VOL. 1 NO. 1, July 2016
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INDEPENDENCE DAY CONSHOHOCKEN STYLE FIREWORKS & A SOAP BOX DERBY RACE - BY JACK COLL
As a Bruce Springsteen fan I have trouble saying the word “Independence Day” without saying it twice. Springsteen’s song “Independence Day” is a rather sad song and has nothing to do with the thirteen colonies who had claimed their independence from England on July 4, 1776. On June 7, 1776 the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania State House (Later Independence Hall). On that date Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: “Resolve: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” A month later on July 4, the Declaration of Independence was signed and this led to the formation of the United States. The original copy of the Declaration of Independence is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and July 4 has been designated a national holiday to commemorate the day the United States laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation. So on this July 3, as all of Conshohocken enjoys the fireworks display held at Sutcliffe Park the true meaning of this wonderful event can be held close to our hearts with pride and patriotism. On Monday morning the Annual Soap Box Derby Race will be taking over Fayette Street from Fourth Avenue to Ninth Avenue for the 66th annual race. The See INDEPENDENCE Page 6
A RACERS PERSPECTIVE RACING SOAPBOX - BY LIAM DONOVAN
My name is Liam Donovan and I am a Soap Box Derby Racer. I got into racing through my bloodline. My grandfather raced in the 50’s and started building the cars for his brothers and sisters. They then went on See SOAPBOX Page 6
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CONSHOHOCKENS REAL ESTATE BOOM
BY MICHAEL J. SROKA, (Owner, Home Experts For You, LLC.), (610) 520-6543 Location, Location, Location!!! One of the best reasons why Conshohocken is thriving today! This former “blue collar”, mill town is located within a short drive to many major routes, including 202, 76 and 476. This is an ideal location with convenient access to almost anything and everything. Only a few minutes drive to center city and the surrounding Philadelphia suburbs. Great shopping, excellent dining, good schools and public transportation via rail that takes you directly down town. “If you already live here, Congratulations! If not, its time to take another look at Conshohocken.” Conshohocken offers a lot of different opportunities to its residents. Within the last few years you are seeing an explosion of new retail, office buildings and great restaurants. This has led to the construction of many new development projects just to keep up with the demand for both residential and commercial space. High demand & low inventory causes the homes in town and the surrounding suburbs to sell quickly and have multiple offers. Why is inventory so low?
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Its because attitudes are shifting in recent years. Besides those who grew up in Conshohocken, traditionally since its revitalization we were a community of renters and first time home buyers whose second homes were outside the community, but that is all changing. Conshohocken and its suburbs have become a very desirable place to live and raise a family and the secret is out. With the majority of homes built before 1940, most of the housing is smaller, mostly 3 bedroom row homes. Many of our local developers are seeing the need for more single homes and thats why on almost every street here in town new larger homes are being built. Even as early as 10yrs ago the average sales price for a home here in town was under $200,000, now we’re seeing single homes sell for over $550,000. We are even seeing a lot of investors purchase and renovate single family homes, condos and townhomes to take advantage of the strong rentals market. Being not only a real estate professional here in town, but a lifelong resident born and raised here, I couldn’t be happier to see the direction that are great little borough is going. Hope to see you soon, and remember that great neighbors make great communities and we’d love to have you. CONSHOHOCKEN
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IT’S WEDDING SEASON - FLOWERS, DJ, & ATTORNEYS BY LEONIDAS N. KOLETAS, ESQUIRE, (484) 674-1490
