Allentown's Big Night

This blogger has always complained about how underused the arena is, but nobody can level that complaint about this past Tuesday night. Because it was a week before what might be the most polarized election ever, and the Trump camp just insulted Allentown's largest demographic a few nights before, Allentown was in the brightest spotlight since Billy Joel's song.

Trump, needing to make amends to the Puerto Rican community, had a bevy of Hispanic surrogates warming up the crowd, who itself spoke very little Spanish.

Local Republicans, like taxpayer's champion Jarrett Coleman was on hand, along with nationally knowns, such as Marco Rubio. Local Democratic mayor Matt Tuerk appeared with the organized counter effort, which included Martin Sheen. Although a video emerged on social media with him questioning a Trump worker about barricades, it appears as if the city ended up cooperating fully with the Trump rally.

Although the comedian's regrettable line at Madison Square Garden ended up dominating the national coverage of the rally, it didn't appear to diminish the enthusiasm of those attending the event.

A Failing School Administration

At the last Allentown school board meeting, Leslie Franklin, head of the teacher's union, gave a scathing report of conditions in the system.

“We hear the educational jargon being used, promises being made and the glamor being touted, yet for the last few years, we have lost so many of our faculty members in our district buildings due to a disconnect in expectations,”

She went to say that the staff lacks basics, like pencils and toilet paper. Reports indicate that the school superintendent, Carol Birks, was let go from her former district for  similar complaints. However, Miss Birks looks like the school board, even if she less resembles the students themselves. Looking like the district, meaning being a minority was paramount to this board. Ms. Birk's contract was bought out by her previous employer, New Haven School District, although some on that board though she should have been simply fired. Complaints included unnecessary outside consultants, not unlike the diversity analysis she had recently commissioned for the Allentown School District. If all that isn't enough, our school board started her salary off at $250,000 a year plus increases.

Trump Rally, Manna For Allentown Parking Authority

Anybody who has driven up Linden Street at around 5:00PM knows that the decks are emptying out with the poached NIZ workers. So much so that the APD directs traffic free for Reilly.  Tonight at 7:00PM Trump is having a rally at the PPL Center. Those coming for that event won't be from Democratic center city. They will be driving in from the boonies beyond, and the Allentown Parking Authority will be waiting for them.

If all the above isn't commotion enough, our mayor has suggested that people come downtown to protest against Trump. Now I understand that Tuerk has convinced himself that he is Hispanic, and that he found some statements made in Madison Square Garden offensive, but he is the mayor of Allentown. As such, he should know that the Allentown Police will already have their hands full, without their own commander and chief inciting more crowding to control.

I do not have a candidate for the top of the ticket next Tuesday. However, unless this mayor drastically refocuses his priorities this coming year, I know who I won't be voting for in the next local election.

Shooting At The Campus Shop

On Sunday the Morning Call reported that there was a shooting near Birney Crum Stadium, Muhlenberg College Stadium and 24th & Liberty. Those of us more familiar with Allentown know that the Crum Stadium and the Muhlenberg field are not that close to each other, so we're left with 24th & Liberty.  The Campus Shop is actually at 23rd St., and hasn't had that name for decades. But, when it did have that name a shooting in that neighborhood was unheard of. Police chief Roca, as usual, tells us that the incident doesn't present any threat to the public. That implies it was one thug shooting another thug. Then much later we always learn that the victim was the one who was turning his life around. 

In the short term we usually don't hear much more about these weekend shootings.  Everybody moves on except the blogger that the Morning Call once described as dour and misguided... they were referring to me, thank you. We have a city administration that wallows in DEI instead of public safety. We have school system which wallows in DEI instead of education. Hopefully the college isn't mired in that nonsense.

Although it may not mean much to the Morning Call or Roca, a shooting at 24th & Liberty is costly. It costs the peace of mind for the college students and their parents. It's also very mentality expensive for residents of a once safe neighborhood.

I did not straighten out the postcard of Muhlenberg shown above, because unless the college pushes back hard against the forces connected with this shooting, it will go downhill quickly.

Fairview Cemetery, An Allentown Dilemma

The condition of Fairview Cemetery has been in decline for decades.  It first caught my attention in 1997, when I began hunting for the grave of a young woman who died in 1918. 

By 1900, Fairview was Lehigh Valley's most prestigious cemetery.  It would become the final resting place of Allentown's most prominent citizens, including Harry Trexler, John Leh, Jack Mack and numerous others.  Despite my status as a dissident chronicler of local government and a critic of the local press,  my postings caught the attention of a previous editor at the Morning Call, whose own grandmother is buried at Fairview.  While the paper did a story on my efforts in 2008,  and I did manage to coordinate a meeting between management and some concerned citizens,  any benefit to the cemetery's condition was short lived.

Internet search engines have long arms. In the following years I would receive messages from various people upset about conditions at the cemetery.  A few years ago, Tyler Fatzinger became interested in the cemetery, and took it upon himself to start cleaning up certain areas. I suggested to Taylor that he start a facebook page, so that concerned citizens and distressed relatives might connect.  Once again the situation caught the paper's attention, and another story appeared in 2019.  Tyler Fatzinger was recently informed by the cemetery operator that he was trespassing, and must cease from his efforts to improve the cemetery.

Why would both the cemetery and city establishments reject help, and discourage shining a light on this situation? Orphan cemeteries are a problem across the country. An orphan cemetery is an old cemetery no longer affiliated with an active congregation or a funded organization.  These cemeteries are often large, with no concerned descendants or remaining funds.  While perpetual care may have been paid by family decades earlier,  those funds in current dollars are woefully short.

In Fairview's case, the current management operates a crematorium and also conducts new burials on the grounds. Funds from the previous management were supposedly not passed forward.  While the Trexler Trust maintains Harry Trexler's grave, and a few other plots are privately maintained,  there understandably is no desire to take responsibility for the entire sixty acre cemetery. The current operator provides minimal care to the cemetery,  with even less for those sections toward the back.  While the cemetery grass may only be cut twice a season,  that's still more care than a true "orphan cemetery" would receive.  Some of the new burials appear to be on old plots, owned by other families, but unused for many, many decades, and on former areas designated as pathways between those plots. There seems to be no regulatory oversight. Recently, both state senator Pat Browne and the Orloski Law firm have acted in behalf of the cemetery operator.

