We did a double-take on Sunday evening when we saw that the parking lot in front of the former Superfresh store on Baltimore Pike was full of cars. Since the supermarket shut down, that entire side of the parking lot is usually empty.
So naturally we drove over to see what was going on, and it turns out that it was a car meet sponsored by Nex Gen Motors, a group of local automotive enthusiasts who get together every other Sunday. Dozens of gleaming, souped-up cars were on display, some with their hoods raised so that admirers could inspect the engines. Mostly men, with a few women and kids, were socializing and looking at the cars.
Other car enthusiasts, however, were more interested in function than form: many drivers were showing off their cars' acceleration, peeling out of the parking lot with high-revving engines and squealing tires.
When I got home I checked out the club's Facebook page, and they describe themselves as "a car club that promotes RideRespect, in which our philosophy is based on the idea of respecting your vehicle as well as the ones around you."
Sunday, April 30, 2017
DEMOCRACY: Yes, another election
Tuesday, May 16, is the primary election, and I just received my first ad in the mail.
Judging from the number of campaign signs along the roads, most of the attention locally seems to be focused on the race for Kennett Square district judge (officially, District 15-3-04). All five candidates (David Cox, Lorraine Ramunno, Al Iacocca, Jane Donze and Sean Rafferty) are registered as both Democrat and Republican.
A celebrity of sorts is running for a seat on the Kennett school board: borough resident Mark Bowden, a former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter and the author of "Black Hawk Down," "Killing Pablo," "Guests of the Ayatollah" and (most recently) "The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden." I met Mark in my reporter days and found him to be friendly, smart, humble and fair. He is cross-filed and is the only candidate running for the school board seat in Kennett Region A.
In the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, Jeff Hellrung and Elise Anderson are running for two seats in Region A and Thomas Day and Steven Simonson are running for two seats in Region B. All four are cross-filed.
In East Marlborough Township, there are two seats on the Board of Supervisors open. On the primary ballot are Democrats Aasif Chanandin, Robert B. McKinstry Jr., and Julia McGovern Lacy and Republicans Eddie Caudill and Tom Simpers.
Ricki Stumpo is running for re-election for a six-year term as a Pocopson Township supervisor; same for Rob Pearson in Newlin Township, Wendell Fenton in Pennsbury Township, Curtis Mason in Penn Township, Jake Chalfin in West Marlborough Township, and Scudder Stevens in Kennett Township.
There are four seats open on Kennett Square Borough Council. On the primary ballot are Democrats Peter Waterkotte, Brenda Mercomes, Ethan Cramer and Latoya Myers; on the Republican side are Gregory Deveney, Matthew McGill and Dan Maffei. Matt Fetick is running for another four-year term as Kennett Square Mayor.
On the Chester County website there is a link to a complete list of the candidates, from state Supreme Court Justice all the way to local inspector of elections.
Judging from the number of campaign signs along the roads, most of the attention locally seems to be focused on the race for Kennett Square district judge (officially, District 15-3-04). All five candidates (David Cox, Lorraine Ramunno, Al Iacocca, Jane Donze and Sean Rafferty) are registered as both Democrat and Republican.
A celebrity of sorts is running for a seat on the Kennett school board: borough resident Mark Bowden, a former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter and the author of "Black Hawk Down," "Killing Pablo," "Guests of the Ayatollah" and (most recently) "The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden." I met Mark in my reporter days and found him to be friendly, smart, humble and fair. He is cross-filed and is the only candidate running for the school board seat in Kennett Region A.
In the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, Jeff Hellrung and Elise Anderson are running for two seats in Region A and Thomas Day and Steven Simonson are running for two seats in Region B. All four are cross-filed.
In East Marlborough Township, there are two seats on the Board of Supervisors open. On the primary ballot are Democrats Aasif Chanandin, Robert B. McKinstry Jr., and Julia McGovern Lacy and Republicans Eddie Caudill and Tom Simpers.
Ricki Stumpo is running for re-election for a six-year term as a Pocopson Township supervisor; same for Rob Pearson in Newlin Township, Wendell Fenton in Pennsbury Township, Curtis Mason in Penn Township, Jake Chalfin in West Marlborough Township, and Scudder Stevens in Kennett Township.
