It might have been unseasonably warm for a Halloween type of event, but no one complained about the weather during the opening night of the 2015 Great Pumpkin Carve at the Chadds Ford Historical Society on Oct. 22.
There were no attendance figures available, but incoming traffic along Creek Road was still backed up after 8 p.m. The event closed at 9 p.m.
Donald Trumpkin
As usual, dozens of carvers hacked, stabbed, slashed, shaved, drilled and whittled their way into the annals of Chadds Ford folklore.
More than 70 carvers and carving teams were on hand this year, carving out everything from standard Halloween motif, to characters from science fiction and even one political caricature.
Cat Lady from the haunted trail.
For the audience, the warm weather and the artistic touch were a great mix.
For Kim Wolfe, who drove into town from Souderton in Montgomery County, The Carve was a huge hit.
“My first time was two years ago and it was freezing cold. I had layers and layers of clothes, so I’m enjoying this weather a lot more, but the pumpkins were amazing. I had never seen anything like it. I would say this year is even better. It’s worth the travel time to come down here.”
Michael Person didn’t have to travel as far. The Pocopson resident has been attending The Carve for 30 years and he said it keeps getting better. But he said it’s not just the pumpkins that impress him. He likes the haunted trail, now in its third year at the event.
“This is better than ever. The atmosphere, how it’s managed bring me back I like the atmosphere the most,” Person said.
The Reaper rides.
Jack and Jeanne Sweeney, of Bethel Township, have been attending for six years and they wouldn’t miss it.
“It’s an annual event for us,” Jack Sweeney said. “This year is more crowded. I think everyone’s taking advantage of the good weather, but the pumpkins are fantastic. It gets better and better every year.”
The carved pumpkins will remain on display through Saturday night.
Yoda by Mark Rutt, Pumpkin No. 73, took the top prize of Best Overall; honorable mention went to Chris Belton’s dragon creation, which is No. 66.
Other winners were Most Halloween, Michael Hall, No. 45, with honorable mention for Tony Mottola’s No. 61. Michelle McDonald’s No. 8 received Best Carving honors with honorable mention for Linda Allen’s No. 34. The award for Most Original went to Ken Blackburn, No. 40, while John Bilek earned honorable mention. Best Use of Pumpkin scored a win for Elizabeth Colly Kelly, No. 70, and honorable mention for Shawn Rairigh’s No. 56.
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.
Justin Best (center), a 2015 graduate of Unionville High, rows for Drexel University in the Head of the Charles Regatta. Photo by Rachel DeFroda
The 51st Head of the Charles Regatta, a premier, international rowing competition held in Boston this past weekend – a contest that reportedly attracts more spectators than the Super Bowl – included a formidable Unionville presence.
Siblings Kaitlyn Drohan (from left), 17, Matthew Drohan, 21, and Megan Drohan, 17, enjoy the ambience of the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. Photo by Cheryl Drohan
Among the area competitors was Justin Best, a 2015 Unionville High graduate. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound athlete earned a spot at the 2015 World Junior Rowing Championship this past August in Rio de Janeiro, where the team won silver. Best represented the U.S. in 2014 at the CanAmMex regatta in Nova Scotia, Canada, earning a gold medal the Men’s Eight+ (eight rowers plus a coxswain).
This past weekend, Best, a freshman at Drexel University, a Division 1 school, participated in the Men’s Championship Eights, logging a 19th-place finish in 15:10 minutes, less than a minute behind the winning Yale crew. Twenty-six teams competed in the nearly 5,000 meter race, a scenic but challenging course that features multiple curves and more than half a dozen bridges.
Best expressed enthusiasm for his collegiate experiences thus far. The team was named the Drexel Athletics Players of the Week after an impressive second-place finish at the Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia on Oct. 10.
In the Head of the Charles Regatta, Best said the team was pleased with its performance, an improvement over last year’s 22nd place. And competing in the world’s biggest regatta with top international rowers was a thrill in itself.
“You always want to do better, but we beat Dartmouth, which was huge,” he said, explaining that the Ivy Leagues have been “a longtime dominating force in rowing.”
Justin Best (left) poses with his brother, Garren Best, during the recent Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Jeanne Best
For Best’s parents, Glenn and Jeanne Best, the event offered dual spectating benefits: Their son Garren rowed in the Men’s Collegiate Eights for St. Joseph’s University, where he is a sophomore in the university’s Division I program.