While family members may be exasperated by the neglect,  local government does not seem eager to adopt either the problem or the expense of Fairview Cemetery.

reprinted from June of 2021

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 25, 2024:Tyler Fatzinger reports that conditions at Fairview remain bleak. Attorney Orlaski has passed away, and Pat Browne as been replaced in the state senate by Jarrett Coleman. In addition to sharing this post with the Facebook group Allentown Chronicles, I will send this post along to Senator Coleman's office...Unlike his predecessor, he seems more involved with citizen concerns than business interests.

Allentown And Its Newspaper

When I was a kid, the paper was printed twice a day, The Morning Call and The Evening Chronicle. Many subscribers, like my parents, received both editions. The paper was locally owned, as were the businesses that advertised within. The owner/publisher, the Miller family, were part of an oligarchy that ran Allentown. Donald Miller was also a partner in Park&Shop, predecessor to today's parking authority.

Today, the paper is owned by the Tribune Company, and has virtually no institutional memory of the town. To my knowledge, there is nobody on the staff born in Allentown. The most senior writers arrived in Allentown no earlier than the early 1970's. When the paper asks for memories or photographs of the heydays, what they receive is all new to them. Yesterday, a columnist recommended a history written by somebody who left Allentown as a 15 year old in 1962, and never returned, except for a visit in 2010.

The newspaper situation in Allentown mirrors a national trend. Many communities, like Bethlehem, no longer have a local paper. I just think that each article they write should have a disclaimer.

above reprinted from December 11, 2015 

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 24, 2024:In the last nine years things have gotten a little thinner for the Morning Call.The staff is smaller and younger, with less than ever institutional knowledge of the area. Their building was sold to J.B. Reilly, who named the remaining portion after his benefactor, Pat Browne. As reduced as that may sound, they are the only regional newspaper still in publication. I know the old-timers comprise much of their remaining readership. While I switched to digital only a few years ago, I have been a subscriber for over fifty years.

Accidental Charm Lost

A number of years ago I visited Charleston, a tourist mecca for its historic charm. A local explained to me that it was all an accident. After the Civil War, the city stayed so poor for so long that nobody could  afford to remodel or replace their buildings.

I have written in the past how Easton has profited from its historic charm, while Allentown will demolish anything anytime. Easton and its mayor for life Sal Panto are now demolishing a cornerstone of their charming square, the Jacob Meyer Building. Panto and company apparently are too dense to realize what they had. 

Sal only needed to visit Allentown's 7th & Hamilton to learn how dead new construction and a hotel can be.

postcard above of the Jacob Meyer Building, now being demolished

A Raise For J. B. Reilly

There's one constant in every rejected state budget plan coming out of Harrisburg, that's a raise in the cigarette tax. In that land of the moral and mental midgets, cigarette smokers are the low hanging fruit. They're not exactly an organized group, with a lobby defending their interests. Back here, in the land of private bonanza, any increase goes straight into J.B.'s pocket. Only Allentown, in Pennsylvania, could be having a $Billion Dollar building boom, which doesn't benefit anybody, but one man.

above reprinted from December 22, 2015 

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 22, 2024:Students of this blog know that I have been on the NIZ case from the beginning. The NIZ is a state ordinance which allows diverted state taxes to be used for the debt service on privately owned buildings, but only in Allentown. The plan was designed by then state senator Pat Browne. Almost all the new buildings financed with this plan in Allentown are owned by one man, J.B. Reilly, a childhood friend of Browne. In addition to the state taxes, the cigarette tax was thrown in Reilly's pot. Aside from this blogger, there was little interest concerning the NIZ inequities, until new state senator Jarrett Coleman realized how derelict the state house was in its lack of oversight. Before leaving office, Browne shrouded the NIZ data in additional layers of privacy. If all that wasn't shelter enough, new governor Shapiro appointed Browne Dirctor of Revenue. Needless to say, requests for NIZ data went unanswered. Coleman stayed with the inquiry, despite all the obstacles. Yesterday the state supreme court sided with Coleman.

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 23, 2024:Browne testified before the state senate yesterday, and Coleman is justifiably not satisfied with the answers. Browne's defense is that he is limited by the statues that he helped add in 2021, and the tax privacy rights of two beneficiaries. I suspect that the two are Reilly and Jaindl, concerning their wholesale cigarette entities. Although mandated by the NIZ ordinance, no audits have been performed since the inception of the NIZ.

Park Plan Meetings Disturbing

The Tuerk Administration has announced a series of meetings where the public can say what they would like to see and do in the parks. As an advocate for the traditional park system, I am not impressed. Needless to say what they should be doing is taking better care of the parks, rather than using them as an inclusion ploy.

While the WPA structures for the most part crumble, and the creek banks remain feral, we're spending another half $mil on enlarging the skateboard park. Tuerk is claiming that these meetings will help form a new masterplan for the park system. He and his park director remain misguided thinking that the direction of the iconic Allentown Park System should be subject to public whims. 

Talking of election ploys and popularity contests, I'm also tired of our Harrisburg incumbents for life using the parks as a photo opt for just bringing our tax money back to where it belongs.

picture postcard of Robin Hood, Lehigh Parkway, 1956

Real Life In Allentown

Putting aside the endless NIZ promotion by The Morning Call,  real life in Allentown hasn't gotten any better. Stabbing and shootings have become so commonplace,  that they're relegated to the middle of the paper. The reputation of the school system is so dismal, that people choose charter schools, not because of their merit, but just hoping for something a little better.  A school system that once had a national reputation for theater and art, is now known for fights and beating up policewomen. Add  a scandal ridden mayor and city hall, and we owe Billy Joel an apology. We accused him of maligning Allentown, we can't blame him this time. While the paper can't contain its joy over the arena, the city can't contain its crime.

There was a recent drive-by shooting in the small residential area wedged between Target shopping center and route 22, within sight of Cedar Crest Boulevard. Early Sunday morning, close to the municipal golf course and again within sight of Cedar Crest Boulevard, a car was left sitting on the owner's driveway, missing all four wheels.

