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May 15, 2026

Summer June 21

July 3, 2013

Chadds Ford video company launches on-demand service

Business
Chadds Ford video company launches on-demand service

Bergwall Productions doesn’t produce blockbuster television programs and it’s not a household name. Indeed, it’s likely that virtually no one living in the greater Chadds Ford area has ever heard of it.

But it might be just the right source for anyone who wants to learn some carpentry, fix up the house or build a new shed. Bergwall, in Chadds Ford Township, has been producing instructional videos for more than 40 years and is now looking to go beyond the classroom and into the do-it-yourself market with a new on-demand service.

According to Travis Bergwall, a third-generation member of the family business and a vice president, the company has been involved with the educational market since 1970, producing professionally scripted film and video for trade schools.

Bergwall On Demand is an on-line video library and access to the instructional videos comes at a price. Fees are $4.99 a one month subscription or $49.99 for a year. Currently there are videos on automotive care, carpentry, basic electricity, residential wiring and masonry.

Bergwall said more could be added over time.

“This is all new to us,” Bergwall said from his office on Christy Drive. “We’re jumping into the general public where most people have Internet access… It’s all HD video.”

The current courses were original produced for technical schools and unions for $500 per DVD, he said, but they’ve been edited into smaller segments for people who simply want to learn more about the subject. The instructions are still based on the classroom principles.

“The scripts were written by professionals within the various fields and reviewed by teachers. They have a professional feel. All the term, all the activities you do are from professionals.”

Bergwall said the professional level of video production, writing and instruction are what sets the company’s product well above free videos that can be found on other Internet sites.

Charles Bergwall, Travis’s grandfather, started the company in 1970 using filmstrips.

“He was the first person to do this, teaching people to use machines. He wrote a script, took pictures and put them on film and sold it to schools,” Travis Bergwall said.  “He branched in other markets and people loved it. They needed it for their classrooms.”

Moving into the home market is based on economics, he said. The educational market slows down in the summer.

In addition to Bergwall On Demand, there is also a You Tube channel where they will post a question of the week, then answer the question in the video clip.

Bergwall added that his grandfather, now in his 80s and still working, wants to add a feature just for senior citizens who want to stay aware of how to do things.

“In the future we are going to add different videos and subjects. We are going to expand,” he said.

(Photo: Travis Bergwall, vice president of Bergwall Productions, organizes DVDs in the company’s Chadds Ford headquarters. The company produces videos for the trades and is now making them available online for the do to yourself market.)

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

Chadds Ford video company launches on-demand service Read More »

Police log July 4: Domestic violence with shots fired in Chadds Ford

Police
Police log July 4: Domestic violence with shots fired in Chadds Ford

***MISSING PERSON***

State police from the Avondale barracks are looking for Mary Margaret Sahm, 80, of West Nottingham. A report said she suffers from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. She was reported missing about 3 p.m. on July 4. Sahm is known to walk around the neighborhood, but usually returns home within an hour or is brought home by neighbors. She is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, 140 pounds with hazel eyes and gray hair. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 610-268-2022.

 

• A 61-year-old Chadds Ford man is the subject of a domestic violence investigation after he reportedly fired a shot into the ground at a residence on Creek Road. According to a police report, the accused and a woman got into a verbal altercation about 12:30 p.m. on June 29. The accused left the house and shot at kitchen dishes that had been thrown into the yard. At least six police cars — marked and unmarked — responded to the call, but first stopped at the wrong address. After being advised of the mistake, they drove farther up the road to the correct location. Armed troopers blocked traffic until the situation was resolved. (See photo)

After the incident, Lt. Tony Sivo, barracks commander for Troop K, Media, said troopers and other emergency responders have difficulty finding the correct location if addresses aren’t properly marked on front doors or mailboxes or are otherwise not clearly visible from the street. He urges residents to have their addresses clearly marked.

• Unknown suspects stole $400 and wastebasket from a residence on Heyburn Road in Chadds Ford Township on June 27. Suspects forced entry through a back door sometime between 9 and 11:50 a.m., police said, but fled when the homeowner interrupted them.

