KENNETT SQUARE: Paws and Claws is a gem of a pet store

What a gem the Paws & Claws pet store on West State Street is!
I stopped in to pick up some supplies for Gilbert the guinea pig, the newest resident of West Marlborough (I adopted the handsome boy from the Chester County SPCA shelter on Sept. 3), and found not only everything I needed but also knowledgeable advice and enthusiastic, friendly service from the staff.
I love a clean, well-organized pet store where dogs and cats greet you when you enter, and you can hear birds chirping and aquarium filters bubbling. After buying my bag of hay and a new food dish for Gilbert, I checked out some of the exotic critters they had for sale, including a corn albino snake, a tarantula and and a huge alligator gar (a kind of fish).
I heard from readers who also sing the store's praises:
"The people are so knowledgeable, kind and genuine. Two thumbs up! We will be spending a lot of time there just hanging out and giving love to the pets," wrote one.
"We adopted our two cats from there and ways get great advice about fish and they always have a great selection to choose from!" said another.
The store's groomer was also singled out for high praise.
Paws & Claws also has a huge assortment of pet accessories and treats. Check them out! It's a great store and it's right in downtown Kennett, in the little shopping center where El Ranchero Mexican restaurant is and Molly's Ice Cream and Papier used to be (this is going back many years).

HIGH FASHION: Unionville native launches a line of city shoes

Unionville native Mary Alice Malone Jr., a descendant of the Campbell's Soup founder, has launched Malone Souliers, a line of very glamorous shoes. According to an Aug. 18 item in "Town & Country" magazine, they debuted at a luncheon at posh retailer Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Nodding to Ms. Malone's equestrian roots, the writer noted: "More for the town rather than the country, the all-heels Fall line-up features beautifully constructed lace-ups, mules and mary janes."
This style is described as a "snake ankle-wrap pump" in "nude and pink" and is priced at $795 on Bergdorf's website.

 

And these "suede and lizard mid-calf boots" are $1,495 on the Saks website:

 

"Souliers," by the way, is French for shoes. We learned that shoes were "chaussures" in elementary-school French class, but it seems the French have many words for them.

ROUTE 1: The medians could use a little attention

An East Marlborough reader writes that en route to Trader Joe's the other day, "I became very disturbed over the maintenance conditions on the traffic medians along Route 1 (especially in Pennsbury Township and on into Chadds Ford). Seems like trees, weeds and other foreign objects have established permanent residency on the islands - some of which may cause a visual barrier for safety."
My observant reader also reports that the Pennsylvania state flag flying at the Willowdale Town Center is in poor condition and needs to be replaced.

STROUD CENTER: The wonders of water around the world

The folks at the Stroud Center will be showing the film "Watermark," described as "a visually dramatic documentary on how we shape water and how water shapes us around the world," from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, at Unionville High School. The 90-minute Canadian film is suitable for all ages. Admission is $15 per person (with a discount for groups of 10 or more), and tickets are available on the Stroud Center's website or at the door. Proceeds benefit the Stroud Center's freshwater research, education programs, and watershed restoration.

AFTER SCHOOL: We missed you so much! You too, Mommy!

On one of the first days of school, I was behind a school bus on Upland Road at just before 4 p.m. It stopped and let off two elementary-school kids, who went racing toward their mother, who was waiting for them by the side of the road with a big smile and outstretched arms.
The kids had a different idea: they went straight for the little dog next to her and smothered him with hugs.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Weeds are spreading from a vacant property

A Street Road resident told the West Marlborough supervisors at their monthly meeting that vines and weeds from the abandoned property next door are invading her yard, and she's concerned that the swimming pool may be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. She said the house, at the corner of Sportsman's Lane and Route 926, has been sitting empty for about seven years and is owned by the mortgage company.
The supervisors told her they'll ask the township's zoning officer to see if he can persuade the mortgage company to improve maintenance and resolve the issues.
I stopped by to check out this property and the neighbor is not exaggerating. Although the front lawn is mowed, an enormous stand of pokeweed blocks the garage doors. Overgrown shrubs and vines covered the front of the ranch house, obscuring the windows and the front door. I would have needed a machete to inspect the back yard.
In other business at the brief September meeting:
1. The supervisors announced that London Grove Friends Meeting had obtained both a zoning permit and a building permit to install a storage shed for the kindergarten.
2. Police officer Bob Clarke reported that he issued 12 citations in August, 11 for speeding and one for driving without a license. He said the worst violator was a vehicle traveling "in the mid-60s" in the 40-mph zone of Newark Road.
3. The supervisors named Tom Brosius, a West Marlborough native and one of the owners of Marlboro Mushrooms, to fill the Planning Commission vacancy created when Jeb Hannum moved to Virginia. (For lack of any business, the Planning Commission hasn't met since the spring.)
4. The board announced that it will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, to discuss the township's fee schedule for permits.

