It's been months since you read about the Whip in this column, but the Springdell tavern's perennial parking problems came to the attention of the West Marlborough Township supervisors once again at their Oct. 6 monthly meeting.
A resident who lives near the pub told the board that patrons are ignoring the "no parking" regulations and are parking along Route 841 because the parking lot is full. The parking problem is especially acute when rugby tournaments and steeplechases are being broadcast inside the tavern.
Supervisors Chairman Bill Wylie said the supervisors were well aware of the ongoing problems, and the township's solicitor is discussing the situation with the Whip's attorneys.
Friday, October 9, 2015
WEST MARLBOROUGH: The monthly facts and figures
Here are the regular monthly reports that were presented at the West Marlborough Township meeting on Oct. 6.
Township engineer Al Giannantonio said he received a zoning application from a Springdell resident to build a shed on his property in the 1300 block of North Chatham Road (Route 841), next to the Whip tavern. The application is pending.
Building inspector Eddie Caudill reported that he did one inspection, a garage being built at Newark and Upland Roads.
Police Chief Robert Clarke said that in September he wrote six speeding tickets, one stop-sign violation, one no-passing violation, nine parking tickets, and five warnings and conducted one investigation.
And supervisor Hugh Lofting reported that the township road crew has been working on installing piping on Thouron Road, a project for which the township received a grant, and are mowing and getting the equipment ready for winter.
Township engineer Al Giannantonio said he received a zoning application from a Springdell resident to build a shed on his property in the 1300 block of North Chatham Road (Route 841), next to the Whip tavern. The application is pending.
Building inspector Eddie Caudill reported that he did one inspection, a garage being built at Newark and Upland Roads.
Police Chief Robert Clarke said that in September he wrote six speeding tickets, one stop-sign violation, one no-passing violation, nine parking tickets, and five warnings and conducted one investigation.
And supervisor Hugh Lofting reported that the township road crew has been working on installing piping on Thouron Road, a project for which the township received a grant, and are mowing and getting the equipment ready for winter.
NEW GARDEN: Now that's what I call funny
On Newark Road this morning, near Toughkenamon, I saw a white work truck from Tedco Insulation of Kennett Square with the slogan, "We Itch for Your Business!" Cleverest slogan I've seen in a long time.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
WEST MARLBOROUGH: A new meaning to "mowing the grass"
Police Chief Robert Clarke shared a vivid account of some on-the-job gardening he did in West Marlborough on Sept. 30.
"Clarkie" told me he got a call from Jamie Hicks, who was cutting corn on the west side of Newark Road across from Archie's restaurant and was surprised to find some marijuana plants in the middle of the field.
Clarkie arrived at the scene and uprooted the healthy green pot plants, the tallest of which was six and a half feet. He bundled them into garbage bags, took them back to the East Marlborough Township building and asked township roadmaster Dennis Mellinger to destroy them with a Kubota lawn mower. Dennis was glad to oblige, running over them repeatedly while Clarkie recorded the scene on his phone.
"Here's what I don't get," Clarkie mused. "They knew the corn was gonna be cut down. Why didn't they just get out there and harvest their stuff?"
(One friend of mine predicted that avid potheads would be scouring the East Marlborough Township property with their Dustbusters to scavenge the ground-up dope.)
"Clarkie" told me he got a call from Jamie Hicks, who was cutting corn on the west side of Newark Road across from Archie's restaurant and was surprised to find some marijuana plants in the middle of the field.
Clarkie arrived at the scene and uprooted the healthy green pot plants, the tallest of which was six and a half feet. He bundled them into garbage bags, took them back to the East Marlborough Township building and asked township roadmaster Dennis Mellinger to destroy them with a Kubota lawn mower. Dennis was glad to oblige, running over them repeatedly while Clarkie recorded the scene on his phone.
"Here's what I don't get," Clarkie mused. "They knew the corn was gonna be cut down. Why didn't they just get out there and harvest their stuff?"
(One friend of mine predicted that avid potheads would be scouring the East Marlborough Township property with their Dustbusters to scavenge the ground-up dope.)
Sunday, October 4, 2015
THE FAIR: Soggy and cold but still a great tradition
This year's Unionville Community Fair was cold, wet, and windy -- but still awesome in my book.
