com

I believe that someone who claims to have “no regrets” has either gone through life asleep or never lived life at all. Everyone has regrets. One of mine is that I didn’t do more to make my parents’ home more senior-friendly before my dad died at age 92 in 2007. It’s a mistake I have vowed not to make with my mom.

If your goal is to prepare a home for senior living, you will be glad to know that you may not have to make a major financial commitment right away. You may not have to install a first floor bathroom immediately. You might just need to replace your current banister with one that is more senior-friendly and install strategically placed handgrips or grab bars around the house.

Let’s consider banisters first. Millions of homes were built with banisters that can only be grasped by the fingers holding on to the top or the sides. The problem is that as we age, we lose gripping strength. If you have one or more banisters like this, the solution is to replace them with ones that are senior-friendly, or add an additional one on the other side of the stairs.

To be effective, the palm of the hand must be pushing against the top of the banister, with the forefinger and thumb almost pinching together underneath. Round or oval handrails are best. The handrail should be between 32 and 36 inches off of the floor.

Next let’s consider strategically placed grab bars. I once tore a leg muscle and had to do about a month’s worth of physical therapy sessions at St. Mary’s. There are grab bars all over the place there. We’ve all seen grips like them, if only in a public restroom with a stall for folks with diminished abilities. They are inevitably “brushed chrome” affairs with a distinctive institutional look.

[Read more...]

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Become forever fit at Forever Fitness of Yardley

April 24, 2012 By

Forever Fitness of Yardley by June Portnoy

If you’re serious about working out to achieve your optimal fitness, Forever Fitness of Yardley, new to the area, is the place for you. At Forever Fitness, you’ll see measurable results and receive individualized attention that you won’t get at most large fitness centers where you become just another face in the crowd.

“When you come here, you’ll receive one-on-one (or on occasion one-on-two) personalized attention from me and only me,” says owner, Chris Luise, who is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as being CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) certified.

Prior to opening Forever Fitness, Chris worked in the health club industry for seven years. When Chris realized he had become overweight and out of shape in his late 30’s, he decided to do something about it. He worked out until he turned his body fat to muscle and significantly lowered his blood pressure.

“I felt better about myself and became healthier, which motivated me to help others do the same,” says Chris. “That’s when I decided to establish Forever Fitness.

“I take a real interest in what each of my clients want to achieve and I share their goals with them, wanting them to attain their objectives as much as they do.”

Forever Fitness offers both personal and athletic training. Whether you want to improve your athletic performance, lose weight or improve your general health, this fitness center’s goal is for people to achieve results.

“Our philosophy is to custom tailor programs for each client and to constantly vary the workouts, so they don’t become stagnant or boring,” says Chris.

A typical workout includes balance, strength, core toning, flexibility, agility and aerobic training.

Forever Fitness caters to people of all ages from tweens to seniors. In fact, Chris has started a new fitness program tailored to preteens ages seven to 12.

“Kids in this age range typically don’t work out and are often not in the best physical shape even if they do play a sport once or twice a week,” says Chris. “A lot of kids this age are overweight because they’re always sitting in front of a computer or video game.”

Chris offers preteens flexibility and stamina training, along with workouts that get them in better shape. For young athletes this will help reduce injuries.

[Read more...]

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Life without peanut butter? Unsustainable!

April 24, 2012 By

submitted by Mark Bortman, Exact Solar, mark@exactsolar.com

I really like peanut butter. But even I know that if I use it faster than I replace it, one day I’m going to run out.

“Duh, dad!” as my daughter would say. 

Well, what if it took a million years to make a jar of peanut butter? Surely I’d eat it faster than it could be made. I’d have to figure out a way to eat peanut butter sustainably, so that some would be available for my children and grandchildren to enjoy, because, heaven knows, life without peanut butter would be very hard indeed!

That is the basis for the buzzword “sustainability” that we hear so often these days.  Since everything we need for living comes, at some point, from the natural environment, sustainability means making sure there are enough resources maintained in the environment for future generations. If natural resources are consumed faster than they can be replaced, life cannot be sustained.

Different resources are replenished at different rates. Some resources, such as sunlight (and peanut butter), are constantly replaced. Other resources, such as heat from the earth or sun, are virtually limitless. Some resources, on the other hand, are finite and either not able to be replenished or take a very long time to replenish.

Each person on the planet consumes resources – water, air, land, food and energy. Within each of these categories, there are choices of how to make use of these resources and the rate that they are consumed. Each of these categories, moreover, has economic and social dimensions, in addition to the environmental impacts. Only by consuming in a sustainable manner in all of these domains, will these resources be available for future generations.

We often think of sustainability in terms of energy usage. There are lots of energy sources, but fossil fuels currently account for a huge percentage of our energy. Fossil fuels are solar energy that was captured by plants and animals millions of years ago and which, over time, has become compressed and transformed into oil and coal. This is a very slow, time-consuming process.

If we use the fossil fuels faster than they can be remade, as has been done over the past 50 to 100 years, sooner or later there will not be any available. Unless we develop a way to create more fossil fuels ourselves, our answer must be to figure out ways to use less of them. So sustainability demands that we think about using other energy sources so that our descendants will have energy for their needs. 

What is our responsibility as a society when it comes to sustainability?  Is it our responsibility to make sure that our children, and their children, have anything at all? I think so. Because, heaven knows, I’d be really unhappy if life had no peanut butter.

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Filed Under: Going Green, Newtown Gazette Columnists, Yardley Voice Columnists Tagged With: , , , ,

Think you can handle your own financial planning and investments? Think again

April 24, 2012 By

submitted by Michael Garry, CFP®, JD/MBA, Yardley Wealth Management, LLC

The public is misinformed about most aspects of financial planning and investments, and as the fields keep expanding, the gulf most consumers need to cross to understand them grows even faster. The subject matter is complicated. It doesn’t help that financial planning and investments are areas in which most people do a terrible job of judging their own competency, and in which most people have little or no training.

We don’t learn finance in grade school or high school, and most people don’t take it in college. We typically learn about it from our families and the media, neither of which necessarily have any particular expertise. I have met some people who have underestimated their financial knowledge and abilities and many, many more who have overestimated them.

As bad as the public’s knowledge of financial planning is, its misperceptions and faulty information about investments is probably worse. I have conversations on a regular basis with people who have no knowledge or experience with finance or investments who pursue all kinds of risky strategies: divorce lawyers trading options; doctors shorting stocks; and plumbers that day trade. They compound their problems greatly by not even knowing that what they are doing is risky! 

While investments have always been difficult for consumers to figure out, the ideas behind financial planning are still relatively new, and as the field grows it seems to get harder. There has been a surge in the available financial products, and much of the decision-making framework keeps changing. I think most people would be well served by working with a competent, independent financial planner.

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