Unionville Community Fair Princess hopefuls Shannon White (from left) and Sarah Taylor pose with the two candidates for Fair Queen: Ellan Dunbar and Carly Rechenberg. All are students at Unionville High.
The traditional kickoff to the beloved, iconic Unionville Community Fair will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. at Unionville Elementary School, with the selection of the Unionville Fair Queen and Princess.
Kennett Square Borough Council President Leon Spencer will serve as emcee for the program, which will include short speeches by Ellan Dunbar and Carly Rechenberg, 17-year-olds who are vying for the crown. The queen candidates, who must be at least 16 but no older than 20, submitted an essay entitled “What My Fair Means to My Community.”
The princess hopefuls, who must be aged 12 to 16, are Sarah Taylor and Shannon White. They each wrote an essay on the topic “What Is the Best Part of the Fair and Why It Is So Special to Me.”
Each winner will receive a scholarship, and the Unionville Community Fair Queen earns the right to represent Unionville at the State Fair Queen Pageant in January, an opportunity for personal growth while promoting the fair and agriculture.
This year’s fair, which is hosted by Landhope Farms, will be held Oct. 4-6. Its theme, “Treasure the Memories,” should resonate with the many families who have participated as either contestants or spectators for generations.
Celebrating its 90th year, the Unionville Community Fair features the largest display of community agricultural products, handcrafts and arts in Chester County. Most of the exhibitors are local residents, who compete for ribbons and awards under the Pennsylvania State County Fair Association guidelines. The categories range from blue-ribbon apple pie to landscape photographs to flower arrangements to super-sized vegetables.
The fair also features livestock shows, local food, live music, children’s activities, arts and crafts vendors, cow pie Bingo, cooking demonstrations, mechanical bull riding, and much more. For more information, visit http://www.ucfairinc.org.
Let’s be honest, as a young 20-something professional, it can be a challenge to integrate with the community and meet others with similar ambitions. In my own search, however, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the Rotary Club. To be candid, I always perceived the Rotary to be a bunch of old men meeting up on the golf course. This perception was immediately shattered when I attended my first meeting and witnessed 70+ energetic men and women making jokes, laughing, and encouraging at 6:45 on a Thursday morning. Not at all what I expected – but I knew I wanted to be a part of it!
This tight-knit community is exactly what we aim to achieve with the Rotaract Club consisting of our young professionals ages 18-30. Our hope is to create an avenue for personal and professional growth through building relationships, serving, and mentoring. The Rotaract will self-govern and independently choose the areas of service in which they will place their focus. Meeting every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month for an hour at the Kennett YMCA, this group of young leaders will make big impacts on the local and international community. Please join us for our first meeting on September 24th at 6pm! Contact Brooke Fanning for additional information at bfanning@paychex.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
Take a deep breath and prepare the taste buds. The Chadds Ford Tavern, closed for two years, is about to reopen.
New owner Kevin Bradley said the official date to re-open is Sept. 24.
“That’s when we get our liquor license,” he said.
Bradley understands that people have been anticipating the reopening for close to a year. He explained the delay by saying only that there was a conflict of interest with a former partner.
Beyond that, however, “I’m banking on the goodwill that Tommy [former owner Tommy Drane] built, the history, the reappointed aesthetics of the place and the way my partner and I feel about the hospitality business.”
That philosophical approach means putting the customers first.
“Every single person that walks through the door should be thanked for coming. We should fall all over them. I’ve been in many restaurants where the attitude is that ‘You’re lucky to be in our establishment.’ It’s actually the complete opposite. You fall over people, whatever they need,” Bradley said.
Bradley spent 14 years in the wholesale wine industry, but the restaurant business is where he always wanted to be. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware, studying history, finance and math, but then attended the Philadelphia Restaurant School to learn restaurant management.
After several years working at the Susanna Foo restaurant in Philadelphia, he sold wine to restaurants and then the opportunity to buy his own restaurant arose with the Chadds Ford Tavern. And it’s at the tavern where Bradley and his current partner want to spread their own wings while linking back to a solid tradition.
