Maxed Out Planter Project on 7th

Following up on our successful planter project last year, 7th Street was able to find large concrete planters on sale at the end of the season. ANDA youth group partnered up with the BAUM School of Art and engaged help of kids from the St Luke's Neighborhood Center and Boys and Girls Club to create 8 new uber colorful mosaic planters.

A team of volunteers will be planting today and the planters should be out by this weekend - if you'd like to help - and we can always use your help, please call Kathleen Kapila at 610-433-5703.

The BAUM School is hosting a photo exhibition of this project starting Thursday, July 8 from 6-8 PM which is open to all.

The planters will be placed in front of storefronts along the 7th Street corridor to continue the greening of 7th Street projects. Along with the 18 planters last year, 7th Street has planted 36 new shade trees and planted a kiosk garden near Little Apple Supermarket this year.

Special thanks to KNBT Bank and PPL for providing funding for this project. To find out more on what's happening on 7th, look us up at www.7thstreetallentown.org or find us on facebook.

Casa Latina Gets a New Sign

Check out the handsome second story banner-sign for Casa Latina--the excellent Dominican restaurant at 527 N. 7th Street.

Seventh Street Has a Twitter!

You can follow Seventh Street at 7thStAllentown.

New Banners for Seventh Street

The new banners are up! Their vivid coloring is only partly captured by the photo; they must be seen in person.

7th Street Community Festival

The kids and I had a fabulous time at the 7th Street Community Festival on Saturday. The festival, held in the St. Luke's Church parking lot, was well-attended. Snakes and rodents of unusual size were on display from the Lehigh Valley Zoo. Face-painting, a water tunnel, the requisite bouncy castle: It was all there.

Seventh Street Praised in Call Article

The Morning Call's story on the new Main Street manager for Hamilton Street cites Seventh Street as the city's model:

The Main Street program has proven successful on Allentown's Seventh Street, which earned the designation in 2006. The once-gritty corridor now is bustling with the business of shoppers and diners. Storefront vacancies went from 40 percent in 2005 to 5 percent today, said Peter Lewnes, manager of the Seventh Street Main Street program. In securing the program for Hamilton Street, officials hope to mimic that success.

"It is very critical to have somebody to market and push the downtown," Mayor Ed Pawlowski said after the news conference. "We have had individuals off and on being able to focus on the area from their citywide duties as well, but we have not had one concerted effort focusing on Hamilton Street in many years."

Progress on Happy Garden's New Sign: Photo

Happy Garden, the excellent Chinese restaurant at Seventh and Liberty, is getting a new sign and street-level facade makeover. (The Liberty-facing brick paint and Seventh-facing upper-floor facade work was completed last year.)