June 4, 2016 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Stepping out to fight cancer

_1JF7569-survivors — Cancer survivors kick off the annual Relay For Life walking the first lap around the track.

There was a carnival atmosphere for a serious cause at the Unionville High School track for the annual Relay for Life on Friday night.

The event is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society where teams spend the night walking relays on the track around the football field.

Leon Spencer, a former mayor of Kennett Square and a cancer survivor himself, likened the event to Mardi Gras.

Team Mini Steps kick around a beachball as part pf the celebratory atmosphere.

“As much as Mardi Gras is a celebration, so is Relay for Life. We know people who have gone on before us who fought the battle, but did not win, but that is no reason in and of itself for us to give up,” Spencer said. “There’s still research to be done. There’s still reason for us to celebrate the life that we have and make sure that we do it to the fullest.”

American Cancer Society staff partner Stephanie Glancey said the event is definitely a celebration of cancer survivors, but also a remembrance of those who have died as well as a pledge to fight back against the disease and hopefully find a cure one day.

“All night, teams will be taken to the track to walk laps to show that cancer never sleeps, so neither will we,” Glancey said.

She said 20 to 25 team from schools, churches, the Longwood Rotary and Kendal-Crosslands were involved with as many as 350 to 400 people signed up to participate.

T(eam) Werk kicks back as part of their attempt to have a "funky time." — T(eam) Werk kicks back as part of their attempt to have a “funky time.”

The event kicked off with a lap around the track by cancer survivors, and it finishes Saturday morning with a community breakfast in the school cafeteria.

In between there were people throwing Frisbees, swinging hula-hoops, and kicking beach balls.

Many of the participants camp out in tents overnight. One such group was T(eam) Werk.

Group spokesman Sam Wofford, a Unionville graduate, described his team as “a group of like-minded individuals who came out to support a good cause and have a funky time.” He added, “The American Cancer Society is a good organization.”

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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Battlefield Park to open next week

School & Education

_1JF7565 — Andrew Outten, left, director of education for the Brandywine Battlefield Park, and his assistant, Dan Lamond, in the park’s newly renovated gift shop are ready for normal business to resume.

Every experienced general knows that no matter how good the battle plan, the plan will likely have to change as soon as the first shots are fired. While not that dramatic, the Brandywine Battlefield Park’s March opening had to be postponed from late March until this coming Wednesday, June 8.

Ever since the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission stopped operating the park on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, the facility has been run by the volunteer friends group, the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates.

The associates would close the park in December, perform necessary maintenance, and then reopen in March. That routine hit a snag this year.

A planned renovation went longer than planned and when that work was inspected, it was learned that the visitors’ center was structurally unsound and was condemned until needed repairs were made.

“We were supposed to open the end of March,” said Andrew Outten, the park’s education director. “But the [renovation] project got delayed. We were then told we’d open in the middle of April. The middle of April came around and during the final inspection, structural damage was noticed in the rafters. There was deterioration and disrepair.”

At that point the building was condemned, and the only people allowed in were repair crews, inspection personnel and PHMC people, he said.

Outten said no one seemed to know the scope of the work or how long it would take, so the park held off announcing any of its programs. They finally got back into the building in mid-May.

“Even then we weren’t sure how long it would be before we could re-open, but we are going to open this coming Wednesday,” he said.

He said grants covered the $175,000 cost of the renovation. Those grants came from PHMC — $75,000 — and $100,000 from DCNR, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

What was the cost of the structural repair?

“I have no idea,” he said, adding that he hasn’t seen or heard the numbers yet.

When the public finally gets back in, people will find a brighter gift shop area with a little more room since part of the renovation included moving the checkout counter. There are also new lights, ceiling and freshly painted walls.

Programs planned for earlier this spring were either cancelled outright or will be rescheduled. One event to replace the Encampment day that was missed is planned for August, right before the Sept. 11 Remembrance Day.

Regular tours will resume right away, running Wednesday through Sunday for now, but the park hours will run Tuesday to Sunday, beginning the end of June.

Summer History Camp will resume the last week of June, and Outten said they are still taking reservations for the camp. Parents interested in getting their kids into the camp should go to the park website, www.brandywinebattlefield.org

The park will also be running a lecture series with guest speakers coming in once or twice a month, and there might be some daily musket demonstrations.

“We’re also having some new cool stuff coming in by the end of the summer,” he said.

One of those items is a chevau de fries. He described it as a pike, about 30 feet long, with spikes on the end that go into the river, sitting just below the water line, to snag enemy boats.

