Saturday, June 18, 2016
QUAKERS: Summer meetings for worship
Each summer several of our area's normally closed historic Quaker meetinghouses open their doors for worship. Here's the schedule:
London Britain Meeting (1415 New London Road, Landenberg), 10:30 a.m. each Sunday through September 4; Old Kennett Meeting (Route 1 at the entrance to the Kendal at Longwood community), 9 a.m. June 26, July 31, and August 28; Pennsgrove Meeting (725 Penns Grove Road, Lincoln University), 10 a.m. June 26, July 24, and August 28; Homeville Meeting (4904 Homeville Road, Cochranville), 2 p.m. August 28; Parkersville Meeting (1232 Parkersville Rd., Kennett Square), 2 p.m. Sept. 11.
LONDONDERRY: Former school up for auction
Attend any school board meeting and odds are you'll hear parents holding forth about the length of the school day, class size, textbooks, cafeteria food, homework, class rankings, bus safety, and so forth.
Well, irate parents, here's your chance: Start your own school!
The former George Fox Friends School in Cochranville is going on the auction block at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 28. Potential buyers can tour the 8,490-square-foot school on a 10.6-acre property from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 23; from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 25; and from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 30. The address is 2009 Gap-Newport Road (Route 41) in Londonderry Township. Beiler-Campbell Auction Services is the broker.
Well, irate parents, here's your chance: Start your own school!
The former George Fox Friends School in Cochranville is going on the auction block at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 28. Potential buyers can tour the 8,490-square-foot school on a 10.6-acre property from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 23; from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 25; and from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 30. The address is 2009 Gap-Newport Road (Route 41) in Londonderry Township. Beiler-Campbell Auction Services is the broker.
KENNETT SQUARE: Third Thursday starts up again
The first "Third Thursday" celebration of the summer occurred on June 16 in downtown Kennett. The heavy rain earlier in the day passed through, and from what I could see State Street was full of people sitting outside enjoying their dinner. One friend of mine who is a devoted Third Thursday attendee said she had delicious lasagna at La Verona.
WEST MARLBOROUGH: Lowering permit fees
West Marlborough residents planning to do some home improvements may want to delay their projects for a month or so, because the township supervisors are planning to reduce the schedule of fees that the township charges for various household renovations.
At the June township meeting a Street Road resident asked the supervisors if they could cut him a break on the building permit fees he was being charged to finish his attic. The supervisors suggested he hold off on doing the project if possible.
The supervisors said they have been reviewing the township's fees and will present the revised fee schedule at a township meeting before approving it.
At the June township meeting a Street Road resident asked the supervisors if they could cut him a break on the building permit fees he was being charged to finish his attic. The supervisors suggested he hold off on doing the project if possible.
The supervisors said they have been reviewing the township's fees and will present the revised fee schedule at a township meeting before approving it.
WEST MARLBOROUGH: Chasin' for Chalfin
I just received an email reminding me about Chasin' for Chalfin, the 5K and 10K trail race to be held on Saturday, June 25, at the gorgeous Runnymede Sanctuary here in West Marlborough Township. It starts at 9 a.m. rain or shine at 128 Runnymede Rd. You can register onsite starting at 7:45 a.m. or save $10 by preregistering at runreg.com/chasin.
The race is run in honor of West Marlborough resident and township supervisor Jake Chalfin, who uses a wheelchair due to his injury during a steeplechase in 2010. Proceeds from the race initially went to help Jake meet his expenses, but according to the website of the sponsor, Trail Creek Outfitters, "Our race has evolved over the years and we are now able to share the race proceeds with other individuals needing adaptive equipment and organizations who support individuals with such needs."
The race is run in honor of West Marlborough resident and township supervisor Jake Chalfin, who uses a wheelchair due to his injury during a steeplechase in 2010. Proceeds from the race initially went to help Jake meet his expenses, but according to the website of the sponsor, Trail Creek Outfitters, "Our race has evolved over the years and we are now able to share the race proceeds with other individuals needing adaptive equipment and organizations who support individuals with such needs."
Sunday, June 12, 2016
LONGWOOD: A silly evening with the Savoy Company
On Saturday evening we saw the Savoy Company's production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" at the outdoor theater at Longwood Gardens. The extremely silly tone of the evening was set as soon as we walked into the amphitheater and heard shrill police whistles and disturbances in the audience. The actors playing police officers were warning the audience that there were pirates in the crowd -- horror! -- but assuring us that the constabulary had everything under control. One officer spotted an audience member in a bow tie and a seersucker jacket and summoned his fellow policemen, calling out, "Preppy pirate!"
The production was great fun, with a lot of laughs and familiar songs like "With cat-like tread" (better known as "Hail, hail the gang's all here"). Highlights for me were the amazing soprano Alize Rozsnyai as Mabel, Ethan M. Cadoff as "the very model of a modern major-general" and Guillermo L. Bosch as the sergeant of police ("a policeman's lot is not a happy one"). As for the plot, suffice it to say that it hinges on a misunderstanding between the words "pilot" and "pirate."
