Lehigh Valley Water Pimping

When Don Cummingham as county executive many moons ago brought Nestle to the Lehigh Valley, I realized that it wasn't really the prize plum he was bolstering his career with. We have been fortunate not to have been victim of a drought, because they suck a lot of water out of our aquifer.

He rode that deal to head the county development agency, where he then brought us the cranberry juice company from New Jersey. Turns out that New Jersey had become fed up with their polluting, and New Jersey isn't known to be fuzzy about such things.

Donnie is now bragging about bringing us a yogurt company, which was shopping for somewhere to tolerate their wastewater requirements. All these companies always promise to invest and hire big, and Lehigh Valley gobbles up the bait. Now that we have a regional water authority operating both the supply and waste, the taxpayers will be unknowingly subsidizing these new industries, who found a waiting patsy. Fortunately for Donnie and these companies, pushback over the years has been limited to this blog.

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Banned At Allentown City Hall

Trump banning CNN and Politico from the White House is just another example of his low comprehension of how our government is supposed to work. Reportedly, some Republicans on the midterm ballot are starting to put some distance between themselves and him, although so far Mackenzie hasn't been among them.

What brings me to this topic is that reportedly Molovinsky On Allentown was blocked on city hall computers during Mayor Ed's later terms. I will attempt to confirm that old rumor and report back on my findings in an addendum.

On that note, I have bumped into Pawlowski a couple times since his partial halfway house release, and we had amiable, if short conversations. I wish him well with his pending full release and future endeavors. As for Trump and his fake news babble, those excuses will now be put to the legal test.

shown above blogger spotted in Rose Garden pond

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The Morning Call Celebrates Its Demise

The Morning Call has been promoting J.B. Reilly since he started his NIZ enterprise in 2011. In today's promotion, they describe his 15th apartment building as on their former offices. This latest plywood plaza is actually on the distribution end of the former newspaper building, while the offices were on the Linden Street side.

While the other apartment buildings will fall short on their yuppie target for tenants, this latest one aims low, they describe it as affordable housing. I hope it's designed like the old Timex watch, to take a beating and keep on ticking.

On the topic of beatings, this week I visted a couple stores on the south side of Hamilton Street in the 700 block. Between the new center square construction, and the former bank to med school conversion, it takes a lot of will power to patronize those stores. Hope the patients survive the improvements.

shown above Eleanor Roosevelt visiting the former Hanover Acres when it was new

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Hardscrabble In Allentown

We know from Matt that he is Allentown's first Latino mayor. We know from Victor Martinez that Allentown is now majority Latino, and should have more Latino elected representatives. But who is speaking up for the other 49%, especially the elderly poor.

Allentown's elderly poor, many descended from a previous dominant demographic called Pennsylvania Dutch, by culture never availed themselves to whatever subsidies were available. Their family motto was Make It Do, Wear It Out, Use It Up, Do Without.

While the squeaky wheel gets the oil, they never said a peep. You can still catch a glimpse of this yesteryear at a farmers market, or a Lanta bus stop. I'm not even sure that you'll see their names in the paper's obituary column, the paper charges for that now.

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Another Parkway Story

Growing up during the early 1950's in Little Lehigh Manor, aka Lehigh Parkway, aka The Parkway was kiddie city. Most of us were born in the mid to late 1940's, children of WW2 veterans. I don't recall one house without children. Everyone had friends, even the maladjusted. 

In addition to friends, I also had cousins. I had an aunt and uncle on both Lehigh Parkway South and 17th St.SW. Siblings of my mother, the whole family lived in the Parkway. I can tell from Facebook groups that my affinity for the neighborhood is commonplace.

I expect that those growing up in Midway Manor and other Allentown neighborhoods of that era share similar emotions. I know that my father's generation stayed connected to their youth in the Ward. Likewise, today's Allentown youth will cherish their memories.

Shown above myself and a cousin in our Parkway backyard.

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Netanyahu Plays At UN

Netanyahu's speech at the UN might as well be given to Mamdani's staff at the NYC city hall, neither place has any use for him. But he's not speaking to influence the UN, rather voters back in Israel. His platform now is that Israel is Sparta, and will go it alone if necessary. 

