Centre Theater in the Montgomery County Cultural Center at 208 DeKalb Street in Norristown, announces that its zany show Lucky Stiff will be staged June 1 through 24 in the fourth floor black box theater.

It has something for everyone – comedy, farce, murder mystery, musical elements. Full of goofy characters and wacky situations, it also has one-liners and witty lyrics.

Evening performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Matinees are on Sundays at 2 p.m.

Based on the Michael Butterworth novel, The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo, the intricate plot follows nerdy English shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon, as he tries to win his multimillion dollar inheritance by taking his dead uncle's corpse to Monte Carlo for a final, fun-filled vacation. What follows are guns, girls, mistaken identities, glittering diamonds and an evening of inspired lunacy.

Written by the duo who brought the amazing modern musicals Once on this Island and Ragtime to Broadway, Lucky Stiff is a hidden gem.

The cast features Krissy Johnson who has performed off Broadway and in the Philadelphia region. She is a comedic and vocal staple at the Centre Theater. Dorien Bell also stars. Bell has performed from the Edinburgh fringe to the New York stage. Victor Rodriguez returns to the Centre Theater stage after several years performing in and around Philly including with Walking Fish Theatre. The cast is rounded out by Katie Romano and Stephen Tornetta. The production is directed by Marusia Lynn; Eleanor Griffin is musical director.

“We have assembled a cast of great singers with equally strong acting and comedy credits. This triple threat will have the audience in stitches,” Lynn said.

The Centre Theater provides affordable, quality professional theater as well as arts education.

The drama group has received critical acclaim, including several Barrymore nominations. Working in collaboration with Iron Age Theatre, the Centre is planning a massive renovation of its theater and building. Phase Two of the capital development will include a new larger first floor venue for theatre and other performances. A new marquee was recently installed. 

For tickets and information call 610-279-1013 or link to:

www.thecentretheater.org

Here’s something interesting, a Cherokee Indian Festival at Temple’s Ambler campus. Read all about it on the Times Herald online:

http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120525/LIFE01/120529688/cherokee-indian-festival-at-temple-ambler

If you go, here’s what you should know: Temple’s Ambler Campus, 580 Meetinghouse Rd., Ambler, Sat. through Monday, May 28, from 11 a.m. to dusk, the dancing is at noon, bring chairs or blankets, tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for seniors and $3 for children; those under six are admitted free.

• For info, call 215-549-4191 or http://secherokee-confederacypa.org.

We found this intriguing item on AOL’s Bala Cynwyd Patch about kindergartners in the Lower Merion schools in Montgomery County. The children will be getting iPads at $500 a pop next year. Some already have them. The post sparked some lively discussion. Here’s a sample:

From Selma Davis:  With or without spycams?

From Sara:              Wow, this is insane. Lower Merion has more money than they need, they should think about the kids (my children) who will be starting elementary school in Upper Darby School District next year WITHOUT art, music, physical education and foreign language classes. Myself and my husband are from Belmont Hills and hearing this is just ridiculous.

From Jane Galli:       To children in kindergarten this is the "usual" way to do your "work" They can be just as creative as we were with crayon and paper, there's an app for that. There are quotes from To the editors in the 1800's complaining about school children leaving their chalkboards for pencil and paper, paper and pencil for typewriters, typewriters for computers. This is kind of going back to a 20th century chalkboard. If it gets them to learn and compete in this global environment, then way to go.

Liz Rosenbaum:        Wow - i think it's great, yet I can't help but also think about the kids in the Philadelphia public school district who are being terribly shortchanged by the new PA Budget. Perhaps there's a way to use our children's good fortune to help "level the field" for all school children in the region? Maybe a fundraising app?

From Mark Price:       It was already years ago when our children were in elementary school. But at that time I had a mother tell me that she thought it was a foolish waste of time to teach spelling to kids because they could just run Spell Check on their computers after writing something. I made a good living writing for the federal government before retiring because today's college graduates are so poor at it. It's not an indictment of technology. But perhaps we are being lulled and mesmerized by today's technology and forgetting the basics. As far as iPads for kindergartners, that seems a bit over the top. It must be nice to be rolling in unlimited quantities of taxpayer money.

Here’s a link to the story on Patch:

http://balacynwyd.patch.com/articles/all-kindergartners-getting-ipads-in-lower-merion#photo-10022620

The 400 boys and girls at Bridgeport Elementary School in Montgomery County ushered in Memorial Day weekend with a special ceremony Friday morning, and we were invited.