Office workers may now drive downtown to work, but come five o'clock, all but a few childless millennials will drive back to suburbia, where more often the woes of Allentown now follow them. 

above reprinted from December 14, 2015

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 18, 2024:Although nine years have passed,I can't report that things are any better in Allentown.There's certainly more new buildings, and the police tell us that crime is down, but I don't sense any improvement in the quality of life. Probably by real metrics things are worse. Rents are through the roof and the schools remain distressed.

Dorney Park 2024

I recently went to Dorney Park for the first time in almost forty years. Although I could recognize a few rides from the past at the bottom of the slope, it certainly was a different experience...and not one for my aesthetics.

I did go on a ride, the old train. When I factor in the cost of parking and admission, the ride cost more than it did last time I was on a real train, not that long ago. The conductor, in addition to providing some history of the train, referred to a widowed swan in the creek. Twice he mentioned that "the swan reminds us that life is short." I don't think that message resonated with too many of the kids on board.

Although Six Flags Entertainment has spent $millions at Dorney on new rides, my other takeaway was the paint on the old rollercoaster, now called Thunderhawk. While not peeling, it wasn't fresh. That dirty, fading paint would have never greeted the guests back in the day when admission was free.

The Conditional Contrition Of Eduard Pawlowski

In Ed Pawlowski's commutation request, he uses the word corrupt only in regard to his campaign manager, not to himself. Rather, he describes himself as naive and too eager to serve the public. 

As someone who started scrutinizing Pawlowski a decade before his conviction, I can tell you that he was anything but naive. On the contrary, he played the public as well as he played those bidding for city contracts. For his last campaign he assembled and empowered sycophants from Allentown's various demographics, to ensure victory in the Democratic primary. He succeeded, and those people are still in positions of power in this city.

These people that he empowered have been tireless in their effort to get him freed. While they view their loyalty as a virtue, they too don't question their own integrity...That is a character flaw they share with Pawlowski. While the campaign to free him may succeed, I'm afraid that there will be no community lesson.

School District Consumed With Racial Identity

Although the ASD has a black superintendent and a school board of color with one exception, they hired a minority company to analyze and conclude that the district is not committed enough to equality and social justice. 

To us laymen it appears that they are consumed with such issues, and the only real question is their commitment to education. While the study wasted $90K, it did once again point out the preoccupation of this school administration with racial identity.

We have to prepare the students for life and employment in an increasingly competitive world.  That should be the district's obsession.

Jessica Lenard Art

Jessica Lenard lived and painted in Allentown in the 1970's and 80's.  Her striking artwork can be described as oozing emotionality and honesty.  Jessica passed away in 2016, making me an accidental curator and art dealer. I feel that I can best serve her legacy by finding as many different homes as possible for her work. I have been spotty in that effort at best.  I have established a Facebook page titled Jessica Lenard Art.  I ask those interested in acquiring a piece to contact me by messenger on my personal Michael Molovinsky facebook page.

For a more comprehensive picture of Lenard's work, view the website she created in 2014.

The Ward's Middle Eastern Delights

In the beginning of the 20th Century, a large Syrian population settled in the 6th Ward, between the Lehigh River and Jordan Creek. While the Ward is mostly no longer the residential home to that demographic, there remain purveyors of their ethnic food.  

While Elias Market at Front and Tilghman is not exclusively Middle Eastern, they carry a large selection of  those foodstuffs. At 2nd and Liberty, Damascus Restaurant has been serving delicious food for decades. Aladdin Restaurant, which also started on 2nd Street, is just across the Tilghman Street Bridge on Union Blvd. Another source of delicious food is the ACI Turkish Restaurant & Market, shown above at 2nd and Linden Streets.

This short post is not inclusive of all available options, but rather some of those in the 6th Ward. Likewise, I have no expertise on the differences between Syrian, Lebanese and Turkish food, but I can strongly recommend all the establishments mentioned above.

Another Storm, Another Old Willow Lost

When Irene stormed through Cedar Park, she knocked down and broke a number of the old willow trees. The sight of these magnificent trees along the creek banks is the view-shed cherished by us proponents of the historical park system. As a boy in 1955, I remember the same damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Diane. Many of the remaining willows are now about 75 years old, and at the end of their life span. Although they held the creek banks together for three generations, they have lost favor to riparian buffers.

It's nice to sit by the bank under a willow tree and watch the ducks swim by. Hopefully, somewhere along the banks of the Little Lehigh and Cedar Creek, there is still some open space for a few new weeping willows.

above reprinted from 2011

UPDATE APRIL 20, 2020:  The last nine years haven't been any kinder to the old willows. The photo above is from the most recent storm.  Although I purchased a willow to be planted in Cedar Park a few years ago, they refused to plant it along the creek edge.  Seems as if that is not permitted by the Wildlands Conservancy, which instead demands riparian buffers.  I put more faith in General Trexler's landscape architect of 1928, who ordered willow trees planted every 25 feet along the creeks.  Their shallow roots spread out and held the banks together for four generations of Allentonians.  They allowed us to enjoy the creeks as envisioned by the General and city fathers of the time. Hopefully, someday, some mayor will again reclaim our park system for the citizens of Allentown.

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 10, 2024:I've been fighting for the willows and the traditional park system for about two decades. Since 2006, one park director after another has come to resent this blog. Although I can't say I made any progress with the mission, I never doubted the value of my endeavor.

Hurricane Phoebe And The Allentown School Board

No one can accuse Phoebe Harris of holding back, sometimes she even uses a microphone. Such was the case over the weekend at a convention for her fellow Pa. school directors.  She commandeered the microphone and lambasted the organization because no black person ever received the award that is named in honor of a black person. 

Comments on social media have ranged from accusing her of reverse racism to calling for her resignation from the school board.  

I believe that the board has been somewhat preoccupied with race and diversity issues. Perhaps energies would be better spent concerned with improving the quality of education.

Fly Fishing With A Heavyweight Champ

 Allentown was a big textile producer before, during and after WW2. Among the biggest local manufacturers was Royal. Started by Lithuanian immigrant Morris Senderowitz in 1910, it employed over 400 workers in Allentown, and that many more in plants elsewhere. 

Morris was joined in the business by several brothers, including Joe, who lived on the Hassen Creek west of Guthsville.  When I was about 12 years old, I visited Joe's rural home and was introduced to Jack Sharkey, a former heavyweight champion from the 1930's.  Recently, while driving by the property, I wondered what a former champion was doing visiting an underwear maker outside of Allentown?

