Schuylkill County Real Estate: February 2009

The American Red Cross Bloodmobiles for the month of March 2009 held in the following locations (times and sponsor information also included):

Date: Location: Time Sponsor

Tues. March 3rd Elysburg Presbyterian Church 1-6 320 West Valley Avenue, Elysburg

Tues. March 3rd The Academy for the Blessed 1-6 in Honor of Senator Rhodes Virgin Mary 29 S. Catawissa St and Gino Capone Mahanoy City

Wed. March 11th St. Stephen’s Church Hall 1-6 the Shenandoah Rotary Shenandoah

Mon. March 16th Schuylkill Medical Center 9-3 Schuylkill Health and Jackson St Campus, Pottsville Pottsville Rotary

Tues. March 17th Auburn Fire and Ambulance 1-6 Auburn Fire and Ambulance

Thurs. March 19th Jerusalem Church, Schuylkill Haven 12-6 the Council of Churches

Fri. March 20th St. Clair Wade Methodist Church 1-6 SCCHS

Sat. March 21st Fairlane Village Mall 10-2 in honor of Ziggy Eubanks

Mon. March 23rd St. Pauline’s Center 1150 Chestnut St Kulpmont

Tues. March 24th St. Barbara’s Hall, Minersville 12-6 the Lions. the Rotary, the Council of Churches and the Minersville Women’s Club

Wed. March 25th Salvation Army Gym, 1-6 Tommy’s Hoagie Shop 105 W. Broad St Tamaqua 41 N. Railroad St Tamaqua, PA 18252 Also in honor of Stephen Risteter

Thurs., March 26th Pine Grove Ambulance Building 1-6 Pine Grove Ambulance

The American Red Cross is very grateful to the public for their response and we need the continued help of our donors that give blood in their communities. Every single donation makes a difference in the blood supply in your community.

Anyone who is at least 17 years old, who weighs at least 110 lbs., and is in general good health is asked to give blood at this time.

February is almost over and we will turn our calendars to March shortly. Let the March winds clear the cobwebs of Winter and join us for any of these upcoming events. Tonight at 6 pm from the comfort of your own living room-

For those of you who were unable to make the February Business Before 9 O’clock Breakfast, the debate for the 29th Senatorial District between Rep. Dave Argall and Steve Lukach will air on Service Electric Channel 19.

Sunday, March 8 – Daylight Savings Time ends and we lose a hours sleep! Remember to “Spring Forward” and reset your clocks.

Wednesday, March 11, the Networking Before 9 O’clock, sponsored by St. Joseph Center for Special Learning, features Sharon Angelo, CareerLink. Sharon will clue you in on all of the HR services offered by the CareerLink. Breakfast begins at 7:45 at The Porter House Grille.

Tuesday, March 17 - Network After 5 with KNBT and Golden Living Center, York Terrace and celebrate the “Wearing of the Green” and St. Patrick’s Day. Festivities begin at 5 pm at The Greystone Restaurant.

Thursday, March 12 at noon is the deadline for submission of information for the Monthly Member Memo. The MMM is emailed on Friday, March 13 at noon. Submit your articles via email to vanessa@schuylkillchamber.com. Please do not supply PDF files!

Wednesday, March 25 - Wilkes Small Business Development Center is presenting a seminar on “How to Survive in Tough Economic Times” from 9 to 11 am at the Schuylkill Chamber conference center. If the economy is impacting your business, make plans to attend. There is no cost for this session, but registration is required.

Wednesday, March 25 – Schuylkill Women in Business meet at 11:45 am at Roma Pizza’s Oak Room to hear from Joe Palko, The House Doctors Handyman Services, on Tips to Spruce-Up Your Home for Spring. Cost is $15 for chamber members and $17 for non-members. Deadline for reservations is Monday, March 23.

Tuesday, March 31 – Schuylkill Women in Crisis presents “Domestic Violence and It’s Impact on Your Business!” Don’t hide your head in the sand and ignore this issue. Join SWIC from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Schuylkill Chamber conference center. Cost is $15 per person and includes lunch. Registration is required.

Thursday, April 9 – If your SMARTboard is outsmarting you, then you want to be at the Schuylkill Community Education Council, Rockwood Center, from noon to 3:00 pm as Terence Laughlin informs you on how to tame the beast. Cost is $50 per person, or $40 per person for 3 or more from the same company. Reservations are required.

Flyers on all of the events listed above can be found at www.schuylkillchamber.com/newsletter.htm. Keep up to date on all the the happenings of the Schuylkill Chamber by checking our website – www.schuylkillchamber.com. The current edition of the Communicator is available to view online (click on the photo) or as a PDF download, and you can find all the event flyers and calendar of events. Simply click on the “Monthly Newsletter” tab in the bottom left corner of the main page.

February 27 & 28 The Black Renaissance Comedy Tour Friday, February 27, 2009 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, February 28, 2009 8:00 p.m., Sovereign Majestic Theater, 209 North Centre St., Pottsville. Tickets: $20.00. 18 and over only. These four comedians, L.A. Hardy, Quevaughn Bryant, Kurt Green and Marvin Lee, take you on a non stop laugh fest that touches all aspects of our lives, while bringing America into the true nature and diversity of black culture. 570-628-4647 www.sovereignmajestic.com

February 27 An Irish Pub Experience with Music & Book Signing at the Lazy Dog Coffeehouse 7-10 pm, Lazy Dog Coffeehouse, 18 E. Sunbury Street, Minersville, www.lazydogcoffeehouse.com. Irish Roads & The Pipes Are Calling. Poet, lyricist and novelist Loretta Murphy will transform the Lazy Dog into an Irish Pub experience with a night of dinner, music, readings, story telling and book signing. Irish Roads is a collection of poems inspired by Loretta's recent pilgrimage across Ireland. The Pipes Are Calling is a novel laced with romance, coal-country (Molly Maguire) history, and the lure of Ireland. Loretta and guitarist, Paul Noon--aka "The Troubles" will perform original music as well as folk songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Books on sale now $24.95 + tax each. Call 570-544-4800 to make your reservation.

