This heartwarming item is courtesy of Don Silknitter, a retired Unionville schoolteacher who lives here in a lovely historic mill on the Buck Run here in West Marlborough. I'll let him tell it:
"Last Sunday two strangers pulled into the driveway. One of them got out of the truck and knocked on our door. He introduced himself and had a question for me. Could he get married in my front yard on Saturday? To his surprise I said, "SURE."
"Today, Saturday has arrived. Around 6 this evening he and his bride were married at Rokeby Hollow."
Don reports that his wife, Joanie, decorated the gazebo where the couple pledged their troth and even "made up small bags of rice, which I'm sure the field mice will eat."
Saturday, August 15, 2015
STOP MEANS STOP: 5-0 on patrol along Route 926
The other afternoon I noticed that the police were sitting in the driveway at London Grove Friends Meeting watching for stop-sign violators. It seems to be one of their favorite spots: I was surprised to learn how many of my pals "fessed up" to having been stopped for running the stop signs there.
Apparently the violation carries a hefty fine. And you just KNOW that a friend or neighbor is going to be driving by while you're sitting there with a police cruiser behind you. Your photo will be on Facebook before you get home.
Another friend reports that the police have also been monitoring the four-way stop signs at the awful intersection of Routes 841 and 926. Don't even think about doing a "rolling stop" through there.
I was southbound on the Route 1 bypass at about 8 p.m. Friday evening, between Route 82 and Newark Road, and when a motorcyclist absolutely flew by me. I can't even estimate how fast he (I assume it was a "he") was going because it was mere seconds before he disappeared from view. I thought about calling the police, but I figured he was already to the Maryland line by then.
Apparently the violation carries a hefty fine. And you just KNOW that a friend or neighbor is going to be driving by while you're sitting there with a police cruiser behind you. Your photo will be on Facebook before you get home.
Another friend reports that the police have also been monitoring the four-way stop signs at the awful intersection of Routes 841 and 926. Don't even think about doing a "rolling stop" through there.
I was southbound on the Route 1 bypass at about 8 p.m. Friday evening, between Route 82 and Newark Road, and when a motorcyclist absolutely flew by me. I can't even estimate how fast he (I assume it was a "he") was going because it was mere seconds before he disappeared from view. I thought about calling the police, but I figured he was already to the Maryland line by then.
GAS PUMP: A reminder to redeem your gas points
What with constant deadlines and general summer busy-ness, I've been forgetting to use my Giant gas points the past few months, and I'm guessing that maybe some of you have, too. So use them up! They expire at the end of each month, and the gas station gets crowded the last few days with consumers eager to cash in their points. I cashed in my forty cents a gallon on Sunday morning.
And while I pumping my gas at the shopping center in New Garden I noticed that the frozen yogurt place, Opayo, has gone out of business. There's a for-rent sign on the vacant store, and the contents were auctioned off in March.
And while I pumping my gas at the shopping center in New Garden I noticed that the frozen yogurt place, Opayo, has gone out of business. There's a for-rent sign on the vacant store, and the contents were auctioned off in March.
KENNETT SQUARE: "A real celebration" to end the concert season
The final summer concert at Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett was a wonderful, memorable evening: the tribute band SOS performed the greatest hits of the rock group Chicago, like "Saturday in the Park," "25 or 6 to Four," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Old Days," "Mongonucleosis," "Questions 67 and 68," "Beginnings"... the list goes on. They even did everybody's slow-dance favorite, "Color My World," filling the gravel space in front of the stage with romantic couples.
The (large) part of my brain that stores old song lyrics kicked in as if I'd heard the songs just yesterday. I listened to Chicago by the hour when I was in junior high and high school. My "Chicago Transit Authority" double album was so well used that you could see the outline of the records through the sleeve.
Some of the songs that SOS played touched on the turbulent times of the early 1970s: riots, assassinations, hippies, challenging "The Establishment" and hearing news accounts about Vietnam War casualties from the other side of the world. It was more than a little poignant that 40 years later, there I was sitting there in the park surrounded by friend, enjoying delicious Vietnamese pork sandwiches from Portabello's restaurant (the mushroom mac-and-cheese was great, too, but carried no nostalgic associations).
Huge thanks to the organizers and sponsors of this concert series. And finally, for the first time all summer, the guest emcee pronounced "Maffei Landscape Design" correctly when acknowledging the sponsors. I guess it helped that the emcee was Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick, and Dan Maffei is a member of borough council!
I know this is going to sound dreadfully corny, but the summer concerts reflect a genuine sense of community. Walking around at intermission (usually on my way to get ice cream), we'd see friendly people from so many circles in our lives, all there just to hear the music and hang out. It gives me hope for small-town America.