It turns out that both men were from Lithuania, and that Sharkey became a champion fly fisherman after hanging up the boxing gloves. Senderowitz was a sportsman, who volunteered use of his property to a nearby rod and gun club when it was starting up. 

Exactly what brought Sharkey to Senderowitz's farmette is somewhat speculative on my part. I try to produce snippets on this blog which are a blend of local history and personal experience.

National Recognition For Easton, Subpoena For Allentown

My father had two meat markets, one in Allentown and one in Easton. After I got my driver's license, I spent Saturdays and summers working in the Easton market. I would have lunch in the square, where there were several restaurants.  Although the businesses in the square have changed hands many times over the last century, the buildings and atmosphere has stayed the same. Easton was just designated a finalist in The Great American Main Street Awards for 2025. 

Meanwhile, someone returning to Allentown would be hard pressed to recongnize Hamilton Street from their youth. While almost all the buildings have been replaced, the crowds of shoppers are gone...actually all the shoppers are gone. So while Pennsylvania has pumped a $Billion dollars of diverted state taxes onto  Hamilton Street, Easton gets the award. 

If the return on investment mentioned above isn't ironic enough, factor in that all the new publicly financed buildings in Allentown are privately owned.  A former state senator devised the real estate scheme called the NIZ, and the buildings are owned by his childhood friend. That former senator is now Pennsylvania's Director of Revenue, and he refuses to release the NIZ facts and figures. A subpoena has been issued for that information through the efforts of state senator Jarrett Coleman.

Two Butchers From Allentown's Past

Those coming here today looking for a story about sloppy civic leadership will be disappointed. This post is literally about butchers, more specifically, some butchers at Allentown Packing Company. A few days ago, while at the Fairground's Farmers Market, I learned that Bobby had passed away. Bobby was the "kid" who worked at my father's meat market on Union Street. Bobby grew up in an orphanage, a hardship which my father respected.

One meat cutter that I knew nothing about was Lamont, other than he lived at the West End Hotel. He was a bear of a man, who could carry a beef quarter from the cooler with no effort. I never saw Lamont in the market portion of the shop, he always remained in the back, either in the large cooler or the adjoining cutting room. While my father insisted that people working on the counter change their meat coat and apron several times during the day, no such rule was imposed upon Lamont. Although he would look over the trays of meat before being taken out to the display cases, he never spoke.

Last time I spoke to Bobby, he told me that he appreciated that my father had taught him a trade, which he used throughout his life.

reprinted from 2014

advertisement shown above from December of 1949

Tuerk's 2025 Campaign Begins

Mayor Matt Tuerk kicked off his 2025 mayoral campaign with an announcement that there would be no tax increase for 2025. Considering his administration's plumpness and agenda, the reason can only be pure politics. It is intended to take the wind out of any potential adversary's campaign.

Tuerk is providing no details on how his fat ship runs with no increase. Will he be leaving vacant slots open? Some of the positions in Tuerk's administration I have no use for. It's no reflection on the person, just the position. As I have written before, if mayor for life Daddona didn't have the position in his administration, you don't need it. The news about declining crime rates is also nonsense. By my scorebook we need more policemen, but with no tax increase apparently that isn't in the cards.

Could Tuerk be planning on diverting Community Block Grant funds to the city's infrastructure, freeing up more for public safety?  I jest, Tuerk counts on those non-profits to hustle votes for him. I don't know what else Tuerk will be promising, but I do know that much of it will be in Spanish.

The Tracks Of Allentown

Up to the early 1950's, you pretty much drove over tracks wherever you went in Allentown. While the trolleys moved the people, the Lehigh Valley Railroad freight cars moved the materials in and out of our factories. Shown above, the Lehigh Valley Transit trolley moves across the former steel Hamilton Street Bridge. The huge UGI gas tank can be seen on Union Street. While the trolleys gave way to buses by 1953, the freight rail spurs would tarry on for two more decades. 

reprinted from January of 2011

The Revitalization Of Allentown

This week Allentown was promised revitalization by no less than two ringmasters. The director of the Art Museum described the expansion and renovation of the museum as revitalizing Allentown. I'm happy for the wine and cheese crowd, but they would be lucky to improve one block of 5th street, much less the city. Of course our biggest revitalization was promised by our mayor, who is paying a stadium planner over a quarter $million dollars for his recommendations. There is nothing wrong with thinking big, if you do the small things along the way. Allentown failed to clean the streets curb to curb this long winter. Litter fills downtown gutters and covers the corner sewer grates. News of home invasions petrify honest taxpayers. Wine, cheese and even hockey cannot replace quality of life. 

above reprinted from March of 2011

ADDENDUM OCTOBER 1, 2024:Both the art director and mayor mentioned above have moved on...Hopefully the art director got a softer landing than the former mayor. Despite a $Billion dollars of new construction, paid for with diverted state taxes and owned by one man, town remains dead. A new music venue, the Moxie, named after the side bar of this blog, may finally bring some life back to Hamilton Street. The new art director should concentrate on saving the former art deco post office. This blog continues to concentrates on providing a reality check to civic delusion.

Dinosaur In Digital Age

I am for sure a dinosaur in the digital age. Although I did purchase a small compact digital camera about three years ago, I remain in the point and shoot mode. To be honest, the pictures are fine, especially for a blog which uses images only about 2X3 inches. Never the less, being an old camera addict, I have begun to research available digital alternatives. There is a new photographic phrase called street photography, and descriptions of cameras most suited to that pursuit. As an old photographer from the street, I find that amusing.

photocredit:molovinsky/Boston Common, 1967

above reprinted from September of 2011

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 30, 2024:In the 1970's, I used a Japanese 35mm and prime lenses. In the 2020's, I use a Japanese digital and prime lenses. Beyond the very basics, I remain a dinosaur and refrain from editing programs.

Beware Of Allentown's Tricky Referendum

You would think that with our progressive city government, we wouldn't have to worry about deliberately confusing referendum questions, but apparently we do. Allentown voters will be asked  “Shall Section 807(B), Revenue, of the Home Rule Charter of the City of Allentown be amended to allow City Council, by Ordinance, to remove the Deed Transfer Tax?", but it's a trick question. If you vote yes, you're actually permitting the city to remove the current cap of 2%, and RAISE the transfer tax. Vote NO to avoid an increase.

