Your weekly guide to the events and happenings in and around Boyertown, PA

What to do? Where to go? Here is your one stop list of community events, music, arts, food, business specials, and historic events for Boyertown and beyond…

As a Boyertown graduate, a real estate agent at Glocker Realty, and also a proud member of Building a Better Boyertown, I have had the joy of watching our little town grow. I enjoy having any part in helping our community to move forward. I hope this weekly blog will help shine a light on all the great things happening in and around Boyertown, PA

Here is what’s going down during the week of 1/27/2022 – 2/2/2022

Punxsutawney Phil and Other Famous Animals

If you ever lived in Pennsylvanians, you know about Punxsutawney Phil, the weather predicting groundhog. On the morning of February 2nd, the all-knowing Phil will pop out of his burrow to look for his shadow and tell us whether we can expect an early spring or long winter. This highly sophisticated approach to weather forecasting is nothing short of miraculous. Even more amazing is Phil’s age. He has taken 136 trips around the sun! I have to say, the old fella looks good for his age. As we near this momentous event, I begin to wonder what other famous animals there are? Do they have superpowers too? After a bit of research, I compiled a list of animals that are famous for one reason or another. If you think there is a noteworthy animal that you do not find on the list, add your thoughts to the comments section at the bottom of this page.

For more info about Punxsutawney Phil see “Six More Weeks of What? (A groundhog story)”

Dolly the sheep

In 1996, Dolly became the first successfully cloned mammal from an adult cell. This feet-of-science sparked worldwide controversy, arguing that the technology is unethical, while others thought it to be lifesaving. Although Dolly was the first to be clone, other animals like pigs, sheep, deer, horses, and dogs followed in her footsteps (or hoofprints). Dolly died at the age of 6 due to lung disease.

Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit is perhaps the most famous horse of all time and has been the subject of films, documentaries, and books. Yes, even more famous than Mr. Ed. His story has lived on over the decades, because of his unexpected rise through the racetrack circuit, which led him to beating the seemingly invincible triple-crown winner War Admiral. He then was voted American Horse of the Year in 1938. Seabiscuit and his longtime jockey, Red Pollard, both became injured and had to learn to walk again. They surprised the world with a comeback story that culminated to winning one last race, the Santa Anita Handicap, which had eluded Seabiscuit throughout his career. Seabiscuit died of a heart attack at age 14.

Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat became famous after a photo of her went viral in 2012 on Reddit. Her distinct “grumpy” appearance came from feline dwarfism and an underbite. Grumpy Cat had millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and became the subject of countless memes. Most notably, Aubrey Plaza voiced Grumpy Cat in the Lifetime movie “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.” Not many other cats can say they got their own movie. Sadly, Grumpy Cat died in 2019 at the age of 7.

Lassie

After first appearing in a short story in 1859, Lassie has been depicted in almost every form of media, most famously six movies throughout the 1940s and the 19-season-long TV show, “Lassie,” which aired from 1954 to 1973. Lassie is a heroic rough collie, loyal, and always ready to save those in need. In recent years there was a documentary made about Lassie “The Story of Lassie” and in 2020 a remake of the feature film “Lassie Come Home”. Fun fact: Although Lassie was cast as a female dog on tv and the big screen, all nine Lassies have been male dogs.

Ham the Chimp

Ham became the first monkey in space in 1961. The main purpose of His flight was to see if it was possible to perform tasks in space, and this little chimp proved it was. After months of preparation and training, Ham was rocketed into space and made history. Ham made it home safely, thus putting Americans one step closer towards sending a man into space just a few months later.

Toto

“The Wizard of Oz” is one of the most loved films of all time, and at the center of it is Dorothy’s canine companion. Toto, whose real name is Terry, is the catalyst for the entire movie. Dorothy bumps her head and ends up in Oz because she’s on a desperate mission to save her dog from being euthanized. When Dorothy ends up in the colorful, magical land of Oz, she utters the famous phrase to her pet: “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” You can visit Toto’s memorial at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to pay homage to perhaps the most famous Cairn Terrier in history.

Koko the Gorilla

Koko and her handler, Francine Patterson, inspired people all over the world as Koko learned to communicate with humans via a modified version of American Sign Language. Koko proved that apes really aren’t that different from humans. She even cared for her pet kittens as if they were her own offspring. When Koko died in 2018 at the age of 46, people around the world were devastated. “Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for inter-species communication and empathy. She was beloved and will be deeply missed,” the Gorilla Foundation said in a statement.

