WILMINGTON: The Grimpen Mire

The Delaware Theatre Company opened its season with a hilarious production of "The Hound of the Baskerville," in which three actors portray all of the characters, male and female. With its split-second costume changes, over-the-top acting, physical comedy and madcap humor, it reminded me a lot of People's Light's production of "The Mystery of Irma Vep" 30 years ago. 
At the beginning of the second act the actors announced, with mock outrage, that some irascible crank named "BudLiteMartin" had tweeted during intermission complaining about the slow pace of the first act. In response they did a hilariously speeded-up recap of the first act. The in-joke was that Bud Martin is the theatre's executive and artistic director.
After the show we had a lovely stroll along the riverfront, which was full of families, joggers and bicyclists. There are plenty of restaurants along the way (Harry's Seafood Grill is now Banks' Seafood Kitchen) and lots of benches so you can sit and gaze at both the Wilmington skyline and the Christina River. We even got to see the drawbridge raised to let the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel through. It looked majestic motoring down the river.

CARLISLE: Revisiting my college town

On Saturday Dearest Partner and I headed to the Carlisle Invitational to watch the Young Relative and his UHS cross-country teammates run. The Y.R.'s race was originally supposed to start at 12:30 but was moved up to 9:30 a.m. because of the hot weather.
We set out at 5:45 a.m. and soon learned that the Gap Wawa is a surprisingly busy spot before dawn. Route 30, normally jammed with tourists between Route 41 and Interstate 283, was smooth sailing at that hour. Interstate 81 was no problem at all, even though the westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike were closed for construction.
The upshot was that we arrived at Carlisle High School even before the Unionville team bus did and well before the other three members of the Y.R.'s cheering section. We scored a great parking spot, chatted with two school police officers (they told that us teams from 100 schools were expected) and had time to walk part of the course before heading to the finish line.
After the race we congratulated the Y.R. on his spectacular performance and set out to tour Carlisle. I went to college there and stayed on a few years afterwards writing for the local newspaper, but the town was new to Dearest Partner.
Our first stop was a delicious carb-filled breakfast at my old favorite Fay's Country Kitchen. Then we drove south through the little town of Mount Holly Springs and walked around the beautiful Pine Grove Furnace State Park. We drove past a lot of rustic hunting cabins tucked in the woods and saw the "Babes in the Woods" memorial plaque. My traveling companion was patient as I bored him with reminiscences of my hard-working, hard-playing young adulthood ("here's where we'd go ice-skating at night …. I used to listen through the mail slot when they'd have executive sessions and kick me out … this place used to have great stromboli").  
One turn, though, and we were no longer in rural Cumberland County but back on I-81 and headed home. Unlike almost all of our road trips, we didn't get lost even once.

POCOPSON: The train and the bridge

I've written before about the Lenape Bridge closure and the unpredictable train-car shuffling that snarls traffic at the Pocopson railroad crossing. Two readers wrote to me about how those two problems have become greater than the sum of their parts:

"We have always enjoyed the sound of the train whistle from our house, and have on occasion been delayed as it 'backs and forths' a couple of times, I suspect to change cars. It has been as much as 8 to 10 minutes, but we always understand it as it does not impact too much time or our life.

"BUT, with all the extra traffic and due to traffic pattern changes it has become a big deal. And it seems as if there are more -- many more -- times the train comes through and makes its car changes.

"Today we heard it at 8 and 9 a.m. Yesterday my wife was caught for 15 minutes at 10:30. Monday it was 15 minutes at 3 p.m. Some of this was back up, some the fast light at Pocopson letting 926 cars through for extended times.

"My one question is, is there a train schedule? And if so, can it be made public knowledge to help people such as us? I believe the tracks are privately owned, but probably the trains are regulated (i.e., publicly controlled ) so there should be some sort of schedule."

Those are excellent questions, and residents and commuters alike would greatly appreciate some answers from local government.

