I've been under the gun work-wise in the past few weeks, but when I got a text inviting me to the annual fifth-grade oldies dance competition at Hillendale Elementary School -- well, really, what choice did I have?
In a delightful district-wide tradition, all the fifth-graders throughout the Unionville-Chadds Ford district have the chance to form their own lip-sync and dance teams, choose an "oldie" (defined as, ahem, anything before 1983), decide on costumes and choreograph a routine. The top three teams from each school are chosen in "American Idol" style, and then they go head-to-head at a district-wide dance-off between Hillendale, Unionville, Pocopson and Chadds Ford on the first Friday in March.
I had a great time watching all the kids. They were just astonishing: funny, athletic, enthusiastic. Rest assured, the theater program at Unionville High School will not lack for outstanding performers in the future. One boy did an amazing break-dancing solo, and some of the girls tossed off cartwheels, flips, splits and other gymnastic feats.
What a neat tradition -- and the money raised goes toward His Mission in Kennett Square, and the American Cancer Society.
(Retired Unionville Elementary School teacher and West Marlborough resident Don Silknitter adds: "The fifth grade dance started in 1985. Ray McKay and I held the first
dance as a fund raiser to raise money for the restoration of the Statue
of Liberty. The following year Ray added the lip-sync contest to
provide entertainment for the dance. A tradition was born.")
Friday, March 1, 2013
Graffiti
The graffiti at the long-empty gas station in front of the Wal-mart complex at Route 1 and Schoolhouse Lane has raised the hackles of one long-time East Marlborough Township resident. In an email to me she notes that, in a discussion of graffiti in a recent Kennett Paper story, Kennett Township Police Chief Albert McCarthy was quoted as saying that "it was important to discourage the people doing it by removing it as soon as it appears" and that "he, the roadmaster, and volunteers made it a point to take graffiti off road signs as soon as it was spotted."
Said the Chief: "We just really have to stay on top of it."
My reader agreed: "March on! Chief McCarthy!" She challenged her township, East Marlborough, to do the same and remove graffiti promptly wherever it appears. She said whenever she is at that intersection she hopes for a green light so she doesn't have to look at the eyesore.
I just drove by the site and what surprised me was the fact that all the glass on the south side, facing Route 1, is still intact.
Art show
A "Unionville in the News" reader asked me to give some publicity to an art show she will be participating in. It's the fourth annual Radley Art Show at Radley Run Country Club. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 8, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday March 9. She notes that "30% of the proceeds, and 100% of the proceeds from the
Silent Auction, benefit Safe Harbor of West Chester, which provides
shelter, meals and guidance to the area’s homeless. It’s a wonderful
show, with a fantastic variety of artwork, in support of a great cause."
Fatal crash
irefighter/EMT Bill Dill
Westwood Fire Co. firefighter/EMT Bill Dill has written an excellent, thorough account of the Feb. 26 fatal propane truck accident on Route 82 at Rokeby Mill at the fire company's website, www.westwoodfire.com. The crash occurred in East Fallowfield Township, just over the West Marlborough line. Condolences to the victim's family in Maryland, and much praise to those who worked all day at the scene under stressful and potentially calamitous conditions:
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Debt ceiling
A friend and I stopped off for a cup of coffee at Landhope yesterday. I hadn't brought my purse, so she treated, and I thanked her at the cash register. The cashier said something like, well, isn't that nice of her! I agreed, and remarked that not only was she paying for my coffee, she had treated me to lunch the week before.
The cashier looked at me and then pointed up to the ceiling of the convenience store.
"That's your level of debt," he said.
The cashier looked at me and then pointed up to the ceiling of the convenience store.
"That's your level of debt," he said.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Gotcha!
I picked up my car this afternoon after its two-day stay in one of our local auto-body repair shops. They provided stellar customer service, not a single delay or glitch. I asked the office manager for the name of the owner, because I wanted to write a letter singing their praises.
She thanked me, gave me the name of the fellow to write to and then handed over my key and told me where my car was parked.
"You probably won't recognize it," she said. "We washed it."
Ouch!
The other person in the office looked over at her.
"There goes that thank-you note," he said.
She thanked me, gave me the name of the fellow to write to and then handed over my key and told me where my car was parked.
"You probably won't recognize it," she said. "We washed it."
Ouch!
The other person in the office looked over at her.
"There goes that thank-you note," he said.
No reason
I'm convinced that a lot of collisions are caused by drivers doing unexpected things.
