An Outsiders Perspective

As I sit here half way through my sixth week of this 10 week internship, I reflect upon the things that I've learned from so far. My first lesson came my second week here when I found out just how strict the Allentown parking authority is. I missed my meter by less than 5 min and they had already ticketed me. I guess you haven't had the Old Allentown experience until you've experienced the promptness of the ticketing agents. All that aside though, I have learned quite a bit about a city that I grew up quite close to but never had the opportunity to get to know. I grew up in Lancaster, only about an hour away from Allentown, but other than driving through it on my way somewhere else, I had never before really spent any time here. I found the parts that I have experienced to be diversely culturally rich, as well as aesthetically impressive. For me, Allentown has turned out to be a combination of rich culture, impressive architecture, and historic presence.

One of my favorite travel destinations is Washington Heights, New York City. Washington Heights is a predominantly Dominican neighborhood with influences from many other Latin American cultures. "The Heights," as the neighborhood is referred to by locals is so rich with culture that all five senses are saturated. I have found the historic district of Allentown to be much the same. Everywhere that you look there are people proud of their history with Puerto Rican or Dominican flags hanging on a porch or in a car. The smell of "arroz con habichuelas" (or rice and beans) is present on almost every sidewalk due to such a high presence of Latin American Restaurants. On many sidewalks either Spanish conversation or music (or both) can be heard. Anyone adventurous enough to venture into any of the cultural restaurants will be greatly rewarded by some of the greatest flavors of any cuisine worldwide. Upon close examination of any building, especially one constructed of brick, the feel of the antiquity of the neighborhood is so obvious, yet it is equally obvious that most of the buildings are still in great condition.

It is the architectural beauty of the neighborhood that sets it apart from any New York City Borough. Old Allentown is as richly filled with architecture as it is with culture. Through walking around the neighborhood distributing the Elm Street Community Survey (please fill one out and return by September 1st) and working on a PowerPoint Presentation documenting all of the completed facade restorations to date, I have seen some really unique architecture. The detail put into the lentils, and the porches, the dedication to the historical accuracy of the shutters is something for any resident of the Historic District to be proud of.

With the resources and manpower available, OAPA has done a great job taking the time and attention to detail to pursue a dedication to historical architectural accuracy. Not only do they have an understanding of what the Historic District should look like, OAPA has also created literature to communicate that idea to the residents to help spread their mission to maintain a historic presence in the city of Allentown.

I have so far enjoyed the things that I've learned and the people that I have had the opportunity to meet. Each person has been able to offer me a unique perspective of the district, and each building that I have observed has shown me a different style of historic renovation. If you are a resident of the Allentown Historic District, be proud of the neighborhood you live in! As an outsider it has certainly impressed me.
Ciao,
Adam

Ice Cream For Us

Fellow residents and members of Old Allentown, Cheryl Moritz and her husband, Joshua Neth had a great treat for all their neighbors. Cheryl entered an online contest by writing an essay on what a wonderful neighborhood she lives in. In Edy's Slow Churned Neighborhood Salute, Cheryl saluted her neighbors and Edy's saluted her. Cheryl had wonderful news to share with us: she won "Edy's Slow Churned" ice cream for about 150 of her neighbors!! Her essay:"I live in a neighborhood that is a mix of well-preserved historic row homes and lower-income rental units. Unfortunately, the two groups that live in each of the aforementioned types of housing rarely have the opportunity to interact. An ice cream block party would be a perfect way to bring together the various social and economic groups that live in my neighborhood, and it would also be a perfect way for the community to celebrate and do something positive in an area that is often portrayed negatively in the media for being crime filled. Many people in my neighborhoodare trying hard to change the community for the better, and an Edy's Slow Churned Neighborhood Salute ice cream block party would be the perfect reward for our efforts and a wonderful impetus to encourage more positive change." So Sunday, July 12th the pocket park at Turner and Fountain Streets was filled with neighbors having an awesome time in the great weather. There were many delicious flavors to choose from. There was also an art table for our youth.

Plaza Grower's Market

Downtown Allentown has a wonderful farmer's market every wednesday through October from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. The Plaza Grower's Market is held at the PPL Plaza on 9th and Hamilton Streets. The official ribbon cutting ceremony took place Wednesday, July 8th, 2009. The Plaza was filled with people enjoying the beautiful weather and the bountiful array of selections. Locals and tourists alike were marveling at the quality of the fresh produce, flowers and food available. Young and old gathered to participate in a large drum circle led by local artist Yodi from the Street Theater Alliance. The delicious scents of the foods, the live entertainment and the sounds of our youth running through the splash fountain almost made one stop to think, "Wait, are we downtown? Is this a Wednesday afternoon?"
A popular stop at the market is Tassot Apiaries of Milford, NJ. Not only do they have the best honey, they also bring an amazing beehive honeycomb with queen bee and all!! You can watch the busy bees through the glass working on the production of honey.


