why did hagey tours close

The Arrowhead

The Student News Site of Souderton Area High School

Hagey ‘steers away’ and closes doors after more than eight decades

From Souderton all the way to Canada, Hagey has provided informational tours and comfortable transportation. “After 84 years of offering the finest in motor coach tours, Hagey Coach & Tours is permanently closing its doors,” Hagey’s official goodbye message, posted on their website, said. Teachers have used Hagey for a long time for field trips, concerts, and much more. Hagey gave passengers a “comfortable experience” and made a “huge influence” on the community. “[The seating] is comfortable…you sit up higher, it’s climate-controlled, and [there is] wifi capacity. Come on, what kid isn’t on their phone?” French teacher Anne Fitch said. Indian Crest choir teacher Michelle Clausz was always impressed with how easy it was to transport instruments. “They have a lot of cargo space for all the music equipment,” Clauzs said. According to Clauzs, through Hagey, family traditions were formed. as families were able to form traditions of going to the same place each year by taking the bus. According to Fitch, Hagey also made it easier for exchange students to travel back and forth. “I worked [in] conjunction with a third-party for my entire career of bringing exchange students over from France. There was a student named Allen Cane and he used Hagey a lot,” Fitch said. Without Hagey, exchange students like Cane will have to look for new means of transportation. Cane would use Hagey to attend “excursions with both the American [students] and the French [students,]” Fitch said.

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A Hagey bus is taking its last tour--Clarence Hagey founded the company 84 years ago

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A Hagey bus is taking its last tour--Clarence Hagey founded the company 84 years ago

After shuttling hundreds of thousands of passengers over millions of miles throughout the United States and Canada to see Broadway shows, visit museums, attend rallies, and watch sporting events, the venerable Hagey Coach & Tours company is shutting down later this month, another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It might be a little virus,” says general manager Brian Hagey, who has spent most of his adult life working for the company founded by his grandfather in 1936. “But it sure packs a powerful punch.” Hagey found out just how powerful in mid-March when the company was ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf to shut down to help stop the virus from spreading. The news didn’t come as a complete surprise to Hagey. Despite a strong first two months, even as warnings of a deadly virus spread, Hagey had a feeling the travel industry would be in trouble. “It was not good,” he recalls. Once it became clear the shutdown would be indefinite, the company canceled hundreds of trips and began refunding customers. And even when the shutdown was lifted in July, the company had trouble filling its trips even to the state’s half capacity requirement. “People were still frightened,” says Bob Bergey, a long-time driver with Hagey. And it hasn’t gotten much better since then, prompting the difficult decision to cease operations for the company founded 84 years ago when Clarence Hagey was paid $1.50 a day to bus students from their neighborhoods to consolidated schools in Souderton.

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Hagey Coach & Tours

Mar 1, 2021 | announcements.

The BCSO wishes all the best to the Hagey family, long-time concert sponsors, who recently closed the Hagey Coach & Tours portion of their business after serving the community for 84 years. Hagey Coach & Tours, Linda Hagey and her late husband, Donald, have donated generously for many years to support our concert programming, particularly the Family Concert that benefits hundreds young musicians in our community each year.

Our best wishes to Linda, a true Friend of the Symphony; we look forward to seeing her once again when our concerts are able to resume.

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At last, Margaret Hague hospital, birthplace of thousands, is reborn

• Updated: Apr. 16, 2016, 12:30 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 16, 2016, 11:30 a.m.
• Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

JERSEY CITY  -- Named for the mother of longtime Jersey City mayor and political boss Frank "I am the law" Hague , the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital opened in October 1931 , and was the birthplace of more than 300,000 babies, including Matha Stewart, former Gov. Jim McGreevey, and Frank Sinatra's kids. But the hospital, part of the old Jersey City Medical Center complex, closed its doors for good in 1979, and for decades was an abandoned white elephant on high ground overlooking downtown, it's windows broken and copper plumbing hauled off by scavengers. The grand, beau arts hospital was so run-down, such a sad curiosity, that it was used by novelist Richard Price in his 1992 best seller,  "Clockers,"  as a symbol of urban decay.

But now, at the ripe old age of 85, the former maternity hospital is being reborn as a luxury apartment building, the last of eight medical center structures to be restored and repurposed as a residential community known as The Beacon .

"This is truly an historic milestone," said John Masso, who manages entire The Beacon complex. To mark the occasion, The Beacon's developer, Stamford, Conn.-based Building and Land Technology, or BLT, will host a "Beacon Birthday" celebration on Saturday, where local officials, nurses who worked at the hospital, and possibly former babies who were born there will be in attendance.