 

BLUEGRASS: A house concert

Dearest Partner and I headed to downtown Lancaster on Sept. 21 for a house concert by the Canadian bluegrass band the Slocan Ramblers. Music lovers Tim and Karen Lehman host folk concerts monthly at their Chestnut Street home, with all the donations going directly to the band. There's also a potluck dinner before the show (it was excellent), and afterward you get to mingle with the musicians over dessert, in this case a special cake commemorating the fact that it was the Lehmans' 100th house concert.
We've been to a lot of small venues to hear music, but this one was really up-close-and-personal -- and great fun! One of the musicians was taking a nap upstairs until a few minutes before the show (he thought the show started at 7:30 instead of 7. Whoops!). And when the banjo player switched instruments, he realized he'd accidentally left his other banjo sitting on an air-conditioning vent. Never good for a musical instrument!
Wooden seats filled the small living room, and you had to enter the house through the side door off the alley rather than the front door. But although there were more than 30 guests and one affectionate sheepdog, Bella, somehow it seemed just cozy, not crowded.
The other guests were very welcoming to us "first-timers," and we assured them we'd be back.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: The Fair weekend

Don't forget, this coming weekend (Oct. 4 through 6) is the 95th annual Unionville Community Fair and Farm Show, held at the Landhope Farms property at Routes 82 and 926 in Willowdale. It's a wonderful family event and a community tradition. The full schedule, including the rules for all the competitions, can be found on ucfair.org.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: A new neighbor

By chance I met a new neighbor the other evening when I spotted a loose dog in the middle of Upland Road. Concerned for the dog's safety -- it's a busy road -- I pulled into the next driveway and asked if their dog was out.
Yes, he was, said the owner, who immediately called to "Boo." Fortunately, he came running.
The woman introduced herself and thanked me over and over. I told her I loved what she was doing with the house, which before she bought it had started to become a tad shabby.
"Oh, it just needed a little love," she said modestly. "It's a work in progress."

FASHION: Nothing new under the sun

My junior high life flashed before me as I paged through a catalog of fall fashion and spotted a tight, ribbed turtleneck with narrow, brightly colored horizontal stripes. I could swear I wore the exact top as an adolescent in the 1970s.
"You did," confirmed a Facebook friend. "We all did."
One thing's for sure: it did not cost $99, not even taking inflation into account.

STRASBURG: A race through farmland

On Sept. 21 some of my gym friends ran in a 5K in Strasburg, Lancaster County, to raise money for the Clinic for Special Children, which treats families with rare genetic disorders. My friend Eduardo said entire Amish families ran together, the girls and women in dresses and sneakers and the boys and men in straw hats with black trousers and suspenders.The race attracted more than 350 runners and raised $40,000 for the not-for-profit clinic.

ALONG CHATHAM ROAD: A lost hoodie

On Saturday morning I found a clean, brand-new blue hoodie along the roadside. It had the label of a local landscaping firm, so I contacted them and the next day took it back. They were very grateful and said the employee who lost it would be, too, as workers are issued their uniforms for free but have to pay for replacements.
I shared this anecdote with a friend and she was underwhelmed.
"I thought this story was actually going somewhere," she said. "Like you'd found heroin in the pocket or something."

MILESTONE: Fire marshal honored

Chief Fire Marshal John Weer, a Unionville native, was honored last week by the county commissioners for his 25 years of service as a Chester County employee. Before being promoted to his current position in 2015, he worked in HazMat and fire training. Congrats, Jackie!

LIBRARY: "Buried treasure"

The Kennett Library will be holding a pirate-themed fundraising dinner at the Stone Barn on Thursday, Oct. 17. In the words of board president Tom Swett, "We need all hands on deck to find the buried treasure so that we can continue to provide the much-needed resources, services and opportunities for education and literacy for every residents in our amazing community." Guest speaker will be Victoria Browning Wyeth. The dress code for the $150-a-plate evening is business attire, "pirate regalia optional." Tickets are available at bidpal.net/KLBenefit2019.

UNIONVILLE: A group show

Four local artists, working in very different media, will be holding a group show on Friday, Oct. 18 (5 to 8 p.m.) and Saturday, Oct. 19 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at Kinloch Woodworking at 1721 West Doe Run Road in downtown Unionville: Doug Mooberry (woodworking), Pat Mooberry (ceramics), Courtney Peterson (jewelry) and Clayton Bright (sculpture).

MISSING KEYS: That's right, blame the cat

This local friend's social media account of domestic non-tranquility made me laugh out loud. I thought you might enjoy it, too, and asked her for permission to share:
So as I’m trying to get to work early because I have to leave early . . . where’d the car keys go? Ah! 14-year-old had them last. Thank God for cell phones: I texted her on bus. What would they have done in the old days?
After much struggle she remembers she left them on the laundry pile.
I ask, "What are they doing on the laundry pile?" No one, I mean NO ONE, in this house folds laundry!
She says, “Oh, I found the cat . . . she needed a snuggle.”

