Thursday, March 29, 2018

CHURCHES: Curbing violence

An interfaith group of local churches and activists is sponsoring a few "community conversations" about stemming gun violence.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, at Kennett Friends Meeting, Sarah Kastriner and Jessie Cocks will lead a presentation about skills for nonviolent conflict resolution.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, St. Patrick's Catholic Church will host a discussion about domestic abuse and gun violence: "sponsored by our area churches, this will be an evening of learning, conversation and prayer," according to the St. Pat's weekly bulletin. 
And from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, Kennett Friends Meeting will welcome the community to "Gun Violence Awareness Day."

WALMART: Always something new

I admit that I am easily wowed, but I strongly encourage you to try the "Ship to Store" service the next time you need to buy something substantial (that is, something other than routine groceries, cat food or vitamins) at Walmart.
I needed a new electric toothbrush, ordered it online and opted for the "Ship to Store" option, selecting the Kennett store.
Three days later, when I was literally two minutes from Walmart, I received a text saying the toothbrush had arrived. I stopped in and first went to Customer Service; they directed me to the large (and, um, well-marked) orange column by the entrance to the grocery portion of the store.
As I walked up, the door over the computer screen opened, and the screen asked me to enter my order number (it was in the text). I did so. There was a whirring noise inside and, hey presto, the door slid open and like magic there was my package! I'd already paid, so I just walked out with it.
It was very cool.
Walmart is also offering another innovation, a mobile handheld scanner that you take around the store with you. As soon as you put an item in your grocery cart, you scan its barcode. When you've finished shopping, you go to checkout, the register automatically downloads the info from the scanner, and you pay and hand in your scanner. The obvious question is: Won't people put things in their cart without scanning them? I suppose they will, but I'm sure the Walmart folks have run the numbers and figure they will save enough on salaries to justify such "shrinkage."

LOCH NAIRN: A bridal shower

I attended a delightful bridal shower at the Greathouse at Loch Nairn last weekend. The luncheon was delicious (with excellent service), it was fun to catch up with the bride-to-be and her family, and my fellow guests were full of interesting stories. (I'm editing a book on education for deaf children; what are the odds that the woman sitting next to me works with deaf people?)
A wedding shower is traditionally a ladies' event, but the groom-to-be, his father and his brother did pop in occasionally (I suspect they spent the rest of the time in the bar).
One wonderful Italian shower custom that I'd never heard of before: at the door was a table full of homemade cookies (and Girl Scout cookies!), and guests, on their way out, were encouraged to fill up a little white box and take it home. They didn't have to ask me twice.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

KITCHEN: A wonderful casserole

All winter I've been experimenting with casseroles and taste-testing them with friends and neighbors. I've developed a recipe that is simple, reasonably healthy, fun to make, and delicious (if I do say so myself).

1. Start with a 15.5-oz can of black beans (drained), a 15.25-oz can of corn (drained), and a 10-oz can of "La Preferida" red chile enchilada sauce (I use mild). Pour everything into the casserole dish (I use one of those 9-by-13-inch aluminum jobbies) and mix it together.
2. Bring a 14.5-oz can of chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan, add 1 C white quinoa (rinsed), and simmer for about 15 minutes until the broth is absorbed and the grain spirals out of the kernel. If you like garlic, mince a couple of cloves and add it to the quinoa while it's cooking. Add the quinoa to the casserole dish.
3. Dice an onion and two bell peppers (green, red, orange, or any combination) and saute in a little olive oil in a frying pan until slightly softened. Add the vegetables to the casserole dish.
4. Saute in olive oil 1.5 lb ground turkey (the leaner kind). Stir/chop it until just browned, adding a half tablespoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon cumin. Drain off the fat and add the meat to the casserole dish.
5. Mix everything together with a few handfuls of shredded cheese (I use the Mexican blend). Sprinkle more cheese on the top.
6. Bake at 375 until the cheese on top is melted.

You can tailor this dish to your preferences: if you want it spicier, add a chopped jalapeno; if you have mushrooms on hand, saute them and toss them in. Try a different kind of grain instead of quinoa (maybe brown rice or farro), or ground beef or diced chicken instead of turkey.  

