Talk about local connections! Hardest Core, trained by Eddie Graham of Unionville and owned by Andrew Bentley, son of Greg and Caroline Bentley, won the Arlington Million Turf race on Saturday in Arlington Parks, Illinois, with Eriluis Vaz in the irons. The win, with a purse of $1 million, means the Kentucky-bred four-year-old will head to the prestigious Breeders' Cup Turf on Nov. 1.
According to the report in "The Blood-Horse," "Hardest Core upset Arlington's biggest day at odds of 11-1 to secure his first graded stakes score, let alone grade I victory. Closing outside from third off the turn with tremendous strides, he gobbled up ground to run down dueling rivals Magician, winner of the 2013 Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT), and Side Glance, a grade I winner in Australia."
And hats off to two indispensable parts of the Hardest Core team as well: Jody Petty, his exercise rider, and Brianne Slater, his groom. Both are Unionville residents.
The press has shown special interest in Hardest Core, not only for his dramatic, against-the-odds win but also for the family story of the Bentleys (Andrew Bentley has Down syndrome) and the horse's proven toughness: he almost died after he was gelded.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
East Marlborough: Put this on your calendar
This year's Unionville Community Fair will be held on Oct. 3, 4 and 5. It's the 90th birthday of the Fair, which celebrates the Unionville area's rural and agricultural traditions and began life more humbly as "The Corn Show." The Fair is held in Willowdale, north of the Landhope Farms store.
The "Denim & Diamonds" benefit party will be held on the evening of Oct. 2. The community parade will be at 11 a.m. Oct. 4. The cow milking competition will be at 5 p.m. Oct. 4. And one of the Fair's newer highlights, the Willowdale Pro Rodeo, will start at 6 p.m. Oct. 4.
Check out the Fair's website and start planning your crafts, artwork, photographs, baked goods, vegetables and other entries! Last weekend I spoke to a woman who competes in the apple pie contest every year; she is already planning this year's very special entry.
Hockessin: Indian Independence Day Parade
The Hindu Temple of Delaware held its annual Indian Independence Day Parade on Saturday morning. Men, women and children, most wearing traditional Indian clothes, assembled at Hockessin Memorial Hall, crossed Route 41 (which the police shut down for about 10 minutes) and then marched east on Yorklyn Road to the temple.
Marchers carrying Indian and American flags led off the parade, followed by three horses from New Castle County's mounted unit, a temple float full of kids, county police cars and Hockessin Fire Company vehicles.
India gained independence from the British Empire on August 15, 1947.
Marchers carrying Indian and American flags led off the parade, followed by three horses from New Castle County's mounted unit, a temple float full of kids, county police cars and Hockessin Fire Company vehicles.
India gained independence from the British Empire on August 15, 1947.
Chester County: Glorious weather cheers even the grumblers
The Cranky Friend has a particular aversion to those dreadful, enervating heat waves that just drag on and on. He also has an aversion to increasing his electric bill by running the A/C, which puts him in something of a bind. Fortunately the issue hasn't arisen this entire summer because of the delightfully cool weather we've had here in Chester County, and he commented last night that since it's already mid-August the odds are steadily decreasing that he'll have to deal with a heat wave. He sounded almost . . . cheerful.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Patton Middle School: Memorial service for Mr. Patton
A memorial service for Charles F. Patton will be held on Saturday, August 23, at (appropriately enough) the Charles F. Patton Middle School in Unionville. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by the memorial service from noon to 1 p.m. Refreshments will follow. Mr. Patton, a longtime teacher and administrator in the Unionville-Chadds Ford district, died July 19 at age 85.
A memorial scholarship in his name has been set up to assist a student who intends to go into education as a career. Contributions can be sent to UHS Activities, Attn: Charles F. Patton Memorial Scholarship, c/o Unionville High School, 750 Unionville Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348.
