Saturday, January 27, 2018
NEW CASTLE COUNTY: Old Kennett Road closed
When heading from Kennett to Wilmington on Jan. 25, I was wondering why my GPS told me to take Route 1 and Route 52 instead of the shorter hypotenuse route, Old Kennett Road. But it was correct: Old Kennett Road is closed between Owls Nest Road and Ashland Clinton School Road so that three pipes under the road can be removed and replaced. The work started Jan. 22 and is supposed to be finished by March 31. The posted detour takes motorists around the work area using Owls Nest Road, Kennett Pike (Route 52) and Snuff Mill Road.
Friday, January 26, 2018
OVERDOSES: From the front lines
At the beginning of Rep. Eric Roe's town hall meeting on Jan. 25, he invited Kathy Collier, program specialist with Chester County's Department of Drug & Alcohol Services, to talk about her department's work to combat the much-discussed opioid epidemic.
She was a frank and compelling speaker, and her statistics from the front line were stark: in 2017 there were 133 accidental drug overdose deaths in Chester County, and opiates were involved in the majority of them. That's an increase of 35.7 percent over 2016, and she doesn't think the numbers have yet peaked.
She said the number-one cause of the epidemic, which started in 2010, is the "staggering" prevalence of prescription pain medications. Physicians are more likely to write the scripts routinely, she explained, because pain is now used as a metric for their performance evaluations. And for people with a genetic predilection for addiction, taking the strong prescription drugs can put them on that dangerous path.
Ms. Collier advised that one way to stop the diversion of pain meds to family members and even visitors is for people to drop their unused medications in one of the 23 collection boxes at police stations around the county. (The closest ones to us are the Kennett Square police department, 115 N. Broad St., and the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department on Route 41, near the Newark Road intersection [8934 Gap Newport Pike]).
Once people become addicted, they may turn to street drugs like heroin because it's actually less expensive than buying pills.
"We have some of the cheapest and purest heroin in the U.S. right here in Chester County," Ms. Collier said. No longer do addicts need to go to inner cities or shoot up to get high, which might previously have been barriers. Today, dealers are plentiful in the suburbs, she said, and the heroin is so pure and strong that it can be snorted.
She said part of her department's mission is to spread the word that recovery from addiction is possible and that treatment is available and accessible, even for uninsured people. She said she often has to serve as an advocate for people whose insurance companies try to deny coverage for addiction treatment.
"This is a physical, medical issue," she said.
The Drug and Alcohol Department can be reached through the Chester County website, www.chesco.org.
The
She was a frank and compelling speaker, and her statistics from the front line were stark: in 2017 there were 133 accidental drug overdose deaths in Chester County, and opiates were involved in the majority of them. That's an increase of 35.7 percent over 2016, and she doesn't think the numbers have yet peaked.
She said the number-one cause of the epidemic, which started in 2010, is the "staggering" prevalence of prescription pain medications. Physicians are more likely to write the scripts routinely, she explained, because pain is now used as a metric for their performance evaluations. And for people with a genetic predilection for addiction, taking the strong prescription drugs can put them on that dangerous path.
Ms. Collier advised that one way to stop the diversion of pain meds to family members and even visitors is for people to drop their unused medications in one of the 23 collection boxes at police stations around the county. (The closest ones to us are the Kennett Square police department, 115 N. Broad St., and the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department on Route 41, near the Newark Road intersection [8934 Gap Newport Pike]).
Once people become addicted, they may turn to street drugs like heroin because it's actually less expensive than buying pills.
"We have some of the cheapest and purest heroin in the U.S. right here in Chester County," Ms. Collier said. No longer do addicts need to go to inner cities or shoot up to get high, which might previously have been barriers. Today, dealers are plentiful in the suburbs, she said, and the heroin is so pure and strong that it can be snorted.
She said part of her department's mission is to spread the word that recovery from addiction is possible and that treatment is available and accessible, even for uninsured people. She said she often has to serve as an advocate for people whose insurance companies try to deny coverage for addiction treatment.
"This is a physical, medical issue," she said.
The Drug and Alcohol Department can be reached through the Chester County website, www.chesco.org.
The
EAST MARLBOROUGH: Civil civic discourse
Along with about two dozen other constituents, I attended a town hall meeting held by State Rep. Eric Roe (R-158) at the East Marlborough Township Building on Jan. 25. It was the first time I'd met him, and I was impressed with how articulate he was and his ability to lay out the arguments for both sides of an issue and then thoughtfully explain his position, whether it was the Commonwealth's State Store system, school district funding, state support for the New Bolton Center, the size of the House of Representatives, funding for the Pennsylvania State Police, the turnpike commission, gerrymandering, marijuana legalization, the state budget process, or pension reform for state employees.