The Denim & Diamonds opening-night party had great food: mushroom soup from the Kennett Square Inn, pulled pork from Hood's BBQ, salad from Kendal/Crosslands Communities, shrimp and grits from The Gables in Chadds Ford, flatbreads from Sovana Bistro, a glorious cake by Vanessa Ross Cakes, and butlered hors d'oeuvres by Triple Fresh (with Doe Run cheese). The drinks were from Paradocx Vineyard, Victory Brewing and Waywood Beverage. Everything was so well done that it was hard to believe it was only Michele Berardi's first year running the party.
I had fun seeing my "Fair Friends," including this year's Fair honoree, Dave Salomaki. The students from the Pennock's Bridge Technical College High School who printed out the entry tags were wonderfully efficient and amusing, drinking jumbo-size energy drinks and eating Landhope subs as they worked.
The judging day was Thursday, and it was fun to watch the students from Longwood Gardens judging the flowers and vegetables, poring over the specimens as carefully as pathologists. (I got dinged for my amaranth's foliage, and my pumpkin was completely out of the ribbons.)
This year I was the volunteer director of one of the baked goods areas, and we got a terrific number of entries, most of them of high caliber. My judges, three professionals in the food industry, spent two hours taste-testing the various breads, cookies, muffins, and candies and debating their merits. They had no trouble deciding on the best-of-show winner, though: a creamy chocolate fudge that looked and tasted like heaven.
There were a couple of conspicuous absences at the Fair this year (other than the parade and rodeo, which were casualties of the Nor'Easter). We missed Vincent Sun's beautiful flowers and garden produce (he told me he felt like he was monopolizing the competition, having won the overall David J. Whenry Award several times running) and Jared Murphy's chocolate cookies (he had the nerve to age out of the contest).
Congrats to all the Fair volunteers. What a huge undertaking!
The Denim & Diamonds opening-night party had great food: mushroom soup from the Kennett Square Inn, pulled pork from Hood's BBQ, salad from Kendal/Crosslands Communities, shrimp and grits from The Gables in Chadds Ford, flatbreads from Sovana Bistro, a glorious cake by Vanessa Ross Cakes, and butlered hors d'oeuvres by Triple Fresh (with Doe Run cheese). The drinks were from Paradocx Vineyard, Victory Brewing and Waywood Beverage. Everything was so well done that it was hard to believe it was only Michele Berardi's first year running the party.
I had fun seeing my "Fair Friends," including this year's Fair honoree, Dave Salomaki. The students from the Pennock's Bridge Technical College High School who printed out the entry tags were wonderfully efficient and amusing, drinking jumbo-size energy drinks and eating Landhope subs as they worked.
The judging day was Thursday, and it was fun to watch the students from Longwood Gardens judging the flowers and vegetables, poring over the specimens as carefully as pathologists. (I got dinged for my amaranth's foliage, and my pumpkin was completely out of the ribbons.)
This year I was the volunteer director of one of the baked goods areas, and we got a terrific number of entries, most of them of high caliber. My judges, three professionals in the food industry, spent two hours taste-testing the various breads, cookies, muffins, and candies and debating their merits. They had no trouble deciding on the best-of-show winner, though: a creamy chocolate fudge that looked and tasted like heaven.
There were a couple of conspicuous absences at the Fair this year (other than the parade and rodeo, which were casualties of the Nor'Easter). We missed Vincent Sun's beautiful flowers and garden produce (he told me he felt like he was monopolizing the competition, having won the overall David J. Whenry Award several times running) and Jared Murphy's chocolate cookies (he had the nerve to age out of the contest).
Congrats to all the Fair volunteers. What a huge undertaking!
EAST MARLBOROUGH: The beginnings of the "Walnut Walk" development
The old mushroom houses in the 500 block of North Walnut Street, East Marlborough Township, are now just a pile of rubble, razed to make way for "Walnut Walk," a Bentley Homes townhouse development. There's a marketing trailer on the site now. According to the website, prices start at $350,000 and the first new units are expected to be complete in early 2016.
The website mentions the development's proximity to downtown Kennett Square, the Kennett Golf & Country Club, Anson B. Nixon Park, Longwood Gardens, and the Galer Estate Vineyard, as well as the fact that it's in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.