There are four seats open on Kennett Square Borough Council. On the primary ballot are Democrats Peter Waterkotte, Brenda Mercomes, Ethan Cramer and Latoya Myers; on the Republican side are Gregory Deveney, Matthew McGill and Dan Maffei. Matt Fetick is running for another four-year term as Kennett Square Mayor.
On the Chester County website there is a link to a complete list of the candidates, from state Supreme Court Justice all the way to local inspector of elections.
CLARENCE: What is this noise?
In the wee hours of Saturday morning I was awakened by flashes of lightning in the western sky. I checked the weather app on my phone, and sure enough, a line of storms was on its way east from Lancaster.
This was the first thunderstorm during which Clarence, our amazing wonderful rescue cat, has been living here, and I think we've established that he does not like them. As the rumbles of thunder started, he moved from the foot of the bed steadily closer to me, and during the height of the storm he pretty much resembled a 12-pound necktie around my neck.
This was the first thunderstorm during which Clarence, our amazing wonderful rescue cat, has been living here, and I think we've established that he does not like them. As the rumbles of thunder started, he moved from the foot of the bed steadily closer to me, and during the height of the storm he pretty much resembled a 12-pound necktie around my neck.
HORSEBACK: A busy week
This past week was certainly a busy one for Unionville equestrians.
Many local eventers headed south to the world-renowned Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, either to compete or to spectate. One friend of mine went to support her Cochranville trainer (who ended up doing extremely well), and said she planned to drive down with her barn-mates on Friday afternoon after work.
"We'll get there about midnight," she said nonchalantly (it turned out to be more like 2 a.m.).
And other Unionville folks went to the notoriously challenging Maryland Hunt Cup, where this year only two horses crossed the finish line. The Hunt Cup was featured in an April 23 segment of the TV news show "60 Minutes" about the exhilaration -- and the danger -- of timber racing. Charlie Rose interviewed Hunt Cup veteran Louis "Paddy" Nielson and his daughters Sanna and Kathy; trainers Joe and Blythe Davies; and jockey Mark Beecher (who listed and pointed to the many fractures he has suffered).
The segment included a lot of action shots taken at last November's Pennsylvania Hunt Cup (including some great drone shots), and of course I tried to find myself and my friends. Every time I paused the video to rewatch it, though, an ad for an oral rheumatoid arthritis drug came on. After about the fourth time of seeing a now-pain-free woman happily walking through the zoo, I gave up. Thank you, Pfizer.
Many local eventers headed south to the world-renowned Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, either to compete or to spectate. One friend of mine went to support her Cochranville trainer (who ended up doing extremely well), and said she planned to drive down with her barn-mates on Friday afternoon after work.
"We'll get there about midnight," she said nonchalantly (it turned out to be more like 2 a.m.).
And other Unionville folks went to the notoriously challenging Maryland Hunt Cup, where this year only two horses crossed the finish line. The Hunt Cup was featured in an April 23 segment of the TV news show "60 Minutes" about the exhilaration -- and the danger -- of timber racing. Charlie Rose interviewed Hunt Cup veteran Louis "Paddy" Nielson and his daughters Sanna and Kathy; trainers Joe and Blythe Davies; and jockey Mark Beecher (who listed and pointed to the many fractures he has suffered).
The segment included a lot of action shots taken at last November's Pennsylvania Hunt Cup (including some great drone shots), and of course I tried to find myself and my friends. Every time I paused the video to rewatch it, though, an ad for an oral rheumatoid arthritis drug came on. After about the fourth time of seeing a now-pain-free woman happily walking through the zoo, I gave up. Thank you, Pfizer.
LONGWOOD: Music of the night
People who live near Longwood Gardens recently received a "Dear Neighbor" letter explaining what's involved in getting the renovated Fountain Garden ready for its May 27 grand opening.
"You may hear loud popping sounds and music as we test fountain functionality and appropriate sound levels," reads the letters, which is over the signature of Longwood's president and CEO Paul Redman.
"We appreciate your patience as we fine tune our performances before and after our public hours of operation. We are, of course, adhering to any and all codes for sound levels to ensure that we are not being a disruptive neighbor."