Laika

A young stray dog named Laika, who was found walking the streets of Moscow, was destined to become the first canine in space. She became a worldwide phenomenon when she was sent into space by the Soviet Union in 1957. In a hurry to beat the Americans in the Space Race, Laika was sent into orbit without a means to return her to Earth. She became the first living creature to orbit the Earth. Originally, it was thought that Laika died four days into her journey, but it was revealed in 2002 that she only lasted around five hours before overheating and dying. Laika is memorialized throughout Russia, including a statue in Moscow that was erected in 2008.

Cher Ami

This famous homing pigeon saved the lives of over 200 men During World War I and was awarded a medal of bravery. Cher Ami’s famous mission took place in 1918, when she flew 25 miles in 25 minutes to save a battalion of American soldiers in France. The troops were being shelled by their own men who, at the time, did not realize they were allies. The officer in charge, sent Cher Ami off with a note attached to his leg telling them to stop. Even though badly wounded in the chest, blinded in one eye, and with one leg hanging off, the little bird managed to carry on delivering the message. He was patched up after his momentous flight and given a wooden leg, but died less than a year later. Cher Ami was awarded the French Cross of War for her service. Her taxidermied body is on display at the National Museum of American History.

April the Giraffe.

In 2017, 1.2 million people watched live on YouTube as April give birth to her son, a calf named Tajiri. The internet came together to watch something beautiful happen. Two years later, April gave birth again on livestream, and 300,000 people watched. She had a total of four sons and was put on birth control in 2019. April died in 2021 at the age of 20.

Balto

Balto was a Siberian Husky, who in 1925, saved the town of Nome, Alaska, from an outbreak of diphtheria. When the deadly disease took over the town, the only antidote was hundreds of miles away in Anchorage. Due to bad weather and an abundance of snow, the only way to get there was by sled. Balto heroically led his team through 54 miles of blizzards and temperatures of -40. When the team successfully made it to Anchorage to get the antidote, Balto was hailed a hero. He is now immortalized by a statue in Central Park, and his taxidermied body is displayed at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. There was also an animated movie made about him in 1995.

SWEETHEARTS — Order tickets here: A Sweetheart Stroll

LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK at your community each week on “The Cast at Glocker”! Matt Green & Jeff Frederick interview local entrepreneurs and those involved in helping the Boyertown area communities. You can catch us every Wednesday at 6pm as we livestream at the Glocker Realty & Insurance Facebook and YouTube pages. Join us live, comment, post questions, and be part of the conversation!

Our next live show will be at Bridget’s Place in Boyertown on Wed 2/2 at 6pm! You can watch previous interviews of The Cast at Glocker here: The Cast at Glocker playlist

EVENTS LIST

THURSDAY 1/27/2022

Sing 2 (movie) – The State Theatre, Boyertown

TUESDAY 2/1/2022

Trivia Tuesday – Doc’s Irish Pub, Gilbertsville 8pm
West Side Story (movie) – The State Theatre, Boyertown

WEDNESDAY 2/2/2022

Q&A with Kendra and Autumn (facebook live) – Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles 2-2:15pm
The Cast at Glocker @ Bridget’s Place (facebook live) – Glocker Realty & Insurance 6-7pm
West Side Story (movie) – The State Theatre, Boyertown

“No winter lasts forever: no spring skips its turn.” – Hal Borland

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Have this event blog sent directly to your email each week!

If you would like your event posted email me at jeff@glocker.com

For real estate assistance contact Jeff Frederick at jeff@glocker.com or call/text at 610-766-2028.

What’s Going Down in Boyertown? (famous animals)

Your weekly guide to the events and happenings in and around Boyertown, PA

Here is what’s going down during the week of 1/27/2022 – 2/2/2022

Punxsutawney Phil and Other Famous Animals

EVENTS LIST

THURSDAY 1/27/2022

FRIDAY 1/28/2022

SATURDAY 1/29/2022

SUNDAY 1/30/2022

MONDAY 1/31/2022

TUESDAY 2/1/2022

WEDNESDAY 2/2/2022

“No winter lasts forever: no spring skips its turn.” – Hal Borland

Have this event blog sent directly to your email each week!

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