Run For Our Sons

Why was Route 82 closed from the roundabout to Willowdale this past Saturday morning? For the annual 5K Run For Our Sons, a fundraiser for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It was a sunny, warm, breezy morning and a big crowd turned out, including large T-shirted contingents (both students and teachers) from the elementary schools, Patton Middle School and Unionville High School, as well as a substantial group of Kennett Demons. Even the Hillendale Elementary mascot, the Husky, was there to cheer on the runners.

I was there to support the Young Relative (who turned in a more-than-respectable time, way to hustle!). Because Route 82 was closed, we spectators got to stand in the middle of the road to get a crossing guard's view as the runners left the middle school driveway, headed right on 82, went through the developments and then came back up 82. We saw a couple of runners who were just edged out by dogged competitors in the very last yard or so of the race.
There were some very young boys and girls running (good for them!), and I saw one very sweet couple holding hands as they approached the finish line, pushing their baby in front of them in a stroller. One dad was running with his daughter and had his smartphone out, taking photos of her as they finished.
As I went back to the car I heard a dad estimating with his son and friends how much money was raised, taking into the account crowd estimates, entry fees and expense. What an excellent real-life math problem! (As if the kids needed more problems after a week of PSSA tests.)

Humphry Marshall

The eminent botanist Humphry Marshall (1722-1801), who gave his name to the West Bradford village of Marshallton, is going to be honored with a blue-and-yellow historical marker by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The state recently approved the application, which was submitted by the Marshallton Conservation Trust; it was the only one that was approved for Chester County. The PHMC website describes Marshall as "the Father of American Dendrology" and says that he "wrote the first and definitive book on American trees and shrubs in 1785." He also "cultivated many American species and he exported them to European gardens, including that of Louis XVI of France and King George of England." His home in Marshallton is a National Historic Landmark.

Antiques Show

My very generous neighbors gave me tickets for the Chester County Antiques Show Preview Party on April 4, and not just general admission passes either. These were the coveted early-admission tickets that give you first crack at the food -- er, rather, the antiques. Which were wonderful, as always: beautifully crafted furniture, blindingly polished silverware, delicate porcelain, charming equestrian artwork, rustic old signs and ads and -- this year in particular -- lovely paintings. I especially loved one of a bank barn with chickens.
One dealer took the time to give me the dramatic stories behind two pieces of 19th-century embroidery he had on display. One sampler was stitched by a Westtown School girl who later made a disastrous marriage to a religious fanatic. After she tried to get him committed to a mental institution, they divorced and he emigrated to Palestine. The other piece of embroidery was done by a woman to commemorate her four children, all of whom died as young adults. Shading the grave markers depicted in the sad piece were trees that she embellished using hundreds of tiny French knots.
I also liked a public service poster that warns against letting your dog run free, as it might kill livestock that could serve as food: "Whoever allows a dog to run free, day or night, is a SLACKER in this World Food Crisis."

And speaking of food: the preview party catering was by Jimmy Duffy, so it was a far cry from the average passed hors d'oeuvres. There were lamb chops, chicken and pesto on bruschetta, parmesan crisps, little cubes of watermelon, roast beef mini-sandwiches, French fries wrapped in prosciutto standing upright in little individual glasses with sauce, bacon and lettuce in hollowed-out grape tomatoes, little tidbits of honey and pear, and raw oysters (the latter by Doc Magrogan's in West Chester).
I saw a number of Unionville and Kennett friends who made the trek to the Phelps School in Malvern for the show, as well as some very old friends of my family who didn't have far at all to travel: they live just up the road from the school in Willistown.
There was one opening-night glitch: the generator that was supposed to provide lighting to the dealers' booths wasn't up to the job, so the booths on one side of the fieldhouse were dimly lit, which isn't good for sales: I saw a few patrons trying to examine paintings using penlights. A functional generator was brought in posthaste and the lighting was soon at full wattage.
And if reading this item has gotten you in the mood to see some antiques, the Brandywine River Museum's annual show will be May 24 through 26.

The Park

After the long winter, work once again seems to be proceeding on the new Unionville Park near the post office and fire hall. Men were installing shrubs and plantings the other day, and they've filled in that little ditch that crossed the driveway that you're technically supposed to use to exit the post office parking lot (although some of my best friends, otherwise upstanding citizens, blatantly disregard those arrows).

Wells Fargo

I do 95% of my banking online or at the ATM, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I actually set foot in the brick-and-mortar New Garden branch of Wells Fargo bank the other day to do some account tweaking. What I got was outstanding service. While I was waiting, at least four employees came over to me in the space of 10 minutes, introduced themselves to me and shook my hand. The person helping me was gracious, professional, intelligent and efficient. I can only assume they treat everyone as well as they treated me: when I walked in they didn't know who I was, and believe me, I don't look especially prosperous.
Impressive customer service.

Stinkbugs

A neighbor gave me a mock-hard time the other day because, unlike my prediction, the hard winter has apparently NOT killed off all the stinkbugs. I suggested that perhaps the dozens of stinkbugs she was finding in her house had simply overwintered there, but she said no, some of them appear to be babies.
She will be pleased to know that I found a stinkbug floating in my coffee pot yesterday. After I'd already had a cup, naturally.

