WEST MARLBOROUGH: Charlie Zahm returns to the Hall

For the third year in a row, the weather was utterly perfect for local balladeer Charlie Zahm's outdoor concert in the walnut grove at Primitive Hall. Charlie and fiddler Tad Marks played a wide variety of songs, from "This Land Is Your Land" to Irish and Scottish folk tunes to the stirring "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables." "The morbid side of Charlie Zahm," as Tad put it, emerged as Charlie sang "The Green Green Grass of Home" (about a man awaiting execution) and a song about a massacre in 17th-century Scotland. The two musicians closed the show with a rousing version of "Those Were the Days," the 1960s hit by Mary Hopkin that was in fact one of the first 45s I ever purchased.
About 50 people attended the show, many bringing coolers and picnic baskets. Charlie, who lives in East Fallowfield, has a loyal following of locals, who call themselves "The Zahm-bies."

KENNETT: A Sky Tour on Sept. 9

Was your interest in all things planetary piqued by the solar eclipse? The Chester County Astronomical Society is holding a Sky Tour for adults and kids on Saturday, Sept. 9, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the athletic fields at Anson Nixon Park.
The astronomers write: "The program provides an orientation to the stars and planets with the help of a green laser light, which makes it easier to follow the leaders as they visit (point) to the stars. Come view planets, star clusters and galaxies using our members' telescopes.
"As the sky darkens we will see Jupiter, the king of the planets, sinking toward the glow of the Sun. Then take a long look at the most beautiful planet in the solar system, Saturn. As the sky becomes fully dark we’ll dive deep into the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy to see Messier 22, a large globular cluster, faint nebulas: the Lagoon, the Trifid and the Swan.  Last but not least we’ll gaze upon our neighbor the Andromeda Galaxy and we’ll see 2.5-million-year-old light coming from a trillion stars!"
Star-gazers are asked to bring a small flashlight (light pollution) and dress for the weather.The event will be cancelled if it's raining or if there is heavy cloud cover.
 

RED TAPE: Yes or no?

Sometimes things get so absurd that you just have to laugh. As my late mother's bills arrive, I've been either paying or disputing them. One bill from a doctor that should have been paid by the insurance company had been rejected, so I called the company. Alas, because I was not the person named on the account, the customer service rep told me that HIPAA regulations would allow her to provide only "yes" or "no" answers to my questions.
Not having the energy to argue -- it would have been futile anyway -- I shifted into "Twenty Questions" mode and phrased my questions in closed-ended fashion, like a careful trial attorney. It was an interesting exercise in efficient communication, and I actually got the answers I wanted. (It helped that the rep was a cooperative human being and didn't stick strictly to the format.)

UNIONVILLE: Horse Trials coming up

And just like that, it's September, which means that the Plantation Field International Horse Trials are coming up. This is a hugely prestigious international equestrian competition, with top-level riders and horses and rising stars in the eventing world, and it's right in our backyard.
Here is this year's schedule:
-- Thursday, September 14: dressage in the main arena
-- Friday, September 15: dressage in the main arena
-- Saturday, September 16: CIC 2* & 3*  show jumping in the main arena, 8 a.m.  to 4:30 p.m.; CIC 1* cross country in the morning
-- Sunday, September 17: CIC 2* & 3* cross country, 8:30 a.m.; CIC 1* show jumping in the main arena
(The asterisks indicate the level of competition, with 3* being the most advanced.)
At the lunch break on Sunday, according to the website, "American legends from the racing world come together to compete in the Real Rider Cup. Jockeys, trainers, owners and veterinarians will test their mettle over a show jumping course in the main arena in a must-see event."
This year the Retired Racehorse Project is the event's beneficiary. Again, from the website: "These horses can have successful second careers in other disciplines after they leave the track, and our aim is to highlight their talent and heart throughout the weekend. The Retired Racehorse Project will give a demonstration on Saturday featuring horses that will compete in the Thoroughbred Makeover at the Kentucky Horse Park in October. We will also have celebrity Thoroughbreds like Icabad Crane making an appearance at the event."
As a spectator, I always have a great time at Plantation Field. It's a beautiful venue, you get an amazing close-up view of the action, and there are also shops and food vendors to visit and friends' tailgate parties to stop by. Volunteers are always needed; go to the website for more information.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Wawa has reopened

The renovated Longwood Wawa on Baltimore Pike reopened on schedule last week, much to the relief of road warriors who rely on it for bathrooms, sodas, coffee, subs, snacks, lottery tickets and cash. A friend who is a connoisseur of all things Wawa in the Philly suburbs visited early on and said that the renovation appears to be a hybrid of two different Wawa styles. He was amused when he saw a customer walk into the store, pull out his wallet and then gaze around him in confusion as he realized that the ATM machine was not where it used to be.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: A silent officer

I was driving home through Unionville the other day and spotted an East Marlborough Township police vehicle parked in the upper lot across from Hood's BBQ. I pulled in, looking forward to a chat with Chief Robert Clarke, who always has some interesting news to share.
Alas, there was only a realistic-looking, uniformed police dummy sitting in the passenger seat. I imagine just seeing the police vehicle sitting there, with or without Clarkie, is incentive enough to make speeders slow down, which is after all the whole point.