While running errands I was westbound on Route 926 at the Willowdale crossroads, turning left toward Kennett. The green arrow appeared, and the guy in front of me started turning left. Then, in the middle of the intersection, he stopped for some unknown reason and gestured to oncoming eastbound motorists that they could cross the intersection. I guess he thought he knew better than the traffic light.
Why would you do that? WHY? A tailgater would have rear-ended him for sure!
While running errands I was westbound on Route 926 at the Willowdale crossroads, turning left toward Kennett. The green arrow appeared, and the guy in front of me started turning left. Then, in the middle of the intersection, he stopped for some unknown reason and gestured to oncoming eastbound motorists that they could cross the intersection. I guess he thought he knew better than the traffic light.
Why would you do that? WHY? A tailgater would have rear-ended him for sure!
Sorry, wrong number
This morning I received a message that a reporter from a national newspaper is looking for "avid women gardeners who are sartorially
smart and can nimbly talk about the different garments they favor, from boots to
jackets. For this story, we are channeling a sort of English Countryside look
(think Barbour Jackets; Dubarry boots, etc.). Sound like you or someone you know?"
I'm still laughing out loud at this. In no way do I qualify! Yeah, I can certainly "nimbly talk" about any subject under the sun, and OK, I do have the boots. But other than that, I seriously doubt the reporter would be interested in hearing about my distinctly functional and non-luxury shorts, socks, T-shirts, bandanas, work gloves, ball cap and sunscreen.
Too funny!
I'm still laughing out loud at this. In no way do I qualify! Yeah, I can certainly "nimbly talk" about any subject under the sun, and OK, I do have the boots. But other than that, I seriously doubt the reporter would be interested in hearing about my distinctly functional and non-luxury shorts, socks, T-shirts, bandanas, work gloves, ball cap and sunscreen.
Safe and sound
Perhaps you remember my item from a few weeks back, in which a friend of mine spotted a loose yellow Lab in
the parking lot of the Unionville post office, alerted the owner by phone, and took the dog into the lobby. She was prepared to wait until he
arrived, but Postmaster Bill volunteered to keep the dog behind the counter
with him.
The owners were kind enough to send me an update:
"Thanks to Bill and all who helped our dog, Tucker. His wife, Daisy, was out with him on their adventure and was found in the house (through doggie door) safe and sound. Their four 8-week-old puppies were the most grateful for returning their parents. Now I get to fix their fence around our old farmhouse!"
The owners were kind enough to send me an update:
"Thanks to Bill and all who helped our dog, Tucker. His wife, Daisy, was out with him on their adventure and was found in the house (through doggie door) safe and sound. Their four 8-week-old puppies were the most grateful for returning their parents. Now I get to fix their fence around our old farmhouse!"
Sunday, February 24, 2013
More books
Saturday morning I stopped by the annual used book sale at Unionville High School. I've learned to avoid going on Friday evening, when the sale opens, because that's when hordes of, shall we say, motivated dealers with their large rolling carts show up. Saturday drew a nice crowd of shoppers, along with lots of parent and student volunteers, to the renovated high-school gymnasium.
There's always a huge variety of books, from seemingly dozens of copies of bestsellers like "Eat, Pray, Love," "Three Cups of Tea" and "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" to an obscure subgenre called "Feminist Mysteries" that until yesterday I'd never heard of. I liked the title of one book about writing, "How to Write Without Knowing Nothing." And a 1949 book, "The Road Ahead to Socialism: American's Creeping Revolution," sounded quite contemporary. I ended up buying a book of Ruth Rendell short stories, a charming Dr. Doolittle story and a history book.
I think all the books that I donated, including a 10-inch-thick unabridged Webster's dictionary, must've sold on Friday, because I didn't spot any of them.
There's always a huge variety of books, from seemingly dozens of copies of bestsellers like "Eat, Pray, Love," "Three Cups of Tea" and "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" to an obscure subgenre called "Feminist Mysteries" that until yesterday I'd never heard of. I liked the title of one book about writing, "How to Write Without Knowing Nothing." And a 1949 book, "The Road Ahead to Socialism: American's Creeping Revolution," sounded quite contemporary. I ended up buying a book of Ruth Rendell short stories, a charming Dr. Doolittle story and a history book.
I think all the books that I donated, including a 10-inch-thick unabridged Webster's dictionary, must've sold on Friday, because I didn't spot any of them.