It was, as you can tell, a wide-ranging discussion!
Rep. Roe also shared some happy personal news: he and his wife, Alice, bought a house in Marshallton and are expecting their first children -- twin boys -- in April.
It was, as you can tell, a wide-ranging discussion!
Rep. Roe also shared some happy personal news: he and his wife, Alice, bought a house in Marshallton and are expecting their first children -- twin boys -- in April.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
UNIONVILLE: Dressmaker and tailor
As soon as I broke the news that David Ferron is opening a dressmaking and tailoring business at the former Unionville Saddle Shop, I started receiving e-mails and texts:
Will he do prom dresses? (Yes; in fact there's one in his shop window.)
Can he take in a too-large hunt vest and add a hook-and-eye closure to a wool melton coat? (Yes and yes.)
How soon is he opening? (March 1, fingers crossed.)
When I stopped by to interview him on Jan. 25, he was busy painting and renovating.
"You're standing where the dressing room will be," he said.
David graduated from UHS in 2007 and then from the Parsons School of Design in 2011. He was named designer of the year for women's wear, flew to China to participate in a student showcase, and then went on to work for a couple of big names in the fashion world.
This past Christmas, he was home and his mother, Patton Middle School art teacher Ann (Curtis) Ferron, took him past the for-rent Saddle Shop to show him the renovation work that Dave Ferron, his father, was doing on it. (Coincidentally, Ann grew up in the house right next door to the shop.)
The wheels started to turn and David made the decision to rent the space, leave Brooklyn and start a business back in his home town.
He envisions three "tiers" of garment-making: totally custom work, starting from a sketch; partially customized pieces, working from a core collection of classic silhouettes; and tailoring and restoring and repurposing vintage clothes.
The tagline on his website is "Your Body, Infinite Options," and he said that one key part of good design is "It's never your body that's the problem."David said that moving from Brooklyn back to Unionville has been a bit of an adjustment ("I can't do karaoke until 4 a.m. on a Tuesday") but he has found plenty to keep him busy, including making as many local connections as he can and hanging out with his brother Chris (who plays with the popular local band Marlboro Road).
"David Ferron at Unionville Saddle" is at 1712 West Doe Run Road in "downtown Unionville," and his website is davidferron.com.
Will he do prom dresses? (Yes; in fact there's one in his shop window.)
Can he take in a too-large hunt vest and add a hook-and-eye closure to a wool melton coat? (Yes and yes.)
How soon is he opening? (March 1, fingers crossed.)
When I stopped by to interview him on Jan. 25, he was busy painting and renovating.
"You're standing where the dressing room will be," he said.
David graduated from UHS in 2007 and then from the Parsons School of Design in 2011. He was named designer of the year for women's wear, flew to China to participate in a student showcase, and then went on to work for a couple of big names in the fashion world.
This past Christmas, he was home and his mother, Patton Middle School art teacher Ann (Curtis) Ferron, took him past the for-rent Saddle Shop to show him the renovation work that Dave Ferron, his father, was doing on it. (Coincidentally, Ann grew up in the house right next door to the shop.)
The wheels started to turn and David made the decision to rent the space, leave Brooklyn and start a business back in his home town.
He envisions three "tiers" of garment-making: totally custom work, starting from a sketch; partially customized pieces, working from a core collection of classic silhouettes; and tailoring and restoring and repurposing vintage clothes.
The tagline on his website is "Your Body, Infinite Options," and he said that one key part of good design is "It's never your body that's the problem."David said that moving from Brooklyn back to Unionville has been a bit of an adjustment ("I can't do karaoke until 4 a.m. on a Tuesday") but he has found plenty to keep him busy, including making as many local connections as he can and hanging out with his brother Chris (who plays with the popular local band Marlboro Road).
"David Ferron at Unionville Saddle" is at 1712 West Doe Run Road in "downtown Unionville," and his website is davidferron.com.
KENNETT SQUARE: Dinner at La Verona
Continuing our month-long streak of spending "date night" in downtown Kennett, we had dinner last night at La Verona on State Street. We'd pretty much made up our minds about what to order until our friendly waiter, Mike, listed the nightly specials: I went for the lobster ravioli with scallops (the lamb was a close second) and my partner had the red snapper. Both arrived quickly and were delicious. For dessert we shared a flute of vanilla ice cream with swirls of tangy limoncello, a perfect light dessert.