The website mentions the development's proximity to downtown Kennett Square, the Kennett Golf & Country Club, Anson B. Nixon Park, Longwood Gardens, and the Galer Estate Vineyard, as well as the fact that it's in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.
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| Mushroom houses were razed to make room for the "Walnut Walk" development. |
LONGWOOD: An outpouring of love for Belin
I want to share with you a few of the sweet comments I've received about Belin, the beloved "ambassador cat" at Longwood Gardens, who died on Sept. 23. Belin made his home in the Peirce-du Pont House.
1. "I used to give Belin a belly scratch every morning on my walk. I thought maybe he was spending some leisure time in the house on one of his favorite pieces of furniture. I'll miss you old buddy."
2. "Belin, we have five wonderful cats. We know all about all the different kinds of cat personalities. You were something special, Belin. We'll never forget you. You will be missed❤️."
3. "I loved that guy. He reminded me of my Jackson Browne tabby that I lost almost 7 years ago. RIP, Belin, I'm glad you didn't suffer. You brought a lot of joy to LG visitors."
4. "Belin would saunter over and hang out with me while I worked. Another great cat for me to be glad I met."
5. "Such a lovely part of the Longwood experience! Peace, Belin."
1. "I used to give Belin a belly scratch every morning on my walk. I thought maybe he was spending some leisure time in the house on one of his favorite pieces of furniture. I'll miss you old buddy."
2. "Belin, we have five wonderful cats. We know all about all the different kinds of cat personalities. You were something special, Belin. We'll never forget you. You will be missed❤️."
3. "I loved that guy. He reminded me of my Jackson Browne tabby that I lost almost 7 years ago. RIP, Belin, I'm glad you didn't suffer. You brought a lot of joy to LG visitors."
4. "Belin would saunter over and hang out with me while I worked. Another great cat for me to be glad I met."
5. "Such a lovely part of the Longwood experience! Peace, Belin."
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| Belin, the beloved Longwood Gardens cat, died Sept. 23. |
ADDICTION: A memorial service for a friend's husband
On Friday night I went to a moving memorial service for a friend's husband, and I was glad the speakers didn't shy away from talking about the illness that killed him at age 59: alcoholism. Fortunately the stigma of alcoholism has been reduced these days: I remember when newspaper stories would refer to someone as "an admitted alcoholic," as if it was some kind of an embarrassing moral failing rather than a devastating addictive disease.
One of the speakers at the service urged those present to contact someone if they thought they might have a drinking problem -- perhaps their physician or a self-help group like AA. "You are not alone," he said, emotion breaking through his words as he talked about the critical importance of seeking support.
One of the speakers at the service urged those present to contact someone if they thought they might have a drinking problem -- perhaps their physician or a self-help group like AA. "You are not alone," he said, emotion breaking through his words as he talked about the critical importance of seeking support.
PERKINS: A fundraiser to benefit the East Marlborough Auxiliary
Marie O'Brien asked me to share this information about a fundraiser at Perkins restaurant in Avondale that the East Marlborough Auxiliary of the Chester County Hospital is sponsoring. It will be on Monday, October 19, from 4 to 8
p.m.
"We'd love for lots and lots of folks to come out and enjoy dinner at Perkins that evening," she writes. "Cost is just the normal cost of dinner. Not a dime extra!! All you have to do is let your waitress know that you are there to support the Chester County Hospital, and Perkins will donate a portion of their profit to the hospital."
Marie also adds that "the Auxiliary is open to new members. We'd love for folks to join the organization, make new friends and participate in activities to support the hospital. Anyone interested in joining the Auxiliary can call Pres. Barbara Roney. She can be reached at 610 444-1402."
"We'd love for lots and lots of folks to come out and enjoy dinner at Perkins that evening," she writes. "Cost is just the normal cost of dinner. Not a dime extra!! All you have to do is let your waitress know that you are there to support the Chester County Hospital, and Perkins will donate a portion of their profit to the hospital."
Marie also adds that "the Auxiliary is open to new members. We'd love for folks to join the organization, make new friends and participate in activities to support the hospital. Anyone interested in joining the Auxiliary can call Pres. Barbara Roney. She can be reached at 610 444-1402."
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