Checkered flag
This afternoon is the annual running of the Daytona 500, and there's a local connection: Unionville native Gene Nead is the crew chief for driver Michael McDowell (Team #98)! My brother, an avid NASCAR fan, will be watching the race on his colossal-sized TV, and I've assigned him the task of reporting any Gene sightings.
Later: McDowell, who started in 37th position, finished in the ninth spot, just behind Danica Patrick, who had the pole position. Jimmie Johnson won, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. No Nead sightings.
I know that hoping that NASCAR has a crash-free season would be as pointless and unpopular as wishing that the NHL has a fistfight-free season, but I hope the injuries are minimal.
Later: McDowell, who started in 37th position, finished in the ninth spot, just behind Danica Patrick, who had the pole position. Jimmie Johnson won, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. No Nead sightings.
I know that hoping that NASCAR has a crash-free season would be as pointless and unpopular as wishing that the NHL has a fistfight-free season, but I hope the injuries are minimal.
A facelift
Hood's in Unionville reopens on March 1.They've been shut down for a week to do some cleaning and renovating now that they've officially purchased the restaurant. I drove by on Saturday night and spied ladders and drop cloths and extension cords inside the entrance and I'm eager to see the results!
Harbingers of Spring
The window of opportunity for a blizzard is dwindling, I fear: we've got maybe six more weeks. And already there are signs of spring all over. I spotted the first Angus calf in the pasture up the road yesterday (so cute!), and folks have been posting on Facebook photos of adorable newborn colts, kids (goat kids, that is), lambs and puppies. A friend has noticed an uptick in her hens' egg production, and in addition she'll be taking delivery of 20 chicks in a few weeks. Local horse people and snowbirds are returning from their winter stays in South Carolina and Florida.
At my parents' new home there are swathes of bulbs coming up, and my hellebores are close to blooming. There's one sunny bank in Unionville that always has the earliest daffodils, and they're already probably five inches tall. And have you noticed that, when seen from a certain angle, there's a green-yellow haze developing in the willow trees?
At my parents' new home there are swathes of bulbs coming up, and my hellebores are close to blooming. There's one sunny bank in Unionville that always has the earliest daffodils, and they're already probably five inches tall. And have you noticed that, when seen from a certain angle, there's a green-yellow haze developing in the willow trees?
I'll Take Romance
On Saturday evening I went to a hugely entertaining concert by Molly Ringwald at Longwood Gardens. Molly, now a mother of three, remains best known for her movie roles in the 1980s ("The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles" in particular) but is launching a new career as a chanteuse. On Saturday she sang standards from the Great American Songbook -- such as "The Very Thought of You," "I'll Be Seeing You," Pick Yourself Up" -- and put in lots of plugs for her forthcoming CD, "Except Sometimes," to be released in April.
She praised the Great American Songbook as "one of our national treasures" and contrasted these brilliant classics with the disposable popular music of today.
I think my favorite song she did was from "My Fair Lady": the enchanting "On the Street Where You Live."
Molly sounded great and looked beautiful in a red, skin-tight, one-shouldered knee-length dress and towering black heels. Her backing trio was led by her musical director Peter Smith, who was extraordinary at the piano.
Molly told the audience how amazing it was to perform in such a beautiful setting as Longwood, calling it "surreal" and "a magic garden." Not only did Longwood look beautiful in the evening, but the fragrance -- freesias, stocks, daffodils and Oriental lilies -- was sublime.
She closed the show with "Don't You Forget About Me," by Simple Minds, which was featured in "The Breakfast Club." The woman sitting next to me, a schoolteacher from New Jersey, clapped with delight as she heard the first few words.
She praised the Great American Songbook as "one of our national treasures" and contrasted these brilliant classics with the disposable popular music of today.
I think my favorite song she did was from "My Fair Lady": the enchanting "On the Street Where You Live."
Molly sounded great and looked beautiful in a red, skin-tight, one-shouldered knee-length dress and towering black heels. Her backing trio was led by her musical director Peter Smith, who was extraordinary at the piano.
Molly told the audience how amazing it was to perform in such a beautiful setting as Longwood, calling it "surreal" and "a magic garden." Not only did Longwood look beautiful in the evening, but the fragrance -- freesias, stocks, daffodils and Oriental lilies -- was sublime.
She closed the show with "Don't You Forget About Me," by Simple Minds, which was featured in "The Breakfast Club." The woman sitting next to me, a schoolteacher from New Jersey, clapped with delight as she heard the first few words.
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