The event consisted of all the children – pre-kindergarten through fourth grade – assembling around the flag pole in front of their school on a hill overlooking Bridgeport.

The children wore red, white and blue, and so did their teachers. They all waved their flags at once, and it was amazing to see.

The ceremony included a parade of Bridgeport police with sirens blaring, a flag presentation from the Valley Forge Detachment Marine Corps League 312, and a drive-by of motorcycles from the Warriors Watch Riders. What a racket that made! Girl scouts and one cub scout also marched.

The children listened respectfully while their principal, Alan Futrick, gave a talk about never forgetting those who lost their lives protecting and preserving our freedom.

A school band played “America the Beautiful,” and the students sang along. There was taps, and the students pledged “allegiance to the flag of the United States of American, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.”

The ceremony took less than an hour. Then the children filed in orderly fashion back to their classrooms to resume lessons.

Despite the misty weather, it was a fitting and appropriate run-up to Memorial Day. We were honored to witness it.

(The photo we are working to post online shows Dylan Haskell, left, and Spencer Kalbach, both first graders, as well as their schoolmates from the school at 900 Bush St., participating in the patriotic ceremony.)

“You Bet Your Garden” radio talk show host Mike McGrath comes to Gwynedd, Montgomery County. The Gwynedd Green teams up with him to explain and promote backyard sustainability practices.

Lower Gwynedd Township is the sponsor of this hands-on, interactive event that starts at 1 p.m. on the Ingersoll property behind the Lower Gwynedd Township building on Old Bethlehem Pike.

McGrath will discuss “Lawn and Landscape” and answer questions.

Other presentations and demonstrations how to identify problems with your garden trees, how to care for them, how to compost and use compost in your garden, Native American Indian gardening techniques and more.

There will be therapy dogs to entertain young members of the audience.  An ice cream social will conclude the event.

In bad weather, the event may move to the township building adjacent to the parking area.

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.      Mike McGrath, “You Bet Your Garden”

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.      PSU experts on “Tree Tending” and on “Composting”,  Lenape Indian Gardening, Therapy Dogs

3:30 – 4:00 p.m.      Ice cream social

Lower Gwynedd Township has formed the Gwynedd Green Committee to give environmental concerns a voice in the township and also bring together all generations.  Projects include sustainability, green living and recycling.

For information, Check Lower Gwyendd’s website (www.lowergwynedd.org), Mike McGrath’s website (http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/), or GwyneddGreen’s Facebook at “GwyneddGreen”.

Carol B. Polis, of North Wales, Montgomery County, phoned recently. She wants everyone to know that her book, The Lady is a Champ, just came out. It was written with co-author Rich Herschlag.

Among other things, Polis is a referee for boxing matches. The book is the story of her life, plus various title fights that she judged. She refereed 27 title fights and two non-title heavyweight fights involving boxers Ike Tyson and Larry Holmes. She has appeared on TV and in the movie, Rocky V.

She is interested in making public appearances. For information, contact her at 215-855-0155, or maine523@yahoo.com

Here is the promotions blurb for her book from the Barnes & Noble website, BN.com:

The 1970s were a time of great upheaval for women. There was Roe v. Wade and the Equal Rights Amendment. There were Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King, Golda Meir, and Carol Polis. Who is Carol Polis?

In 1971, Carol Polis married a part-time professional boxing referee. Within two years, she went from being a squeamish spectator to a professional boxing judge—the first woman ever to do so. As luck would have it, not only was this period the golden age of women’s rights, it was also the golden age of boxing. Carol Polis had a ringside seat for all of it. Sometimes she was the main event.

From cutting her teeth on three-round undercard fights at the gritty Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, to finding herself at the center of a riot at Madison Square Garden; from being schooled in Joe Frazier’s sweat-drenched gym on North Broad Street, to officiating in a Don King tournament and being investigated by the FBI; from following the careers of local fighters like Boogaloo Watts and Willie the Worm Monroe, to becoming a personal guest of Muhammad Ali; from speaking at the nearby Rotary Club to appearing as a contestant on What’s My Line and To Tell the Truth, five-foot-one, 115-pound Carol Polis, for better or for worse, was treated as an ambassador for all women, a novelty, and even a misfit.