Jeanne Best said the St. Joseph’s team also improved over last year’s finish, coming in 18th as opposed to 21st in 2014. The team also came close to its coach’s goal of finishing 30 seconds off the top boat, she said.
She said neither of her sons had raced in the Head of the Charles Regatta before, and that she and her husband staked out a spot on the Eliot Bridge, a span over the Charles River with a view of the finish line.
The experience of watching the race made the six-hour-plus drive to Boston from East Marlborough Township worthwhile, she said. “It is quite a spectacle,” she said, acknowledging that the scenic beauty was punctuated by some whipping winds. It “did get cold,” she added.
Justin Best agreed that the head wind was substantial, but it affected everyone, and adrenalin and intense concentration offset the frigid temperatures. Once he’s in the boat, he said locks his eyes on the teammate in front of him and keeps them there.
“Your head weighs about 10 pounds,” Justin Best explained. “If you move it, your body starts to shift. Your shifting body affects the oars, which decreases boat speed.”
Best described the opportunity to participate in the Boston race as thrilling. He said he ran into a lot of people he knew from other competitions, and it was fun catching up with them. “I’m very fortunate that I found a sport that I love when I was a freshman in high school,” he said.
Wilmington Youth Rowing Association varsity rowers near the finish line in Boston. Kaitlyn Drohan (from left) and Megan Drohan are joined by teammates Jennifer Raphaelson from Pocopson Township and Christine O’Neil from Delaware. Photo by Cheryl Drohan
For another East Marlborough Township family, the Head of the Charles offered a viewing trifecta. Cheryl and Jim Drohan got to watch their son Matthew, who is captain of Penn State’s team, as well as their twin daughters, Megan and Kaitlin, who are seniors at Unionville High and members of the Wilmington Youth Rowing Association.
“It was so much fun,” said Cheryl Drohan. She said she and her husband walked the course, which took about an hour, before taking a position on the Elliot Bridge. “We could look down and see their faces and they approached the finish line,” she said. “It was very exciting.”
Drohan said all three of her children started out as swimmers, which turned out to be great preparation for rowing, according to their coaches. Both require rigorous early-morning workouts and both utilize all muscle groups, she said.
She said one of the reasons she is so enthusiastic about rowing is that it offers a lifelong opportunity. In Boston, the range of competitors varied from master rowers – some of whom were in their 80s – to high school students.
“The experience of combining efforts to make a boat fly is so empowering,” she added.
Other Unionville High alums who competed in the Head of the Charles Men’s Collegiate Eights included Billy Pinamont, a junior at Bucknell University; and Teddy Connell, a junior at Washington College.
Many of the same competitors will face off closer to home this weekend when the 45th Head of the Schuylkill Regatta begins on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Cheryl Drohan said her three children would be rowing on different days this weekend, which would make it easier for her to sport the appropriate “parent uniform.” She’ll have plenty of time to switch from her Penn State gear to her WYRA attire. “We’ve learned all the shortcuts to get to the Schuylkill,” she said.
Justin Best said he and his brother, a favorite training partner, will become rivals this weekend, but it’s easy not to dwell on that. During the fall races, the boats leave at timed intervals so that many competitors never even see each another. In the spring races, the boats line up next to each other.
“It’s very possible at some point that we could end up in boats right next to each other,” Justin Best said. “That might be a little weird.”
In the meantime, he believes local competitors will have a slight edge on the Schuylkill because they’re competing in waters they know well. “It’s where I train; it’s a 20-minute walk from campus,” he said.
He said the process of transporting boats requires re-rigging procedures that hometown crews won’t need. “We can just head to the boat, and we’re ready to go,” he said. “I can’t wait.”
For more information on this weekend’s races, visit http://hosr.org.
Two years ago, the Chadds Ford Township Zoning Hearing Board denied a request by Drew and Nicole Barnabei to use their Webb Road home — Stonebridge Mansion — as a party venue.
Last year the Barnabeis wanted the township to allow them to use the home as a drug and alcohol rehab center. That request was turned down.
The Barnabeis appealed to federal court, according to their attorney Jim Byrne, but were told they had to take the case before the zoning board, something they hadn’t yet done for this use.
On Oct. 21, the Barnabeis were back before the Zoning Hearing Board with a modified request to use their 681 Webb Road home as a Residential Lifestyle Modification Treatment Center.