• State policed are investigating the theft of about $85 from A Garden of Yarn on Ridge Road in Chadds Ford on June 27. According to police a white woman distracted an employee and her male companion took the money from the cash drawer. They then fled the scene in a green Plymouth heading south on Route 202 The man is described as white, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a muscular build, bald head, heavy dark eyebrows and with tattoos on both arms. He was wearing a black T-shirt and black running pants. The woman is also described as white, about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a thin build but with a potbelly, possibly pregnant. She had a tattoo on the back of her neck of a broken heart with “Bellavita” written above the heart. She has long dark brown hair and has acne on her face. She was wearing a white tank top and black pants, the report said.

• A storage shed at a house on Walnut Ridge Road in Chadds Fiord caught fire when it was hit by lightening during a thunderstorm on June 24. There were no injuries, but the fire did cause an estimated $2,500 in damage.

• A motorist was cited for careless driving following a June 18 accident on Route 1 at Dickinson Drive in Chadds Ford Township. The cited motorist drove his car in reverse in the northbound lane of Route 1 after missing the right hand turn onto Dickinson, police said. The driver then struck another car that was making left turn on Dickinson from the southbound lane on Route 1.

• P.F. Chang’s in the Brinton Lake shopping center was ripped off in the early morning hours of June 28. Police said two men gained access through the front door at 4:29 a.m., forcibly entered the manager’s office stole $100 before trying to gain access to the safe. The men then fled in an unknown direction by unknown means.

• State police said U.S. currency was stolen from a home in Chadds Ford Township sometime between June 10 and June 14. The cash was taken from two safe boxes. No other details were given.

• Police made two arrests in one traffic stop in Chadds Ford on July 1. A police report said Robert Johnston, of Woodlyn, was arrested for DUI following a traffic stop on Route 1 at Creek Road at 2:11 a.m. A passenger, Maria Alicea Rodriguez-Gonzales, of Chester, was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia, the report said.

• Birmingham Township police responded to 1,240 incidents during the month of June, with eight leading to criminal arrests, according to Police Chief Tom Nelling. He added that six cases remain open.

• Pennsylvania State Police will be conducting sobriety checkpoints this weekend, July 5-7.

About CFLive Staff

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

Police log July 4: Domestic violence with shots fired in Chadds Ford Read More »

Adopt-a-Pet: Peach

Along the Ford
Adopt-a-Pet: Peach

Peach is a 5-year-old dog in search of a new family. Peach was adopted from CCSPCA two years ago but her owner recently passed away after battling cancer. This sweet and silly girl is looking for another chance at happiness in a loving home. Peach will need a home without cats or small kids because she is a large dog who doesn’t always know her own size. Peach gets along with other dogs, has her basic training and is housebroken. If you are able to provide Peach 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. Peach’s registration number is 96813484.  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 – Kitten season is in full swing and CCSPCA needs fosters to raise kittens and mother cats.  Additional information and applications are available online or at the shelter.

About CFLive Staff

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

Adopt-a-Pet: Peach Read More »

Around Town July 4

Along the Ford

• Chadds Ford Township resident Frank Murphy has been elected vice president of the Temple University College of Engineering Alumni Association. Murphy is also a member of the Temple University College of Engineering Board of Visitors and is a partner in the law firm of Deeb Blum Murphy Frishberg & Markovich. He is a former member of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board and is the Republican candidate for supervisor in Chadds Ford.

• Brandywine Ballet Company will perform in Delaware County’s Summer Festival at Rose Tree Park’s Amphitheater, Friday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. The performance at Rose Tree Park is admission-free and open to the public. Rose Tree Park’s performance venue is a scenic hillside amphitheater, which features four grass terraces and is conveniently located at Route 252 & Rose Tree Road, just off Route 1.

• Darlington Arts Center invites the community to the opening reception of “The Brandywine Valley,” an exhibition of oils and pastel originals by Garnet Valley artist Annette Alessi, and a book signing of “100 Artists of the Brandywine Valley” by author Catherine Quillman. The free reception is Tuesday, July 16 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet Annette and Catherine while enjoying complimentary wine and cheese before the book-signing.