LANCASTER COUNTY: This band was banned from playing a popular song

Band members and parents might be interested in a recent controversy just to our west, in the Garden Spot school district in Lancaster County.
It seems the high-school marching band wanted to perform Fall Out Boy's "Thanks for the Memories" (NOT the Frank Sinatra/Bob Hope standard) but after a parent objected to the lyrics on moral grounds, the song was banned from the band's repertoire.
Fall Out Boy heard about the flap and as a show of support invited the marching band to attend its show in Scranton on Aug. 31.
I heard about this when I was in New Holland at the annual Bluegrass Fest on Labor Day, and the delightful band member serving our (delicious) chicken BBQ apologized for yawning: the band didn't get home from the Fall Out Boy show until 3 a.m.
An interesting life lesson for all concerned in terms of community standards, squeaky wheels, and unforeseen consequences. I wanted to tell the band member that she would have a great story to tell for years to come (speaking of "thanks for the memories"!).
I checked out the lyrics in question, and although they're well beyond "I wanna hold your hand," they're about as tame as pop music gets these days. (I know, I know, I know: That's not saying much.) But as the band member quite sensibly pointed out, they were just playing the music, not singing the lyrics.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: The Unionville Community Park is officially open

The Unionville Community Park is now officially open for business after a short Labor Day morning ribbon-cutting ceremony with East Marlborough Township supervisors Cuyler Walker, Bob Weer, Buzz Hannum, and John Sarro, State Rep. Chris Ross, and State Sen. Dominic Pileggi. In a brief speech Mr. Walker acknowledged the generous state, local and private funding that helped the township purchase, plan and develop the 26-acre site, where a townhouse development was once proposed.
Afterward the officials set off for a stroll down the park's paved trails, which Mr. Walker noted are smooth, level and ADA-compliant.
The park is in the village of Unionville, on the south side of Route 82, behind the post office and firehouse.
Also attending the ceremony were East Marlborough Township manager Jane Laslo; township engineer Jim Hatfield; Barbara and Thelma Roney from the East Lynn Grange; Newlin Township supervisor Janie Baird; Bob Struble; East Marlborough police officer Bob Clarke; Unionville Community Fair president Danielle Chamberlain; several Unionville neighbors with their toddlers; many Po-Mar-Lin firefighters; and even two friendly representatives of the local canine population, who will doubtless be frequent users of the new park.
I had to confess that I have not yet explored the park, and I promised Jane Laslo I will do so.

CHESTER COUNTY: My nomination for a county slogan

I don't know if Chester County is in need of a slogan, but may I suggest the following, which I saw on a car at the Kennett YMCA this morning?

Not only is "Choose Civility" an excellent sentiment, but it also has two C's, just like Chester County! How fitting. (Tilda really needs to set herself up as a consultant, don't you think?)
I think Howard County would share. The website describes the "Choose Civility" project as "an ongoing community-wide initiative to position Southern Maryland as a model of civility. The Choose Civility project intends to enhance respect, empathy, consideration, and tolerance in our community. We invite all within our community, as well as other communities around the region, to participate."

ST. MICHAEL: Rev. Bodine joins the church as part-time pastor

St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville is welcoming back former congregation member Dan Bodine, who will fill in part-time after "Pastor Brad" (associate pastor Bradley Burke) leaves the church in September to work for Lutheran Charities. The Rev. Bodine, who lives in the Kennett area with his wife, Pat, retired in May from the Community of Love church in Oxford. "Pastor Rick" (senior pastor Frederick J. DeRasmo Jr.) writes in the church bulletin that "Pastor Dan will lead Confirmation; work closely with Confirmation Guides; assist with visitation as needed; preach occasionally; work with the Social Ministry committee and will be included in our Caring Shepherds ministry."
St. Mike's is kind enough to have me on its mailing list. If your church has a monthly bulletin too, you are welcome to send it to me at P.O. Box 293, Unionville PA 19375 or email it to uvilleblogger@gmail.com.