Every Rose Has Its Thorns. Ok. So the first marriage didn’t work out so well. But this one is going to. Or, maybe you finally found the right one later in life, when you weren’t looking. Yes, yes, I know, the passion is white hot, this will last forever, epic poems are written about great loves like this. This love will never end. What do the two scenarios have in common? Assets. It’s a difficult subject to bring up. You had a life. You want to protect what you built. But you are afraid to kill the vibe, that maybe you will offend your partner. And this will all be over. The poems will not be read, the monuments will not be built. Consider this. If you can’t be honest with your partner, if you can’t have a real conversation with your partner, if your assets are what makes you attractive, what chance does this relationship have to survive? A pre-nuptial agreement is a document that both protects and provides. It protects the legacy you have built, and can protect your partner by making specific provisions for support, care, comfort, etc. All it takes is a bit of creativity on your part, and an attorney that understands there is a mutual goal, rather than
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an adversarial goal in creating the document. That is a difficult concept for an attorney to grasp, because conflict increases fees, which buys the new Mercedes and time in the south of France. (There is a reason other attorneys hate me). Any legitimate attorney will tell you both parties need to be represented by their own counsel. It is a conflict of interest to do otherwise. And remember, the only differences in quality between an honest, experienced $200 an hour attorney and a $400 an hour attorney is See WEDDING Page 7
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CONSHOHOCKENS NEW AND EXCITING PUBLICATION BY JACK COLL
We want to take a minute and welcome “THE CONSHY COURIER” to Conshohocken. The Conshy Courier is published by Teresa Parris and promises to be an information highway for Conshohocken and surrounding communities. I wondered out loud about the significance and importance of a publication today in a world of instant news, instant up-dates and up-to-the minute weather reports and of course that got me to thinking about a former town publication, the CONSHOHOCKEN RECORDER weekly newspaper. THE CONSHY COURIER is modeling itself after the Conshohocken Recorder and for 140 years the Conshohocken Recorder brought us heart-warming stories about the residents of our town, announced births, deaths, birthdays, graduations, weddings, young resident’s school accomplishment that included a second grade student at Conshohocken Elementary School who received a certificate for helping a classmate or an Honor Student at the high school level. The Conshohocken Recorder brought us weekly up-dates from the Conshohocken Fellowship House, (Now the Conshohocken Community Center) it kept us informed about our youth leagues including the Conshohocken Little League, the Conshohocken Golden Bears Football organization along with results from the Bears cheerleading competitions. The Recorder kept us informed and up-to-date with our civic organizations including the Conshohocken Junior Women’s Club, The Conshohocken Ambucs, and Conshohocken Rotary Club among others not to mention all the churches activities. Looking back at the Conshohocken Recorder history when the very first copy rolled off the press it really wasn’t too different than the CONSHY COURIER Carpet • Tile • Wood Shades • Blinds • Shutters Rubber Sports Flooring Wood Floor Refinishing Professional Installation
rolling out their very first edition of the paper. The very first Conshohocken Recorder newspaper was a one page edition printed by Charles Jones from a small room he rented above James W. Harry’s Drug Store once located on Fayette Street at Elm Street. On December 16, 1869, the date of the very first publication Jacob Orsell, a shoemaker who ran a shop next to Harry’s Drug Store was the very first subscriber to pay $1.00 for a year’s subscription. Within days of that first edition Jones had 200 subscribers all paying one dollar each, within three weeks Jones had nearly 500 subscribers wanting his newspaper. Within a few years Jones sold the paper to Charles Davis, a lawyer who put his two sons, Herbert and Frank to work running the business. Davis later partnered with William Heywood. Both Davis and Heywood were presented with a good business opportunity and sold the paper to the Wrigley Brothers-Mark, Alfred and James. Following some ups and downs in the newspaper business, the Wrigley Brothers sold the Recorder to Alan Wood. Mr. Wood stabilized the paper by bringing in William Prizer and George Evans who published the paper for Alan Wood and the pair later leased the paper from Mr. Wood. In 1895 Harry Heywood purchased the paper from Alan Wood and incorporated as the Recorder Publishing Company citing Harry and his brother Irving as the firm’s principals. In later years Harry Heywood would partner with Harold Cooper Roberts of Ambler, and in July of 1952 Harold “Mac” McCuen of the Spring Mill section of Conshohocken purchased the paper from Heywood and Roberts. Under the ownership of the Heywood’s the Recorder building that housed offices and the printing presses was constructed in 1926 at the corner of Hector and