"I was born there!" said Bill Matsikoudis, 44, a former Jersey City Corporation Council and one-time resident of the Beacon, who moved out a couple of years ago but not because he didn't enjoy living there. Of the Margaret Hague in particular, he said, "It's wonderful that it's coming back as a place for people to live." The new Margaret Hague, rechristened simply as "Hague," will add another 241 one and two bedroom apartments to the mainly art deco Beacon complex, where a cluster of buildings ranging from eight to 22 stories overlook much of the city from a promontory on Montgomery Street at Baldwin Avenue. Rents at Hague start at $1,595 for one bedroom, plus common amenities inside and out of the building that include courtyards with fountains and grills, a one-acre landscaped plaza with a view of New York City, a two-acre park with a dog run, a movie theater, and a "poker room" adapted from Frank Hague's personal quarters at the old medical center, where residents can cut their own back-room deals, or juts play a few hands of five-card stud.  Hague's rebirth as housing is fitting in a way, since a founding principal of what at the time was one of the nation's most progressive hospitals was to make its patients feel at home.

"It was very important that the hospital have a warm, 'homey' feeling and not the bleak, institutional feeling of so many buildings of the day," states the web site of the  Margaret Hague Foundation . "The interiors were a first for a major hospital at that time. Nowhere was white paint used. The walls were painted in light and warm pastel colors. The feeling of home extended beyond the physical features as well. To ensure that the human element prevailed, rather than imposing strict visiting hours, anxious fathers could visit at any time when the mothers were able to receive them, even in the early morning hours, before work began."

Those colors are recreated in today's Hague, including a tan and pale green scheme in some of the units, which compliment the dark stain of Hague's faux-wood vinyl floors, a material the management says will be easy to maintain. The architect for the restoration was MG New York Architects. BLT bought the 14-acre Beacon site in 2011,  paying $47 million to its original developer, George Filopoulos , a New Jersey-based developer who had purchased it six years earlier for just $7 million from the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority, after the medical center moved to its current location in a new complex on Grand Street. Filopoulos spent more than $100 million on restoring the complex and converting it to apartments, some of which he sold as condominiums, before the recession forced him to sell all but a small portion of the site to BLT.

The Beacon has received incentives including a 30-year tax abatement and federal tax breaks because the medical center, one of the nation's first municipally operated public hospitals, is national historic site being preserved through an adaptive reuse.

BLT's Masso, is a 6-foot-3, 350-pound pillar of the community who not only works there, but is a resident as well, with an apartment in a building called the Criterion.

Masso's become engrossed in the site's history, particularly Hague's former life as a maternity hospital.

"That's why we're calling it the Beacon Birthday," he said of Saturday's event. "Because we're playing off the fact that it was a maternity ward where 350,000 people were born here, and by finishing this piece last we're actually, for me, giving birth to the Beacon. Saturday we're announcing, hey were done with all of our construction, our outdoor construction, and now we're going to grow. We're going start to fill all the apartments and just be that community we've trying to get to."

Masso is not only manages the Beacon complex, he also lives there. And when he talks about building community among the tenants, he sounds like he's talking about more than his job. "We're always trying to add new things for residents, we're always continuing to grow," he said. "I think in the last six months we've added, probably, a dozen different amenities to the site. And one of the big things we've accomplished is community events. Last Sunday we had an art show. Last month we had three or four different resident events. We're starting to get 100, 150 people, which is unheard of. For the birthday parties, were using local vendors to supply stuff for us. For the food we're using local food trucks, local business. So we want to try to build relationships with Jersey City businesses, as well as help build a relationship with our neighbors. "     Because the Margaret Hague and other Beacon buildings were not originally built to house apartments, in addition to going up eight or nine decades ago, their layouts awe widely varied, often unique, as opposed to the uniformity of units in most contemporary structures. "This, to me, is what's so cool about adaptive re-use," said George Cahn, a spokesman for the developer.  The costliest unit at the Margaret Hague, a 2,500-square-foot penthouse triplex for $8,000 a month, which seems ideal for entertaining. The third floor of the apartment inherited a pair of huge terraces from the old maternity hospital, where during a recent tour on a clear day it wasn't hard to imagine new mothers introducing infants to their first taste of sunshine and fresh air.   On one side of the unit's open, U-shape third floor, a terrace measuring about 350 square feet lets residents and guests take in sunsets over the Watchung Mountains to the west, with an equally unobstructed view of New York Harbor to the south, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.   The slightly smaller terrace on the east side allows for gazing out over downtown Jersey City and Manhattan. Imagine a party that opens with a sunset on one side, capped by the sunrise at the other.  The one, two and three-bedroom apartments are less grand, but come with their own unique layouts. Throughout the building, the windows are huge and plentiful. "You would never be able to get a space like this in a building now," Cahn said, walking through the marble lobby, with its original terrazzo floors and brass fixtures. "They are able to take unique spaces that you just couldn't replicate." Steve Strunsky may be reached at  [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter  @SteveStrunsky . Find  NJ.com on Facebook.

