Good morning, neighbors. 👋

Happy August! Have teacher friends/family? You should check in with them (including me 🙃). Here are a few local things I thought were worth sharing this morning.

🏫 School Board Meets Tonight

The Upper Merion Area School Board meets Monday evening for its regular public business meeting. While the district received township approval for the Walker Field tennis court project on June 11, the published agenda does not include a specific update on the project. However, the Upper Merion Area Spotlight has learned that district officials are expected to provide an update during the meeting. District officials previously said they hoped construction could begin this fall, but no revised timeline or public progress update has been shared since the project received township approval.

🕧 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM |📍Upper Merion Area Middle School, 450 Keebler Rd, King of Prussia, PA 19406, USA - Auditoirium

🛍️ Hobby Lobby to Close King of Prussia Store

Hobby Lobby's King of Prussia location is expected to close August 22, according to information shared with customers by store employees. Operations from the DeKalb Plaza store are reportedly being shifted to support a new location in the Allentown/Lehigh Valley region. For local shoppers, the next closest Hobby Lobby stores are in Springfield and Horsham.

Rumors have also circulated that neighboring Lakeshore Learning is closing. At this point, however, the Upper Merion Area Spotlight has not been able to independently confirm those claims, and employees tell shoppers that, to the best of their knowledge, the store is not closing.

🤝 Looking to Connect With Your Community?

I recently launched Community Chat, a new space where Spotlight readers can connect, find their people, join a local club, ask questions, share recommendations and talk about life around the Upper Merion Area.

More than 100 locals have already joined, and they’re currently helping decide which channels should be added first.

I’m opening it gradually as we get things rolling. If you’d like to be among the first Spotlight readers inside, come join us!

🚴 New Partnership Seeks to Close Key Gap in Regional Trail Network

A new coalition led by the King of Prussia District is working to build support for the proposed Valley Forge Gateway Trail—a 2.8-mile multi-use trail that would connect the Chester Valley Trail and Schuylkill River Trail through Upper Merion. Supporters say the project would create safer walking and biking connections between Valley Forge National Historical Park, neighborhoods, employers, shopping destinations, and the region's broader trail network. A public launch event is planned for September 2 at Recharge Park.

The new partnership builds on recent momentum for the project. In June, King of Prussia District and Upper Merion Township were awarded Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) funding to plan the seventh and final section of the proposed 2.8-mile Valley Forge Gateway Trail, connecting King of Prussia Town Center to the Chester Valley Trail.

To read more about the project—or learn how to get involved with the partnership—click here.

Thanks for spending a couple of minutes with me.

Are you hosting an event or know something that should make it in the Spotlight? Just hit Reply, I read every email.

Have a fantastic day,

Corey