• Each of the three candidates vying to become the new music director and conductor of the Kennett Symphony will conduct a concert during the symphony’s 2013-2014 season. Michael Hall will conduct the opening night concert on Sept. 21; Rei Hotoda takes the holiday concert on Dec. 7; and David Alexander Rahbee will conduct the spring concert on March 22, 2014. Tickets for the finalist concerts will be available mid summer. Phone 610-444-6363 or visit www.kennettsymphiny.org

• Thd Brandywine River Museum is offering free admission on July 12 in honor of Andy Wyeth’s birthday.

• The Bizzigirls Community Marketing Cooperative is volunteering time to the United Way of Southern Chester County with a series of Pop Up events. The first event is a Bizzigirl Pop Up Sip N Shop scheduled on Thursday, July 11, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. at Brandywine Prime in Chadds Ford. The event features local indie vendors selling unique and totally desirable hand crafted goods. The lineup of vendors is Squidge & Bean and Bog Berry Handicraft both of Philadelphia, 3 Sisters Soaps & Scents of Media, Milk Truck Vintage of Wilmington, and Vintage Faerie Jewelry Studio of Chadds Ford. Event admission is $5 per person and includes reduced price drinks, complimentary nibbles, music, networking, friend-making, and do-gooding.

About CFLive Staff

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

Around Town July 4 Read More »

Chadds Ford supervisors approve File of Life

Local News

Chadds Ford Township supervisors approved spending up to $4,000 for the Emergency Response Team to provide emergency preparedness packets for residents.

Tom Kerwin made an initial presentation regarding File for Life at the board’s workshop on July 1 and the supervisors approved the plan a day later at their regular July meeting.

The packets will include a variety of information on what to do in case of emergency, Chadds Ford specific emergency phone numbers and a refrigerator type magnet for people to write necessary medical information that emergency responders can refer to if need be. There will also be a small map showing evacuation routes.

“We can’t compel people to prepare,”Kerwin said, “but we can make it easier.”

There are no known grants available for the project at this time.

Other business

• Supervisors approved a change to the township retirement plan. They voted to move the administration of the plan to the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors under the PSATS 457 plan.

The township administered plan was a 401 K only. Supervisor Keith Klaver said the PSATS plan is more flexible and the township employees were in favor of the change.

Employees may contribute up to 3 percent of their pre-tax salary — capped at $3,000 for an employee earning $100,000 or more per year— and the township will match the amount. Employees working 32 hours per week are automatically eligible. Other employees may enroll, but with their own after-tax money and without matching funds.

• Delinquent tax notices have been sent to all businesses operating in Chadds Ford Township regarding unpaid Business Privilege Taxes. As previously reported, many businesses were never billed for the tax since it was enacted in 2007. Even businesses that opened only this year were billed $600, $100 per year for every year since 2007. Supervisor Deborah Love said it was easier to send one generic letter to all the businesses. Discrepancies can be worked out, she said.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

Chadds Ford supervisors approve File of Life Read More »

Birmingham news in brief

Local News

birmingham_township

• Birmingham Township supervisors OK’d the spending the spending of $14,746 for summer roadwork. The contract went to Page Excavation and is $1,000 less than the township engineer had anticipated. Roadmaster Dave Rathbun said the major roadwork would be next year. Discussions will begin on that in October during Rathbun’s third quarter report.

• Supervisors also voted to hire a grant writer at $135 per hour to look for money to offset costs to be incurred for the Battle of Brandywine re-enactment scheduled for next year. Carol Tynan will work a maximum of four hours per month depending on the number of grants available. Supervisors said their might be “tens of thousands of dollars” available from through state and county grants.

About CFLive Staff

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

Birmingham news in brief Read More »

Get Real: Use feng shui for balance and broader appeal

Home and Leisure

The ancient philosophy of feng shui, which translates as “the wind and the water,” is the Chinese art of correct placement. In real estate, those who prescribe to feng shui believe that home sales can be better achieved by arranging furniture and decor to establish harmony and energy.

“In feng shui we evaluate a house and its property for sufficient qi (pronounced chee), the living energy of all beings, but also for the land and even a house,” says Werner Brandmaier, a consultant at the Institute of Feng Shui & Geopathology in Portland, Maine. “When there’s not enough qi, it means the whole land energy is low or depressed and that influences potential buyers.”

