Weekend Guide, April 26 to 28

It's a great weekend to do some gardening and/or spring cleaning, and there's opportunity to do both. Then, why not treat yourself and have a good time out on the town too...

Friday, April 26

Earth Night event: 6 to 9 p.m. The event will feature two new art exhibits and the launch of Nurture Nature Center's fundraising campaign to support their "Urban Recycle Garden", which "will demonstrate beautiful, creative and low-cost ways people can grow food and manage stormwater." Nurture Nature Center, 518 Northampton St. www.nurturenaturecenter.com RSVPs from those attending are appreciated--email here.

Line Dancing: 7 to 10:30 p.m. Lessons at 7:15 p.m. $5 per person for members, $6 for non-members. Tatamy Fire Company, 164 Bushkill St., Tatamy. 610-759-2786 or www.purecountrydancers.com

Notorious Grooves, DJ Massimo: Band at 7:30 p.m., DJ at 10:30 p.m.  Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Orpheus Concert: 8 p.m.  Hugo Wolf's Italian Serenade and Arnold Schoenberg's "Transfigured Night." With Gabriel Kahane, piano and vocals. Tickets are $33. Lafayette College, Williams Center for the Arts, 317 Hamilton St. 610-330-5009 or williamscenter.lafayette.edu

Steve McDaniel: 8 p.m. The Riegelsville Inn, 12 Delaware Road, Riegelsville. 610-749-0100 or www.riegelsvilleinn.com

Pour Man’s Band: 9 p.m. Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti House, 136-138 Spring Garden St. 610-252-3033 or www.colonialpizzapub.com

Patrick Poladian: 9 p.m. Two Rivers Brewing Company, 542 Northampton St. 610-829-1131 or www.tworiversbrewing.com

John Kimock Project: 10 p.m. With special guests. Porters' Pub, 700 Northampton St. 610-250-6561 or www.porterspubeaston.com

DJ Realion: 10 p.m. Pearly Baker's Alehouse, 11 Centre Square. 610-253-9949 or www.pearlybakers.net

Saturday, April 27

Easton City-wide Clean Up: Volunteers will pick up trash, plant flowers, along with other efforts to spruce up their chosen neighborhood location. At various locations in the , West Ward, Downtown and Southside. Click here for more information.

Forks of the Delaware Shad Fishing Tournament and Festival: Begins today and runs daily through May 3. Scott Park, Larry Holmes Drive (just south of the free bridge). www.shadtournament.com

Annual City of Easton Surplus Auction: Item inspection at 8 a.m., auction begins at 10 a.m. A number of unusual and unique items will be offered at this event. Easton Public Works complex, 500 Bushkill St. Click here for more information. CANCELLED (presumably a new date will be announced in the near future)

Easton City Hall open: 8:30 to noon. The city finance department will be open for  for payments of property taxes, utility bills, per capita taxes, and other tax payments. A representative of Portnoff Law offices will be there to answer questions on payment plans or filings by Portnoff on the city's behalf. 1 South Third St.

Easton Farmers' Market Winter Mart: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is the last weekend of the indoor market--the outdoor market on Centre Square resumes next Saturday, May 4. Fresh, local organic produce, all-natural pastured meat, farm-fresh eggs, artisan cheese and bread, baked goods, prepared foods, more. Nurture Nature Center, 518 Northampton St. 610-253-4432 or www.eastonfarmersmarket.com

Championship CFA Cat Show & Feline Agility: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Watch cats run their paces in feline agility, and meet special guest Hope, the calico exotic shorthair star of the  Toyota commercial.  Visit with exhibitors, see the cats up close and “purrsonal." Local exhibitors and shelters will also be present. Charles Chrin Community Center, 4100 Green Pond Road, Palmer Township.

Prescription Drug Drop Off: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Part of the DEA's national Take Back Initiative. Old and unused prescription drugs can be dropped off in an effort to keep narcotics off the streets. Giant Food Store, Town Center Shopping Center, Town Center Boulevard, Forks Township.