Unfortunately, more and more, Israel is alone, and that isn't the worst of it. The shelf life on his reliance on Trump and the United States is getting shorter, election by election. Netanyahu will learn his fate at the end of October. Likewise, Israel will learn more about its reliance on the USA in early November. A blue wave doesn't bode as well for Israel as it once did.

I'm hoping that Israel moves beyond Netanyahu, and that United States moves beyond Trump, but both have staying power. In Israel, things could go even more hawkish and aggressive. Likewise, in the United States any majority will be thin and under constant pressure.

Anonymous comments are discouraged and may not appear.

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The Israel Dilemma

Israel's conduct in Gaza and the West Bank is no dilemma for anti-semites and anti-zionists, they had no use for Israel in the first place. However, for many of us who didn't consider zionism a dirty word, there is a conflict. As I have written before, Israel's responses since its creation in 1948 always took the  high road, at least for those of us who considered the UN partition of Palestine legitimate. 

Since mid 2024, Israel's actions have become problematic. October 7th (2023) was a horrendous massacre of innocents. Israel's counter attacking against Hamas was justified, the issue is of scale. Although Hamas is an entrenched enemy totally within civilian infrastructure, the problem is how that difficulty should be approached.

The aggression on the West Bank is even more troubling, more less devoid of justification beyond Israeli politics. I was pleased to see Mike Huckabee and the UK speak up. Israel has an election at the end of October, but with their parliamentary system, the result is much more of a wild card than here.

graffiti above from Heraklion, Crete

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Trump's Curve Ball

I suspect that even James Carville had to admire Trump's audacious $5,000 bribe offer to America. Forget if it's legal or possible, the offer will have effect on the election, probably more than the $4.59 gal. gasoline. America buys lottery tickets, so if there is a chance for five big ones, they'll take it. Trump's crassness and corruption aside, America doesn't understand or care about the national debt.

It is said that comments are the lifeblood of a blog. It is also a known fact that anonymous is the name most associated with comments. Nevertheless, I have decided to suspend that option on this blog, at least for the time being. You may continue to comment with the anonymous gadget, but you must type your name at the beginning or end of your comment, or it will not be published. Other options are to create a Google tag, with a pseudonym or your name.

As mentioned yesterday, I will be holding court this morning at the outdoor flea market behind the Parkway Shopping Center, between 8:00 and 10:00AM.

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An Antique Blogger

I wasn't always a blogger, getting here I wore a few different hats. One hat was as an antique dealer. Many mayors ago, I had a small shop on 7th Street. That little building has long since been demolished. Another retail venture involved photography and a darkroom on 8th Street.

A large antique venue has relocated to the former Parkway Bowling in the rear lower section of the Parkway Shopping Center. A visit this past weekend found Weil's Doghouse Antiques packed with 185 antique dealers. However, their parking lot flea market has yet to take root.

Although very sparse last weekend, the parking lot flea market will host another odd fellow this Friday morning for a couple hours. I'll be at an outside parking lot table between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, with some vintage camera accessories from the 1940's and 50's, and a few sketches on paper by Jessica Lenard.

Shown above is the back and front cover of my booklet available at Amazon Bookstore. It contains 36 selected blog posts about growing up in Allentown during the 1950's.

The Monstrosity Lives On

In 2013 developer Bruce Loch got permission to build a pencil tower at 9th&Walnut. In 2023 he sold the small parcel and essentially the permission to a new developer. That developer is now trying to keep the permission in force and marketable.

I think that it's fair to say that the marketplace is not clamoring for this building. While pencil buildings have been built in Manhattan because of extremely high real estate prices and very limited space, here in Allentown it would be ridiculous.

I remember some of Bruce Loch and John Troxell real estate development in Allentown. During the Joe Daddona era, small city owned intersection triangles, mostly in the Hamilton Park area, were acquired. Hardship lot size variances were then used to build on the parcels. In NYC these pencil buildings have been plagued by wind and sway issues. Leave it to Allentown to entertain this nonsense.

