Throwing a net around town...

Bloomers and Things, on South Main Street in Allentown, has been gearing up for the Holidays with new Holiday-themed ceramic pieces. When I stopped by this week to check out the new offerings, I met two Moms and two Daughters out for a little "Pre-Holiday Girls Day Out!"
Michele Anthony and her 5 1/2 year old daughter Noelle were busily painting a snowman bowl to give to Grandmom for a holiday gift. Ellen Plank and her 5 1/2 year old daughter Ava were also painting a snowman bowl and chatted with me as they painted. "We are next-door neighbors and our daughters were born 5 days apart" shared Ellen, when I asked her how they met. Noelle told me, that they are good friends and "we are in the same school but not in the same class." ... more

The hockey fields at Allentown High School were alive with ultimate Frisbee today after school, as the athletic department held a tournament to raise money for new Phys Ed equipment. Twelve teams of faculty and students went toe to toe enjoying this warm November afternoon. With the entire Physical Education department on hand to make sure each match ran smoothly, teams of six players and subs took to the fields in different colored shirts to determine ultimate Frisbee superiority. Each player pledged $10 to participate in the tourney which bought them a T shirt and a place on a team with the remaining money going to the Phys Ed fund, explained Brian Nice, PE teacher and coach of the varsity baseball team. In total, 98 players signed up and showed up for this, the second fundraiser of its kind at AHS. “The first time we tried it was in June and it did very well,” said Nice. “We’ll probably do it again later in the year with basketball or flag football.” ... more

Allentown.TV would like to welcome “Earth Goddess” a new store in the Imlay Mansion, to our lovely hamlet. Earth Goddess Jewelry and Gifts celebrated their Grand Opening the week before the Harvest Festival. The entire store is dedicated to “Eco Friendly” designs meaning that most of the products sold are either made out of recycled materials or reduce and reuse the Earth’s limited resources.

Local Allentown residents Sandy and Rick Lobley are the owners and operators of Earth Goddess Jewelry and Gifts. Helping to preserve the environment and supporting the “green movement” are a top priority for the Lobley’s. ... more

Home Coming Game!

This from the school Alert Now System:

In anticipation of the extreme weather conditions forecasted for Saturday, October 24th, AHS has rescheduled all homecoming events to Friday, October 23rd. The parade will begin at 4:00 PM from the Bank of America on Main Street in Allentown and proceed to the high school. The football game against Pennington will begin at 6:00 PM. The homecoming court will be announced with their parents during half time of the game. The homecoming dance will be from 8:00 PM until 11:00 PM. The dance will be in the old gym. The cost is $10.00. Students that attend the football game and go to the dance at the end of the game will get in for 1/2 price.

It seems like only yesterday that MaryEllen Fisher was having a conversation with her landlord, and they wanted her to sign a 5 year lease for her hair salon.
“Are you kidding!” was her initial response. That seemed like such a long time to commit and what if her new business didn’t catch on? She wanted to sign a 2 year lease, just in case.
This year MaryEllen Fisher is celebrating her 20th Anniversary of Mane Street Hairstyling at her 9 South Main Street location. ... more

Witches Night Out on Church Street!

Now that Debra Hammond-Ocasio is finished running the Allentown Harvest Festival, this owner of Chocolate and Dreams and Chocolate Lounge should be taking a well earned rest. But as they say, you can’t keep a good person down- So,…

Guess who’s hosting “Witches Night Out?” Debra, as well as the other shops on Church Street will be greeting guests with Spooktacular Goodies and contests on Thursday, October 22nd between the witching hours of 6 and 9pm. ... more

Bloomers and Things is celebrating their 10th anniversary in the borough of Allentown this month! Owner, Debbie Personette, feels that those ten years flew by quickly. Her shoppe has undergone many changes, originally known for flowers and custom arrangements, then adding upscale gifts and jewelry, now expanding to a crafters dream, offering paint your own ceramics, make your own mosaics, glass fusing, paint me T-shirts, sterling clay jewelry, and much more.

Debbie is a very creative person and enjoys many artistic pursuits which she offers in her shoppe. When we talked recently, she excitedly shared her latest idea for kids.
“It’s called Paint Me T’s. The kids or adults use special paints and paper to make a picture or design and then we take it and transfer it onto the shirt and they can take it home that day.” The Paint Me designs can also be transferred onto back packs and tote bags which make great gifts. And the kids T-shirts, at only $19.95 finished, don’t break the bank. ... more

Click on this green box to see the entertainment schedule for the Harvest Fest!

October 10th and 11th are going to be a very big deal in our small village of Allentown, NJ! This is when our whole town will get together and close down the Main Street to celebrate the historic and unique place we call home. From 9am till 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday, join us for everything from food and crafts to ROBOTS and a petting zoo!