Decorated Egg Art Show & Sale: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $4 per person, free for kids 12 and under. Forks Township Community Center, 500 Zucksville Road, Forks Township. 610-252-4324 or www.eggsoriginal.com

YMCA Healthy Kids Day: Noon to 4 p.m. Easton Library story time, Easton Block Watch fingerprinting, Zumba, karate. gymnastics, rookie rugby, basketball, soccer, yoga, kid's obstacle boot camp, tennis, face painting and crafts, Easton Fire Department demonstrations, and more. Family YMCA, 1225 W. Lafayette St. www.familyymca.org

Jazz Day Celebration: 6:30 p.m. The Easton Area High School Jazz Band and Spatial Edition, a classic jazz quartet, will be featured. Free. Riverside Park Amphitheatre, Larry Holmes Drive, just north of the free bridge. Click here for more information.

Groovy 60's Dance party with The Large Flowerheads: 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 in  advance, $15, at the door. Strausser Community Center, 2400 Liberty St. 610-442-3230 or www.largeflowerheads.com

Since the Fire, OLVO, Trailer Park Sex: 7 p.m. Plus two more bands...Mother's Bar & Grille, 3 Lehn's Court (just off of Centre Square). 610-253-1012

UFC 159: 7:30 p.m. Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Frank Giasullo: 8 p.m. The Riegelsville Inn, 12 Delaware Road, Riegelsville. 610-749-0100 or www.riegelsvilleinn.com

Burnt Orange Trio: 8 p.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelsvilletavern.com

Doug Hawk, BD Lenz, Kevin Soffera: 9 p.m. Two Rivers Brewing Company, 542 Northampton St. 610-829-1131 or www.tworiversbrewing.com

Truth n Soul: 9 p.m. The Widow's Tavern, 200 Main St., Stockertown. 610-365-8890 or www.widowstavern.com

John Kimock Project: 10 p.m. With special guests. Porters' Pub, 700 Northampton St. 610-250-6561 or www.porterspubeaston.com

Modern Romantz: 10 p.m. Pearly Baker's Alehouse, 11 Centre Square. 610-253-9949 or www.pearlybakers.net

Sunday, April 28

Championship CFA Cat Show & Feline Agility: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Watch cats run their paces in feline agility, and meet special guest Hope, the calico exotic shorthair star of the  Toyota commercial.  Visit with exhibitors, see the cats up close and “purrsonal." Local exhibitors and shelters will also be present. Charles Chrin Community Center, 4100 Green Pond Road, Palmer Township.

Children's Fraktur Art Workshop: 10 a.m. to noon. Free, for children 8 to 12. Reservations required. The Sigal Museum, 342 Northampton St. 610-253-1222 or www.sigalmusuem.org

Decorated Egg Art Show & Sale: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $4 per person, free for kids 12 and under. Forks Township Community Center, 500 Zucksville Road, Forks Township. 610-252-4324 or www.eggsoriginal.com

Bingo and Vendor Shopping: Noon to 5 p.m. Benefits the RSD Foundation. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Palmer Township Fire Hall, 950 South 27th St., Palmer Township.

Longaberger Basket Bingo: Doors open at 1 p.m., bingo begins at 2 p.m. Admission is $20. St. John's United Church of Christ, 651 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-749-2567

Open Mic Hosted by Jim Stocker: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelsvilletavern.com

Save the Date!

The annual  Historic Easton House Tour, a self-guided tour of seven historic properties, three public spaces and an artisan session on restoration and preservation,  is set for Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advance tickets for $20 are available online at www.eastonmainstreet.org and at a number of locations in the city. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the tour at Riverside Park for $25.

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Last updated on Saturday, April 27, at 1:37 p.m.

Karl Stirner Arts Trail Gets a Spring Cleaning



Volunteers from the College Hill Neighborhood Association, from left to right,
Josh Rae, Liz and Jerry Nissen, Nancy Amacker, and Jim and Christina Helms.
Photo by Becky Bradley

About 40 concerned citizens came together to give some TLC to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail Saturday morning.

