Cancellations at Merrymead

Please be aware that, due to flooding, Merrymead will have to cancel tonight's Lighting of the Great Pumpkin and other activities. Due to a full schedule of other Harvest Days fun, there will be no opportunity to re-schedule that event.

Also, the five-acre cornfield maze will be closed Friday and Saturday only. They will still have Harvest Days, weather permitting, Saturday from 11 AM to 5 PM and Sunday from 12 PM to 5 PM, however.

Fire Prevention Festivities - One More Added!

Weee-ooo! Weee-ooo! Calling all firetruck and other emergency-vehicle loving kids! October is Fire Prevention Month and that means one thing...Fire Company Open Houses and Expos and...Trucks! Trucks! Trucks! 

The very important topic of Fire Prevention will be quite a lot of fun to learn about thanks to the efforts put forth by the, already hardworking and selfless firefighters in our area! 

Without further ado, let us present the list!

Center Square Fire Company in Blue Bell will be holding its annual expo this Friday night from 6p to 9p at Wentz Run Park. Demonstrations and handouts will be available for the kids. See the many pieces of fire and police equipment: Ladder trucks! Pumpers! Patrol Cars! Motorcycles! Helicopters, SWAT truck and more— all from more than 60 neighboring companies!

Hatfield Fire Department will be at Rocktoberfest this Saturday from 11:30am to 3:30pm.

Fairmount Fire Company in Lansdale will be open for tours during Founder's Day this Saturday from 11am to 4pm.

Upper Gwynedd Fire Department is holding a 5K Run/Walk and 1 mile Fun Run this Saturday. Fire trucks from all over the area will be in attendance with plenty of family-focused activities including a smoke house for children to go through to help them understand what to do in the event of an actual fire in their home. They will also have crews cutting up a car to show what they do in the event someone is trapped inside a vehicle after a crash. Visit North Penn Under Ten's Register Now page to sign up for the Run/Walk or the Calendar for further details.

JUST ADDED: Harleysville Community Fire Company will hold its annual Fire Prevention Open House this Sunday, October 2nd. Highlights include: free food and refreshments, free fire truck rides, fire extinguisher training, live demonstrations, equipment on display, wear fire gear and have your picture taken on a fire truck, coloring, arts and crafts, moon bounce, meet Smokey the Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog. (Thank you, Audrey!)

Towamencin Township Fire Company's Fire Prevention Open House is on October 6th from 6:30 to 9:00pm at the main station at 1590 Bustard Road, Lansdale. The rain date is October 13th.

Colmar Volunteer Fire Company will take part in the Fire Prevention Expo at Abington Health Lansdale Hospital on Sunday, October 9th from 1p to 4p. Come and see fire and ambulance equipment, Jeff Stat Helicopter, Sparkey, and other Fire Prevention Demonstrations.

Montgomery Township Fire Department's Fire Prevention Open House will be Saturday October 15th at the Battalion 2 Firehouse, 441 Doylestown Rd (Rt. 202 & Montgomery Avenue) Montgomeryville. The event runs from 10:00am to 2:00pm and includes hands-on fire prevention activities, live demonstrations, moon bounce, food and refreshments, home escape simulator trailer, and more!

Is anything missing?? Let us know!

Full Listing of Local Fire Prevention Festivities!

Weee-ooo! Weee-ooo! Calling all firetruck and other emergency-vehicle loving kids! October is Fire Prevention Month and that means one thing...Fire Company Open Houses and Expos and...Trucks! Trucks! Trucks! 

The very important topic of Fire Prevention will be quite a lot of fun to learn about thanks to the efforts put forth by the, already hardworking and selfless firefighters in our area! 

Without further ado, let us present the list!

Center Square Fire Company in Blue Bell will be holding its annual expo this Friday night from 6p to 9p at Wentz Run Park. Demonstrations and handouts will be available for the kids. See the many pieces of fire and police equipment: Ladder trucks! Pumpers! Patrol Cars! Motorcycles! Helicopters, SWAT truck and more— all from more than 60 neighboring companies!

Hatfield Fire Department will be at Rocktoberfest this Saturday from 11:30am to 3:30pm.

Fairmount Fire Company in Lansdale will be open for tours during Founder's Day this Saturday from 11am to 4pm.