Feng shui attempts to promote wellbeing by rearranging how qi flows through a home. Brandmaier recommends before placing your house on the market to find out more about its qi. Is there tension in the house and is the property cluttered?  Do people feel exhausted in the house? Are the plants doing well? A careful assessment can make a big difference.

Feng shui begins with the homeseller, who must be at peace with the decision to place the home on the market. Likewise, feng shui is important for many prospective buyers, who seek a home with harmony and balance.

In feng shui, energy enters the house through the front door; therefore, it is important that the entryway stands out with contrasting paint. Add decorative plants and a wind chime, but make sure this space is free from clutter. “The perfect entry is one that is clear of obstruction,” says Robin Andrews, a feng shui expert in Los Angeles. “This includes trimming back all hedges and making sure that the path to your door is clear, open and well defined.”

Bedrooms are considered sanctuaries for privacy and peace. Andrews suggests placing objects in pairs throughout the master bedroom as it’s thought to increase marital harmony and balance.

“You also want to place the bed in the position that has the most commanding view of the doorway, which is considered the gateway of the qi,” Andrews says. “We are in a vulnerable state while sleeping and it is important that this area affords our being safe and supported.”

In the kitchen, where energy is imparted to food, the chef’s station should always face the door for a clear view of those who enter.

Throughout the home, remove photos and other personal items so potential buyers can see the property as a clean, fresh start. And since earthy, pleasant aromas enhance feng shui, add cinnamon or pine scents to the home before potential homebuyers’ arrival.

One last thought: It’s also believed that “For Sale” signs are more effective when placed on the right side of the front door, since that is considered the yang, or energetic, side of the house.

Feng shui is all about drawing harmony and good health into your life and surroundings. With these simple steps many believe you can bring your home into better balance and broader appeal.

* Beth Alois and Jim DeFrank can be reached at 610-388-3700.  Prudential Fox and Roach, REALTORS is an independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates LLC. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity. 

About Beth Alois

Get Real: Use feng shui for balance and broader appeal Read More »

Mind Matters: Sexual abuse facts to face the myths

Health

We may think that the perpetrator of child sexual abuse is usually a stranger. In fact, sexual abusers are generally known to the victims. The American Psychological Association reports that approximately 60 percent of perpetrators, while not family members, may be, for example, family friends, neighbors, child care providers. However, 30 percent of perpetrators are family members such as fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins. So it is, then, that 10 percent of abusers are strangers.

Generally the perpetrators are male whether the victim is a boy or a girl. Furthermore, these male perpetrators are equally likely to be heterosexual as they would be gay. The APA notes “a perception that most perpetrators are gay men is a myth and harmful stereotype.”

Women were reported as abusers in 14 percent of the cases among boys, and in 6 percent of the cases among girls. In 23 percent of reported child sexual abuse, the perpetrators are minors. Consider the recent case in Colorado where a young seventh grade boy was raped by his teammates. This sexual abuse was minimized by the community as a hazing rite of passage. “Boys will be boys,” in other words. Instead of rehabilitating the youthful perpetrators to help them understand the grave harm of their actions, this particular community supported them and shunned the victim. Such a collective attitude of blaming the victim can only exacerbate the trauma that the victim has experienced.

About 300,000 children are abused each year in the U.S. Before the age of 18, one in four girls and one in six boys will have been sexually abused.

The APA recommends steps that parents and caregivers can take to prevent and minimize risk for sexual abuse. Children need to be given basic sexual education that they can handle at their developmental level. Teach children healthy boundaries. That is, teach children about “okay” and “not okay” touches and that sexual advances from adults are wrong. Allow children the chance to communicate their feelings openly, and to ask questions and to talk about their experiences.

Get to know your child’s friends and families. Trust your instincts.

Resources:
·         Child Sexual Abuse: What Parents Should Know (www.apa.org)
·         National Child Traumatic Stress Network (www.nctsn.org)
·         Clearinghouse on Child Sexual Abuse (www.nim.nih.gov)

* 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.

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