( a review of bechtelsville’s hillbilly bbq )

a review of bechtelsville’s hillbilly bbq
by amy strauss

ever since late 2009, a tasty trove of upscale street food trucks has embraced the urban dining scene. scouting through populated roads to sling their above-par hand-held treats to anyone packing cash and abruptly swarming streets to battle out their ongoing turf wars, has consequentially made the world of mobile munchies seen in a brighter light.

however, street trucks haven't transitioned as easily onto the streets of the suburbs, which makes sense when considering the issue of foot traffic. but, that being said, it doesn't mean local vendors aren't attempting to push their delicious products on four wheels—even if it's a rare gig.

every day, to work and home, or to wherever my lil' heart scoots, i pass hillbilly bbq. the grilling truck, located on route 100 on the brim of bechtelsville, floods my local scene with the most glorious of smoked meat smells. it was inevitable that i'd grab some grub to-go in due time.

of course, as temperatures recently slid into the 90-degree range, i decided to dine out in the beating sun and meet jr reinhart, the grilling mastermind behind the local barbecue joint. reinhart, who i wish to now crown the king of all mobile food trucks, crafts a delightful pulled pork 'wich slathered with homemade slaw, thousand island dressing, and his special hillbilly bbq sauce.

the pleasing proprietor, who had his grilling bug sparked when his wife and daughter gifted him a barbecue set seven years ago, prepares all of your deserved meaty marvels in his mini-eatery, including entire racks of ribs, beef brisket, grilled chicken, and of course, my adored pulled pork.

my beau, bob, opted for the choice of a half-beef, half-pork pulled sammy, which he doused in reinhart's deliciously tangy sauce, also offering the perfect combo of sweet and smoky.

we couldn't help but to also sample, at the least, one of the local's sides, which was the bbq baked potato. flooded with generous layers of pulled beef, hillbilly seasoned dust, hillbilly bbq sauce, shredded cheese, and sour cream, this nearby mecca of comfort food easily made me a barbecue addict—just after one delicious bite.

 

open thursday – sunday, 11.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m.

freebie alert ! comment on this story to enter for a chance to win a hillbilly special (sandwich) from hillybilly bbq. please include your e-mail address in the comment. this contest ends sunday the 8th of august. good luck !

( yellow house raw milk dairy moves moo-worthy drinking water by solar efforts )

yellow house raw milk dairy moves moo-worthy
drinking water by solar efforts
by jennifer hetrick

in mid-june, mark lopez of wholesome dairy farms in yellow house finished installing a solar-powered spring water drinking system on his land for his 40 gulp-savvy ayrshire milking cows. 

what sets lopez apart from other dairy farmers in the area is that the milk he sells is raw, bursting with flavor, often digestible by those who claim lactose intolerance, and from grass-fed cows.

also in the farm’s milk store are blocks of raw milk gouda, a new cream cheese, and portions of grass-fed beef.

with mandated testing regulated by the pennsylvania department of agriculture, lopez’ raw milk at wholesome dairy farms is often lower in bacteria count than the pasteurized, homogenized gallons of milk sold in ordinary grocery stores.

“by law, they allow me 10 coliforms (bacteria) per milliliter in the milk,” lopez said. “my tests consistently come back with less than one—so none detectable.”

proud of his healthy milk supply which is considered by some to contain more beneficial nutrients than the mass-produced milk that goes through the pasteurization process, lopez jumped at the opportunity to advance his farm by solar efforts when he noticed a fitting grant listed in farmshine, a dairy publication.

an organization known as pennsylvania project grass sponsored a grant for solar-powered watering systems open to grazing dairy farmers. lopez applied and was accepted.

handling the grants were the department of environmental protection and the natural resources conservation service, with the total cost of the project nearing $14,000, while the grant covered 75% of all expenses.

gracious to the organizations for awarding him the grant and allowing him to better his property and operation with their financial assistance, the remaining 25% of the cost stood as lopez’ contribution, with his labor accepted in the final sum.

the materials alone cost between $9,000 - $10,000, lopez said.

the project lasted about three months, with lopez putting his time in for it on and off when he could leave the cows behind briefly, to be tended to by others on the farm.

“from the ground, it doesn’t look like very much,” lopez said about the new solar-powered spring water pumping station.

at the edge of one pasture, a 4,200 gallon black polyethylene holding tank sits on high ground. it spans about 10 ft. x 9 ft.
 

“it sounds big, but when you plop it out into the middle of a pasture,” lopez said, “it starts to look like a tiny black splotch.”