According to Byrne, such a facility is a by-right use. If the hearing board should decide otherwise, Byrne asked the board for a “reasonable accommodation.”
He said the 25-room home would house up to 15 people who were recovering from substance abuse.
Byrne also said denying the use would be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Act.
Only one witness was called during the Oct. 21 session, pharmacist Brian Walker, who is the vice president of Stonebridge Recovery, one of the business entities the Barnabeis created for the endeavor.
Walker, who said he has worked with substance abuse patients and has had extra training for the work, said the home is “ideally suited” for the use suggested.
The home is on seven acres of land where the residents, who would live as a “single family unit,” can walk the quiet grounds in a contemplative manner. They would go through a variety of holistic therapeutic modalities including meditation, chi kung (a Chinese breathing exercise system) and group therapy. With the exception of things such as heart medications, Stonebridge would be drug-free.
Residents would live as a family and have responsibility for keeping their areas clean in preparation for their returning to the outside world.
Walker also said Stonebridge would not be a detox facility. Those going to Stonebridge would have gone through detox and would arrive already clean and sober.
During testimony, Walker also read from newspaper articles from the Delaware County Daily Times in which Upper Darby Police Chief Michael Chitwood and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan have said a heroin epidemic exists in Chester and Delaware counties. Other articles mentioned drug arrests in Chadds Ford Township.
The point Byrne was bringing up is that substance abuse, whether it’s alcohol or drugs — prescription or illegal — is rampant.
Walker said residential rehab facilities are a perfect way to help someone transition from being an addict to returning to society. One exhibit in support of the testimony was a February 2015 issue of Psychology Today in which 16 residential facilities, as the one proposed by the Barnabeis, are mentioned as being top-of-the-line facilities and help rid patients of the stigma of having been addicts.
The township is opposing the application. Kathy Labrum, a partner with township solicitor Hugh Donaghue, did not present her arguments, but will do so when the hearing resumes on Nov. 18.
However, Labrum did say that what the Barnabeis had applied for last year was more akin to a hospital facility, not a family unit. She also said she would accept Walker as an expert pharmacist, but not as an expert in treating drug and alcohol abuse.
Labrum will cross-examine Walker and said she wants to question Nicole Barnabei.
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.
One of my three favorite trees in Chadds Ford, Squid Tree — named that because of the appearance of its exposed roots — is along the creek trail by the Brandywine River Museum of Art.
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.
• The Chadds Ford Civic Association named former township Supervisor Keith Klaver as its Citizen of the Year during its annual meeting at the Brandywine River Museum of Art on Oct. 20. In addition to supervisor, Klaver also served on the Sewer Authority, Strategic Advisory Committee and on the Planning Commission. Association President Vince Del Rossi presented Klaver with a plaque in honor of Klaver’s service. (See photo) Following a brief ceremony Brandywine Battlefield Park Education Coordinator Andrew Outten gave a brief talk on the details and significance of the Sept. 11, 1777, Battle of Brandywine.
• A new exhibit featuring the works of four artists opens 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23 at the Chadds Ford Gallery. Featured artists are J. Wayne Bystrom, Don Shoffner, Robert Stack and Timothy Wadsworth. Refreshments will be served. The exhibit will run through Nov. 9 during the gallery’s normal hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
• Unionville High School is again hosting “March on the Brandywine,” this Saturday, Oct. 24 from 6:60 to 10 p.m. This event features the area’s best high school musicians and color guard squads in friendly competition. Judges from the Cavalcade of Bands, Inc. will rate the participating high schools: York Catholic, Sun Valley, Egg Harbor, Manheim Central, Marple Newtown, Kennett, Downingtown West, Hatboro-Horsham, Mt. Pleasant, New Oxford and Great Valley. When the competing bands are finished, the Unionville High School Marching Band will treat the audience to a performance of its 2015 show, “Land of the Free.” While the UHS performance is exhibition only, in other recent competitions it has received great feedback and first-place scores. The band is thrilled to perform for the community audience. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free for ages 5 and under.
• More than 30 shovel-wielding staff members of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art will spend Tuesday morning, Oct. 27, planting 600 native hardwood tree saplings along Harvey Run, an impaired tributary to the Brandywine located on the organization’s Chadds Ford, campus. During this planting, the conservancy will plant the 35,000th tree in its major multi-year reforestation initiative. Volunteers who want to help can join the conservancy for a planting of an additional 600 trees. They should wear sturdy work clothes and boots and bring gloves, a refillable water bottle, and a shovel (if possible). To volunteer, please contact Meredith Mayer at 610-388-8351 or mmayer@brandywine.org.