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Taylor Swift Performs Night 2 of London Eras Tour: Here's Every Celebrity In Attendance So Far

Taylor swift rips open her dress during eras tour wardrobe malfunction, monica on bonding with ariana grande through 'the boy is mine' remix process (exclusive), why eddie murphy’s daughter bria was worried she would hurt dad during filming (exclusive), betsy brandt reveals ‘breaking bad’ secret as she brings ‘the bad orphan’ to lifetime (exclusive), june squibb remembers late ‘thelma’ co-star richard roundtree (exclusive), see 'the golden bachelorette's joan vassos as an extra in 'st. elmo's fire' (exclusive), how eddie murphy was left 'traumatized' by original 'beverly hills cop' (exclusive), ben affleck admits he and his kids are stunned by j.lo's level of fame, why kevin costner officially exited ‘yellowstone’, heidi klum leaves ‘hot ones’ host shocked after stripping down mid-interview, watch bronson pinchot hit the 'beverly hills cop: axel f' premiere in character as serge (exclusive), taylor swift fights fire with gracie abrams in her nyc apartment, jerry bruckheimer on 'top gun' and 'pirates of the caribbean' sequel updates (exclusive), monica on how ariana grande's ‘the boy is mine’ remix changed her friendship with brandy (exclusive), 'hawaii five-0' and 'magnum p.i' actor taylor wily dead at 56, eddie murphy on why he thinks martin lawrence should pay for their kids' wedding (exclusive), joseph gordon-levitt still shocked by ‘10 things i hate about you’ fan reaction 25 years later, 'little people, big world's tori roloff says her dad initially didn't approve of husband zach, 'perfect match's jess vestal and harry jowsey reflect on romance and why it didn't work (exclusive), kevin costner confirms he's not returning to 'yellowstone', kevin bacon hasn’t been to the oscars since 'footloose' fame in 1984 (exclusive), et will be updating this post with all the stars at taylor swift's wembley stadium shows in london..

Taylor Swift 's Eras Tour stop in London is officially in full swing, and the celebrity Swifties are showing up and out!

On Saturday, June 22, the 34-year-old "London Boy" crooner, yet again, drew a bevy of celebrities for Night 2 of her three-night stop, with Mete and Paramore were the opening acts, at Wembley Stadium. She had already welcomed an estimated 80,000 concertgoers from across the world for Night 1, including some royals and other notable figures and fans of the 14-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist. Given Swift's connection to the U.K. capital -- she lived in London on and off with Joe Alwyn , her ex-boyfriend of six years -- it's no surprise just how many friends turned out. 

While she may have said "So Long, London" in one song off her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department , she is back and better than ever. For the Saturday show, the likes of Tom Cruise, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Liam Hemsworth showed up to support Swift.

Ditto for Travis, Jason and Kylie Kelce, all of whom returned after having a blast in the VIP tent Friday night, alongside Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

Those who miss out on the first London leg (featuring  chicken tenders with seemingly ranch ) will have a chance to catch the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium in August, when Swift returns for five more shows before she officially heads back to the U.S. for tour dates in New Orleans, Miami and Indianapolis. 

Until then, check out the full list of celebs below who made it to Swift's first Eras Tour stop in London. 

Cara Delevingne

Nicola Coughlin

Jonathan Van Ness 

Jason and Kylie Kelce

Travis Kelce

Scott and Andrea Swift (Taylor's parents)

Salma Hayek (slide four)

Leslie Mann (slide seven)

Prince William and his children

William and the royal kiddos -- Prince George and 10, Princess Charlotte -- made an appearance at the show. The concert fell on William's 42nd birthday, who celebrated by dancing to Swift's hit "Shake It Off." As a special treat, Swift and her boyfriend,  Travis Kelce , who also attended the show, had a private meet and greet with the royals backstage. 

Swift later went back to that same IG post and tagged Kelce, the first time she's done that.

Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson

He's back and ready for another singalong.

They're baaaaaack!

The Mission: Impossible was all smiles at Swift's show Saturday night in London.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher

The wife-husband tandem also couldn't contain their smiles.

