An amusing friend of mine has been known to tell an occasional tall tale, but with such a straight face that it seems perfectly plausible. Knowing this tendency of his, I rolled my eyes and expressed utter skepticism the other day when he explained that "giving him the cold shoulder" originally meant showing displeasure for a guest by serving him cold mutton rather than a more palatable freshly prepared meal.
I went home, checked online and was chagrined to discover that -- he is right. That's exactly where the saying comes from.
Sorry, Bob!
Saturday, September 23, 2017
KENNETT: Multicultural Night
The Kennett Y hosted "Multicultural Night" on Friday, with food, clothes, flags, music and artwork presented by Y members hailing from a dozen countries. The most exotic was probably the Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean.
Wearing my "England" soccer jersey from last year's UEFA competition, I traveled down the hallway to the festival immediately after my gym class was finished, just in time to hear a Mexican singer and watch some wonderful Indian dancers. I ate a delicious chicken dumpling (an arepas), a traditional Venezuelan dish, and a pita sandwich with nuts and mint from Iran, as well as some crunchy chickpea snacks from India. One of my gym teachers offered me some Swiss chocolate, promising that we would work off the calories during his next class.
Wearing my "England" soccer jersey from last year's UEFA competition, I traveled down the hallway to the festival immediately after my gym class was finished, just in time to hear a Mexican singer and watch some wonderful Indian dancers. I ate a delicious chicken dumpling (an arepas), a traditional Venezuelan dish, and a pita sandwich with nuts and mint from Iran, as well as some crunchy chickpea snacks from India. One of my gym teachers offered me some Swiss chocolate, promising that we would work off the calories during his next class.
OBEROD: A hilly morning
On Saturday we watched the Young Relative and his Unionville cross-county teammates compete in the Oberod Invitational on Burnt Mill Road at the Pennsylvania-Delaware line. The course is beautiful but notoriously challenging, with one especially steep hill dubbed "The Oberod Beast."
"These hills are outrageous!" I overheard one boy exclaim while warming up, and I heard the word "brutal!" several times at the finish line, as the spent runners guzzled water and headed to the cooling mist tent.
In the boys' race, youths from Tatnall (the host school) took first and second, but the UHS boys nabbed three of the top 10 spots. In the girls' race, again a Tatnall runner was first, but two of the UHS girls (as well as a Kennett girl) were in the top 10.
Oberod, by the way, is a a former DuPont estate that now serves as a training facility for the Wilmington-based laboratory informatics company LabWare.
.
"These hills are outrageous!" I overheard one boy exclaim while warming up, and I heard the word "brutal!" several times at the finish line, as the spent runners guzzled water and headed to the cooling mist tent.
In the boys' race, youths from Tatnall (the host school) took first and second, but the UHS boys nabbed three of the top 10 spots. In the girls' race, again a Tatnall runner was first, but two of the UHS girls (as well as a Kennett girl) were in the top 10.
Oberod, by the way, is a a former DuPont estate that now serves as a training facility for the Wilmington-based laboratory informatics company LabWare.
.
MUSIC: Donna Beech recitals
Pianist Donna Beech from Kennett Square will be giving two local lecture-recitals this week to mark the release of her book "Piano Music of Ann Wyeth McCoy": at
3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church (at the intersection of Old Kennett Road and Route 52), and at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the Ware Recital Hall in the Swope Music Building at West Chester University. The suggested donation is $5 for the church concert; the university concert is free.
Donna writes: "Few people know that Ann Wyeth McCoy -- sister of world-famous
painter Andrew Wyeth, daughter of American painter N. C. Wyeth, wife of
painter John McCoy -- was a composer and an accomplished pianist, in
addition to being a gifted painter, and that music
was a very important part of the Wyeth household."
Donna's book includes 12 of McCoy's piano works, reprints of the N. C.
Wyeth paintings that inspired her, and commentary linking
the two genres.
Friday, September 22, 2017
KENNETT SQUARE: A Pet Blessing
Ellen Struble invited me (and my pets!) to attend a Pet Blessing at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1., at the Church of the Advent, 401 North Union St., Kennett Square .
She writes: " All pets are cordially invited to receive a blessing of good
health and great happiness. . . . Pets of all faiths are welcome as are their people. Even if you don’t have a pet, you are
cordially invited to enjoy the animals. Please bring your pets leashed or caged for the safety of
all."
EAST MARLBOROUGH: Respect for the neighbors
A resident on Federal Walk has taken exception to the meetings of a local car club, Nex Gen Motors, in front of the vacant Superfresh store next to his neighborhood. I happened upon one of the car shows by chance back in April and wrote about it in my column, noting that many of the drivers were "showing off their cars’ acceleration by peeling out of the parking lot with high-revving engines and squealing tires."
My reader was not at all impressed with the noise and told me he plans to contact local and state police as well as the shopping center owner to express his concerns.
The club's Facebook page describes the group 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."
My reader was not at all impressed with the noise and told me he plans to contact local and state police as well as the shopping center owner to express his concerns.
The club's Facebook page describes the group 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."
WEST CHESTER: Planetarium programs
A longtime reader was kind enough to send me information about the Friday-night public programs that are being offered this autumn at the Dr. Sandra F. Pritchard Mather Planetarium at West Chester University.
The hour-long programs start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 per person (children under 5 can sit on a parent's lap for free) and can be purchased at the door or online. The planetarium is in the Schmucker Science Center at the corner of Church St. and Rosedale Ave. in West Chester.
Live shows -- "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on Oct. 13 and "Once in a Blue Moon" on Nov. 3 -- "are given by a PhD astronomer and consist of an overview of what is currently visible in the night sky. In addition, each show focuses on a specific aspect of astronomy."
On the other Friday nights, students in the university's Department of Earth and Space Science will present "a live 20-minute overview of the current night sky followed by an educational and entertaining movie, roughly 30 minutes in length": Sept. 29: "Back to the Moon For Good"; Oct. 20: "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity"; and Oct. 27: "Oasis In Space." The website notes that "Parents with young children may find these presentations more suitable for their family than the live shows."
Free parking is available after 5 p.m. for those attending the programs in the lot behind the Sykes Student Union building (Lot K), located on Rosedale Ave.
The hour-long programs start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 per person (children under 5 can sit on a parent's lap for free) and can be purchased at the door or online. The planetarium is in the Schmucker Science Center at the corner of Church St. and Rosedale Ave. in West Chester.
Live shows -- "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on Oct. 13 and "Once in a Blue Moon" on Nov. 3 -- "are given by a PhD astronomer and consist of an overview of what is currently visible in the night sky. In addition, each show focuses on a specific aspect of astronomy."
On the other Friday nights, students in the university's Department of Earth and Space Science will present "a live 20-minute overview of the current night sky followed by an educational and entertaining movie, roughly 30 minutes in length": Sept. 29: "Back to the Moon For Good"; Oct. 20: "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity"; and Oct. 27: "Oasis In Space." The website notes that "Parents with young children may find these presentations more suitable for their family than the live shows."
Free parking is available after 5 p.m. for those attending the programs in the lot behind the Sykes Student Union building (Lot K), located on Rosedale Ave.
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