After a hot day, the evening could not have been more pleasant, with a lovely light breeze.
The only blot on the evening was a photographer who dashed back and forth in the aisle between the front and rear sections taking photos. During the finale she stood right in front of us, taking photos and then reviewing them on her camera's screen. It was distracting. Couldn't this have been done during the dress rehearsal?
The production was great fun, with a lot of laughs and familiar songs like "With cat-like tread" (better known as "Hail, hail the gang's all here"). Highlights for me were the amazing soprano Alize Rozsnyai as Mabel, Ethan M. Cadoff as "the very model of a modern major-general" and Guillermo L. Bosch as the sergeant of police ("a policeman's lot is not a happy one"). As for the plot, suffice it to say that it hinges on a misunderstanding between the words "pilot" and "pirate."
After a hot day, the evening could not have been more pleasant, with a lovely light breeze.
The only blot on the evening was a photographer who dashed back and forth in the aisle between the front and rear sections taking photos. During the finale she stood right in front of us, taking photos and then reviewing them on her camera's screen. It was distracting. Couldn't this have been done during the dress rehearsal?
HARRISBURG: The Young Relative runs again
Why would one drive all the way to Harrisburg for a five-minute event? Why, when it's the Young Relative competing in a Mid-Atlantic District track and field meet. On Saturday I got up early and headed west to Bishop McDevitt High School, a pleasant drive made much easier by the 65-mph speed limit on Route 283.
The stadium was full of athletes, running clubs and family members who had clearly been to many large events like this and made themselves at home with their own tents and canopies, folding chairs and coolers. I saw one proud father wearing a T-shirt that identified him as "Arianna's Dad," complete with photos of her in action. A few of the women were wearing head-to-toe black robes, and some of the female athletes wore hijabs (Muslim head scarves) while competing. Everyone from the Marlton Track Club was very conspicuous in orange, and one mother was already getting hoarse cheering for everyone on the team.
Male and female athletes were warming up around the campus. I saw one group of young boys from the Delaware Elite Track Club doing sideways jumping jacks while some other boys from the club practiced their starting technique again and again.
Fortunately the Young Relative's race was early in the day, before it got too hot. He had us worried there for a few laps -- my brother was tracking his lap times -- but he won. Of course, all of us cheered like lunatics. He shook hands with the other competitors after they finished, joked around with a boy he knew from Lionville and eventually met up with us to receive hugs and congratulations.
His next level of competition is a Region 2 meet at Stockton University near Atlantic City later in June. Perhaps he'll pack his spikes without being reminded.
The stadium was full of athletes, running clubs and family members who had clearly been to many large events like this and made themselves at home with their own tents and canopies, folding chairs and coolers. I saw one proud father wearing a T-shirt that identified him as "Arianna's Dad," complete with photos of her in action. A few of the women were wearing head-to-toe black robes, and some of the female athletes wore hijabs (Muslim head scarves) while competing. Everyone from the Marlton Track Club was very conspicuous in orange, and one mother was already getting hoarse cheering for everyone on the team.
Male and female athletes were warming up around the campus. I saw one group of young boys from the Delaware Elite Track Club doing sideways jumping jacks while some other boys from the club practiced their starting technique again and again.
Fortunately the Young Relative's race was early in the day, before it got too hot. He had us worried there for a few laps -- my brother was tracking his lap times -- but he won. Of course, all of us cheered like lunatics. He shook hands with the other competitors after they finished, joked around with a boy he knew from Lionville and eventually met up with us to receive hugs and congratulations.
His next level of competition is a Region 2 meet at Stockton University near Atlantic City later in June. Perhaps he'll pack his spikes without being reminded.
UHS: A graduation day to remember
The day started inauspiciously for a friend of mine whose son was graduating from UHS, and then it just kept getting worse. The family was late getting started because my friend's mother was 10 minutes late. As they turned off Route 7 en route to the University of Delaware stadium, where the ceremony was taking place, they were a mere three cars behind a slow-moving line-painting crew. When they turned onto a side road to get past the crew, they encountered a parade of fire trucks. By the time they got to the stadium, they'd already missed the "Pomp and Circumstance" procession.
Things didn't get any better afterward. The family had planned to have lunch at Lily's in Kennett, but when they got there they found that the electricity was out. They headed to a West Chester restaurant and were seated. It was then that the waiter slipped on an ice cube and dumped a bowl of miso soup onto my friend's lap.
At that point, she said, all she could do was laugh.
Things didn't get any better afterward. The family had planned to have lunch at Lily's in Kennett, but when they got there they found that the electricity was out. They headed to a West Chester restaurant and were seated. It was then that the waiter slipped on an ice cube and dumped a bowl of miso soup onto my friend's lap.
At that point, she said, all she could do was laugh.
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