Outten said the chevau de fries that the park would get was found after it had washed up near a yacht club along the Delaware River near New Hope. It was then sent to Eastern Caroline University to be preserved. PHMC got it from the university and has deemed Brandywine Battlefield Park an appropriate place for it to be displayed.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Longwood Fellows Program to launch

Home and Leisure

Longwood Gardens is continuing to impact the world of horticulture.

On Thursday, June 2, the gardens announced the launch of the Longwood Fellows Program. An offshoot of the Longwood Graduate Program, it will focus on building the leadership capacity of high-potential public horticulture professionals, according to a Longwood Gardens press release.

Tamara C. Fleming will direct the new Longwood Fellows Program.

The Longwood Fellows Program will concentrate on grounding fellows in leadership theory and practice through an immersive, flexible, concentrated program that draws on the experience and knowledge of multiple public horticultural organizations and academic thought leaders.

During the 13-month, fully funded, cohort-based residency at Longwood, fellows will delve into topical issues relevant to public horticulture, such as leadership, board relations and governance, communication skills, change management, innovation, and HR/talent management. A two-month international field placement will provide a deeper understanding of these issues, equipping fellows to lead organizations into a vibrant and sustainable future. Alumni of the Fellows Program will join the prestigious Society of Fellows, a global network of public garden professionals.

“Our founder, Pierre S. du Pont, was a visionary business leader and had a desire to establish a school where students would receive education in the art of horticulture,” Paul B. Redman, executive director of Longwood Gardens, said in the release. “Since 1967, thousands of students from all over the world have participated in our education programs and have gone on to leadership roles in many of the world’s top horticultural institutions. This new Fellows Program carries with it the legacy of its beginnings, with a consciousness of the fast-growing demands on leaders in our industry.”

Longwood worked collaboratively with the world’s leading horticulture and education professionals to create the framework for the program, and has appointed Tamara C. Fleming as its director. Fleming served previously as director of the Center for Leadership Excellence, which she helped to establish in 2012 at the University of Virginia, where she had also been the learning and development manager for the university. Fleming earned a doctorate in Human and Organizational Learning from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree in English from George Mason University.

Applications for the Longwood Fellows Program will be available on Aug. 1 and are due Nov. 1. The program will begin in June 2017. It is open to global professionals who hold a bachelor’s degree and possess a strong desire to lead in a public horticulture environment. Master’s and doctoral candidates from domestic and international universities, and those who may be transitioning between careers are welcome to apply. To learn more, visit www.longwoodgardens.org/longwood-fellows.

Longwood Gardens is one of the world’s great horticultural displays, encompassing 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, meadows, fountains, a 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ and a 4.5-acre conservatory. Longwood continues the mission set forth by founder Pierre S. du Pont to inspire people through excellence in garden design, horticulture, education, and the arts. For more information, visit www.longwoodgardens.org.

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Training tailored to those devoted to nature

Local News

Pennsylvania Master Naturalist, a statewide initiative that aims to connect people with their local ecosystems through intensive natural science training and local conservation service work, is partnering again with The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County.

A training program that begins on Aug. 16 will prepare citizens to become volunteer leaders in their communities through natural resource conservation education, citizen science, and stewardship, said a conservancy press release. The conservancy previously offered the opportunity in 2012, 2013, and 2p14.

A Pennsylvania Master Naturalist is an individual with a passion for the natural world who participates in an intensive training program and uses his or her knowledge by giving back to the community through volunteer service. This year-round program has three components: an initial volunteer training course, volunteer service hours, and advanced training classes, the release said.

Once accepted into the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist program, participants begin by attending sessions that include 55 hours of classroom work (weekday evenings) and field sessions (on Saturdays) in natural history, natural sciences, biodiversity, and nature interpretation.

Service hours give participants an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned during the training. Master Naturalist volunteers design and pursue a wide variety of service projects from habitat restoration and native plantings, to nature walks and interpretative displays or publications on natural history, to water quality monitoring and supporting the natural resource conservation efforts of partnering organizations.

Since continuing education is an important part of a naturalist’s life, a certain number of credit hours are required each year on specialized topics.

Adults interested in deepening their knowledge of and connection to the natural world and the local conservation community through natural science education and volunteer service are encouraged to apply. The registration deadline is June 30, and the cost for the program remains at the early-bird price of $325, officials said.

The initial training at The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County will begin on Aug. 16 and run through Nov. 1. The finalized training schedule along with the application and information about training can be found on Pennsylvania Master Naturalist’s website at https://pamasternaturalist.org/become_a_master_naturalist/training-details/

For additional information or questions, please contact Ellyn Nolt at progcoord@pamasternaturalist.org or 717-368-4899.