Monument

The large monument honoring Indian Hannah, considered the last of the Lenni-Lenape Indians, was moved on Thursday, March 6, from its old site along Route 52 north -- the stretch that was abandoned when the new road opened -- and now sits opposite the main entrance of Longwood Gardens, just across Longwood Road, at the Brandywine Valley Tourism Information building. When I saw the freshly transplanted monument at its new home the afternoon of Friday, March 7, the base was still swaddled in a blue tarpaulin. I was very glad to see the marker again, and it will certainly get a lot more sun than it did in its old shaded location. I'm told a re-dedication ceremony is planned for the spring, with dignitaries.

Jerry Poe

Best wishes for a happy retirement to Jerry Poe, the longtime maintenance supervisor at the Kennett YMCA. The staff threw a Hawaiian-themed party to honor Jerry the afternoon of Friday, March 7. Jerry assured me he will still be around -- but working out, not working. Jerry and his crew certainly rose to the challenge that this winter posed, doing their best to keep the Y functioning and accessible despite all the snow and power outages.

Once a Girl Scout ...

 

The Alumnae Girl Scouts of Chester County will be holding "Tea Time at Tweedale" on Sunday, April 13, from 2 to 5 p.m. All women who were Girl Scouts, or still are Girl Scouts, are invited to attend. Please RSVP to Ann Beccomen at amb809@comcast.com, and bring a tea cup or mug and a snack or dessert to share. Camp Tweedale is in Lower Oxford Township at the Chester/Lancaster County border, on the Octoraro Lake.

As part of the celebration, the Brandywine Valley Girl Scout Service Unit is looking to honor the oldest Girl Scout in Chester County. Anyone who thinks she qualifies -- or knows someone who might -- is asked to contact Linda Ingenthron  at 610-869-2387 or linda@lindaingenthron.com. I think we may have a winner right here in West Marlborough Township ...

 

St. Pat's Gala

What more authentic way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with the Knights of Columbus from -- you guessed it -- St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Kennett? They'll be holding their third annual St. Patrick's Day Gala Celebration at the Red Clay Room on Dalmatian Street in Kennett Square on Saturday, March 15, from 6 to 11 p.m. 

My dear friend Doug sent me this email about the event:

"This year we are pleased to host the 2013 Rose of Tralee winner Brittany Killion who will sing and share what it was like to compete in Ireland, The Do Cairde Irish Dancers, The Laddeens with their fiddle, whistles and uillean pipes, The St. Patrick Youth Choir, our Youth Choir, singer Laura La Pelusa who will solo and lead an old-fashioned Irish sing-along. There will be musical Salutes to our Veterans and those families with loved ones now serving world-wide, our Fathers since gone, and Couples who have voyaged together.

"The menu is a traditional Irish Buffet with ham, roasted bliss potatoes, cole slaw, corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread and desserts.  Wine and beer is included. There will be a Silent Auction, baskets of cheer, and a 50/50."

Tickets are $25 for adults, $16 for kids 6 to 12; children 5 and under are FREE. (Tickets are available at 484.643.8451.) Proceeds benefit the Knights of Columbus.  Dress is "come as you are."

I receive a lot of press releases for people who want me to promote and/or attend their events. But, I have to say, this email contained one heckuva persuasive kicker: "Great food, wonderful entertainment, camaraderie and wholesome family fun hosted by the Knights of Columbus!!!!" 

 

Leakage

Two friends were telling me they had some excitement on their East Marlborough cul-de-sac the other evening: fire trucks and an ambulance appeared at the house across the street. It seems that the couple had had some work done on their furnace earlier in the day, and a few hours later the carbon monoxide alarms sounded. The fire company brought in large fans to air out the house and treated the residents in the ambulance.

Point to Point

Let me say upfront that this item about the Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds Point-to-Point is completely uncoerced, even if its chairman, John B. Hannum Jr., did buy me lunch at the Foxy Loxy in Unionville (a turkey, Brie, and apple Panini with mushroom soup). I tried to tell him that I'm always delighted to write about the unofficial end-of-winter-in-Unionville event and really didn't need to be bribed -- but you just try saying "no" to Jock Hannum when he is determined to pick up the tab.
Anyhow, the 69th running of the Point-to-Point is on Sunday, March 30. Gates open at 11 a.m., and don't miss the Pony Races, which kick off the race day. The course is at the Walkers' Plantation Field, off Route 82 west of Green Valley Road.
I look forward to this event every spring. The horse races are always exciting, and you get to see them close up, and there's also a terrific social aspect to the day: it's a chance to greet folks you haven't seen all winter, and there are truly world-class people- and dog-watching opportunities.
During our lunch Jock made a point of praising the members of the race committee for their work organizing the day's events. He himself was hard at work selling ad space in the program to local businesses and showed me a marked-up copy of last year's program that he was using as a template.
You can get all the information you need about tickets at www.cheshirepointtopoint.com.

There's no business...

There's very little to report from this month's West Marlborough Township supervisors' brief meeting, which was held on Tuesday, March 4. The Planning Commission had nothing on its agenda, so it cancelled its meeting. There were no zoning permits or applications filed; there were no building permits issued or inspections done. The only public comment at the meeting came from a Springdell resident who praised the work of the township road crew in clearing the roads this winter.
Supervisor Bill Wylie said he agreed with that sentiment, noting that despite West Marlborough's small tax base, the township supervisors had made a deliberate decision to take care of their own roads rather than outsourcing because of the advantages of having a local crew that "understands the community they work in."
The next township meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 1.

"For here"

La Michoacana Grill's indoor seating area opened on Friday, Feb. 28, and the next day we were there for dinner to check it out. It's a very nice room, decorated in tasteful shades of gold and brown. You can take your meal and sit at one of the five tables. My chicken burrito, as always, was stuffed so full that it looked like a bolster. Delicious! And I was glad to see that the place was doing a really good business. La Michoacana Grill is at Cypress and Union Streets in downtown Kennett, and there's an adjacent parking area on the south side of Cypress Street.