Police Chief Robert Clarke shared a vivid account of some on-the-job gardening he did in West Marlborough on Sept. 30.
"Clarkie" told me he got a call from Jamie Hicks, who was cutting corn on the west side of Newark Road across from Archie's restaurant and was surprised to find some marijuana plants in the middle of the field.
Clarkie arrived at the scene and uprooted the healthy green pot plants, the tallest of which was six and a half feet. He bundled them into garbage bags, took them back to the East Marlborough Township building and asked township roadmaster Dennis Mellinger to destroy them with a Kubota lawn mower. Dennis was glad to oblige, running over them repeatedly while Clarkie recorded the scene on his phone.
"Here's what I don't get," Clarkie mused. "They knew the corn was gonna be cut down. Why didn't they just get out there and harvest their stuff?"
(One friend of mine predicted that avid potheads would be scouring the East Marlborough Township property with their Dustbusters to scavenge the ground-up dope.)
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015
THE FAIR: Soggy and cold but still a great tradition
This year's Unionville Community Fair was cold, wet, and windy -- but still awesome in my book.
The Denim & Diamonds opening-night party had great food: mushroom soup from the Kennett Square Inn, pulled pork from Hood's BBQ, salad from Kendal/Crosslands Communities, shrimp and grits from The Gables in Chadds Ford, flatbreads from Sovana Bistro, a glorious cake by Vanessa Ross Cakes, and butlered hors d'oeuvres by Triple Fresh (with Doe Run cheese). The drinks were from Paradocx Vineyard, Victory Brewing and Waywood Beverage. Everything was so well done that it was hard to believe it was only Michele Berardi's first year running the party.
I had fun seeing my "Fair Friends," including this year's Fair honoree, Dave Salomaki. The students from the Pennock's Bridge Technical College High School who printed out the entry tags were wonderfully efficient and amusing, drinking jumbo-size energy drinks and eating Landhope subs as they worked.
The judging day was Thursday, and it was fun to watch the students from Longwood Gardens judging the flowers and vegetables, poring over the specimens as carefully as pathologists. (I got dinged for my amaranth's foliage, and my pumpkin was completely out of the ribbons.)
This year I was the volunteer director of one of the baked goods areas, and we got a terrific number of entries, most of them of high caliber. My judges, three professionals in the food industry, spent two hours taste-testing the various breads, cookies, muffins, and candies and debating their merits. They had no trouble deciding on the best-of-show winner, though: a creamy chocolate fudge that looked and tasted like heaven.
There were a couple of conspicuous absences at the Fair this year (other than the parade and rodeo, which were casualties of the Nor'Easter). We missed Vincent Sun's beautiful flowers and garden produce (he told me he felt like he was monopolizing the competition, having won the overall David J. Whenry Award several times running) and Jared Murphy's chocolate cookies (he had the nerve to age out of the contest).
Congrats to all the Fair volunteers. What a huge undertaking!
The Denim & Diamonds opening-night party had great food: mushroom soup from the Kennett Square Inn, pulled pork from Hood's BBQ, salad from Kendal/Crosslands Communities, shrimp and grits from The Gables in Chadds Ford, flatbreads from Sovana Bistro, a glorious cake by Vanessa Ross Cakes, and butlered hors d'oeuvres by Triple Fresh (with Doe Run cheese). The drinks were from Paradocx Vineyard, Victory Brewing and Waywood Beverage. Everything was so well done that it was hard to believe it was only Michele Berardi's first year running the party.
I had fun seeing my "Fair Friends," including this year's Fair honoree, Dave Salomaki. The students from the Pennock's Bridge Technical College High School who printed out the entry tags were wonderfully efficient and amusing, drinking jumbo-size energy drinks and eating Landhope subs as they worked.
The judging day was Thursday, and it was fun to watch the students from Longwood Gardens judging the flowers and vegetables, poring over the specimens as carefully as pathologists. (I got dinged for my amaranth's foliage, and my pumpkin was completely out of the ribbons.)
This year I was the volunteer director of one of the baked goods areas, and we got a terrific number of entries, most of them of high caliber. My judges, three professionals in the food industry, spent two hours taste-testing the various breads, cookies, muffins, and candies and debating their merits. They had no trouble deciding on the best-of-show winner, though: a creamy chocolate fudge that looked and tasted like heaven.