The (large) part of my brain that stores old song lyrics kicked in as if I'd heard the songs just yesterday. I listened to Chicago by the hour when I was in junior high and high school. My "Chicago Transit Authority" double album was so well used that you could see the outline of the records through the sleeve.
Some of the songs that SOS played touched on the turbulent times of the early 1970s: riots, assassinations, hippies, challenging "The Establishment" and hearing news accounts about Vietnam War casualties from the other side of the world. It was more than a little poignant that 40 years later, there I was sitting there in the park surrounded by friend, enjoying delicious Vietnamese pork sandwiches from Portabello's restaurant (the mushroom mac-and-cheese was great, too, but carried no nostalgic associations).
Huge thanks to the organizers and sponsors of this concert series. And finally, for the first time all summer, the guest emcee pronounced "Maffei Landscape Design" correctly when acknowledging the sponsors. I guess it helped that the emcee was Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick, and Dan Maffei is a member of borough council!
I know this is going to sound dreadfully corny, but the summer concerts reflect a genuine sense of community. Walking around at intermission (usually on my way to get ice cream), we'd see friendly people from so many circles in our lives, all there just to hear the music and hang out. It gives me hope for small-town America.
POND TOUR: Just a few signs remain
Last week I wrote an item about how signs advertising the July 25-26 Brandywine Pond Tour were still cluttering up our roadsides. Since the article appeared, I'm glad to say, they've been disappearing. Not that I'm claiming the article had anything to do with it, of course: that would be a classic post hoc fallacy in logic. (Hey, I still remember my expensive liberal-arts education!)
But my sharp-eyed readers report that there are still Pond Tour signs at the Dilworthtown intersection; at Lenape and Birmingham Roads (by Strodes Mill); and at Guernsey Road and Old Baltimore Pike in West Grove. Let me know if you see any more in your travels.
But my sharp-eyed readers report that there are still Pond Tour signs at the Dilworthtown intersection; at Lenape and Birmingham Roads (by Strodes Mill); and at Guernsey Road and Old Baltimore Pike in West Grove. Let me know if you see any more in your travels.
Friday, August 14, 2015
METEORS: Sometimes parenting ideas fall from Heaven
Being a parent requires creativity and thinking on your feet, and a young Mom I know displayed both with impeccable style the other day. She told me that her daughter wanted to eat at Wendy's. It didn't fit in with the day's plans, so the Mom replied, without missing a beat, "We can't. It's closed. Meteor shower."
This made perfect sense to her daughter, who is a smart little girl: better to close the restaurant than to risk having customers get hit by meteors!
Right, agreed her mother with a completely straight face. Although it was very unlikely to happen, better to play it safe.
This made perfect sense to her daughter, who is a smart little girl: better to close the restaurant than to risk having customers get hit by meteors!
Right, agreed her mother with a completely straight face. Although it was very unlikely to happen, better to play it safe.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
UNIONVILLE: Flag thieves and groundhogs at the cemetery
Elsewhere in this column, you can read about the wonderful cemetery cleanup done by some Boy Scouts this past week. Now here's the exact opposite story: for the second time in recent weeks, flags have been stolen from veterans' graves at the Unionville Cemetery.
Norman Diem, president of the Unionville Cemetery Association, said the thieves have been pulling the wooden staffs out of their metal holders that indicate which war the veteran served in. They then remove the stapled-on flag and stuff the staffs down a nearby hole.
He said about 20 flags have been taken, all from the oldest part of the cemetery (the first burial was in 1847).
He said he hopes the thieves are just bored teens but worries that the situation could worsen.
"My fear is they might push the stones over," he said.
Mr. Diem, a veteran himself, said he is troubled by the lack of respect shown for the dead.
He said he will continue to replace the stolen flags, which are donated by the American Legion.
Mr. Diem said he has contacted the East Marlborough Township police as well as the cemetery lot holders. He is also asking residents to help him keep an eye on the graveyard by glancing over when they drive by or stop in at the post office.
"They can always call me if they see something," he said (610-444-1376).
In addition to the flag thieves, the other vandals at the cemetery have been groundhogs, which have been tunneling deeply under some of the stones, putting the monuments at risk for toppling over. Mr. Diem said he has caught two groundhogs so far ("one big, one small") in a trap and has relocated
them.
Civil War veteran William Sheward, who died in 1865, has had his resting spot disturbed by both the flag thieves and the groundhogs. In this photo you can see the metal GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) marker, minus the flag, on the right side of his tombstone, along with the bare staff. And the groundhogs have tunneled completely under the stone.
Norman Diem, president of the Unionville Cemetery Association, said the thieves have been pulling the wooden staffs out of their metal holders that indicate which war the veteran served in. They then remove the stapled-on flag and stuff the staffs down a nearby hole.
