The two envisioned their new Fete de la Musique as a public celebration in the country’s streets, parks, community centers, backyards and porches — an inclusive, free-to-all music festival that would bring performers and audiences together across cultural and other divides. The event became hugely-popular in France and abroad, and music lovers in 1,000-plus locales around the globe now celebrate what has evolved as World Music Day every June 21.

Not only professionals or music students, either. As imagined by Lang and Fleuret, participants include just about anybody.  Professionals, amateurs, choirs, all ages, all ability levels. Got a tin ear but enjoy singing?  You, too.

Locally, Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library, 1001 Powell St., has scheduled ongoing events to mark World Music Day 2024, including a performance geared to pre-schoolers at 11 a.m., a drum workshop with Tony Flagiello at noon, “Max on Trumpet” at 1:45 p.m. and the Fricknadorable acoustic duo at 2 p.m.

A variety of other acoustic acts will perform at Recycle, Read, Repeat Bookstore, 208 Cherry St., from 5 to 8 p.m.

Expressive Path Creative Arts Center, 857 Cherry St., will host several EPCAC students and teachers as well as community performers — everything from individual singer-songwriters, duos and trios to poets — from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

“There will be an open mic forum in which Expressive Path students, their families and the community will take turns in the spotlight,” says Pamela Martin, EPCAC’s founder and executive director. “All ages and abilities are encouraged to perform…singers, poets, dancers and skits as long as music is involved.”

At 7 p.m., participants can catch Jonathan Haggard on the organ at All Saints Church, 835 Haws Ave., and, at 8:30 p.m., enjoy an old-fashioned campfire sing-along and s’mores at Reformed Church of the Ascension, 1700 W. Main St.

Therapists laud music’s positive effect on mood and mental health in general. Reggae great Bob Marley put it more poetically when he said music “gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. Where words fail, music speaks.”

As Expressive Path’s Martin sees it, “Make Music Day promotes connections in our community and exposes people to a wide variety of musical genres and cultures.”

“This special day spreads joy, positive energy…and encourages people of all abilities to try something new,” she says.

Jeanne Cove, MC-NPL’s head of teen-adult programming and outreach, says Upper Perkiomen Valley’s annual Make Music Upper Perk helped inspire the Norristown library’s World Music Day program.

“They’ve been doing something in Upper Perk for years,” Cove says. “I used to work at the library there, and it became a wonderful community tradition. I thought Norristown has so many wonderful things happening under the radar, why don’t we celebrate what’s good about the town?

“Music is something that crosses all cultures. The Church of the Ascension on West Main Street was interested in doing something, so we thought, OK, let’s get this going. It’s celebrated all around the world…160 different countries … and our thought was, why not here in Norristown. So, we’ve been plugging away at it.  It’s still pretty small, but we hope to make it a Norristown tradition.”

A tradition that “allows you to interact with people you wouldn’t normally interact with,” Cove says.

“People often associate Norristown with hardship and struggle and crime, but there are a lot of wonderful people who live in this town,” she adds. “This is a chance for us to show off some of the town’s positive aspects.

“I think this could become a really neat community tradition. It’s very grassroots. Everything is free, and nobody’s getting paid. In fact, we’re encouraging people to even just play or sing on their porches with their neighbors. Of course, we’d love it if people would come out to see the performers here and at (other participating venues). They’re a real mix.  Some are professional. Some have never performed in public before.  It’s a real range.  All levels, all abilities, all genres. And…all are welcome.”

Additional World Music Day events throughout Pennsylvania are posted at https://makemusicday.org.

Locally, members of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School’s Film Production Club have weighed in on the subject with a new film set to premiere at Montgomery County Community College’s Cultural Center in Blue Bell on June 7 at 6 p.m. “The RoomLink Initiative” describes the efforts of teens at a fictional high school to update the moral code of the school’s productivity A.I. The club’s 20-minute documentary about PW’s 2023-24 cheer team season, “Hitting Zero:  PW Cheer,” will precede the screening.

Tickets are $7 online (https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/pw-film-production/pw-film-2024-premiere) or $10 at the door and include a digital copy of the films.  Additional digital are available for $2.  More information and ordering details: @PWfilmprod on Instagram.

Current 11th grader Koseli Thakali kickstarted PW’s Film Production Club in 2022. Two years later, the group has also produced “Ace Chemistry,” about student attempts to steal a test’s answer key.

Thakali, who directed “The RoomLink Initiative,” says the movie was inspired by kinks in PW’s new digital hall pass system, the digitalization of the SAT and certain AP tests and the fact that “generative A.I. tools are becoming more apparent in questions of education and ethics.”

“The stakes in high school are rising, and college admissions are becoming more and more competitive,” she continued. “So, we decided to share our take on everything by displaying an A.I. productivity system that has the power to control school infrastructure, hall passes, grades and, ultimately, a student’s future.”

