Brigita's Blog: July 2009

Wow!  There are so many events going on in the Lehigh Valley this weekend and coming week!  Businesses will be booming!

To start with, Das Awkscht Fescht, a classic and antique car festival, will be held at Macungie Memorial Park July 31 - August 2.  More than 400,000 people are expected to attend this event.

Next is the Drum Corps International Eastern Classicregional competition at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, on July 31 and August 2, with an expected attendance of 33,000.

About 20,000 people are expected to attend the Philadelphia Eagles training camp at Lehigh University.  The Eagles will be there until August 12.

It's that time of year once again for Musikfest in downtown Bethlehem.  This festival will start July 31 and run through the week until August 9, which will end with the big bang of fireworks.  This is a huge event and over 300,000 are expected to visit.  This is in addition to the more than 15,000 visitors to the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

Car racing more your style?  Pocono Raceway in neighboring Monroe County will be hosting the Pennsylvania 500, a NASCAR race, on Sunday, August 2.  It is estimated that this race will draw about 100,000 fans that day.

That's not all!  Bushkill Township in Northampton County, north of Nazareth, will hold their annual carnival from July 29 - August 1.

With all of these events going on, many of the area hotels are booked solid.  Restaurants are expecting large crowds. 

Looks like these events will bring a large boost to the Lehigh Valley's economy.

Are you searching for property for your horses but are not sure how much property is enough?

The ideal property for a horse is to make sure there is enough room for the horse to have pastures to graze in, plus an area that you can sacrifice as a dirt lot.  This is usually around the barn area and used as a paddock.

The rule of thumb is to have an acre of pasture per horse, even if the township allows less than that.  This gives enough grazing area for each horse. 

The pastures need to be rotated about every three weeks to prevent them from being overgrazed.  When a pasture is overgrazed, weeds tend to take over and choke out the grass.  The pastures should be divided into a minimum of 2 sections for rotation.  Most grasses will become stressed if grazed to a length shorter than 3 inches.

To help prevent overgrazing of the pastures, throw some hay to the horses.  Why do that when they are on grass?  It will help save your grass and save you money in the long run.  Overgrazed pastures will set you up for even a greater expense the next year.

Have weeds in the pastures that seem to be taking over?  Mow the pastures on a regular basis.  Keeping the weeds cut short will reduce their ability to reseed.

If you want to keep your horses happy and grazing in the summer, keep these simple steps in mind when searching for property for your horses.

ATTENTION: HOME BUYERS!!

Before starting out on your home search, it would be best to decide and make a list of what features you would need and what amenities you want in your ideal home. 

Here are some features you would consider:

-  Age:  Do you prefer historic properties or newer ones?

-  Style:  Would you prefer a ranch, bungalow, or another style of construction?

-  Bedrooms:  How many?

-  Bathrooms:  How many and are they updated?

-  Living and Dining Areas:  A traditional, formal layout, or a more open, contemporary plan?

-  Stories:  How many?

-  Square Feet:  How much space?

-  Ceilings:  How high?

-  Kitchen:  How big?  Updated?  Open to other living areas?

-  Storage:  Big closets, a shed, an extra-large garage?

-  Parking:  A garage or carport?  Off street?  How many cars?

-  Extras:   Attic or Basement?

-  Lot:  How big of a yard?  Do you need more than just a yard?

And some of these Amenities:

-  Office

-  Play/Exercise Room

-  Security System

-  Sprinkler

-  Workshop/ Studio

-  In-Law Suite

-  Fireplace

-  Pool

-  Hot tub

-  Sidewalk

-  Wooded lot

-  Patio, deck or porch

-  Laundry Room

You may have more to add to the lists, but these are just some examples.  Before beginning your search, inform you agent of these items so that they can locate a home that suit your needs.  This way you will not tour 100 houses and not remember which house had what and it will make your choice easier.

Martin on Main returns to Nazareth, Pennsylvania for a second year.  It was so well received last year, that it is back again.  Last year it attracted 5 thousand Martin Guitar owners, families, friends and music lovers from around the world.

