West End Community Block Party set Saturday
Churches, Hancock Fire Co. sponsor event

By JUDY BACA
Times Herald Staff

NORRISTOWN — It's party time again in Norristown's West End. The Eighth Annual West End Block Party is set for noon to 4 p.m. Saturday in the area of Marshall Street and Haws Avenue, rain or shine.

Sponsored by the churches of the West End and the Hancock Volunteer Fire Company, the event is designed "to provide a festive day of fellowship, education and entertainment for the families, neighbors and friends of Norristown's West End," according to the special newsletter released for those participating.

Getting things off to a start at noon will be the Valley Forge Highland Band of Bagpipers, led by Joe Raudenbush.

They will perform in the "stage steps" of Calvary Baptist Church and will be followed by music provided by the Blue Moon Band, which will be making its first appearance at the Block Party.

The acoustic trio, consisting of Sandy Pluta, Paul Pluta and Matthew Gordon, hails from the Phoenixville and Skippack areas.

Guinness Book of Records balloon sculpting champion John Cassidy, will be back once again to create inflated creatures for young and old and magician Clive Allen will be on board to amaze everyone with his feats.

Singer Ted Guest will take the stage at 1:30 and will be followed by Allen at 2 pm.

Allen's magic show will take place in the Activity Room of Calvary Baptist Church and everyone is encouraged to attend.

At 2:30 p.m., the Mt. Zion Church Men's Choir will sing, back on the "stage steps."

The choir will be followed at 3 p.m. by a performance by the New Life Mennonite Praise Band.

And there is much more. While being entertained, party-goers can also partake of a variety of food items.

There will be a karate demonstration arranged by instructor Harry Plichta.

In addition, for the first time, Kitty Cottage of Blue Bell will be bringing some lovable homeless cats to visit.

Founded as a non-profit, all volunteer, adoption organization to find families for homeless cats, Kitty Cottage offers already vaccinated and neutered or spayed pets. Visitors to the center can cuddle and play with the cats and learn more about each cat's traits.

Making their second visit to the festivities will be the Royersford Modular Model Railroaders, who will set up a layout of interchangeable modules in an activity room of the Calvary Baptist Church.

The Big Brown Dog (looking just like Scooby-Doo) will be greeting visitors and there will be plenty of games, exhibits and the traditional dunk tank, with every dollar spent going toward the Hancock Fire Company's new building.

The firemen from Hancock are running the dunk tank and Norristown's Mayor Ted LaBlanc has promised to be the first "dunkee."

Watercolorist Chari Wurtzel will head up the Norristown Farm Park Preservation Association's mural project, which will encourage children to assist in creating a mural depicting all the facilities offered by the Farm Park.

Chess aficionados can challenge experts Phil Gottshall and Joan McKay to a game and McKay will be bringing her extensive collection of Disney pins to trade with other Disney collectors.

Mary Alice Law is chairman of this year's event.

Her planning committee consists of representatives from each of the participating churches: All Saints' Episcopal, Calvary Baptist, Central Presbyterian, Christ Church, United Church of Christ, Grace Lutheran, haws Avenue Methodist and St. Francis Roman Catholic Church as well as Hancock Fire Company.