Colleen O’Brien is a professional on-camera actress, voice over artist, and fit model typically working in the Greater Philadelphia and New York Metro areas, but she does have a penchant for playing famous female figures in America’s War for Independence.

Although this marks her premiere appearing as Abigail Adams, O’Brien has many years of experience doing first-person historical interpretation of other remarkable 18^th Century women, most notably Philadelphia socialite and wife of the “Patriot” Mayor, Eliza Powel in last year’s Fringe production of Eliza and Patsy.   She has also played Quaker Spy Lydia Darragh and famous artillery-woman Molly Pitcher in past seasons with Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

“Abigail Adams is the most widely known 18^th Century woman I’ve ever played,” says O’Brien.  “It’s always a challenge portraying a person the audience already feels like they know well.”  Given her experience, O’Brien feels she is up to the challenge.  She also appears to enjoy her status as the lone female in the cast.  “I do have a lot of fun being the only woman on stage,” she explains, “particularly when my role entails my arguing passionately for women’s rights.”

In The Play “Ben” Ben Franklin is the central character in a poignant, humorous examination of the delicate balancing of the important issues of slavery, women’s rights and independence.   The cast includes Michael Powell of Horsham as Ben Franklin, Joe Lawless of Villanova as John Adams, Gavin Young of Fairmount as Thomas Jefferson, Rocco Amato of South Philadelphia as John Hancock, and Brian Patrick Harrington also of South Philadelphia as Thomas Paine.

They are joined by Colleen O’Brien of Pottstown in the role of Abigail Adams and Anthony Riley of West Philadelphia as Franklin’s personal slave named George.

Written by Richard C. Dalton of South Philadelphia.  Georgina Bard of Glenside, Director.  Stage Manager, Lauren Tracy of Chinatown.  Assistant Stage Managers Kristine L. Bonaventura of Boothwyn, and Janelle Kauffman of Powelton Village.

The show is the debut production for Historical Theatre Acting Group, a new collaboration between local theater artist and director Georgina Bard and playwright Richard C. Dalton.  The group reflects their shared vision to portray turning points in American History in an interesting and thought provoking way.

Performances are to be held at historic Tindley Temple United Methodist Church, 750 South Broad Street, Philadelphia.   The church was renamed after its founder, Rev. Charles A. Tindley, who was himself born a slave.

The Play “Ben” opens Sunday, Sept. 12 at 4pm.  Shows on Tuesday thru Friday evenings Sept 14 – 17 at 8pm.  Two performances Saturday, Sept 18 at 1pm and 5pm.

All shows are at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church, 750 South Broad St, Philadelphia.  Tickets $20.  For tickets, contact the Festival Box Office at (215) 413-1318 or visit www.livearts-fringe.org.

Colleen O’Brien’s credits, photos and demos are available on her website www.colleenobrien.net.

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“Limerick Generating Station has been a friend to Lower Pottsgrove Township for many years and their continuing support of our summer concert series is a testament to their commitment to the local community,” said Township Manager Rod Hawthorne.

“At Exelon we know the important role that the performing arts and live music have in making our community a great place to live and work,” said Bill Maguire, Limerick site vice president. “We are pleased that we can continue to partner with Lower Pottsgrove Township to make these free musical performances possible.”

“This is another wonderful demonstration of the sense of community we all enjoy in Lower
Pottsgrove,” said Jon Spadt, president, Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners.
The free musical performances, covering an array of genres, are held at Sanatoga Park, located at 200 South Sanatoga Road in Lower Pottsgrove. Listed below is the schedule of concerts for the 2010 Exelon Nuclear Summer Concert Series.

Sunday, June 27th, 6 PM – Bill Koss Combo
Sunday, July 11th, 6 PM – O’Such Rhythm and Music
Sunday, July 18th, 6 PM – Mango Men
Sunday, July 25th, 6 PM – Barbone Street Jazz Band
Sunday, August 1st, 6 PM – Flamin Dick and the Hot Rods
Sunday, August 8th, 6 PM – MESA
Sunday, August 15th, 6 PM – Pottsgrove Community Band

All concerts are weather permitting and the rain date is the following evening at 7 PM.
For more information about the Exelon Nuclear Summer Concert Series, visit www.lowerpottsgrove.org or call (610) 323-0436 x207.

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Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and southeastern Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 486,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.

Garages store more than just cars. They store paint and cleaning supplies, tools and lawn care equipment – all of which can pose environmental hazards. These tips from the experts at Black & Decker will help you green your garage.

Go Gas-Free

This spring, millions of Americans will be working hard to improve their backyards, but what does that mean for the environment?

According to the EPA, did you know that:

* Gas-powered lawn equipment produces as much as one-tenth of the smog-forming pollutants from all mobile sources?
* It is estimated that the few ounces spilled during refueling lawn and garden equipment alone total about 17 million gallons of gasoline, most of which evaporates into the air to contribute to the air pollution problem?
* The average gas mower produces as much air pollution in one year as 43 new cars driving 12,000 miles each?

