Friday, November 1, 2013

Droves of Trick-or-Treaters Haunt the Streets of Easton

By Christina Georgiou

A small group of trick-or-treaters cross Ferry Street in Easton's
West Ward on Halloween night in search of sweets.
Last year, Superstorm Sandy nearly canceled Halloween entirely. The year before, a freak ice storm put a serious damper on the holiday.

So perhaps it's no wonder that Easton kids seemed more eager than usual this year to don their costumes and hit the streets at the first opportunity to go trick-or-treating and claim a generous share of candy.

Hordes of children and their parents were seen parading the sidewalks seconds after the official trick-or-treat time began at 6 p.m., often in groups of a dozen or two at a clip, with the traditional cry of "trick or treat!" on their lips as they stopped at the numerous houses where people with buckets of candy doled out treats. Polite choruses of "thank you!" followed in nearly every case.

Children collect candy from a house along Ferry Street
Thursday evening.
Click on any photo for a full size view.
In many cases, those buckets and bowls were emptied long before the designated trick-or-treat time--8 p.m.--had come even close to expiring.

Along the 900 block of Ferry Street, most were candy-less by 6:30 p.m. or shortly thereafter.

"We bought $50 worth of candy. I can't believe I'm out," said one father whose children were out trick-or-treating with his wife. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe go in the house, turn off the lights and hide."

Two doors down, one woman mused that she might start giving out quarters as her supply of sweets dwindled.

A block up the street, the supply lasted a little longer, but not much.

The Easton Weed and Seed "Light the Night" event in
Centennial Park drew hundreds of trick-or-treaters
last night for Halloween.
"I've never seen this many trick-or-treaters," said one woman, as she handed out candy. "I don't think my supply is going to hold out."

But the costumed crowd seemed undaunted by the houses that ran out of candy before their arrival, and shrugging, they moved on in search of more sweets.

Hundreds of trick-or-treaters in the West Ward converged on Easton Weed and Seed's "Light the Night" event at Centennial Park, at South 12th and Ferry streets. The event's popularity and location may account too for why so many houses along the Ferry Street route were host to the inordinate number of trick-or-treaters.

Lit by strings of light bulbs, "Light the Night" attendees enjoyed hundreds of hot dogs provided by business owner Nick Alfero and hot chocolate and cookies served up by Rose of Sharon Church.

A Lafayette College sorority member hands out candy
at the Easton Weed and Seed "Light the Night" event
held at Centennial Park on Halloween Thursday evening.
Greek organizations from Lafayette College, along with Easton police and fire department members, handed out small mountains of candy to trick-or-treaters, joined by a number of local community groups, including the Easton Area Community Center, the Crime Victims Council, Legacy Ministries, and a number of individuals who donated their time--and more candy--to the event.

But even well-stocked, some at the event ran out of sweets.

"We spent $500 on candy," one Lafayette College sorority member was overheard saying a little after 7 p.m. "I can't believe it's all gone."

Another Lafayette group, undeterred, passed out Pop-Tarts in place of candy when their supply ran out.

Members of the Easton Police Department hand out
candy bars to trick-or-treaters during Easton Weed
and Seed's "Light the Night" event Thursday night
at Centennial Park.

But the crowds of costumed children didn't seem at all unhappy. All the sweets had, after all, been transferred into their well-stuffed trick-or-treat bags.





Zombies were very popular this year.














































Weekend Guide, November 1 to 3

After all that candy, this is a good weekend to take it easy...And Easton is, of course, just the place for it. Don't forget, you get an extra hour to sleep in this weekend too!

Friday, November 1


Rummage Sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food and bake sale too. First United Church of Christ, 27 N. Third St. 610-258-3361

Jeff Bellfy and Company, DJ Nicky K: Band at 7:30 p.m., DJ at 11 p.m..  Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Night of 1,000 Divines: 8 p.m. to midnight. A tribute to the quintessential counterculture drag queen of the 20th century. "Stuff it, fluff it, fill it out..." A "Best in Show" prize will go to the best Divine costume. La Pazza Bar, 1251 Ferry St. 610-515-0888 or www.lapazza.com

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

Bobby Clark: 9 p.m. Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti House, 136-138 Spring Garden St. 610-252-3033 or www.colonialpizzapub.com 

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

DJ Mikey Z: 10 p.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelsvilletavern.com

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

Jim Stocker: 10 p.m. Dub's on Fifth, 402 South Fifth St., West Easton. 610-438-3827 or www.dubson5th.com

Saturday, November 2


Rummage Sale: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bag sale! Food and bake sale too. First United Church of Christ, 27 N. Third St. 610-258-3361

Easton Farmers' Market: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The oldest continuous open-air in the United States. Centre Square. www.eastonfarmersmarket.com

Fish Dinner: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Baked or fried. Adults $9 in advance, $10 at the door; children ages 6 to 12 years $4 in advance, $5 at the door; children 5 and under are free.  Wheelchair accessible. Christ United Methodist Church, 400 West Berwick St. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling 610-258-4762.