A memorial scholarship in his name has been set up to assist a student who intends to go into education as a career. Contributions can be sent to UHS Activities, Attn: Charles F. Patton Memorial Scholarship, c/o Unionville High School, 750 Unionville Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348.
Anson B. Nixon Park: Real Diamond was a gem
The final concert in the Wednesday night summer series at Anson Nixon Park was by a Neil Diamond tribute band called Real Diamond, and it drew the largest crowd of the summer. Curtis DiDomizio, who founded the band, sounds so much like Neil Diamond that when we walked in we thought recordings were being played on the PA system; nope, it was the band doing its sound check.
The group played all of Diamond's hits, old and new: I was singing "Shiloh" for days afterward. From the first song on, groups of little kids danced in front of the stage, and "Neil" -- dressed in a spangly black shirt and black pants -- seemed to enjoy coming down of the stage and interacting with them. His introduction to the ballad "September Morn" was funny and timely: he asked the kids if they were looking forward to going back to school.
After darkness fell, lots of grown-up dancers took the dance floor, perhaps more self-conscious than the uninhibited kids.
My regular readers know how much I've enjoyed these concerts in the park -- we didn't miss a single one, and despite threatening skies on a few July nights, only one show was cut short due to rain. A huge thank you to the organizers and sponsors! It was really an extraordinary lineup of talent in a beautiful setting.
The group played all of Diamond's hits, old and new: I was singing "Shiloh" for days afterward. From the first song on, groups of little kids danced in front of the stage, and "Neil" -- dressed in a spangly black shirt and black pants -- seemed to enjoy coming down of the stage and interacting with them. His introduction to the ballad "September Morn" was funny and timely: he asked the kids if they were looking forward to going back to school.
After darkness fell, lots of grown-up dancers took the dance floor, perhaps more self-conscious than the uninhibited kids.
My regular readers know how much I've enjoyed these concerts in the park -- we didn't miss a single one, and despite threatening skies on a few July nights, only one show was cut short due to rain. A huge thank you to the organizers and sponsors! It was really an extraordinary lineup of talent in a beautiful setting.
Newlin Township: Fundraiser to benefit local fire companies
The Newlin Fire & EMS Committee is holding its second annual fundraiser for the volunteer fire companies that cover the township (Po-Mar-Lin, West Bradford, and Modena) on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 5 p.m. to dusk at the Natural Lands Trust’s ChesLen Preserve,
1199 Cannery Rd. (a great venue!). Catering is by Hood’s BBQ and Megan Bittle will be the DJ.
Tickets cost $25 and are available from any committee member, and they'll be on sale at the Unionville Post Office Fridays afternoons and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Or you can send a check to Newlin Fire & EMS, PO Box 447, Unionville, PA 19375 and pick
up your tickets at the party.
Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 14.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Undisclosed location: Betrayed by the ring tone
Leave it to the tech-savvy younger generation to update "Hide & Seek." A friend reports that while babysitting three youngsters, she found an excellent hiding place and the kids couldn't find her. So what did they do? They called her cell phone! Fortunately she was able to silence the ringer before it betrayed her.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Dear Departed: RIP to my friend Stefi Jackson
My friend Stefanie Jackson died on Aug. 8 in California. Her death wasn't unexpected -- in fact, she had far outlived her original prognosis -- but it comes as a shock anyway, as these things tend to do.
I met Stefi 20 years ago, when we were both volunteers on the Bayard Taylor Library's Special Events Committee and, later, the Board of Trustees. We became fast friends while doing everything from picking up cheese trays and matching china with floral arrangements, to gathering referendum signatures and talking up the library at township meetings.
Stefi and I were the sort of friends who could be furious with each other one moment -- I remember a particularly ridiculous spat about the wording of the library's mission statement -- and then forget about it. She was amusing, incisive, and wry, had a vivid way of telling stories, and didn't like to waste time. She was a wonderful mix of earthy (I can still hear her throaty laugh) and stylish and tasteful (early in her career she was an emcee at fashion shows, and she would give me scarf-tying tips).