  MY MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN IN THE 1950'S & 1960'S AT AMAZON

NATURE, ART AND TRASH IN ALLENTOWN PARKS

One of my seven hundred pet peeves is signage in the parks. Back in 2013, when I was trying to save the miniature dam by the Robin Hood Bridge in Lehigh Parkway, the then park director said he'll demolish the dam, but they could put up a sign with picture of what it looked like.

Signs have become fashionable now in our park system. Years ago we maintained the parks as designed, and the beauty spoke for itself. The beauty is still there, but now it has to struggle against stupid policies. 

The small trash can shown above is the only one on the end of the park near the Rose Garden ponds. Very often by Sunday afternoon it is overflowing. While common sense would suggest that more trash containers are in order, I no longer expect common sense. I can only hope that the park department hires a consultant to make that recommendation.

MY MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN IN 1950'S & 1960'S AT AMAZON

MacTrumpzie's Gambit

If Mackenzie rode Trump's tails into Congress, he may well be riding the same tails out. With gasoline over $4.30 a gallon, that pickup with the flag may be waving it less. While Trump's narcissism may be stoked by renaming things after himself, the pickup driver doesn't share the pride.

I think the clock is running  out on Mackenzie speaking up and out. The local Latino vote will be a wildcard. Although they may trend Democratic, both Mackenzie and Brooks are transparent fakers when courting that demographic. How energized either party can get the Latinos for this election is questionable.

I'm offended by the amount of money going into the race. The Republicans are counting on Trump doing a lot of campaigning for them. Trump says that voters should make believe that he's on the ballot. That might not be the incentive he thinks.

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Hootchy Nights At The Allentown Fair

Morning Call columnist Bill White had a piece earlier in the week where he lamented that  Bobo the dunking clown was no longer at the fair. Although that's about as funky as it got for Bill in his era,  we older Allentonians remember much hotter nights at the fairgrounds. Up to the late sixties the fair had girly shows. I'm going back to the era of Gooding's Million Dollar Midway and Benny's Bingo. I'm going back to three midways packed between the Farmer's Market and Chew Street. I'm going back to when the fair only started after Labor Day.

I mentioned in one of my previous fair posts that Fred Schoenk and I made and sold printed t-shirts at the fairs during high School. At the Kutztown Fair we were hired by the burlesque show owner to letter a new banner for his show tent...as high school boys we would have paid him for the experience.

reprinted from September of 2018

photocredit:molovinsky...Black rock and roll review with strippers, 1969 Allentown Fair 

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The Mighty Atom

Years ago at the Allentown Fair, as one would push through a sea of carney delusion, tucked back by the 4H animals was an island of reality. There, in an old battered truck, an ancient Jewish strongman performed incredible feats of strength, to sell only homemade kosher soap. Standing on a platform on the rear of his truck, flanked by photographs from his performing youth, he would bent horse shoes and bite through nails. Many years earlier, my mother as a little girl in Bethlehem, saw him pull a truck with his hair. Even as an old man, like a reincarnation of Samson, his grey hair was still long.

In the summers of 1964 and 1965, myself and a friend,(Fred Schoenk, retired Allentown art teacher) made and sold printed tee-shirts at the fair. We had the honor to know Joseph Greenstein(The Mighty Atom) and his wife. For those interested, there are various articles on the Mighty Atom and even at least one book. Enjoy the fair!

reprinted annually since 2007

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The Great Allentown Fair

The Morning Call website is hosting an archive of Fair Pictures from over the years. Being a fan both of fair pictures and black and white photography, looking at the 111 photos presented was a treat.

The photo shown above, which I will get back to, reminded me of one of my unique fair experiences. In previous posts, I have discussed that both my father and myself had stands at the fair. While my father learned that you couldn't sell hotdogs near Yocco's, I learned that drunks leaving the beer garden loved to buy printed T-shirts.

