The Natural Lands Trust threw an amazing outdoor gala on Saturday, June 15, to celebrate the opening of the Lenfest Center, its new headquarters at the 1,263-acre ChesLen Preserve off Route 162 and Cannery Road (named for the old Mastrippolito mushroom-canning factory) in Newlin Township.
Lots of my Unionville friends and neighbors were on hand to pay tribute to Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest, whose generosity helped to establish the nature preserve and erect the headquarters. After a "flash mob"-style chorus gathered everyone's attention by singing "Moondance," Molly Morrison, president of the Trust, gave a speech thanking the Lenfests and outlining the preserve's history.
While we were eating, drinking and chit-chatting, several hot-air balloons from the balloon fest at Plantation Field floated by. After the week's dramatic weather, we were fortunate to enjoy a calm, beautiful evening.
On the menu was delicious paella, chicken and sausage from local farms, fried plantains and rice and beans, mini-burgers, mushroom dumplings, bruschetta -- and I'm sure I didn't get to all the food stations. For dessert there were made-on-the-spot s'mores (terrific, but talk about sticky fingers!), fancy water-ices and strawberry rhubarb pie, with cappuccino shooters.
Well done, co-chairs Jeb Hannum and Katharine Maroney! And thanks for the invitation, Kirsten Werner.
The ChesLen preserve is open to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk seven days a week. There's an excellent map showing the hiking trails and places of interest. I will definitely put it on my list to explore.
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