West Nantmeal Township is making plans for two events that have a goal of unifying the community, and at the same time help raise funds for projects that benefit the community.
An Ice Cream Social is planned for June 6 at the West Nantmeal Park next to the West Nantmeal Township Building.
Resident Ed Ward said the family oriented festivity will be held from 5 to 9 p.m.
‘Popcorn will be free,’ said Susan Ward, township secretary/treasurer, as well as member of West Nantmeal Township Historical Commission. ‘There will be a charge for ice cream. A few local food vendors will be there.’
‘There will be something for everybody,’ said Ward. ‘Visitors will be introduced to the new playground equipment. People can meet and greet the supervisors. Plans are to show a family oriented film. It will be like a festival. Maybe there will be pizza, hamburgers and French fries. We will have food so people can come early.’
‘We are looking to see how other municipalities do it,’ said Ward. ‘We are looking for conflicts on Friday night with other local events.’
‘Temporary lights will be put in the pavilion for the occasion,’ said Chairman Gary Elston. ‘Colored lights will be put inside. The festivities will be family oriented.’
The date of the October Fest has been moved up to Sept. 13, said Ward. ‘The festivities will be from 5 to 9 p.m. at Wyebrooke Farm. There will be dinner and dancing. The dinner will be catered by Wyebrooke Farm.’
The funds raised at the event will be used to help rebuild the historic stone walls in the neighborhood of St. Mary of Providence.
St. Mary of Providence was formerly the home of William Potts, Iron Master at Isabella Furnace. After the furnace went out of blast, Potts kept his employees busy building the walls along local roads.
Providing a report about the Historical Commission, Ward said, ‘A lot is going on with the Historical Commission. We are doing fundraising and we are looking for new members. We have a popular map of West Nantmeal Township which can be framed. We have cards and calendars for sale. Shirley VanSkoy is doing a newsletter.’
‘Recently we had a seminar to study 175 years of railroad travel in West Nantmeal and Honey Brook Townships attended by six residents from West Nantmeal and 10 from at the Honey Brook Townships.’
For more about the Historical Commission visit www.westnantmealhc.org.
‘Historian Bob Wise is helping us to get St. Mary of Providence on the National Registry of Historic Places,’ said Ward. ‘We are always looking for people to help and to provide ideas. For more information please call 610-286-9722. We are having a stone wall building workshop in the fall.’
‘We will be celebrating the 275th anniversary of the date West Nantmeal split from East Nantmeal Township in 1740,’ said Ward.
