Calling All Fine Artists and Crafters!!
The regular deadline has passed for applications for ARTS ALIVE! 2008, however since we still have some remaining spots for more qualified artists and crafters, we have decided to continue accepting entries until May 15th, if necessary, on a first come basis. We will stop accepting applications without prior notice once all spots have been filled, so please submit your work ASAP! Click here to download an application now.
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IN-TOWN QUAKERTOWN MERCHANTS and RESIDENTS
Find out what you can do to be a bigger part of the next May 17th Arts Alive! Festival. The QA! Events Committee typically meeets twice a month (2nd and 4th Tuesday) at the Quakertown Train Station on Front Street. Come on out to discuss ideas. Ask for Lynda. If you can't make the meeting, just leave us a message.
Next meeting: Tuesday, May 6th, 5:15-7 pm (This is an extra meeting and is likely to replace our usual first meeting of the month (the 13th). The next meeting would be the 27th, following the event on the 17th)
New Eateries In Town
Salome is now open at 219 W. Broad Street (former location of Pancho Villa) for lunch and dinner. Stop by for eat-in or take-out nachos, soups, burgers, cheese steaks, ribs, Quesadillas, wraps, hot pressed sandwiches and other Mexican specialties. They have a small children's menu too.
The new family-oriented Broadway Café, also in the 200 block of W. Broad Street, is open for after school, evenings, and Saturday. Stop by this retro-style restaurant and soda fountain for affordably-priced burgers, salads, pizza, chili, some of the best fries around, plus ice cream, pie and more. Students from Miss Cindy's School of Dance provide your service and spontaneous performances are possible!
The new Front Street Café & Bistro on 44 Front Street, at the corner of Juniper, provides an inviting stop with gas lamps out front and two fireplaces inside. It is open early (6:30 am) and offers breakfast, lunch, upscale BYOB dinners and even a central conversation area to just have some coffee and relax. Call 267-347-4076 for evening reservations. Ask about their 11-3 Sunday brunch.
As always, the other downtown restaurants and food merchants -- such as the Karlton Café, Dominick's Pizzeria, McCoole's at the Red Lion Inn, Mama Mia's, Sunday's Deli & Restaurant, Tacos La Mexicana, Sine's 5&10, the Philly Pretzel Factory, Rosemaries', Rita's and others -- are always happy to see new and familiar faces. Make it a point to visit them with your family and friends throughout the year. They are after all, part of the uniqueness of Quakertown.
See the online In-Town Guide listings at left for a complete listing of the downtown stores and restaurants. And look for the printed version out in stores and hotels later this Spring!
Good Search
GoodSearch.com donates half its revenue --about a penny a search-- to the charities its users designate: for instance, Quakertown Alive!
Go to www.goodsearch.com and download the toolbar, then select Quakertown Alive! as your charity. It is powered by Yahoo and you use it just as you would any search engine. It only takes you and about 499 other people searching four times a day to raise about $7,300 for our local programs each year. And it doesn't cost a cent! Please spread the word!
QA! Givers Program
Quakertown Alive is a volunteer-driven, independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help revitalize downtown Quakertown, PA. Our supporters are local residents, downtown businesses, the Borough and other community-minded businesses or organizations in our region.
We also seek funding from various state, federal or other sources to support our programs and thus off-set the financial burden on our local contributors. Some of this "outside" funding can be spent on operations, but the majority of it is project-oriented --such as our facade grants, events or streetscape projects-- and may also require matching funds from other sources.
Because of our sustained operations (10 years in 2009!), QA! has reached "Achiever" status with the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Devleopment. This puts us in rare company and makes it easier for us to be approved for DCED grants when they are available, but funding needs continue.
Non-profit organizations --we are a 501C(3)-- today are largely measured by the percentage of operations devoted to fund-raising. The higher the percentage, the lower the score. In other words, if you spend most of your time trying to raise money to pay your people, you aren't contributing very much to your mission.
QA! is somewhat unique in that we only have two paid individuals with the majority of our work being done by volunteer committees. Our Main Street Manager is therefore able to focus on sustaining the organization and helping us perform better while we spend the majority of our time and effort addressing our programs.
Since funding is crucial to sustain our office and continue our operations, the more processes we have in place to ensure it continues, the stronger we will be as an organization. Last year, we implemented a Givers Program to make the process more transparent for all involved. Contributors make donations at various levels and, in addition to the overall knowledge that they are supporting a valid cause close to home, they receive other "benefits" as incentives to continue their support year after year.
We have two major categories: Individual and Business.
Our givers levels and incentives are as follows:
Individuals:
Supporter: $25 donation:
- monthly eNewsletter
- vinyl window cling, to show your support
- warm and fuzzy feeling that you are promoting your local Main Street (Broad Street)
Neighbor: $100 donation:
In addition to the above,Enamel PinEmbroidered "Go To Town" golf shirtA very friendly greeting at all QA! festivalsChampion: $500 donation:
In addition to the above,a sincere invitation to special QA! eventsBusinesses:
Participating: $100 donation:
- monthly eNewsletter
- a link to their website from our QA! website Supporters page (regardless of business location)
- a vinyl window cling for their business window
- invitations to special events (when we have them)
- a listing in our printed In-Town Guide (otherwise limited to downtown retail businesses only)
Supporting: $250 donation:
- In addition to the above,
- Enamel Pin
- a listing in the Quakertown section of the County's annual printed Visitor's Guide and the county website
Advocate: $500 donation:
In addition to the above,A business card ad in the printed In-Town Guide (regardless of business location)Leading: $1,000 or more donation:
In addition to the above,A business card ad in the annual Properties of Merit Reception Booklet a feature article in a monthly eNewslettera feature article for one month on the QA! websitefirst right-of-refusal for event marketing opportunitiesIf you would like to join our program and support us in our mission at one of these annual levels, please click the DONATE button below or contact us at 215-536-2273 or info@quakertownalive.com or look for our dark blue brochures throughout the downtown.
The ninth annual Arts Alive! festival will offer something for everyone as Quakertown Alive! welcomes nearly 100 juried fine artists and crafters and other live performers to the downtown. 