He said about 20 flags have been taken, all from the oldest part of the cemetery (the first burial was in 1847).
He said he hopes the thieves are just bored teens but worries that the situation could worsen.
"My fear is they might push the stones over," he said.
Mr. Diem, a veteran himself, said he is troubled by the lack of respect shown for the dead.
He said he will continue to replace the stolen flags, which are donated by the American Legion.
Mr. Diem said he has contacted the East Marlborough Township police as well as the cemetery lot holders. He is also asking residents to help him keep an eye on the graveyard by glancing over when they drive by or stop in at the post office.
"They can always call me if they see something," he said (610-444-1376).
In addition to the flag thieves, the other vandals at the cemetery have been groundhogs, which have been tunneling deeply under some of the stones, putting the monuments at risk for toppling over. Mr. Diem said he has caught two groundhogs so far ("one big, one small") in a trap and has relocated
them.
Civil War veteran William Sheward, who died in 1865, has had his resting spot disturbed by both the flag thieves and the groundhogs. In this photo you can see the metal GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) marker, minus the flag, on the right side of his tombstone, along with the bare staff. And the groundhogs have tunneled completely under the stone.
Monday, August 10, 2015
MARRIAGE: Celebrating a very long and happy partnership
Happy 62nd anniversary to the Senior Tally-hos. Our family is all over the place this summer, on land and in the air, in different states and even continents, but four of us managed to get together for a delicious dinner on Sunday night, and of course we raised a glass in honor of the happy couple. May they have many more years together!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
BACK TO SCHOOL: Part of today's college experience
It's mid-August, and the stores are full of back-to-school products. In addition to notebooks, paper and highlighters, apparently K-cups and video games are also necessities for today's student. "What's brewing on campus" proclaimed a sign for an $89 Keurig coffee machine; "Get Your Gaming Cards for Back to Campus," read a sign with a display full of Google Play cards. In my college days we drank instant coffee and played backgammon, no "gaming cards" required.
HIBERNIA: Musicians and music-lovers at the Old Fiddlers' Picnic
The 87th Old Fiddlers' Picnic at Hibernia Park on August 8 provided us with a wonderful, daylong adventure. Musicians of all ages and experience levels brought their fiddles, guitars, dobros, mandolins, and other instruments along and jammed together informally in the woods. Groups performed 20-minute sets on the main stage at Fiddlers Field. And we non-musicians who just like old-time music set up our chairs and soaked up the atmosphere of the perfect August day. It was a remarkably wholesome, welcoming and diverse crowd, with Amish families, toddlers, motorcyclists, hipsters, hippies, gray-haired folks, and dogs large and small.
The food vendors were excellent, and we made frequent trips to them for sandwiches, lemonade, popsicles and soft pretzels. Swarmbustin' Honey from West Marlborough had a tent, and Lou Mandich from Unionville's Last Chance Garage brought his antique Packard to the old-car display (Lou was sitting next to his car with Ruth Thompson and her son, Larry, from Newlin Township).
We rode a tractor-driven cart to the Hibernia Mansion with the intent of taking a guided tour, but because the tours didn't start for another hour, we decided to do some park exploration. We saw the children's fishing pond (reserved for young anglers), hiked up to the large earthen dam that contains Chambers Lake, envied the boaters out on the 90-acre lake, visited the campground area and eventually -- following the sound of the music through the woods -- found our way back to Scout Field and then Fiddlers Field.
After relaxing for a bit, we checked out the "beginners jam" at one of the pavilions, where kind old-timers welcomed neophytes. Their entertaining version of "Crawdad Hole" stuck in our heads the rest of the day.
The food vendors were excellent, and we made frequent trips to them for sandwiches, lemonade, popsicles and soft pretzels. Swarmbustin' Honey from West Marlborough had a tent, and Lou Mandich from Unionville's Last Chance Garage brought his antique Packard to the old-car display (Lou was sitting next to his car with Ruth Thompson and her son, Larry, from Newlin Township).
We rode a tractor-driven cart to the Hibernia Mansion with the intent of taking a guided tour, but because the tours didn't start for another hour, we decided to do some park exploration. We saw the children's fishing pond (reserved for young anglers), hiked up to the large earthen dam that contains Chambers Lake, envied the boaters out on the 90-acre lake, visited the campground area and eventually -- following the sound of the music through the woods -- found our way back to Scout Field and then Fiddlers Field.
After relaxing for a bit, we checked out the "beginners jam" at one of the pavilions, where kind old-timers welcomed neophytes. Their entertaining version of "Crawdad Hole" stuck in our heads the rest of the day.
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