“I want to emulate Tommy’s philosophy,” Bradley said, “but it’s going to be our style. Style is unique to the individual, but I have grown over the past year to have a very nice relationship with Tommy. We’ve shared philosophies, so I want to emulate that. Run a smart business. Be kind to people. Watch your costs and give people a fair product for the price.”
That philosophy also includes having people want to return, of re-establishing the business as a family restaurant as well as a tavern. It’s what Drane said he had developed during a 40-plus-year period.
It also means creating a new menu, but with some old favorites.
There’s going to be a stone oven for pizza, homemade dough and flat breads along with traditional tavern roast beef sandwiches, pork, old school burger and soups, stews and braised dishes.
“The burgers will be hand made every day from fresh ground beef,” Bradley said. ”
He added that the supplier they’ll be using is the same that supplies Susanna Foo and Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia.
The menu will start small, he added, but it will grow.
Bradley also wants to introduce the idea of butcher boards, where foods such as cheeses and smoked meats are served on a butcher board. There’s a small board for individuals and larger boards for groups where people share.
There will be a list of meats, cheeses and vegetables from which patrons may choose for their board. Meats include prosciutto, various hams, smoked duck breasts. Add on some goat cheese or aged cheddar or Gorgonzola dolce. Then choose the vegetables and some bread. Bradley said they would all be priced per ounce.
There will also be, what Bradley calls, “a very eclectic wine list” and, eventually, some live music.
He sees his concept as presenting a very social atmosphere to patrons.
“I want this to be a very social place without pomp, without circumstance. I despise that. It goes back to that attitude that ‘You’re lucky to be in our restaurant.’ No. I realize there are 30 restaurants up the road that you can go to that, in the beginning, might be more professional and more militant in how they’re run, but I believe service, smiles, attention and hospitality will make up for a lot of things. That’s missing from a lot of places today,” Bradley said.
The Chadds Ford Tavern will be open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Down the road, Bradley expects to be open for breakfast and include a back room brunch buffet.
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.
A Record Number of UHS Seniors Named as National Merit Semi-Finalists
Nineteen UHS seniors have been named National Merit Semi-Finalists. Principal Massanari mentioned at the board meeting that there were 13 students last year and that was a record, so this number is pretty astonishing.
Also at the board meeting, Vic Dupuis mentioned that Patton Middle School has been an area of focus over the past few years with changes in curriculum, structure and a new principal – and that these types of outcomes are directly related to the preparation our students received in the lower grades.
This is the largest group of UHS students to receive this recognition. These talented students
scored in the top 1% in the country on their 11th grade PSAT (Preliminary SAT). To give a context to our students’ scores, 5.5% of UHS students taking the PSAT in October 2013 scored in the top 1% in the country.
Congratulations Semi-Finalists
Abhinav Akki,
Ryan Andes,
Laura Barthold,
Daniel Beckman,
Atma Bery,
Laura Burger,
Nicholas Caputo,
Haley Christofides,
Nikita Iyer,
Haley Keglovitis,
Shashwat Kishore,
Alex Lui,
Drew Moses,
Jeffrey Phillips,
Miles Powell,
Tucker Reese,
Samir Streatfield,
Olivia Young,
Beverly Zhuge.
The UCFSD community is extremely proud of their accomplishments!
Crozer-Chester Medical Center and all Crozer-Keystone Health System facilities are prepared and will continue to care for patients during the announced strike by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Health Professionals (PASNAP).
PASNAP gave a strike notice to representatives of Crozer-Chester Medical Center on Sept. 9. The Union strike is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21, at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
Nevertheless, Crozer-Keystone has been preparing for the possibility of a strike for several months. A contingency staffing plan is in place. Licensed, certified, experienced, and well-trained nurses will provide care for patients and their families at Crozer throughout a strike of any duration.
“We are disappointed that the Union has taken this action. We do not believe the threat of the strike was necessary or helpful to the bargaining process,” says Joan K. Richards, Crozer-Keystone president and chief executive officer. “Despite the strike, we want to assure the community that hospital services at Crozer-Chester Medical Center will be open and available to patients and their families. This includes Emergency Department, operating rooms, critical care and medical surgical units, pediatrics, psychiatry and home care services. The nurses who will staff these and other specialty units have specific experience and training in those specialties.”