Keep your garage and the area surrounding clean without the mess of gas-powered products. Gas-free products – like the Black & Decker 36V Cordless Mower, 24V String Trimmer and full line of 18V outdoor products – mean no fumes, no unnecessary trips to the gas station and no gas to potentially store or spill. And when you use them – zero emissions in your yard.

Make Recycling Easier

The garage is the perfect place to set up your own home recycling center. It’s also a high-traffic location, reminding your family to make recycling a habit. Avoid clutter by investing in stackable recycling bins, and reach out to your local recycling center for sorting requirements and regulations.

Get Energy-Efficient

Make sure your garage is well insulated. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that sealing and insulating garage walls and ceilings can be a cost effective way to improve energy efficiency and save money on your utility bills. This can include weather stripping, installing energy-efficient windows and installing an energy-efficient door from the garage to your house.

Going green in the garage is easy – on you and on the environment. For additional information on how to “go green,” visit: blackanddecker.com/convertamerica.

Source: Black & Decker

New Castle Lawn & Landscape is celebrating its successes since receiving an SBA loan in 2008 through National Penn Bank. The loan was used to move the 28-person company from Mohnton, Pa., to its current 3+ acre Cumru Township location and construct an on-site 60×160’ multi-purpose, state-of-the-art building and beautiful outdoor display area.

New Castle Lawn & Landscape was recently included in the SBA “Celebrating Success” tour, an ongoing SBA initiative the publicly recognizes successful business owners that have received assistance through one of the SBA’s business development or finance programs. The company recently won two prestigious awards for its landscape excellence.

WHEN:

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
12 noon – 1 p.m.

WHERE:

New Castle Lawn & Landscape
3 East Point Drive
Birdsboro, PA  19508

About the SBA

The SBA is an independent federal agency, created in 1953, to assist small businesses start, grow, and prosper.  The SBA provides financial assistance by: (1) making loans to help families and businesses recover from national disasters and (2) providing loan guarantees to commercial financial institutions for working capital (7a loans), buildings/land/equipment (504 loans  through the Certified Development Corporations), and for exports.  Through our resource partners, the SBA also offers a variety of business development programs and services such as training, government contracting and export assistance.   SBA resource partners include Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and SCORE (Counselors to America’s Small Businesses).  For information on the SBA’s programs and services contact us at 610-382-3062 or www.sba.gov/pa/phil. The SBA’s Philadelphia District consists of Pennsylvania’s 40 eastern counties.

This article does not constitute or imply an endorsement by SBA of any opinions, products or services of any private individual or entity.

About National Penn Bancshares, Inc.:

National Penn Bancshares, Inc., with $9.7 billion in assets, is the fourth largest bank holding company based in Pennsylvania.  In addition, wealth assets under administration or management amount to $8.5 billion.

Headquartered in Boyertown, National Penn operates 127 offices. It has 124 community banking offices in Pennsylvania and one office in Maryland through National Penn Bank and its HomeTowne Heritage Bank, KNBT and Nittany Bank divisions. National Penn also has two offices in Delaware through its wholly-owned subsidiary Christiana Bank & Trust Company.

National Penn’s financial services affiliates consist of National Penn Wealth Management, N.A., including its National Penn Investors Trust Company division; National Penn Capital Advisors, Inc.; Institutional Advisors LLC; National Penn Insurance Services Group, Inc., including its Higgins Insurance division; and Caruso Benefits Group, Inc.

National Penn Bancshares, Inc. common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “NPBC”. Please visit our Web site at  www.nationalpennbancshares.com to see our regularly posted material information.

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Pictured: National Penn employees assist Doris Kusniez of Gilbertsville with unloading her confidential documents from her vehicle for shredding.

From left to right: Doris Kusniez, Shred Day participant; Denise Strunk, Pottstown Community Office Manager ; Hanna Hartman, Sunnybrook Community Office Manager; Timothy Smith, Red Hill Community Office Manager.

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Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. With a melting point of −38.83 °C and boiling point of 356.73 °C, mercury has one of the widest ranges of its liquid state of any metal.

Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), which is the source of the red pigment vermilion, and is mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar.

Cinnabar is highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation of the dust, and mercury poisoning can also result from exposure to soluble forms (such as mercuric chloride or methylmercury), inhalation of mercury vapor, or eating fish contaminated with mercury.

Mercury is used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, and other scientific apparatus, though concerns about the element’s toxicity have led to mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers being largely phased out in clinical environments in favor of alcohol-filled, digital, or thermistor-based instruments.

It remains in use in a number of other ways in scientific and scientific research applications, and in amalgam material for dental restoration. It is used in lighting; electricity passed through mercury vapor in a phosphor tube produces short-wave ultraviolet light which then causes the phosphor to fluoresce, making visible light.

