Nazo State of Mind

Local radio DJ Jarret Brown is droppin' it like it's hot in this dope rap about Nazareth. You'll think this track is ill even if you ain't from south of Prospect...

Click Here to Listen

Stuff We Found on the Ground in 2009

This site is evidence of all the interesting stuff that I see while venturing around town. But some of the more interesting stuff is located all the way down on the ground where many people ignore. An unhealthy combination of low self esteem and bad posture allow me to focus on what other people may miss. I don't care about the obvious. Cigarette butts are a dime-a-dozen. The best stuff makes one wonder about the story behind it and how it ended up where it did.

As a year-end treat, here is a compilation of all the great stuff that I found on the ground in the Nazareth area. Throughout the year I put these up on our Facebook page as I find them. But I wanted to share them with everyone. I don't intend this to be some deep anti-littering campaign. In fact, most of this stuff I don't even pick up. I usually just snap a photo and keep walking.

Some of our loyal WeirdNazareth.com readers have even taken part in the fun and e-mailed us some of the stuff they found. So keep us in mind as you survey the ground from now on. For 2010 I hope to have a lot of reader submissions included in the Stuff I Found on the Ground 2010 edition. Anything you find on the ground that is weird, odd, interesting, or unusual can be e-mailed to weirdnazareth@hotmail.com

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

"What I Eat:" July 7, 2009.
I found this newspaper clipping on the ground W.Center near S.Green St. (Nazareth). It is taped to an index card. It says "What I Eat: Everyday I eat an apple, yogurt, cottage cheese, wheat germ, egg whites, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, Go Lean, mixed veggies and romaine."

"Crow:" found on W. Center St. (Nazareth) on July 9, 2009

"Baby bottle:" found 7/13/09 on Broad St. (Nazareth) kinda near Rio's but on the other side of the street. It's been there for a few weeks now...

"Set List:" found at the circle (Nazareth) on August 2, 2009. It was written on the back of some sort of housing lease agreement.

"Squirrel:" found on West Center St. (Nazareth) on July 11, 2009

"Squirrel, a different one:" found near the corner of New and East Center Streets (Nazareth) on August 23, 2009

"Penny and Lens Cloth:" found on Whitefield Street (Nazareth) on August 24, 2009. I moved the penny a little closer to the cloth but I wish I had left it alone.

"Yellow shoes:" found on West Center Street (Nazareth) near Memorial Square park on Sept. 2, 2009.

"Hand:" found on E. Chestnut Street (Nazareth) on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009.

"Magnum:" A Reader Submission...This was found by weird Nicole on Sept. 9, 2009 on a ledge at Nazareth Furniture (Main & Belvidere Sts.) Thanks, Nicole!

"Ball:" Found on Sept.18, 2009 on W. Center St. (Nazareth) near corner of S. Green Street. It says "PB Celebrating 100 Years on it. It is a Titleist.

"Tweezers:" Found Sept. 17, 2009 on Mauch Chunck St. near 5-points intersection (Nazareth).
"Flip Book:" A great find. Found near Nazareth Area High School on Sept. 20, 2009. It appears to be some sort of "rocket ship" flying into a "black hole." This lends itself to the first ever 'Stuff I Found on the Ground" Video. (see below)

"Wrapped Pickle:" Found on South Liberty Street (Nazareth) on Sept. 20, 2009. It is wrapped in a napkin and is almost completely dried out.

"Friendship Bracelet:" Found on Victory Lane (Nazareth) on Sept. 20, 2009 near NAHS.

"Tied Sock:" Although technically not ON the ground, this was found Oct. 3, 2009 at Memorial Square Park on W. Center Street.

"Sign:" It was extremely windy and this foam sign blew onto our sidewalk. Apparently, there is an insane asylum somewhere in the area. Found Oct 7, 2009 on S. Church St. (Nazareth)

Alien Invasion over Nazareth and the Cloud Cover-Up

View over Kraemer's Textiles on the morning of October 22

They came without warning. In a sky blanketed with small puffy clouds, holes appeared, huge holes with feathery clouds inside them. It looked as if enormous flying saucers had descended to the ground somewhere nearby, piercing the cloud cover and leaving straggling remnants where the clouds had been.

Over Washington Park--note the way the cloud streaks downward and toward the left

There were several of these holes. The largest seemed to be almost right over Nazareth and there were others to the north and west.

Recently similar clouds have been seen over Moscow and in Romania, and as you can see here, some people thought they were seeing an alien invasion. Certain UFO enthusiasts still say that the scientific explanation is a cover-up!

This photo by Scott Werkheiser shows that I wasn't the only one to notice the odd formations.

But for those of you who are blinded by science, here is what they are. They're called fallstreak holes or hole punch clouds, and they happen in water vapor clouds that are supercooled. When one bit of vapor crystallizes, the ones around it do, too, and the effect continues outward from that center in every direction, leaving a visible hole in the water vapor clouds, a hole that has a mass of ice crystals that are heavier and therefore sinking slowly, creating that feathery effect.

While it isn't really rare, this is an unusual atmospheric phenomenon, and we were lucky to observe it. You can see a variety of Fallstreak holes on the website of the Cloud Appreciation Society, here.