In fact, all Crozer-Keystone Health System facilities will be open to continue providing outstanding care for our communities during the strike at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Crozer-Keystone facilities include:
Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland
Community Hospital in Chester
Delaware County Memorial Hospital
Springfield Hospital in Springfield
Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park
Crozer Brinton Lake in Glen Mills
Crozer-Keystone Surgery Center at Haverford
Media Medical Plaza in Media
Philadelphia CyberKnife in Havertown
Pioneer Urgent Care in West Chester
… and all of our other facilities and physician offices
“We deeply appreciate the understanding of our medical staff, employees, patients, and community, and appreciate the many messages of support we have received,” Richards says.
For more information about Crozer-Keystone Health System, the leading health care provider in Delaware County, visit www.crozerkeystone.org
• Chester resident Kenneth Tekess Williamson, 23, was arrested for DUI in Chadds Ford Township. A police report said Williamson was stopped at 2:46 a.m. on Route 202 at Jimmy Johns on Sept. 12.
• Someone stole a bumper from a 2014 Ford SEL that was parked at Garnet Ford on Route 202 in Chadds Ford Township. State police said the incident happened sometime between 9 p.m. on Sept. 10 and 6 a.m. on Sept. 11.
• State police conducted a traffic stop on Sept. 12 at 10:18 p.m. at Cossart and Stockford Roads in Pennsbury Township. Police said Andrew J. Rawley, 31, of Wilmington, was arrested for driving under the influence.
• On Sept. 6, at 12:01 a.m., state police conducted a traffic stop in Pennsbury Township at Stockford and Fairville Roads. Matthew D. Carpenter, 28, of Havertown, was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs, police said.
• On Sept. 11 at 3:37 p.m., state police responded to a one-vehicle motorcycle crash on Rt. 82 east of Apple Grove Road in West Marlborough Township. During the investigation, police said they determined that the operator, George D. Rogers, 29, of Parkesburg, had been driving a 1982 Yaham Maxima 650 under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. Rogers was transported to Brandywine Hospital for an injury, and charges are pending further investigation, police said.
• The theft of a wallet was reported at the Arugula Restaurant in Concord Township on Sept. 10 at 2:30 p.m., state police said, adding that the suspect is a 47-year-old black male. Anyone with information is asked to call the Media barracks at 484-840-1000.
• Miles E. McGreevy, 25, of Chadds Ford, faces driving under the influence charges after state police said they arrested him on Sept. 13 at 1:32 a.m. after a traffic stop on southbound Rt. 202 at Smithbridge Road in Concord Township.
• State police said an unknown actor made entry into a residence on Running Brook Road in Concord Township on Sept. 12, sometime between 11 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., “looking for specific items.” Police said the thief stole those items, which they did not identify, and left; an investigation is continuing.
• Carl R. Drulik Jr., 23, of Downingtown, was arrested for driving under the influence after a traffic stop on southbound Rt. 1 at Evergreen Drive in Concord Township on Sept
• Chadds Ford artist Karl Kuerner will be teaching classes 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kuerner Farm on Tuesdays from Sept. 23 to Nov. 11, and on Saturdays from Sept. 27 to Nov. 15. As the grandson of two of Andrew Wyeth’s best-known subjects and a student of Carolyn Wyeth, Kuerner’s personal experiences with the farm provide special insight into the property and its rich history. Participants will provide art materials of their own choosing, and should dress appropriately for working outdoors. The first class will begin at the museum. Cost is $250, $200 for members. Class size is limited to allow for individual instruction. Tickets are available online or by calling 610-388-8326.
• Darlington Arts Center welcomes students in grades 1-6 who have Rosh Hashanah off from school for an “Arts All Day: Art Explorers” workshop. The workshop will be held at the center on Thursday, Sept. 25 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Open to beginners and experienced artists alike, “Arts All Day” workshops provide a full day of artistic exploration and creativity on school holidays. In “Art Explorers,” students can draw, paint, sculpt, collage, and unleash their creativity during a day-long exploration of visual art media, styles, & artists. Due to space limitations, students must register in advance. Sign up online at www.darlingtonarts.org or by calling 610-358-3632. Darlington is located at 977 Shavertown Rd in Garnet Valley.
