We almost missed the London Grove Friends Plant Sale this year!
No, I don't mean we forgot about it. But by the time we got there, a little after 9 a.m., most of the customers had already shopped and hauled away their purchases. Though the sale doesn't officially start until 7 a.m., I'm told people started showing up an hour before that and were ready to check before the sale even started!
Not that it really matters: there were still lots of Rocket Snapdragons available in the Annuals tent, so I was happy. And it's quite possible that pink geraniums will be a nice change from my traditional red ones in the windowboxes.
Way more importantly, it was great to see so many people, either as volunteers or customers. The Plant Sale is always a great community event.
(And we were enchanted by the kindergartners' drawings. They had been asked to think up "Dr. Seussisms" and then illustrate them. My favorite was a wonderfully creative "dinkbug on a stinkbug.")
Saturday, May 9, 2015
ANSON B. NIXON: Here is the concert lineup for summer 2015
Here's the long-awaited schedule for the free Wednesday-night summer concerts at Anson B. Nixon Park!
The concerts run from 7 to 9 p.m., and you can bring a picnic or buy dinner from a different local restaurant at the park each week. Bring a chair or a picnic blanket.
I was at every single concert last summer, and I assure you that they are perfect for a family outing (there's lots of room for kids to run around, and there are always plenty of leashed dogs) or "date night."
June 24: Dukes of Destiny
July 1: Christine Havrilla and Gypsy Fuzz
July 8: Beyond the Pale
July 15: Mason Porter
July 22: Kategory 5
July 29: Billy Penn Burger
Aug. 5: Bullbuckers
Aug. 12: SOS (Chicago Tribute Band)
The concerts run from 7 to 9 p.m., and you can bring a picnic or buy dinner from a different local restaurant at the park each week. Bring a chair or a picnic blanket.
I was at every single concert last summer, and I assure you that they are perfect for a family outing (there's lots of room for kids to run around, and there are always plenty of leashed dogs) or "date night."
June 24: Dukes of Destiny
July 1: Christine Havrilla and Gypsy Fuzz
July 8: Beyond the Pale
July 15: Mason Porter
July 22: Kategory 5
July 29: Billy Penn Burger
Aug. 5: Bullbuckers
Aug. 12: SOS (Chicago Tribute Band)
OXFORD: Charlie Zahm visits the music of the 1960s
Friday night found me singing along to Pete Seeger, Peter Paul & Mary and John Denver songs at a 1960s concert by local troubadour Charlie Zahm at the Oxford Friends Meeting. I couldn't believe how many of my brain cells are occupied storing lyrics to "How Many Roads" and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."
Charlie sang the Kingston Trio's "MTA" (a favorite of my Dad's), Harry Belafonte's "Kingston Town," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "Annie's Song," "Puff the Magic Dragon," and lots more, even showing off his yodeling skills in the chorus of "Calypso." The first half of the show ended with a rousing version of "Those Were the Days," which was one of the first 45s I ever bought (Mary Hopkins' 1968 version, with the green Apple logo on it).
Charlie performed with fiddler Tad Marks and guitarist Stephen Hobson (from the Sin City Band), and Tad gave a tour-de-force performance to close the show, a railroad medley of "Wabash Cannonball" and "Orange Blossom Special."
Charlie sang the Kingston Trio's "MTA" (a favorite of my Dad's), Harry Belafonte's "Kingston Town," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "Annie's Song," "Puff the Magic Dragon," and lots more, even showing off his yodeling skills in the chorus of "Calypso." The first half of the show ended with a rousing version of "Those Were the Days," which was one of the first 45s I ever bought (Mary Hopkins' 1968 version, with the green Apple logo on it).
Charlie performed with fiddler Tad Marks and guitarist Stephen Hobson (from the Sin City Band), and Tad gave a tour-de-force performance to close the show, a railroad medley of "Wabash Cannonball" and "Orange Blossom Special."
Friday, May 8, 2015
TRACKLESS TRAIL: Two talks about the Underground Railroad
I have two Underground Railroad programs to alert you to. Both are free and the public is welcome.
On Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. the Kennett Township Historical Commission is presenting "Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd.” Chester County Historic Preservation Officer Karen Marshall will discuss the Harriet Tubman Freedom Trail (Harriet Tubman was a famed conductor on the Underground Railroad). Chris Densmore, curator of the Friends historical library at Swarthmore College, will talk about Kennett Township and the Underground Railroad. The talk will be at the Kennett Township building, 801 Burrows Run Road, Chadds Ford.
(The "Drinking Gourd" refers to the Big Dipper, which the fleeing slaves used for navigation.)
