COACH: A first-class shopping trip

I wish all stores provided such a good shopping experience as does the Coach outlet in the Tanger outlet mall on Route 30 near Lancaster.
Almost as soon as I stepped into the shop, a saleswoman greeted me, noticed that I was carrying a Coach bag with a badly beat-up strap (it has been slammed in locker and car doors one too many times) and without my even asking checked to see if they had a replacement strap. When they didn't (the bag was a 2006 model, after all) the manager, Brandon, came over, introduced himself, bowed to me and apologized. I told him I fully expected to buy a new bag anyway but appreciated his research.
The first-quality, current merchandise was displayed neatly and attractively, the shop was well organized and the prices were so deeply discounted from "list" that I bought not only a regular bag but a smaller purse that will allow me to carry my phone/camera even if I don't have pockets.
As I was checking out (they opened up a register so I didn't have to wait), another customer came up to me and said she'd noticed that I had been eyeing a pink leather bag, and she didn't want to think she had unfairly taken it. I assured her that it was a lovely bag, and it was all hers.
The salesgirl and I looked at each other in amazement.
"I've never seen anyone do that, ever," she said.
On the way out to Lancaster I took Route 30 through Gap so that I could see the huge new Urban Outfitters warehouse. I didn't need to: it is so massive that you can see it all the way from Strasburg Road as well.

CHURCH: Shedding its skin

Somebody has taken on the major and doubtless expensive challenge of renovating the former "Crossroads of Faith" church building on Strasburg Road at Mt. Carmel Road in East Fallowfield Township. The church used to have a big sign by the road exhorting passersby to "REPENT" but went out of business after its longtime pastor pleaded guilty to some unsavory charges. 
The renovator has stripped off the siding and front porch to reveal bare stone walls. I looked inside and saw a battered-looking piano and a few pews. The "Repent" sign is gone.

Before renovation: the building's east side.

During renovation: the building' east side.

The building from the Strasburg Road side.

RECALLS: A different car completely!

A recent incident made me realize how accustomed we've become to have Big Brother looking over our shoulder.
Since 2012 I've been receiving occasional form letters from my auto manufacturer about various recalls. None of it sounded too serious, so I just stuffed all of it into the glove compartment.
Then they started upping their game, leaving messages saying that according to their records I hadn't had the work done yet and was jeopardizing the safety of my loved ones. I programmed my phone to block them.
Then came the most recent letter: a problem with the airbag inflating mechanism that could send shrapnel flying at you at high speed (you've probably read about this in the papers; it's a very widespread problem). Sick of the calls and letters, I gave in and called my dealership to get it fixed.
Well, it turns out they won't have the parts until June. I said fine, I'll wait.
Then I asked the woman in the service department about all the other recalls they've been pestering me about for years. She was baffled, saying no other recalls had ever been issued on my vehicle.
I opened the glove box and started looking at the stack of papers -- and it turns out they were all for the 2002 vehicle I had owned before this one!
I just assumed that some cog in "the system" would have updated the ownership information when I sold the car back in 2011.

CHORALE: Songs from the Camps

Ruth Russell of the Brandywine Valley Chorale wrote to tell me that the group will be performing its spring concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at the Unionville High School auditorium.
This year's theme is a somber one: the Chorale will be singing Holocaust Cantata, "a brave and beautifully written musical work — an emotional journey through one of the bleakest eras in human history. Donald McCullough’s haunting choral tribute gives a human voice to the victims of the Holocaust through a cycle of songs and spoken prose written by prisoners in the camps."
The program will be introduced by Joseph B. Hirt, a Holocaust survivor and a former staff member at Unionville High School who retired in 1993; he was a teacher and district school psychologist.
Ruth adds, "I graduated from UHS in '76. Mr. Hirt was there at that time, but I had NO idea of his past. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of his co-workers were unaware of his history. From a few articles I have read, he really did not share his life's story until just relatively recently."
After the concert, refreshments will be served and people will have the opportunity to talk with Mr. Hirt.

"My wish is that the auditorium will be filled with faces that are familiar to Mr. Hirt, showing support for him," Ruth writes.

