September 2, 2015 - ChaddsFordLive.com

A weekend of fun in Chadds Ford

Girl-&-Cow copy — A weekend of fun in Chadds Ford

While Chadds Ford Days is a 50-year tradition in the township, it’s always a first for some people. This year, one of those people is Allison Schell, the recently hired program and development manager for the Chadds Ford Historical Society, the host and beneficiary of Chadds Ford Days.

The event is one of the society’s major fundraisers. This year the colonial fair takes place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the meadow behind the Barn Visitor Center on Creek Road.

What’s new for this year?

One thing new for the event is the Barn Market, where antique dealers will be joining colonial and contemporary vendors to sell their wares.

The Barn Market idea originated during discussions between CFHS Executive Director Nadia Barakat, Board President Kendal Reynolds and Lisa Vonderstuck of Brandywine View Antiques. They held an event in April and decided to carry it forward into Chadds Ford Days.

For Schell, however, “everything’s new for me this year,’” she said with a laugh. “But, I’m looking forward to seeing all the [colonial] crafters because sometimes those events are sometimes hard to find. To find colonial crafters who do those crafts is really interesting.”

As in years past, there will be live music, a children’s play area with a moon bounce, a hayride and 18^th century games.

“Even though there are things to buy, it’s important for people to know it’s an event for families,” Schell said.

Schell believes that she and other members of her generation want to look back in time and see how things were done before automation and industrialization.

“Do-it-yourself projects are popular now, so is growing your own foods, pickling, being almost self-sustaining. I’ve been seeing a growth in that. And the fair has always highlighted that,” she said.

Chadds Ford Days began in the 1960s as a way to commemorate the 1777 Battle of Brandywine. While the colonial forces serving under Gen. George Washington were defeated, the fight delayed the British arrival in Philadelphia for five days, giving the Continental Congress time to leave the city before being occupied by British soldiers.

Re-enactors will be on hand, and there will be tours of the John Chad House across from the visitor center. Visitors will get the chance to buy bread baked in the original beehive oven at the house. And food from local restaurants will be available for purchase.

Adult admission is $10 per day for adults, free for ages 18 and under and Chadds Ford Historical Society members. Dogs are welcome.

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.

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Photo of the Week: Happy Accident

Photo of the Week

_1JF4030_HDR — Photo of the Week: Happy Accident

The Marshall Spring House of 1710 in the park at Newlin Grist Mill. Some images need more explanation a simple caption, and this is one of them. This particular image came about as a result of an accident in postproduction. I have no idea how it happened, but I really do like the result. I hope you do, too. For those who like my images, thank you. I enjoy sharing them with you.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Adopt-a-Pet: Dorothy

Home and Leisure

My name is Dorothy and I am a brown tabby with a white bib and paws. I am an eight-year-old female who was surrendered to the CCSPCA on June 27. I am a total social butterfly and love attention. I am well suited for family life, and I love to speak to humans in my native tongue. Something about the puzzled looks on their faces tickles me. Come by the shelter today and lets have chat about life together.

About CFLive Staff

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Wawa wants beer restrictions changed

Local News

Concord Township supervisors, in a 4-0 vote, denied a request by Wawa to reduce restrictions on beer sales that were granted following a conditional use hearing. (Supervisors’ Chairman Dominic Pileggi was absent.)

Supervisors in August granted approval for beer sales at the convenience store on Route 202 at Naaman’s Creek Road, but imposed 21 conditions. Among those conditions were limits to on-site consumption and time constraints on beer sales, which had to stop at 10 p.m. for most of the week.

Those two points were the major focus of the requested changes. Patrons may buy up to 192 ounces, or two six-packs of 16-ounce cans, per sale, but consumption of beer at the Wawa was to be limited to one beer per day per customer and only in the designated café area.

Also as part of the approval, beer sale hours were limited to 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

When approval — with conditions — was granted last month, attorney John Jaros, representing Wawa, said he would take the resolution to his client. He said he had received a draft of the resolution the afternoon of the decision and had not had the chance to review it fully.