Monday, March 26, 2018

OVER TIMBER: Point-to-point season starts

It was touch-and-go there for a few days, but after a herculean snow-removal effort by Jamie Hicks and the Meadow Springs Farm team, the 72nd Cheshire Point-to-Point at Plantation Field was a "go." I'm told it was great fun if somewhat on the chilly side.
Brandywine Hills, the second point-to-point of the season, will be held on April 1, Easter Sunday, at the Red Clay Alliance's Myrick Conservation Center (formerly the BVA). Gates open at 10 a.m. and the pony races start at 11. We'll be there!

Sunday, March 25, 2018

KENNETT: Goodbye to Tom

It's a sad sight to see the empty bookshelves outside of Tom Macaluso's bookshop at the corner of Union and Cypress Streets in downtown Kennett. Tom, who died March 15 at age 85, was a vivid, friendly, learned man who was a fixture of Kennett Square life and was active in local Quaker circles. His shop was a great place to wile away a few hours and learn about local history. His was a well-lived life, and I hope that his widow, Brenda, takes comfort in knowing how many lives he touched over the years.

MONTCO: A wedding

We've attended so many funerals recently that it was a delight to go to a family wedding. Even though we faced Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, we made it to the church on time -- or at least, the Joseph Ambler Inn in North Wales.
The ceremony was held outside on a brick patio, and the overhead radiant heaters tried their best but didn't put much of a dent in the just-above-freezing temperatures. Fortunately I was sandwiched between two husky gentlemen who kept me reasonably warm. 
After the brief ceremony we went inside the historic inn, where thankfully there was a fire blazing in the fireplace. Guests kept the bartender busy until it was time for dinner, which was served in another part of the inn.
The emcee, Richard Curtis, welcomed everyone. He was a bundle of energy; we learned that his day job was teaching at Souderton Area High School.
Some wedding customs never change: the bride and groom were a little jittery at first, the flower girl (the bride's six-year-old daughter) was adorable, the flowers were lovely, the dinner was tasty, the father of the bride got choked up during his speech, and the young people hit the dance floor immediately. What I hadn't seen at a wedding before was a photo studio where you could pose with silly hats and props. We did so. Twice.

UPPER DARBY: UHS track

The UHS track team, which as you know I follow with a certain fondness, traveled to Drexel Hill on Saturday, March 24, to kick off its outdoor season at the area-wide Upper Darby Relays.
The Unionville girls won the 4x1600m relay, beating the second-place West Chester East team by 28 seconds, and the boys placed fourth. In the distance medley relay (four athletes run a total of 10 laps, each running one, two, three, or four laps apiece), the boys placed fourth and the girls placed fifth. In the 4x800m relay, the Unionville girls placed fourth and the boys placed eighth. In the 4x200m relay the boys placed sixth, 4 seconds behind the winner, and the girls placed eighth.
Here's hoping all the athletes enjoy a fun, successful and injury-free season.

GREENVILLE: A traffic mess

Sometimes it's best to ignore the GPS.
Two weeks ago I was heading to Greenville and should have just taken Route 52, but the GPS advised me Route 141 would be quicker.
Oh, how wrong it was. Apparently no-one informed Google Maps that both off-ramps from 141 onto 52 are closed due to roadwork in the Barley Mill Road area. Traffic crawled all the way from Route 48 (Lancaster Pike) to Route 100 (Montchanin Road), which is where the detour takes you.
Even DelDOT suggests avoiding the whole mess: "DelDOT is strongly recommending that motorists use alternate routes as major delays will persist into November 2018."
According to DelDOT, "the $17 million project, which began in October 2017, will replace the existing concrete roadway on this 1.4 mile section of Route 141 and on the Route 52/Kennett Pike interchange ramps, as well as replace concrete curbing, drainage, and guardrails. . . . Ramps from Route 141 north to Route 52/Kennett Pike north and south will also be closed for the duration of work to reconstruct the northbound lanes of the road. In addition, no left turns will be permitted from Route 141 north onto Barley Mill Road or from Barley Mill Road onto Route 141 north."