So it appears that no space ships landed in the greater Nazareth area on October 22, and we should be safe for now. But be sure to let us know if one of your family members starts acting strangely. If there really was an invasion, they may have been abducted and replaced by an exact double who secretly records your lives for alien reality TV. We're told that humanity provides much of the rest of the universe's comic relief.

Your 2009 Pumpkin Champion

With 86% of the precincts reported we can now declare a winner of the 2009 WeirdNazareth.com Pumpkin Carving Contest. Congratulations to Tracey Bellocchio of Nazareth, Pa.

Tracey's spider pumpkin was carried by a strong local turnout of young white chiroptophobes and minority arachnologists. The economy didn't hurt either. Exit polling showed that the predominant topic on voters' minds was the volatile global price of curcurbita futures.

Voter turnout was excellent with over 300 votes! The breakdown of the four finalists was as follows:

Tracey Bellocchio's Spider Pumpkin: 44%; Ben Does/Chris Polles' Pumpkins Partied Too Hard: 37%; Barry Huston's Three Pumpkin Set 15%; The Duffy Family's Bloody Bat 3%.

Congratulations to all the finalists and excellent job to all the enties. You can see a pic of all the entries in the slideshow below.



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Vote Now for your Favorite Pumpkin!

The deadline for submissions to the pumpkin carving contest has passed. Thanks to everyone that submitted an entry. The voting is now open. Remember, you are choosing the pumpkin that will represent you for an entire year. Please take this seriously. Put the partisan nonsense behind you and do the right thing. CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Welcome, welcome. Step into the booth. You can close the curtain behind you by
pulling that big lever. No, that one...the big one. Put your weight into it.
Good. Now, just choose your favorite pumpkin by clicking the little button and
clicking submit. Good. No, you have to pull the lever back the other way in
order to register your vote and open the curtain. Have you ever voted before?
No, you don't have to worry about chads this year. It's all electronic. OK,
good. You're all done. Have a nice day. Please, you're holding up the line.
Please keep moving.

Should the reigning winner become unable to serve for any reason (e.g. assassination, rotting, etc.) the second place pumpkin will step in. Polls close Nov. 9.

Nazareth Halloween Parade (2009)

The Halloween parade was today and was great. It started to rain just before we got to see the 3rd division. We had to get the baby home so we missed the end. Here are photos I took from my perch on the YMCA steps:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Old Car at Jacobsburg

Here is a fairly well-known Jacobsburg oddity that we haven't been able to find a lot of back story on. Not too far from the creek, in the Eastern most part of the park, there is a very old decaying automobile in the middle of the woods. I first discovered this in the early '90's when I first started coming to the park and haven't seen it since. So I decided to take a trip over there to snap some photos.

I surprised myself by finding the car so quickly after all these years. It's not difficult to find. In fact, on a sunny day you can see it from the main trail (Blue blazed; Henry's Woods Trail; just past the bridge) because the sun reflects off of the chrome bumper. It has decomposed quite a bit since I remember and has become covered in etchings from various visitors over the years. I didn't notice any that were older than the late '90's but it may be that the older ones have rusted over.

I wanted to try and get some clues as to the kind of vehicle it is, how long its been there, and how it got there. There was a marking on the engine block that said "Firing Order 18736542." From the little I know about cars I knew that this only told me it is an 8 cylinder (it had eight digits) and told me noting about the model or age. On the front bumper, there was a hand painted code that read "N4046.614W07517.189." At first I thought this may be something like the magic numbers in the TV show LOST. But after I stared at it long enough I realized that these might be coordinates. After a quick Google search I confirmed that Jacobsburg park is located at N4046 and that these are the waypoints for the vehicle and that geocachers may be using this as a stash point. Based on what I had gathered I found nothing to suggest the model or year of the car. Best guess is 1950's or early 1960's model.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

As far as how it got there, it clearly made its way down the embankment from the main trail area and smashed into a tree. The front bumper is bent around the tree. I saw no clear path from the main trail to the resting spot; it was littered with old growth trees. Also, the forest floor was pretty deep around the wheels. This suggests that the car has been there quite a long time. I might guess 30 or 40 years...maybe 50.

It's a pretty interesting juxtaposition of nature and machine to see a car in the middle of the woods. So if you have the means go check it out. Surely, there is someone reading this that has more information about this automobile and what its story is. So drop us a line at weirdnazareth@hotmail.com

Scarecrows at Center Square

Autumn is in the air. And that means that it is time for some of the local Girl Scouts to make one final attempt to rid Nazareth circle of those annoying crows before Winter. This year's group of scarecrows are particularly creative...Scuba Sue, Hippy Chick, and even a public-service-message regarding the H1N1 virus. They're all really good.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

As I was taking some of the pictures I noticed a group of girls and their group leader engrossed in a discussion about the bet place in the circle to put their scarecrow. Everyone had an opinion: it should face a stop sign, it should be near the mail boxes, it should face the church... It was interesting to see the amount of thought that the girls put into not only the design of the scarecrow, but the placement of the scarecrow within the circle.


Hey, don't forget to snap a photo of your Jack-o-lantern and e-mail it to us for our Contest!

Spooky Trees of Nazareth: The Horror!