There were a couple of conspicuous absences at the Fair this year (other than the parade and rodeo, which were casualties of the Nor'Easter). We missed Vincent Sun's beautiful flowers and garden produce (he told me he felt like he was monopolizing the competition, having won the overall David J. Whenry Award several times running) and Jared Murphy's chocolate cookies (he had the nerve to age out of the contest).
Congrats to all the Fair volunteers. What a huge undertaking!
EAST MARLBOROUGH: The beginnings of the "Walnut Walk" development
The old mushroom houses in the 500 block of North Walnut Street, East Marlborough Township, are now just a pile of rubble, razed to make way for "Walnut Walk," a Bentley Homes townhouse development. There's a marketing trailer on the site now. According to the website, prices start at $350,000 and the first new units are expected to be complete in early 2016.
The website mentions the development's proximity to downtown Kennett Square, the Kennett Golf & Country Club, Anson B. Nixon Park, Longwood Gardens, and the Galer Estate Vineyard, as well as the fact that it's in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.
The website mentions the development's proximity to downtown Kennett Square, the Kennett Golf & Country Club, Anson B. Nixon Park, Longwood Gardens, and the Galer Estate Vineyard, as well as the fact that it's in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.
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| Mushroom houses were razed to make room for the "Walnut Walk" development. |
LONGWOOD: An outpouring of love for Belin
I want to share with you a few of the sweet comments I've received about Belin, the beloved "ambassador cat" at Longwood Gardens, who died on Sept. 23. Belin made his home in the Peirce-du Pont House.
1. "I used to give Belin a belly scratch every morning on my walk. I thought maybe he was spending some leisure time in the house on one of his favorite pieces of furniture. I'll miss you old buddy."
2. "Belin, we have five wonderful cats. We know all about all the different kinds of cat personalities. You were something special, Belin. We'll never forget you. You will be missed❤️."
3. "I loved that guy. He reminded me of my Jackson Browne tabby that I lost almost 7 years ago. RIP, Belin, I'm glad you didn't suffer. You brought a lot of joy to LG visitors."
4. "Belin would saunter over and hang out with me while I worked. Another great cat for me to be glad I met."
5. "Such a lovely part of the Longwood experience! Peace, Belin."
1. "I used to give Belin a belly scratch every morning on my walk. I thought maybe he was spending some leisure time in the house on one of his favorite pieces of furniture. I'll miss you old buddy."
2. "Belin, we have five wonderful cats. We know all about all the different kinds of cat personalities. You were something special, Belin. We'll never forget you. You will be missed❤️."
3. "I loved that guy. He reminded me of my Jackson Browne tabby that I lost almost 7 years ago. RIP, Belin, I'm glad you didn't suffer. You brought a lot of joy to LG visitors."
4. "Belin would saunter over and hang out with me while I worked. Another great cat for me to be glad I met."
5. "Such a lovely part of the Longwood experience! Peace, Belin."
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| Belin, the beloved Longwood Gardens cat, died Sept. 23. |
ADDICTION: A memorial service for a friend's husband
On Friday night I went to a moving memorial service for a friend's husband, and I was glad the speakers didn't shy away from talking about the illness that killed him at age 59: alcoholism. Fortunately the stigma of alcoholism has been reduced these days: I remember when newspaper stories would refer to someone as "an admitted alcoholic," as if it was some kind of an embarrassing moral failing rather than a devastating addictive disease.
One of the speakers at the service urged those present to contact someone if they thought they might have a drinking problem -- perhaps their physician or a self-help group like AA. "You are not alone," he said, emotion breaking through his words as he talked about the critical importance of seeking support.
One of the speakers at the service urged those present to contact someone if they thought they might have a drinking problem -- perhaps their physician or a self-help group like AA. "You are not alone," he said, emotion breaking through his words as he talked about the critical importance of seeking support.
PERKINS: A fundraiser to benefit the East Marlborough Auxiliary
Marie O'Brien asked me to share this information about a fundraiser at Perkins restaurant in Avondale that the East Marlborough Auxiliary of the Chester County Hospital is sponsoring. It will be on Monday, October 19, from 4 to 8
p.m.
"We'd love for lots and lots of folks to come out and enjoy dinner at Perkins that evening," she writes. "Cost is just the normal cost of dinner. Not a dime extra!! All you have to do is let your waitress know that you are there to support the Chester County Hospital, and Perkins will donate a portion of their profit to the hospital."
