The Wednesday-night concerts at Anson B. Nixon Park have been really enjoyable so far this summer. On July 4th a big crowd turned out for the Hoppin' John Orchestra, who played New Orleans-style tunes, and the audience was just as big for Hurricane Hoss's Western swing this past Wednesday.
There's always a food vendor (or you can bring your own picnic) and ice cream from La Michoacana. Admission is free, and the concerts start promptly at 7 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. Kids and leashed dogs are welcome, and there are always plenty of both.
At the July 11 show one audience member brought along her hula hoops and amazed us with her skills. She kept the hoop going not only around her waist, and with apparently minimal effort, but around her back and legs and up one arm and then the other. There for a while she even had two hoops going!
I'll can't guarantee she'll return, but here's the schedule for the remaining shows:
July 18: Matt Cappy Quintet
July 25: Will Power (tribute to Tower of Power and James Brown)
August 1: Apache Trails
August 8: Radio Free Honduras
Saturday, July 14, 2018
VACATIONS: Off to Havana
A lot of locals are heading to their usual summer retreats like the Jersey shore, the Adirondacks and the Maine coast, but a few people are going farther afield.
Two friends are in Alaska photographing wildlife, and another is embarking this weekend on a cruise to Cuba. The latter acknowledged that she tends to be "a break-the-rules kind of girl" but assured me that on this trip she will utterly and completely toe the line. And did I want her to bring back any rum or cigars?
Two friends are in Alaska photographing wildlife, and another is embarking this weekend on a cruise to Cuba. The latter acknowledged that she tends to be "a break-the-rules kind of girl" but assured me that on this trip she will utterly and completely toe the line. And did I want her to bring back any rum or cigars?
MUSICAL: From Gary, Indiana, to Kennett Square
The Brandywiners, Ltd. are presenting "The Music Man" at the outdoor theater at Longwood Gardens at 8 p.m. on July 26, 27, and 28 and August 2, 3, and 4.
"The Music Man" has a special place in my heart because it was my senior-year musical in high school. I've been watching some videos of the Brandywiners' rehearsals and I'm amazed how quickly the show is coming together (unlike the production I was involved in, where the director would regularly bellow in frustration, "You people waste SO MUCH TIME!").
You can buy your tickets online at the Brandywiners' website, or you can download an order form and mail it in.
I will try my darnedest to be a good audience member and not to sing along, but it will be tough.
"The Music Man" has a special place in my heart because it was my senior-year musical in high school. I've been watching some videos of the Brandywiners' rehearsals and I'm amazed how quickly the show is coming together (unlike the production I was involved in, where the director would regularly bellow in frustration, "You people waste SO MUCH TIME!").
You can buy your tickets online at the Brandywiners' website, or you can download an order form and mail it in.
I will try my darnedest to be a good audience member and not to sing along, but it will be tough.
COLLEGE LIFE: Move-in day
It's only mid-July, but I just received a Bed Bath & Beyond "Get Campus Ready" circular, full of today's dorm-room necessities like coffee makers, power strips and device-charging units. BB&B offers a practical service where you can order all your items and have them held for pickup at a store near your kid's campus. This was a huge help to my sister, who lives in Minnesota and whose children went to college on opposite coasts (Harvard and Stanford).
Monday, July 9, 2018
CREEK SPUDS: City mice on the Brandywine
This past Saturday was one of the highlights of the summer: a huge annual party on the Brandywine that involves a lavish cookout (turkeys, hams, and chickens on the grill), cut-throat volleyball, live music, and a truly amazing variety of guests.
The host arranges for guests and tubes to be transported a few miles upstream in a large cart pulled by an ancient pickup so they can float back down. The weather could not have been better this year (we'll never forget being on the water a few years back when a sudden, violent thunderstorm blew in) and for us, the 90 minutes on the river was heaven, with ducks, rapids, dragonflies, red-winged blackbirds and that marvelous earthy "creek smell."
Not so much for three of our fellow guests, though. The young women from Jenkintown were strictly city mice; clambering into a trailer, climbing over a fence, and then sidestepping horse manure and nettles while tromping through a pasture to the creek were foreign activities for them.
