VIDEO: Phoenixville's 7th annual Firebird Festival

Phoenixville's 7th annual Firebird Festival was held in downtown Phoenixville on Dec. 11. This was the largest bird ever in the history of the festival, standing at 28 ft. high.

Taste of Phoenixville fulfills Phoenixville foodies dreams

Good Samaritan Shelter Director Nate Hoffer; Dan Lamson Committee member for Taste of Phoenixville; Chair of the Committee, Reverend Frank Lamson; Director of Public Relations at Franklin Commons, Teri Eide; and Bob Ryan of Robert Ryan Catering. 

Philly ‘burb foodies, rejoice! One of the premier non-profit events, held on Jan. 20, will feature signature from approximately 30 Phoenixville area restaurants. At Franklin Commons, at 400 Franklin St. in Phoenixville, Taste of Phoenixville will benefit Good Samaritan Shelter. It’s their biggest fundraiser of the year.

Tickets to the event include sampling from the restaurants, as well as an open bar, dancing and live bands. There will also be a silent and a live auction.

Silent auction items include: gift certificates to local restaurants, local salons and spas, a membership to the Phoenixville YMCA, gift certificate for a personal chef, handmade scarves and blankets and more. The live auction will begin around 8 p.m. with items including: a week at a vacation home in the Poconos and a week at a vacation home in the Outer Banks.

Taste of Phoenixville will be held on Jan. 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Franklin Commons in Phoenixville. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased from www.TasteofPhoenixville.com or by calling the shelter office at 610-933-9305.

Participating restaurants include (as of Dec. 7):
Robert Ryan Catering
Columbia Bar and Grille
Iron Hill Brewery
Montesano Bros.
Molly Maguire’s
The Sly Fox
Full Circle Flavors
Cornucopia Catering
Tony’s Family Restaurant
Becca’s
Hills Quality Seafood
Sugartown Smoked Specialties
Chester Springs Bakery
Food Muse
Daddy Mim’s
Marley’s
Andrew Deery’s Majolica
Artisan’s Gallery and Café
Drexelbrook
Cream Valley Catering
Titus Inn

Koziar's Christmas Village: A majestic display of light

 
Koziar's Christmas Village is located about 90 minutes from Philadelphia, but it is a location that people from all over the country come to visit during the holiday season. They even have regularly scheduled bus tours coming in from Brooklyn on a daily basis.

As you're driving to the village, you'll find yourself staring at the majestic Christmas lights of this attraction. For over 60 years now, Koziar's Christmas Village has been entertaining visitors with their Christmas displays. Upon entering, you're given a very linear path to follow to ensure that you get to see everything. Certain portions are just fantastic displays of lights, while others show various famous Cartoon characters such as Winnie The Pooh, Garfield, et al. There are also portions that tell Christmas stories such as "The Night Before Christmas" and "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas".

Other attractions include model train sets that are running throughout the park, and small houses that have different Christmas displays on the inside for you to peek inside at. The main attraction for children though is sitting upon Santa's lap and (if you're not on the naughty list) letting him know what you want for Christmas.

I found that after walking through the village for a bit that it did start getting a bit repetitive and sort of lost that "awe" factor. However, for children, I believe they can be enthralled throughout the visit. If you're someone who is very into the Christmas season and decorations, this place is a must-visit attraction. If you're really not into the Christmas spirit though, you'll find yourself probably just saying "eh" and wanting some hot chocolate to heat you up.

Admission to the village is $8 for anyone 13 and up, $7 for seniors, $6 for children 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. They have hours running through the end of the year, so if you don't get there before December 31, you'll have to wait until next year to visit.

You should also be aware that due to the enormous popularity of Koziar's Christmas Village, traffic getting there can be a bit of a nightmare. We were able to find a short cut though to save us some time. Once you enter Heidelberg Road, go past the right turn of Christmas Village Road (where you see everyone else turning). Take the second right after this instead onto Hill View Road. Follow this road all the way (it will change names to Grand View Road) and it will pop you out right in front of your destination. Be aware that at one point the road seems to end and turn into only gravel, but trust me, it will continue and it will save you probably 20-30 minutes of traffic.