First Things First
Many of you may have seen the signs in various places around town saying that the Meals-on-Wheel Program badly needs a couple more “runners,” i.e., delivery people. If you are able to help in delivering meals to older people in our community, please contact Alice Grimes or Lexi Pepper at the Monongahela Senior Center: (724) 258-9511.
Our Wonderful Farmer’s Market
Today is Farmer’s Market Day. There are sandwiches and other prepared foods in addition to our three regular farmers. Till 6PM.
Sam’s Gyros, a member of the Monongahela Main Street Program, is set up in both of the two usual locations, at the Farmer’s Market and at Park Avenue.
Ethan Gamble Addresses Local Chapter of Austere International Service Club
The speaker at yesterday’s meeting of the Monongahela Rotary Club was Ethan Gamble, a self-taught expert on cameras and photography using real film. The program was very well organized and very well received. A regular participant in the Monongahela Main Street Program, Ethan is exploring the possibility of starting a Junior Main Street Program for Monongahela. He is hoping that one of the first projects can be a dark room facility where real film processing is taught. He has already acquired most if the equipment. Ethan will be a junior at Ringgold High School in the coming semester. The most surprising part is how enthusiastic he is about seeing his generation revive traditional film photography.
We’re all Bubbly about the New Bubblery
The new shop about to open at 212 West Main Street has announced its name and opening dates. With an emphasis on bubble bath products, the name will be “The Bubblery Pittsburgh.” The doors are expected to open around August 1st, but the “Grand Opening” will be on September 1st. The building is the former location of the Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce, in one of the center bays of the Isaac W. Jones Building, AKA McGregor Building or Wible Building. The store is owned by Tina Eckels Porter and her husband Brian has been helping to set it up. Check their Facebook page for further details.
New Sidewalk at Rite Aid
Many thanks to the Monongahela Municipal Authority and Monongahela City Council for the new sidewalk that is underway in the 400 block of West Main Street in front of Rite Aid. When the Rite Aid building was built, the sidewalk provided by the pharmacy chain was a design more appropriate to a suburban location, a narrow strip of concrete, up a slight berm from the cartway of the street, with a higher embankment on the side toward the parking lot of the new building. The sloped areas on both sides of the concrete were covered in grass. The sidewalk was not wide enough for two people to comfortably pass and there was a steep embankment to one side and a precarious 4-inch drop to the grass sloping down toward the street on the other side. Furthermore, it did not meet the requirements of anyone passing a wheelchair, and it was not conducive to people getting out of cars or crossing the street who needed to get from the parking lane to the sidewalk and/or parking lot. The old sidewalk had to be removed for a sewage line replacement project. The new sidewalk that the Municipal Authority is just now finishing is at the same height as the top of the curb and wide enough to serve the needs of both those in wheelchairs and pedestrians who frequent an urbanized downtown area such as ours. In addition, it is now wide enough for use during the Fleatique, or as a place to sit during a parade, or for other similar occasions.
Ken Kulak Presents Our “Connectivity”
Architect and City Councilman Ken Kulak made a presentation this morning at the consortium meeting of the Mon River Towns Program at California University. The presentation was about the project that is now just past the conceptual stage of providing additional design features to better connect our West Main Street to the Aquatorium, City Wharf / Public Docks, and other things along the riverfront. The City is in the process of applying for grant funds to build a few of the things that were discussed when the highly creative and broad palette of concepts was presented to the public in December. An example is the proposed construction of a gateway feature directly down Second Street from downtown with a sign announcing the location of the Aquatorium. It will be similar to the one erected about a year ago in the overlook area of Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh directing visitors toward the neighborhood’s traditional business district. About 40 people were in the audience at the meeting. The consortium draws visitors from the riverfront communities as far upriver as Morgantown and Greensboro and from the various towns throughout the Mid Mon Valley down to Elizabeth and beyond.
Decorate Your Skin with Lace-like Artwork
There will be a Henna Body Art workshop at Little City Coffee, Wednesday, August 1st, 11AM to 2PM. This is a way of custom-drawing a kind of temporary tattoo on skin using a natural dye.
Swap that Leftover Yarn
There will be a Yarn and Needle Swap, on 18-19 August, at the Memory Tree Yarn Shop, 1015 Chess Street. See the post at the Monongahela Main Street Program’s Facebook page for more details.
Armory Plans Finally Moving Forward
If you didn’t see it in the news a couple days ago, John Brice has closed on the deal to purchase the Monongahela Armory and revitalize it as a privately owned youth center. Mr. Brice has recently moved back to Monongahela after a couple decades in the western half of the country. Noted for his work as a body builder and model, he is a descendant of Capt. William Catlin, a military figure, state-level politician, and leader of a Republican political organization, the Afro-American League, in the era after the Civil War.
Writing a New Narrative
Today’s Observer-Reporter gives an interesting analysis of what Christopher Whitlatch is doing as CEO of the Mon Valley Alliance. Congratulations to Mr. Whitlatch, our friend and regular participant at the Monongahela Main Street Program. Under Whitlatch’s leadership, the Alliance is playing a critical role in the conversion of the former McCrory’s Building to a restaurant, bakery, and office space, with the goal also in mind of “incubating” new downtown businesses. As the Observer-Reporter says in the headline of their article, this is part of “Writing a New Narrative for [our] Region.”
Kennywood Day
Monongahela Day at Kennywood Park will be this coming Wednesday, August 1st. Let’s all keep the tradition alive and take a spin on one of the rides (like the Old Mill or the Kiddie Land Train, at least for me …if I ride at all…).
Ride All Day Ticket $28 
🎫
Senior 55 + Ticket $18
2 and under FREE
Tickets can be purchased at the following locations:
Cox Market
Just 4 You Gift Shop
CFS Bank
The Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce
Giant Eagle Finleyville
Aquatorium Show
This week’s concert at the Monongahela Aquatorium features the band “Blackfoot,” 7:30 PM. Click here for more information.
MVAA Concert
The next concert at Chess Park in the EQT/MVAA Summer Concert Series will be 9 days from now, on Sunday, August 5th. The featured bands will be: Joe Campus Band and the Mon Valley Community Band, playing between 1PM and 4PM. As usual, there will be a nice variety of vendors providing food and beverages. Click here for more information
~ Terry Necciai, Executive Director, Monongahela Main Street Program
monongahelamsp.org 