October has arrived and with it the scarecows, pumpkins and skeletal decorations that bring the fun of the Halloween season into our fair town. Not only the children but many adults enjoy going around to have a look at what their clever or funny neighbors have come up with this time.

Lately, however, we at Weird Nazareth have noticed some outdoor alterations whose nature seems uncertain. Beautifully growing trees around town have been hacked into grotesque and mutilated trunks with stunted branches allowed to protrude here and there, bereft of leaves that might soon have glowed with autumn color.

We can only assume that their owners or pruners are creating a new kind of Halloween art--the Horror Tree, in imitation of the dead and rotting trees we often see in horror films or Halloween art, often with ravens or vultures perched on what remains of their branches!




















Or perhaps it's some kind of art fad, in which people express their existential angst through the form of the trees on their properties, giving voice to their horror at life's vicissitudes, deforming the trees as they feel their lives have been deformed beyond their control, as if Edvard Munch had pruned trees instead of painting The Scream.

Whatever the cause, we hope everyone will take time to observe these creations, for people have sacrificed their magnificent trees, rebelling against all rules of good pruning, in order to present you with these stunted and twisted roosts for the darker birds of the town.
[vultures in these photos added for effect]

Gracedale Hauntings Part 2: The Red Headed Nurse

Last week we posted a story Scott Moro told us about some strange goings-on at Gracedale. Here is another of Scott's tales...

Part 2: The Red Headed Nurse

Scott: During the summer of ’93, in the North West 2 wing, the regular staff I worked with was in and out on vacation, so there were times when new or substitute nurses and aides were working the same shifts as me. There were one or two regulars, along with me and one or two subs...People I didn’t know. As I was making my bed-time rounds, I saw a red-headed nurse pass me and go into a linen supply closet. There was definitely nothing out of the ordinary about this. Many times residents wanted another blanket or socks for their feet. What was unusual was the fact that the red-headed nurse was wearing one of those “old – fashioned,” white nurse’s hats. I didn’t think anything of it and continued to make my rounds throughout the floor.

When I got back to the nurse’s station, I asked Linda, the RN on the floor, and one of the regulars, “Who’s the new nurse?” She looked at me, kind of strangely and said, “which one,” thinking I’d meant one of the substitute aides. I repeated my question, this time saying, “The red-headed one, ya know, the one with the old-fashioned hat?” This time, instead of a look at me, she turned to another regular, another nurse named Linda, and they kind of smirked at one another.

Thinking I’d missed out on the inside joke, I said, “What? What’s so funny?”

Both Lindas looked at me and said, “So, you’ve seen her.”

At this point, I was getting pissed and replied that “yeah, I’d seen her, so what.” She works there, just like us. I wanted to know what her name was so I could say hello and introduce myself. The red-headed nurse did seem a bit odd, especially with her style of dress, but it didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

Well, as it turns out, the red-headed nurse that disappeared into the linen closet was not a new Gracedale employee. In fact, she was hired nearly than 40 years before. She was one of the original nurses to work the floor in the 1950’s...and had passed away quite a few years before I saw her. Her spirit “hangs around” the North West 2 wing and what I’d encountered was a ghost!

Pumpkin Carving Contest

How would you like to win a super terrific WeirdNazareth.com T-shirt? I know, I know. Stop jumping up and down and listen for a minute. We are having a pumpkin carving contest and it is really easy to enter. You’re probably already carving a pumpkin for Halloween, right? Well all you have to do is take a photograph of it and send it to us and if it’s good enough you might win a T-shirt. Why are you jumping around again? The WeirdNazareth.com T-shirt is made of real fabric and has a spiffy silk-screened logo on the front. Each WeirdNazareth.com T-shirt is hand printed by our founder in his basement.

Information and Rules:

How to Enter:
To enter, take a photo of your pumpkin and e-mail it to us at weirdnazareth@hotmail.com. You can send us the photo itself as an attachment or a link to the photo on a photo-hosting site (Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, etc.) We would prefer a link, but whatever works for you works for us. When you e-mail us, please tell us your name (at least your first and last intial; privacy will be respected) and the town that you live in. If you want to tell us a little about your pumpkin we would love to hear it. If you're feeling saucy, you can cronical it for the Maker Diaries.

The Weird Nazareth staff and our families will sort through all the entries and determine 4 finalists. The 4 finalists will then be posted on weirdnazareth.com and our readers will vote for the best pumpkin. After the contest is over, we will fawn over the winner and post a slide show of all the losers' entries.

Rules:
1) Your photo must be of a real pumpkin or some sort of pumpkin-like vegetable.
2) You do not have to be a Nazareth resident to enter the contest. You can be from anywhere in the whole world. Even Easton.
3) You must be of legal pumpkin carving age to enter.
4) By submitting a photo for the contest you are allowing us to use the photo to post on our sites, on our Facebook page, etc.
5) If you become a finalist, we will post your name (first name only) and town. We won’t post your last name if you don’t want us to.
6) Your pumpkin does not have to be carved, per se. It can be painted or sculpted or whatever. Basically, although we’re calling it a pumpkin “carving” contest it’s really a “creative pumpkin” contest.
7) No cheating. At weirdnazareth.com we’re fairly computer savvy. If you try to use a photo you found from a Google images search we’ll probably be able to tell.
8) You can submit as many pumpkins as you want. So you can create some really interesting in-family squabbles if you wanted.
9) If needed, you can submit multiple photos of the same pumpkin (different angles, etc.)
10) The rules above are very loose. Feel free to bend them.