Liam Hemsworth

Greta Gerwig

Rachel Zegler

Swift is no stranger to big names in the crowd. In August, during her Eras Tour stop in Los Angeles , her VIP tent saw friend after friend enter, including Selena Gomez, Mindy Kaling, Charlize Theron, Emma Stone, Channing Tatum and Kevin Costner, among many others. Since then, her No. 1 VIP has been No. 87 on the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce , who Swift  began dating in late (not so cruel) summer  of last year.

In May, Kelce  attended Swift's 87th Eras Tour show , which just so happened to occur in the City of Love -- Paris, France. Coincidence or is she a mastermind ? Regardless, Kelce was accompanied by her close friends, Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper , while her mom,  Andrea Swift , and  Lenny Kravitz  were also in attendance. 

After a two-month break from the end of February to early May, Swift resumed her record-breaking world tour in Nanterre, France, and has visited Sweden, Portugal and Scotland in the weeks since, making each show with unique surprise songs -- including the recently debuted " murder mashup " and " diss track mashup. "

Sadly, Swift recently used her 100th show to announce that the Eras Tour will officially conclude  in December as she finishes out the two-year spanning undertaking in Vancouver, Canada -- the hometown of her good friend, Ryan Reynolds , who we predict will absolutely be present. 

For more headlines from the Eras Tour, check out the links below.

ET NEWSLETTER

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3 warnings in effect for 5 counties in the area

Ask 2: why did six flags astroworld close when will houston get another theme park.

Ana Gonzalez , Digital Content Producer

HOUSTON – At KPRC 2, we’re dedicated to keeping Houstonians informed. As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston.

Question: Why did Six Flags AstroWorld closed? When will Houston get another theme park?

Answer: On Oct. 30, 2005, Six Flags AstroWorld closed their gates for good, leaving Houston a hole in the heart of the city.

According to HighSnobiety and Houstonia Magazine , Six Flags cited various issues that lead to the park’s closure, including parking issues with NRG Park, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, and the Houston Texans. AstroWorld’s performance was also a factor in the closure.

While many of its coasters and rides were moved or stored in other theme parks, the empty land on the 610 South Loop is now used as additional parking and hosting music festivals. The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo bought 48 acres of the space in 2012, according to Houstonia Magazine.

In 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted that he was working to bring “a theme park like AstroWorld” back to Houston, after the huge success of Houston rapper Travis Scott’s AstroWorld music festival in its second year. Since then, no other plans have surfaced.

Do you have a question? Send it our way, and we will try to hunt down an answer.

Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

About the Author

Ana gonzalez.

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.

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But fans say the event attended by major hip-hop figures and LA gang members was more than a victory lap from Lamar. 

Kendrick Lamar cemented his win in his rap beef with Drake at an LA show on Wednesday where he performed a diss track five times, surrounded by rap legends.

But the Juneteenth concert wasn't just a victory lap, with fans viewing it as an iconic moment in hip-hop history and an important attempt to unite the fractured West Coast .

The sold-out, one-off show, "The Pop Out: Ken & Friends" — which was streamed live on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch — was Lamar's hotly anticipated first performance since his beef with Drake unfolded earlier this year.

After the pair released a series of back-to-back diss tracks in April and May, Lamar was viewed as the winner after "Not Like Us" topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for one week in May and has been in the top 10 ever since. Drake's response, "The Heart Part 6" wasn't enough to beat Lamar.

When both artists went quiet, fans were left wondering what would happen next.

Lamar didn't disappoint with "The Pop Out," where he performed four of his five Drake diss tracks, opening with "Euphoria." Later came his diss verses on "6:16" and "Like That," and he ended the night with "Not Like Us," featuring an intro from West Coast hip-hop legend Dr Dre , who joined him on stage.

Lamar then performed "Not Like Us" four more times alongside numerous West Coast rappers, athletes, dancers, and members from multiple Los Angeles gangs. At the end, they took a group photo together.

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Fans said the concert was the equivalent of Lamar getting the West Coast to dance on Drake's grave, and proof that the hip-hop community supports him.

Kendrick doing this on the heels of killin Drake knowing the whole world would tune into him doing a victory lap on his grave, just to have the first hour be local rappers and Tommy the Clown and his next generation of dancers for 20 minutes is fucking hilarious and AMAZING — Big Boss 🇵🇸 (@LordBalvin) June 20, 2024

Drake really pissed KDot off so bad he formed the Rap Coalition of Hate, they did a dance circle on his grave, and took a family photo like 😘✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/elcJmQMok4 — Riana Manuel-Peña 💜 (@RianaTweetsNow) June 20, 2024

DEMAR DEROZAN WESTBROOK KENDRICK YG MISCELLANEOUS GANG MEMBERS KENDRICK GOT THE WHOLE WEST COAST ON STAGE DANCING ON DRAKE GRAVE BRUH LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHAT THE FUCK pic.twitter.com/f0Yh1qWjTf — Big Boss 🇵🇸 (@LordBalvin) June 20, 2024

But they also appreciated the cultural significance of the show, with one X user describing it as " one of the most historic nights in hip-hop history ."