Even though it was a cold Wednesday evening, the restaurant was busy. At nearby tables were a group of ladies talking about their horses, a man and his young son, and three generations of a family celebrating the patriarch's birthday (they brought balloons). And just before we left we spotted some friends eating together (two Unionville couples, both named Nancy and John) and had a lovely time catching up with them.
Even though it was a cold Wednesday evening, the restaurant was busy. At nearby tables were a group of ladies talking about their horses, a man and his young son, and three generations of a family celebrating the patriarch's birthday (they brought balloons). And just before we left we spotted some friends eating together (two Unionville couples, both named Nancy and John) and had a lovely time catching up with them.
Monday, January 22, 2018
KENNETT SQUARE: Empty Bowls fundraiser
This year's Empty Bowls fundraiser benefiting Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) will be held at the Red Clay Room on Thursday, Feb. 22. The luncheon is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the dinner from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for either one, and not only do you get a nice meal and hear about the good work of KACS, you get to take home an actual pottery bowl. I enjoyed last year's event very much and I've already purchased my ticket for this one.
KACS, based at 136 W. Cedar St. in Kennett Square, provides food for those in need through its food cupboard and runs programs to help people break out of poverty and become self-sufficient. As their vision statement puts it, "We are an organization committed to serving families and all individuals in the fight against hunger and homelessness in the Kennett area and surrounding communities. We are responsible stewards of the community, helping members of the greater Kennett community to lift themselves in dignified manner out of the cycle of poverty. We achieve this goal through both raising awareness in the community to the needs of underprivileged with few resources and working with them to identify and work towards solutions to their challenges through a network of community connections that care."
KACS, based at 136 W. Cedar St. in Kennett Square, provides food for those in need through its food cupboard and runs programs to help people break out of poverty and become self-sufficient. As their vision statement puts it, "We are an organization committed to serving families and all individuals in the fight against hunger and homelessness in the Kennett area and surrounding communities. We are responsible stewards of the community, helping members of the greater Kennett community to lift themselves in dignified manner out of the cycle of poverty. We achieve this goal through both raising awareness in the community to the needs of underprivileged with few resources and working with them to identify and work towards solutions to their challenges through a network of community connections that care."
UNIONVILLE: A Hitchcock connection
I've been on an Alfred Hitchcock kick this winter and this past weekend watched his 1964 film "Marnie."
Marnie, played by Tippi Hedren, is an avid horseback rider, and I learned that some of the equestrian scenes were shot locally, including at Nancy Penn Smith Hannum's farm, Brooklawn, on Newark Road.
Unionville native Susan Cocks was Hedren's (uncredited) stunt double for the riding scenes.
"She looked a little like Tippi, I guess, and she was a great rider," recalled Susan's sister, Barbie Cocks Vannote.
In one scene Marnie flees a high-society party, jumps on her horse and gallops off bareback, soaring over a gate. Barbie said the costume department made Susan a cashmere-lined yellow silk evening dress to wear for that shot.
"Susan said the tough part was jumping that gate (which was Big) and the dang skirt of the dress was covering her eyes!" said her sister.
The production staff wanted her to do a second take, but she refused, telling them, "No, that was perfect."
Barbie said Susan had fond memories of the experience for the rest of her life: "She had a great time. It was just a gas."
According to Tony Lee Moral's book "Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie," the foxhunting scene with Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds was originally scheduled for Nov. 26, 1963. But after President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, Master of Foxhounds Mrs. Hannum called Hitchcock's assistant director and told him they'd have to postpone for two weeks.
The day of the shoot, Barbie remembered, "everybody" showed up. She recalls that a helicopter was used to shoot the overhead sequences.
During the foxhunting scene, Marnie, who had a deep-seated phobia of the color red, freaked out when she saw the scarlet hunting coats and galloped off, pursued by her sister-in-law Lil Mainwaring, whose stunt double was another expert local rider, Patty Meserve.
Recalled Carol Hannum Davidson, "she chased Susan up to the wall where the horse crashed" (though only in the movie, not in real life). The fateful wall was at old Upland Inn at the corner of Newark Road and Route 842.
The production staff also borrowed foxhunting clothes from members of the Hunt and took them to Hollywood. Barbie and Carol Hannum Davidson, both age 21 at the time, took a cross-country road trip to pick them up and got a tour of the studio and tickets to Disneyland.