She was a regular at the Kennett YMCA and liked the breakfast sandwiches at Dunkin' Donuts, the sushi at Kyoto and the green smoothies at the Produce Place. One memorable day we went to the auction of embezzler Tony Young's personal property, and although she was quickly outbid on a set of brass bookends, she salvaged the day by picking up box after box of Ralph Lauren glassware for a song.
For years, four of us who were library "veterans" -- Stefi, Doug, Joe and I -- got together to celebrate Chinese New Year at the old King's Island restaurant. We'd stay there all afternoon, gossiping, reminiscing and laughing and going back to the buffet for seconds and thirds. After a while John the waiter didn't even have to ask anymore: he'd just refill our water glasses and bring us more tea.
A decade ago Stefi was absolutely wonderful to me during my late boyfriend's fatal illness, and I tried to repay her by lending a hand when she was ill herself, of exactly the same disease.
She moved to California in 2012 after she became ill, and we are all certain that being with her children and grandchildren out there lengthened her life considerably. There's going to be a memorial service this autumn, and I will keep you posted on the date.
Rest in peace, Stefi, my dear friend. It's hard to believe you won't be pestering me to buy an ad in the Home & Garden Day program next year.
I met Stefi 20 years ago, when we were both volunteers on the Bayard Taylor Library's Special Events Committee and, later, the Board of Trustees. We became fast friends while doing everything from picking up cheese trays and matching china with floral arrangements, to gathering referendum signatures and talking up the library at township meetings.
Stefi and I were the sort of friends who could be furious with each other one moment -- I remember a particularly ridiculous spat about the wording of the library's mission statement -- and then forget about it. She was amusing, incisive, and wry, had a vivid way of telling stories, and didn't like to waste time. She was a wonderful mix of earthy (I can still hear her throaty laugh) and stylish and tasteful (early in her career she was an emcee at fashion shows, and she would give me scarf-tying tips).
She was a regular at the Kennett YMCA and liked the breakfast sandwiches at Dunkin' Donuts, the sushi at Kyoto and the green smoothies at the Produce Place. One memorable day we went to the auction of embezzler Tony Young's personal property, and although she was quickly outbid on a set of brass bookends, she salvaged the day by picking up box after box of Ralph Lauren glassware for a song.
For years, four of us who were library "veterans" -- Stefi, Doug, Joe and I -- got together to celebrate Chinese New Year at the old King's Island restaurant. We'd stay there all afternoon, gossiping, reminiscing and laughing and going back to the buffet for seconds and thirds. After a while John the waiter didn't even have to ask anymore: he'd just refill our water glasses and bring us more tea.
A decade ago Stefi was absolutely wonderful to me during my late boyfriend's fatal illness, and I tried to repay her by lending a hand when she was ill herself, of exactly the same disease.
She moved to California in 2012 after she became ill, and we are all certain that being with her children and grandchildren out there lengthened her life considerably. There's going to be a memorial service this autumn, and I will keep you posted on the date.
Rest in peace, Stefi, my dear friend. It's hard to believe you won't be pestering me to buy an ad in the Home & Garden Day program next year.
Newlin Township: Controversy over proposed rules for boarding horses
The question of whether and how Newlin Township should regulate equestrian operations continues to divide the township.
At a standing-room-only meeting on Monday, Aug. 11, speaker after speaker stood up and criticized the supervisors for jeopardizing their livelihoods without understanding the horse business and, in the longer term, endangering the sought-after rural character and lifestyle of Newlin by placing undue hardships on horse farm owners.
One Hilltop View Road resident drew sustained applause when he summarized the proposed rules as "unnecessary, unworkable, unenforceable and unfair."