“We had no opportunity to fully respond,” he said.

Wawa had 30 days to review the document and decide whether or not to accept the conditions. Wawa chose to request that those conditions be amended.

Wawa wants hours to be 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days per week. Jaros said that the nature of the state-required liquor license, a restaurant license, would allow the store to sell beer from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m., but that Wawa would accept the township-imposed time limit of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Jaros also said Wawa would limit store consumption to one beer per customer per day, but doesn’t want that as part of the agreement with the township. He explained that Wawa was the party who suggested the limit as a self-imposed measure, but wants the flexibility of possibly changing that sometime in the future without the need to return to the township for permission.

Jaros said that Acme, Whole Foods, and Wegmans have no limit on consumption and that Wawa would be willing to go to court.

“If you choose not to amend the resolution, the only other opportunity available to us is to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas. We are ready to do that, [but] we are trying to save time, effort and expense on the township’s part and on Wawa’s part,” Jaros said prior to the vote.

Residents balked at the changes. Most reacted to the change in the consumption limit.

Anne Mueller said she was “appalled” at the request for removing the one-beer limit, saying she doesn’t like the possibility of the convenience store’s turning into a bar.

Kate Brown said allowing the extra hours was akin to “giving extra consideration to developers.”

Township solicitor Hugh Donaghue said Whole Foods sells beer until closing time, even when hours are extended seasonally to allow for more shopping time.

There was no immediate reaction from Jaros or Wawa executives as to what their next step would be.

As for the residents, many applauded and said “thank you” to the supervisors for their decision.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Police Log Sept. 3: Accidents and more accidents

Police

• Following too closely is the reported cause of an Aug. 5 accident at Routes 1 and 202. A state police report said Charles M. Holmes Jr., 22, of West Grove rear-ended another vehicle as it slowed for traffic congestion in the northbound lanes of Route 1 at 5:50 p.m. No injuries were reported.

• Andrea Leathern, 44, of West Grove, was charged with being impaired following a one-vehicle accident on Route 1 near Heyburn Road on Aug. 8, according to a police report. Police said Leathern was northbound on Route 1 when her Dodge Dart went off the road for unknown reasons and struck a utility pole. The car then spun clockwise and came to rest about 100 feet from the point of impact. Neither the driver, nor her passenger, was injured, police said.

• A 61-year-old woman from Glen Mills escaped injury in a two-car, hit and run accident in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot on Aug. 5. The victim was attempting to back out of a parking space at 9:0=22 a.m. when her Volkwagen was struck by another vehicle passing through. The suspect fled north on Cheyney Road, police said.

• Minor injuries were reported following a two-car accident on Route 202 at McKenzies on Aug. 17. A police report said Sharon L. Harding, 72, of Wilmington was charged with careless driving for traveling north in the southbound lane of 202. A southbound vehicle made an attempt to avoid hitting Harding, but struck the car anyway. Both the driver and the passenger in the other car sustained minor cuts to their legs. Both vehicles were disabled.

• One moderate injury was reported following a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Conchester Road and Merion Drive in Concord Township on July 28. A police report said Joseph W. Smith, 36, of Boothwyn was hurt after he rear-ended another car. He was treated for the injury and was also cited for following too closely, police said.

• Police cited 30-year-old Hannah L. Pasciolla, of Wallingford, after she failed to stop for traffic and hit another vehicle on Route 1 at Brinton Lake Road. Pasciolla and the driver of the other vehicle were taken to Riddle Hospital with miner injuries.

• Starting on Aug. 3, New Garden Township Police said they responded to four separate incidents of thefts of school bus seat covers and vandalism at the Kennett Middle School on Sunnydell Road in Landenberg. On Sunday, Aug. 20, at 3:33 a.m., a police officer on routine patrol was checking in the school bus parking lot area when he observed an unattended vehicle parked next to the buses. The officer observed a man later identified as Matthew Schnelle, 22, of West Grove, walking in between the school buses. Schnelle could not explain his reasons for being on school property after hours, and the officer observed several bus seat covers inside his vehicle. Schnelle was charged with theft and receiving stolen property, police said.