Lehigh Valley Wine Auction & Gala: 6 to 9 p.m. Join wine expert Maria Helm Sinsky for a wine tasting and pairings from local restaurants, plus silent and live auctions. Tickets are $80 per person. Benefits the Children's Home of Easton and the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society. Attire is smart casual. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St. Click here for more details and to purchase tickets online.

Free Texas Hold'em: 7 & 9 p.m. Registration is 15 minutes prior to each game. La Pazza Bar, 1251 Ferry St. 610-515-0888 or www.lapazza.com

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

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

Rocky and Friends: 9 p.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelsvilletavern.com
 
Jack Furlong Quartet: 9:30 p.m. The Lafayette Bar, 11 North 4th St. 610-252-0711 or www.lafayettebarjazz.com

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

Uncle Rocco: 10 p.m. Dub's on Fifth, 402 South Fifth St., West Easton. 610-438-3827 or www.dubson5th.com

DJ LAX: 11 p.m. Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Sunday, November 3

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. Don't forget to "fall back" and turn your clocks back one hour!

BC Combo: 5:30 p.m. Bella Luna, 3417 Sullivan Trail, Forks Township. 610-253-7458




Save the Date!



 Bacon Fest II will be the place to be next Saturday, November 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This Easton Farmers' Market event on Centre Square promises more bacon-y goodness and goodies than we could possibly describe in one little paragraph, so click here and here to find out all about it. Or visit www.pabaconfest.com



Easton's most comprehensive guide to what's happening over the weekend, in the city and beyond, is published every Friday.

Are you planning an event? Did we miss something? Let us know! Email us.

Sponsoring the Weekend Guide is an excellent way to advertise your local business. Plus, you get a permanent link to your website, also a great way to drive more traffic to your door. It's affordable  too. Email us for details.


Thursday, October 31, 2013

Cheeburger Cheeburger Brings Diner Style to Downtown Easton

By Christina Georgiou

More than 100 locals packed Downtown Easton's newest restaurant,
Cheeburger Cheeburger, to sample burgers, fries, and the eatery's
signature milkshakes during a ribbon-cutting event held Wednesday afternoon.
More than 100 locals packed Downtown Easton's newest restaurant, Cheeburger Cheeburger, to sample burgers, fries, and the eatery's signature milkshakes during a ribbon-cutting event held Wednesday afternoon.

Cheeburger Cheeburger officially opens to the public today at 11:30 a.m. The new restaurant fills a niche in Downtown Easton's growing collection of eateries, Mayor Sal Panto said.

"It adds, not to our culinary destinations on the high end, but adds to a part we’re missing. There’s nothing like it in Easton," Panto told the crowd.

Frank Aversa and John Jaindl, third and fourth from the right,
cut the ribbon at their new Cheeburger Cheeburger restaurant
Wednesday afternoon.


Local State Representative Bob Freeman, a lifelong Eastonian, was also on hand for the event, and concurred.

"I think you'll find a ready audience for milkshakes and cheeseburgers here in Easton," he said. "This fills a missing piece of the restaurant puzzle here in Easton."

With a high-camp 50s diner-theme, including Hollywood icons such as Marilyn Monroe and the Blues Brothers adorning the walls, the casual restaurant offers an impressive array of choices to customize burgers and similar options to "invent" milkshakes and fries.

Salads, sandwiches, wraps, and melts round out the menu.

Prices for most menu offerings range from just over $5 to about $10.99 for a 20-ounce burger or platters. Cheeburger's signature milkshakes are $4.99, or $3.99 for the half size.

The Easton franchise is owned by partners Frank Aversa and John Jaindl.

One of Cheeburger Cheeburger's
signature milkshakes in the making.
Aversa, who owned a Cheeburger location in Flemington, NJ, discovered Easton through developer Mark Mulligan, who owns the Pomeroy building where Cheeburger is located. The two worked together on Flemington's Business Improvement District.

Aversa said he otherwise hadn't really heard of Easton, until Mulligan suggested the  city as a good location.

"We had no clue, being from Jersey," he said. "But we were blown away."