This year's event will be held on August 1st on Nazareth's Main Street from noon until 8PM.  It will be an exciting day of music, Artisans, great food and shopping venues.  There will also be a chance to win a Martin Guitar. 

You will thrill to the sounds of music, smell the aroma of the delicious food being prepared and feel the excitement of the crowd.

This event is hosted by the Nazareth Downtown Association, Inc., the Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce, Inc., C.F. Martin Guitar, Inc., Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum and the Borough of Nazareth. 

There will be headline performers on the main stage located on Center Square plus several other locations along Main St.

Come on out and join us.  Admission is FREE to all music venues. 

Here are some interesting actual headlines in newspapers around the country.  These should put a smile on your face.

Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn't you say?
Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.

I just couldn't help but sending this along. Too funny.
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says

No crap, really? Ya think?

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Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Now that's taking things a bit far!

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Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

What a guy!

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Miners Refuse to Work after Death

No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!

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Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

See if that works any better than a fair trial!

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War Dims Hope for Peace

I can see where it might have that effect!

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If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile

Ya think?!

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Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

Who would have thought!

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Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide

They may be on to something!

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Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges

You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?

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Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge

He probably IS the battery charge!

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New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group

Weren't they fat enough?!

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Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

That's what he gets for eating those beans!

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Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

Do they taste like chicken?

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Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

Chainsaw Massacre all over again!

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Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors

Boy, are they tall!

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And the winner is....
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Did I read that right?

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Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle). We all need a good laugh, at least once a day!

Saturday was Nazareth Day in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.  I, along with a couple of other agents from the office, Susan Ringer and MaryEllen Erdie, had a table at this event in the town square.  We attracted a lot of traffic to our table from the downtown area.  We were located near the trolley stop and close to the Nazareth Boro Park.  And, the weather was perfect. 

In the circle, we had music playing all day to entertain us and plenty of food.  The strawberry shortcake sold at one of the tables tasted great with the fresh strawberries.  MMmmmmmm.  I believe I gained a couple of pounds that day.  We couldn't ask for more.

Here is Main Street in downtown Nazareth, leading up to the town square.  Our Keller Williams table is at the right.

Here I am at our Keller Williams table at the circle greeting everyone. 

This is a photo of our table next to Sam's Club.  (Thanks for the popcorn, Brad!)

Here are the 3 of us, Brigita McKelvie, Susan Ringer and MaryEllen Erdie.

The 3 of us made a great team!  We worked well together.  The sign "74 days Remain, Don't Miss Out" was an attention getter so we could explain that first time home buyers MUST have a home under contract by September 30th so enough time remains to settle by the November 30th deadline for the $8,000 tax credit.

We were having a great time!  You could just feel the energy flowing.

It turned out to be a very successful day for us.  We generated 53 leads that day.  How's that for teamwork?

Last evening, the Lehigh Valley Horse Council sponsored an Introduction to Polo demonstration at Edgewood Valley Farm just outside of Nazareth, PA.

The meeting started out with the guest speaker, Bob Brosious of the Tinicum Park Polo Club, explaining the game.  I finally know what a chukker is.

Did you know that the polo pony comes from Argentina?  Polo ponies are a Quarter Horse and a Thoroughbred cross.  Thoroughbred's are used more now in the high level competitions than the crosses because they found that the Thoroughbreds are faster.

After the explanation, the speaker and a partner of his, hopped on their polo ponies to demonstrate the game.  Wow, that looked like fun.

Once the demonstration was over, attendees were allowed to try their hand at the game.  Many participated by trying to hit the ball from the ground.  Others hopped on the horses to get the real feel of polo.  Wow!  These ponies are so responsive!  Just a slight touch and they turn, stop and go!  They even follow the ball.  It's such a pleasure riding such responsive horses.  You can tell these horses love the game.  When they hear that ball being hit, the horses on the sidelines can't wait to get into the game. 

After attending this demonstration, I find this game exciting and lots of fun.  And, it's not really a rich mans sport.

I think I will attend a couple of the games at some point on a Saturday afternoon at Tinicum Park in Bucks County.  It will be an exciting afternoon.