GUN SENSE US: Gun control meeting

I ran into my friend and West Marlborough neighbor Starr Bright the other day and on the spot she e-mailed me a press release about an upcoming gun control meeting. It will be at 7:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, at Westminster Presbyterian Church (at Route 202 and Pleasant Grove Road), West Chester. The topic will be the "BET strategy" that the Gun Sense US group is advocating: background checks before every firearm purchase, extreme risk protection order (temporary removal of firearms from a person who is a threat to himself or others), and mandatory training before a firearm purchase.
Starr has some skin in the game regarding this issue: she was a gunshot victim 30 years ago and has been dealing with the after-effects ever since.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: EMS report to be presented

Just a reminder that West Marlborough Township's EMS Task Force is expected to present its report at the Tuesday, Oct. 1, township meeting. For the past year the group has been meeting with members of the local fire and ambulance companies to try to hammer out a fair funding mechanism. At the September meeting, supervisor Bill Wylie warned that expenditures could have significant implications in terms of taxes.
The township supervisors meet in the township building/garage in Doe Run at the end of the planning commission meeting, usually about 7:30 p.m.  

OLD AND OLDER: Antique cars in Unionville

The 20th century and the 18th century met last weekend as Model T enthusiasts gathered at Primitive Hall on North Chatham Road, West Marlborough, as part of their fall outing. After touring the Hall, built by Joseph and Mary Pennock in 1738, the Delaware T's group motored through the scenic countryside, stopped for lunch at Fallowfield Friends Meeting and the People's Hall in Ercildoun, then toured the National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum in Coatesville. After spending the night in Exton, on Sunday they visited Doug and Pat Mooberry's Kinloch Woodworking and Lou Mandich's Last Chance Garage, both in downtown Unionville.

KENNETT: Under the pavement

Workers found a surprise while installing the new traffic island in the middle of Route 82 on the north side of Kennett Square: the remains of the old trolley tracks. The trolley ran from Kennett Square to West Chester, a trip that took about 55 minutes, according to Joe Lordi and Dolores Rowe's book "Greetings from Kennett Square." The trolley operated from 1904 until 1929, when it was replaced by a bus route.



"Blizzard of Jan 28, 1922. Trolley stuck on North Union St. at Linden St., Kennett Sq." This is near the site of the new traffic island. (Postcard is on p. 59 of the Lordi & Rowe book.)

SERVICE DOGS: CPL gets some press

Canine Partners for Life got a nice mention in a Sept. 16 "Wall Street Journal" article about medical-alert dogs. The article includes a sweet photo of Sarah Vible of Delaware with her CPL-trained yellow Lab, Rosebud, who alerts her to her epileptic seizures. Too bad the reporter misspelled CPL's location as "Cochraneville."

ALLOWANCES: Fiscal responsibility

A Jennersville friend shared her clever strategy for instilling fiscal responsibility in her young teenagers. She gives each kid $20 a week, but if beds aren't made, chores aren't done, the kitchen is left untidy or other infractions are committed, she charges them $1 per offense.
"So how's it working?" I asked.
She said the kids tend to be a little lax in the beginning of the week, but as the money dwindles toward the end of the week, they up their game. She said they're starting to realize that in order to afford Starbucks trips with their pals (to "do homework"), they need to save every dollar.
My friend said her husband initially thought this would be a losing effort but is impressed with how effective it has been.

KENNETT: Kennett Florist closing

Kennett Florist, 405 W. State Street, is closing at the end of September. The owner, Alice Berstler, is retiring after 18 years. Customers have filled the shop's Facebook page with congratulations, best wishes and fond memories of the floral arrangements she did over the years, including those honoring the racehorse Barbaro when he was at New Bolton Center.

 

 

 

VACCINE: It's flu shot time

The Chester County Health Department is offering flu shots in our area. Here's the local schedule:
-- Oct. 3, 3 to 7 p.m., Unionville High School
-- Oct. 10, 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., Kennett High School
-- Oct. 14, 2:30 to 6 p.m. Octorara Senior High School
-- Oct. 24, 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., Fred Engle Middle School.
(There are more sites; I included just the very local ones.)
The shots are for people age 6 months and up. Bring your insurance card, although the Health Department says shots will be given free for those without insurance.