Prizes:

The 4 finalists will all get a WeirdNazareth.com T-shirt that is printed on whatever color shirt you want (assuming that the color has already been invented and exists at Target). It can be whatever size you need. In other words, I won’t be printing the shirts until we find out who won.

The ultimate, grand prize, first-place winner will also get a one-of-a-kind WeirdNazareth.com Pumpkin Carving Winner trophy that will look awesome in your cubicle at work next to your Dwight Schrute bobble-head doll.

What are you waiting for?

Gracedale Haunting Part 1: Myrtle's TV

We’ve heard about some strange goings-on in the buildings at Gracedale, Northampton County’s nursing home. A few months ago we got to hear about Scott Moro’s personal experiences while working at Gracedale during college in the early 1990’s.

Between 1991 and 1993, Scott was going to college at Moravian and working at Gracedale to earn some gas and spending money. His job was a “Special Services Helper”, which basically meant he fed the residents who could not feed themselves and transport residents throughout Gracedale. While the first few weeks Scott spent his time wherever needed he eventually got assigned to the North West 2 wing which is in the oldest part of the building.

Scott liked the nurses and nurse’s aides he worked & as he got to know each one better they began to share stories with him, many of which dealt with strange occurrences: strange noises, shadow-like figures, mysteriously misplaced or moving objects. So for the start of the Halloween season we thought it was time to share some of them on WeirdNazareth.com.

Part 1: Mytle’s Television

Scott Moro: One night, just after Christmas in ’91, I was doing the normal feeding and moving of residents. It was well after dinner and getting to be bed time. Bed time at Gracedale was very quiet. TV’s were off, radios off. It was as silent as silent could be. Well, I tucked in an elderly woman named Myrtle. She was a rather large woman, as were most on the floor and had little to no mobility. The head of her bed was propped like normal, which made it more comfortable for her. As I finished with Myrtle, I made my way down the rest of the hall, following the same tucking routine. Upon making my way back towards the nurse’s station so I could gather my things to go home, I heard a TV playing. Shocked, as this was extremely abnormal, I looked to see where it was coming from. It was coming from Myrtle’s room.

Confused, I walked in to see if Myrtle was awake and needed anything. She was sound asleep, as was her roommate, who was across the room and who did NOT have a TV. This was obviously a strange occurrence for a number of reasons: 1.) Myrtle could NOT move on her own, she needed someone to reach the remote control or a book or anything. 2.) The table where the remote was located was tucked against the wall, about 5 feet BEHIND Myrtle’s bed!

I switched off the TV and left the room, figuring I either didn’t turn off the TV completely the last time I was in the room or someone in a nearby room had used their remote and somehow the signal worked on Myrtle’s TV too. It’s not abnormal for garage door remote, TV remotes or other electronic devices to have this ability, so I didn’t think anything of it...EXCEPT that for the next three nights, at exactly the same time, in the exact same room, the same thing happened!

After the 3rd night, I shared the experience with my friends at the nurse’s station. They shook their heads and one of the aides, Eva, told a story about how she experienced something similar a few years back. They had electricians come in to check the wiring. Myrtle’s family was notified that maybe her TV was on the fritz and they may need to purchase another one.

A year went by, and I continued to do my job on North West 2 wing, without incident. No other TV issues, not from Myrtle’s room, not from any other room. We just laughed and shook it off as a weird electrical thing. Right after Christmas in ’92, however, on the same dates in late December...what happened in Myrtle’s room in ’91, happened again! This time, Eva was with me! We just stared at each other and then bolted back to the nurse’s station to share our experience. The others were amazed!

The women tried to see if there was something with the room, or a former resident who stayed there. Nothing. It was amazingly strange...and cool. Again we thought that there was something with the TV. We played with wires, cables, plugs and outlets. Nothing. Someone commented that maybe another resident’s remote was causing the trouble, just as I’d thought a year before. So we searched each room, only to realize, no other residents in Myrtle’s wing had a TV!!! She was one of the wealthier residents, who had a larger room and a cable hook-up. Other residents had TV’s on that floor, but nowhere near this room and none with a mega-powerful remote control.

To this day, I have no idea what happened, how it happened, or why it happened, but the women I worked with and I are convinced, it was paranormal.

Swine Flu Crosses Kingdom Lines

Apparently, the "swine flu" virus is no longer just a problem for those of us in kingdom Anamalia; it has crossed into kingdom Plantae. And Nazareth is ground zero. This tree was spotted in Black Rock woods. It clearly has been infected because its ground roots look just like a pig's head.

Hot Air Balloon Landing @ NAHS

As I was walking around town this evening I noticed a balloon in the air. As I got closer to the high school the balloon began to descend and eventually landed in the parking lot. It drew a large crowd from the nearby neighborhood and the kids were especially excited.