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FROM THE COUCH - DEALING WITH HOLIDAY STRESS
BY KLODJANA DURI, PSY.D., LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST, CONSHOHOCKEN, PA (267) 401-3220 Many of us look forward to spending holiday weekends together with family and friends. We enjoy grilling out, watching the fireworks or parades, going to the beach or having a picnic. However, the holiday weekend can also be a time of increased stress and anxiety. Here are five tips that can help you get the most out of this 4th of July weekend. (1) Have a Plan: “A goal without a plan is just a wish” (Antoine De Saint-Exupery). Take some time to organize events/activities with family and friends. The mere knowledge of knowing what to expect helps us better organize our thoughts and feelings, and gives us a sense of control and direction. Make a plan for how you will handle stressful situations or conversations (Will you walk away? Nod kindly? Or Disagree respectfully?). (2) Stay Positive: Being positive allows us to overcome difficult or stressful situations. Do your best to find an optimistic point of view in interactions with others or in events/activities that may trigger stress. Be in tune with your thoughts/feelings and proactive about
changing your negative stance (focus on what is going right and use a positive self affirmation). (3) Create Clear and Realistic Expectations: Often I hear that feelings of stress and anxiety are provoked by feelings of disappointment. We all go into a holiday weekend with certain expectations for how much fun we will have, how others will behave, and how we will be treated. But remember: Nothing is ever perfect. Despite our need to exert control, we have to accept that we live in an imperfect world with imperfect beings. And when we are quick to become stressed or angry by feeling a lack of control we are unrealistically expecting too much out of ourselves and others. (4) Set Alone Time: After a long day of being with others, make sure to give yourself some time to be alone and to reflect positively on the day’s events. Do something that helps you to relax. Engage in an activity that is calming (read a book, journal your thoughts/ feelings, listen to music or watch a movie). Do your See STRESS Page 6
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SOAPBOX Continued From Cover Story to build cars for their kids, including my father. When I was 8 years old it was my turn. I’m a third generation Donovan racer and am on my seventh year of Soap Box. The Conshohocken Soap Box Derby is probably one of the most influential activities that I have ever participated in. Soap Box has taught me a lot about perseverance, practice, and family values. If it weren’t for Soap Box Derby, I would probably be a much different person from who I am today. Unlike other sports, Soap Box Derby is a sport which involves the whole family. We travel together, set the cars up together, and help each other out throughout the racing season. My mom packs us up for our trips, catches my car at the bottom of the hill and helps me with getting ready to race. My dad is the one who builds my car with me, and also sets me up in the ramp at all of my races. My sister, Erin, is full of never-ending fun on the road. She’s a racer too and together we figure out the fastest way down a derby hill. My grandmother and her family helps out by sponsoring my car through her company, Schank Printing. My dad’s uncles, aunts and cousins all support me too. They help me with anything I need on the Fourth of July in town. If it wasn’t for everyone’s help, I wouldn’t be able to participate in Soap Box. The lessons that I have learned in Soap Box have carried over into other sports that I am active in now. I wrestle for Methacton High School and I have greatly benefited in my ability to wrestle because of Soap Box. It took me 53 races until I had finally achieved a first place in a Soap Box race. This taught me that practice and perseverance pays off. If I hadn’t learned that, I might not be wrestling today. Even after I won my first race at 8, I was only a mediocre driver at best. I finally became what’s considered a good driver after 3 years of racing. This showed me that I have to practice more when I wrestle in order to become a winner. Last year was probably one of the best experiences that I have ever had racing. I got to represent Conshohocken at the World Championships in Ohio, where I was able to place 3rd in the world. I won a college scholarship and a huge trophy. When I got back from the race, the town fire companies had a parade and I had my picture taken with Mayor Frost! In the end, Soap Box Derby is one of the most important things in my life, and it has taught me many great things. I would recommend it for anybody who is at least 7 years old and who wants some adventure in their life. If you want to race in the Soap Box Derby, contact Mark Marine at 610-574-5101