KENNETT: Urban gardeners

Shout-out from Tilda to the garden club members and the watering crews who are responsible for the wonderful plantings in downtown Kennett. The oversized planters along the streets look especially beautiful this year, particularly the dramatic, towering caladium leaves. 

EAST MARLBOROUGH: It's time for the Fair!

The 95th annual Unionville Community Fair and Farm Show is coming up October 4 through 6! This Unionville tradition includes so many fun activities, like the vegetable, baking, and arts and crafts competitions, goats and cattle shows, food and live music, kids' games and the always popular milking contest (who will win the milk can this year?). This year they've added a car and truck show, a food truck festival, a haunted tent, an escape room and a "tech tent."
I've been involved with the Fair for many years. It's a terrific family event, and the volunteers put so many hours into making everything run smoothly.
The Fair is held at the Landhope Farms property at Routes 82 and 926. The full schedule, including the rules for all the competitions, can be found on ucfair.org.

NEW GARDEN: Old liquor store closes

Now that the fancy new state store has opened in the Longwood Village shopping center, the old, smaller one in the New Garden shopping center has closed its doors, and the space is up for lease. Who remembers when the state store on State Street in downtown Kennett moved out to New Garden? It must have been 30 years ago.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Landlord alert

Want to be a landlord? The London Grove Apartments just came on the market. Asking price is $695,000 for the seven-unit, 9,292-square-foot brick building that sits on eight-tenths of an acre at Newark Road and Route 926. McLane Hendriks of Patterson-Woods has the listing.
The West Marlborough Township coffers are going to be swelling from all of the real estate transfer taxes they've been depositing this year, with the Ledyard, Wintersteen and Weymouth estates changing hands.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: It's a sales center

As we have long suspected, the trailer that's been sitting along Route 82 across from the Willowdale Chapel has been converted into a sales center for Toll Brothers' forthcoming Unionville Walk development. The 42 single-family houses, to be built on the west side of Route 82, will be priced starting in the mid-$600,000s. The Toll Brothers marketing website says the development "is anticipated to open in the summer of 2019," but that's obviously not happening. The website mentions as one of the development's selling points "the award-winning Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, consistently ranked as one of the top 10 districts in the state."

JENNERSVILLE: Much improved crossroads

The revamped Jennersville intersection by the Red Rose Inn seems to be working very well. The turn lanes and left-turn arrows provide for a much more efficient traffic flow. Motorists got an unwelcome reminder of how cumbersome and frustrating the intersection used to be when some of the new lanes were blocked temporarily for another go-round of paving, striping and edging. Once again, a single left-turning motorist could back traffic up all the way to the Jennersville shopping center or the Route 1 bypass.
Now, if only the busy Toughkenamon intersection could undergo such an update! 

RIP: "Paddy" Neilson

Tributes have been pouring in for Louis "Paddy" Neilson, III, of West Grove, who died Sept. 5 at age 77: a consummate horseman, a tireless advocate for equestrian sports, a faithful and supportive friend, a delightful guest, a world-class conversationalist, an always perfectly dressed gentleman who loved life and loved his family. Everyone seems to mention his unforgettable smile and sense of humor. According to his obituary, he "jumped his last fence in the line of duty just a couple of weeks before his death."
A celebration of his life will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, October 4, on the kennel lawn of Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds on Route 82. Contributions may be made in Paddy’s memory to (1) Fair Hill Foundation (P.O. Box 1324, Elkton, MD 21922); Cheshire Land Preservation Fund (P.O. Box 983, Unionville, PA 19375); or the Atlantic Salmon Federation (P.O. Box 807 Calais, ME 04619-0807).

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Plantation Field reminder

My friend and tireless PR guy Denis Glaccum wants to remind everyone that this coming weekend (Sept. 19, 20, 21, and 22) is the annual Plantation Field International Horse Trials, where you can watch everyone from Olympians to novices competing in a beautiful setting that's right down the road. Go to the website for a full schedule; in addition to the equestrian competition there will also be antique car show, a fun run, a Victory Brewing beer garden, tailgating, and vendors.
Spectators and competitors are being asked to bring nonperishable food to help out the Chester County Food Bank. There will be containers to drop off donations at the entrance.