PLANTATION FIELD: Tough Mudder returns

The Tough Mudder competition is returning to Plantation Field May 19 and 20. The organizers, with their characteristic understatement, promise "Same Epic Venue, Brand New Course" where "you and your team square off against 10 miles of the most insane, mud-drenched epic you’ve ever seen." 
Tough Mudder involves a boot-camp-like course with some twenty obstacles, such as giant walls that you have to clamber over, getting wet and filthy in the process.
For instance, the "Shawshanked" obstacle: "Starting with a barbed wire low crawl, this obstacle ups the ante as Mudders have to drag their muddy bodies up a culvert pipe, and find themselves perched at the end of a 5-foot drop into the cold water below."
Or the "Kiss of Mud 2.0":  "With less than 18” of clearance between tangled rows of barbed wire and your bum, and a floor of slushy cold mud beneath you, there’s nowhere to move but forward."
People pay good money for this. I have otherwise sensible gym friends who actually love doing this, talking about the teamwork and camaraderie involved, and have already started training for it. 

WEST MARLBOROUGH: A winning dish

Congrats to West Marlborough's own Melissa Grafton Marino, executive chef at Saloon 151 in West Chester. The dish that Melissa and her team created, "bacon-bourbon meatball with spicy mango pica and dill crème fraiche," took first place in the Chef's Best Competition at the West Chester University Alumni & Foundation Center, a March 22 fundraiser for the nonprofit group ACT in Faith of Greater West Chester.
Saloon 151's winning entry was the popular favorite, winning out over Bar Avalon's Sgagliozze (fried polenta bruschetta) prepared two ways: whipped ricotta and eggplant caponata; sauteed mushrooms and crab ragout; Mercato Ristorante and Bar's Arancini and short rib paccheri; and The Social: Southern Scratch Kitchen and Bar's ancho-crusted char-grilled diver scallop with avocado mousse.
ACT in Faith is an interfaith organization that helps West Chester residents "to stabilize their households and build toward sustainability."

Sunday, March 18, 2018

EMBREEVILLE: Out on a sunny day

I've written about it many times; I've been to parties and township meetings there; I've even tried to give blood there (the presence of stinkbugs freaked out the blood drive volunteers). But until Sunday I had never hiked at the 1,282-acre ChesLen Preserve.
We took advantage of the first nice day in what seemed like weeks to explore the preserve. The sun was bright and warm, and there was a gentle breeze, unlike the gales we've had all winter.
There were lots of other hikers there, many with their dogs. One fellow with a cattle dog told us it was the best dog he'd ever had: "I ask him to do something and he does it." A nice older couple was walking with a boisterous yellow lab, their grand-dog.
We spotted one brave kayaker at Corcoran's Bridge; I noticed he was wearing a Davey Tree shirt, so we figured he had been very busy working and needed a day on the water. (A permanent access for canoes is being installed on the downstream side of the bridge.)
We decided to take the three-mile-long Peter Hausmann Trail, which wound through farmland and passed Potter's Field (established 1800), where about 200 inmates of the former county poorhouse at Embreeville were buried. The simple, identical stones have only numbers, no names or dates, on them. "Known but to God, Respected by Us," reads the sign. The cemetery is a lovely, sunny spot, enclosed by a chain-link fence and with a large evergreen at each corner. Daffodils were poking their heads up between the grave markers.

UHS: East meets West

We go to each Unionville High School musical with great expectations and we're never disappointed. "The King and I" was a hugely entertaining evening. The King's dozens of children were played by district elementary and middle-school kids and they stole the show with their enthusiasm and just downright cuteness. The sets (especially the Buddha statue) were beautifully done, and the choreography, especially during the play-within-a-play, was stunning.
I have to confess that I got a little emotional when the curtain came down, realizing that some of the kids we'd watched over the years were graduating. The wonderfully talented Ethan Pan, whom we'll never forget as the Donkey in "Shrek," did a fabulous job portraying as the King, an intelligent but pompous man who is torn between tradition and modernity. 
And watch for the up-and-coming Tyge Thomas, a sixth-grader at Patton Middle School, who didn't miss a line or a cue in his first musical ever.
The lavish costumes for the 84 actors and actresses were designed and created by Mary Boeni and her team. After the curtain call the director, Scott Litzenberg, promised her he would never again have a cast that big; she rolled her eyes and mouthed "thank you."