The film’s production process played out in a trio of student-tested “general phases.” According to Thakali, pre-production started with an “ideation process” that typically took place during PW bonus blocks, essentially a given day’s 30-minute open periods.

“Once we have our main idea and plot outline, the head writers split the plot points into scenes,” she said. “Then, we divide the work by assigning scenes to writers (who) write their scenes individually, then submit them to the head writers, who edit the scenes and put them all together to form one cohesive screenplay.  This year, we had over 20 writers involved in writing and plotting, with about five acting as head writers.”

Phase two — production — included hosting auditions and casting the film’s six main characters. Filming, the “busiest time of the whole process,” began after winter break in January and wrapped up before AP test season in late April.

“We have a little under four months to film an entire movie, so we try to make the most of our time,” Thakali said. “Immediately, we collect information about our actors’ schedules and create our shoot schedule around that. Then, we have to book locations, find props and costumes and create shot lists. Once our classes end and the bell rings at 2:20 p.m., we only have until 5 p.m. to set up, film, clean up and leave the school.”

The students tackled VFX work as well as cutting, color-grading and sound adjusting during a May-June post-production phase.

“Editing is mostly an individual job, so we assign tasks to our five editors, and once those tasks are completed, their products are reviewed by producers and other editors,” Thakali said.

Following a second review and any necessary tweaking by producers and other editors, “the head of post-production…compiles all the scenes, handles transition work and puts on the finishing touches.”

“Post-production also involves advertising,” Thakali added. “This is when our trailer is put together, the poster is created, and we release cast interviews and BTS content on YouTube and Instagram.”

Even with access to PW’s in-house Colonial Instructional TV equipment, settings and actors and mentoring by club advisor-mass media communications teacher Jonathan Duncan, there were challenges.

“It always comes down to time and money,” Thakali said. “We have nine months to cover all stages of production, (and)…we have to find time between school work, other clubs and personal commitments so that we can film with everyone. If even one actor cannot make it, we cannot film. Most of our film was shot inside the school, but…we only had from 2:20 to 5. Then, we had to be out the door.

“Even when it seems like everything is perfectly planned, something always goes wrong. Either our microphone dies, and we can’t find batteries or an actor has to make up a test after school and is running late. There was one scene this year that we had to reschedule three different times because something always came up.”

Cost-wise, Hollywood take note. The PW film studio budget?  “As big as how much we earned in ticket sales last year.”

“Last year, we made $300,” Thakali said. “That budget went toward buying props and a few costumes, but it was far from nearly enough to provide us with good equipment. Last year, we used the school’s camera and microphone equipment, but we soon realized that his limited our growth. The camera and sound quality were lacking, so, instead, we used equipment owned by one of our club members and bought extra supplies using money from our own pockets.”

In the end, Thakali said, “The RoomLink Initiative” is a “somewhat satirical, cautionary tale of the implications of A.I., especially on the education system.” But, she noted, “we also wanted to steer clear of the usual warnings that send the message that technology is inherently evil and that we should stop innovating.”

“We wanted to recognize that technology is not inherently evil and innovation is what drives positive progress in our society. But as humans, we should innovate with more caution than we are currently exercising. That’s what drives positive progress. That’s why we made the solution to our film an update to the A.I. system instead of a de-activation.

“Another minor theme we instilled…related to the pressure of high school. Our main antagonists feel cornered and unable to succeed in the current education system. With the worries of their GPAs and college admissions, they feel uneasy about their future, which is why they turn to A.I. It’s satirically exaggerated, but feelings still stand.”

Completing “The RoomLink Initiative” made her realize “perspective matters.”

“Many of the biggest technological cautionary tales are made by adults, and they focus on the theme that technology is inherently dangerous,” the local teen said. “Many of the biggest films set in high school are also made by adults, and they focus on themes of teenagers wanting to ‘fit in’ and ‘be cool.’ But we wanted to emphasize our own take on positive innovation as well as the feelings surrounding high school that adults often don’t catch.”

That said, Warhol would have a field day at June 1’s Conshohocken Arts Festival and Car Show (rain date June 8) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Non-profit Destination Conshohocken hosts the annual Fayette Street gathering, and proceeds directly benefit Conshohocken Art League and programs related to cardiac disease and mental health as well as other local non-profits as-needed.

As usual, the upcoming event will feature a variety of fine art and crafts, vehicles vying for trophies, live music and hundreds of people wearing shoes and sipping from coffee cups.

“We’re at record numbers for cars … vendors and sponsorships this year — way beyond where we were last year — so that’s very exciting,” Conshohocken Mayor Yaniv Aronson said. “Pizza Time Saloon, here in town, is our car show sponsor, and Conicelli, which has been with us for a long time, is great. They pull up with a train of cars and park and hang out for the day, which is awesome.”

New this year, a touch-a-truck display of borough vehicles — everything from police cars to the borough street cleaner and Conshohocken Cab.