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COURIER Continued From Page 4 Forrest Streets where it operated into the early 1960’s. In 1963 Robert Cain purchased the Recorder building and was home for the Samson Paper Company from 1963-1980. The Recorder’s final office was located at Seventh Avenue and Fayette Street and on October 8, 2008 after more than 138 years of publication the Conshohocken Recorder fell silent. The legacy of the Conshohocken Recorder newspaper is that the paper recorded our town’s history, our dayto-day history. The news and information printed in the Recorder couldn’t be found on-line at that time, most of the news and information found in the CONSHY COURIER today is not likely to be found on-line. On this Independence Day 2016 the CONSHY COURIER has started a new chapter, a new history with its very first edition. The CONSHY COURIER represents what Conshohocken really is, and that is that Conshohocken really is a small town, a small town filled with neighbors, children, residents accomplishments, heartwarming stories and stories about children’s achievements that are so small it almost makes them the most important people in the world. In today’s fast-paced society and instant news cycle I could use a few heartwarming stories about my neighbors, a few good town tid-bits that help me slow down a little bit and enjoy the happenings going on in our community. Welcome CONSHY COURIER, may you have a long and successful run! INDEPENDENCE Continued From Cover Story event starts at 9:00 A. M. and runs to approximately 4:00 P. M. Before heading out to your picnic please stop on Fayette Street to cheer the racers on! About that Bruce Springsteen song “Independence Day,” well the song is about a father and son coming to terms, that it’s time to move on, there’s a line in the sand and the words don’t come easy, the house is no longer big enough for the two of them and they both know that it’s time to say goodbye, its Independence day. Here’s to the red, white and blue of our flag. STRESS Continued From Page 5 best to choose healthy coping strategies during stressful times. (5) Ask for Help: “Asking for help does not mean that we are weak or incompetent. It usually indicates an advanced level of honesty and intelligence” (Anne Wilson Schaef). When you are planning, packing, traveling, and cooking, ask those around you for help. Understand your own limitations and those of others and seek emotional or physical support, accordingly.
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WEDDING Continued From Page 3 $200 an hour and a window office in center city. All assets will be disclosed, and attached as an exhibit to the Pre-Nup, and certified as true. No surprises here. Understand that lawyers love divorces where clients did not sign a pre-nup. It’s easy to turn that passion into cash. Lot’s of conflict. Huge bills. Litigation out the wazoo. The insurance a pre-nup provides is the protection of assets and avoidance of turning those assets over to an attorney in fees. Really, wouldn’t you rather keep the Mercedes and vacation in the south of France for yourself, rather than fund your attorney? As the great Brett Michaels once said: “Every rose has its thorn. Just like every night has its dawn. Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song. Every rose has its thorn. Yeah it does” (Leonidas N. Koletas, Esquire is an attorney with a general practice in Conshohocken. This article is intended to prompt thought and provide some educational material, not be used as a “how-to” manifesto. By the way, Mr. Koletas’ practice is a solo practice, because he doesn’t like lawyers.)
Want to become a contributer or an advertiser? Visit www.ConshyCourier.com and click on the contact page. Just fillout the contact form and will get back to you as soon as we can. THANK YOU. THE FINE PRINT
The Conshy Courier is published the 3rd Wednesday of every month with mass saturation in Conshohocken, West Conshohocken, a portion of Plymouth Meeting and Whitemarsh. Copies also available at area businesses. The publisher assumes no liability for typographical errors except to reprint that portion of the advert that was incorrect. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason. Opinions expressed by columnists are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Courier Newspapers. Reproduction of these pages or their content is permitted only with prior approval from the publisher.
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