“the solar end of it is really quite a small part of the whole system,” lopez said.

set far off from the holding tank are two 175 watt solar panels, aimed, of course, skyward.

an underground spring leads to a drainage line lopez’ grandfather and uncle installed many years ago. lopez diverted the water into a 500 gallon concrete septic tank he lowered into the ground after he dug out a massive hole which continually caved in on him, the soil shooting leaks before he finally could call his arduous labors successful.

the spring’s water flows into the septic tank, and once full, works its way up to the holding tank on the hill, with its pumping controlled by solar energy.

before lopez had the solar-powered system on his farm, the cows drank water from only an electric-powered well pump and a nearby stream.

“there is no habitat destruction or erosion from them drinking at the stream bed,” lopez said, since they have plenty of water to chug back from their 10 or so troughs placed throughout broad expanses of daytime and nighttime pastures, leading their new drinking supply to be carbon neutral.

“we like to think that pure spring water will have a positive effect on the quality and taste of the milk,” lopez said, approximating milk to be 85% water.

at their thirstiest, the cows can drink two, three, four, or more gallons of water at a time. lopez suspects a single milking cow can drink 30 gallons daily, meaning at least 1,200 gallons of water consumption is possible on the farm per day.

“they drink so much more easily out of the troughs that fill from the holding tank,” lopez said, acknowledging that a difference is noticeable in the cows’ reaction to the new, fresh and more environmentally friendly batches of water available to them.

“when you say ‘solar,’ it gets a response out of people,” lopez said, “and it should because we’re moving into an era in our history when it’s time to take a step forward—and solar is a part of that.”

to read more background details about this dairy, read this story via the garden harlot.

freebie alert ! comment on this story to enter for a chance to win a one-pound package of grass-fed beef from wholesome dairy farms. please include your e-mail address in the comment. this contest ends sunday the 8th of august. good luck !

briana maclachlin just won a $5 gift card for gently used books !

happy yelling 

and shouting moments, 

tucked neatly with yelps of glee !

congratulations to briana maclachlin ! she is the winner of a $5 gift card for douglassville's gently used books through the contest sponsored by news, not blues.

thank you kindly to all contestants !

we have three more $5 gift cards to give away for this bookstore in upcoming weeks, so please come back and try to win the remaining freebies kindly donated by gently used books for our contest-run !

( notable neighbors -- eric hughes aka the bird kid )

notable neighbors -- eric hughes aka the bird kid
by jennifer hetrick

east coventry resident eric hughes, who is only 11-years-old, let his vision soar upward at the age of four, and since then, has sighted an estimated 200 sky-set winged ones.

before even starting kindergarten, he knew that he wanted to be an ornithologist someday.

with those who call themselves birders, a common goal for sightings is 500 birds in a lifetime, which means hughes is quite ahead of the game, given his age.

hughes is a sixth grader at east coventry elementary school in the owen j. roberts school district, where he is known by his fellow students as the bird kid, with his own website by the same name at www.birdkid.com.

 “almost every day, i would page through the golden book of birds,” hughes said about himself when he was four-years-old, just beginning to take an interest in birds. “i even marked which ones i liked the most.”

back then, a mallard duck had left eggs under a shrub in his parents’ yard. the following year, hughes asked his parents why the duck and her babies hadn’t come back to nest again. this curiosity propelled hughes into his admiration for birds—only growing stronger in him each year. 

as the creator of his own birdfeeder called the cinco 5000, the magazine birds & blooms featured hughes and his invention in its june – july 2008 issue. the feeder holds compartments for four different types of food to attract a variety of birds. 

“morning doves and house finches especially like it,” hughes said about the birdfeeder. 

earlier this year, hughes participated in the great backyard bird count with its sponsors as the cornell lab of ornithology, the national audubon society, and bird studies canada. hughes joined birders of all ages across the globe in collecting data about bird sightings within a short period of days, all from their backyards.

hughes has collected more than 150 audubon plush birds and will probably gain more as new ones are released.

the expanse of his parents’ property includes three bird gardens and others which are incorporated with the woods and their house. 

a japanese kousa dogwood tree is planted in the yard, as birds enjoy its berries. but hughes and his parents try to stick to mostly native trees and plants to lure in birds.

this spring, hughes glimpsed a white crowned sparrow, which he said is more rare compared to the often sighted white throated sparrow.

in recent weeks, hughes spotted a cliff swallow for the first time while visiting lake ontelaunee, noting that it nests under the bridge at route 73. 

two years ago, hughes enrolled in an ornithology class offered by cornell university. students are free to move at their own pace in the coursework, and by now, hughes has finished four chapters in the cornell lab of ornithology handbook of bird biology.
 

each chapter is 100 – 200 pages long, with an open-book test to accompany it. the final answers can be submitted through mail or online for rapid results, hughes explained.
 

the first four chapters follow an introduction to birds, a guide to birdwatching, the external bird, and the anatomy and physiology of birds. on the tests, hughes’ average is 98.6%. the book totals around 1,000 pages.
 