Two free admission tickets were enclosed.
"You may hear loud popping sounds and music as we test fountain functionality and appropriate sound levels," reads the letters, which is over the signature of Longwood's president and CEO Paul Redman.
"We appreciate your patience as we fine tune our performances before and after our public hours of operation. We are, of course, adhering to any and all codes for sound levels to ensure that we are not being a disruptive neighbor."
Two free admission tickets were enclosed.
TRACK: The Unionville Invitational
We stopped by the Unionville Invitational track meet on Saturday to support the Young Relative and were amazed at the dozens of schools represented, from Lower Merion to Dock Mennonite to the "Valleys" (Great, Garnet, Sun, and Twin) and the private schools in Delaware.
It was quite warm on Saturday, and I'll bet there were some sunburnt fans the next morning. It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was shivering under a drop cloth at the same venue!
Track-meet veterans know to bring portable seat cushions, because those metal bleachers get mighty uncomfortable after a while. A few minutes after we got there, a man chose a seat two rows down from us and pulled out his trusty foam sit-upon.
"Oh," I groaned to my companions. "I forgot my seat cushion!"
The newcomer didn't miss a beat.
"I'll rent you mine," he said, turning toward me. "Very reasonable!"
(As it turns out, a few minutes later his son brought him an actual bed pillow to sit on, so I did get to use his cushion after all.)
We got a chuckle when the PA guy announced the makes and tag numbers of four vehicles that were blocking key parts of the roadway: two of them were Mercedes SUVs.
It was quite warm on Saturday, and I'll bet there were some sunburnt fans the next morning. It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was shivering under a drop cloth at the same venue!
Track-meet veterans know to bring portable seat cushions, because those metal bleachers get mighty uncomfortable after a while. A few minutes after we got there, a man chose a seat two rows down from us and pulled out his trusty foam sit-upon.
"Oh," I groaned to my companions. "I forgot my seat cushion!"
The newcomer didn't miss a beat.
"I'll rent you mine," he said, turning toward me. "Very reasonable!"
(As it turns out, a few minutes later his son brought him an actual bed pillow to sit on, so I did get to use his cushion after all.)
We got a chuckle when the PA guy announced the makes and tag numbers of four vehicles that were blocking key parts of the roadway: two of them were Mercedes SUVs.
NEW GARDEN: Mexican buffet
On Saturday we visited Los 5 Arcos, a Mexican buffet restaurant in the Big Lots shopping center on Scarlett Road, on the west side of Kennett Square.
The décor is basic but the food is top-notch, and how great is the idea of a Mexican buffet: you can sample as many types of food as you want and then go back for more. The names of the dishes were written in Spanish and English.
I started with a big bowl of the amazing seafood soup, which was full of mussels and big chunks of carrots and celery. Then we both tried a variety of delicious chicken and pork dishes, cactus, rice, and salsa. The waitress brought a basket of tortillas so we could "roll our own."
There were also tamales, flan, and a variety of fruit set out on the buffet, but I was too full to try them.
The only dish that was even slightly spicy was the meatballs with chipotle, and even that wasn't too hot for our wimpy gringo palates.
For the two of us the bill was $25.
We were at the restaurant at about 6 p.m., and only two tables were occupied. Los 5 Arcos is in the space where Taqueria Moroleon was located before it moved to Route 41 near Hockessin.
The décor is basic but the food is top-notch, and how great is the idea of a Mexican buffet: you can sample as many types of food as you want and then go back for more. The names of the dishes were written in Spanish and English.
I started with a big bowl of the amazing seafood soup, which was full of mussels and big chunks of carrots and celery. Then we both tried a variety of delicious chicken and pork dishes, cactus, rice, and salsa. The waitress brought a basket of tortillas so we could "roll our own."
There were also tamales, flan, and a variety of fruit set out on the buffet, but I was too full to try them.
The only dish that was even slightly spicy was the meatballs with chipotle, and even that wasn't too hot for our wimpy gringo palates.
For the two of us the bill was $25.
We were at the restaurant at about 6 p.m., and only two tables were occupied. Los 5 Arcos is in the space where Taqueria Moroleon was located before it moved to Route 41 near Hockessin.
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