In this era of our politicians posturing for more affordable housing, the result of this referendum would be to increase the cost of every real estate transaction.

My intention was to post this warning closer to the November 5 election, but with the mail-in ballots already being sent out, the timing has changed.

Allentown Meat Packing Co.

My grandfather lived on the corner of Jordan and Chew, and butchered in a small barn behind the house. He would deliver by horse and wagon to his customers, corner markets. The house is still there, the barn, long gone. My father, and one of his brothers, acquired the H.H. Steinmetz packing house in 1943. Operating as Allentown Meat Packing, by 1950 they closed the slaughter house, and converted the front of the plant into a meat market open to the public. That continued to 1970, when it was leased to an operator who sold meat by freezer full packages. In 1975 the building was torn down, as part of a long term lease agreement with A&B, who wanted the space for parking. The photo was taken just prior to demolition.

reprinted from June 2013

Park Director Can't Change Gears

Don't let Matt Tuerk's park director drive your sports car, apparently she isn't very good at changing gears. Allentown is now building an addition to the Jordan Park Skateboard facility for $420,000. Although nobody accuses me of being up on trends, I do know that I haven't seen a kid on a skateboard in a long time. But this project was in the pipeline, and she is going ahead with it.

On the squandered money topic, state representative Mike Schlossberg bragged last week about money for new basketball courts at Cedar Beach. We're replacing the basketball backboard supports at Cedar Beach, despite them being in excellent condition. Removing the thick galvanized steel posts shown above  is proving to be quite a job. The new powder coated steel won't have the longevity, especially under the surface. Replacing something of quality with an inferior product, just to say that it's new and that you brought it to Allentown, is insulting. Meanwhile, other parks, such as Canal Park on the east side, hasn't had its roads resurfaced in decades.

While the Tuerk Administration is steep with every new kind of position, they're very weak on common sense.

The Last Trolley

The last trolley, shown above, ran in Allentown on June 8, 1953. We see the trolley passing a new Transit Authority bus at 8th and Hamilton Streets. In the early 1950's, General Motors wined and dined transit authorities all across the nation, promoting their buses as the modern mass transit. Today, buses are becoming electric, just like efficient trolleys of yesteryear. We even dress up a small bus to look like a trolley. Gotta love the vision of bureaucrats.

reprinted from January of 2011

Another Junket For Tuerk

Mayor Matt Tuerk spent last week in Germany learning about European urban planning. I'll spare you particulars, except to say that I hope that he spares us the particulars. Here's his summation: "I’m coming back to Allentown with a lot of new partners and ideas to help us create a safe, clean, and healthy environment that promotes the well being of our residents."

On the trip Matt saw some redevelopment that he hopes helps us improve the plans for the former state hospital site. Fine Matt, glad you enjoyed your trip, but I think that J.B. Reilly wasn't counting on your input. Matt also saw some inspiring murals like we're doing in Allentown, and some nice bike paths.

I don't know if Matt is serious about the lessons, or just blowing smoke. I hope just blowing smoke. Matt, since I'm sure that you're appreciating my advice, let me tell you how I really feel... There is too much going on in Allentown. Too many events, especially in the parks.We don't need one jam packed weekend after another. We're a city, not an destination park in Orlando. If you don't want to lay off any of these planners, then give them a garbage bag, there's plenty for them to pick up. 

Anyway, if this trip helps Allentown as much as his trips to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, we should have another good year.

Picture postcard above from a time when mayors didn't have to go on study trips to improve us.

Mother Nature Doesn't Need Every Inch Of Every Park

There are miles and miles of creek bank in Allentown. In addition to the Little Lehigh, we have the Jordan, Little Cedar, Cedar and Trout. For the last twenty years I have been campaigning to restore the traditional park design to select sections of our most iconic parks. In that design the banks were secured against erosion by Weeping Willow trees, planted about every twenty feet. The Willows have a shallow spreading root system, especially suited to fortify against erosion.  The picture postcards of Allentown's glory years feature such park scenes.

Those scenes should be returned to the most famous sections of our park system.  Among the areas begging for former grace are the rose garden section of Cedar Park, and the Robin Hood section of Lehigh Parkway. 

While the environmentalists of convenience complain about changing values, children have always delighted  standing on the creek bank watching and listening to the water rush by.

little girls can no longer fish along the brush lined creeks

Parknership Moves Slowly

When the Trexler Trust funded Parknership was announced in May with much fanfare, I raised my hand immediately. However, it has been moving at a snail's pace. The board, which consisted only of Matt Tuerk and Jamie Musselman, just added their third member and board director, Simon Moore. Moore, like Tuerk, is a cyclist and runner.  With the spandex recreation component well in place, there still is no advocate for the traditional park system, much less someone to speak up for the WPA. While Tuerk seems to be picking the team, I haven't sold him on me yet. He balked and said that I was a reporter. While I replied that I would respect the board's confidentiality, he must decide if he's looking out for the parks, or just looking for more flattery.

In Cedar Park some of the invasives blocking the creek banks have grown into saplings, ten feet tall and an inch in diameter. Shown above is the foot bridge by the Rose Garden. There are miles of unattended creek banks in Allentown,  the creek by the rose garden in Cedar Park need not be one of them.

While I believe the Parknership needs my institutional knowledge of the parks, the parks meanwhile  need me to continue pointing out the neglect masquerading as environmental conservation.

