Family Displaced By Upper Gwynedd Fire

Welcome back to North Penn Now’s weekly newsletter! Santa Claus will be making an early appearance in Lansdale this Saturday — here are all the details.

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In This Week's Email:

• 📆 Upcoming Nearby Events

• 🔥 Upper Gwynedd Family Recovering After House Fir …

• 🚨 Bomb Scare At Lansdale Mosque

• 🗞️ News Links

• 🔨 A New Freight House Revitalization Push

• 🦷 Dentist Moves Into Former Diner

• 🏘️ In Other Nearby News

• 🚔 Alleged Copper Thief In Hilltown

• 🏈 Play Ball

• 🐶 Rescue of the Week

• 📊 This Week’s Poll Question

📆 Upcoming Nearby Events

Tuesday, Dec. 17 (tonight!)

• 🍭 Gingerbread House Decorating Workshop | Lansdale Public Library | 4-5:30 p.m., more details here

Saturday, Dec. 21

• 🫐 Lansdale Farmers Market | Penn Street | 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., more details here

• 🎄 Merry Christmas Kids Fair | Ritmos Unidos Dance Studio in Willow Grove | 12-3 p.m., more details here

• 🕵️‍♂️ Murder Mystery Dinner | William Penn Inn in Gwynedd | 6 p.m., more details here

• 🎸 Westmain Holiday Show | Panico's Neighborhood Grill and Sports Tavern in Lansdale | 8 p.m., more details here

You can find a calendar of events for the towns in the NPN region by following these links: Franconia | Hatfield | Hilltown | Lansdale | Lower Salford | Montgomery Township | North Wales | Sellersville | Souderton | Telford | Towamencin | Upper Gwynedd

🔥 Upper Gwynedd Family Recovering After House Fire

A family of three and their pet cat are safe, but displaced, after their Upper Gwynedd home caught fire on Sunday.

Firefighters from multiple agencies contained a blaze in the home's garage within roughly 30 minutes of arriving on the scene. The fire's spread outside the garage was minimal, but officials said there was heat and smoke damage throughout. Upper Gwynedd Deputy Fire Chief Matt O'Brien said the home will likely be uninhabitable for months.

O'Brien said the homeowners have an infant son who will turn two this month. They are currently staying with family in the area. They have been in contact with the Red Cross and the fire department plans to launch a donation or fundraising campaign for the family in the coming days.

🚨 Bomb Scare At Lansdale Mosque

Montgomery County's bomb squad closed down part of Lansdale on Saturday night after suspicious packages were found next to the North Penn Mosque, which sits near Maple Avenue and West Sixth Street.

The emergency call came in at 5 p.m. and the packages were removed by a bomb retrieval robot roughly an hour later. The mosque and nearby residents were evacuated, but officials said there was no threat to the public. An investigation is ongoing.

🗞️ News Links

• There has been heightened drone activity in the area

• Upper Gwynedd residents continue Pennbrook Parkway debate

• Souderton holds annual tree lighting

• Underground gas leak shuts down Five Points in Montgomery

• North Penn Schools’ CFO is retiring

🔨 A New Freight House Revitalization Push

Plans to restore a long-abandoned Lansdale landmark are moving along.

The Friends of the Freight House, a group working to revive the abandoned Broad Street station, has launched a new fundraising campaign. The effort has secured $1 million in donations and various grants, but the projected price tag for the project is $1.6 million, leaving a $600,000 gap. The freight station will be transformed into a welcome center and a venue for public and private events; some minor fixes have already occurred with a revamp of the parking lot.

Also: The Historical Society of Montgomery County in Norristown has launched an exhibit -- Downtown: Then and Now -- examining communities in the county over the years. You can learn more about it here; the exhibit run through the end of March.

🦷 Dentist Moves Into Former Diner

The former R&S Keystone Diner on Bethlehem Pike in Hilltown is now a dentist's office. Weaver, Reckner & Reinhart Dental Associates had its grand opening earlier this month. The exterior facade was kept as-is in an homage to the restaurant and the diner counter now sits in the break room.

🏘️ In Other Nearby News

• Warrant issued for woman accused of lying on gun application

• Pennridge High vandalized with swastika

• Someone stole a Buddha statue in New Britain

• A historic new pastor arrives at a Silverdale church

• Miami couple accused of cashing bogus checks in region

To keep up with news outside the North Penn Now area, make sure to subscribe to the newsletters for our siblings sites — Central Bucks Now and Wiss Now.

🚔 Alleged Copper Thief In Hilltown

A Lansdale man is accused of copping some copper.

James Angelo Campitelli, 43, faces felony burglary charges after allegedly breaking into the former Frederick’s Flowers in Hilltown and stealing the metal piping. He was also hit with felony conspiracy and criminal trespassing charges and a slew of misdemeanor offenses, including drug charges.

A property manager found a broken lock and heard hammering from inside the building; police encountered Campitelli when he arrived. The suspect admitted he and another person were trying to remove copper wire from conduits and other valuable metals to sell for scrap.

🏈 Play Ball

• Eagles make it 10 straight, thump Steelers

• Where Sixers stand after Jared McCain injury

• Projecting the Phillies’ 2025 payroll

• Inside Scott Laughton’s four-goal eruption for Flyers

• It may be Carson Wentz time in Kansas City

For more on local sports, subscribe to our Philly sports newsletter, On Pattison (sent 5x per week):

🐶 Rescue of the Week

Meet Chloe, a three-year-old American Pitbull Terrier searching for a home through Home At Last Dog Rescue. She is crate- and house-trained, walks well on a leash and loves to run around the yard and play. Chloe is very social and cat-friendly; she does well with older kids. A good home for her would be a family with a yard, but a yard is not required.

If you are interested in adopting Chloe or would like more information, you can reach out to Home At Last Dog Rescue at [email protected] or visit the group's website.

📊 This Week’s Poll Question

Last week’s poll question: What Christmas tree light colors do you prefer?

• White lights (83%)

• Colored lights (17%)

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

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