“We’re really looking to show off a lot of the services the borough offers that people might not know about,” Aronson said. “So this should be an interesting visual for the older residents and just a lot of fun for the younger residents, stepping into a police car or onto the Conshy Cab.”

The latter is a 14-passenger shuttle that stops at 20 borough locations in a continuous loop (specifics at www.conshohockenpa.org/living-visiting/conshohocken-cab).

“Conshy Cab has been doing well,” Aronson said. “It’s a good way for people, especially our riverfront residents, to get into town in a way that’s really efficient without having to use their cars and take up parking.

“We have major growth along the river. That’s where the big complexes are going up, and the challenge is finding ways to bring them into the borough proper to our restaurants and other small businesses. It’s a good problem to have. We had brown fields and abandoned factories there for years and years. Now, there are these beautiful complexes with people who can potentially volunteer with our non-profits and support our businesses.

“There’s so much going on here. The Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, festivals like ours and the (AMBUCS) Restaurant Rally, sprinkler nights, concerts in the parks. Conshy Cab can be a key part of that for people.”

According to Aronson, the day’s live music program will play out on stages at Masonic Lodge and Conshohocken Free Library with performers Roberta Faceplant, Emily Drinker, Yellow Moon, Doug Wartman, Carrie Zaruba, Rob Tait, John Faye and Katie Feeney.

“Katie is the new music director for the festival,” he said. “She’s with a band called You Do You, and she’s been awesome. She works with the most talented people, so with Katie, you know the music is going to be extraordinary.

“We also have a lot of non-profits that’ll have booths at the festival … a voter registration table. So, it’s not just vendors. Some wonderful non-profits will have access to a few thousand people to get their message out to. Basically, we just want people to come out and have fun. It’s a way to bring everyone together before school ends and people start going on vacations. Kind of the official kick-off to summer in Conshohocken.”

Product Investigations is the festival’s presenting sponsor, and the event is also supported by the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board.

Check-in for car show participants is 8:30 a.m. at 1101 Fayette St. “All vehicles” are welcome, and some 20 awards are in the offing. Additional car show information: 610-937-6018 and gquinn5908@aol.com. Performance schedule for musicians: www.conshohockenartsfestival.com/music.  General information:  www.conshohockenartsfestival.com.

The event begins with registration in the Oak Room at Great American Pub, 123 Fayette St., from 11 a.m. to noon and proceeds as participants wish — in no special order and either on foot or by complimentary cross-town shuttle. At day’s end, Ralliers vote for the winner of 2024’s Conshohocken Cup.

“Such great athletes — so hardworking and so many stories,” says Vince Flocco, who oversees AMBUCS’ multiple programs for athletes affected by intellectual or physical challenges.

“There’s Joey Eitl, who had several open-heart surgeries before he had a heart transplant in 2020 and now competes in track and the 100-meter face among other events, and Elizabeth Malcom, who received the silver in the women’s 100-meter dash at the Penn Relays … with Celine Heffron, who placed seventh. Both girls also compete in the pentathlon and relays, and Elizabeth’s mother, Katie, is the co-coordinator of our track and long- distance run programs with Scott Otterbein.

“We also have twin (runners) Elliot, who did the 1600-meter by himself, and Ben, whose father, Ryan Goldblum, completed the Boston Marathon this year, and Braden Wright and Sophia Van Collie, who placed fourth in Special Olympics Unified State Games with over 200 teams participating statewide. These are just a few of the people the Restaurant Rally benefits.

“And, these restaurants that open their doors to us every year, I can’t say enough about them. They go all out to make this a great event year after year, and their generous contribution to the Rally just [illustrates] the community spirit that makes this such a great town.”

The restaurants involved in the 2024 Rally include Great American Pub, Jasper’s Backyard, Deli on 4th, Shack in the Back, Daniel’s Restaurant & Bar, Guppy’s Good Times, Izenberg’s Deli, Brunch, Chiangmai, Trattoria Totaro, Flanigan’s Boathouse, Tony & Joe’s Pizzeria, Eat Greek, Southern Cross Kitchen, Insomnia Cookies, Morning Talk Café, Edwards-Freeman Nut Co., Viggiano’s BYOB, Tomato Shack, Merenda Box, Saigon Noodle Kitchen, VFW Auxiliary Post 1074, Conshohocken Brewing Company and Pizza Time Saloon.

The event’s international menu runs the gamut from the Thai buffet at Chiangmai to the Italian specialties at Trattoria Totaro, Viggiano’s BYOB, Tony and Joe’s Pizzeria and Pizza Time Saloon. Eat Greek will offer mini-Gyros; Merenda Box, Brazilian carrot cake and a chicken fritter called coxinha; Saigon Noodle Kitchen, cha gio (spring rolls) and banh minh (Vietnamese sandwiches); Guppy’s Good Times, its popular Tacohocken shrimp tacos; and Daniel’s Restaurant & Bar, North African shakshuka (and French toast).