• Enjoy a fun and fascinating presentation by renowned Pennsylvania author and naturalist Scott Weidensaul on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. He will share stories and information learned from his decades of research, fieldwork and bird banding with birds of prey (hawks and owls) and hummingbirds. The talk is presented by the Brandywine Conservancy and will take place in the lecture room at the Brandywine River Museum of Art, located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford. Afterward, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., there will be a reception with food and drink where Weidensaul will sign copies of his latest book, The Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean, which will be available for purchase. The cost is $15 (members, $10). Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
• Get your Boo on and help find a cure for arthritis at the 2015 Delaware Bone Bash on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Dupont Country Club in Wilmington. Bone Bash is the Arthritis Foundation’s fundraising event to fight arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. Bone Bash, a costumed affair for adults, includes spooky decorations, costume contests, auction and frightfully fun music, games and more. Guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres, seated dinner, bar, music and dancing. Register for the 2015 Delaware Bone Bash by going to arthritismar.ejoinme/DelawareBoneBash or calling 444-738-9621.Funds raised through the Delaware Bone Bash will go toward programs, research and advocacy initiatives to help people today while finding a cure for tomorrow.
• West Chester University’s Homecoming Weekend begins Thursday, Oct. 22, with activities planned through Sunday, Oct. 25, many of which are likely to impact traffic. Church Street and Sharpless Street will be closed on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 9 a.m. in preparation for the WCU Homecoming Parade, which will take place between 9 and 11:30 a.m. It will begin at the Sykes Student Union parking lot, turn left onto West Rosedale Avenue, right onto South New Street, right onto Sharpless Street, right onto South Church Street, and back onto West Rosedale. In addition to the parade and football game, other activities for alumni can be found at http://www.wcualumni.org/eventscalendar?cid=2&ceid=380&cerid=0&cdt=10%2F23%2F2015.
• Calling all witches, ghosts and ghouls: Will your costume be the one that rules? The All Hallows’ Eve Costume Ball is the Young Friends’ annual fundraiser. You are invited to enter if you dare! Tickets to the event on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. include cocktails, refreshments, music and more. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative costumes. Guests must be 21 to attend. All proceeds will support the Brandywine River Museum of Art’s School and Community Access Programs. This program provides free or reduced admission and assistance with transportation to qualified groups visiting the museum. To purchase tickets, go to https://335.blackbaudhosting.com/335/All-Hallows-Eve-Costume-Ball.
• It’s Creative Escape: prints from nature at the BRM. Are you seeking a creative outlet but find that your time – and training – are limited? Come to the Brandywine River Museum of Art from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 to unwind, mingle and make art! Designed for adults who want to awaken their inner artists, this program will include inspiration from the exhibition Natural Selection: Andrew Wyeth Plant Studies, and feature a hands-on printmaking activity. Participants will follow simple instructions to carve a linoleum block to create a beautiful printed image on a set of gift-worthy notecards. A perfect opportunity to add a personal touch to your gifts this holiday. Cost is $20, $15 for members. The museum will open at 5:30 p.m. with the workshop beginning at 6 p.m. Cost includes art materials and light refreshments. BYOB! Purchase tickets online at www.brandywine,org/museum/events or call 610-388-8326.
• The Christian C. Sanderson Museum will host Sanderson’s Shopping Spree on Friday, Nov. 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Whether you are shopping for friend or history lover, you’ll find the perfect gift at Sanderson’s Shopping Spree. Come to the museum to sample local wine while visiting with artists, authors and local craftsmen. This year’s vendors will include Galer Estate Winery, local author Bruce Mowday, and a wide range of artists such as Annette Alessi and Heather Davis. Take care of everyone on your holiday list with signed prints, original paintings, autographed books, and unique pieces from local crafters, such as Paul Koch from Brandywine Bowls, Kathy Bender from Chesco photography, 3 Sisters Soap and Scents, Bruno Bits and many more.
• A 51-year-old New Jersey woman, a passenger on a motorcycle, was injured when the motorcycle she was riding on was struck from behind by another motorcyclist on Route 1 at Dickinson Drive in Chadds Ford Township. The severity of the injuries was unknown. A policed report said Jon Ragonese, 61, of Gibbstown, N.J., was following too closely and hit the lead motorcycle that had slowed for traffic. The report was dated Aug. 23.