Other tables include Balasia, where Wendy makes vegan delights; Riegel's Produce of Kempton; Fresh Coffee Scoop of Pipersville, PA, offering organic, free trade, locally roasted coffee; Allentown's own Vicky's Sweet Spot, featuring delicious baked goods; LC's Farm Alastar of Riegelsville, PA, with home grown produce, fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, and herbs; Woodsong Hollow Farm of Boyertown, PA with chicken and eggs; Little Peace Farm of Schuylkill Haven, PA with vegetables; Keepsake Farm of Northampton, PA with eggs and meat; and Highland Gourmet of Stockertown, NJ with all natural beef products. Among these you will find community tables offering information, services, or products. You may find sunlv.org for community gardens, Community Bikeworks, Local Artists, Blurb Media Productions, Chen Arts Group, plus many more!!

Be a witness to the sights, sounds, and smells: Come one and all to the Plaza Grower's Market next wednesday!

Union West End Cemetery Rehab Volunteers

The Union West End Cemetery’s wrought iron fence has been in need of a paint job for some time, but because of its extensive length of over a mile, there was no one to take on the massive job, or at least there wasn’t until the youth group from Westover Church from Greensboro, North Carolina showed up ready, able and willing to take on the challenge. The group of about 200 youth and 45 adults arrived in Allentown on Saturday, June 20th. Each year the church picks a destination for the trip, dubbed “Project Serve” because of its service oriented theme. One of the adult leaders, Kaz, told me how the group had originally planned to go down south to do flood and hurricane relief, but after a series of attempts fell through, the leaders felt that they needed to search for a different location, and after much searching, the leaders felt called to PA.

After getting in contact with the mayor’s office, whom Kaz told me was a great resource to work with, the group found a place to stay and projects that needed to be done. The group divided themselves into smaller “work teams,” each with 1 adult leader and the rest eager workers, each at various points in their high school career. All of the youth that I spoke with seemed very excited to be in Allentown working. Many of them had given up opportunities to work, be part of swim team, or time to lounge around and enjoy summer vacation, to come out and work in the hot sun. Olivia, one of the youth, told me as she was preparing the fence with a wire brush, in preparation for a paint crew that she really enjoys the opportunity to get out into an unfamiliar community and have the chance to talk to people one on one about their lives, and to help them in any way possible.

This theme was echoed by Matt and Julie, also high school youth, who conveyed their enthusiasm for being able to talk to people about why they were there and what they were doing. For Julie, this is just an extension of her service at home where she frequently spends time feeding and talking to the homeless. Jon, the youth pastor and fearless leader of the team summed things up well as he explained to me that the youth on this trip are simply looking for a way to get alongside and help people who are unable to, or can’t afford to things themselves. Whatever their motivation, we at OAPA are extremely grateful for all of the sacrifice and hard work that they have given to Allentown. To all of the team, thank you very much, hope you have lots of fun at Hersheypark!!

Join Us for the 6th Annual Street Festival!

Safe, Clean & Green at the Flower & Flea Market

PLANT SWAP!
Spring is here and it’s time to garden! A great way to
clean up the garden is to separate overgrown plants—
hence the plant swap. Too many hostas? Dig up a few
and trade them for some daisies. It’s easy, bring a plant
and swap it for another.


SPRUCE UP YOUR STOOP!
Safe, Clean & Green invites you to bring a recycled
container and we’ll plant it for you for free!
Be creative...perhaps an old boot, or a funky bowl.
Peruse the Flower & Flea Market for some great finds.
Then, stop on by, and we’ll plant your unique container
with some dazzling annuals that will add color to your
stoop and the neighborhood all summer long!

Spring Clean Up In Old Allentown!

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

to have some
FUN & HELP US
clean up OUR neighborhood -

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009

Pick up garbage bags & gloves at the OAPA office
147 N. 10th St., Allentown
9AM and throughout the day.

Surprise appearances from
the Wildlands Conservancy
Noon - 2PM

Refreshments.

Gloves, brooms, bags provided by
City of Allentown Recycling.

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Tire Processors & Recyclers in our area:

Carbon Service, Lehighton, PA................610-377-3120
Lafarge Cement, Whitehall, PA.................610-261-3450
Northampton Generating, Northampton, PA.........610-261-3070