Marie also adds that "the Auxiliary is open to new members. We'd love for folks to join the organization, make new friends and participate in activities to support the hospital. Anyone interested in joining the Auxiliary can call Pres. Barbara Roney. She can be reached at 610 444-1402."
"We'd love for lots and lots of folks to come out and enjoy dinner at Perkins that evening," she writes. "Cost is just the normal cost of dinner. Not a dime extra!! All you have to do is let your waitress know that you are there to support the Chester County Hospital, and Perkins will donate a portion of their profit to the hospital."
Marie also adds that "the Auxiliary is open to new members. We'd love for folks to join the organization, make new friends and participate in activities to support the hospital. Anyone interested in joining the Auxiliary can call Pres. Barbara Roney. She can be reached at 610 444-1402."
Saturday, October 3, 2015
EMAIL: Premature patting myself on the back
At breakfast the other day I was bragging to a friend that I'd received a nice compliment from a business associate: he said I was always incredibly prompt at responding to emails, even if I just send a confirmation that the email has been received.
Then I got home and found an email from my friend Amy: she "just wanted to check" if I had received the email she'd sent the previous week about RSVPing to a social event. I had received it. I hadn't replied.
I thanked her for shrinking my ego back to a more appropriate size.
Then I got home and found an email from my friend Amy: she "just wanted to check" if I had received the email she'd sent the previous week about RSVPing to a social event. I had received it. I hadn't replied.
I thanked her for shrinking my ego back to a more appropriate size.
LIBRARY: Study shows a profound mistrust of the library board
I've gotten some complaints that I've been too hard on the Bayard Taylor Library board: after all, they're volunteers, doing their best, the argument goes.
Compared to some of the comments made in the feasibility study commissioned by the Board, I sound like a fawning yes-woman.
"People who move into an area have their own opinions and seek to impose their beliefs without much in-depth sensitivity as to what the BTL meant to the community. They don't have a clue," said one person who was interviewed.
"People love a winner. And the library has loser written all over it," commented another.
Even the firm that did the survey, MacIntyre Associates, said, in an underlined paragraph, "The comments we recorded point to a perception among respondents that the Kennett Public Library's volunteer leadership has not kept in touch with its base of support and has not partnered with the communities it serves to fulfill the "public" part of its mission and its societal contract."
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping sentence came in the recommendations section of the report: "The current Board President and Vice-President need to consider withdrawing from Board leadership."
Wow. That's a gutsy statement to make to the people who are signing your paycheck!
The Board, in its cover letter to the study, said that people who wanted to read the report would have to come into the library and read a copy that was there; it emailed a copy only to the municipalities in its service area. So much for the consultant's strong recommendation for "a massive communications strategy" with the public! However, I managed to get a PDF copy and put it up online for your convenience: https://www.scribd.com/doc/283377453/Kennett-Public-Library-Feasibility-Study-Redacted
(The "redacted" means they took out people's names.)
Compared to some of the comments made in the feasibility study commissioned by the Board, I sound like a fawning yes-woman.
"People who move into an area have their own opinions and seek to impose their beliefs without much in-depth sensitivity as to what the BTL meant to the community. They don't have a clue," said one person who was interviewed.
"People love a winner. And the library has loser written all over it," commented another.
Even the firm that did the survey, MacIntyre Associates, said, in an underlined paragraph, "The comments we recorded point to a perception among respondents that the Kennett Public Library's volunteer leadership has not kept in touch with its base of support and has not partnered with the communities it serves to fulfill the "public" part of its mission and its societal contract."
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping sentence came in the recommendations section of the report: "The current Board President and Vice-President need to consider withdrawing from Board leadership."
Wow. That's a gutsy statement to make to the people who are signing your paycheck!
The Board, in its cover letter to the study, said that people who wanted to read the report would have to come into the library and read a copy that was there; it emailed a copy only to the municipalities in its service area. So much for the consultant's strong recommendation for "a massive communications strategy" with the public! However, I managed to get a PDF copy and put it up online for your convenience: https://www.scribd.com/doc/283377453/Kennett-Public-Library-Feasibility-Study-Redacted
(The "redacted" means they took out people's names.)
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| Oh, the irony! The Board is trying to strip "Bayard Taylor" from the Library's name. |
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