Upper Gwynedd Fire Department is holding a 5K Run/Walk and 1 mile Fun Run this Saturday. Fire trucks from all over the area will be in attendance with plenty of family-focused activities including a smoke house for children to go through to help them understand what to do in the event of an actual fire in their home. They will also have crews cutting up a car to show what they do in the event someone is trapped inside a vehicle after a crash. Visit North Penn Under Ten's Register Now page to sign up for the Run/Walk or the Calendar for further details.

Towamencin Township Fire Company's Fire Prevention Open House is on October 6th from 6:30 to 9:00pm at the main station at 1590 Bustard Road, Lansdale. The rain date is October 13th.

Colmar Volunteer Fire Company will take part in the Fire Prevention Expo at Abington Health Lansdale Hospital on Sunday, October 9th from 1p to 4p. Come and see fire and ambulance equipment, Jeff Stat Helicopter, Sparkey, and other Fire Prevention Demonstrations.

Montgomery Township Fire Department's Fire Prevention Open House will be Saturday October 15th at the Battalion 2 Firehouse, 441 Doylestown Rd (Rt. 202 & Montgomery Avenue) Montgomeryville. The event runs from 10:00am to 2:00pm and includes hands-on fire prevention activities, live demonstrations, moon bounce, food and refreshments, home escape simulator trailer, and more!

Is anything missing?? Let us know!

Special Offer from Play and Learn!

Play & Learn Early Childhood Education Center in Lansdale is celebrating their 30th Anniversary by giving you ...30% off your monthly tuition for 6 months!

HURRY! Offer ends this Friday! Other restrictions apply. Call for details. (Check out their ad on our Register Now page for the phone number and additional details.)

School's Out Thursday! What's a Kid to Do?

Just a reminder that, in observance of Rosh Hashanah, there will be no school for students in the North Penn School District this Thursday. No school? Hm... Just as we were all getting back in the school groove! Now what?

Not to worry... The weather forecast is looking iff-y again (surprise, surprise!), but there are several special School's Out happenings in the nearby area to occupy the wee ones that will be fantastic...rain or shine!

Story Time & Open Bounce at Jumpin' Jack's Inflatable Playland and Party Center! Join Miss Kelly from Usborne Books for a special preschool story time followed by a perfect chance for mom or dad to secretly browse the inventory while the kids bounce! (I was reminded today that Christmas is only 88 days away!)

Briar Bush Nature Center is offering a drop-off program for kids from 9am to 3pm for $60 with an option for extended care from 3-5pm for an additional $20. Space is limited. Call 215.887.6603 to register.

The North Wales Area Library and the Elmwood Park Zoo are both holding fundraisers this week. If you're up for a short Yum for Good road trip on Thursday, you can stop by Capt'n Chucky's in Blue Bell to support the library and then cap off your meal with some ice cream or water ice from Petrucci's in King of Prussia!

Lansdale Public Library, Barnes and Noble and Harleysville Books are holding story times during the mid-morning, as well.

BucksMont Indoor Sports Center is holding its Play Pals playtime at 9:00am.

Last by certainly not least, don't miss the Fire Prevention Open House at Towamencin Fire House from 6:00 to 8:00pm!

Complete details on all of these events (and a few more!) are available on the North Penn Under Ten calendar.

Take Part in the Lansdale Scarecrow Contest!

Calling all Lansdale area families, troops, groups, teams, classrooms, organizations and businesses! MOMS Club of Lansdale presents its 1st Annual Scarecrow Contest! Registration is just $20 per entry and 100% of the fees will be donated to a local charity.

You can vote for your favorite scarecrows on-line via Facebook and in person at the MOMS Club table at Lansdale's First Friday celebration the evening of October 7th. Scarecrows will be displayed on Main Street! For further information, contact Jennie at momscluboflansdalepa@gmail.com.

Opportunities are available for local businesses to donate prizes! Please message Jennie (momscluboflansdalepa@gmail.com) for info. 

Spaces are limited so ACT QUICKLY! Spread the word! 

Look for updates on the contest at: www.Facebook.com/LansdaleScarecrowContest.