When we got to the steep bank, they inched downward and then shrieked as they slid the last yard into the soft creek bed.
"Oh my God! It's quicksand!" cried one.
"My new sandals are ruined!" screamed another, almost in tears.
The third girl a lost a flipflop completely in the mud; though we all searched, we couldn't find it.
One pal of ours who normally floats down the river in quiet contemplation could not resist teasing the girls a bit, making reference to snapping turtles and alligators and then telling them not to worry, there were only two kinds of poisonous spiders in our area.
One of the girls was clearly accustomed only to swimming pools, because she had serious doubts as to whether the water in the Brandywine was sanitary. "How can they put chlorine in it?" she asked.
It is an understatement to say that the trio did not enjoy their day. And as we got out of the water, I suggested to one of the girls that she should save an old pair of sneakers to wear next year.
She gave me a totally blank look, like "a return engagement" was not likely.
The host arranges for guests and tubes to be transported a few miles upstream in a large cart pulled by an ancient pickup so they can float back down. The weather could not have been better this year (we'll never forget being on the water a few years back when a sudden, violent thunderstorm blew in) and for us, the 90 minutes on the river was heaven, with ducks, rapids, dragonflies, red-winged blackbirds and that marvelous earthy "creek smell."
Not so much for three of our fellow guests, though. The young women from Jenkintown were strictly city mice; clambering into a trailer, climbing over a fence, and then sidestepping horse manure and nettles while tromping through a pasture to the creek were foreign activities for them.
When we got to the steep bank, they inched downward and then shrieked as they slid the last yard into the soft creek bed.
"Oh my God! It's quicksand!" cried one.
"My new sandals are ruined!" screamed another, almost in tears.
The third girl a lost a flipflop completely in the mud; though we all searched, we couldn't find it.
One pal of ours who normally floats down the river in quiet contemplation could not resist teasing the girls a bit, making reference to snapping turtles and alligators and then telling them not to worry, there were only two kinds of poisonous spiders in our area.
One of the girls was clearly accustomed only to swimming pools, because she had serious doubts as to whether the water in the Brandywine was sanitary. "How can they put chlorine in it?" she asked.
It is an understatement to say that the trio did not enjoy their day. And as we got out of the water, I suggested to one of the girls that she should save an old pair of sneakers to wear next year.
She gave me a totally blank look, like "a return engagement" was not likely.
Sunday, July 8, 2018
WAWA: Accolades for a clerk
Hooray for Ryan, an employee at the Longwood Wawa, who went above and beyond for a customer, my gym friend Denise. She writes: "Big huge thank-you shout-out to Wawa employee Ryan in Kennett Square! After hearing the air pump outside wasn’t working properly and that I needed air in my tires, he offered to let me use his portable air pump in his car, on his break. When I thanked him and tried to tip him, he humbly replied, 'Really, it’s no big deal.' It was a big deal to me!"
Thursday, July 5, 2018
UNIONVILLE: Keep your dog leashed!
Thanks to dog owners who don't think the rules apply to them, a ban on all dogs is imminent at the ChesLen Preserve.
I can't explain it any better than a frustrated Natural Lands employee did on social media:
"Folks, we've tried just about everything we can think of to encourage visitors with dogs to follow the rules. (Namely: dogs must be on least at all times, poop must be picked up and disposed of properly or packed out, and both dogs and humans must stick to the trails.) We love visitors, which is why ChesLen is open to everyone free of charge. But our rules are in place so that all visitors and other dogs feel safe and welcome. If you are following the rules, THANK YOU! If not, please don't ruin ChesLen for everyone else."
I can't explain it any better than a frustrated Natural Lands employee did on social media:
"Folks, we've tried just about everything we can think of to encourage visitors with dogs to follow the rules. (Namely: dogs must be on least at all times, poop must be picked up and disposed of properly or packed out, and both dogs and humans must stick to the trails.) We love visitors, which is why ChesLen is open to everyone free of charge. But our rules are in place so that all visitors and other dogs feel safe and welcome. If you are following the rules, THANK YOU! If not, please don't ruin ChesLen for everyone else."
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| This notice was posted at the Preserve. |
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