The Night Hamilton Street Died

What was once a thriving block of Hamilton Street will now be turned into a ghost down. Even now, although not the golden age shown above, the block between 7th and 8th does business. Still hosting three chain stores, the block had survived, despite one arrogant mayor after another. The Family Dollar Store is one of their most successful branches. Rainbow (jeans) and Rite Aid also anchor the block, along with successful independents. In a night of shame, one of the most shameful acts was Julio Guridy, interrupting the merchants so that Mayor Pawlowski could educate them. Pawlowski said that the arena could attract up to 1.5 million people a year, and that everyone will benefit, even relocated merchants. Considering that the hockey team only actually attracts 3,000 people to 40 home games, Pawlowski is off by about 1.4 million. In reality, the stores that remain on the south side of the street will now face an empty arena and much less foot traffic. The upscale restaurants, such as Sangria and Cosmopolitan, will suffer, because their patrons will avoid the nighttime traffic congestion. Lou Belletieri told Council that he operated a restaurant across from the Wilkes-Barre Arena, and did no business, what so ever, from it. Councilman Michael Donovan said that although he feels for the merchants, he owes the other 118,000 citizens The Pawlowski Palace of Sport.* He actually owed them the courage to say no to this ill conceived plan.*

*Palace of Sport is a borrowed term coined by a blog reader. Donovan was joined by five other councilmen in his yes vote. 

reprinted from May 19, 2011 

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 18, 2024:I drove down Hamilton Street on Monday afternoon at 2:15PM, from 12th to 4th. To say that it was dead is an understatement, maybe I passed three people. For a $Billion dollars worth of new buildings, and a 1000 new apartments, the emptiness almost defies logic. Only because it's usually so dead did I know that people weren't hiding in the buildings because of an escaped lion or killer from the prison. And they refer to this desolation as the revitalization of Allentown?

Trump Shots, self-inflicted And Otherwise

This post was conceived before the recent second attempt to shoot Trump at his Florida golf course.

Dick Cheney may have shot a friend with shotgun pellets, but Trump shoots himself in the foot, over and over. In addition to the Trump team doubling down on the cat and dog story, he tweets that he hates Taylor Swift. 

Years ago a star's manager would forbid she/him from endorsing one candidate over another. In today's world the mega stars are so wealthy that they can afford to express their opinion. Meanwhile, back in my mailbox, I'm getting an endless stream of campaign cards from both candidates. Why would Trump want to antagonize Swift fans farther by hating her? 

I never saw Trump as a disciple of self-control, It appears as if the poll numbers tighten, he becomes more impulse driven. If he takes blood pressure meds, he may want to increase the dose.

With this second attempt on Trump, I'm starting to see some conspiracy type speculations. All that is beyond my pay grade. The FBI and Secret Service will certainly be earning their keep as election day nears.

Allentown Archaeology

When it comes to the history of industrial Allentown, the railroad buffs are among the current experts. Our heavy manufacturing base moved its materials on the tracks of several railroads. The Front Street area was crisscrossed with tracks and sidings. The West End Branch ran along Sumner Avenue, crossed Tilghman Street, looped around 17th Street and ended near 12th and Liberty. The Barber Quarry Branch ran along the Little Lehigh until it then followed Cedar Creek. It crossed Hamilton Street near the current Hamilton Family Restaurant and ended at what is now the Park Department Building. The rail buffs are current day archaeologists, looking for remnants of those glory days. Shown above is a portion of the Barber Quarry pier and track. This is at the bottom of Lehigh Street hill, near the former bank call center, near the former Acorn Hotel, in a former city still called Allentown.
photo courtesy of Mike Huber, Coplay

above reprinted from March of 2011 

ADDENDUM AUGUST 22, 2023:The bridge has just been rebuilt, and the portion of the earlier railroad bridge show above was removed.

The Price Of Hyperbole

On Tuesday night Donald Trump couldn't switch gears out of his rally mode into a more adult theater. Considering that Kamala Harris was charged with immigration, and that it had gone out of control, all Trump needed to do was mention the basics, and forget about cats and dogs.

Considering that there is a large army of pro-lifers, all Trump needed to do was mention that states now have the authority, and that people are free to choose their state of residence. 

But who knows what lurks in Trump's mind and what propelled him to forget what venue he was at. 

Robert Kennedy Jr. thinks that the poor performance cost Trump with the undecided independents. I would agree that he gained no votes at the debate, but I question how many undecided remained before the debate. Taylor Swift's endorsement that evening only added to Harris's quiver. 

At the very best, Trump had a very expensive night.

Art NOT In The Park

On Saturday September 14, is the annual Art In The Park show in West Park. Great artists will be showing great art, but not all great local artists will be there. Among those great artists not showing is Fred Schoenk. 

Fred Schoenk has been producing art for over sixty years. While still at William Allen he was making jewelry for Cinruss Creations, and painting signs for Dorney Park. Returning to Allentown after graduating from Visual Arts in NYC, he taught art in our school system, sharing his skills and love of art with thousands of students. During that time he also operated a pottery studio, and did graphic arts and logos for many local businesses.

Fred is eccentric. The contact page on his website, Fred Schoenk-artist, doesn't work. The Facebook page he uses is private. Needless to say, he doesn't do computer art. His answering machine(610 7989115) as of now is still working. If you appreciate art and manage to make contact with him, and manage to get an invitation to his south side art factory, you're in for a very special treat.

Allentown's Orange Car

While the Orange Car, on Union St. near the Lehigh River, went out of business over twenty years ago, the building sat there vacant, fading away.  Although recently demolished, there's a story behind the slow demise.

When the Lehigh Valley Railroad went bankrupt in 1976, its rolling stock and track went to Conrail. However its other assets, such as real estate, were tied up in bankruptcy.  The Orange Car building was owned by LVRR.  Many years ago there was a small six track rail yard between the Orange Car and the meat packing business to its east.  Carloads of fresh citrus fruit would arrive weekly from Florida. After the rail service ended, the lessee continued operating the fruit stand for another twenty years. 

I labeled this post Allentown's Orange Car, because there was an identical looking sister store in Reading.  That location also had a major event in 1976,  a flood from which it never recovered. 

above reprinted from April of 2021 

Pennsylvania Squanders $Million On Bridge To Nowhere In Allentown

Drivers along Martin Luther King Blvd. have noticed a bridge built to nowhere across from the Parkette's parking lot. The large new cement bridge replaces an old small iron railroad trestle across the Little Lehigh, which served only the homeless for the last several decades. 

This is a story of grants and nonsense rising above incompetency to a level of blatant tax dollar waste.