• State police from the Avondale barracks arrested Stephen Thomas Little, 65, of Avondale for an attempted theft at the Walmart in East Marlborough Township. Police said Little brought empty plastic bags into the store on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 10:27 a.m., filled them with store merchandise, and left the store without paying for the items.

About CFLive Staff

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Around Town Sept. 3

Along the Ford

• The Brandywine River Museum of Art is hosting a conversation with James Welling on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. Welling is known for his compelling photographs that explore the technical boundaries of the medium. Join Thomas Padon, director of the BRM, for a conversation with Welling in which they discuss the artist’s almost four-decade career, including Welling’s Wyeth works, on view in the exhibition, Things Beyond Resemblance: James Welling Photographs. Topics such as Andrew Wyeth’s formative influence on Welling’s career and Gradients, Welling’s first sculptural installation, will be explored. The museum will open at 5:30 pm with the conversation at 6 pm followed by Q&A with the audience and a reception. Price: $20; members, $15. Tickets may be purchased on line at www.brandywine.org

• The Save the Valley Music Fest will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, at The Queen in Wilmington. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the show begins at 6 p.m. Half a dozen bands will play, and all proceeds will be donated to Save the Valley for its efforts to preserve Beaver Valley.

• On Saturday, Sept. 19, eight branches of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine will host a Mega Fitness Fest featuring the largest group exercise class in Chester County. This fun fitness fest is free and open to all members of the community. Beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until noon, the fest will feature Latin-inspired Zumba, martial arts inspired Bodycombat, stress-reducing yoga, core-building Pilates, and Chester County’s largest family-friendly group exercise class, which begins at 11 a.m. The first 50 participants at each branch will get a free T-shirt. The eight branches are in Coatesville, Jennersville Y in West Grove; Kennett Area Y in Kennett Square; Lionville Community Y in Exton; Oscar Lasko Youth Program Center in downtown West Chester; Upper Main Line Y in Berwyn; West Chester Area Y on Airport Road, West Chester; or Y at Great Valley in Malvern.

• The Friends of Marshall Square Park in the Borough of West Chester are hosting the second annual Marshall Square 5K Walk/Run to raise funds to complete the restoration of the historic 1889 fountain that will be returned to the park in 2015. The race fee is $20 before Sept. 10, $25 beginning Sept. 11. Secure online payment may be made at www.runccrs.com. The race will begin at the corner of E. Biddle and N. Walnut Streets. For more information, go to www.marshallsquarepark.org.

• Salon Sestra, in Olde Ridge Village, will be doing Hope Cuts on Sunday, Sept. 13. All proceeds that day will go to the City of Hope, which supports women’s cancers, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, etc. The shop is taking appointments and will be joined by stylists from Philly, Media and Glen Mills to help raise as much as possible. During the event, prices for cuts are discounted. Women’s cuts will be $40, $25 for men’s and kids.

• Wine & Dinosaurs, the Delaware Museum of Natural History’s signature fundraising event, will take place on Sunday, Sept. 20, from 12-4 p.m. Guests will enjoy fine wines, craft beer, premium spirits, live music, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and the museum’s fascinating permanent exhibits. Wine & Dinosaurs started in 2007 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the museum’s dinosaur display. The fundraiser has evolved into a signature event, raising thousands of dollars to fund operations and programming, while also supporting the museum’s mission to excite and inform people about the natural world through exploration and discovery. Admission is $45 for members, $55 for non-members, and $65 at the door. For more information, visit www.delmnh.org or call 302-658-9111.

• The organizer of Brandywine In White, a local version of the French En Blanc dinner, which includes a gourmet meal in elegant surroundings with a like-minded crowd interested in supporting nonprofits, said the beneficiary for the Aug. 22 event was the Sunday Breakfast Mission in Wilmington. In addition to dropping off about 250 pounds of food that was collected at the event, which was held at Chadds Peak Farm, Vince Moro said he gave the nonprofit a check for $1,000.