Bridge repair

The Speakman Covered Bridge straddling West Marlborough and East Fallowfield Townships is slated to be repaired and reopened in 2015, Mark Myers told the West Marlborough supervisors at their April 1 meeting. And it was no April Fool's joke.
It's welcome news for the Frog Hollow Road residents, who have had to drive out of their way since the historic bridge over the Buck Run was closed in 2010 after being heavily damaged by an oversized truck.
Mr. Myers was at the township meeting to report on a recent meeting between federal and state officials and residents to discuss the bridge project. (The township supervisors had asked him to attend as a township representative and report back.) He said both federal and state funding for the project has been secured.
The repaired bridge will still be one lane wide and will have the same entrance and exit. It will be designed to bear 45 tons and will be supported by five concealed steel girders.
He said that at the meeting residents expressed distrust of PennDOT and said they were worried that the bridge might lose its National Historic Register status if PennDOT's plan changed the bridge too extensively, as had happened with recent bridge projects in Mortonville and Landenberg. The state officials said there would be mechanisms in place for citizens to monitor the planning process.
"I'm optimistic that a good bridge will come out of this," Mr. Myers said -- as long as all the parties "do what they say they're going to do."

End of the season

At the West Marlborough Supervisors' April meeting, Supervisor and Roadmaster Hugh Lofting said he and the hard-working road crew were extremely relieved that no more snow is in the forecast and the challenging winter is over.
"The crew is very happy April has come," he said. "They did a spectacular job."
Also at the meeting, Supervisor Bill Wylie said AT&T wants to install a diesel generator and add an antenna to their communications tower in the 400 block of West Street Road, next to Vince Dugan's stables. They will need permission from the township's Zoning Hearing Board before doing so. No date has been set for that hearing because AT&T has not yet submitted a formal application to the township.

Award

At the West Marlborough Planning Commission's April meeting, Jock Hannum, chairman of Chester County 2020, presented the board with an award for "excellence in planning education."
Then he promptly took it back.
As he was speaking to the planners, he held the plaque aloft, concealed in its black cloth bag, but explained that unfortunately it had some kind of cosmetic flaw in it, crooked lettering or something. He said he was going to get it fixed before actually handing it over to the planners for real.
(Unionville is a small world: Jock's son Jeb chairs the Planning Commission.)

In the middle

It's impossible to miss the giant "Concord Township" sign being built in the middle of Concord Pike, just where the northbound and southbound lanes split. The bottom half resembles an old-fashioned stone bridge, with two arches. In contrast, the top half boasts the township name and a massive, bright video screen showing a rotation of ads. When I passed it on April 2, men were still working on scaffolding on the sign's sides, but the video screen was up and running.
Speaking of the Concord Township area, the former Outback Steakhouse in the Glen Eagle Shopping Center has moved two miles away to the newish shopping center at Route 1 and 322. The old space is being renovated for a restaurant called "Not Your Average Joe's," according to the liquor license application posted on the front window. I checked out the website of this New England-based chain and they say they offer "creative casual cuisine."
And in the Painter's Crossing Shopping Center, the movie theaters are being renovated to accommodate food service and are expected to reopen this summer for your dining and movie-going pleasure.

Rain or shine

"Wintry mix" is not what you want to hear when you're headed outside for the afternoon. But that's the risk of attending an outdoor event at the end of March, and despite the cold, rain, wind and sleet the mood at the Cheshire Point-to-Point Races on Sunday was surprisingly upbeat.
Due to the muddy conditions and safety concerns, the race schedule was condensed, and attendance was much reduced -- but those who showed up were the truly hardcore fans.
The heroes of the day were the Hickses, who were hauling vehicles, even four-wheel-drive ones, out of the mud with their tractors almost as fast as they were getting stuck.
I brought along a first-time point-to-point visitor and was reduced to pointing to the empty spaces where, at a normal sunny Sunday event, there are rows of cars hosting lavish tailgate feasts. Thank goodness for the food tent (aka the oasis), where you could stand for a few welcome minutes without precipitation falling on you.
A considerable amount of real estate left Plantation Field via people's boots and tires. When we got back home, our host rinsed off our boots using an outdoor hose as if we were at a beach house -- and as if it was forty degrees warmer.

Thomas Pandolfi

If you get a chance to see pianist Thomas Pandolfi, do so. Pay good money to do so. We were incredibly lucky on Saturday evening to see him (for free!) at the London Grove Meeting House in a concert co-sponsored by the Meeting and the Hadley Fund.
Mr. Pandolfi is not only a gifted musician but also a personable and entertaining performer. He shared fascinating information about each piece before he played it; thanks to his explanation, we could picture the sunken Breton cathedral rising above the waves, with the chanting monks and the organ chorale, in Debussy's "La Cathedrale Engloutie." His performances of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" and Chopin's "Nocturne in E-Flat Major" were so exquisite that I had to pause a moment before applauding; I didn't want to break the spell.
In the second half of the program he played three Gershwin preludes, a medley of three Gershwin songs, a Respighi nocturne, a medley of "Phantom of the Opera" songs (during which I could swear he was channeling the fiery 19th-century virtuoso Louis Moreau Gottschalk), a little more Chopin, and even -- during the question-and-answer session -- "O Sole Mio." He had to scratch Gershwin's "Concerto in F" because some of the piano's bass keys were sticking.
I had no idea that the Meeting's piano, normally used just to accompany hymns each First Day, could produce such amazing sound, nor that the meeting house had such nice acoustics. We were sitting in the balcony and had a wonderful vantage point to watch not only Mr. Pandolfi's hands but also the inner workings of the piano.
In response to questions from the audience, Mr. Pandolfi said he lives in both Maryland and Charlotte, NC, but spends most of his time on the road performing. He started playing the piano at age 4 and studied with the same teacher until he went off to the Julliard School. His first exposure to classical music was his father's extensive record collection. (He said when he performs at schools, he has to explain to the kids that LPs were "big CDs.")
It was a wonderful concert, and we also enjoyed the social time and delicious refreshments afterwards with our London Grove friends and West Marlborough neighbors.