Included in the mix were Friends of the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, members of the College Hill Neighborhood Association, members of the Delta Upsilon fraternity at Lafayette College, representatives from the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership, and even whole families who just enjoy the bit of nature the trail offers in the midst of the City of Easton.



Two volunteers prepare tree protectors for the many young
saplings along the Karl Stirner Arts Trail during the clean up
event on Saturday morning.
Photo by Brian Gish.



 

The second annual spring clean up event was sponsored by the city's planning department, whose staff also got their hands dirty to beautify the trail which included adding tree protection to saplings, picking up trash, and generally sprucing things up for the many residents and visitors who regularly stroll, hike, bike, and fish along the path that skirts the Bushkill Creek.



West Ward resident Jim Bloom, Chief City Planner
(and Downtown resident) Brian Gish, and Charles Elliot,
a Downtown business owner, College Hill resident
 and chairman of the Easton Planning Commission,
take a moment to admire the results of their labor.
Photo by Becky Bradley.




One young volunteer noted that while the event was planned and organized by adults, kids such as himself make a serious contribution that shouldn't be underestimated.

"Kids are more efficient than adults because adults just watch the news and drink beer," he reportedly told Chief City Planner Brian Gish.


  

Volunteers Owen Amacker, 8, Georgina Amacker, 5, and
Bianca Sessegilo, 11, take a brief break from their trail clean
up efforts Saturday morning.
Photo by Becky Bradley.



And, while the Karl Stirner Arts Trail has been open for nearly two years and even includes a dog park for the city's canine residents and their humans to enjoy, there are still more improvements that have been recently completed and coming in the near future.

The public is invited to a celebration of the trail's new Grace Gate this Tuesday, April 23, at 2 p.m.

The gate was designed and executed by renowned sculptor Willie Cole.

Parking will be available at the Lafayette College parking lot at the corner of North Third Street and Snyder Street, with shuttle service to the event site.

In case of rain, check www.easton-pa.gov for details on an alternate location for the celebration.

For those that missed the event and wish to contribute to city beautification, there is a citywide clean up event planned for next weekend, on Saturday, April 27.

Arts Trail Cleanup Seeks Volunteers

Click on the map for a better view.

Many people use the Karl Stirner Arts Trail to run, bike, stroll, walk their dogs, fish, and just generally enjoy a bit of nature along the banks of the Bushkill Creek, and now  that spring has arrived, the City of Easton Planning Department wants to ensure it looks good for the season.

The Second Annual Karl Stirner Arts Trail Spring Cleanup event is set for Saturday, April 20, from 8:30 to 11 a.m., and volunteers are needed to help with the effort to rid the trail of bits of trash that have accumulated over the winter.

The City of Easton will provide garbage bags and gloves for volunteers, who can sign in to the event at the blue bridge off of Bushkill Drive or at the North 13th Street entrance.

Parking for the clean up event is also provided nearby, at the trail's North 13th Street entrance and at 500 Bushkill Street (near Safe Harbor).

Advice for volunteers from last year's cleanup includes wearing long sleeves and long pants, wearing work or garden gloves, and bringing a filled water bottle.

In case of rain, the cleanup will be postponed until the next day, on Sunday, April 21, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

Those not available on April 20 who would still like to contribute to the trail cleanup effort are welcome to bring their own garbage bag and collect trash any time. Bags can be left in any of the trail's garbage cans or carried out.

If trash cans along the trail are full, the planning department asks that people let them know at 610-250-6721.

The first of several events for the season along the trail is set for Tuesday, April 23 at 2 p.m., when the dedication of "Grace Gate" by artist Willie Cole will take place. The public is invited.

To directly view or download the clean up event flyer, with a map for volunteers, click here.

For more information about the trail and future events planned for the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, call the phone number above or visit the Friends of the Karl Stirner Arts Trail Facebook page.