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May 15, 2026

Summer June 21

September 5, 2012

Birmingham looking for Bush’s replacement

Local News

Birmingham Township supervisors have begun their search for a replacement for Supervisor Al Bush who died Aug. 28. Bush’s term ends at the end of 2013.

Supervisors’ Chairman John Conklin said the best case would be a volunteer who would be willing to fill the unexpired term and stand for the primary election in May of 2013.

The supervisors will canvas the homeowner associations and the township working committees to try to find a qualified volunteer. Qualifications are being a Birmingham Township resident and registered voter.

Conklin expressed appreciation for the 25 years of service Bush gave to the township. Gifts donated in memory of Bush are to be used to build a monument in the Sandy Hollow Heritage Park appropriate to the history of the area.

Other business

• West Chester Library board President Howard Sundwall reported the good health of the West Chester Library. The library has had to close on Sundays and shorten hours on Wednesday and Thursday in order to survive state funding cutbacks.

Last year, Birmingham Township gave $1,000 to the library.  The amount works out to about $.25 per resident.  The goal would be to have a contribution of $1 per resident, but Sundwall said the board will be grateful for continued funding as possible.  State funding is to libraries is larger for those libraries which demonstrate more support from their constituent townships.

Programs designed to encourage participation are Story Time, Summer Reading Club, Reading Circles and English as Second Language. Over 5000 electronic books have been added to the library.  Library members can check out a Nook to read the e-books, and library staff will train readers how to use the new readers.

Township resident, Jacquie Roach, said she would prefer taxpayer dollars go to the library rather than to a monument.

• The lowest bid for snow removal was accepted from Page Excavating.  The hourly rates are unchanged from last year.  Cost of snow removal can run from $60,000 to $120,000 depending on the amount of snowfall.

About Emily Myers

Emily Myers has lived and worked in Chadds Ford for over thirty five years.  She founded the parent company of Chadds Ford Live, Decision Design Research, Inc., in 1982.  ChaddsFordLive.com represents the confluence of Myers' long time, deep involvement in technology and community. Myers was a founding member of the Chadds Ford Business Association and currently serves on its board of directors.  Her hobbies include bridge, golf, photography and Tai Chi. She lives with her husband, Jim Lebedda, in Chadds Ford Township.

Birmingham looking for Bush’s replacement Read More »

Concord Township news in brief

Local News

• A tentative date of Oct. 23 was set for a zoning amendment hearing in Concord Township for the Loop Road Overlay involving Hineman family property and the possible Wegman’s development.

• Supervisors accepted as final a land development plan for a Citadel Federal Credit Union building planned for the intersection of Route 1 and Evergreen Drive, the site that had been home to a gas station.

• Paul Peskin was reappointed to the Open Space Committee and Ginny DeNenno was reappointed to the Historical Commission. Both terms expire September 2014.

• Supervisors recognized two township Little League teams, the 9-year-old and the 12-year-old teams from the Brandywine Youth Club. Both teams were Southeast Pennsylvania Cal Ripken State Champions. Shown is the team of 9-year-olds.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Concord Township news in brief Read More »

Police log Sept. 6

Police

• A Delaware man, suspected of robbing the DNB Bank on Oakland Road in Chadds Ford Township on Aug. 24, was taken into custody after he allegedly robbed a Susquehanna Bank in West Whiteland Township on Aug. 31. The suspect was identified as Kord Johnson, 46, of Wilmington. Police made the connection based on physical descriptions provided by witnesses and surveillance tapes. Police said Johnson was apprehended following a foot chase while fleeing the Susquehanna robbery.

• State police are investigating an attempted theft of a motor vehicle in Concord Township. Police reported that someone unlawfully entered a vehicle and removed the steering column cover and ignition cylinder in an attempt to start the vehicle. The incident happened at the Valleybrook Apartment parking lot sometime between 2 p.m., Sept. 3, and 5:30 a.m., Sept. 4.