The Jeep Show: Its a Family Thing

This past Saturday was one of the best my family has had in our eight years of living in the North Penn area. We started out with a walk over to the Lansdale Farmer's Market where we sampled our favorite things from happy face cookies from Tabora Farm (the kids) to fresh guacamole from Anita's (me) to jalapeno wine from Cardinal Hollow Winery (my husband). Mm! Confession time...I may have also gobbled up a sticky bun from Tabora, while watching the Zumba demonstration put on by the North Penn YMCA...hey, at least we walked there right?! My two-year-old enjoyed the story time while my four-year-old and seven-year-old dribbled up a storm with one of the Y's basketball coaches.

Our walk home took us through downtown Lansdale where we were able to see the progress of the Streetscape project and let the kids check out the ever-popular Kugel Ball.

After the walk home and a few necessary household chores, it was off to the Jeff Daniels Annual Jeep Show in Harleysville! We had wanted to go to the Jeep Show for years, but this was the first time we were actually able to. Given all the fun we had and the low cost of it all, it surely won't be our last time there!

We parked the family truckster in the designated "Non-Jeep" parking area across the street from the show and wandered through the grassy hills at the front of the Jeff Daniels property. Row upon row of Jeeps were there for the ogling. Some with proud owners close by, but many were left to speak for themselves while their owners toured the many vendor booths and chatted with other Jeep enthusiasts.

How interesting can it be to look through row after row of nothing but Jeeps? You may be surprised by just how many models of Jeeps there have been over the years! I certainly was and I had thought I'd heard just about everything about Jeeps already from my husband and father who are both fans. But, take a look at these photos and you'll see what I mean.

There were beautifully restored Jeeps like these.

Even Elmo was there!

There were Jeeps that practically begged you to take them on a fun family adventure.

And some that just begged for a little TLC.

This would be my personal pick for family travel; a 1980-something Grand Wagoneer. Wouldn't this Jeep be so perfect on your next family fishing trip?

My kids' favorite part of the show? The moon bounces, of course! We also checked out the Jeep painting area where washable paints and brushes were available for kids to go wild painting some real Jeeps! There was also a small sand area for kids to drive toy Jeeps around in and free face painting.

Vendors from businesses such as Tastefully Simple and 31 Gifts were also set up, giving visitors a nice variety of non-Jeep related shopping options, as well.

All in all, it was a fantastic time! My only regret is that we needed to get going by the time the live rockabilly band started to play. Much as I love rockabilly music, if we had stayed, their sounds would have been drowned out by the wails of my tired kids. But, we will definitely make the short drive back again next year. Looking for more great Jeep photos? Oodles more pics from the show are available here.

And we can't wait to see what this coming weekend brings!

Part-Time Openings at Spring Mountain

I received an email recently that Spring Mountain Resort is currently hiring for some very temporary, part-time positions. The hours might be a great fit for some parents out there so here is the scoop!

Spring Mountain now hiring for Haunted Hayride

& New Haunted Trail! 

Greetings!

We are looking for playful, high energy, Halloween-loving folks to come and join us! This is a really fun position and lasts for just 15 days! All positions part time during the WITCHING HOURS (6:00 - 11:00 pm)! Click here to see nights that we are open at Scream Mountain! 

If you're interested, click here for our application.  We are also starting interviews for the winter season...Halloween  Staff get first positions available for the ski season! 

APPLY....IF YOU DARE!

So, What is Odyssey of the Mind?

If you are the parent of a school-aged child, you may have received a flyer recently regarding the Odyssey of the Mind program. And, if you are anything like I was this time last year, you are wondering "What in the world is that?" Or perhaps..."Is it for brainiacs? Is it for theater geeks? Why does NASA think it is good enough for them to sponsor? Is it all work and no play? Or all play and no work? What if my child is really shy?"

Here is an attempt, from the perspective of a first-time OotM parent and based on some great information I received from NPSD's acting OotM Coordinator, Joanne Wiernusz, at describing this truly unique and impressive program.

Odyssey of the Mind (aka O.M. or OotM) is an educational program for children in kindergarten through college across the globe to learn to think creativity, work as a team, and gain the confidence to present their ideas to others.

Teams of up to seven children from the same school form in the fall each year and set to work on solving a long-term, open-ended problem. Teams in grades K through 2nd are all assigned the same problem to solve. Children in older grades are given a choice from five different problems.