But today's post has to with George Kistler, long time City Clerk during the 1950's and 60's. George loved the fair, and loved sharing his fascination with a large group of people. I was fortunate enough to be invited several times. The routine was always the same; Dinner at a local stand on the eastern side of the fairgrounds, followed by the wrestling show. I remember photographing Andre The Giant.

The Morning Call fair picture above is none other than Jim "Super Fly" Snuka, who was recently back in Allentown, for a most regrettable reason.

reprinted from September of 2016 

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Lightning Rod Candida Affa

Long time Council member Candida Affa has been taking heat on the dais for years. She was accused of racism in a suit by a former city employee, which was just dismissed by a federal judge. She is being accused of ignoring a homophobic slur by a policeman against a local activist.

I don't know the particulars in the above allegations, but I do know that Candida has been an out front member of the gay community long before such activism was fashionable. I do know that in her lifetime she has been no stranger to being discriminated against.

Candida is sounding the alarm on the tax reality of Allentown's plans for new police and fire stations. I know that new buildings will not make those departments better. I don't know who will be running for council again, but I'm pretty sure the list will not include Candida. Council can be a thankless job, and I believe that she has had enough of that type of gratitude.

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Artful Fibbing

Artful fibbing is a nicer way to put things, rather than lying sacks.... The museum blue bloods are accommodating Reilly's desire to move the arts district closer to his new real estate projects. They are being rewarded by the project being included and partially funded by the NIZ.

We few who have been questioning the NIZ since day one, can't begin to understand how an art museum falls within the purview of that development tool?

When I read that the museum needs a modern home to better house its masterpieces, I think of the Mona Lisa in that old Louvre. Those European museum directors in Paris, Rome and Vienna need to come to Allentown, Pennsylvania.... They could learn a few things here.

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AS ALLENTOWN AND EVERY TOWN TURNS

We who stumble over the Gulf of America vs. the Gulf of Mexico, can now add a Great Lake to the learning curve. Little did MAGA know that in addition to being a great diplomat, their president is also an expert on geography and naval ship design. He and his appointed medical consultants have even apparently figured a way to remove the spine from every elected Republican, but leave them standing and talking.

The Allentown Park Department, which now specializes in tree planting and endless events at Cedar Beach, wants park users to carry out what they bring in. To encourage the new program they have removed most of the trash cans, and only empty the remaining ones once a month.

As some of you may know, I have produced a small paperback on Allentown titled Allentown Chronicles, available at Amazon Bookstore. If you're new to town and want the history going back to William Allen, this is not the book for you. It is a collection of 36 posts from this blog, selected memories of an Allentown baby boomer.

photo taken Thursday August 27, 2026 at Allentown Department of Parks

Emperor Trump And The Colosseum

Roman emperors distracted the masses with entertainment in the Colosseum. Trump tries to distract MAGA with cage fights and the IndyCar race through Washington. 

I saw on Facebook Dr. Oz with Trump praising how great the race was. I couldn't understand how people voted for Fetterman instead of Oz in 2024. Considering Oz's silence about Dr. Trump's childhood vaccine recommendations, Fetterman was the way better choice.

Trump is campaigning more in the primaries than I expected. I suppose it is the equivalent of the thumb up or down in the Colosseum. After the midterms, we'll see how the senators treat Caesar.

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The Morning Call In Today's Allentown

A motivator for this post is frequent comments I receive that the paper has a left leaning agenda. Years ago they certainly did have agendas. Back in Allentown's golden era, the Park & Shop Livingston Club days, the publisher was a local king maker. Even up to 2005, they made local election endorsements on the editorial page.

Because of how news and information is now conveyed, the traditional newspaper industry has downsized to survive. I've subscribed to the Morning Call for over fifty years. Most of the articles I currently read are written by only two reporters, Lindsay Weber and Nick Evans.Years ago, their assignments went to four different reporters.

We're lucky we still have a paper, that's more than many other cities can say. The Morning Call is part of Tribune Publishing, now owned by Alden Global Capital. While they may influence which national articles appear, they certainly don't edit the local news.

CLICK HERE FOR MY BABY BOOMER MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN AT AMAZON BOOKSTORE....36 SELECTED POSTS FROM THIS BLOG