As you can see in the photos, this section features wall shelves that used to be part of garage storage.  When the garage was revamped, I decided to make little dioramas on each shelf either of themes I liked or items that I knew would look nice. As you can see on the bottom level, I always liked the history and property of the old Bethlehem Steel.  So, I chose to model that using buildings and scenery that I  could weather and make it appear like it was part of the Steel plant.  The coolest part of the whole shelf is the train coming out of the wall, into the shelf and right to the center.  I wanted to have a train be a part of this and to just have it only be in the shelf just did not fit with my vision. So, with a few cuts and a bridge design, the effect is really cool and fitting of the mill.

The two shelves above it are a bit simpler in their design. Due to site issues, I had to have larger buildings on the highest shelf with little detail or else you wouldn’t see it.  So, I took a few larger scale structures and trees and created an old fashioned town square.  The center shelf features a more utilitarian design with oil tanks and an electrical power station.

The other shelf is quite personal and also features a ‘N’ scale layout on top of the filing cabinet.  The top shelf represents my Italian heritage with a tribute to “Little Italy”. The one building is met with a little light humor as it is called the Motion Lounge Social Club.  This was the actual mob hangout name in real life from the movie Donnie Brasco.  There is also a Carlo’s Bakery and a Connie’s Pizza named after my mom.  I wanted to have a neighborhood feel and added the red, white, and green lighting for this shelf. This was fun to build and I think the background cityscape paper adds a nice dimension to it.

The middle shelf represents my love of the Civil War and specifically, the Gettysburg Campaign. This models the final battle on July 3, 1861, Pickett’s Charge where the confederates suffered a tremendous defeat which forced them to retreat to the south.  Since this design represented actual historical events, it had to be as realistic as possible.  The problem with this shelf was since it features a lot of detail, especially with tiny soldiers, horses, and tents, I needed a way to bring the detail to those not over 6 feet tall. So, after a while of thinking about it, I found a mirror and was able to angle it so everything can be seen from below.

I always liked the smaller ‘N’ scale. Since I had a few ‘N’ buildings and scenery on hand and the smaller area above the cabinet from which to model, it was a perfect fit.  I am very proud of the back mountain scene. The 3 pieces are a combination of basic foam and pieces of an old bridge. I designed and glued it all to fit in this area and then worked on creating a real life mountain look with trees, grass, and stone.  I am very proud the way this turned out.  The town feel is relaxed and almost resembles the Delaware Water Gap area.

I never knew until 2014 just how much model railroading and the artistry that goes into every design was inside me.  The chance to realize what I had for many years as a kid was too good to resist. When I was a kid, I always assisted my dad with the layout. I have enjoyed developing my technique and artistry with this hobby.  I hope to share this with others and hopefully someone will get the “bug” to enjoy a little model railroading.

Spring Coffee House

A BIG Hit!!

On Saturday, April 28^th, the Bethel Memorial Baptist Church held their second annual Coffee House event in our downstairs multipurpose room.  I am very pleased to say that it was an awesome night and was attended by 150 people!  It far exceeded the amount we had at our initial event in October and I am very happy and thankful for a great night for the church.

As head of the coffee house committee, I am in charge of or have to be a part of just about everything.  But, I welcome the opportunity and am happy with how well everything turned out.  The night featured a diverse line up of entertainment from sacred to secular and even a little rhythm and blues.  Featuring members of our church as well as a few guests, the audience was Blessed with such wonderful talent. I had the privilege of directing the Victory Voices once again as we sang Instrument of Peace and Stand By Me.  Both went well and I am so thankful to the men for giving of their time and talent. We also had a few acts where the musicians took the time to talk about a funny story in their life or to speak about the love of their spouse.  Crooner Joe DeMaio, dedicated the song “Longer”  by Dan Fogelberg to his wife.  However, she was unaware that he was going to sing this as well as walk towards her as he was singing ending with the lyric “I’m so in love, with you” followed by a kiss! How romantic!! Then we had Sam Bodder who grew up with his grandfather singing the very funny song “Pretty Little Dear “ from 1927, which spoke of a gentlemen’s girlfriend who had a very healthy appetite! Considering it was humor of the 20’s, the way he told the story was classic and well loved by the audience.

The highlight of the night was how we ended it.  Advertising in the program as “guests from Chicago” we featured Jeff Barrows and Jerry Crivellaro teaming up to be Jake and Elwood Blues of the Blues Brothers to sing Soul Man. Of course, the lyrics were changed a bit to reflect the term Soul Man and to tie-it in with our church. Since no one had any idea this was going to happen, it was a surprise and by far the best moment of the evening. To see two husky guys over 6ft tall moving and dancing around like their fellow mentors was hilarious and awesome.  The fact that this was so unexpected is what really made their act. Yes, they sang well, but, here you have two Board of Trustee Members in a role that you would not expect.  It was priceless.

Similar to our first event, we had plenty of food for everyone. From hoagies and chicken sandwiches to hot pretzels and desserts, there was something for everyone and plenty to go around.  What we did have this year which was really neat was a red carpet style photo booth in our lobby.  Anyone who came in could have their picture taken in front of a classy screen well lit by photography lighting.  We also had plenty of props, both serious and fun, if you wanted to pick up a fake mustache or a pair of funny glasses. Many photos were taken ranging from nice family pics to humorous outtakes.  It was really a nice addition to our event and everyone seemed generally happy to oblige.

It was always my vision to offer an event for the church that can bring people in and create a sense of togetherness, outreach and community all while keeping the focus on the Lord.  I really feel this event accomplished that.  I have seen where some groups will focus solely on witnessing for the Lord to guests before they have even made a connection with them.  For some, this method may work. However, my desire is to bring everyone in to have a fun night and allow them to feel comfortable and at home in our church.  I don’t want anyone to feel like we only wanted them there because we thought we could get them to become members. Not the case at all. If we don’t make personal connections and relationships first, none of that can really happen anyway.  With the entertainment, food, photo booth and general enjoyment of the night, our church is experiencing two things. We are seeing great attendance at our newly discovered social events as well as inviting others and sharing our building, family and fellowship with others.  Since the church never had anything like this, both events have proven that people will come out to socialize with their friends all while realizing we are in church and it is because of the Lord that we are all there!

Hopefully we can keep this moving forward and maybe we can see you at the next one!