By J.F. Pirro If you can picture this, 63-year-old Chip Walakovits is the South Side (Lehigh University) Boosters’ cheerleader. He’s the one who makes his way down the grandstand and asks for an “L,” then an “E,” an “H” and an “I” and so on like he initiated in a 2010 NCAA Division I-AA first-round playoff football game at Northern Iowa. It worked. Lehigh won, 14-7. “We we... »
By Sara Hodon Staying up-to-date on what’s happening in your field and keeping those professional skills sharp are important to any career, but perhaps nowhere as critical as the health care industry. As our population ages and health care costs increase, the demand for highly skilled, specialized health care has never been greater. Unfortunately, a shortage of primary car... »
By Mary Beth Schwartz For 17 years, the Antiques Roadshow has been bringing television viewers antiques and collectibles appraisals from the country’s top dealers and auction houses. Attendees tell of major finds at yard sales or grandma’s attic. But the adventure does not have to end there. Antique lovers can visit Lehigh Valley’s specialty antique shops and auction galle... »
By Fred Jerant My wife teaches fourth grade, and she’s had her fill of Halloween by October 1 (you can probably guess why). On the other hand, I have a good time, even dressing up to hand out the candy. I’ve been Joliet Jake Blues (a cheap fedora and dollar-store sunglasses), Clark Kent (with a Superman t-shirt underneath my regular clothes) and other characters. They help... »
By Fred Jerant It is an all too-familiar tale: the end of a torrid summer romance. Inevitably, the passions that had once flamed and flared, eventually cooled, and went out…leaving only ashes and memories. Of course I’m talking about cleaning up the grill (gas or charcoal), putting a cover on it and stashing it in the garage until next year. Trust me: It doesn’t have to be... »
By Carole Gorney Photo by Keith Brinker For most of three centuries, when children in the Lehigh Valley went back to school, they went to one-room schoolhouses established by the local rural communities where they lived. One room meant one teacher for all ages in what today would be grades one through eight. Beginning as early as the 1700s, settlers built small structur... »
By Ann Wlazelek Gabriella handed me the mirror. “What do you think?” she asked. “I have eyebrows,” I said excitedly. “And they won’t come off!” Tiny, hair-like lines, perfectly aligned, had been tattooed in a delicate arch over each of my eyes. How wonderful, I thought, to never have to draw my eyebrows again. And the whole process took less than an hour. No pain, just a ... »
Lighting Fixture & Supply Company 1033 Sumner Avenue l Allentown, PA l 610-435-9691 l lightingfixtureandsupply.com Sue and Jim Brophy took over Lighting Fixture & Supply Company when Sue’s father, Rolland Rodgers, retired in 1992. Established in 1955, Lighting Fixture & Supply has been serving the Lehigh Valley for more than 55 years and has been at its ... »
By Andy Cook Preparation Here’s the interesting thing: grad school was always in the back of my mind. However, it took all the pieces being in the right place to make it happen. My undergrad years at Penn State were back in the 80s… the 1980s that is, just to be clear. In fact, I had been in grad school once before, in the late 80s, at Lehigh University. However, for those... »
By Kathleen Shannon Harold and the Purple Crayon, the 1955 children’s book by Crockett Johnson that’s also a play for both children and adults, lets us know we can create the reality we want, step by step. That’s exactly what Professor Charles Richter did with the Theatre and Dance Department at Muhlenberg College, and it’s paid off big time. When he started the program in... »