• Weather permitting, the Chester County Health Department will conduct a mosquito control treatment in various area parks on Wednesday, Sept. 2, between 7:45 and 11 p.m. The parks to be treated include Barker Park in West Goshen Township, East Goshen Township Park, and Charles Martin, Spring Run and Shamona Creek Parks in Uwchlan Township. The treatment will be administered with ATV-mounted and/or truck-mounted spray equipment, which dispenses a permethrin insecticide product.

• The Budweiser Clydesdales are coming back to downtown West Chester to participate in First Friday on Sept. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. in downtown West Chester. The fuzzy-footed giants will clippity-clop along Gay and Market Streets, starting at Gay and Matlack Streets, proceeding west to Darlington, then south to Market, then east to Walnut Street. Shops will be open, and the West Chester Vintage Market at the Chestnut Street Garage will operate from from 4 to 9 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 6, the horses will visit Brandywine Ace Pet & Farm on Pocopson Road from 1 to 3 p.m.

• Take a 90-minute train ride on one of America’s oldest railroad routes through the Chester Valley on Sunday, Sept. 6. Starting at noon, climb aboard for the West Chester Railroad Summer Picnic Special. Pack a lunch and have a picnic at the Glen Mills train station picnic grove before returning to West Chester. See details at http://westchesterrr.net.

About CFLive Staff

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Academic Acknowledgement

School & Education

• Preston Devens, of Chadds Ford, a Garnet Valley High School graduate and a member of the Colgate Class of 2015, has earned the Dean’s Award for academic excellence for the Spring 2015 semester. This recognition is awarded to students with a 3.30 or higher term average.

• James Madison University welcomes the class of 2019 to campus this month. Among the incoming freshman are George Biddle and Madison Russo-Bradley, both of Chadds Ford. Biddle is majoring in marketing while Russo-Bradley will study media arts and design.

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Applied Belief: Preparing for the end

Religion Today

The World will end Sept. 28. The moon will turn the color of blood and a gigantic asteroid will hit the earth. This is what some people believe will happen this month.

To be clear, I am not a prophet. I am also very aware that some people believe in prophecies and others don’t. Jesus himself stated that “a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown” (Mark 6:4). An example of this is Jesus’ birth. Old Testament prophecies had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. When the Wise Men arrived, Israel was asleep for they had ignored the prophecies and the signs.

I say all of this because while we don’t want to be doomsday sayers necessarily and panic about what might or might not happen, we also don’t want to be ignorant of the signs and the biblical prophecies about the end times. One thing is clear, no matter how the end comes or when it comes the most important thing is to be ready. Not “ready” in terms of building bunkers and storing up foods and water, but ready spiritually. The only way to truly be ready is to believe and trust in Jesus the Messiah the Son of the Living God as your Lord and savior (Matthew 16:16-17, Acts 16:30-31, John 14:1-6). He is the only one that can save us from whatever comes.

Trusting in Jesus is something Christians talk about all the time but how can we really understand this concept? A good way that we can all relate to is the trust children develop with their mothers. Trust is one of the first things we learn as babies. From the moment of conception the child begins to bond with the mother. At birth the child knows the mother instantly and seeks her voice and comfort. Over those first 12-24 months that child will depend on the mother for everything. This is trust, when you don’t have to worry about anything because you know your mother will take care of you and spare you; save you from all harm. That is what it is like to trust in Jesus.

For Christians trusting in Jesus does not mean to sit back and look up at the sky and wait. When Jesus ascended into the heaven the disciples remained in shock looking up at the sky. ^“While they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go” (Acts 1:10).

In other words, it’s time to honor their love and trust in Jesus by sharing with others; working on His behalf until he returned again.

Like the disciples we can easily become preoccupied with gazing up to the heavens trying to read the signs of the times to figure out when and how everything will end and when Jesus will return. This is a waste of time. Jesus, before he ascended, told his disciples “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:7-8).

For Christians then, the main objective should be to go into the world and be witnesses of the Gospel, the good news that proclaims that no matter how it all ends, a better life awaits after it all and it can only be found in Jesus.