• The Brandywine Battlefield Park will host Encampment Day on Sunday, Sept. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. There will be Colonial soldiers in camp, firing demonstrations, tours of Washington’s Headquarters, craftsmen and children’s activities. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for children 5-17 and $7 for seniors.
• Citadel opened its newest full-service branch office Wednesday September 17 at 901 Baltimore Pike in Glen Mills, PA. The new branch is the company’s third in Delaware County, and one of four new branches Citadel has introduced in the last 12 months. The Glen Mills office opening falls directly in line with the corporate strategic direction for geographic expansion.
Michael Hall offered the audience both challenge and comfort in the inaugural concert for the Kennett Symphony’s 74th season. The challenge was in the first piece. Comfort was everywhere else.
Hall was warmly welcomed by a sold-out crowd at the Madeleine Wing Adler Theater at West Chester University Saturday September 13. The program opened with a sparkling Star-Spangled Banner.
Introducing the first piece, Hall described it as being modern but having the comfort of classical work. The work named “Postcard” was written by Frank Ticheli to memorialize the mother of a friend and colleague H. Robert Reynolds. Not a dirge, the piece is a celebration of a vibrant life.
Eliezer Gutman stepped out from Concertmaster to soloist for the Concerto No.1 in G Minor for Violin and Orchestra by Max Bruch. Symphony No. 4 in F Minor by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky filled the second half of the concert. The enthusiasm of the musicians toward their new conductor poured out of the piece punctuated with cymbals.
For the Kennett Symphony Executive Director Monica Buffington, the concert represented the result of a year of interview concerts searching for the Musical Director to replace retired Mary Woodmansee Green. “We could not be more grateful or more thrilled with the opening night concert! On behalf of the entire Kennett Symphony organization, we send our sincerest thanks to all who have welcomed our new Music Director, Michael Hall, so graciously and energetically to our community. There is more great music ahead, and we invite everyone to join us at a concert during this Symphonic Celebration season!”
“It truly was a memorable evening – filled with energy and magic that only Michael and these fabulous musicians could bring. Everyone in the house was smiling before, during and – especially, after!” according to Cheryl Kuhn, Executive Director of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce. “A special thank you and shout out to Monica Buffington, Executive Director – you are awesome! I look forward to the next performance, and the next, and the next.”
Upcoming concerts are “Pops Goes the Holidays” December 6, “Childrens Concerts” March 1 and 8, Classical Music goes to the Movies, June 21 and “Opera Without Words” August 15. For tickets and more information to the web at www.kennettsymphony.org or call 610-444-6363.
“All the elements of a perfect concert came together Saturday night” according to well known local musician Tom Hoey. “In addition to his total command of the music, Michael Hall has a warm personality that endears him to both musicians and audience”
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.
By Gregory P. Cuculino, M.D., chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Taylor Hospital and Delaware County Memorial Hospital
The phone rings at 2 a.m. and you’re told your son has been in an accident….
You are doing some yard work and suddenly experience chest pain and collapse…
Your daughter runs headlong into another player at her soccer game and loses consciousness…
These are all scary thoughts and scenarios; however, the most terrifying thing is that these are real situations, which happen every day. What can you do to be prepared for this kind of medical emergency? There are a few steps you can take that can make the difference in an emergency.
1. Know Your Local Emergency Centers
You should know where the closest emergency departments to your home and to your places of school/work are located.
In many cases, the injured person will be brought to the emergency department by an ambulance, but how will you get there? If your son or daughter were brought to the local ED, would you know how to get there in the middle of the night? With the pressures of the situation, getting directions is the last thing you need to have on your plate. Knowing where your local emergency centers are ahead of time is a huge help.
2. Build a Communication Plan
How will people reach you if a loved one is brought to the emergency departments and how will you reach others? If you are unconscious, how will the emergency departments know whom to contact? If there is an emergency, is one person going to call everyone in the family updating them on the news? These tough questions need to be answered ahead of time. In every emergency setting, communication is always the area that can be improved and the best way is to be prepared.
You should develop a communication plan that instructs everyone on how information will be spread in case an emergency does happen. Family members should know their responsibilities if they should receive information on an emergency, including if they need to call anyone and who those people should be.
Additionally, you and your family members should place contact information for family and friends in your phone with the label “ICE – In Case of Emergency”. This will help emergency responders or bystanders to quickly notify your family if an emergency has occurred.
3. Keep Your Medical Information on You at All Times
Important medical information should be kept on a piece of paper in your wallet or purse. This should include your name, medical problems, medications that you take, any allergies, primary care physician, as well as emergency contacts. Remember that some phones require a code to access the contact list or can be lost in the shuffle, so you should have a backup.
Medications interactions can be severe. Many medications have serious side effects or can predispose you to things like increased bleeding. It is vital for emergency personnel to know if you or someone you love is taking medications such as blood thinners, and they need to know it immediately.
Also, medication allergies range from mild to life-threatening. If emergency personnel are not aware of an allergy, they can make a bad situation much worse.
With a little preparation, a bad situation can be made a little less stressful and serious complications can be prevented. The 15 minutes you take now can save your life later.
Crozer-Keystone Health System’s physicians, specialists and advanced practitioners are committed to improving the health of our community through patient-centered, quality care across a full continuum of health services. Crozer Brinton Lake is Crozer-Keystone’s comprehensive outpatient care facility in western Delaware County, offering primary care, specialty services, outpatient surgery and advanced cancer treatment.
Contact us: 300 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills, PA 19342 http://www.crozerkeystone.org/Brinton-Lake 1-855-254-7425
Josefina Nino of El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant shows off the certificate the eatery received in the 2013 salsa competition.
Expect the competition to heat up in an appetizing way at the 4th annual ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!, a free, public event that will feature eight local restaurants vying to win bragging rights for their salsa.
The contest is one of many activities planned for the festival, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett Square. The national sponsor is the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. The local partners are La Comunidad Hispana (LCH), the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley. and the Mexican Consulate.
El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant will defend last year’s best salsa title against La Peña Mexicana, Plaza Azteca, El Campamento, Red Sombrero, Taste of Puebla, El Rinconsito, and Tapatia Restaurant.
“We thank the restaurants for their support of our event. Not only are they donating their salsa, they are also donating gift cards for our raffle prizes,” Margarita Garay Zarco, LCH’s education and workforce development coordinator, said in a press release. “The salsa competition is always a fun event that involves the whole family.”
Family activities will include pony rides and bounce houses, sports clinics, health fitness stations, henna, juggling, and Zumba sessions. Live performances by Trio Crisol, Ballet Folklorico Yaretzi and Suspiro Flamenco will entertain attendees throughout the afternoon. Health screenings, free flu shots, community and health education tables, healthy snacks and exhibits and demonstrations by the New Garden and Kennett Square Police Departments are also scheduled.
A raffle will be held for all attendees who fill out an event program passport by visiting sponsor and exhibitor tables. Raffle prizes include annual YMCA memberships, tickets to the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra, and gift certificates to local restaurants and entertainment venues, such as Longwood Gardens, Boomers Family Fun Center, and Oasis.
Those who pre-register will be entered into an exclusive grand prize drawing: bikes and helmets for a family of four, valued at over $2,000. To pre-register, visit the reception desk at La Comunidad Hispana 731 W. Cypress St., Kennett Square, 19348, or online: www.lacomunidadhispana.org.
The event’s sponsors include platinum donors Chester County Food Bank, Christiana Health Care Systems, and GIANT Foods. Aetna contributed at a gold level while silver sponsors are Advantage Building & Facility Services; Chester County Hospital and Health System; The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Comcast; Fulton Bank; Longwood Gardens; Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania; and Pennsylvania Hispano Magazine. Bronze sponsors are Bryn Mawr Trust; El Compadre; Countryside Consulting Inc.; DNB First; Herr’s; Haggerty, Goldberg, Schleifer & Kupersmith, P.C.; Hogan & Vandenberg, LLC; National Penn Bank; Pegasus Technologies; TD Bank, and Walmart Pharmacy.
La Comunidad Hispana was established in 1973 as a community-based nonprofit to help low-income residents of southern Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families, and lead productive lives. It recently received a $21,5000 grant from The Philadelphia Foundation to fund an information management system needs assessment. For more information, go to www.lacomunidadhispana.org or call 610-444-7550, ext. 242.