GLOBE: A melting pot

On St. Patrick's Day, I drove to the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Coatesville and bought home-made pierogies and nut rolls. For dinner we went to La Pena Mexican Restaurant, where the TV was showing a match between two British "football" teams, with Spanish-language commentary from "Fox Deportes En Vivo." Then we headed to Unionville High School to see "The King and I," about nineteenth-century Siam.
All in all, it was an international day even in our little corner of the world.

Saturday, March 17, 2018

PARKESBURG: All in a day's work

There are good people in the world, and some of them are at the Keystone Valley Fire Company in Parkesburg. During a recent snowstorm a car skidded off Route 10 and crashed into a utility pole. The driver was taken to the hospital, and the firefighters-turned-dogsitters kept his companion (a hound mix) until family could pick him up.

SPCA: Protecting Nibbles

Were you as disgusted as I was by that story in last week's paper about a local dog-fighting ring? Please join me in helping these poor creatures by supporting the Brandywine Valley SPCA, which is nursing them back to health.
“It is beyond comprehension that animals could be forced to suffer like this for entertainment,” said Adam Lamb, the SPCA's executive director. “We’re grateful for the diligence of the State Police in pursuing this case, and we’ll support them in every way possible to find justice for these animals and prevent future suffering.”
The SPCA sent out this heart-wrenching message:
"The Brandywine Valley SPCA took six dogs and four rabbits into its care on Wednesday February 21, following their seizure by Pennsylvania State Police at a residence in Coatesville City. The dogs were seized as evidence in the case against a man now facing charges that include cruelty to animals and possession of dog fighting paraphernalia, including treadmills and medical supplies affiliated with training and treatment, as well as drug and weapons charges.
The animals were immediately transferred to the BVSPCA West Chester Campus for evaluation and care. BVSPCA medical staff assessed the dogs to be in fair condition and the rabbits to be in poor condition related to inadequate housing and lack food and water. All ten animals will remain in the care of the BVSPCA as evidence as the case goes through the judicial process.
This case developed over several months following a traffic stop by State Police in Avondale on November 12, when a dog with severe wounds was found in the car. The driver, now the suspect in this case, identified the dog as a stray, at which point the BVSPCA took possession of the dog.
The adult mixed breed dog had extensive and recent wounds on her face, legs and chest that BVSPCA veterinarians identified as consistent with bite wounds. The dog, now named Nibbles, required two months of medical care, including reconstructive surgeries for her jaw and several surgeries to treat her wounds. A BVSPCA surgery technician has been fostering Nibbles, and she is now available for adoption into a forever family.
The BVSPCA asks for the community’s help meeting the significant cost of medical care for Nibbles and what is likely to be a long period of care and rehabilitation for the other ten animals while the case works through the judicial process."

Friday, March 16, 2018

SHOPPING: Leases are signed

The months of social media speculation are over: there will be no Trader Joe's, no Whole Foods, no cinema, no bowling alley, no LA Fitness in the former Superfresh on Baltimore Pike east of Kennett Square. Instead there will be a Ross Dress for Less, a state liquor store, an Ulta beauty-products store, and a Carter’s OshKosh B’gosh kids' clothing store. Construction will begin in April and the new stores are expected to open in the summer of 2019.

CAR WASH: Worth its salt

It is a matter of considerable excitement in some circles that the new automatic car wash near the Kennett Walmart takes pickup trucks (other car washes don't permit them).
I don't have a pickup, but I did take my filthy, salt-encrusted Honda CR-V there the other day and it came out wonderfully clean and shiny. And while you're being pulled through there are flashing colored lights to entertain you, turning the white suds a pulsating psychedelic green. You also get to use the high-powered vacuums for free when you're done.
The car wash is called "Go Clean N Green" and the entrance is not well marked; in fact, I drove right past it the first time. The entrance is on Onix Drive between the Hilton Garden Inn and the Walmart.