Polis was bound by none of these labels. First and foremost, Carol Polis was a mom. When her marriage breaks up in 1977, Polis’s life becomes more a matter of survival than knockouts. It is while keeping a roof over her kids’ heads and later raising her grandson that Polis earns her heavyweight belt. The ultimate challenge, it turns out, comes not from attaining stature as a world-class sports figure, but from becoming a world-class juggler.

Carol Polis outdistances the ‘70s. Then the ‘80s and ‘90s, eventually officiating at a staggering twenty-seven title fights in nine countries. Like the era she leaves behind, she leaves the uncomfortable title of women’s libber in the dust. Polis is, rather, an accidental pioneer—someone who attains greatness not by seeking celebrity or confrontation but rather by being herself. "The Lady Is a Champ" is a sports story that will inspire women and a woman’s story that will floor boxing fans.

A hike for the disabled is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 26, at French Creek State Park, Berks County.

Participants can enjoy the scenery of Hopewell Lake as they take a nature tour along handicapped-accessible trails. There will be a talk about wildlife, native trees and shrubs, as well as the history of French Creek State Park and the nearby historic site, Hopewell Furnace.

The hike is not difficult although it is one mile long and takes two hours. Meeting place is the playground behind the French Creek State Park main office at 845 Park Rd., Elverson, Pa. 19520.

Participants should bring water, a snack and binoculars, and dress for the weather. Family members are welcome. Handicapped restrooms are available along the way.

The hike header is Phil McGrath, Forest Insect Pest Aide for the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry. He can be reached at 610-582-9669 or email him at:  pmcgrath@pa.gov.

The arrest Tuesday of a 24-year-old Pennsauken, N.J., man on charges of luring two 15-year-old girls he contacted online to abandoned parking lots for sex, brings up the issue:  how can parents keep children safe when there are strangers contacting them on Facebook and through texting.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20120523_Former_school_band_volunteer_charged_with_sexually_assaulting_2_teens.html

Yesterday, a public relations person sent a notice of a forum on Internet Safety & Children that will be held Thursday, May 24, at 5 p.m. at ACLAMO offices, 512 W. Marshall St., Norristown.

The forum is aimed at Spanish-speaking parents and guardians, and their children, but perhaps it can be repeated for English-speaking audiences.

“We’ll share news you can use and assist in helping children safely navigate the Net,” said publicist Jennifer Bilotta.

The forum is sponsored by Comcast and ACLAMO of Montgomery.

Experts, including Montgomery County first assistant DA Kevin Steele, will describe real-life examples of online dangers - and share tips and practical steps to keep families safe online so that children don’t become victims of fraud, identity theft or cyber-crime.

Included in Bilotta’s release is this form that can be signed by family members:

INTERNET SAFETY PLEDGE

1.       I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parent’s work address, or the name and location of my school without my parent’s permission.

2.       I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.

3.       I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring a parent along.

4.       I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.

5.       I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away.

6.       I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online and using a mobile phone. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.

7.       I will not give out my passwords to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.

8.       I will check with my parents before downloading or installing software or doing anything that could possibly hurt our computer or mobile device or jeopardize my family’s privacy.

9.       I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.

10.   I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.

I agree to the above.

__________________________

Child sign here

I will help my child follow this agreement and will allow reasonable use of the Internet as long as these rules and other family rules are followed.

__________________________

Parent(s) sign here

Q:  Why is the spectacle of a mother catbird roosting on her nest outside the window so appealing?

A:  Because it gives us a peek into wildlife life in the making, up close, personal and not on the Discovery Channel.

A pair of catbirds got busy making a cup-shaped nest high up in an azalea bush just outside  Montgomery County on May 14. They used  raffia, yarn, wet leaves and flowers, mud, pine needles and twigs. They took turns flying in the strands until mid-morning, when the male departed, leaving the female to finish the project alone. Depend on your view of life, he was either on a barstool in Ardmore, or volunteering at the Audubon Society in Mill Grove.

A day later, the female began sitting on the nest. At dusk, she flew in and settled, with her gray body and black tail and cap silhouetted against the nesting material. When she realized she was being watched, she fastened one black eye on the glass and kept it there until the shade was drawn. You will not disturb my privacy, the look said.

We did see the male, shrieking around the parking lot and landing in a dogwood tree on Tuesday, May 22. Possibly he was upset by the landscapers and their noisy machines. Or he could have been announcing the laying of eggs. Not sure, but we will watch and report back as the family evolves.