Parisian Phoenix Publishing

WDVR welcomed Angel Ackerman of Parisian Phoenix Publishing, a Lehigh Valley-based small press that published more than 35 books in the last four years, to the station as host for a special one-hour tribute to the Ignatz family and Steve’s Café in Phillipsburg, N.J.

The program will air on WDVR fm (89.7) on June 21 at 4 p.m.

Ackerman “took the mic” with a special script written and music curated by Maryann Stephanie Ignatz, the fourth-generation proprietor of Steve’s Café, at 766-768 South Main Street, which celebrates its 110th anniversary this year.

Steve’s Café originated as the historic “Morris House,” a place for food and drink directly on the path of the Morris Canal, more than 100 miles of man-made waterway connecting Pennsylvania’s coal regions to Jersey City. Canals played a pivotal role in fueling the industrial revolution on the eastern seaboard before the proliferation of railroads.

The Ignatz family traces its roots with the tavern to 1915, with Maryann’s grandfather Stephen operating it as a speakeasy during Prohibition, and her father driving as a teenaged rum-runner in 1929. Maryann’s father Stephen then worked as a professional musician until his marriage in 1939 when he took over the family business. 

Steve’s Café has always been a working man’s tavern that provided a special meeting place where immigrants could socialize in their native languages. The Ignatz family also founded Phillipsburg’s Hungarian social club.

The program highlights music of the 1920s and 1930s highlighting key historical events in Steve’s Café’s past and will also feature the music of several other professional musicians connected to the family.

Ackerman used Steve’s Café on the cover of Larry Sceurman’s novella, The Death of Big Butch.