POLITICS: Dinniman on the Constitution

State Sen. Andy Dinniman gave a fascinating yet discouraging insider's view of how Harrisburg operates (or doesn't) during his talk at West Grove Friends Meeting on March 15.
Andy's topic (no disrespect; everyone calls him "Andy") was the Pennsylvania Constitution, and he spoke about a wide range of issues that have constitutional implications: the election of judges, the funding of education, the growth of national school curricula and testing like Common Core and No Child Left Behind, the no-receipts-required per diem payments for members of Congress, gerrymandering and the pervasive, toxic role of money in politics. With refreshingly bipartisan candor, he didn't hesitate to point out the faults of both parties.
He spoke at length and with evident frustration about how the state is not doing nearly enough to monitor the Mariner pipeline project, which he said is having negative effects on nearby properties, like creating sinkholes and drying up wells. Its safety risks -- what if there is an explosion? -- have not been assessed adequately; he described an elaborate system of roadblocks he encountered by agencies debating who should do the safety report and then refusing to make it public.
Again, the overarching role of money came into play: he explained that unions are backing the pipeline project because it creates jobs, and unions are big campaign contributors. That, he concluded, seems to outrank Section 27 of the Constitution's Article 1: "The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment."
Andy noted that although legislators take an oath to uphold the Constitution, he wonders whether some of them have actually read it.

PROMS: A rite of passage

After dinner at Floga Bistro on Wednesday we stopped by the Giant a few doors down to pick up a couple of items. A young man holding a big bouquet was at the customer service desk buying a yellow balloon, and while the clerk was inflating it with helium he told us that he was going to ask a girl to the prom and decided to put his best foot forward by presenting her with flowers and a balloon.
I hope she said yes!
By the way, when we were at Joseph A. Bank a few weeks ago I noticed that they already had a long list of when all the local proms, for both public and private schools, were being held. Why, yes, they do rent tuxedos.

YMCA: Age is just a number

On Thursday morning a friend and I had just finished an aerobics class at the Kennett Y and were walking down the corridor to the locker rooms. We paused to let a long single-file line of adorable preschoolers leave the gymnasium.
"Look at all those cute little ones!" I said fondly to my friend.
A girl looked up at us and said indignantly, "I'm FOUR AND A HALF!"

Monday, March 12, 2018

PENNSYLVANIA: The new slogan

As I was returning to Pennsylvania from today's trip to Wild Birds Unlimited in Hockessin (my backyard crew gobbles Supreme Blend by the 20-lb bagful) I noticed a sign on Route 41 with what I found out is the state's new slogan: "Pursue Your Happiness."
Well, that's kind of bland, was my first reaction. Couldn't they have made some reference to our rich history?
Then it hit me: They did! As in "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" from the Declaration of Independence.
I like it!

Sunday, March 11, 2018

KENNETT: An auction gaffe


This weekend we attended a standing-room-only fundraising banquet at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square, and after the prime-rib dinner there was a live auction. One of the items on the block was a copy of the best-selling book "13 Hours," about the attack on Benghazi, Libya, signed by one of the survivors.
The bidding was not proceeding as briskly as the auctioneer wanted, so he stopped and demanded, "Show of hands: How many people have read this book or seen the movie?"
Several people dutifully raised their hands, then quickly lowered them as they heard the crowd guffawing and realized they were in the middle of an auction. 
I always make a point of sitting on my hands at those things lest I inadvertently make a gesture while talking and find myself caught up in the bidding.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

OLD-TIME MUSIC: Songs from the range

As frequent readers know, the Dear Partner and I attend a lot of concerts, but I can truthfully say that until Friday's show by Martha Burns I had never heard a song about food poisoning.
It was called "Some Little Bug Is Going to Find You Someday," and despite the subject matter it was hilarious, with fatalist lyrics like: "Every microbe and bacillus has a different way to kill us, and in time they always claim us for their own" and "There are germs of every kind in any food that you can find, in the market or upon the bill of fare."
Another of her songs was "Get Along, Little Dogies," and she introduced it by saying that a lot of people think that "dogies" refers to dogs rather than cattle. She mused about the difficulty of herding poodles or Pomeranians.
In the second half of the show, Bob Bovee took the stage with his guitar, harmonicas (plural) and autoharp. He played mostly cowboy songs, full of images of cattle round-ups, stampedes, campfires, buffalo and mountains. He told some pretty funny jokes and did a mean yodel, too.
The concert was part of the Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music's series, held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Newark, Del. There's no better indication of the casual, laidback atmosphere of these shows than the fact that we parked next to Bob Bovee; no limos and bodyguards here! His vehicle had Minnesota tags and a bumper sticker that read: "78 rpm. It's a speed we can live with."