Tickets ($15 for adults, $10 for students) are available on the Chorale's website (thebvc.org) or at the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RACES: Point-to-point races this Sunday

I missed the Cheshire Races (only because we were in Philadelphia, as you'll read below), but we'll definitely be at the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point Races this coming Sunday, April 3. As always, it's held at the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance's Myrick Conservation Center (the BVA) on Unionville-Wawaset Road (Route 842).
Gates open at 11 a.m. The kids' pony races (always very cute to watch) are at 12:30, 12:45, 1 and 1:15, followed by the parade of Radnor Hunt's foxhounds. The ladies' race is at 1:45, heavyweight race at 2:15, novice race at 2:45, open race at 3:15 and owner-ride foxhunter's race at 3:45 p.m.
Proceeds benefit the Alliance's environmental education and watershed conservation programs.
I hear from friends who attended that the Cheshire Races were wonderful, with pleasant weather, exciting races, and a good turnout of locals.
Alternatively, if you're looking for an indoor activity next Sunday, Rollin Wilber will be presenting a piano concert at 2 p.m. at Kennett Friends Meeting. He will be playing a mix of Schubert, Debussy, Brahms and Chopin. Admission is free, as it is for all of the Hadley Fund programs.

THEATRE: "Peter and the Starcatcher" in Philly

At concerts and plays, we make a point of exchanging seats at intermission so we get a different perspective for the second half.
On Easter Sunday afternoon at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, we took that cozy habit to extremes: We moved from corner balcony seats to prime center-orchestra seats. Even though we were in Center City, we ran into some local friends at intermission, and they invited us to join them: they're longtime season-ticket holders and the people who normally sit with them weren't coming.
That was a long intro to get to my point: "Peter and the Starcatcher" is a hilarious and very cleverly staged play that's worth going to see, no matter where you're sitting. It's billed as a "prequel" to the Peter Pan story, and you learn how Peter got his name, why the crocodile "ticks," what "Neverland" means, and how Captain Hook lost his hand.
We missed the Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society's pantomime this year, but watching "Peter" we feel as if we made up for it: the show is full of silly wordplay ("How dare he call us ruffians! We've never even been to Ruffia!"), groan-inducing puns, cross-dressing, physical comedy (one character keeps jabbing himself with a pineapple), fabulous costumes (the mermaid outfits were stunning), and a spunky heroine. The actors (and the actress; there's only one) each played multiple roles, changing into pirates, deckhands, musicians and members of the distinctly anti-British Mollusk tribe as they raced around the elaborate, multi-level set. All the stage business was handled with such precision: we noticed that one actor who was "rowing" to safety atop a big wheeled trunk was pushed onstage by one actor, handed off to another and then moved into his final position by a third.
Special mention must go to the crocodile, "Mr. Grim." He was made from a giant old rolltop desk on wheels (the rolltop part served as his jaws), with flashlights for eyes.
The show runs through May 1. It runs for almost two and a half hours, so it's probably too long for young kids.
By the way: I hadn't been to that part of Philadelphia for a number of years, and wow, has it changed for the better. We got there early, parked in a lot, walked around, goggled at all the new medical buildings Jefferson has erected, watched a medevac helicopter land atop one of them, had lunch at a little Asian place (apparently a favorite for Jefferson personnel, judging from the number of people in scrubs) and enjoyed seeing people from lots of different cultures.

LIBRARY: This year's Home & Garden Day

On Saturday I received a "save the date" postcard for the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library's popular annual home and garden day (and you can imagine how delighted and surprised I was to see that they actually used the traditional library name on the cards!).
This year the tour is on Saturday, June 4, and tickets go on sale starting April 18 (at the library or through the website). As I have for the past several years, I'm doing the write-ups for the tour program, so I get a sneak preview of the houses. It's a super tour this year, centered around the Chadds Ford/Fairville area. You'll see some very creative additions and renovations, some wonderful collections of artwork and antiques -- and as always there's a nice mixture of grand houses and cozy ones.

CHALFANT: Safe at home

In response to my blog item last week about the forthcoming renovation of the Chalfant mansion in Kennett Square, a curious reader asked me why Mr. Chalfant felt the need to have a bank-sized safe installed in his house. I asked the same question when I toured the house, and the owner didn't know either. If anyone has an answer, let me know!

The massive safe at the Chalfant mansion.