EMBREEVILLE: Another chapter in the development saga

Foes of the controversial proposed development at the former Embreeville Hospital site are expected to show up in force at the Wednesday, Oct. 2, meeting of the West Bradford Township zoning hearing board. The would-be developer is challenging the validity of the township's zoning ordinance. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the township building, 1385 Campus Drive, Downingtown.
Residents have argued that the large proposed development is inappropriate for the site and will have a negative impact on roads and the countryside. 

Details on the hearing can be found on the West Bradford website under “Project Updates,” then “Embreeville.”

Thank you to Newlin residents Martin and Marilyn Tully for keeping me apprised of this ongoing saga.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Field Day at the gun club

On Sept. 8 we stopped by the open house/field day at Southern Chester County Sportsmen's and Farmers' Club off Route 926. We watched kids trying their hand at trap shooting, under the direction of an instructor ("Pull!"), walked around the small lake, observed a muzzle-loading demonstration, watched the action on the club's outdoor gun ranges and caught up with a couple of friends in the clubhouse. I had not realized how extensive the gun club's property was. All the members and guests seemed very safety-conscious, and I noticed that safety rules were prominently displayed throughout the facility. I overheard one man remind his young son, "Eyes and ears!" as they approached the trap-shooting area.

WEST GROVE: Always a winner

We went to Twelves in downtown West Grove for a special occasion last week and, as always, had an exquisite, memorable meal. When scanning the menu, the quandary for me is always whether to order the crab cakes, which I know will be phenomenal, or to try something new. I opted for the latter this time and had a half-rack of lamb with vegetables and amazing garlicky mashed potatoes.
The next day several people asked if we'd ordered the locally sourced cheese plate. We hadn't. Though it sounded delicious, we knew enough from previous visits to save room for dessert, this time peach cobbler in individual ramekins.
The service at Twelves is always professional and unobtrusive: they don't hover or interrupt your conversation, they just keep an eye on you and know when you need something. Perfect.

WEST GROVE: A ladies' man

As I was driving through downtown West Grove the other morning I spotted a widowed fellow I know strolling hand-in-hand with his daughter and cute grandson. I stopped, he introduced them (he is a very proud patriarch) and we chatted for a moment.
I saw him a few days later and he said that shortly afterward, the trio had run into another female friend of his.
The daughter was surprised at her father's apparent popularity in the neighborhood.
"Just how many women do you know?!" she asked.
"Not enough!" replied my friend.

NEW GARDEN: Toughkenamon workshop

It's a safe bet that everyone has an opinion on how the traffic situation in Toughkenamon could be improved. The New Garden Township supervisors are holding a public forum on Thursday, Sept. 19, to get a sense of residents' visions for the village.
"One-way streets? Sidewalks or on-street parking? Townhouses or apartments? Share your thoughts about the improvements you'd like to see in Toughkenamon!"
The workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the community room at Harvest Ridge Winery, 1140 Newark Road.

KENNETT: A "plug" for Longwood Tire

John Ross, owner of Longwood Tire and Service, saved the day for me on Tuesday morning. One of my tires just wouldn't hold air, even with two plugs in it. With my neighbor's air compressor, I inflated the tire one final time and headed to my usual tire place, only to find that they were taking an extended Labor Day vacation.
What to do? I could practically hear the air hissing out of the wounded tire. I did a Google search and found Longwood Tire at 443 McFarlan Road, south of the Chatham Financial campus. I drove over there, gingerly, and John patched my tire right away.
As I was paying my bill ($34.93), he said he'd noticed my seat cushion, a souvenir from the inaugural Unionville vs. Kennett football game in October 2005. It turns out that he, too, was at that game, watching his sons following in his footsteps playing football for Unionville!
.