• State police from the Embreeville barracks are investigating a burglary at “Valley of Terror,” a Halloween attraction in the 1200 block of Unionville-Wawaset Road that spans parts of Newlin, East Marlborough and Pocopson townships. Police said sometime between 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11, and 4:35 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, someone forcibly entered a maintenance shed and removed several portable radios, power tools, and tablets and damaged an ATM machine that did not contain cash. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 610-486-6280.
I was very disturbed to discover a conflict of interest in the upcoming election. Public officials should be held accountable to the highest standards of ethics and should avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Therefore, I question why Beverly Brookes could be considered qualified to serve as a school board birector for Region C of the Unionville Chadds-Ford School District.
Ms. Brookes’ daughter is a teacher in Unionville-Chadds Ford School District and a former coach of one of the girls’ athletic teams. If Brookes were elected, she would be in a position to influence how much her daughter was paid through the collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union and hire/fire her daughter’s ultimate supervisor: the Superintendent of the School District. This is clearly inappropriate.
In fact, Pennsylvania law squarely addresses such obvious conflicts of interest. The State ethics Commission has interpreted the Ethics Act as precluding school board members from taking part in contract negotiations where members of the immediate family are district employees. See, e.g., Van Rensler, Opinion of Commission No. 90-017, School Law Information Exchange, Vol. 28, No. 5 (1991). The Ethics Commission has also ruled that such a conflict precludes officials to obtain information that could impact collective bargaining negotiations, including salary information. See, e.g., Mattie, Advice of Counsel No. 91-508, School Law Information Exchange, Vol. 29, 28 No. 36 (1991).
You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand the problem with an elected official being able to award her child a raise or other benefits. However, Brookes, who has secured the Democrat nomination for school board, has not addressed this issue publically. Does she think no one is paying attention? I am paying attention as are many other community members.
Even if Brookes announces (after this issue was brought to the public’s attention) that she will not participate in negotiating with teachers concerning compensation nor with the hiring/firing of the superintendent, one must wonder exactly why Region C would want one of its three elected school board members precluded from participating in the most important decisions that a school board director actually makes: teachers’ contract and the selection of the Superintendent. In other words, if Brookes wins this election, Region C will lose a vote on the issues that matter the most.
I find it unfortunate the Brookes has not previously disclosed this conflict to the voters at large. I find the potential loss of our “voice” even more troubling. This issue needs to be addressed. The Chadds Ford Community deserves answers.
Hi, I’m Jane and I am quite a love. I am sweet and gentle, although I can get a bit nervous around other dogs sometimes. I love to be shown attention and really enjoy giving it back to you, too. I’m extra affectionate and caring and will do well in a nice home where I can look after my owner as much as they look after me. I do great walking on a leash and I listen really well to commands. I love to run, play outside, toys, and spending time next to you being petted. I’m an awesome dog all around, and once you meet me you’ll see that I can be the perfect girl for you. Come see for yourself, and add me to your family.
John J. Szandrowski, 71, of West Chester, formerly of Springfield, died Oct. 16.
Born in Baltimore, Md in 1944, he was the son of the late Mary (nee Putrokow) and John J. Szandrowski.
John was a 1962 graduate of Monsignor Bonner High School. He served honorably as a military policeman in the US Army from 1962-1965. He was a roofer for 30 years and for the past seven years he worked for Medpark as a lot attendant at Susquehanna Bank in West Chester. John enjoyed making bird houses.
He became an avid and faithful follower of Jesus Christ when he was saved at age 63. He loved his church, Calvary Chapel of Chester Springs, and his brothers and sisters in Christ with whom he worshipped.
He was the beloved husband of Judith Ann (nee Likens); the loving father of Kim Pearson (Larry), Pati DiSanti (Franny), Gail Szandrowski, and Nancy Behrenshauser (Chris); grandfather of Scott, Lacey Rae, Allie Lorraine, Michael, and Maximus; and great-grandfather of Carter and Zuly.
Family and Friends are invited to his memorial service 10 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Calvary Chapel, 217 Dowlin Forge Rd, Exton, PA 19341. Interment Private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John’s name may be made to Calvary Chapel, at the above address, to further the Gospel.