Comparatively little is known about Mercury; ground-based telescopes reveal only an illuminated crescent with limited detail. The first of two spacecraft to visit the planet was Mariner 10, which mapped only about 45% of the planet’s surface from 1974 to 1975. The second is the MESSENGER spacecraft, which mapped another 30% during its flyby of January 14, 2008. MESSENGER will make one more pass by Mercury in 2009, followed by orbital insertion in 2011, and will then survey and map the entire planet.

Mercury is similar in appearance to the Moon: it is heavily cratered with regions of smooth plains, has no natural satellites and no substantial atmosphere. However, unlike the moon, it has a large iron core, which generates a magnetic field about 1% as strong as that of the Earth. It is an exceptionally dense planet due to the large relative size of its core. Surface temperatures range from about 90 to 700 K (−183 °C to 427 °C, −297 °F to 801 °F), with the subsolar point being the hottest and the bottoms of craters near the poles being the coldest.

Recorded observations of Mercury date back to at least the first millennium BC. Before the 4th century BC, Greek astronomers believed the planet to be two separate objects: one visible only at sunrise, which they called Apollo; the other visible only at sunset, which they called Hermes. The English name for the planet comes from the Romans, who named it after the Roman god Mercury, which they equated with the Greek Hermes. The astronomical symbol for Mercury is a stylized version of Hermes’ caduceus.

Mercury has influenced the name of a number of things in a variety of scientific fields, such as the planet Mercury, and the element mercury, which was formerly asociated with it. The word mercurial is commonly used to refer to something or someone erratic, volatile or unstable, derived from Mercury’s swift flights from place to place. The term comes from astrology and describes the expected behavior of someone under the influence of the planet Mercury.

Mercury did not appear among the numinous di indigetes of early Roman religion. Rather, he subsumed the earlier Dei Lucrii as Roman religion was syncretized with Greek religion during the time of the Roman Republic, starting around the 4th century BC. From the beginning, Mercury had essentially the same aspects as Hermes, wearing winged shoes talaria and a winged petasos, and carrying the caduceus, a herald’s staff with two entwined snakes that was Apollo’s gift to Hermes.

He was often accompanied by a cockerel, herald of the new day, a ram or goat, symbolizing fertility, and a tortoise, referring to Mercury’s legendary invention of the lyre from a tortoise shell. Like Hermes, he was also a messenger of the gods and a god of trade, particularly of the grain trade. Mercury was also considered a god of abundance and commercial success, particularly in Gaul. He was also, like Hermes, the Romans’ psychopomp, leading newly-deceased souls to the afterlife. Additionally, Ovid wrote that Mercury carried Morpheus’ dreams from the valley of Somnus to sleeping humans.

Mercury’s temple in the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills, was built in 495 BC. This was a fitting place to worship a swift god of trade and travel, since it was a major center of commerce as well as a racetrack. Since it stood between the plebeian stronghold on the Aventine and the patrician center on the Palatine, it also emphasized the role of Mercury as a mediator.

Because Mercury was not one of the early deities surviving from the Roman Kingdom, he was not assigned a flamen (“priest”), but he did have a major festival on May 15, the Mercuralia. During the Mercuralia, merchants sprinkled water from his sacred well near the Porta Capena on their heads.

Flushing will be done between the hours of 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM.

If water appears brown or rust colored, run the cold water for a few minutes until it is clear.

Questions, contact Public Works at 610-970-6527.

Open A Franchise announces the opening of it’s new Franchise Showroom located in Pottstown, Pa.

The new “Open A Franchise” showroom is a free resource for people looking for a more efficient & effective way to research the world of franchising before making an investment.

Experienced Franchise Professionals will help clients find the right Franchise to own and help them through the due diligence process for free.

The Franchise Showroom is open Monday through Thursday during the convenient evening hours of 1pm to 8pm & Friday 1pm to 5pm.

A Client would visit the showroom on Hanover Street in Pottstown, sit down with a franchise specialist, this specialist would help the client determine which franchises, if any, fit the criteria they are looking for.

Business model review and comparisons, Financing options, Startup Expenses, Franchise Disclosure process as well as all aspects of Franchising are covered in the consultation service.

Clients can view information on over 300 Franchise Concepts, all of which have been prescreened & researched.  Brochures, flyers, franchise documents & videos are all available for use.

The showroom is similar to a Library of franchises, where a client can sit down in a relaxed environment and review important information on each business prior to speaking with a sales person.

Open A Franchise is a privately funded public resource that is open to anyone that is interested in exploring the possibility of owning a Franchise.

The official Grand Opening event will be held on Saturday, September 12 at 11am.

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John Henning, the founder of Open A Franchise, started the company to help other Entrepreneurs in the area.  His Franchise background includes working for a large name brand Franchise company & doing new store development for a large retailer. Over the years he has helped over 3 dozen people start their own franchise business.

For more information visit: http://OpenAFranchise.com or call: 610-326-0182.

The address of the New Franchise Showroom is: 867 North Hanover Street in Pottstown, Pa 19464.

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