The teams are given a set budget and and adults are prohibited from contributing ideas for the solution. (How hard that must be!) Parents can drive their kids to the store for supplies, but they cannot make any suggestions as to the solution.

Teams set their own meeting schedules. If weekday afternoons work best for your group, you can meet then. If your team prefers to meet later in the evening or on the weekend, you can do that instead. It may be the case that meeting weekly is best for your team. Other teams might only meet once before the holidays and then meet quite frequently after New Year's.

Each year in March, OotM teams have the option of going to compete against teams from other schools in their region. Winners at the regional competition will then compete against other teams from across the state in April. Winners from the states competition will then travel to the World Finals, which is in Iowa this year.

The North Penn School District has an impressive track record with multiple wins across various categories at the World Finals level over the years including the Penndale / Pennbrook Middle School team that won First Place in their problem and their division at the World Finals in 2010.

If you'd like a glimpse at some past solutions, YouTube is filled with countless videos of teams performing their solutions that range from the adorable at the K through 2nd grade level up to "Omigosh they are amazingly talented!" at the high school level and beyond.

The way that I have described the program to my own children is: So, how would you like to BE the Imagination Movers?

For additional information on how to join or start a team at your child's school, you can attend an information session:

"Let's brainstorm!"

• TONIGHT! Monday, September 19th, 7pm, Montgomery Elementary School,
• Tuesday, September 27th, Penndale Middle School, or
• Wednesday, October 5th, Hatfield Elementary School

Information is also available online at www.npenn.org > For Families > Odyssey of the Mind.

One last note for teachers: Act 48 credits may be available to you if you choose to serve as a judge at competition! Volunteer judges are an essential part of this non-for-profit program and are always needed!

Lansdale Farmers' Market: Fit Fest!

Among the many fun events happening in our area tomorrow, is the Lansdale Farmers' Market's Fit Fest. Here's the scoop straight from the source:

Two Lansdale moms are expanding the Lansdale Farmers Market’s programming in a healthy way. 

The market’s educational events coordinators, Catherine Shields and Cheryl Williams, have planned a Lansdale Farmers Market Fit Fest during the market’s hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday. Speaking in between stories at the monthly children’s storytime and craft will be a nutritionist guest speaker from North Penn Visiting Nurse Association, who will have tips about healthy eating habits. "(It will) hopefully help (families) come up with ideas — especially now that school’s starting — to incorporate that into packing lunches everyday, and things like that," Shields said. 

Also, Lansdale Hospital community health outreach nurses will be giving free blood pressure screenings. Because exercise is a crucial part of fitness, the North Penn YMCA will be demonstrating dance Zumba at 10 and 10:40 a.m., and a youth basketball class happens at 10:20 a.m. (coinciding with the end of storytime). AmeriKick of Lansdale will show what karate is all about with demonstrations at 11:30 a.m. 

Even though summer is breathing its last gasp and the more settled pace of fall is creeping in, “we need to remind them that the market’s still here,” said Williams, the mother of a 4-year-old and a 7-month-old baby. “The Fit Fest is just part of the bigger picture that the farmers market is trying to just create a good presence in the community,” Williams said, adding that a Fall Festival is coming to the market Oct. 15.

Register Now for YMCA Adventure Guides

The North Penn YMCA Adventure Guides are preparing to kick-off another fun-filled school year. Join them at a special information session (or maybe it should be called a party by the looks of it!) tonight, Friday, September 16th at the Lansdale branch of the Y from 6:00-9:00 PM. Learn more about this national, 80-year-old program while you enjoy swimming, rockwall-climbing, gym activities, and pizza!

Can't make the meeting? Learn more about the North Penn YMCA Adventure Guides program via their website or contact Dan Silverman at the North Penn YMCA at (215)-368-1601 x220.

Support for Single Moms

Attention single moms!


The Single Mom Support Group at Immanuel Church of the Nazarene in Lansdale will be starting back up on Wednesday, September the 21st.

The group meets on Wednesday evenings during the school year and an optional family dinner is offered at 5:45 pm ($3.50/pp with a max of $14 per family). The meeting begins at 6:30 pm and the group will be discussing topics of interest to single moms, as well as working through the book My Single Mom Life: Stories and Practical Lessons for Your Journey by Angela Thomas. Child care will be provided through the nursery and school-aged programs, which will also be running on Wednesday evenings at the church.