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Route 82 for a day

On the morning of March 9, a Lexus with Delaware tags took on a utility pole in Doe Run, and neither one came out a winner. So that crews could replace the splintered pole, traffic was detoured off Route 82 and onto our little back road most of the day.
The only time my road ever sees more than two cars at a time is either during a fox hunt or at afternoon quitting time at the cattle farm down the road. So when I looked out the window and saw a steady procession of cars in both directions, I knew something was up.
Our road is one-and-a-half lanes wide at best. We like it that way, and we know where to pull over to let oncoming car go by. But naturally the Route 82 detourees didn't know that, and there were too many cars for that strategy to work anyway. The result is that there are muddy tire ruts on both sides of the road. I doubt the drivers (who I imagine were both bewildered and annoyed) took time to appreciate the beauty of our countryside.

WEST GROVE: Dinniman on the Constitution

Who should know the Pennsylvania Constitution better than Andy Dinniman? Andy is serving his fourth term as the 19th District's senator in Harrisburg and before that was a Chester County commissioner for 15 years. He'll be speaking about our Commonwealth's guiding document at West Grove Friends Meeting, 155 E. Harmony Rd., at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15. He'll even pass out copies of the Constitution.

HADLEY FUND: Martin guitars lecture

Guitar fans take note: Dick Boak of C. F. Martin Guitar will be giving a presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 5, at Kennett Friends Meeting as part of the 55th season of Hadley Fund programs. Mr. Boak recently retired as the famed guitar maker's historian and archivist. Like all Hadley Fund lectures, this is free and open to the public.
Martin was founded in 1833 by a German immigrant, Christian Frederick Martin Sr., and has been owned and operated by the Martin family for six generations. The current chairman and CEO is Christian Frederick Martin IV. The company's headquarters are in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
 
 

OXFORD: A Celtic band in concert

The Friends Folk Club is hosting a show by the American Celtic band The Rogues on Saturday, April 14, at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, 116 Lancaster Pike in Oxford.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door (cash only), and kids 12 and under are free.
According to the band's blurb, "Founded in Houston in 1994, The Rogues created a new genre of Celtic music with exceptionally well-played pipes and driving percussion." 
The all-volunteer folk club, which has been hosting shows for more than 20 years, recently moved from its longtime venue at Oxford Friends Meeting, so I'll be eager to see how things work out for them at this new site.

POWER: Friends with money

A friend reports that a well-off pal of hers lost power in the March 2 Nor'easter. When she learned the outage would be an extended one, she jumped on the next plane to Florida and stayed there until the power was back on.
Some hardy folks around here waited nearly a week to have their power restored. At one point I was amused to see a half-dozen large PECO trucks using as a staging area the parking lot of Christ Community Church on Route 841 south of Chatham -- were they tapping into another kind of power?

POCOPSON: Baby animals and Easter eggs

In what has become a tradition for many local families with little ones, Baily's Dairy of Pocopson Meadow Farm is hosting its annual Spring Celebration and Easter Egg Hunt from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 31, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 1. "Meet our newest baby animals and celebrate the end of Winter!"
The Baily's ice-cream truck (yes!) and farm store will both be open during the event. The farm is at 1821 Lenape-Unionville Road. "Suggested donation" is $5 a child.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Who should pay?

Who should pay for local emergency services, and how?
At their March 6 meeting the West Marlborough Township supervisors agreed to start thinking about that thorny question and whether taxpayers should support the local fire and ambulance companies "to a greater extent than we do," as board chairman Bill Wylie put it.
He said a task force comprising several local municipalities has been gathering data about the local companies, their financial needs, the number of calls they make to each municipality, and other statistics, in an effort to figure out a "fair share" way to fund the services. Mr. Wylie he wondered whether West Marlborough should make use of the data as well. The supervisors agreed to discuss the issue at the April meeting.
Also at the meeting, roadmaster Hugh Lofting said the long-awaited project to shore up the bank along Rokeby Road and prevent future erosion was 90 percent finished. The next project, which is still in the engineering stage, will be to fix a small bridge along lightly traveled Runnymede Road that is crumbling into the creek. Mr. Lofting said the new culvert under the bridge will be seven feet high and 12 feet wide, and a new railing will be installed.

