Neighborhood News
Snow Way Out 2012
SERV Allentown is gearing-up to help senior citizens this winter with a snow shoveling program. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and representatives of SERV Allentown and the Lehigh County Senior Center announced the program, entitled “Snow Way Out,” at a news conference this morning at the senior center. SERV Allentown is part of AARP Pennsylvania’s “Create The Good” program. It encompasses support of Cities of Service, a national bi-partisan coalition of mayors of cities of all sizes working together to engage citizens in helping to...
read moreAllentown nonprofits, businesses announce partnership for revitalizing Old Fairgrounds neighborhood
A blend of public organizations and private enterprises hope to turn a center city Allentown neighborhood battling blighted properties into a magnet for recovery. Standing in front of the worn-down, fire-ravaged and vandalism-plagued property at 536 Allen St. in the Old Fairgrounds neighborhood of the city, officials from various city housing and revitalization nonprofits joined residents, city officials and U.S. Rep.Charlie Dent, R-Lehigh Valley, to learn of a project aimed at kick-starting responsible homeownership in the community....
read moreOF Artist Ramon Peralta’s Show Continues Through the End of July
Old Fairgrounds’ own Ramon Peralta, a truly gifted artist, is featured in a one-man show underway at Muhlenberg College’s Martin Art Gallery: Ramon Peralta: Color and Form Martin Art Gallery, Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College through July 30, 2011 Tuesdays to Saturdays, noon to...
read moreStevens Park in the News–near-riot
The Morning Call covered last week’s “near riot” in Stevens Park. It’s a small-scale tragedy, and a blow to the neighborhood. One relevant omission from the Call’s story: no mention of the deplorable, inexcusably decrepit state the park’s in. To call it run-down is an undue compliment. There’s a grant application in process to overhaul the park, which is all for the good. But I can’t help but feel that the park’s plywood-affixed play equipment and high weeds helped contribute to the...
read moreNew Pharmacy Coming to Seventh Street
The neighborhood has been without a pharmacy ever since Rite Aid left the old Sears building at 602 N. 7th St. to return to Hamilton. Leaking and code problems, and not poor sales, forced the move. Rite Aid’s 7th was reportedly among the busiest in the region. Enter Allentown Pharmacy. The new drug store is set to open “soon” just down 7th, in part of the old Sears Auto Center, at 530 N. 7th St. Note: Cross-posted with 7th Street...
read moreSacred Heart opens new extended care unit
Sacred Heart Hospital, just outside Old Fairgrounds on Chew and 5th, unveiled its new extended care unit yesterday, as reported by the Morning Call: Sacred Heart Thursday unveiled the 19-bed unit that will become a home away from home for people who need longer-term care for mental and behavioral illnesses. It partly fills a health care void that was created when Allentown State Hospital closed its doors for good last year. Congratulations to our...
read moreOFNA Meeting Tuesday!
Come join us for a general Old Fairgrounds Neighborhood Association meeting on Tuesday (May 3), at 6pm, at Dubbs Memorial Church. All the details can be found here
read moreCome support Stevens Park on Wednesday
Stevens Park is, by many accounts, the most used park per square foot of any in the whole city. And yet its condition is deplorable–including plywood over broken equipment and graffiti. There’s good news! Lorne Possinger from the state’s DCNR is visiting Stevens on THIS Wednesday (March 30) to tour the park in advance of our application for a grant to overhaul the park: THIS Wednesday, March 30 10am Stevens Park (corner of 6th and Tilghman) We’ve applied before, through the city’s Department of...
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