On Saturday, May 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., there will be a symposium on current research on the Underground Railroad in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York at London Grove Friends Meeting. Please RSVP by May 20 to Terry Maguire (tmaguire@wilmingtonfriends.org). When you register, please also let Terry know whether you want to buy lunch (from Triple Fresh Market). The talk is sponsored by the Kennett Underground Railroad Center.
On Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. the Kennett Township Historical Commission is presenting "Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd.” Chester County Historic Preservation Officer Karen Marshall will discuss the Harriet Tubman Freedom Trail (Harriet Tubman was a famed conductor on the Underground Railroad). Chris Densmore, curator of the Friends historical library at Swarthmore College, will talk about Kennett Township and the Underground Railroad. The talk will be at the Kennett Township building, 801 Burrows Run Road, Chadds Ford.
(The "Drinking Gourd" refers to the Big Dipper, which the fleeing slaves used for navigation.)
On Saturday, May 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., there will be a symposium on current research on the Underground Railroad in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York at London Grove Friends Meeting. Please RSVP by May 20 to Terry Maguire (tmaguire@wilmingtonfriends.org). When you register, please also let Terry know whether you want to buy lunch (from Triple Fresh Market). The talk is sponsored by the Kennett Underground Railroad Center.
KENNETT: Strawberry Social at Kennett Presbyterian
Debbie Beley asked me to share some information about the Presbyterian Church of Kennett Square's upcoming "Strawberry Social." It will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.on Friday, June 5, in front of the church in the 200 block of South Broad Street, Kennett Square. Proceeds go toward the church's mission trip to Mexico at the end of July. "Broad Street in front of the church will be closed as there will be kids’ games, strawberry shortcake, and desserts for sale. Fresh strawberries will be for sale too! Entertainment will be provided by PCKS members and friends in an informal talent show."
In case of rain, the festivities will move indoors to the church's Gilmor Room.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
LABYRINTHS: Seeking the Center in Wilmington and Kennett
Saturday, May 2, was World Labyrinth Day, and I marked it by walking the labyrinth behind the Delaware Art Museum. Labyrinth caretaker Carol Maurer gave a brief talk about the labyrinth, which is situated in what used to be a reservoir supplying water to local workers' houses. She said that all around the world, people would be walking at 1 p.m. in their local time zones -- even in devastated Nepal -- which means that a wave of peace would be encircling the globe. In theory.
The labyrinth is encompassed by tall rock walls and measures 80 feet across, with a circumference of 253 feet. It's not a maze; the path edges are marked by small stones. Walking from the edge to the center, you'll make 28 U-turns (to mark the 28-day lunar cycle) and six right-angle turns (there's one right as you think you're about to get to the center!).
Choristers from the Cathedral Choir School processed solemnly in and performed two songs -- the acoustics in the stone-lined site are stunning -- while the visitors entered the labyrinth and began their walks. Some paced slowly and mindfully, their hands clasped in prayer. Others crunched through the gravel, taking the twists and 180-degree turns in jaunty fashion.
I walked to the center of the labyrinth and back out again, twice (a total of a mile). There's something rhythmic, relaxing, and almost hypnotic about it.
A few days later I did a solo walk on a labyrinth closer to home, at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, adjacent to the church's memorial garden. It's smaller and has a different pattern than the one at the Delaware Art Museum, but it produces the same sense of "centering."
This photo is from the Delaware Art Museum's website.
The labyrinth is encompassed by tall rock walls and measures 80 feet across, with a circumference of 253 feet. It's not a maze; the path edges are marked by small stones. Walking from the edge to the center, you'll make 28 U-turns (to mark the 28-day lunar cycle) and six right-angle turns (there's one right as you think you're about to get to the center!).
Choristers from the Cathedral Choir School processed solemnly in and performed two songs -- the acoustics in the stone-lined site are stunning -- while the visitors entered the labyrinth and began their walks. Some paced slowly and mindfully, their hands clasped in prayer. Others crunched through the gravel, taking the twists and 180-degree turns in jaunty fashion.
I walked to the center of the labyrinth and back out again, twice (a total of a mile). There's something rhythmic, relaxing, and almost hypnotic about it.
A few days later I did a solo walk on a labyrinth closer to home, at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, adjacent to the church's memorial garden. It's smaller and has a different pattern than the one at the Delaware Art Museum, but it produces the same sense of "centering."
This photo is from the Delaware Art Museum's website.
WEST MARLBOROUGH: A quiet month for township business
It was a quiet West Marlborough Township meeting on May 5 (well, except for the birds singing lustily outside the township hall as the sun went down).