If you are interested in knowing how a hot air balloon works click here.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

More on Newburg Inn Hauntings and the CLPS

I'd like to start off by apologizing for the glut of "ghost" posts on WeirdNazareth.com lately. I realize not everyone is a fan. But that's just how the ball is bouncing right now. Anyway, as we, and the Express Times, posted earlier this month, a local paranormal investigation team, the City Lights Paranormal Investigation Society, surveyed the Newburg Inn. Now they've posted the result on their website here.

According to their summary they checked electromagnetic fields, temperature, and made audio recordings. Their conclusion is "Yes, the Newburg Inn is HAUNTED!!!"

I am just now discovering this group and their website. Their website is well organized and includes photos, text, upcoming events, and best of all, audio clips. Some of the investigation photos are a little disappointing as I find them too small and too dark to really see anything. But overall, it is a great site and worth checking out.

On their upcoming events schedule they have two events that Nazareth area folks may be interested in. First is an open discussion at the aforementioned Newburg Inn on Sept. 20 from 4-6pm. The second is a meet & greet at the Nazareth Library on Sept. 22 from 6-7:45pm.

We're excited to see what the CLPS has in store. And we hope they are able to cover some more Nazareth area locales. Please check out their site.

More Apparitions at Creekside Estates?

Brian P. continues his extended exposure photography in Upper Nazareth. He sees a "face" in one photo while it seems missing in another photo of the same area. What do you think? Comment below.

The Ghost of Monocacy Creek

We received a message from Brian P. of Upper Nazareth who noticed an apparition in an extended exposure photo he took. The photo was taken around midnight at Creekside Estates about a year ago. Brian says:

I took this one at about midnight just playing around with my camera (i have a Cannon Rebel XT). I did some research on how Nazareth used to be called Welagamika and was an indian settlement for thousands of years. I believe in the spiritual realm [& I'm] into nature. I took this picture behind my house. I kept it on my computer for about a year now, and decided I should do something with it. I love the WeirdNazareth website and find it interesting. The apparition is in the center of the picture. I believe this is a native female or some sort of spirit. I only cropped [the photo] and did nothing else to it. [The photo] appears to be lighter than midnight because it is a 30 second exposure. I would never think how I would see the ghost of the Monocacy Creek!

Thanks a bunch for the photos and information, Brian. Keep them coming.

Do you see the Ghost of the Monocacy Creek? Click the photo below to see it highlighted.

NEW! Weird Nazareth T-Shirt on Maker Diaries

It’s time for arts and crafts. If you hop over to the Maker Diaries you can find out how to make a Weird Nazareth T-shirt. We will be having some contests in the near future and these shirts will be part of the prizes. So stay tuned. It is pretty easy to make a swell silk-screened shirt with a little more than household objects and junk lying around. In fact, you’ll never have to leave the comfort of Nazareth in order to do this. The tools and materials list has everything that you need. You can buy silk screening supplies at online art supply places. Or you can try "doing it the ghetto way" (as they say south of Prospect Street) with items that you probably already have lying around the house. The big exception would be the photo emulsion kit, which can be obtained from an online art supply place or on eBay. It is not too expensive and it is an absolute must if you want to get a nice detailed design on your shirt.

Note: The instructable will show you how to make a Weirdnazareth.com shirt. If you wanted to make a News Over Coffee shirt or a Cockeyed.com shirt you are wasting your time here.

The basic principle here is that you're going to coat a mesh screen with some photosensitive goo, apply an opaque template, and expose the screen under light. The light will harden the exposed areas and leave the areas under the template soft and water soluble. Once the water-soluble stuff is washed away there will be what amounts to a very detailed stencil that you can use to print on paper, fabric, whatever.

So grab your smock and CLICK HERE to get started.

WeirdNazareth presents: MAKER DIARIES !

There really aren't enough blogs and websites on the internet. So we thought we'd create a new one. In the interest of highlighting the creative, mechanical, and industrial types in the Lehigh Valley we have created a branch of WeirdNazareth.com called Maker Diaries. On the Maker Diaries you'll (hopefully) find all kinds of how-to's, DIY projects, and photos of projects that people in the area, and beyond, have created. These may be things like, snowmen, art pieces, remodeling & home improvement projects, soapbox derby cars, novel methods of doing everyday tasks... basically anything.

Maker Diaries site is located HERE.

The site is intended to be interactive and reader driven. So if you have something that you'd be interested in showcasing please send us an e-mail. It can be as mundane as a step-by-step for sharpening lawn mower blades or as grandiose as making an ice sculpture. There are no rules. We want to see what you made and hear about how you did it.

We've posted a few of our own to get things started. But we want you to start sending us your ideas and projects.

What we're looking for:

1) Photos are key. At minimum, we want to see photos of your finished project. But we'd also like to see in-process photos and pictures that you've used for inspiration.

2) A little narrative would be nice. We're not expecting a 1500 word step-by-step how-to article (although that would be awesome if you have it). But we'd like to get an idea of how you completed your project, why you did it, what reaction you've got from it, etc.

3) No subject is too trivial. Lots of people don't know how to do simple, common things that you may take for granted. So why not transfer some knowledge. If you can help other people complete a task or attempt something they wouldn't normally attempt then it's a good thing.