All things must come to an end. This year marks the end of the Shemitah (Jewish) year, and the appearance of a fourth and final blood moon (Rev 6:12-14). Will these events lead to a stock market crash, a final world war due to the Iran deal or worse? Who knows! Our attitude though should be that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

The Lord is coming in all of His glory. When it will happen no one knows. Jesus himself said “concerning that day and hour no one knows” Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming… be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:36,42 & 44).

Are you ready? I hope you are. If you aren’t, if you don’t know, if you don’t care, if all of this makes you scared, simply listen and follow the words of Jesus “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1).

The opinions expressed were those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of Chadds Ford Live. We welcome opposing viewpoints. Readers may comment in the comments section or they may submit a Letter to the Editor to: editor@chaddsfordlive.com

About Rev. Marcos O. Almonte

Rev. Marcos O. Almonte is senior pastor at Brandywine Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church west of Philadelphia. Pastor Marcos is a graduate of Palmer Theological Seminary with more than 10 years working with families with an expertise in theology, trauma and addictions. Pastor Marcos and his wife Mary have three children, Carmen, Joseph, and Lincoln.

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Radio-touting teams no cause for alarm

Local News

The sight of multi-antennaed vehicles or swarms of individuals toting hand-held radios near Chester County roadways or hillsides should not be cause for concern: It’s only a test, county officials said.

Throughout the month of September, the Chester County Department of Emergency Services will be conducting radio coverage checks for its new public safety communication system. The testing is necessary to ensure that the public safety radio service is accessible to all police, fire, and emergency medical services providers in Chester County, the release said.

Residents may notice the vehicles, which will display multiple antennas, and will be occupied by teams that will exit them to use hand-held radios to perform test calls.

“It is necessary that the test teams access as many areas of the county as possible in order to adequately test the voice quality of the new system,” John Haynes, deputy director for 9-1-1 operations, said in the release.

Residents who have any concerns about any test team activity should contact Patty Mains at 610-344-5150 or pmains@chesco.org.

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CCHS wins $400,000 grant for new exhibit

Arts & Entertainment

The Chester County Historical Society (CCHS) has received an implementation grant of $400,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for its upcoming exhibition “Chester County: A Place in History.”

Of the 212 grants awarded nationally, CCHS was one of only 10 to receive funding in the Museums, Libraries, and Cultural Organizations Planning and Implementation category, said a CCHS press release.

The society’s new 6,000-square-foot permanent exhibition “Chester County: A Place in History” will highlight CCHS’s nationally recognized permanent collections with a depth of interpretation that will enable visitors, to understand more about this community and their relationship to it, the release said.

“The NEH is excited to support ‘Chester County: A Place in History’,” said Karen Mittelman, NEH director of the Division of Public Programs. “In this exhibition we see great potential to connect the community to the past in meaningful ways, enabling audiences to reexamine events in terms of ideas that make the past relevant to present concerns. Our reviewers were enthusiastic about the multitude of creative techniques the project proposes to actively engage audiences in this type of critical investigation.”

CCHS’s re-installation and expansion project will feature stories about people, places and events that make this vibrant county unique. CCHS will be able to increase access physically and electronically to more objects, photographs, and manuscripts than ever before through the exhibit and an adjacent gallery featuring visible storage. The exhibition is scheduled to open in 2017.

“The Chester County Historical Society is very excited and grateful to partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities to bring ‘Chester County: A Place in History’ to the public,” said David Reinfeld, CCHS interim president & vice president, development. “The partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities will aid in our efforts to preserve and share the remarkable history of Chester County, and provide a powerful and meaningful experience for our visitors.”

An anonymous donor who believes strongly in the importance of this project will match each gift in 2015 dollar for dollar, thus doubling every donation’s power. To date, CCHS has successfully raised more than $2.1 million in gifts and pledges from members and community partners towards “Chester County: A Place in History.” For more information, visit http://chestercohistorical.org/permanent-gallery-project.

About Press Release

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