Chocolate chip waffles and house-made horchata cold brew are on the rally menu at Brunch; a variety of pork sandwiches at Jasper’s Backyard and Flanigan’s Boathouse (in addition to the latter’s Old Bay grilled chicken wings); fried pickles at Deli on 4th; hot honey chicken bites at Southern Cross Kitchen; burger sliders and latkes at Izenberg’s Deli; and assorted nuts, dips and spreads at Edwards-Freeman Nut Co.

For foodies with a sweet tooth, Insomnia Cookies will be handing out classic cookies; Tomato Shack, “a vegan, gluten-free seven-layer bar” called a Maddie.

Specialty cocktails and beer will be available at several restaurants. Live music will be provided by the Allie & Ed Duo at VFW Auxiliary Post 1074 from 1 to 4 p.m.

AMBUCS Restaurant Rally tickets can be purchased at Flocco’s Shoes Clothes & Formal Wear, 110 Fayette St., or online at www.eventbrite.com/e/conshohocken-ambucs-restaurant-rally-tickets. Addresses, maps and additional details about Rally restaurants will be given to ticket-holders when they register at Great American Pub.

“Consumers will spend a total of $7 billion on jewelry, $5.9 billion on special outings and $3.5 billion on electronics,” NRF projects. “Additionally, total spending on flowers is expected to reach $3.2 billion, while total spending on greeting cards is expected to reach $1.1 billion this year.”

All of which makes Lydia Cohn’s tribute to late mother Joan Yingling (1930-2008) — an evolving series of children’s books, an eponymous website and a writers’ networking group — even more distinctive.

To backtrack: The Plymouth Meeting woman and her six siblings grew up in Merion Station. When her parents downsized to smaller living quarters, Cohn happily “took possession of the raggedy folder” that contained the many poems her mother had written in between raising seven kids, attending beauty school and working as a hairdresser for John Wanamaker department stores before co-founding a salon in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

“There were seven of us in 11 years, so money was tight, and that was one of the main reasons she went to school, to help the family,” Cohn said. “She eventually became manager of the Wanamaker salons — the one in Wynnewood and, then, the downtown salon — before she and another hairdresser opened the place in Haddonfield. Later, she spent many, many years working (behind the scenes) at Channel 6 TV.”

After Yingling passed away, Cohn began to wonder “how much she wrote that we didn’t get to see” and started playing with the idea of “somehow publishing her poems.”

“As kids, we were aware that she wrote poetry, but as far as I know, she just wrote for fun … never submitted anything anywhere,” she said. “As my oldest brother put it, she was very bright, but she didn’t have opportunity. Her father passed when she was 12, and she was put into an orphanage. Her siblings, too, but they were all split up. She didn’t complain, though. She said the best gift her father ever gave her was the excellent education she got at Nazareth Academy, and right out of high school, she went to work for The Philadelphia Inquirer as a statistician.”

Following Yingling’s death, Cohn continued overseeing back-of-house details at husband Jim’s “Mid-Atlantic Events” magazine. Daughters Jess and Jenna, who had grown up listening to their grandmother’s poems, were aware Cohn dreamed of publishing them. But it wasn’t until 2018 when Jess — who had written and self-published a novel when she was a sophomore at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, studied creative writing in college and become an acquisitions editor at Mascot Books Publishing — suggested reimagining each poem as the storyline in an illustrated children’s book that her “dream” took shape.

“That’s brilliant, I thought,” Cohn said. “Jess said we have a whole team here (at Mascot), illustrators, everything you’d need. It was like a lightbulb went off. So, that’s how it all started.”

First up, “The Story of The Can’t That Could” (released in 2019), followed by “The Story of The Curious Elf” (2021). A third book, based on Yingling’s “Nature’s Artist” is in the works. Since their publication, Cohn has conducted a number of well-received readings at area elementary schools, and both books have gained traction with young readers.

This spring, Yingling’s creative achievements inspired Cohn to create a local writers’ support group to “share ideas of creative ways to market our books” and keep abreast of marketing opportunities like Discover Conshohocken’s recent Fayette Street book signing event. The Book Authors of Southeastern PA held its first meeting on April 14, and Cohn believes turnout bodes well for its future.

“We had 18 authors in attendance, (and) there was a great buzz and excitement among the group for coming together,” she said. “Currently, we’re collecting everybody’s bios, head shots, photos of their book covers and social media links to put on a website (with) links to each author’s individual website. We have also created a private Facebook page just for the writers, so that we can share ideas, and soon we will create a (public) Facebook page.”

The group includes 26 members with “several genres of books” represented and plans “to expand our membership in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia (counties).”

How might poet Joan Yingling have reacted to all of this?

“I think she would be very humbled,” Cohn said. “I don’t think she ever thought she was good enough. Mom started all this, and I wish she had seen it come to fruition. The first time I  drove to a school to do a visit with the kids, a second grade class, I kind of lost it on the way over there. I felt like she was with me … in the passenger seat. She never would have thought to do any of it, but she so would have loved it.