NORTH STAR: KURC open house

I thought the Kennett Underground Railroad Center's open house at Kennett Friends Meeting this past Sunday would be just a drop-in affair. I was wrong, and thank goodness we got there at 2 p.m. sharp, because there was a full presentation by four KURC board members, complete with slides.
John O'Neal gave an overview of the center's activities, including their guided bus tours, and said he hopes the organization will be able to find a permanent home soon.
Michele Sullivan talked about her research into black and female abolitionists, whom she said are often overlooked.
Terry Maguire shared dramatic stories from Dr. Robert Smedley's "History of the Underground Railroad" book about the experiences of fugitive slaves in Chester and Lancaster counties.
Finally, Darleen Amobi told the story of Henry "Box" Brown's escape from slavery: he had himself shipped from Virginia to Philadelphia, spending 27 hours in a crate.
Several audience members emphasized how important it is to educate youths about slavery and the rich history of the abolitionist movement in our area.
In another Underground Railroad event, West Chester University Professor of History Tonya Thames Taylor will be talking about the role that women played in helping freedom seekers. Her talk will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 17, at the Parkesburg Free Library, 105 West Street.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

BINGO: A numbers game

We spent Saturday night playing bingo at a fundraiser in a West Chester church hall to support a young people's fellowship program, and what a hoot it was.
At the beginning the emcee took the microphone to spell out the rules. She said she earned her bingo chops by working at a senior citizens' home where "they take their bingo very seriously." Then another committee member selected the numbers and called them out as we scanned our bingo grids, markers at the ready.
It turned out that the number of prizes the committee had bought and wrapped far exceeded the number of bingo rounds there was time for, so after the first few games they decided they'd better allow more winners per round. Almost everyone at my table eventually won a prize, ranging from a dark-chocolate Easter bunny to an NYPD cap. A man at the next table actually had three winning cards (one of his prizes was a pink knit Eagles hat, which he wore the rest of the evening).
One man called "bingo" prematurely and had to skulk back to his seat in embarrassment to a spirited chorus of "boos" (mostly in jest) when the emcee determined that one number he had marked hadn't actually been called.

GREENVILLE: A morning visit

Last week a friend suggested that a few of us meet for an impromptu coffee at the café at Janssen's Market in Greenville. The four of us hung out there for more than an hour, laughing and catching up.
I didn't even know that the venerable store had a café, but obviously a lot of other people do: what a popular spot! At the tables next to us were a couple of moms with young kids, a man plugged in to his laptop, and a man and a woman in business suits. A steady parade of people, from men wearing hoodies with employer's logos to women in tennis togs, stopped in to get takeout refreshments.
You can order not only beverages but also pastries, sandwiches and other goodies. I had an egg-and-ham sandwich, but next time I'm getting the raisin-topped sticky buns. They looked incredible and full of gooey goodness.

WEATHER: A windy day

The winds during Friday's nor'easter-plus-snow may have been the strongest I've ever experienced. Driving on Route 1 was just scary, with the wind jostling my car around. We lost power twice that afternoon, and as I'm writing this on Sunday some folks are still without electricity. (The Kennett and Jennersville YMCAs offered hot showers, coffee and charging stations for electronics to members and nonmembers alike.)
An easily annoyed friend who is a recent transplant to Chadds Ford from Manhattan was sputtering with outrage at the idea that a power outage had the nerve to inconvenience him.
"What is up with this?" he demanded, only half-kidding. 
I suggested he think about installing a generator and he gave me a look of disbelief; it hadn't occurred to him that this was a situation that might not be just a once-off.
Social media is problematic in many ways, but it's very useful in storms. People post photos of downed wires and tree limbs (like the two that closed Route 842 just west of Upland corner) and report roads that are impassable.
At one point I was "blocked in" in all directions by downed limbs, but thanks to the efforts of our hard-working local road crews, I managed to get out on Friday evening. My attempts to shut my old-fashioned garage doors would have made a comical video. Just as I'd get one side in place, using a great deal of force against the wind, a gust would catch the other door and it would swing out of reach. And when I'd heave that one back into place, the first one would swing open again.

