Literary titles, wrestling records & 27.5M in investments
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📰 What You Might Have Missed
Literary Celebration: This past Saturday the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest held its awards ceremony at Bucks County Community College. Marc Elias Keller of Yardley took home first place for his story, "The Sweet Drop," in a standing-room-only event that celebrated the region’s thriving creative community. The story uses sugar as a powerful metaphor for various forms of addiction. He also won the contest in 2024. Other top finishers included Bob McCrillis of Doylestown (Second Place for "Holding Ground") and Susan Lederhouse, also of Yardley (Third Place for "Dear Adrienne"). Congrats, Marc!
Historic Milestone: Washington Crossing Historic Park announced its Fife and Drum Corps (along with re-enactors and a full-sized Durham boat) will lead a major segment of the Philadelphia 250th Celebration Parade. This warrants a strong dose of local pride as our park represents Bucks County on a national stage this July.
Cherry Blossom Peak: The region saw a surge in local tourism and park attendance as the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off. While a Philadelphia event, the peak bloom window brought significant foot traffic to Bucks County’s riverfront parks and scenic trails. This marks the unofficial start of the spring outdoor season. Ya know, until it’s freezing again next week anyway.
🤼♀️ Local Sports
Girl Power: Julia Horger’s recent performance on the mat has gone viral locally for helping inspire a surge in girls' wrestling participation across the district. She recently secured her 100th career victory and cemented her legacy with a 3rd straight PA state title. Wow. Way to go, Julia! And that surge she helped inspire? In 2020, there were virtually no official girls' teams. By the time of the 2023 vote, there were 111 schools. Today, in 2026, that number has surged past 180 schools.
Community Basketball: And for those looking to get active, the Pennsbury Regional Basketball League (PRBL) is launching a new season of its Adult Pick-Up League. This offers a flexible and organized way for local players to get back on the court this spring. No need to bring a full roster. Teams are selected right in the gym each week to ensure balanced play and a chance to meet other local athletes. And every session includes paid referees and reversible jerseys provided on-site, giving the pick-up games a structured, league-quality feel. Registration: Visit PRBLONLINE.COM Inquiries: Josh: Jdb247@yahoo.com or Danielle: Dcprbl@gmail.com
🤝 Community Investment
$27.5 Million Federal Boost: Details were finalized this weekend for a massive influx of community funding. This includes $4 million to build a state-of-the-art, modern fire station in Bensalem. As well as $2 million to expand and modernize the emergency homeless shelter in Bristol Township. This also includes money for Lower Bucks’ ICU, United Way, DART Mental Health & more.
Infrastructure Renaissance: Planning is moving forward on the Haines Bridge project in Bristol (also part of the above federal funding). The project received $5 million to restore a critical transportation link. This project is expected to significantly reduce daily commute times and improve emergency response speeds for residents in the Edgley area. Anything that makes the morning commute more bearable has our seal of approval.
Small Business Rebound: Residents in Upper Bucks are looking forward to the grand reopening of The Proper Brewing Company in Quakertown this Wednesday. After a long hiatus, this is a welcome win for the local downtown economy.
📢 Reader Share
Enjoy this sweet picture one of our readers shared. This is Becky’s (Fairless Hills) sweet pup on the Cassalia Pond Trail at the Silver Lake Nature Center in Bristol.
Happy Tuesday, see you Thursday morning!
With love,
From Bucks
P.S. if you’d like to share pictures, stories, have suggestions, etc. just hit reply. We love to hear from you!