• Someone stole an ATV from a driveway on Robbins Way in Concord Township sometime between Aug. 28 and 29.

• Police said someone found an abandoned bicycle on Hemlock Drive in Concord Township. The bike was taken to the Media barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police and placed in storage. The owner of the bike should call police at 484-840-1000.

• Richard Bellingham, the 57-year-old Wilmington resident accused of molesting several young girls in Chadds Ford and Concord Township in the 1980s, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Aug. 30. A formal arraignment before District Justice Richard M. Cappelli was set for Sept. 27.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Police log Sept. 6 Read More »

Around Town Sept. 6

Along the Ford
Around Town Sept. 6

• Vietnam and Iraq war veterans last week met with Dave Kelleher, of David Dodge on Route 202 in Chadds Ford Township, to thank him for his desire to help pay for moving the Vietnam Veterans’ monument that currently sits just off the parking lot of the former Sovereign Bank, also on Route 202. “We’re going to get this done,” Kelleher told them. The veterans presented him with a plaque-mounted photograph of the monument. The monument may have to be moved to make way for a loop road, and the veterans want it to stay in Chadds Ford. It was dedicated in 1966 and may be the first of its kind in the country.

Delaware County Councilwoman Colleen Morrone, right, has her blood pressure checked by Deborah Love, a Crozer Keystone Health System nurse, as Women’s Commission Chairwoman Theresa Agostinelli waits for her wellness screening.

• All women in Delaware County are invited to a Women’s Wellness Fair being hosted by the Delaware County Women’s Commission and Delaware County Council from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at the Delaware County Government Center, Media.

• Concord Community Day is Saturday, Sept. 8, at the township park on Smithbridge Road from 4 p.m. to dusk. There will be a fireworks’ display after dark.

• Kennett Flash presents Serafin String Quartet in a concert titled Quartet Time Machine – From Haydn to Higdon” on Sept. 22. The themed program is a collage of short selections by various composers through music history. Concertgoers will travel through time from the 1700s, featuring works by Joseph Haydn – one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the classical period, to today, featuring works by Philadelphia’s 2010 Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. The performance is at 8 p.m. at Kennett Flash, 102 Sycamore Alley in Kennett Square.

• On Saturday, Sept. 22, The Mill at Anselma will hold its tenth annual Fall Auction and Party. The auction provides continuing support for the educational programs and ongoing preservation of The Mill, built in 1747 to mill flour for early Chester County residents. The event is from 5:30-9:30 p.m. and features both a silent and live auction featuring extraordinary items such as passes to the 2013 USGA Open at Merion Golf Club, a Bruce Springsteen autographed electric guitar, and an America’s Cup Yacht Sailing Experience in San Francisco Bay. A light dinner and cocktails are included. Space is limited; reservations are required. Tickets are $85 per person and $150 per couple and may be reserved by calling 610-827-1906 or visiting our website at www.anselmamill.org.

 

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Around Town Sept. 6 Read More »

Adopt-a-Pet Sept. 6

Along the Ford
Adopt-a-Pet Sept. 6

Peebles is a super sweet and laidback lap cat who loves people and lives with other cats. Peebles had a bit of a rough start to life. After being out in the elements over the winter, Peebles was brought to CCSPCA in early spring and was treated for an upper respiratory infection that was hard to shake.  It took some time and medical attention, but Peebles is finally herself again. We are nearing the six-month anniversary of Peebles’ admittance to the shelter. What better way to recognize this but by providing her with a new, forever home? If you are able to provide Peebles or any of our other animals here at the shelter a home, visit the Chester County SPCA at 1212 Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call 610-692-6113. Peebles’ registration number is 96807465.  To meet some of our other adoptable animals, visit the shelter or log onto www.ccspca.org.  Not quite ready to adopt?  Consider becoming a CCSPCA foster parent!  Additional information and applications are available online or at the shelter.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Adopt-a-Pet Sept. 6 Read More »

Get Real: Floor the competition

Home and Leisure

When people enter your home they usually look down before up, so that first step is vital for attracting a homebuyer and making a great first impression. This is one reason why more people are installing hardwood floors in their homes.