“She probably would have squelched the whole idea but, then, given me permission to do it. Reluctantly. And, then, I think she would have been totally surprised to see how well-received it’s all been and loved to have been around the little kids to share the stories with.”

Additional details are available via email to bookauthorssoutheasternpa@gmail.com.

According to Branch Manager Holly Holst, the catalog — basically, a monthly distribution of free seeds — “has been years in the making, going back several branch managers.”

“The pandemic brought about challenges libraries had to face, which delayed program development, including our seed catalog, but we’re back on track now,” she said. “The project is made possible with a general seed donation from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company as well as the Conshohocken Community Garden, whose members have volunteered time to consult and sort seeds.”

Seed distributions take place the first Wednesday of each month. Patrons “check out” seeds, much like they do CFL “Cooking with Conshy” spice of the month kits. The packets contain directions for planting, growing and harvesting each plant.

Recent packets were February’s red kale, sorrel and tatsoi (“frost-hardy leafy greens”); March’s caraway and radicchio; and April’s black carrot, white balloon flower and sugar snap peas, the latter, “courtesy of Conshohocken Community Garden.” Spinach and greens salad burnet are on tap this month for May; sunflowers and peppers, for June.

“Because sugar snap peas grow vertically, they don’t require a huge amount of space and can be grown in a large container,” Holst said. “Caraway and greens salad burnet are also excellent choices to grow in containers. Just about any type of herb seed would probably do well in a container and can be very attractive, especially when flowering. We have books on container gardening at the library, knowing that many local residents don’t have adequate yard space for a large garden.”

The CFL manager said memberships in Conshohocken Community Garden as “a great option for people who don’t have room to garden at home.”

“Conshohocken Community Garden has been great with providing time to consult on which seeds would be best and how to make the program successful,” she continued. “In addition to donating the sugar snap pea seeds, they helped with seed sorting in March (and) plan to come back to continue sorting seeds and advising what should be used when. It’s been a terrific partnership, an ongoing partnership that we hope continues.”

As planned, May’s thyme give-away will be part of CFL book club’s participation in Longwood Garden’s Community Read project.

“This is the first time we’ve interlinked programs like this,” Holst explained. “Both (groups) will be reading ‘The Last Garden in England’ by Julia Kelly. It’s a World War II historical fiction book, and one of the characters has a company called ‘Turning Back Thyme,’ so we’re including a recipe for a World War II ration bread made with thyme, which is what we’ll be giving out to (participants) as part of our spice program in May. It’s a simple recipe that follows the rationing restrictions that were in effect in England and here in the United States during World War II.”

Holst said response to both CFL’s seed and spice initiatives as “good and getting even better as the word gets out.”

“They’re just two of the many perks of having a library card,” she added. “And if people don’t have a card, they can sign up for one for free.”

CFL, a branch of Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library, is located at 301 Fayette Street.  Additional information:  610-825-1656.

To that end, organizers’ nod to late April’s “Earth Week” will include exhibitors whose specialties run the gamut from electric cars and cutting-edge hydrogen cell vehicles (“on display car show-style with hoods popped and people there to answer questions”) to successful gardening and composting.

PAR Recycling will man an e-waste collection station (“for old laptops, phones, computer towers but no TVs or monitors or batteries”), and REI will offer test rides on e-bikes and tips for environmentally-friendly camping.

Yes, there will be pamphlets that focus on sustainability and environmental consciousness. But, says Rocco, a PA Department of Environmental Protection staffer, he and fellow GreenFest volunteers hope to interest people in issues like global warming and climate change by engaging them with interactive and hands-on learning opportunities focused on “saving green by going green.”

“When I first got involved with the EAC, I thought, everyone knows about all the important environmental issues we’re facing these days, so they’ll listen to what we have to say,” he says. “But that’s just not the case. We’ve learned we have to do a lot more education, and that’s not something that’s going to happen overnight.

“Over the years, we’ve tried to do different types of workshops for environmental education, but they weren’t very heavily attended. So, we thought, why don’t we have a bigger event once a year (and) handle a multitude of different subjects. Make it family-friendly and get the entire community involved, including the youth, who are the future stewards of the environment. Make it something that’s informative and fun. We did that for the first time last year, and we’re trying to make it even bigger and better this year.”

Ultimately, Rocco hopes GreenFest becomes one of the borough’s signature events.

“The EAC has sponsored a number of events over the years — tree-planting, spring and fall clean-ups — and we’ve participated in events such as Funfest and the Arts festival,” he says. “We’re hoping GreenFest can turn into the town’s springtime event.

“The big thing is, we need to engage people. Meet them where they are. For example, we really struggled with how we could get kids involved. Having them stand behind a table for three or four hours just isn’t realistic, so we came up with the idea of an environment-themed art contest with prizes for the winners. We worked with teachers at Conshohocken Elementary School, and from what I’m hearing, the kids are really excited about coming to GreenFest and seeing their work on display. The parents are going to help hang the art, which is great.