While fans have focused a lot on the unsubstantiated allegations of sexual assault, pedophilia, and domestic abuse in the pair's diss tracks, the battle was truly about authenticity.

In "Not Like Us," Lamar calls Drake, who is Canadian, a "colonizer" of rap culture, claiming he stole his persona from artists like Future , Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo, and 2Chainz.

In "Family Matters" and "Push Ups," Drake calls Lamar, who raps about race and societal issues , a fake activist and says his hometown, Compton, California, doesn't support him.

Lamar challenged that idea by showcasing up-and-coming West Coast rappers and performing with major Californian hip-hop stars including Tyler The Creator, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, and Dr. Dre, while the crowd was filled with stars including LeBron James .

Lamar didn't just bring all of these artists together to mock Drake, though, but to unite the West Coast.

"For all of us to be on this stage together, unity, from East side mother-fucking LA, Crips, Bloods, Pirus, this shit is special, man. We put this shit together just for ya'll," Lamar said in between the "Not Like Us" encores, referring to rival gang members onstage.

"This shit ain't got nothing to do with no song at this point, ain't got nothing to do with no back and forth records, it's got everything to do with this moment right here. That's what this shit was about, to bring all of us to-mother-fucking-gether," he added.

Lamar also paid tribute to late rapper Nipsey Hussle , former NBA star Kobe Bryant , and Californians who have lost their lives to violence.

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Here's What Really Caused The Downfall of Warped Tour

Founder Kevin Lyman explains how the scene that built Warped Tour ripped the festival apart from within.

It's always sad when a big yearly festival or event comes to an end, and such was certainly the case with Vans Warped Tour , the massive traveling punk rock event that took the world by storm for 25 years. Sadly, 2018 was the year's last as a touring festival, with this year's three fests across the country acting as its memorial. When the fest ended, rumors circulated about what ended the festival -- most notably financial losses. But now, the man behind Warped Tour has stated that it was something much more human behind the festival's downfall -- the loss of punk rock community.

In the latest episode of Inside Track -- our podcast in which the true stories behind rock's most important moments are told by the people who lived them -- Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman explains what led to him winding down the traveling festival after 25 years.

"Ultimately, when I started to think about winding this down after 25 years, it was, ‘I think we’ve lost the sense of community,'" says Kevin. "It took a community to make Warped Tour go. Some of that was self-inflicted… I thought you addressed the fans that complain on Twitter! I was addressing everyone and tried to keep that conversation going, but you realize that you can’t really negotiate, debate, or educate on social media!"

Not only did Kevin find that the unity that built Warped Tour was no longer present, but preconceived notions about bands resulted in great musicians turning down the gig, lest they come off as a "Warped" act.

"This is what kind of pissed me off," says Kevin. "Because in 1997, ‘98, Pennywise couldn’t judge a band until you met ‘em in the parking lot. You’d be in line at catering because of this community setting with no dressing rooms. You’d meet these people, and they were musicians too. Then I started watching this community tear itself apart from within, with this band — not even meeting these people, just disagreeing with them or with how they look — bashing that band online.

"People would come up to me on Warped Tour, and say, ‘Well, I don’t want to be on Warped Tour because Attila are on Warped Tour,’" he continues. "Have you met the guys in Attila? We’re not here to judge each other’s music. The fans will judge each other’s music.’ Atilla brings people. Do I personally run around screaming ‘Suck my fuck?’ No. Do you? No. But they’re good musicians and they’re not bad people. I’ve never seen them do a bad thing to someone."

"Every year, I’d send offers, and just — ‘We don’t want to tour with those bands. We don’t wanna be a Warped-esque bands,'" sighs Lyman. And it’s like, dude, Warped-esque bands — you mean Bad Religion . A Day To Remember . Paramore … it got very frustrating."

Listen to the full episode below:

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Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega gives us a backstage portrait of New Jersey's Warped Tour festival.

More Bands Have Been Announced For This Year's Warped Tour

ONE OK ROCK, The Used, The Story So Far, Yungblud and more have joined Warped Tour's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Kevin Lyman Tried To Get My Chemical Romance To Play Warped Tour 2019

The founder of the Vans Warped Tour put in the request for My Chemical Romance…

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