“it gives me a lot of information so i can understand birds better,” hughes elaborated about why he likes this course so much, with its recommended age level of students being 15 and up.
 

“you can see them almost anywhere, at any time, they have extraordinary colors, and they’re the only living thing with feathers,” hughes beamed about why he loves studying birds, feeling that he was destined to follow them.

( a baltimore oriole photographed by eric hughes. )

(  a black crowned night heron photographed by eric hughes. )

(an eastern kingbird photographed eric hughes. )

hughes’ all-time favorite bird is the andean cock-of-the-rock, which is the national bird of peru—a place he hopes to travel to eventually.

“it has an abnormal tuft of feathers,” hughes noted. “blue jays and cardinals have their crests going from the middle of their heads and back, but the cock-of-the-rock has it in the middle of its head, down to the top of its beak as a half circle.”

hughes described its coloring as orange, pearly grey, and black.

choosing his favorite birdsong, hughes pinpointed that of the song sparrow, having recognized its call when he was young, but not learning until later which bird vocalized the tune. to hughes, the song always let him know spring was just around the corner.

his second choice for a beloved birdsong is that of the gray catbird. as would seem perhaps obvious, its music sounds much like a meow.

“the northern mockingbird can sing the call of different species,” hughes said, “and the smallest bird is the bee hummingbird—it lives in cuba and is less than three inches tall.”
 
on hughes’ bucket list is the aspiration to see every bird ever in his lifetime.

“if you are having problems with squirrels getting at your seed, and you don't know a good alternative, try safflower seed,” hughes suggested as advice to those losing birdseed to tiny but fast-sprawling mammals. “the squirrels don't seem to go after it, but the birds still love it.”

hughes recently acquired his own camera, a canon powershot sx10 is. with it, he plans to of course photograph more birds, then adding the new supply to his website.

“i can really study them through the pictures and see what they’re like,” hughes said.

to those who have never dabbled in the ways of birding, hughes said, “go outside and sit back in the woods somewhere where it’s undisturbed, be quiet, and watch what happens around you—then you’ll see why i like birds so much.”

( clayote booms in earth & art-speak since grand re-opening in july )

clayote booms in earth & art-speak
since grand re-opening in july

by jennifer hetrick

a gallery, studio, and so much more—clayote along boyertown’s main street opened last year in october, but soon after the shop moved next door to the end unit at the intersection of routes 73 and 562 in late june, the front door couldn’t stay shut, as people sauntered in to mingle their fingertips in earth-birthed clay. 

 

in mid-july, owners danielle fisher and her husband chris, along with their sons nathan and benjamin, hosted clayote’s grand re-opening. on this bumpingly busy night, they introduced the community to their new 2,800 sq. ft. space, which boasts enthusiastically compared to their previous 800 sq. ft.

as a native to berks county, fisher lived in arizona for almost a decade running howlin’ hands artist ranch on and off without a storefront to call her own, but in recent years, carted her way back to pennsylvania with her family and fur kids.

“i’ve always been attracted to wolves and coyotes and how they’re misunderstood for their true nature,” fisher explained about why she chose to name her latest endeavor clayote.

“coyotes have all these stories about them being the trickster,” fisher said. “but they’re beautiful animals and have a very systematic hierarchy of family.”

“if you see a coyote in your dreams, native americans believe that you need more fun in your life,” fisher added. “i’m also drawn to dragonflies—they walk between dream and reality worlds, and they’re ancient.”

 a quick peruse inside clayote shows fisher’s fascination with dragonflies, as many adorn the sides of shimmering glazed pots set across the tables and shelves.

“i moved around a lot in my life,” fisher said, noting that looking back, memories and details are not always clear, given the bustle of relocating time and again. “i remember things by when i did clay.”

“the special moments—i remember them by art,” fisher continued. “it’s something i connected with me to weave in my memories.”

“it’s therapeutic, and it grounds me,” fisher said about her time spent working with clay at the wheel.

“i’m a very flighty, 90-ideas-at-once kind of person,” fisher said. “but i have this voice inside of me that tells me to stay with the clay.”

besides serving as an often unexpected outlet and release for cognitive constraints and stress in general, clay is good for skin and dries out poison ivy, causing itching at the rash zones to stop when it touches ailing epidermis.

