Friday, September 16, 2016

VETS: Applause for "Fear Free" program

My loyal longtime reader Penny endorsed the item I wrote in last week's column about the new "Fear Free" program at Dr. John Moss's Brandywine Valley Veterinary Hospital on Strasburg Road. She writes:
"We have taken our dog very recently to him and she has had two surgeries . . . We could not agree more with the facts as they are  excellent and do exactly what you said."
As part of the Fear Free program, everyone at the practice is trained to make visits as stress-free as possible for both the animal and the human.

NEW BOLTON: "Life at Vet U" premieres

"Life at Vet U," the Animal Planet series that chronicles the adventures of fourth-year Penn Vet students, premieres on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 10 p.m. The trailer on the vet school's website shows the dedicated students in the OR, the barn, and the examining room and getting up close and personal with dogs, cats, horses, a parrot and a skeleton. I think I recognized one of the surgeons, and I definitely recognized New Bolton Center.
The website blurb says, "Over the past academic year, Animal Planet shadowed six Penn Vet students with diverse backgrounds and goals as they completed the demanding fourth and final year of their degree program, treating animal patients of all sizes, and learning from pioneers of veterinary medicine."

1940: A vintage movie

On Sunday evening we had a great time re-watching the 1940 Kennett Square DVD. I wrote about this hour-long movie a few years back, but apparently many folks aren't aware of it. Before World War II an enterprising company went around the country shooting footage of small towns, and businesses paid for the privilege of being part of their town's own movie. (Based on the amount of sometimes-gory airtime he got, Kennett's sausage manufacturer must have made a large contribution indeed.)
The original film footage was transferred onto a DVD, which was distributed by the Southeastern Chester County Historical Society. You can borrow the DVD from the Kennett Library or watch the video on YouTube. (Hint: If YouTube tells you the video is "unavailable," try using another device.)
It's really entertaining to watch the people, places, cars, clothes and dogs of the era, although the constant flickering of the film does get a bit irritating after a while. The film starts with a drive down Miller's Hill (very recognizable) and goes on to show people coming out of schools, churches, and shops; high-school kids playing basketball; the spawn-making process at J. B. Swayne; workers at various gas stations, car dealerships, and offices; borough council, the police chief and the Kennett Fire Co.; Kennett's waterworks; the Anvil Inn; and Longwood Gardens (in a more staid incarnation; I wonder what the visitors would have made of today's "Nightscapes"?). Two of the funnier segments depict some clubwomen wearing their Order of Pocahontas costumes and some Rotary Club members being silly on a golf outing.
At the end there's a very helpful list of the places and people included in the movie.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

WOUNDS: Stitches with a smile


I have almost -- I say, almost -- gotten used to my horseback riding friends shrugging off the most hideous injuries and just taping up their afflicted limb with vet wrap. I may need to add fitness instructors to this strong-stomached group.
A friend was cleaning up after dinner when a glass bowl slipped out her hands, broke on the granite countertop and then hit her right knee, slicing a deep and long -- but painless -- gash. She mopped everything up and went to coach her swim team's practice BEFORE driving to the urgent care clinic in Kennett, where they put in nine stitches. And the next day, there she was teaching an aerobics class at the Y!
"You know me: I hate to miss class," she said cheerfully.

HILLENDALE: Whimsical chairs

An observant reader shared this charming sighting along Hillendale Road, near Hillendale Elementary School:
"I'm not sure how long it has been going on (but at least all summer!), or whose house it is. It is a house on the other side of the road from the school, a bit closer to Rte. 52. They have four wooden chairs painted different colors in the front yard. They are constantly "staging" them into different witty arrangements. It's a delight...the chairs are personified! Once they appeared to be "gardening" in the beds. Once they were climbing trees. My favorite was they were all lined up in a row, each with their own life preserver (the personal flotation, around-the-neck kind). So creative!"

KENNETT: Quaker Fair is no more

Well, here is some wretched news: the Quaker Fair has been "laid down," in Friends vernacular. The members of Kennett Friends Meeting decided that the event -- held every November since the 1950s -- has simply become unsustainable and there just aren't enough volunteers to run it anymore.
I will certainly miss the mushroom soup, but even more I'll miss visiting with the amazing Jean Tennant and all my other friends in this Meeting.

UNIONVILLE FAIR: Looking for parkers

Berta Rains has moved from the Kennett area to Florida but, bless her heart, still manages to stay involved with the Unionville Community Fair. She asked me to mention that the Fair needs volunteer parking attendants, not only for the Fair itself (Thursday, Sept. 29 through Sunday, Oct. 2) but also for the Willowdale Pro Rodeo, which this year will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Brandywine Polo Field on Polo Road in Toughkenamon. You can send an email to volunteers.ucfair@gmail.org or sign up online via www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4FADAA22A2F85-parking.
 
 

UNIONVILLE: Blessing of the Animals

The annual Community Pet Blessing and Ice Cream Social will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, September 25, at Unionville Presbyterian Church on Wollaston Road. The church members will also be collecting donations for La Mancha Animal Rescue in Ercildoun.
This is always a heart-warming event, in which the Rev. Annalie Korengel dons her special stole with animal silhouettes and says a brief prayer over each critter. Although the pets are mostly dogs and cats, I've brought various guinea pigs to be blessed over the years (Gilbert's 2014 certificate of blessing hangs over his pen), and there was a rabbit one year.

SKY TOUR: They saw the Milky Way

Pete Kennedy sent me this account of the Chester County Astronomical Society's Sept. 10 Sky Tour at the Tino Leto Athletic Fields at Anson B. Nixon Park:
"Well, the clouds held out until 9:30. We had about 30-40 people there, 7 scopes. The clouds were as big a treat as the night sky. Saturn with rings, orange/red Mars, 2 true twin stars (one set was yellow and green), a quarter waxing moon (which bleached out a lot of the stars), constellations, nebulas, a red giant large enough to hold most of our solar system, a satellite which got brighter as we watched it for 30 seconds... And the best of all was a small glimpse of the Milky Way."

HADLEY FUND: Equinox and Mariachi

The Hadley Fund administrators have released the schedule for its 54th season, and two of the programs will be held this coming weekend.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, there will be an outdoor event at the Stateline Woods Preserve, 814 Merrybell Lane, Kennett Township, to mark the autumnal equinox. I quote from their press release: "Christine Campbell, ceremonialist and musician of Wolfsongs, will lead a program of melodic songs, chants and music combined with movement and dance to balance earth energy and honor the four directions – celebrating the harvest and changing seasons; separating the wheat from the chaff.  What will you keep, and what will you leave behind?"
And at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, El Mariachi Flores, which performed for Pope Francis in Philadelphia, will play as part of La Comunidad Hispana's "Let's Choose Health" program at Anson B. Nixon Park, Kennett Square.
As always, all programs are free.