UNIONVILLE: More about "Marnie"

Jessie Cocks of Kennett Square saw my recent item about how Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie" was filmed here in Unionville and added her own memories. She said some of the movie was shot at Hermitage Farm on Route 926, owned by her parents, Babs and Burley Cocks.
Recalls Jessie:
"It was so fun when they were filming 'Marnie'! My horse was in the fox-hunting scenes but I was not. Dad wouldn’t let me skip school that day, although I 'could' stay home the days he needed help in the barn . . . I did get cool helicopter rides, hanging out of the side door, 'riding' a big camera. I found Susan’s 'Marnie' script in Mom’s attic a couple years ago. I gave it to one of her daughters. The film crew were all awesome!"
(Jessie is referring to her late sister Susan, who acted as the stunt double for the female lead, Tippi Hedren, in the riding scenes.)

TALKING TRASH: Cleaning up the Red Clay Watershed


Ready to pick up some trash? There's an area-wide clean-up on the morning of Saturday, March 24, organized by the Delaware Nature Society, Kennett Area Park Authority, Mt. Cuba Center, Inc., and the Red Clay Scenic Byway Alliance to clean up the Red Clay Watershed.
To join the Kennett Township clean-up, individuals or groups who want to volunteer should call Roger Lysle (484-221-0897) to obtain gloves, trash bags, and safety vests and to find out where they should report. The Kennett Township road crew will be picking up the filled bags that Saturday and again on Monday.
Or you can meet at Ashland Nature Center, 3511 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin, from 8 to 11 a.m. March 24, where you can pick up your supplies and find out where you'll be working. Groups of five or more are asked to contact Jim Jordan in advance at (610) 793-1090 or jjordan@brandywineredclay.org

Thursday, March 1, 2018

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Steep driveway is allowed

Georgie Hannum Stapleton's heirs can build a driveway steeper than the township zoning code allows, the West Marlborough Zoning Hearing Board ruled on March 1.
The estate owns a 31.7-acre property in Newlin Township. It is landlocked, but there are two right-of-ways for a driveway leading out onto Apple Grove Road in West Marlborough.
The board decided that although the zoning code calls for a maximum grade of 8 percent, part of the driveway can have a 16 percent slope. However, for the first 50 feet back from Apple Grove Road the slope cannot exceed 4 percent, and from 50 to 100 feet the slope cannot exceed 8 percent. 
James Fritsch, the engineer representing the estate, said the choice was made to situate the driveway on the eastern right-of-way (between the Berman and the Rothman properties) because it would involve less earthmoving and tree removal than the western one (between the Berman and the Corkran properties) and would give driveway users better sight distance when entering Apple Grove Road. The proposed driveway will enter the north side of Apple Grove Road east of Tapeworm Road.
Mr. Fritsch said that if the board didn't approve the variance and the owners had to comply with the 8 percent maximum slope, retaining walls up to 23 feet high might need to be installed on both sides of the driveway.
Mr. Fritsch noted that West Marlborough's slope limits are stricter than those of other townships: West Bradford allows 16 percent; Penn, London Grove, East Marlborough and East Fallowfield allow 15 percent; Highland allows 10 percent; Newlin does not specify a maximum.
For comparison, Joseph Huston, a member of the zoning board and an avid bicyclist, provided the slopes of township roads he rides regularly: Rosenvick Road, he said, has an 18 percent slope at its steepest, and Greenlawn Road runs from 11 to 16 percent.
The members of the zoning board asked Mr. Fritsch how stormwater runoff would be handled, and he said although the system hasn't been designed yet, the owners would comply with all zoning regulations to make sure that the runoff would have no impact on neighbors. He said the driveway will be paved.
Voting to grant the variance were all four zoning board members present: Joseph Huston, Elizabeth "Baz" Powell, Tom Best, and chairman Clayton Bright. In the audience were Apple Grove Road residents Joe Cassidy, Leslie Berman, and Terry Corkran (with her attorney), as well as Jock Hannum and three of Georgie Stapleton's children.