Ghosts of the Dryland--Newburg Inn

Monday's Express-Times reported that the City Lights Paranormal Center, headed by Joe Ianetta, visited the Newburg Inn to investigate ghost sightings that have been reported there over the years. A quote from the article:

"The history of the inn includes a grim chapter of the capture of one Indian who was then hung among the rafters in that attic.

Apparently to some, he still hangs around in the bar as a shape and a source of high paranormal activity. Iannetta says he believes the hanged man is haunting the place of his unjust death to assert his innocence."

Not only are other ghosts mentioned ("a black man who greets people at the front door, another small man, a woman" . . . "and a former owner of the inn named Newt"), but also a doll that moves and an unplugged phone that rings! You can see the full article by Tony Nauroth here.

Ianetta took more than 60 hours of video at the inn and as of the time of the article, planned to review it. The manager of the Newburg Inn, Lou Basta, seems to take it all in stride, but Nauroth writes, "As for that disconnected phone that rings, Basta says, 'I don't answer it.' "

Have any of our readers seen ghosts at the Newburg Inn? Anywhere else? Tell us about it. Maybe those specters just want to be mentioned on the internet!

History note: Newburg was part of the area called the Dryland because of a dearth of creeks and springs between the present Brodhead Road and Nazareth.

Magic? Of Quartz!

crystals in a quartz stone found northwest of town

Many Nazareth people know at least the name Black Rock for the woods at the end of the Borough Park. Some have probably noticed the black rock it was named for, both under the stream and along Black Rock Road. Fewer will know that at one time people intended to grind the black rock--slate--into powder and start an industry there producing black mineral pigment.

But only people who are really paying attention notice that as you walk further back into the woods, the black rock stops and various-sized white rocks become more common. From the back half of Black Rock and on up the hill to the Indian Tower and Levis Road, white quartz is the predominant kind of loose stone, from medium-sized boulders to small pebbles, and in a small percentage of that quartz, there are tiny clear crystals, crystals of Nazareth quartz.

Silicon, the main element in quartz, is the second most common element on earth and some think it has spiritual qualities. Metaphysical practitioners say they use quartz for everything from protection and healing to energy storage and prediction. It is the most essential of all healing stones and no crystal healer would be without it. For believers in such things, these are powerful stones.

Even for the more mundane of us, quartz has a curious property. Try striking two pieces together in the dark and you will see what look like sparks. They're not sparks. The stone itself lights up as a result of the piezoelectric effect. Some Native Americans made rattles of very thin skin and pebbles of quartz inside so that when they shook them at night, the rattles lit up!

The Lenape people who preceded us on this land would have noticed the white and black rock so near the source of the Schoeneck. Quartz was significant to them. If it was of high quality, they made blades and weapons from it. They also used it to mark places and incorporated it into their ceremonial stone constructions. That, and the many springs, along with the cave, would probably have made Black Rock a very special, even sacred place for them.

Even technology of the 21st century needs and reveres natural quartz. The silicon chips in nearly all computers originate from pure quartz mined in North Carolina, near a little town called Spruce Pine [see BBC article here]. Quartz's special properties have put Spruce Pine "at the heart of a global billion dollar industry." It's a different kind of magic and a different kind of sacred, but those white stones scattered along the High Street extension still carry that silicon mystique into the internet era.

quartz stones on a path outside Nazareth

Colbert Report vs. Library vs. Tatamy Kid: Cage Match

Monday night, The Colbert Report had an update on their original Nazareth Library/Tatamy kid expose`. The video is posted below. Meanwhile, the Nazareth Memorial Library board president issued a memo (dated July 2009) to defend their position, clarify some 'facts,' and plug some George Orwell books.

In the interest of full disclosure, both members of the Weird Nazareth staff have library cards at the Nazareth library and find the Colbert Report videos humorous. Oh, yes, yes, and we both live within the Nazareth school district... nice try.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Dominic Philip's Book Habit
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Tasers

Slurpees and Hot Dogs

A naked upper nazareth man was taken in by police and will be charged with simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, aggravated assault on a police officer, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. According to the LehighValleyLive.com article the man was causing quite a scene at the 7-Eleven on 191 near East Lawn.
According to the article, when police arrived, the man yelled, "Let's go coppers," jumped up on the hood of the police cruiser and kicked the windshield. After ignoring police commands to get on the ground and control himself. He was shocked with a Taser when he charged at a police officer. The man was completely naked at the time.

Here are some "fun facts" as they are listed on 7-Eleven, Inc.'s website:

• July 11 (7/11) is the official birthday of the 7-Eleven® convenience store chain.


• A typical 7-Eleven store in the United States has between 2,400 and 3,000 square feet, and carries about 2,500 different items


• 7-Eleven stores sell almost 26 million gallons of fountain drinks a year – enough to fill 65 Olympic-size swimming pools.


• Blueberry is at the top of the hill as the best-selling muffin in 7-Eleven stores across the country. And customers #1 pick for a donut is glazed.


• The most Slurpee® beverages are sold in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada, followed by Detroit, Michigan. But the #1 Slurpee store in the world is located in Kennewick, Wash.


• 7-Eleven was the first convenience store to sell pre-paid phone cards.