“the clay we use is not very sandy or groggy, so it’s not harsh,” fisher said. “we have a soft, almost chocolate-feeling clay.”

fisher orders her earthy material from the pittsburgh-based standard ceramic supply company, which is the closest place she can buy from to support locally.

she blends three kinds of clay to create the final product used by those who slowly fiddle their fingers to shape pottery pieces in the studio.

 ( emma carr molds fast-spinning clay at her 

fingertips with help from danielle fisher. )

( emma's older sister maddie works at the wheel with their father andy carr offering 

some guidance for how to keep the pot's rim even with the rhythm of the spinning. )

 ( maddie carr sits with a pile of hand tools at her side 

to decorate her freshly wheeled piece of pottery. )

clayote is the home to three wheels, so each is often in demand when visitors walk in to marry their palms with the clay even if only briefly. by fall, fisher hopes to have several more on-site, when she and chris also plan to relocate their kilns to the shop from their home set away in the woods of pike township.

fisher noticed that students who are often deemed as poorly behaving in school can sit at the wheel with clay and work diligently, caringly, for hours without disruption.

“we see housewives who come in and haven’t had time to themselves,” fisher said about before they sloppy up their hands with chunks of wet clay.

“all of a sudden when they come in [to use the wheels and shape something new], they’re glowing, and they’re centered.” 

“i see amazing things through the creative spirit every day,” fisher said. “i see change; i get to watch it.” 

“it’s not even that they’re changing out of what they are,” fisher said. “it’s what was already there, but i get to tap into it and see that side of people.” 

“whether it’s clay, knitting, how you arrange your house, or how you hang your curtains—you’re born with it and can’t separate from it,” fisher said about the human attachment to creating art. 

fisher is keeping the ball rolling with integrating her after-school programs locally, as she taught in five area school districts this year, with a total of 11 planned for once summer breaks into fall with the academic season. 

but clayote offers not only what its name implies. fisher invites area specialists into her open space for a belly dancing class, yoga classes for both adults and young children, a personal awareness self-defense course, finance seminars—as budgetary problems often lead to stress, comedy shows, and performances by local musicians. 

“for $10 an hour, we offer the clayote den to anybody who wants to do something good for the community,” fisher said. “if they’re dealing with children, they need their clearances to work with kids.” 

in the grand scheme of clayote, fisher has tucked the hopes of nourishing the sanctuary-like environment with as many diversified, positive outlets for the community as her open space will allow. 

“the earth is already beautiful—clay is earth,” fisher said, “and it is love.”

in the mantra of that 1 east philadelphia avenue sweep, fisher concluded, “do clay. be happy.” 

freebie alert ! comment on this story  to enter for a chance to win one pottery-making session from clayote. please include your e-mail address in the comment. this contest ends sunday the 8th of august. good luck !

news, not blues volume two is out !

finally, a reason to get a little loud-- temperatures today managed to stay mostly out of the 90-degree range for the first time in weeks, and news, not blues volume two is out !

feel free to dance a smidge.

 copies are patiently awaiting contact with your fingertips at clayote, twin turrets inn, the boyertown community library, hard bean cafe, the boyertown farmers' market, gently used books, kimberton whole foods (douglassville-style), national penn bank's new hanover branch, freed's supermarket, and suloman's dairy.

also, included are three freebies to win out of our four stories in this volume. up for grabs with some witted luck are a pottery-making session, a hillbilly bbq special sandwich, and a one-pound package of grass-fed beef. the stories will be online shortly. comment on them to try to win some clay-time or grub !

win a $5 gift card for gently used books !

gently used books of douglassville has kindly donated four $5 gift cards for us to give away with news, not blues. we'll be giving away one of those four gift cards every few weeks. today starts the contest for the first gift card.

comment below on this post to enter for a chance to win the gift card ! 

&&&

thankfully, despite the dreadful current condition of the national and even our local economy, gently used books is doing considerably well.

in fact, in recent months, the store expanded from two rooms to three rooms. with this recession taking its toll across the board, this news about a local used bookstore, or any  business, is a refreshing point.

the middle room of the store is dedicated solely to a wide collection of used children's books, which are a great way for parents to find cheap copies of classics and for new elementary school teachers to begin filling their classrooms with plenty to read to their students.

and beyond that, the selection available because of trade-ins is also something that makes this store a unique, valuable asset to our region. plus, purchases can include 50% store credit usage via trade-ins. quite a deal !

dale mccauley just won some milk !

dun dun dun.

congratulations to dale mccauley ! he is the winner of gallon of white milk from suloman's dairy through the contest sponsored by news, not blues. his name scooped well on a slip of paper from this bag with the other 22 contestants' names.

 thank you  so much to all of you who participated. 

suloman's dairy has enthusiastically agreed to run more giveaways in the future, so stay especially tuned !

