HISTORY: Cathy Quillman teaches you about old Kennett

The catalog for the fall session of Chester County Night School arrived in my mailbox yesterday, and I see that my dear friend Cathy Quillman, a writer and historian, is teaching a class on 19th-century Kennett Square at Patton Middle School. She will lecture on Sept. 22 and 29 and then will lead a tour through town on Oct. 6. She is also teaching another course about early transportation in Chester County.

QUAKERS: Happy 300th anniversary to New Garden Meeting

New Garden Friends Meeting will be celebrating its 300th birthday at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. "Please join us as we remember New Garden's past and Quakerism today," reads the invitation. The Quaker meetinghouse and burial ground is on Newark Road a mile south of Toughkenamon.

CONCERTS: The summer music series draws to a close

This Wednesday, Aug. 12, marks the final free concert of the summer at Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett Square. This week's show will be by SOS, a Chicago tribute band. On Aug. 5 the Bullbuckers brought ska and reggae music to the park in a wonderful show that had families, little kids, hula-hoopers and couples dancing in front of the stage.
The big question for the final show is this: Will the announcer pronounce the name of concert sponsor "Maffei Landscape Design" correctly? No one has yet.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. there's going to be a fundraiser to benefit reforestation of the park with native oaks, maples and sycamores. Love Seed Mama Jump will perform and food trucks will be on site. Tickets are $10, with kids under 12 free.

LITTER: Time to take down the Pond Tour signs, please

I hope the Brandywine Valley Water Garden Tour on July 25 and 26 was a success -- and perhaps its organizers could now remove the dozens of "Pond Tour" signs they put up along the roadsides throughout our area? I saw one sign that had been chopped up by a mower at Route 926 and 41. There are many signs at the entrance and exit ramps on the Route 1 bypass, at Newark Road, Route 841 (at least three), and Route 796. And there were two of them along Route 82, one across from Triple Fresh and the other at the Strasburg Road intersection.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Zoning changes and zoning permits

It was another quiet summer meeting of the West Marlborough Township supervisors the evening of August 4.
The supervisors held a brief hearing for and approved updates to the township's zoning ordinance. Supervisors' chairman Bill Wylie said the changes would make the township's code consistent with both the regional regulations created by West Marlborough, East Marlborough and Newlin townships (the Unionville Area Regional Comprehensive Plan) and new state regulations.
Mr. Wylie said he was pleased by the cooperation shown by the three townships in coordinating their regulations to the benefit of all: "There was a high degree of agreement," he said.
Zoning officer Al Giannantonio reported that township resident Derek Strine applied for five zoning permits for work at his Bartram Road farm: a landscaping wall, a run-in shed, a farm shop, windmills and a storage building. Permission is pending for all of them. Because he didn't obtain the permits before doing the work, he will have to pay double the usual fee to the township.
Conrad Somers also applied for zoning permission to add onto a building on his Mosquito Lane property. Permission for that addition is also pending.
In his July report, police officer Robert Clarke said he worked 40 hours and issued seven speeding tickets, one ticket for a stop-sign violation, two parking tickets, and five warnings.

MUNSTERS: Sounds of the Sixties updated

I was startled to hear on the radio the instantly recognizable theme song to the 1960s sitcom "The Munsters." And then I heard it again. What's going on? It seems the band Fall Out Boy is using the theme to add a jaunty touch to their new song "Uma Thurman." Talk about cultural references: even the name Fall Out Boy comes from a character on "The Simpsons."
I was never much of a Munsters fan myself; I much preferred Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, Lurch and Thing to the residents of Mockingbird Lane.

HIBERNIA: Lots of old-time music at the Old Fiddlers' Picnic

This Saturday, Aug. 8, is the 87th annual Old Fiddler's Picnic at Hibernia County Park. You don't have to be a fan of old-time music to enjoy this venerable Chester County tradition. Musicians of all ages and skill levels get together to jam in the woods while groups -- some formed on the spot -- perform on the stage throughout the day.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is $5 per car, with no admission fee. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Rain date is Sunday, Aug. 9.

LYCORIS: A highlight of the late summer garden

It's a great summer for the lovely pink Lycoris flowers here. One of their nicknames is "surprise lily" because their two-foot-high flower stalks, with no visible leaves, seem to just show up in early August. Not only are they spreading in clumps here, but they're also sprouting in places in my garden far removed from where I've seen them before -- like, on the opposite side of the house! I wonder if perhaps squirrels have been moving the bulbs around?

CCHS: Goodbye to Rob Lukens, historical society president

Rob Lukens, president of the Chester County Historical Society, died at home on Aug. 1, two years after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He leaves behind his wife and two children. I think Rob was as well known and liked in civic, business, educational, philanthropic and artistic circles throughout the county as he was in the museum field. He will be greatly missed.