“The students in [Plymouth Whitemarsh High School’s] International Baccalaureate  program are strongly involved, too. They were involved last year, and they’re going to have three different activities this year. They’ve been terrific to work with.

“Yoga Home is another great partner. They did yoga sessions for kids at GreenFest last year, and they’re going to offer them again this year.”

According to Rocco, Conshohocken Community Garden members are also “a big part of GreenFest.”

“They’ve been engaged with us from the beginning, and they’re a real breath of fresh air,” he says. “They’re actually like a sister organization to EAC. They’ll be sharing information about things like the ecological benefits of native plants, about gardening and locally-sourced food in general.”

Rocco calls Conshohocken Free Library “another great partner.” CFL recently initiated a seed catalog program and will be handing out free vegetable seeds and seed starter kits.

“The whole thing is really a team effort, including the support we’ve had from IKEA, REI, Cencora and several other local businesses and organizations,” Rocco concludes.

EAC’s volunteer board also includes Co-Chair Tim Beckel, Rich Kosich, Bob Molony, Mia Barbaro, Justin Claffey and Gerhart Arndt.

Mary Wood Park is located at Sixth Avenue and Harry Street, adjacent to Conshohocken’s Fellowship House. Additional information about Conshy GreenFest 2024 is posted on Facebook.

Interested? Consider signing up for the “Improv Your Life” class scheduled for four Tuesdays, May 7-28 from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at Greater Plymouth Community Center. No desire to become a comedian? No problem. Thinking of improv as solely a synonym for comic standup routines is common but incorrect. As Spencer puts it, “improv is so much more.”

“Most people think of it in terms of stand-up, someone onstage talking to an audience, making jokes,” he says. “That’s a very common misconception. That and the idea that all improv is comedy. At its most basic, improv means spur-of-the-moment. Nothing prepared. Nothing written down or planned out. Whatever strikes you to say or do, usually with at least one partner and, as most people have experienced it, adding to a word or thought someone in the audience has thrown out.

“For example, someone in the audience says ‘catsup.’ That’s only a suggestion. You don’t have to go on a tangent about ‘this new bottle of Heinz I just found.’ You could say, ‘Catsup makes me think of French fries and growing up as a kid and going to the diner with my mom.’ Then, you’re talking about childhood memories. Catsup is just a jumping-off point, just like improv is really a lot of different things.”

Among the latter? A “fun and easy way for just about anyone to improve their conversational skills and learn to think on their feet and be more creative when they find themselves in certain social situations or business situations,” Spencer says.

“One hundred per cent,” he continues. “And that’s exactly what my company helps people do. Believe it or not, I’m an introvert. But a friend got me to take my first improv class maybe 10 year ago or so, and it changed my life. It opened up a whole new world for me. I still have introvert tendencies. Like meeting a bunch of new people, I can go into my shell a little bit. But that doesn’t last for very long, because I rely on the improv that has taught me to kind of just go with the flow. Basically, pick up on what people are talking about and find some commonality, something I’m familiar with that connects to what they’re saying.”

In short, Spencer says, the skills he learned in improv classes and during his career as a professional improv performer, teacher and coach are just as applicable offstage — at a party, on a date, during a job interview, networking with colleagues, team-building, “in just about any setting or situation where people are talking to each other.”

Happily, he reasons, the warm-up games, exercises and techniques that hone those skills “are a whole lot of fun.”

“You basically learn how to think outside the box and work in conjunction with other people,” Spencer says. “The workshops I do for people who aren’t improvisers, they love them. They’re not trying to become (professional improvisers). They just want to have a good time, and they always end up saying ‘This is so much fun. I get to act like a kid again.’ I’ve even had people say, ‘This was like therapy…I really enjoyed myself because I could express myself and there was no judgment.’”

Spencer’s GPCC workshop will mirror those he’s already done for several area libraries and adult evening schools.

“It’s very versatile,” he says. “We do games and warm-ups … like one of the classic warm-ups we do is called ‘Zip, Zap, Zop.’ You stand in a circle, point at someone and go ‘zip.’ Then, that person points to someone else and says ‘zap,’ and that person points to someone else and says ‘zop.’ This keeps going around the circle, and it gets faster and faster. Sometimes, you don’t point. You just use eye contact. So, you have to pay attention. Focus.

“There’s another one called ‘pass the face,’ where one person makes a face and sound and passes it along to someone who has to mimic exactly what they saw or heard and pass it to the next person. As you can guess, as with the telephone game or whisper down the lane, it changes. Organically. So, it makes you pay attention, internalize what you’re observing and really listen and focus on the people you’re interacting with. These are all party games. But you’re learning something at the same time you’re having fun, which people don’t really recognize until further reflection.”

Spencer says thinking in terms of “Yes, and …” when responding or reacting to a conversation is one key to effective improvisation.