( friend, inc. gets tires spinning with brake the cycle of poverty in kutztown )

friend, inc. gets tires spinning with  

brake the cycle of poverty in kutztown
by jennifer hetrick

the multi-purpose social service agency friend, inc. is hosting its first ever brake the cycle of poverty bike ride sunday the 8th of august beginning at kutztown park, where registration tables will be open at 8.30 a.m. 

rides start at 9.00 a.m. and will be marshaled until 11.00 a.m.

kutztown-based friend, inc. aims to help those in need of financial, family, legal, emotional, and other forms of support in the northeastern region of berks county.

the agency’s primary goal is promoting self-sufficiency leading to better lives.

under the belt of its services offered are case management, a monthly food pantry, emergency cash assistance, and more.

“there are so many different situations that affect us in this kind of economy—we have to serve an array of needs,” executive director erica hesselson said.

“even donors are trying to spend less, and the need has increased, so resources are becoming depleted faster,” hesselson noted.

in times with more distinct budgetary restrictions, hesselson pointed out that it’s not just cash assistance but also people’s time, expertise, and connections that can boost the agency’s abilities to promote self-sufficiency to those in need. families that friend, inc. works with usually have trouble affording rent and are in one way or another, devastated by job losses.

“people can help because of who they are,” hesselson said, “not just because of what they have.”

“we work with families and individuals to help people create long-lasting positive change in their lives—helping them to navigate the system,” hesselson said.

“people in this area are very hesitant to ask for help, but once they receive it, they are greatly appreciative,” hesselson said, adding that those who benefit from friend, inc.’s services often tell their family, friends, and neighbors about the agency, leading to more referrals and assistance.

a popular program open to the community through friend, inc. is a six-week parenting course available to families at any income level.

in the past year, hesselson juggled ideas for a new kind of fundraiser to keep monetary backing of the agency continuing well despite the recession—finally deciding to host a bike ride to reel in area cyclists for the worthy cause.

a bicycling enthusiast herself, hesselson explained that brake the cycle of poverty came into shape because the agency hoped to develop a new family friendly fundraiser that would also bring people out for some good gulps of fresh air and exercise, as those who are often out on two slender tires know bike riding is very popular in this area.

the idea also cultivated with organizational support offered by kevin claypoole of the area ski group known as the flying dutchmen.

“cathy dill, the office and projects manager at friend, inc. looked up brake the cycle of poverty online and came across a group of cyclists from connecticut with this [same] name,” hesselson said. “they bike across the country and the state of connecticut to raise money and awareness about poverty and homelessness.”

( connecticut's brake the cycle of poverty riders 

on their 2010 ride. photograph by joan terzo. )

( the connecticut riders of brake the cycle of poverty 

in line at their 2010 ride. photograph by joan terzo. )

in fact, two of this out-of-state group’s cyclists will be pedaling in kutztown at friend, inc.’s upcoming august ride, thanks to the connection dill made after that quick internet search.

“i think this is more innovative,” hesselson said about the pro-biking event. “there are so many bikers in the area with the velodrome being so close.”

taking those factors into account led to a smooth transition of incorporating the mind-body-spirit concept in biking with the need to work on ending poverty on the local level.

as members of the berks county bicycle club are scattered throughout the region, this event is likely to appeal to that audience of wheeled ones as well.

brake the cycle of poverty includes two rain-or-shine route options—one easy sweep of 10 miles and a more hill-heavy curve of roads totaling 25 miles.

registration the day of the event is $35, with early registration for $25. children under age 12 are welcome to pedal their hearts out for free when they’re not living it up in the fun and games planned for kiddies.

lunch is free for riders, and up to 143 of those biking will receive a free t-shirt just for participating. 

skyline bicycles & skateboards of reading kindly donated this khs alite 150 mountain bike, with shimano components and disk brakes, for a lucky winner to be picked out of those buying $5 raffle prize tickets. 

 
the bike's retail value is listed at $450.00.

sponsors of brake the cycle of poverty include kutztown borough, lehigh valley health network, adams outdoor advertising, carpenter technology, deka of east penn manufacturing, johnson & johnson, penske corporation, the bottom line accounting and tax services, powerbar, LAND DISPLAYS, deer park water, skyline bicycles & skateboards, burkey construction company, and air products.

visit here to register for brake the cycle of poverty, or visit friend, inc.'s brake the cycle of poverty page on the web for more information.