Hardwood flooring enhances the look of any room and can create a classic ambiance that will beautify the interior design of your home. Residential real estate agents agree that homes with wood floors hold their value better, sell faster and fetch higher prices.

Last year, 99 percent of real estate agents responding to a national survey conducted by the National Wood Flooring Association agreed that homes with hardwood floors were easier to sell. The survey also found that 82 percent believe that homes with hardwood floors sell faster and 90 percent said they would sell for more money. Realtors in the Brandywine Valley agree with these findings.  In our marketplace, hardwood floors are always considered a major selling point.

The American Hardwood Information Center adds that restoring hardwood flooring in the home is one of the best long-term investments to be made.

“Hardwood floors are environmentally friendly, forever fashionable, and will last for generations,” said Pembroke Jacobs, president of the Hardwood Manufacturers Association. “Plus, with an expected life span of up to 100 years for certain premium hardwood flooring, you can be assured that that the hardwood really is a one-time investment with a very long-term payoff.”

Real estate agents also agree that carpeting does not impress potential buyers, but hardwood floors are always a draw. Engineered wood floors impart warmth, depth and richness to a home’s decor that cannot be matched by carpeting, tile or vinyl flooring.

Despite the existence of modern architectural trends in flooring, hardwood can still compete with floor tiles and other artificial materials. It comes in a variety of colors and grains; light, medium, or dark shades; and a variety of sizes, styles, finishes and species.

Maple, mahogany and oak are the most popular woods, but some homeowners are investing in exotics such as Brazilian cherry and purpleheart.

The Environmental Protection Agency has said that indoor air quality is one of the top health threats and wood floors can help contribute to a healthy living environment. A recent EPA study found that pesticides used in gardens and homes accumulate on floors and other surfaces in the home, but that wood floors greatly reduce the accumulation of such toxins. Hardwood floors also do not trap or harbor dust mites or molds.

Though wood floors will probably need to be refinished at some point, when properly taken care of they are much easier to maintain than other floor surfaces.

The NWFA recommends regular sweeping of hardwood floors with a soft-bristle broom or dust mop to remove surface dirt and debris. If your floor contains beveled edges, it recommends using a vacuum with a soft bristle brush attachment to remove dirt and debris from between the floorboards.

Having hardwood floors could be the difference between selling your home or watching a potential buyer walk out the door on a less-appealing type of flooring.

* Jim DeFrank and Beth Alois can be reached at 610-388-3700. Prudential Fox & Roach is an independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity.

About Beth Alois

Get Real: Floor the competition Read More »

Random-Lee: Ode Osso Buco

Along the Ford

So we had some old friends over to visit for a few days last week and at one point Wife says to me, “You’re so lucky…”

Now I hate anything that starts with “You’re so lucky…” because it usually ends up with me saying, “Yes, and the harder I work, the luckier I get.”  But that’s not what she meant.  What Wife actually said was, “You’re so lucky that you have a husband who cooks and shops.  I would give anything to have my husband do even some of the cooking.”

Now I’m not going to go into why Husband currently does all the cooking and shopping, or why my household motto is “what he will do, let him do.”  But I had to do some thinking on this one.

• Yes, I definitely have a foodie spouse who has definitely taken over all cooking responsibilities at our house.
• Yes, this saves me a lot of time and I don’t have to think about “what shall we have for dinner” every day, because he wakes up in the morning, every morning, with “what shall I make for dinner (and what wine should I have with it)?” the first thing on his mind. Yes, this is true!
• Yes, I have spent years relaxing after work, having a glass of wine, reading the paper, sitting in the hot tub, talking on the phone, enjoying the evening, just waiting for the magic, “Dinner’s ready,” call to the table.
• And yes, best of all, I have not been in a grocery store for something like 25 years, which is the best, the very best, because shopping of any kind is my worst nightmare.