Aversa said that in addition to the opportunity Easton offers, the city has already been a pleasant place to do business.

"I've opened up a bunch of these, and the people in city hall were so courteous and helpful. I've never seen that," he said.

The new restaurant employs about 60 people in full- and part-time positions, and all that were hired are local to Easton, Aversa said.

Cheeburger Cheeburger opens its doors to the public today and is open seven days a week.

Diane Bower, Manuel Fresneda , Marcel Bedoya, and Steve Flowers toast with french fries at the opening
celebration of Cheeburger Cheeburger on Wednesday
afternoon.
For now, hours will be from 11:30 a.m. to late evenings on weekdays, and open until about 2 a.m. on weekends. As the restaurant gets established, it plans to be open 24 hours a day on weekends, which will offer another place in the Downtown district where people can get a bite to eat after the bars close.

Cheeburger Cheeburger is located at 336 Northampton St. Reach them by phone at 610-438-1311. Take-out is available.

More about the restaurant can also be found online at www.cheeburger.com


Man Arrested as Police Raid Nets Heroin and Crack Cocaine

A warranted search of a home at 1227 Spruce St. in Easton's West Ward neighborhood  by city police early this morning led to the arrest of one man and the seizure of quantities of  heroin and crack cocaine, police report.

Jaronzia Fletcher, 39, was arrested at about 6 a.m. at the residence after police found about $2,500 worth of heroin and $100 of crack cocaine, authorities said.

Fletcher will face charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance for the heroin and possession of a controlled substance for the crack cocaine that was found, it was added.

Police said the search was the result of an investigation that was begun in September that focused on the sale of heroin in the neighborhood.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Daddy's Place Brings Lebanese Cuisine to Easton's West Ward

By Christina Georgiou

Lebanese and Mediterranean goodies, all made fresh on the premises, greet
restaurant guests in the case just inside the front door at Daddy's Place.
Click on any photo for a full size view.
Daddy's Place opened quietly this past Friday, but the new West Ward Easton restaurant isn't likely to stay a secret for very long.

Located on Northampton Street just a couple of blocks outside of the city's Downtown district in the former Northampton Glass building, which has been completely renovated, the new eatery offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with more than 250 craft beers to pair with meals or to take out.

Daddy's Place offers an impressive
selection of more than 250 domestic
and imported craft beers.
With a menu that ranges from Lebanese and Mediterranean specialties that will be familiar to anyone who has ever attended the city's popular Lebanese Heritage Days festival to classic American fare like brick oven pizza, hamburgers, cheesesteaks, fries, and wings, all Daddy's Place offerings are freshly made on the premises, promises owner Lena Koorie, who is running the new bistro with her husband Sharbel.


"The dough, I make it every day," she said, in between preparing mini tomato pies Tuesday afternoon. "I want it that way. That's how we eat at home, so why not."

Just-made tomato pies go into the brick oven to bake.
Lena Koorie, right, makes mini tomato
pies Tuesday afternoon.
Just inside the door, restaurant guests are greeted by a mouth-watering array of ready-to-go ethnic goodies, including spinach and meat pies, hummus, tabbouleh salad, kibbe, stuffed grape leaves, and more.

Even the chick peas for the hummus are cooked fresh, never canned, Koorie said.

"It's a lot of work, but it's worth it," she said.

A batch of stuffed grape leaves in the
making.
Tomato, spinach, meat, and cheese pies, along
with other delectables cool on a rack at
Daddy's Place on Tuesday afternoon.
In the back of the kitchen, three people patiently assembled the next batch of stuffed grape leaves, one by one.

Despite all the labor and love that goes into the food, prices for most menu items are moderate.

Koorie, along with her husband Sharbel and their five children, live just blocks away from their new restaurant, and they want Daddy's Place to be a gathering place for those that live in the neighborhood.

"I want people to feel comfortable," Koorie said. "People can walk here. We don't have anything like this (in the West Ward), and we need it."

Sugar pie, a Lebanese sweet reminiscent
of a baked doughnut, was one of the
special desserts on offer on Tuesday,
along with baklava and brownies.
Daddy's Place, located at 650 Northampton St., is open seven days a week. For now, hours are from 7 a.m. to about 8 or 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 8 or 9 p.m. on Sundays.


Take out orders may be called in at 610-438-4442.

An official grand opening celebration is planned for the near future.

Check out Daddy's Place's menu on the restaurant website, www.daddysplaceeaston.com, or keep up with what's coming out of their brick oven daily on the Daddy's Place Facebook page.