“Adding something to what the other person said to make the thought grow,” he explains. “Another very important thing, pay attention to body language and what’s happening in your surroundings — how people are acting. And learn from your failures. If something falls flat, you’re still learning.”

Spencer’s Elkins Park-based company has conducted “Improv Your Life” sessions at gatherings ranging “from singles’ happy hours to bachelor/bachelorette parties; birthday parties to family reunions.” Additional information: 605-989-6547, improvyourlife247@gmail.com and www.improvyourlife24-7.com.

Enrollment in Spencer’s Improv Your Life workshop at GPCC is $150 for Plymouth residents; $188 for non-residents. Additional information: 610-277-4312, www.PlymouthCommunityCenter.org and in-person at GPCC, 2910 Jolly Road, Plymouth Meeting.

Granted, most lack the cache that surrounds the annual event at the White House or the sheer numbers that earned Guinness World Records status for 2007’s hunt at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven, Florida. Still, this area offers plenty of options.

Fuel up pre-hunt

Elmwood Park Zoo’s Easter Brunch — with egg hunt for 2- to 12-year-olds — includes an extensive spread designed to please even the pickiest egg-splorers. Reserved seatings are 10 a.m., 11:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. on multiple weekends through March 31. The zoo is located at 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown.  Pricing and other details: www.elmwoodparkzoo.org 

If a casual barbecue is more your style, Pottstown’s Church of the Nazarene has extended an invitation to the community for its free Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt and cookout dinner “featuring Pastor Tom’s BBQ chicken” on March 23. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Egg hunt at 7 p.m. The church is located at 1045 Beech St. Details: www.pottstownnazarene.org.

Also in Pottstown, St. Paul’s UCC will host March 23’s Breakfast with the Easter Bunny (free will donation) from 9 to 11 a.m. at 927 N. Franklin St. Pancakes, crafts and a 10 a.m. egg hunt are on the menu. Details:  www.stpaulspottstown.org.

And in West Conshohocken, the George Clay Fire Company Auxiliary invites all ages to its annual all-you-can-eat Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at 426 Ford Street on March 24 from 8 a.m. to noon. Ages 13 and older, $12; 4 to 12, $6; 3 and under, free with a paying adult. Details: www.geoclay.com.

Week of events

Organizers promise lots of treats at Greater Plymouth Community Center’s weekend-long nod to Easter, starting with its March 23 Egg Scramble with the Bunny at 10 a.m. (Plymouth residents, $5; Non-residents, $7).

The celebration continues with March 24’s 10 a.m. to noon Easter Eggsravaganza in GPCC’s indoor pool, complete with in-water egg hunt and live D.J. ($20 per person; $50 per family of four). Both events at GPCC, 2910 Jolly Road, Plymouth Meeting. Pre-registration required at 610-277-4312. Details: www.plymouthtownship.org.

Other egg hunts

• Ambler Kiwanis Club will hold its free annual egg hunt March 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at Ricciardi Park, 236 Hendricks St.  Details: 267-401-1570

• Lansdale Borough’s free hunt for 3 to 8-year-olds is scheduled for March 23 at 10:30 a.m. in Whites Road Park, 400 Whites Road. Registration required by March 22 at 4:30 p.m. Details: www.lansdale.org.

• North Wales’ March 23 egg search for pre-K through third graders will take place at 11 a.m. in Weingartner Park, 254-344 Summit St. Details: www.northwalesborough.org.

• Horsham Township Library’s March 23 egg hunt at 435 Babylon Road will begin at 10:30 a.m. and include “age-appropriate” hunting areas. Details: www.horshamlibrary.org.

• East Norriton Township’s free hunts for 3 to 11-year-olds are set for March 29 from 10 a.m. to noon at Stanbridge Street Park. Details: www.eastnorritontwp.org.

• West Norriton Township’s hunt for 1 through 8-year-olds will take place March 30 at 10 a.m. in Centennial Park, 8 Burnside Ave., and also feature face painting and balloon art. Details:  www.westnorritontwp.org.

• Fairview Village Church, 3044 W. Germantown Pike, Eagleville, will offer free egg hunts for ages 3 and under through 12-year-olds, inflatables, carnival games, photos and lots more on March 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Details: www.fairviewvillagechurch.com.

• Perkiomen Valley Library, 290 Second St., Schwenksville, will host a used book sale (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.) and egg hunt (11 a.m.) on March 23. Details: www.pvlibrary.net.

• Royersford Borough’s free Teen Glow Hunt is scheduled for March 23 at 8 p.m. in Victory Park, Green and Washington streets. Pre-registration and details: www.royersfordborough.org.

• Limerick Township’s Flash Light Easter Egg Hunt for 8 to 12-year-olds is set for March 28 at 7 p.m. in Limerick Community Park, 180 Swamp Pike. Details: www.limerickpa.org.