Here is the story of this overbuilt bridge which leads to nowhere. Years ago the Barber Quarry railroad spur line was removed.  These tracks crossed S. 10th Street and proceed west to the old fertilizer plant, and then north past Union Terrace and eventually crossed Hamilton Street to serve the soda bottling plant on Linden Street. Its last working customer was the Wentz Memorial shop on Walnut Street. When the tracks were removed all the way back to 3th and Union Street area, the AEDC did not protest. After the AEDC came in control of the former Traylor Engineering building on S. 10th, they decided that if the tracks were reinstalled, it would make their vacant building more desirable to an industrial tenant. Of course in the real world reinstalling tracks costs a thousand times more than removing them for scrap iron. Also in the real world very few industries still exist which have need for a rail siding. Working for AEDC at this time was Matt Tuerk.

Meanwhile, the Allentown Park department, although neglecting existing assets such as the WPA structures and closing rather than repairing swimming pools, buys two unnecessary parcels before a former mayor begins his prison sentence. Biking enthusiast Matt Tuerk eventually becomes mayor when a grant finally comes down the pipeline, and we quietly get an overbuilt bridge to nowhere.

As a resident taxpayer I'm appalled at the misuse of public funds. I recall how Lehigh Parkway was bisected and degraded when the bridge there was replaced only by a pedestrian bridge. I recall how long it took to recently replace the bridge across the creek on Lehigh Street. I recall losing the Fountain Park pool because of the cost of a new filter. As a park advocate I have written volumes on the degraded park system supposedly because of the lack of funding. This bridge to nowhere is an insult to everybody.

ADDENDUM 8:00AM: The costly bridge, built with public money, will accommodate Serfass Construction & Development plans to construct a manufacturing facility on the old incinerator parcel, purchased from AEDC for $150K. Although I'm glad there is some purpose, I'm not delighted that our tax dollars are being used to enhance a private position. Pat Browne "engineered" the handout, and he's quite experienced with doing so for select beneficiaries.

Allentown WPA Report

I began advocating here on this blog to repair the landings on the Parkway's double stairwell back in 2010. That structure was the keystone of the Parkway's WPA projects in the mid 1930's. In 2020, when the Trexler Trust paid to have the vertical walls of that structure repointed, I spoke out. They had hired an expert to supervise the work. I went to the park and told the expert that repointing the vertical walls while ignoring the broken flagstone on the landings was akin to painting the walls of a house, but not repairing the leaking roof. The landings would start to sink and damage the stairs below. The mason indicated with a quiet nod that he agreed with me. I phoned the Trexler Trust with my concerns. I was briskly told that they do not seek public input. I have printed my plead to repair the landings almost every year.

I'm sorry to report that the landing have indeed started to concave, and the steps below them are starting to fall apart. While the vertical walls are tolerant of neglect, and could have gone many more years without repointing, the cost now to repair the landings and steps will be much steeper. 

The retaining wall on the Union Terrace stage is being repointed. While I'm glad to see something WPA getting attention, I wish the work schedule was more aligned with the needs of the structures.

Downhill On Lehigh Street

During the early 1970's, Allentown demolished the entire neighborhood between Union and Lawrence Streets. It was, in a large part, home to the black community. How ironic that we destroyed the cohesion of a neighborhood, but renamed Lawrence Street after Martin Luther King. The only remnant of the neighborhood is the St. James A.M.E. Church. Going up the hill today we now have a vacant bank call center on the east, and the Housing Authority Project on the west. A whole neighborhood existed in from both sides of Lehigh Street, including black owned shops. The houses were old and humble, but people owned them, many for generations. 

reprinted from May 2011 

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER 6, 2024:Although the houses shown in the photograph were over a hundred years old, the public housing project which replaced them has already itself been replaced.

Boxing Eggs

When I was a little boy, I would work at my father's meat market, boxing eggs. The job was pretty straightforward. I would take eggs from a big box, and put them in small boxes with folding lids, each of which held a dozen. If I did a whole crate without breaking an egg, I did a good job. The real adventure was the drive to the shop. We lived just off Lehigh Street, and would take it all the way to Union Street. The many landmarks are now gone forever, only remaining in my camera of the past. Shown above in 1952, is the portion of Lehigh Street near the Acorn Hotel, which is not visible in the photograph. Before reaching the Acorn, you drove under The Reading Railroad bridge overpass, which recently has been dismantled and removed. That line served the Mack Plant on S. 10th Street. Just beyond the area pictured, the Quarry Barber railroad spur also crossed Lehigh Street, at the bridge over the Little Lehigh Creek. That line also crossed S. 10th, and served Traylor Engineering, now known as the closed Allentown Metal Works. Just last week Mitt Romney was there, to rebuke Obama's former visit to the site. Mayor Pawlowski is now rebuking Romney, but none of them really know anything about its past. A half block away, on overgrown steps built by Roosevelt's WPA, a thousand men would climb home everyday, after working at Mack and Traylor. Freight trains, on parallel tracks, from two different railroads, were needed to supply those industrial giants.

After my father rounded the second curve on Lehigh Street, we would head up the steep Lehigh Street hill. It was packed with houses and people. At the top of the hill, we would turn right on to Union Street. Going down Union Street, Grammes Metal was built on the next big curve. Grammes made a large assortment of finished decorative metal products. Beyond Grammes were numerous railroad crossings. The Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks crossed Union, as did the Jersey Central and several spurs, near Basin Street. It was not unusual to wait twenty-five minutes for the endless freight trains to pass. A two plus story tower gave the railroad men view and control of the busy crossing. A few more blocks and we were at the meat market, in time for me to break some eggs.

reprinted from July 2011

A Promise Not Kept

Mayor Tuerk is still putting out the tired correlation between Allentown's violence and lack of opportunity. Recently I stopped in at Perkins, and couldn't understand why the hostess told me that there would be a thirty minute wait for table when the restaurant was three quarters empty. She explained to me that she was the only waitress, doubling also as the hostess. I since learned that this problem isn't unique to Perkins. 

Years ago I posted about all the fakers taking disability. Now it's one thing to have a city full of fakers with their hands out, but it's another thing to have pandering politicians and virtue signalers supplying the handouts. 

When there is three separate shooting incidents in a week, there should be a chorus of protest from the public and fellow elected officials. The sycophants remain silent. Allentown will have to decide if it wants to be livable or not. Realize that someone got shot while the mayor was on a Peace Walk with Promise Neighborhoods just a few blocks away. Realize while there is yellow crime tape all over downtown, Tuerk wants bike lanes down Turner Street? 