Tatamy Kid Nailed by Colbert

Monday's The Colbert Report featured a riveting expose` on the Tatamy boy who got his Nazareth Library card revoked after having his photo appear in a local newspaper. Fear public library system.

Interesting tidbit: just learned the interior shots of the "Nazareth" library were filmed in a New Jersey library.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Nailed 'Em - Library Crime
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Tasers

"Let me tell you something, funny boy... You know that little stamp? The one that says Nazareth Memorial Library? Well, that may not mean anything to you, but that means a lot to me. One whole helluva lot. Sure, go ahead, laugh if you want to. I've seen your type before -- flashy, making the scene, flaunting convention. Yeah, I know what you're thinking... Why's this guy making such a big stink about old library books? Let me give you a hint, junior. Maybe we can live without libraries, people like you and me.... Maybe. Sure, we're too old to change the world. What about that kid, sitting down, opening a book right now in a branch of the local library and finding pictures of pee-pees and wee-wees in The Cat in the Hat and The Five Chinese Brothers. Doesn't he deserve better? Look, if you think this is about overdue fines and missing books, you'd better think again. This is about that kid's right to read a book without getting his mind warped. Or maybe that turns you on, Seinfeld... Maybe that's how you get your kicks... You and your goodtime buddies... I've got a flash for you, joy boy. Partytime is over."

An Interview with author Scott Morro

In 2006, local author Scott Morro took a little local history, a dash of The Goonies, and a bit of Back to the Future and blended it all together into a clever young adults book called The Cross Over. In the book, our beloved Indian Tower becomes a time machine, shooting a group of kids back to Nazareth 1746 where they befriend a young Whitefield House resident and try to get back home. We caught up with Scott and he humored us with an e-mail interview and shared some cool pictures of The Tower.




Weird Nazareth: What inspired you to choose Nazareth, and in particular the Indian Tower, as the setting for this book?

Scott Morro: Well, Nazareth is a hotbed of paranormal activity, so it made perfect sense to… Actually, I grew up in Nazareth [on Spring Street] near Pep’s Place and Santo’s Market. I went to Nazareth High School and lived there my whole life until I got married and moved to Bethlehem. The Indian Tower is a place my friends and I used to visit as kids. We’d climb the tower and watch the races [at the Nazareth Speedway] with binoculars. You could only see 3 turns, but it was free and we liked it. Plus, I always thought the place was creepy [&] cool. Just something about it, ya know… The idea for the book came about when my family and I were visiting the Holy Family cemetery on Father’s Day a few years back. My youngest son, Ryan, who was 4 at the time, pointed up to the tower from the cemetery and said, “What’s that, daddy?” He and my oldest son sprinted for the tower and we began to look around. I explained what it was and some of the history I knew. My family got back in the car, but I stayed and began taking a closer look at the tower, the monument and the plaques nearby. The idea for the book formed as I was standing there. I went to the library and did some research and I spent time at the Whitefield House reading and researching as well. A former curator there, Mark Turdo, photo-copied a diary written by a girl who stayed at the [Whitefiled House] during the time period I was going to write about and that was a big help. After reading the diary and going over my notes, I sat with my laptop and wrote. About 7 weeks later I was finished with the initial draft. Then it was on to edit and make some changes before sending it off to my publisher.

WN: It seems you had been aware of the existence of time travel for some time. Why did it take you so long to reveal it to the world?

SM: Drunken stupor from too many cans of Guinness…Abducted by aliens at Potts Doggie Shop on Broad Street…I seriously don’t know. I’ve used time travel in two other young adult novels, one out now (What’s Brewing in Boston) and one currently being shopped to publishers (The Moravian Enigma). [What’s Brewing in Boston] takes two brothers back in time to assist with the Boston Tea Party, while [The Moravian Enigma] is a scavenger hunt/National Treasure/DaVinci Code type book set in Nazareth and Bethlehem, where the main character and his best friend search for treasure buried by George Washington during the American Revolution. How’d ya like the shameless plug for my other stuff??? I love the idea of time travel and would love to experience it myself. As much as I’m a sports freak (Go Yankees), I love history too. There’s something cool about how you can weave fact and fiction and, in essence, take that journey just like your characters have in the books.

WN: If the Indian Tower were still a functioning time machine, where and when would you travel to, given the chance?

SM: Wow…good question! Do I have to choose just one place? I’d go back to New York and Nazareth of the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s to see Yankees greats of the past play and to see what life was like for my parents and grandparents. I’d travel to Baltimore of the 1830’s and 1840’s so I could meet Edgar Allan Poe, one of my favorite writers. Maybe we could hook up and write a creepy time travel story together…I’d go to Iowa and do that “Field of Dreams” corn-thing and see where the ball-players go…I’d go to Ford’s Theater and sit in the crowd with Abe Lincoln the night he was shot. Maybe stop John Wilkes Booth if I was feeling brave enough…Too many more to mention…

WN: Our readers are interested in the unusual and quirky side of the Nazareth. Having grown up there, what are some of the odd things that you remember about the town?