So I guess I am really really fortunate, blessed, lucky, call it what you will. Except…

• Having someone else do all the planning, shopping and cooking means I have to eat what someone else cooks. All the time. Yet, it’s always grilled lamb or substitute steak, chicken, sausage, burgers, lamb burgers, turkey burgers, any other grilled meat with roasted asparagus (substitute kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, spinach, arugula, broccoli, green beans, or any other olive-oiled and garlicked green vegetables).

• Having someone else do all the cooking means the above mentioned grilled meats and green things always come with some indeterminate sauce on the top and an indeterminate green stuffing in the middle (fortified with some type of stinky cheese), and coated with the latest-foodie-fave herbs and spices, fresh of course.

• Having someone else do all the cooking means I am always dreaming of delicious things like soups and stews and casseroles, braised meats and pot roasts and other things that don’t happen on a charcoal grill.  Craving things like spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna that happened so frequently in my mother’s kitchen but have never seen the light of day in ours.

• Having someone else do all the cooking means that the kitchen usually ends up a mess and someone else has to clean up.  Someone like me.  Well, that’s only fair, isn’t it?

The moral of the story is, be careful what you wish for.  And thank god for restaurants.

* Lee Miller welcomes responses. Please email them to leemiller229@gmail.com

About Lee Miller

Lee Miller began her writing career with four books about Pennsylvania/east coast wines and the creation of Wine East magazine. She then went on to found the Chaddsford Winery with her husband Eric, where she turned her pen to promotion, advertising, public relations and marketing of their successful business venture for 30 years. Last year Lee co-wrote the new wine book, “The Vintner’s Apprentice” with Eric, and retired from the Chaddsford Winery to pursue other interests. She is currently working on a book about her life in the wine industry and exploring the retirement life. Her goal in writing a column for Chadds Ford Live is to generate dialogue and elicit reader response.

Random-Lee: Ode Osso Buco Read More »

Mind Matters: Hope springs?

Health

Given that the title of this movie is “Hope Springs”—not “Hope Springs Eternal”—we already wonder if perhaps there is a question mark about how much hope there will be here.

Several clients recommended that I see this film not only because there was a psychotherapist in it, Dr. Bernie Feld (played by Steve Carell), but because it touched them emotionally.

Meryl Streep plays Kay, a mid-western housewife who works part-time in an apparel store. Tommy Lee Jones, as Arnold, portrays her accountant husband of 31 years. They are empty nesters whose life together has become arid.

They sleep in separate bedrooms—because of his snoring at first. But that has developed into a loss both of sexual intimacy and physical closeness. They can no longer touch each other.

Arnold has become the grumpy old man who falls asleep watching the golf channel. Timid Kay has apparently never asked for what she has wanted in the relationship and has always been the accommodator.

However, she has become so frustrated in her solitary and isolated life that she seeks solace in a couples-therapy book. When she discovers that the author, Bernie Feld, offers an intensive week of sessions, she signs up and informs Arnold of her plan. He balks and refuses. Reluctantly, at the last moment, we see him enter the plane for the trip to Great Hope Springs, Maine.

What is refreshing about this movie is that it is not Hollywood glib and that it portrays well the rifts that can occur in a decades long relationship.

Realistically, the transformation in these partners does not come magically, effortlessly or linearly. The therapist patiently and compassionately continues to probe and guide their movement into the sexual and emotional terrain that is feared, especially by Arnold.

This is a poignant portrayal of life for anyone to see: young couples for what pitfalls to stave off, older couples for a glimpse at repairing what once was.