In the film Sean Connery's character's family, the Rutlands, have a country estate in Unionville, and it was fun to see the blue stationery headed "Wykwyn Farm, Unionville."
According to Tony Cadwalader, "My father, who was a banker in Center City at what was then Fidelity Bank, was asked by Hitchcock to read the script and be taped so Sean Connery could learn how to speak like a proper Philadelphian, which he was honored to do. Of course, in the movie Sean Connery sounds suspiciously just like Sean Connery."
Tom Martin said he remembers "driving by Truman Welling's house off 926 where they shot the exterior scene of entering the country house. There were vans and trucks and cars all over the place, as I recall. I asked my parents what was going on and they told me that it was filming of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Even then he had quite a reputation."
When the movie was released, Mrs. Hannum hosted a private outdoor screening at Brooklawn, realizing only then that the movie was about a lot more than just foxhunting.
Indeed, it's a dark and dated movie, with a couple of truly disturbing scenes that were hard to watch. Even worse is finding out that "Hitch" mistreated and repeatedly propositioned his female lead throughout the shoot; sexual harassment in the movie business is an old, old story.
Marnie, played by Tippi Hedren, is an avid horseback rider, and I learned that some of the equestrian scenes were shot locally, including at Nancy Penn Smith Hannum's farm, Brooklawn, on Newark Road.
Unionville native Susan Cocks was Hedren's (uncredited) stunt double for the riding scenes.
"She looked a little like Tippi, I guess, and she was a great rider," recalled Susan's sister, Barbie Cocks Vannote.
In one scene Marnie flees a high-society party, jumps on her horse and gallops off bareback, soaring over a gate. Barbie said the costume department made Susan a cashmere-lined yellow silk evening dress to wear for that shot.
"Susan said the tough part was jumping that gate (which was Big) and the dang skirt of the dress was covering her eyes!" said her sister.
The production staff wanted her to do a second take, but she refused, telling them, "No, that was perfect."
Barbie said Susan had fond memories of the experience for the rest of her life: "She had a great time. It was just a gas."
According to Tony Lee Moral's book "Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie," the foxhunting scene with Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds was originally scheduled for Nov. 26, 1963. But after President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, Master of Foxhounds Mrs. Hannum called Hitchcock's assistant director and told him they'd have to postpone for two weeks.
The day of the shoot, Barbie remembered, "everybody" showed up. She recalls that a helicopter was used to shoot the overhead sequences.
During the foxhunting scene, Marnie, who had a deep-seated phobia of the color red, freaked out when she saw the scarlet hunting coats and galloped off, pursued by her sister-in-law Lil Mainwaring, whose stunt double was another expert local rider, Patty Meserve.
Recalled Carol Hannum Davidson, "she chased Susan up to the wall where the horse crashed" (though only in the movie, not in real life). The fateful wall was at old Upland Inn at the corner of Newark Road and Route 842.
The production staff also borrowed foxhunting clothes from members of the Hunt and took them to Hollywood. Barbie and Carol Hannum Davidson, both age 21 at the time, took a cross-country road trip to pick them up and got a tour of the studio and tickets to Disneyland.
In the film Sean Connery's character's family, the Rutlands, have a country estate in Unionville, and it was fun to see the blue stationery headed "Wykwyn Farm, Unionville."
According to Tony Cadwalader, "My father, who was a banker in Center City at what was then Fidelity Bank, was asked by Hitchcock to read the script and be taped so Sean Connery could learn how to speak like a proper Philadelphian, which he was honored to do. Of course, in the movie Sean Connery sounds suspiciously just like Sean Connery."
Tom Martin said he remembers "driving by Truman Welling's house off 926 where they shot the exterior scene of entering the country house. There were vans and trucks and cars all over the place, as I recall. I asked my parents what was going on and they told me that it was filming of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Even then he had quite a reputation."
When the movie was released, Mrs. Hannum hosted a private outdoor screening at Brooklawn, realizing only then that the movie was about a lot more than just foxhunting.
Indeed, it's a dark and dated movie, with a couple of truly disturbing scenes that were hard to watch. Even worse is finding out that "Hitch" mistreated and repeatedly propositioned his female lead throughout the shoot; sexual harassment in the movie business is an old, old story.
NOTTINGHAM: Hey, it worked!
We've gotten used to seeing Amish youths using cellphones and Amish buggies at the drive-through bank teller. But this was a first: an Eagles sticker on a buggy, spotted along Route 272 in Nottingham on Sunday afternoon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)