Pre-registration is required. You may email Kim Bedillion or contact the church directly at (215) 855-4446. Please provide your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and names and ages of your children. If you are new to the program and your child has special needs, please provide this information, as well.

Exciting New Changes at NorthPennUnderTen.com!

Some exciting updates are taking place at NorthPennUnderTen.com today!

Since its inception just over one year ago, NorthPennUnderTen has grown quite a bit. It no longer fits into the typical Blog mold.

So...effective later today...NorthPennUnderTen will become a true web site with more of what you've said you love:  More space for helpful content, more room for photos, more opportunities for promotions from community groups and sponsors...more everything!

We hope you like the changes! Please understand that the next few days following today's conversion could cause some quirkiness with certain features. But, nearly everything should be operational by Sunday, September, 11th.

Please share your thoughts on the new site and any suggestions you might have!

Hope to see you tomorrow at the Go Baby, Go! Expo!!

Go Baby, Go! Expo Update

I had the opportunity to stop by BucksMont Indoor Sports Center today for a sneak peek at the layout for tomorrow's Go Baby, Go! Expo and I was so impressed!

Not only was I amazed by the state-of-the-art facilities available at the sports center and all of the (adorable!!) preschoolers that were there for their Lil' Kickers class, but I learned some new info about tomorrow's expo.

There wil be several small events during the day including a diaper derby, a short seminar on cloth diapering, and a short seminar on the benefits of the Happiest Baby on the Block. You can get a program of the day's events when you enter.

Be sure to stop by the North Penn Under Ten booth to request your NPUT car sticker! I'll have a very limited supply of them and you'll have to ask to get one.

Don't forget to bring one (or more) travel size diaper bag item(s) to benefit Zany Mom Diaper Duty Project. Each item you bring will get you one chance to win one of our fabulous grandprizes. No time to shop? Don't worry, you can make a $1 donation to receive an entry as well.

Lastly, get a load of these Swag Bags available to the first 50 entrants!

Hope to see you soon! 

Just Added: Jumpin' Jack's Special Events!

So, did you make it to the Vendor Night at Jumpin' Jack's last month? How about the Drop 'n Shop last Saturday night? Well, if you haven't been there lately or if you've missed one of their awesome special events, North Penn Under Ten has just made it easier for you to remember to have fun!

All "Open Bounce" times for Jumpin' Jack's have been posted to our calendar, making it easier for you to keep track of their open days and special holiday hours. (They will be open on Columbus Day and Election Day since school will be out - woo hoo!)

Also posted are some upcoming special events for this Fall. Many more are to be announced so keep an eye out for them. Here is what we know so far...You'll get a second chance at attending a Vendor Night on November 19th, trick-or-treat and haunted hop nights will happen as Halloween approaches, a meet 'n greet and photo opportunity with Santa will avail in December, plus more character story times, and more Drop 'n Shop nights!

Keep an eye on the North Penn Under Ten calendar and, if you like up-to-the-minute deals and special discounts, be sure to "Like" Jumpin' Jack's on Facebook!

Next Saturday: Montco Gym's Sports Spectacular!

Save the Date! Montgomery County Sports Performance Center will be holding a Sports Spectacular this coming Saturday. The Sports Spectacular is an afternoon of: gymnastics clinics; digging deep in foam pit races; basketball knockout and dribbling contests; ZUMBA® for adults and ZUMBATOMIC® for kids; bouncing on trampolines and tumble tracks; scaling boulder walls; soccer penalty shot contests; crab soccer games; getting fit with Dr. Drill Instructor; beating a physical fitness course; blasting off in a speed and agility course; and bouncing in a moon bounce! Plus there’s FREE food, drinks and contests for great prizes available for you, your staff and the whole family.

Plus, everyone is given a Sports Passport that provides an opportunity to try and discover new sports and programs for kids and adults of all ages and abilities. Along the way, get your Passport stamped at each station. It’s your opportunity to rediscover that inner athlete that has been waiting to get out again and for your children and/or grandchildren to participate in sports that they may have never tried before. Once you have your Sports Passport stamped, you can drop it into our drawing for GREAT PRIZES! Along the way you’ll have opportunities to win instant prizes, while escaping to a world of great sports!

Full details are listed on the North Penn Under Ten Calendar.