WEST GOSHEN: Visiting another Y

Every August the local YMCAs shut down for a week, on a staggered schedule, for cleaning and renovations. While the Jennersville Y was shut I took a few classes at the West Chester Y on Airport Road at Paoli Pike. (When I was a kid the dairy we called "the milk store" was at that corner.) Although my parents used to be regulars there, it was my first visit. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I was envious of their shiny new dumbbells and the mini-lockers that don't require a key or a padlock; you set your own four-digit combination.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Taxing matters

Should taxpayers' money go to fund the Stroud Water Research Center?
At the Sept. 3 township meeting, West Marlborough supervisor Bill Wylie expressed concerns over a fundraising solicitation the township received from the research center, located on Spencer Road.
Mr. Wylie said there was no doubt that the center does good work and is a well-known, first-class institution, but "I'm struggling a little" to justify using tax dollars to fund a private entity.
"Where does it end?" he asked rhetorically. "How many things can we fund?"
The supervisors agreed that the topic needed more discussion.
In another tax-related matter, Mr. Wylie said that the township's EMS Task Force has completed its research into how West Marlborough should fund the emergency services companies that serve the township. The money involved "won't be inconsequential in terms of taxes," he warned. The report will be presented to the public at the Oct. 1 township meeting.

KENNETT SQUARE: Another place to work

Each Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Presbyterian Church of Kennett Square, 211 S. Broad St., offers a work space that anyone is welcome to use, free of charge. I've spent a few hours there recently tackling a challenging proofreading project, and I always find the atmosphere welcoming, peaceful and conducive to concentration. There's a good Wi-Fi connection, good coffee is provided, the chairs are comfortable and every time I've stopped in there's been at least one other person working. Thanks to the church and the Rev. Andrew Smith for this useful service.

NEW GARDEN: Easier being green

Hooray for the Kennett and Jennersville Giants! The supermarkets have made room at the self-checkout stations for customers to place their reusable grocery bags. Formerly, those of us who bring our own bags had to try to squish them into the tiny spaces between the multiple plastic bag holders and then struggle to shoehorn in a large box of Cheerios, a half-gallon of milk or a BBQ chicken right side up without risking the computer system's disapproval.
It's a little thing, but it really makes the checkout process easier.
I asked the self-service clerk if she'd thank the manager for me (because, you know, my opinion matters!).

WEST MARLBOROUGH: A larger playground

If you see unusual truck and equipment traffic around London Grove Friends Meeting in the next few weeks, here's what's going on: the kindergarten is enlarging its playground. Ellen Marsden, clerk of the kindergarten committee, told the West Marlborough Township planning commission at its September 3 meeting that they plan to "reclaim" a half-acre of "scrubby woods" next to the current playground. Six trees will be removed, and they will be chipped and used for a nature trail. A climbing wall and small mounds (for the youngsters to roll down) will be installed. Construction of the project, designed by Green Roots Landscaping, will take four to six weeks, depending on the weather, and will start as soon as possible.
Mrs. Marsden said she would contact the township zoning officer to see if he needed to get involved in the project. 

NEW GARDEN: A new fitness center

A Planet Fitness franchise is opening in the Ollie's/Big Lots shopping center on Scarlett Road. The gym is going to be open and staffed 24/7 and will offer cardio and strength equipment, along with locker rooms and showers. Planet Fitness says it operates more than 1,800 gyms nationwide; the closest ones to us are Parkesburg, West Chester, and Downingtown.

LABOR DAY: Over the rivers

Two members of the Tally-ho family spent the Labor Day weekend at music festivals, but they couldn't have been more different. Dearest Partner and I crossed the Delaware to attend the annual Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival, and the Young Relative (and, he estimated, half the UHS senior class) crossed the Schuylkill to attend the Made in America fest on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The Y.R.'s high-decibel fest was skewed toward young people, who generally don't worry about protecting their hearing and getting home at a reasonable hour. A master of understatement, he suggested that the event was "a tad rowdier" than our fest. I concurred: a woman a few seats away from us fell sound asleep in her chair at about 7:30 p.m., and the emcee repeatedly warned attendees against loud talking in the concert area.
"People are here to listen to music," she said sternly. "Visit with your neighbors back at the campsite!"
I doubt that similar sentiments were expressed from the stage in Philadelphia.
I would venture to suggest that there were many more gospel songs performed at the bluegrass fest. The Y.R. said it was unlikely I would recognize any of the performers at Made in America (he was right), but then again he's probably never heard of John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, Danny Paisley, Ricky Skaggs or Tuba Skinny. The latter was a New Orleans jazz band, quite a change of pace from the classic fiddle/banjo/mandolin/upright bass combos on the schedule. I thought they were terrific, but a few seconds into their set I overheard one woman say, "That's not bluegrass!" She walked off in a huff.
The Y.R. and I agreed on one commonality: both fests offered excellent people-watching opportunities.