UNIONVILLE: Keep your dog leashed!

Thanks to dog owners who don't think the rules apply to them, a ban on all dogs is imminent at the ChesLen Preserve.
I can't explain it any better than a frustrated Natural Lands employee did on social media:
"Folks, we've tried just about everything we can think of to encourage visitors with dogs to follow the rules. (Namely: dogs must be on least at all times, poop must be picked up and disposed of properly or packed out, and both dogs and humans must stick to the trails.) We love visitors, which is why ChesLen is open to everyone free of charge. But our rules are in place so that all visitors and other dogs feel safe and welcome. If you are following the rules, THANK YOU! If not, please don't ruin ChesLen for everyone else."

This notice was posted at the Preserve.

FAST FOOD: McDonald's modernizes

I'm not much of a fan of fast food, largely for nutritional reasons, and the Dearest Partner is used to receiving a withering glare when he confesses to stopping off for a clandestine Quarter Pounder with Cheese. So you can imagine his astonishment when, faced with a decision between SaladWorks and McDonald's for a quick dinner in Jennersville, I opted for McDonald's.
Let me explain! The lobby of the Jennersville McDonald's had just been closed for two weeks for updating, and I really wanted to see what they had done. In other words, journalistic curiosity won out over calorie and fat content.
Here's what I found out. They've added large, bilingual touch screens that allow you to order your meal and pay right at the kiosk. You take a small tent card with a number and display it on your table, and a waiter brings your order over when it's ready. At first we missed the fact that there were drink cups set out near the kiosk; you pour your own soda from the fountain.
We asked the manager, Patrick, what customers thought of the new system and he said it's gotten a good reception. He tries to have an employee standing next to the touch screens in case anybody needs help, but everyone we saw seemed to have no problem at all figuring it out. (You can also order conventionally from a human.)
I should report that my grilled chicken sandwich tasted OK and was only 370 calories. The D.P. thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of eating his burger openly and kept exclaiming, "I'm lovin' it!" throughout our meal.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: The gun club

A Newark Road resident asked the West Marlborough supervisors if they could do something about the noise of gunfire coming from the Southern Chester County Sportsmen's & Farmers' Association in London Grove.
She said the noise, which occurs every day, devalues both property values and the residents' quality of life. She played two audios that she recorded from her garden and her porch.
"I have the most beautiful view in the township," she said, "but the worst sound."
Neighbors have been upset about the noise for years, but because the gun club has existed since before the township passed its zoning ordinance, the township has little power to restrict its activities.
"This is a very difficult situation because they've been here so long," said Supervisor Hugh Lofting Sr. "We've been through this time and time again."
"You're one of many who have come to the township," agreed Supervisor Bill Wylie. But he said it would be possible for the township to have another conversation with the club and express once again "that it is difficult for the neighbors."
According to the gun club's website, the range is open every day except for Christmas Day, Easter and Labor Day. It's open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, in the winter; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, in the spring and fall. In the summer it's open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Year-round it's open from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. 
Also at the July township meeting, the planning commission reviewed Juan Medina's plan to build a house on a 21-acre property on Byrd Road, north of Street Road. There are some storm-water management issues that need to be resolved before a permit could be issued, and there are no electric lines going up to the property.

QUAKERS: Outdoor Meeting for Worship

My friend Grace Pfeifer asked me to share the news that London Grove Friends Meeting is holding an outdoor Quaker meeting for worship at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, July 22, under the famous London Grove Oak, a white oak tree standing for 300 years. An outdoor brunch will follow. The meetinghouse is at 500 West Street Road, Kennett Square, at the intersection of Newark Road and Route 926.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Extraordinary gift

What an amazing act of generosity. The Truitt family, who own Doe Run Village along Route 82, gave to West Marlborough Township the township garage, the salt shed, and the former Doe Run store. This means that after settlement, which is anticipated within 6 to 12 months, the township will no longer have to pay rent to the Truitts.
In her letter to the township, Nancy Truitt said that it was her family's honor to donate the property and "simply the right thing to do."

The township garage/meeting room.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: The power of nature

It was the kind of township meeting that could happen only in West Marlborough.
The thunderstorm that broke the heat wave on July 3 hit with little warning and great intensity. The rain was beating down on the roof of the township hall/garage so hard that it was difficult to hear the person next to you, and the ferocious wind was blowing the rain in through the wide-open garage doors.
The farmers in the audience who had gotten their hay cut and baled expressed relief; those who hadn't said ruefully they were sure their fields would be completely flattened by the storm.
At the height of the storm township road boss Hugh Lofting Jr. drove in from his house to fire up his payloader and start clearing blown-over trees that were blocking roads (among them Tapeworm Road, Apple Grove Road, Newark Road and Route 82 near the Kennels). 
During Susan Elks' presentation about the county planning commission's latest Landscapes plan, a tiny toad started hopping across the floor behind her.
And as it does at every township meeting, more than one person said how special the township is and how fortunate they are to live there. Does this happen in any other municipality?

UNIONVILLE: Launching lanterns

What were so many New York and New Jersey cars doing in our neck of the woods on June 30?
We were baffled when, en route to dinner at Hood's, we noticed a steady stream of out-of-state cars heading west on Route 82, and noticed that police had blocked off the driveways near Plantation Field. We also saw a lot of cars already parked at the top of the Plantation Field hill. One poor fellow apparently missed his turn and had pulled off at the feed lots to consult his GPS.
When we got to Hood's we asked what was going on (they know everything about Unionville) and learned that the visitors were massing for something called the Lights Fest, which according to the website, "is an experience where thousands of friends and families gather to listen to live music, fill up on great food and light up life by sharing personal wishes, dreams and goals. At the perfect moment, everyone ignites their personalized sky lanterns with Tiki torches and lets them take flight. It creates a surreal ambiance, where time slows down as your single flame rises with thousands of others. Come fill the sky with what lights you. The lights fest is dedicated to leaving a positive impact on the environment and everyone who attends our event."
But no matter how mindfully launched, what goes up must come down. The now-deflated lanterns are littering Green Valley Road, stuck in tree branches and utility wires. (The organizers say they're biodegradable.)
These festivals, I learned, are held all over America and in England and are organized by a business called Vive Events. The June 30 one was billed as being in the "New York Area," which explains all the out-of-state tags.
The next local one will be at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg on Aug. 11. Ticket prices range from $25 to $50, depending on how early you buy them.

 

 

These photos, which I took on Green Valley Road on July 4, show the remnants of the lanterns hanging in trees.

,

WILLOWDALE: Wore them out!

Last week you probably drove past the Willowdale Chapel's annual "WipeOut" sports and arts camp for kids, where as part of the activities they turn the church's front yard into a giant slip-and-slide. A friend of mine sent her two very active young sons to the camp and was amazed at the result: they fell sound asleep in the back seat on the way home. "Thank you, Wipeout!" she said.