I don't blame Promise Neighborhoods for all the shootings this past week, but I blame Tuerk and Shapiro for thinking that sending $Millions Promises' way could possibly make a difference. That money has to go toward more police, nothing else. Let the virtue signalers support Promise with their personal private money, if that makes them feel good about themselves.

Tuerk shown above promising Promise.

ADDENDUM 6:00PM:I've been informed by comment that no funds went to Promise this year from Allentown. However, almost $1.6million came their way from Harrisburg.

Cold Reception For Park Advocate

I was surprised the other weekend when I came across volunteers and elected officials painting the gazebos in the Rose Garden. Just a couple of weeks earlier Mike Schlossberg and Nick Miller announced a $200,000 grant for their restoration. On hand was a photographer and videographer to publicize their participation. 

Questioning Schlossberg whether some of the grant would be going to restore the pavilion across the creek, he was clueless and unresponsive.

Nick Miller was polite and a little better informed, responding that some of the money could be spent restoring the neglected picnic pavilions. 

I then asked Park Director Mandy Tolino, who was also there. She told me that the pavilions would be replaced by new metal versions.  When I told her that the large wood pavilions would last many more years with just some long neglected maintenance, and not be a hazardous lightning target, she snidely told me that after the new ones are in place, she will take notes to see which ones lasted longer. When I questioned her about the creek weed wall infested with invasive species, she told me that there are also some native plants growing in the mess. (mess is my word)

Next time I don't want to know anything, I'll ask Schlossberg.  

Next time I want an answer, I'll ask Miller.

Next time I wanted to be dismissed, I'll ask Tolino.

No Ongoing Threat To The Public

When I grew up we were the All 'American City, the phrase most heard now is no ongoing threat to the public. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Police Chief, actually there is an ongoing threat to the public when people keep getting shot!!!  

I know that going on vote pandering diversity trips to the Caribbean isn't going to help. I know that funding former criminals to march around in orange shirts isn't going to help.

While the Morning Call doesn't report Saturday shootings until Monday, news spreads fast in the hood. While the Strata Apartments can put out advertisements about food courts, the food and museum isn't worth being accidentally shot for.

Until we get a much bigger police force, you have to flood this city with State Police, and start taking these bad actors off the streets and out of the alleys.

artwork by Allentown native Mark Beyer

ADDENDUM:The Promise Neighborhoods Peace Walk on Saturday ended at the 7th Street parking lot, where six people were shot the previous Sunday. Joining the walk were council president Cynthia Mota and Mayor Matt Tuerk. Mota had nominated Hasshan Batts for mayor when Pawlowski was carted off. Tuerk had started his mayoral term with a trip to the Dominican Republic to learn about their culture. An hour later and three blocks farther after the walk ended Saturday, there was another shooting at 8th & Union Streets. Mota and Tuerk apparently don't know the difference between orange and blue. Don't expect the public safety dilemma to improve under their leadership.

Hootchy Nights At The Allentown Fair

Morning Call columnist Bill White had a piece earlier in the week where he lamented that  Bobo the dunking clown was no longer at the fair. Although that's about as funky as it got for Bill in his era,  we older Allentonians remember much hotter nights at the fairgrounds. Up to the late sixties the fair had girly shows. I'm going back to the era of Gooding's Million Dollar Midway and Benny's Bingo. I'm going back to three midways packed between the Farmer's Market and Chew Street. I'm going back to when the fair only started after Labor Day.

I mentioned in one of my previous fair posts that Fred Schoenk and I made and sold printed t-shirts at the fairs during high School. At the Kutztown Fair we were hired by the burlesque show owner to letter a new banner for his show tent...as high school boys we would have paid him for the experience.

reprinted from September of 2018

photocredit:molovinsky...Black rock and roll review with strippers, 1969 Allentown Fair

The Great Allentown Fair

The Morning Call website is hosting an archive of Fair Pictures from over the years. Being a fan both of fair pictures and black and white photography, looking at the 111 photos presented was a treat.

The photo shown above, which I will get back to, reminded me of one of my unique fair experiences. In previous posts, I have discussed that both my father and myself had stands at the fair. While my father learned that you couldn't sell hotdogs near Yocco's, I learned that drunks leaving the beer garden loved to buy printed T-shirts.

But today's post has to with George Kistler, long time City Clerk during the 1950's and 60's. George loved the fair, and loved sharing his fascination with a large group of people. I was fortunate enough to be invited several times. The routine was always the same; Dinner at a local stand on the eastern side of the fairgrounds, followed by the wrestling show. I remember photographing Andre The Giant.

The Morning Call fair picture above is none other than Jim "Super Fly" Snuka, who was recently back in Allentown, for a most regrettable reason.

reprinted from September of 2016

The Mighty Atom

Years ago at the Allentown Fair, as one would push through a sea of carney delusion, tucked back by the 4H animals was an island of reality. There, in an old battered truck, an ancient Jewish strongman performed incredible feats of strength, to sell only homemade kosher soap. Standing on a platform on the rear of his truck, flanked by photographs from his performing youth, he would bent horse shoes and bite through nails. Many years earlier, my mother as a little girl in Bethlehem, saw him pull a truck uphill with his hair. Even as an old man, like a reincarnation of Samson, his grey hair was still long.
In the summers of 1964 and 1965, myself and a friend,(Fred Schoenk, retired Allentown art teacher) made and sold printed tee-shirts at the fair. We had the honor to know Joseph Greenstein(The Mighty Atom) and his wife. For those interested, there are various articles on the Mighty Atom and even at least one book. Enjoy the fair!

reprinted annually since 2007

The King Has Abdicated

In 1958 my father had a food stand at the fair. It took him about an hour to realize you cannot sell hot dogs in the King's back yard; Yocco, the Hot Dog King. When Yocco's claimed last year they were not at the fair because their canvas ripped, I was skeptical. This year it's official, they have abdicated their spot. Tonight the fair was jammed. In Ag Hall the granges still compete in vegetable canning. A wiseguy still incites you to dunk him. The world's smallest horse hasn't grown. Maybe Yocco's is gone, but the fair is still much more like 1958 than any other aspect of Allentown.

REPRINTED FROM AUG.28, 2007

UPDATE 2016: Yocco's has announced that they have closed their original location in the 600 block of Liberty Street.