Several residents called the proposed ordinance "a solution in search of a problem," noting that horse farms have operated in the township without a problem for many decades. Real-estate agent Holly Gross predicted the ordinance would hurt property values. One women who used to own a large farm in Elk Township said she was so frustrated by onerous township regulations there that she sold up and moved; she called Newlin's proposed rules "the camel's nose under the tent." Another woman said West Bradford Township's regulations have severely restricted her farm's operations.
The proposed ordinance would allow the boarding of horses as long as the farm in question meets certain requirements. If the farm fell short, however, the owners would have to apply for a special exception from the township's Zoning Hearing Board.
The township charges $1,500 to hold such a hearing. A gasp of astonishment from the audience greeted Supervisor Janie Baird's mention of this figure; "Hello!" exclaimed the Powell Road resident sitting next to me.
The residents' anger seems to focus on the requirements that the township wants to impose on boarding facilities, such as having at least three acres for the first horse and two acres for each additional one, as well as restrictions about where pastures can be located in terms of flood plains and steep slopes and where manure can be stored. The residents said the acreage requirements were arbitrary and unfair.
In response to the onslaught of criticism, the supervisors stressed that it was not their choice to deal with this situation but it was thrust upon them in the spring of 2013 when some Hilltop View Road residents complained that a new farm owner substantially increased the horse trailer traffic on their road. The supervisors said the regulations on the books had never been enforced, and they couldn't enforce the rules on one boarding operation and not on all.
Supervisor Rob Pearson said the situation has been "an agonizing process, very difficult . . . I've never seen something so contentious. It's been very divisive, very unpleasant," but "this was put in our lap and we could not ignore the situation."
Mrs. Baird said that to craft the rules, the supervisors sought input from residents, the township planning commission, lawyers and consultants and defended the result as "the best we can do."
The proposed ordinance is posted on the township's website. A hearing will be held on it at 8 p.m. Monday, September 8, at the Lenfest Center on Cannery Road.
At a standing-room-only meeting on Monday, Aug. 11, speaker after speaker stood up and criticized the supervisors for jeopardizing their livelihoods without understanding the horse business and, in the longer term, endangering the sought-after rural character and lifestyle of Newlin by placing undue hardships on horse farm owners.
One Hilltop View Road resident drew sustained applause when he summarized the proposed rules as "unnecessary, unworkable, unenforceable and unfair."
Several residents called the proposed ordinance "a solution in search of a problem," noting that horse farms have operated in the township without a problem for many decades. Real-estate agent Holly Gross predicted the ordinance would hurt property values. One women who used to own a large farm in Elk Township said she was so frustrated by onerous township regulations there that she sold up and moved; she called Newlin's proposed rules "the camel's nose under the tent." Another woman said West Bradford Township's regulations have severely restricted her farm's operations.
The proposed ordinance would allow the boarding of horses as long as the farm in question meets certain requirements. If the farm fell short, however, the owners would have to apply for a special exception from the township's Zoning Hearing Board.
The township charges $1,500 to hold such a hearing. A gasp of astonishment from the audience greeted Supervisor Janie Baird's mention of this figure; "Hello!" exclaimed the Powell Road resident sitting next to me.
The residents' anger seems to focus on the requirements that the township wants to impose on boarding facilities, such as having at least three acres for the first horse and two acres for each additional one, as well as restrictions about where pastures can be located in terms of flood plains and steep slopes and where manure can be stored. The residents said the acreage requirements were arbitrary and unfair.
In response to the onslaught of criticism, the supervisors stressed that it was not their choice to deal with this situation but it was thrust upon them in the spring of 2013 when some Hilltop View Road residents complained that a new farm owner substantially increased the horse trailer traffic on their road. The supervisors said the regulations on the books had never been enforced, and they couldn't enforce the rules on one boarding operation and not on all.
Supervisor Rob Pearson said the situation has been "an agonizing process, very difficult . . . I've never seen something so contentious. It's been very divisive, very unpleasant," but "this was put in our lap and we could not ignore the situation."
Mrs. Baird said that to craft the rules, the supervisors sought input from residents, the township planning commission, lawyers and consultants and defended the result as "the best we can do."