February 27 Entertainment at Blue Mountain Summit 7 - 10 p.m., Blue Mountain Summit, 2520 West Penn Pike, Andreas (Route 309 halfway between Tamaqua & Allentown). Dave Mell. 570-386-2003.

February 28 Registrations for both Adult and Children/Teen Theatre Workshops 10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m., The Strawberry Playhouse, 60 Church Street, Tuscarora. Enjoy the theater, but don’t want to be on stage? Needed: Directors, Stage Managers, Technical support stage crew , costumes, and more. Information: 570-325-4368, lafala@ptd.net

February 28 Trek to the Tower 2:00-4:30 p.m. with “Porcupine Pat.”Hike to the Silver Creek Fire Tower on scenic state forest land above Saint Clair. Meets on the Burma Road about one mile outside of Saint Clair for carpool to state forest parking lot further up the road. (three miles – moderate). All hikes are free and open to the public. Poor weather cancels and participants should dress for comfort. For more information visit: www.schuylkillonthemove.com or email: porcupinepat@yahoo.com or 570.622.4124 x 113.

February 28 Sherry Marchefsky at The Lazy Dog Coffeehouse 8-11 pm, Lazy Dog Coffeehouse, 18 East Sunbury St., Minersville. Berks County native and local favorite. Sherry’s eclectic style and untamed lyrics are the medium for which this singer/songwriter delivers her remarkable anthems rooted in jazz, rock, and soul. $3.00 music charge. 570-544-4800. www.lazydogcoffeehouse.com

March 1 Musical Entertainment at The Porter House Grille "Down to Earth Band" 9 pm to 12 am, The Porter House Grille, 100 S. Centre St., (located at the Ramada Inn) Pottsville. No Cover Charge. 570-622-4707. www.porterhousegrille.com

2nd Annual Celebrate Schuylkill!

Does your group or organization host an ethnic or cultural celebration? Help celebrate the vibrant diversity and heritage of Schuylkill County during our 2nd Annual Celebrate Schuylkill event on Saturday, May 2 from 11 am to 5 pm at Fairlane Village Mall. Showcase your ethnic or cultural events! Sell the ethnic foods and crafts that shoppers will be craving! Share your information about the county's heritage! This is an opportunity for you to promote your particular items, FREE OF CHARGE, and join in the fun as we celebrate Schuylkill!

Download a registration form by clicking here:

http://www.shopfairlanevillage.com/content/images/pdf/vendor_package.pdf,

or call (570) 429 - 1563 for more info. Registration deadline is April 17, 2009.

Last year, state-funded tax relief began reducing property tax bills on primary homes and farms. However, many property owners missed out -- you have to be signed up through the homestead or farmstead exemption to qualify. The deadline for the applications is Friday, Feb. 27. (This year, the March 1 deadline falls on a Sunday.)

Only properties registered as homesteads or farmsteads are eligible to receive a property tax reduction through what’s known as the homestead exclusion. A homestead must be a Pennsylvanian’s permanent primary residence on which property taxes are paid. Each year, school districts are required to mail notices of this by Jan. 1 to all owners of residential properties that aren’t already registered.

To receive a homestead exemption, a resident must submit an application to the county assessor. If you're not sure whether your home is already approved for the exemption, contact your county assessment office:

• Schuylkill County: 570-628-1024

If you need an application, please call your school district’s business office:

• Blue Mountain, 570-366-0515

• North Schuylkill, 570-874-0466

• Pine Grove Area, 570-345-2731

• Pottsville Area, 570-621-2900

• Schuylkill Haven Area, 570-385-6736

• Schuylkill Valley, 610-916-0957

• Tri-Valley, 570-682-9013

• Williams Valley, 717-647-2167

I have an office policy that states ANY client who is dissatisfied with our service may request to be released from our listing or buyer's agent contracts. I don't want unhappy clients or bad word of mouth. Not all firms operate that way, but it's worked for me.

The Community Engagement for Early Childhood Education Team of Schuylkill County, a program of Child Development, is sponsoring the second annual Family Fun Festival on April 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds to kick off the Week of the Young Child.

The festival is a free event that is open to the public. Last year, 2,900 were in attendance. The event is advertised via public forums on radio, TV and newspaper. Additionally, flyers will be sent home with all children in Schuylkill County via their elementary schools and/or child care providers.

The Schuylkill County Commissioners issue a proclamation in support of the Week of the Young Child and the community events that are a part of it. All businesses, community organizations, child care providers, school districts and community partners are invited to be a part of the day for a nominal fee. Registration fee is $15 before February 25, and $25 afterward.

Registration will be accepted up until March 31. Electricity, water and restrooms are available. All you need to do is bring your marketing materials along with a fun craft or activity for the children. For more information, or to register, contact Regina Gargano, Coordinator, at 570-385-3986 x 221 or 570-292-6839. or email rgargano@childdevlop.org.

Buyers frequently are so confused when comparing loans. Here is a GREAT explanation of why you should/should NOT pay points. Thanks Jason for writing this field guide to points.