Don’t miss the Antique Car Show which will be located behind the Methodist Church on Church Street- And while you are there, consider taking a Horse & Carriage ride, which runs both days from noon to 3pm, from the carriage stop behind the Methodist Church, and goes through Heritage Park and back for $5 a person. ... more

Just got this email from Dr. Fitzpatrick...

Dear Parents,
On Wednesday evening October 7, 2009 just before 6:00pm a small contained grease fire was detected in the cooking area of the Senior Cafeteria of the Allentown High School. The school was quickly evacuated and multiple fire departments responded. There were no injuries and there was minimal damage to the area. The area must be cleaned and inspected by the Health Department before it can be reopened for lunch service. Arrangements for lunch will be announced to the students in the morning.
Some students were restricted from reentering the building at the conclusion after school sports and activities and, as a result, were unable to get their books necessary to complete their homework. Teachers have been made aware of this situation and have been asked to excuse these students from their homework assignments. We appreciate the help of the staff and fire officials and are grateful that there were no injuries or damage to the facility. Dr. Fitzpatrick

No visit to Allentown NJ, would be complete without a delectable trip to Swal Dairy. I stopped in today and had a conversation with owner, Marie Swal, who is celebrating her 4th season in the borough. In addition to the delicious ice cream treats, Autumn’s chill has brought back gourmet hot soups and chili to the corner shop. During my visit, Taylor Lefebvre ladled the Chicken Pot Pie soup for me, the New England Clam Chowder for my husband James, and my son Zak chose the Philly Cheese Steak soup. We sampled each others soups and each one was awesome! Other soups offered include Chicken and Dumplings, Turkey and Roasted Sweet Corn and Vegetarian Vegetable. In fact, Swal tries to offer 7 different soups and one chili daily. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Swal’s has sandwiches to go along with the soup. In the mood for a warm sweet treat? Swal has creamy hot chocolate, cappuccino, and coffees and teas. ... more

Allentown.TV welcomes Pet Life of Allentown, a new store on Main Street in the borough, across from the Allentown Pharmacy. This family business is owned and operated by mother, Denise and daughter, Sabrina, and has been open for nearly 5 months. When I visited recently, I met Sabrina, a very friendly pet lover who has 2 dogs, Kyara, a Chihuahua, and Pugsley, a pug, and several cats and kittens.

I asked Sabrina what the most interesting thing about her Pet Store was and she told me that she is very proud that they sell only holistic, natural food for pets. As a fellow pet-lover, I was impressed to see the selection of foods available in their store. They stock foods and toys for dogs, cats, ferrets, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. ... more

Allentown Village Hardware is full of new surprises this year. For one thing, a fresh produce stand graced the front of the store this summer, where customers could stop by and select fresh, ripe, Jersey tomatoes and bell peppers among other vegetable offerings. Owner Brian Swal said that the Farm Stand did so well this summer he plans to offer it again next year. In the rear of the building, two large tents were chock full of flowers and plants in the new garden center. In fact, if you’ve noticed the large garden containers at businesses throughout Allentown borough, they were created by our friends at Allentown Hardware. And you can stop in and have one made especially for you. ... more

It seems hard to believe that Heather Saracen, owner of the popular Allentown candy shop, “The Sweetest Things- Candy Store & Gift Shop," has been on Main Street for six years already. It seems like only yesterday that my son, Zak, was in there ogling the walls of goodies, planning his next purchase. Well, okay, it WAS yesterday, but he’s been doing this for six years now.

And speaking of the “Sweetest Things," during my visit, Heather was accompanied by one of her business partners, her nine-month-old, Ava, whose engaging smile (flashing her two bottom teeth), could charm the socks off of any candy customer. I asked Heather what she planned to feature this Harvest Festival weekend to hear what my son had to look forward to. He will not be disappointed, as they are planning to offer nachos, popcorn, soft pretzels, chocolate covered pretzels, and water ice outside, as well as all of the inside goodies, such as cookie & candy trays, goodie baskets, gourmet chocolates, gifts and the wall of candy bins. ... more

I stopped into Woody’s this morning and ordered a delicious Egg Beaters Omelet with American cheese, mushrooms, broccoli and green peppers. OMG! So yummy, and some iced tea, which I am seriously addicted to. While enjoying my breakfast treats, I chatted with Jan, who has worked as a waitress at Woody’s for eight years. She is always up-beat and friendly and has a kind word for everyone.

I inquired as to whether Woody’s was planning to be open during the Harvest Festival this weekend, October 10th and 11th, and was happy to hear that they would indeed be open for business. As I plan to be at the Harvest Fest, both days, lending a hand at the Allentown High School Redbird Robotics Team Booth, a snack at Woody’s here and there will hit the spot! ... more