Supervisor Hugh Lofting reported that the township road crew was working along with neighboring townships to repair potholes, including the gaping ones on Hood Road in Londonderry Township, just outside of the West Marlborough Township line.
Hood Road before.
Hood Road after.
In reference to a discussion at the March township meeting, Supervisor Lofting said the township is leaning toward keeping its vintage road grader rather than replacing it.
"It's a very good grader," he said. "At least, for its time."
Township engineer Al Giannantonio said he received no zoning applications in April. Building inspector Eddie Caudill reported that he made two inspections and issued a building permit for a generator that is being installed at a house in the 500 block of Upland Road.
According to Officer Robert Clarke's police report, he worked seven days in April, did one investigation, and handled 21 incidents (including issuing seven speeding tickets, three parking tickets, one ticket for driving-without-a-license and five warnings).
The supervisors also mentioned the refuse dumping and graffiti that have appeared along Big Spring and Thouron Roads. They will alert Officer Clarke to the problem.
Supervisor Hugh Lofting reported that the township road crew was working along with neighboring townships to repair potholes, including the gaping ones on Hood Road in Londonderry Township, just outside of the West Marlborough Township line.
In reference to a discussion at the March township meeting, Supervisor Lofting said the township is leaning toward keeping its vintage road grader rather than replacing it.
"It's a very good grader," he said. "At least, for its time."
Township engineer Al Giannantonio said he received no zoning applications in April. Building inspector Eddie Caudill reported that he made two inspections and issued a building permit for a generator that is being installed at a house in the 500 block of Upland Road.
According to Officer Robert Clarke's police report, he worked seven days in April, did one investigation, and handled 21 incidents (including issuing seven speeding tickets, three parking tickets, one ticket for driving-without-a-license and five warnings).
The supervisors also mentioned the refuse dumping and graffiti that have appeared along Big Spring and Thouron Roads. They will alert Officer Clarke to the problem.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
THE LIBRARY: Fallout from the Board members' resignations
Elsewhere in this week's Kennett Paper you can read the full text of the resignation letter that three Bayard Taylor Memorial Library trustees (Jim Nelson, Jerry Brown, and Carol Starzmann) wrote on April 27 to support their colleague Barbara Cairns, the Kennett Square representative on the board, who they said resigned from her position because of her treatment at the hands of the board president, Susan Mackey-Kallis of Pennsbury Township and the vice president, Geoff Birkett of Kennett Township.
The letter is long but it's worth reading. If you love the library like I do (I served on the board for 10 years, in addition to being an employee, donor and volunteer), the situation will appall and sadden you.
I posted the letter on my blog on April 28, and the Kennett Paper posted a link on its Facebook page, and it was read by hundreds of people. This week I talked to many former library trustees, employees and volunteers, in person, on the phone and via social media, and the response to the situation seems to be universal dismay.
On April 30 Ms. Mackey-Kallis, who is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University, issued a press release decrying the "inaccurate information" being reported and declaring that the remaining board is in fact "much stronger than before" (you can read her press release elsewhere in this week's paper, too).
The question that many are asking is this: How will this controversy, coming on the heels of the board's decision to change the library's name, affect the library's chances of raising the millions of dollars it will take to construct a new building?
The letter is long but it's worth reading. If you love the library like I do (I served on the board for 10 years, in addition to being an employee, donor and volunteer), the situation will appall and sadden you.
I posted the letter on my blog on April 28, and the Kennett Paper posted a link on its Facebook page, and it was read by hundreds of people. This week I talked to many former library trustees, employees and volunteers, in person, on the phone and via social media, and the response to the situation seems to be universal dismay.
On April 30 Ms. Mackey-Kallis, who is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University, issued a press release decrying the "inaccurate information" being reported and declaring that the remaining board is in fact "much stronger than before" (you can read her press release elsewhere in this week's paper, too).
The question that many are asking is this: How will this controversy, coming on the heels of the board's decision to change the library's name, affect the library's chances of raising the millions of dollars it will take to construct a new building?
BURR SOCIETY: The covered bridges of Chester County
On Saturday my West Marlborough friend and neighbor Helen Martin spotted a long line of packed cars headed south on Route 841 at Route 926, many of them bearing red flags and signs saying "Covered Bridge Safari." Having a well-developed sense of curiosity, she did some research as soon as she got home from her errands and found that they were members of the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania on their annual outing, which this year was here in Chester County. The covered bridge enthusiasts visited all 15 bridges in the county, including the two in the Laurels Preserve, and spent the night at Microtel Inn in West Chester.
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