After a setback—and, in life, as in therapy, there are many—Feld tells Arnold and Kay: “Even great marriages have terrible years, so bad that you’re just tempted to give up. But don’t. Hold on. There will come a time when you’ll look back on this moment as the prelude to something fuller and richer than you’ve ever experienced.”

Wise advice for all of us.

* Kayta Curzie Gajdos holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and is in private practice in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. She welcomes comments at MindMatters@DrGajdos.com or 610-388-2888. Past columns are posted to www.drgajdos.com.

About Kayta Gajdos

Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.

Mind Matters: Hope springs? Read More »

Kennett Symphony begins 72nd Season with Opening Night Concert

Arts & Entertainment

The Kennett Symphony of Chester County begins its 72nd season with Opening Night Concert, under the direction of Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green, featuring pianist Igor Resnianski. The concert will be presented at West Chester University’s Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre on Saturday, September 29, 2012, at 8:00 pm.

 
The opening concert includes two youthful works: Prokofiev’s spirited and elegant Classical Symphony, and Brahm’s passionate First Piano Concerto performed by Igor Resnianski. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano’s Creations, narrated by Leon Spencer, rounds out the program.
Considered one of the major composers of the 20th Century, Sergei Prokofiev composed his Classical Symphony in 1917 when he was just 26 years old. Regarded as one of the first neoclassical works, Prokofiev composed the symphony with the intent of creating a work that contained elements from both the classical style of Joseph Haydn and modern composition practices.
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano’s Creations was premiered by the Milwaukee Symphony in 1984. Corigliano writes of the work: “Creations challenged me to write specifically for a recorded medium. It also offered me the chance to build music more abstractly than I’d done before; often, in this case, out of pure sonority, rather than harmony and line. Much of my later work uses techniques I developed for the first time while scoring Creations.”
A leading composer of the Romantic period, Johannes Brahms composed his First Piano Concerto in 1833 when he was just 25 years old. Breaking from the traditional role of the orchestra as an accompaniment to an instrumental solo, Brahms composed his concerto with the intent of creating a work that showcased the soloist and orchestra as equal partners.
A Steinway artist, Igor Resnianski is a prize winner of many international piano competitions including the First Prize of the New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Bronze Medal of the International World Piano Competition, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Bronze Medal of the Nena Wideman International Piano Competition, Shreveport, Louisiana, and the Second Prize of the All Russian Piano Competition Sodrujestvo. He has performed with numerous orchestras including Forth Worth Symphony, New Orleans Symphony and Acadiana Symphony. Dr. Resnianski teaches at West Chester University and the Nelly Berman School of Music. In spring 2012, Dr. Resnianski was named “Music Teach of the Year” by the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association.
Leon Spencer, Jr. received a Bachelor’s degree in music education from Muskingum University and attended Westminster Choir College for graduate studies in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting. Co-owner of Pro Musica Studio in Kennett Square, he served as mayor of Kennett Square from 1999-2010. He currently serves on the boards of the Chester County School Authority, the Chester County Regional Educational Service, Kendall at Crosslands, and Kennett Square Borough Council.
West Chester University’s Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre is located at the Swope Music Building at the intersection of S. High Street and East Campus Drive. The entrance is located on the parking lot side of the building (M-Lot). The street address is 817 S. High Street, West Chester, PA 19383. Single ticket prices are $35 in advance, $40 at the door, students are $5. Subscriptions are available featuring a variety of packages and prices as well as group discounts. Free parking. For complete information visit www.kennettsymphony.org or call the Kennett Symphony at 610 444 6363.
Sponsored in part by Herr Foods, Inc.
Celebrating its 72nd season, the Kennett Symphony of Chester County is based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and serves residents of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey, along with the thousands of tourists who attend the Kennett Symphony’s popular summer concerts in Longwood Garden’s Open Air Theatre. In addition to presenting varied and entertaining orchestral concerts, the Kennett Symphony encourages young musicians through annual Instrumental and Voice Competitions and its affiliation with the Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus.

About Press Release

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