• Pottstown Community Arts’ March 23 Easter Fair in Pottstown Riverfront Park, 140 College Drive, from 2 to 5 p.m. will feature a variety of egg hunts for ages 0 through 7-plus. Details: www.pottstowncommunityarts.org

The Girl Scout cookies on sale through March 10 are all that and then some, and the latter goes far deeper than the instant gratification of a Thin Mint or Caramel deLite.  In short, says one leader, the campaign helps girls learn “how to be advocates for their community and give back.”

The iconic sale has area roots. According to histories that trace those roots, a number of troops sold homemade cookies to benefit various relief efforts after Juliette Gordon Low created Girl Scouts in 1912. Scouting’s Philadelphia Council launched the first sale of commercially-sourced cookies in 1934 during the heart of the Great Depression.

According to https://explorepahistory.com, the transition from homemade followed Philadelphia-area Girl Scout Council’s decision “to use cookie sales to raise money for its Camp Indian Run in Glenmoore, Chester County, (and)…a Girl Scout leader asked the head of Keebler-Wyl Baking Company to bake and package Girl Scout cookies.

“Keebler-Wyl baked 100,000 boxes of the first commercially produced Girl Scout cookie — a vanilla cookie in the form of the Girl Scout symbol, the trefoil — at 260 North 22nd Street for the Girl Scouts’ December cookie sale.”

Keebler-Wyl became national supplier for the trefoil cookie in 1936.

“Between Oct. 24 and Nov. 7, the Girl Scouts of America held their first official nationwide sale of Girl Scout cookies,” Explore PA History continues. “The sale became an annual tradition until shortages in sugar, flour and butter during World War 2 forced the Girl Scouts to switch from selling cookies to calendars (but) resumed in 1945…”

A Girl Scout Cookies Historical Marker at 1401 Arch St. in Philadelphia notes that the Keebler-Wyl cookies sold for 23 cents a box or six boxes for $1.35. These days, they’re $5 per box here ($6 per box for gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip), compared to $7 a box in New York.

Cookie pricing is set by a given area’s Scouting Council, explains Maureen Adgie, service unit manager for the 20 troops located in Eastern Pennsylvania Council’s Colonial Service Unit 650. Proceeds from direct sales or monetary donations help support Girl Scout camps and activities as well as a variety of non-profit organizations.

Adgie said past beneficiaries have included school bus drivers, the U.S. Army National Guard, fire company and Red Cross volunteers, hospital staffers, Colonial Neighborhood Council, Laurel House and the USO.

“Each troop gets to choose what we call our Hometown Heroes…different community helpers…that they will donate cookies to,” she added. “With the Hometown Heroes, some troops have a dedicated percentage of their cookie funds that go straight to a charity. The whole idea of Girl Scouts is that it’s to be ‘girl led.’  They’re in control of the cookie sale…who their donations are going to.

“Sometimes the girls use their troop’s proceeds to create something…do a drive or go out shopping for items to donate. Like, for example, we have Scouts who (recently) donated dinner to the Code Blue shelter at the Church on the Mall (in Plymouth Meeting). To do that, the girls had to research where they were going to order food from, within the budget they had. They also created decorative pieces for the tables and helped set up the cots for the folks who were sleeping at the shelter. So, something like this also helps with the girls’ skill-building.”

Midway through 2024’s cookie campaign, Adgie says Colonial district Scouts sold 26,072 boxes during the sale’s initial three weeks “which put us ahead of 2019, 2020 and 2021 sales with four weeks left.”  In addition, “for the first time in at least six years, 100 per cent of our 20 troops are selling, with the highest percentage of Girl Scouts selling in at least six years — 205 or 89.1 per cent of all registered Scouts.”

Top sellers?  Thin Mints, Caramel deLites and Peanut Butter Patties.

“We’ve had a huge response from the community this year,” Adgie said. “In the past year, we’ve doubled the number of troops in our service unit, and I think that some of the seasoned girls and adults were a little nervous about what that would do to sales because, obviously, we have more girls selling cookies.  We have a ton of brand-new Daisy troops for kindergarteners and first-graders, and even those little girls who are just getting familiar with the program are selling out of cookies.

“We also have a bunch of new booth locations this year, which have been very successful.  So, it’s been wonderful. The community’s been so charitable…donating money, buying boxes all over the place.”

Despite a certain Facebook posting…

“Somebody posted…‘Hey, just to let everyone know, ALDI has the same cookies, and they’re just $2,’” Adgie said. “The poor gentleman was just lambasted, with every single person saying ‘That’s not why we buy these cookies.’ Which goes back to the real purpose of this program…that the girls learn what we call the five skills: Goal-setting, decision-making, business ethics, money management and people skills.

“The girls, whether they’re out at a booth or knocking on their neighbor’s door, they’re learning how to speak to people, how to sell a product and learn about a product, what they can do with the money they make as a troop…making a group decision. They’re also doing good work. Giving back to our community.

“We’re out there cleaning up parks and building little libraries, helping to feed folks at places like Colonial Neighborhood Council.  ‘Making the world a better place,’ as we say in Girl Scouts.”