SM: I remember hearing about ghosts and creepy shit going on at Black Rock near the pool. I remember hearing scary stories about ghosts at Gracedale…AND I actually experienced some “stuff” while I worked there a few years when I was going to college. I also remember hearing about a murder of two kids, twins I think, in the 1950’s. I’ve actually started to do research for a book on that event. Other than that, not much…But I’d loved to hear what you and your readers have to share…

WN: Are you doing any writing right now?

SM: Aside from the answers to these questions, ya mean??? I’m working on three projects at the moment: I’m working on a young adult book about bullying in a middle school. Originally it was titled ECLIPSE, but since that Stephanie Meyer chick, ya know, the one who wrote the TWILIGHT series, stole that title already, I re-named it RAY OF SUNSHINE, based on a character’s nickname. I’m working on another [young adult] novel about a young man who goes off to Iraq and writes letters back and forth with a cousin of his here in America. There’s still LOTS to do with that one. My wife’s been after me to do an A to Z book about Nazareth and, as I said above, I’m really interested in doing an adult book about the murder of those twins…I mean adult as in “for adults,” not with porn and that type of “adult.” So far, though, the internet has been a bust when it comes to unearthing info on the case. I think I’m headed back to the library and to search micro film. I think it took place in the 1950’s and the kids were named Schaffer or Shafer…something like that. I believe they were abducted near Mitchell Avenue, by high school and their bodies were found in Black Rock. Again, I could have my facts jumbled, but I remember it being a bid deal. My dad, who works at the Post Office, brought it up to me recently and talked about it as a book idea. I loved it! I just need to get the research stared and start writing. Who knows, maybe I’ll solve the thing and CSI: Nazareth will be born…

WN: Thanks, Scott!

Scott’s author website is http://www.publishedauthors.net/scottmorro/index.html. You can see photos, read samples of his books, and find lots of information. He says he is available for school visits and lectures and says you can e-mail him at morro23@rcn.com

You can buy Scott’s books at Amazon.com or check the “links” section of his website. You can also check the Nazareth Memorial Library.

Tree Love in Nazareth

At WeirdNazareth.com we love trees. In fact, we have a whole section dedicated to Nazareth's weird trees. As the Express-Times reports, a woman was found heavily intoxicated, hugging a tree Friday night on Broad Street after having stumbled out of a nearby bar. Her husband, who was also intoxicated, was busy helping his wife by searching for her missing teeth in the middle of the road. The couple was charged with public drunkenness.

There was no word on whether or not the teeth were found or if they were smashed by a passing car. There was also no word on the status of the tree.

You can read the cleverly-titled Express Times article here: Woman vomits in street, hugs tree and falls over in Nazareth

Bath Woman Competes in Pretzel Contest and Loses

She may have lost but she is a winner in our eyes. As the Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily reports, Kendra Hoffman of Bath was one of only 6 finalists in the Pretzel Coaster Build-off Contest at Busch Gardens (sponsored by Snyders of Hanover). On Wednesday she was in Virginia competing to build a replica of Apollo’s Chariot out of pretzels within the 3 hour time limit. She competed valiantly but did not win. Kendra, Weird Nazareth salutes you.

You can see a tiny little picture of the coaster that made her a finalist here: LINK

News Articles:

Lots of pretzels + a little glue = prize-winning roller coaster (Daily Press)

Bath Woman Falls Short in Pretzel Contest (Morning Call)

Bath Builder Shapes Pretzels into Winning Coaster (Morning Call)

Special Feature! LAWN ORNAMENT SAFARI

Lawn ornaments are a great way to personalize your space. They say a lot about you. Some lawn ornaments are very literal in their message; they may say “welcome” or “I love gardening.” They can also be more subtle; a wooden boy-peeing-on-a-tree says the home owner is fun-loving or has bladder issues. A gazing ball says that the owner is likely introspective, spiritual, or is s sucker for those Lillian Vernon catalogs. To the left you can see one of my own lawn ornaments: a ceramic garden gnome with hairy legs. I don't really know what this says about me.

As a special Summer feature on Weird Nazareth we have created a virtual safari of local lawn ornaments*. We surveyed the entire borough’s front yards** to find the best selection of yard chotchkeys in town. Although there are some pretty impressive pockets here and there, the most concentrated and awe-inspiring gallery of front lawn ornaments occurs in the area blocked off by Forrest Dr., W. North St., High St., and North Green St. Those living in this area really know how to decorate a front yard.
So settle in, crank up the volume, and enjoy the video below.

*Bird baths don't count. Neither do flags or decorative stepping stones...
**Some people put their lawn ornaments on their front porch.

Thanks to: Nancy W., for letting me borrow photos without knowing what I would be using them for.

July 4th Kazoo Concert

At least the kazoos were free again. The July 4th celebration at Memorial Park started off with a kazoo concert. In years past, this was a kazoo parade down Main St. However, as the Express Times reports it was changed to a stationary concert this year to respect the elderly, and otherwise uncoordinated, musicians.

The concert was largely in-tune and on-melody. From my count, I'd say there were about 125 kazoo blowers. Three patriotic tunes were kazooed: Yankee Doodle, This Land is Our Land, and You're a Grand Ole Flag. Although there were a few shouts from the audience of "Free Bird!" and "Tenth Avenue Freezeout!," crowd requests were ignored by the conductor. Here is a short video of the concert: