E. Ruth Cocciolone, 85, of West Grove, died suddenly on Wednesday, April 15, at her residence. She was the wife of Alfred “Fred” J. Cocciolone, with whom she shared 65 years of marriage.
Born in West Grove, she was a daughter of the late Samuel J. and Erma Isaacs Bryan.
She was a member of the West Grove United Methodist Church.
Ruth enjoyed crocheting, gardening, ceramics, reading, and especially being with her family.
She was a co-owner, secretary/treasurer of F & R Excavating in West Grove. Prior to that, she had worked at the West Grove movie theater, West Grove Knitting Mill, Star Roses and was the secretary of Cocciolone Brothers.
She is survived by one son Alfred J. Cocciolone Jr. (Katherine) of West Grove; two daughters, Donna Giuliani (Robert) of Kennett Square and Lisa Marie Holmes of Oxford; four grandchildren, Jennifer, Nicole, Michael and LeAnna and one great grandson, Romo.
You are invited to visit with Ruth’s family and friends from 9-11 a.m., Tuesday, April 21, at the Foulk & Grieco Funeral Home Inc, (610-869-2685) 200 Rose Hill Road. West Grove, PA 19390. A funeral service celebrating her life will follow at 11. Interment will be at St. Patrick Cemetery Kennett Square.
Contributions in her memory may be made to West Grove United Methodist Church, 300 N. Guernsey Road, West Grove, PA 19390
To view her online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
A real estate agent and a 14-year-old Boy Scout each gave Pennsbury Township supervisors something to think about during the township’s April 15 supervisors’ meeting. Those thoughts, however, ran in different directions.
Bradley Heacock, of Boy Scout Troop 31, wants to build a footbridge across the pond on the west side of the Pennsbury Township Park. He made his proposal to the supervisors, saying the bridge would improve walking conditions in general and make it safer to walk by the pond. It would also be easier for maintenance crews when they mow the area, he said.
The project would include removing an old cattle fence and an existing walkway, and then building and installing the bridge using locust planks and old telephone poles.
As an Eagle Scout project, Heacock is responsible for securing funding and materials for the project. He said Rob King, of Chadds Ford Tree Service and a leader of Troop 31, has offered to help with materials.
While the supervisors were pleased with Heacock’s presentation and goal, they were more concerned by a request from a real estate agent who was asking for some changes regarding use of the former Mendenhall property on Hillendale Road.
In 2007, Pennsbury paid the family more than $900,000 for development rights to 53 acres of the 60-acre property. That easement would keep the area as open space while allowing the Mendenhalls to continue using the land as a horse farm.
The family later filed for bankruptcy and sold the property. CBF Associates is the current owner and CBF’s real estate agent, Carl Meister, asked the board whether there could be some changes made that would make the farm easier to sell to an as-yet-unnamed prospective buyer.
The changes requested include increasing the number of horses kept on the farm from 39 to 50 and allowing about a dozen horse shows during the warmer months. He said the prospective buyer is in the show horse business and needs 50 horses.
Meister wasn’t certain about the exact number of shows to be held, but said he thought there would be approximately 12 and none during the winter. He said most of the show horse owners keep their animals in Florida during the winter.
He was also uncertain about the number of fenced acres on the property, saying he thought it was 35 or 40.
According to Supervisor Charles “Scotty” Scottoline, township code allows only one horse per fenced acre and that 12 horse shows within a six-month period sounded “like a commercial endeavor.”
Solicitor Tom Oeste said the horse shows might not be permitted at all and that it would be up to the Zoning Hearing Board, not the supervisors, to grant a variance to allow for more horses.
Oeste said the supervisors would need specifics, not uncertainties and guesses, before deciding on how to proceed.
Supervisor Wendell Fenton agreed, telling Meister, “We’d like a specific proposal.”
Other business
Supervisors voted to adopt an updated Emergency Management Plan proposed by Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Hochaus. State law requires the plan to be updated every other year, Hochaus said.
He added that Chester County would be beta testing this summer a new emergency notification system called Everbridge. The system combines and replaces previous systems. Once tested, residents would be able to go online to opt in for a variety of notifications.
(Photo: Bradley Heacock, of Boy Scout Troop 31, makes a proposal to Pennsbury Township supervisors regarding a possible Eagle Scout project. Heacock wants to build a footbridge across the pond at the township park.)
Ernest J. Bernotas, 90, of Chatham, died Sunday, April 12, at Twin Pines Health Care.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Julius and Tekla Bernotas.
He was disabled.
He is survived by four nephews, Albert F. Bernotas, Robert Bernotas, Joseph Bernotas and Phillip Bernotas.
He was predeceased by three brothers, Albert J. Bernotas, Casmir Bernotas and Francis Bernotas.
A Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 17, in the Chapel at Twin Pines Health Care Center, 315 East London Grove Road in West Grove. Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery will be private.
The annual Invitational Exhibition of the Chester County Art Association (CCAA) is an anticipated event that has grown to include a varying selection of artists each year.
Work by Brett Anderson Walker will be part of the Chester County Art Association’s annual Invitational Show.
The board and staff curated this year’s exhibition with an emphasis on creating a unified, dynamic show. Every show at the Chester County Art Association is an opportunity to engage members, the artists, and the community at large with local artwork, a CCAA press release said.
Join us for our ticketed opening reception and dance on April 24, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. The night promises to be a celebration of art and an evening of music and merriment with a full bar, hors d’oeuvres and a scavenger hunt within the art. A local DJ will spin the tunes.
The Chester County Art Association prides itself on inclusion of all levels of artists; both students and professionals frequent our space. We also pride ourselves on inclusion of all styles of artwork. CCAA has a staff, board and many volunteers dedicated to our mission: being a source of inspiration, creativity, and community by connecting artists, students, patrons and the wider community to and through art, the release said.
CCAA was founded in 1931 by several prominent artists and community leaders including William Palmer Lear (1908-1970) and N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), both renowned illustrators, and Christian Brinton (1870-1942), an internationally-known art critic and early promoter of Modernist art movement.
The original group met weekly to sketch and plan exhibits, many of them featuring the works of the young Andrew Wyeth as well as that of other soon-to-be celebrated artists such as Horace Pippin, Tom Bostelle, Barclay Rubincam, Philip Jamison, Peter Sculpthorpe and Harry Dunn.
This year’s invitational lineup includes Ellie Byrom-Haley, Glen Calabria, Diane Cannon, Diane Cirafesi, Heather Davis, Doris Davis-Glackin, Favi Dubo, Kathleen Friedenberg, Lele Galer, Barbara Grant, Rhoda Kahler, Monique Kendikian-Sarkessian, Donald Leong, Emily Manko, Jeremy McGirl, George McMonigle, Kathy Miller, Anne Milner, Paula Mintzer, Steven Mogck, Victor Mordasov, Peter Quarracino, Jeff Schaller, Wendy Scheirer, Denise Sedor, Don Shoffner, Dale Shuffler, Alan Soffer, Libbie Soffer, Vaughn Stadtmiller, John Suplee, Lin Tan, Denise Vitollo, Brett Anderson Walker, and Robert Wellings.
The Invitational Exhibition is generously sponsored this year by Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery. Visit their website to learn more about the ways in which they bring good spirits and the arts together www.galerestate.com.
Tickets are $50 per person and $90 per couple. Ticket purchases will support CCAA and, in turn, support the arts in Chester County. Purchase by calling 610-696-5600, ext. 12, or online at www.chestercountyarts.org/events.
Getting into the spirit of the fundraiser for the Chadds Ford Historical Society, Victoria Browning Wyeth borrows a hat to pose with Sara Liberace behind the bar at the Brandywine Brewing Company Tavern and Grill.
“That will be $5.50 – or $20 – your choice,” the neophyte bartender said, flashing a big smile as she set the draft in front of her customer.
Chadds Ford Historical Society Executive Director Nadia Barakat (from left) poses with Dr. Kirk W. Reichard, a board member, and David Dietz, the BBC Tavern and Grill’s owner.
Not only did most of the patrons who gathered at the Brandywine Brewing Company (BBC) Tavern and Grill in Greenville, De., on Tuesday evening happily pay the higher price – knowing it would go to a worthy cause – but they also didn’t mind waiting an hour or more for dinner, or being jostled as they fought their way through a crowd of historic significance.
The event was a Guest Bartender Fundraiser for the Chadds Ford Historical Society (CFHS), which shrewdly supplied a group of high-energy amateur mixologists that included board members, some of whom dressed in period garb, and well-known community figures to drum up donations.
The bartending headliner – and the one who offered dueling draft prices – was the ever-ebullient Victoria Browning Wyeth, well-known in the area as an insightful ambassador for her famous painting relatives: her great-grandfather, N.C. Wyeth; her grandfather, Andrew Wyeth; and her uncle, Jamie Wyeth.
A customer uses a cellphone to capture Victoria Wyeth in action behind the bar at the BBC Tavern and Grill.
The 36-year-old Wyeth, whose resume includes work as a docent, photographer, lecturer, and researcher, acknowledged before her scheduled 20-minute stint behind the bar that she was a bit apprehensive about her newest role. What if she mixed up a merlot with a cabernet or a Manhattan with a mojito?
“She looks pretty comfortable back there,” said Brian Butler, the BBC’s manager, as he watched Wyeth begin her shift, adeptly juggling drinks and conversation.
Bill Powell of West Grove said he thought Wyeth did an excellent job. A lifelong Chester County resident, Powell said he attended the event because he wanted to support the Historical Society. “I’m a big fan of preserving the area,” he said.
Victoria Wyeth proves that she’s a quick learner when it comes to the art of bartending.
Heidi Strauss of Chadds Ford, who was accompanied by her daughter Olivia, a senior at Temple University, and her husband Nassa, agreed. She said the family had been introduced to Wyeth when she conducted tours at the Brandywine River Museum of Art so they knew the evening would be fun.
Strauss applauded the partnership between CFHS and the BBC. “I think it’s absolutely great that the restaurant does this for nonprofits,” Strauss said.
The BBC’s owner, David Dietz, said the program has been very successful. Organizations get 10 percent of the food proceeds and the donations the guest bartenders generate. The tavern benefits by bringing in new patrons. “It’s win-win,” Dietz said.
Victoria Wyeth (right) poses with one of her fellow guest bartenders, Lisa M. Vonderstuck, the owner of Brandywine View Antiques in Chadds Ford.
Later, Dietz decided to have some fun with Wyeth, who didn’t know that he was the BBC’s owner. After she delivered his drink, he told her to tell his staffers to put it on “Dave’s house account.” When she conveyed that message to Dietz’s employees, she elicited laughter that she didn’t understand until later in the evening.
Nadia Barakat, executive director of the Chadds Ford Historical Society, said she was thrilled with the turnout and appreciative of everyone’s efforts. When she personally thanked Steve Liberace, one of her costumed board members, he deflected the compliment, insisting it was a collaborative effort. “There’s no ‘i’ in team, but there’s an ‘i’ in win,” he said.
Sterling Seemans of Wilmington chats with Victoria Wyeth about her family’s art dynasty.
In the meantime, Wyeth remained behind the bar long after her shift ended, chatting with old acquaintances and making new ones. “I’m having a great time,” she said.
Sterling Seemans of Wilmington was one of the few customers who hadn’t come specifically to see Wyeth. In fact, after she served him a beer, he said: “I have no idea who she is.”
Once Seemans found out why so many patrons were snapping photos, he was delighted, explaining that he comes from a family of devoted Wyeth fans. He said his mother is an artist and his father is an architect, and since they live just a few miles from the Brandywine River Museum of Art, they are frequent visitors.
By the time Seemans was ready for his next beer, he was prepared with questions as well as his order. He even pulled up an image of a painting on his cellphone to illustrate his query.
“I can’t believe she’s still back there,” Barakat whispered as she watched Wyeth converse with Seemans – nearly two hours after her 20-minute shift had started. “She is so kind and so generous. This is just wonderful.”
On Wednesday, April 15, Wyeth expressed thanks to the knowledgeable BBC bartenders who were close by on Tuesday night to offer assistance. She said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience and had already told her uncle that she found her “new hobby.”
Don’t miss out on the classiest event of the spring: the 33rd Annual Chester County Antiques Show.
Tickets are available now for the Preview Party, the kickoff event for the Chester County Historical Society’s (CCHS) upcoming fundraiser. The preview will provide an early viewing of the show’s beautiful items while enjoying fine fare. In addition, patrons will be able to meet the vendors, as well as the Historical Society’s Board of Trustees and other supporters, a society press release said.
Enjoy everything from a delicious raw bar, generously donated by the Dave Magrogan Group, and passed hors-d’oeuvres and fine fare from Jimmy Duffy’s Catering, to a sneak peak at the antique cars that will be positioned in and around the field house and an early viewing of the exceptional items available from dealers from throughout the country.
The Chester County Antiques Show is now partnering with the Chester County Antiques Car Club and Last Chance Garage. The car club will be lending several vehicles to be positioned outside of the Fieldhouse, as well as inside of the building. All of the cars were made between 1918 through the 1960s. Now, attendees will not only have the opportunity to view the antiques from our 55 dealers, but also an array of antique vehicles as well.
The Preview Party will be held on Friday, April 24, from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets are limited and can be reserved. They will also be available for purchase at the door on Friday evening.
The show’s general admission will run on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission of $15 per person includes a show catalog and free parking. |