The proposed ordinance is posted on the township's website. A hearing will be held on it at 8 p.m. Monday, September 8, at the Lenfest Center on Cannery Road.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Fiddlin' about
Saturday, Aug. 9, was the 86th annual Old Fiddlers' Picnic at Hibernia Park. I'd heard about this much-loved tradition for years, of course, but this was the first time I spent the day there. Groups of musicians, of all ages and musical levels, just gathered in circles in the woods and jammed with each other. Bands signed up early for their 20-minute sets on the main stage; in between there was entertaining banter from the two MCs about local bluegrass events.
One of them wanted to alert the audience to a pair of found eyeglasses.
"Can you see me?" he asked the crowd. "If you can, I'm not talking to you."
We made a game out of looking at the instrument cases that the musicians were carrying and trying to guess what was inside: dulcimer? banjo? There was no mistaking the upright basses, though.
We spent close to an hour at the Beginners' Jam in one of the pavilions, where a patient fiddler led versions of classics like "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "This Land is Your Land." One young girl, there with her parents, was reluctant to play at first, but it was nice to see her become comfortable enough to join in. They even let me sing along -- I'm an enthusiastic but not tuneful singer.
There was a display of antique cars (I don't relish calling cars from my youth "antique"), and the row of shiny new motorcycles drew a great deal of attention.
We ran into a couple of Unionville residents among the musicians and spectators, and the Broughtons' Swarmbustin' Honey, from here in West Marlborough, was one of the vendors.
The weather couldn't have been better, although the sun got hot for those of us who weren't smart enough to set up our chairs early in the shade. Somebody should make a science fair project out of a smart-chair that predicts for you where the shade is going to be at a certain time of the afternoon.
I hadn't been to Hibernia Park for years and I want to go back. We went in through the wrong entrance (the Lion's Head gates) and ended up driving through the park, exiting and then going back in, this time using the correct gate.
One of them wanted to alert the audience to a pair of found eyeglasses.
"Can you see me?" he asked the crowd. "If you can, I'm not talking to you."
We made a game out of looking at the instrument cases that the musicians were carrying and trying to guess what was inside: dulcimer? banjo? There was no mistaking the upright basses, though.
We spent close to an hour at the Beginners' Jam in one of the pavilions, where a patient fiddler led versions of classics like "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "This Land is Your Land." One young girl, there with her parents, was reluctant to play at first, but it was nice to see her become comfortable enough to join in. They even let me sing along -- I'm an enthusiastic but not tuneful singer.
There was a display of antique cars (I don't relish calling cars from my youth "antique"), and the row of shiny new motorcycles drew a great deal of attention.
We ran into a couple of Unionville residents among the musicians and spectators, and the Broughtons' Swarmbustin' Honey, from here in West Marlborough, was one of the vendors.
The weather couldn't have been better, although the sun got hot for those of us who weren't smart enough to set up our chairs early in the shade. Somebody should make a science fair project out of a smart-chair that predicts for you where the shade is going to be at a certain time of the afternoon.
I hadn't been to Hibernia Park for years and I want to go back. We went in through the wrong entrance (the Lion's Head gates) and ended up driving through the park, exiting and then going back in, this time using the correct gate.
Shutdown week
A few weeks ago I wrote that the Kennett Y's annual shutdown week is the last week in August. It is, but it's a little different this year: Instead of the facility being shut down completely for the week, some classes will still be held. I'm sure the Y will post its schedule online and in the lobby shortly. Thanks to the reader who alerted me to this change from the usual shutdown week!
At the Jennersville Y, group exercise classes will be cancelled Sunday, Aug. 17, through Sunday, Aug. 24. Classes will resume Monday, Aug 25.
At the Jennersville Y, group exercise classes will be cancelled Sunday, Aug. 17, through Sunday, Aug. 24. Classes will resume Monday, Aug 25.
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