Edwin J. (Hap) Hoffman Jr., 73, of Landenberg, died Tuesday, July 12, at the Christiana Hospital in Newark. He was the husband of Joan Pasqua Hoffman, with whom he shared 52 years of marriage.
He was born on June 12, 1943 in Pottsville, to the late Edwin J. Hoffman, Sr. and Doris White Hoffman.
He was a 1961 graduate of Pottsville High School. He was employed at Hewlett Packard for 34 years until 2001. He then became a bailiff at the Chester County Courthouse.
Hap loved his family. He enjoyed spending time with them. His three granddaughters held a special place in his heart. Hap also loved participating in and watching sports. He especially enjoyed watching football and was an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan. He coached high school girl’s basketball and softball for the Kennett School District. One of his biggest accomplishments was leading the girl’s basketball team to three district championships. He also brought flag football to the Kennett area in the 1970s.
In addition to his wife he is survived by two sons, Ed Hoffman and his wife Debbie of Maytown, and Scott Hoffman of Kennett, Square; three granddaughters Taylor, Mollie, and Lauren of Maytown; a sister Ruth Devlin of Pottsville, and nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his sister Gertrude Hoffman and by a grandson, Matthew.
In keeping with Hap’s wishes, there will be no funeral services.
The Topiary Garden comes to life during the 2015 debut of Nightscape at Longwood.
Although many who saw the multi-sensory “Nightscape: A Light and Sound Experience” last summer at Longwood Gardens struggled to describe it, they didn’t hesitate to recommend it.
This year’s Nightscape display will add a water lily installment.
The innovative combination of light, sound, imagery, and music created by Klip Collective of Philadelphia will return to Longwood with new installations and more striking effects on Wednesday, Aug. 3. It will run through Saturday, Oct. 29.
“We are thrilled to bring Nightscape back for our guests,” Paul B. Redman, Longwood’s executive director, said in a press release. “The addition of new, imaginative installations means that whether you have never seen Nightscape, or if you have seen it many times before, there is something new for everyone to enjoy.”
Popular installations, including the imaginative Topiary Garden, enchanting Large Lake, and the colorful geometry of the Silver Garden, are returning. New installations include the Exhibition Hall in the Conservatory featuring a kaleidoscope of light and sound, the Mediterranean Garden lit by colorful blue and green hues that enhance the lush plantings, and the Waterlily Display with elements of light reaching out from the depths of the water lily pools while the bold, flat surfaces of Victoria water platters serve as the canvas, the release said.
Music will become an even more central feature of the Nightscape experience with light and sound more closely synchronized – each seamlessly intertwined with the other to create a deeper, more immersive experience. Klip Collective worked with a team of technicians, composers, and musicians to create a new soundtrack. Strains of Bach, Brahms, and Debussy, performed by musicians from the Philadelphia area, add a more traditional flavor to last year’s fully synthesized score.
Marc Silver will return to the Beer Garden with performances on Aug. 25, Sept. 29, and Oct. 13.
The spirit and creative music of Nightscape will now be available to take home with the release of the soundtrack in a limited-edition vinyl record as well as a digital version. The digital version will include all music from the 2015 and 2016 display, and will be available for download and streaming at all major online music outlets. The vinyl record will include selected music from both years and a digital download card for the full soundtrack. The record will be available at The Garden Shop at Longwood Gardens, and online at Amazon and Bandcamp starting on Aug. 3, the release said.
Nightscape will be on view from Aug, 3 through Oct. 29, Wednesday through Saturday evenings from 6 to 11 p.m. Many nights are expected to sell out again since Longwood limits the number sold to keep the exhibit from getting too crowded. The gardens open at 9 a.m.; however, because the exhibit requires darkness, optimal viewing of Nightscape in August starts at 9 p.m., in September at 8 p.m., and in October at 7 p.m. The gardens will stay open until 11 p.m. Admission is $27 for adults (ages 19 and up); $17 for students (ages 5 to 18); and free for ages 4 and under.
For members, tickets are free; however, they need to make advance reservations to obtain them, Chimes Tower members and those included in their membership level do not require reservations. For more information, visit http://longwoodgardens.org/nightscape.
The Nightscape installation at Longwood’s Large Lake will return.
During Nightscape, the Longwood Beer Garden will be open Wednesday through Saturday evenings from 6 to 10:30 p.m., featuring food, wine and signature beers crafted by Victory Brewing Company with ingredients from Longwood Gardens. On Sept. 21, at 7 p.m., guests can learn about the brewing process during “Gardens on Tap: Meet the Brewer,” featuring a panel discussion with Longwood and Victory staff. On Thursdays, live music will be performed in the Beer Garden from 6 to 9 p.m.
A number of other special events are also planned, including an Artist & Friends Nightscape Speaker Series at 7 p.m. on Aug. 12, Sept. 9, and Oct. 7. Panel discussions will include Nightscape creator Ricardo Rivera and an engaging panel of urban technologists and artists. They will discuss cutting-edge topics inspired by the technology, art, music, and design of Nightscape in a series of informative lectures.
Longwood Gardens dates back to 1906, when industrialist Pierre S. du Pont purchased a small farm near Kennett Square to save a collection of historic trees from being sold for lumber. Today, it 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 4.5-acre conservatory. Longwood is located on Route 1 near Kennett Square. For more information, visit longwoodgardens.org or call 610-388-1000.
Freedom is a priceless but also dangerous thing. A few weeks ago we celebrated 240 years of freedom from British rule. Less than a month ago Great Britain voted to be free from the European Union. Freedom is contagious. After the Brexit vote, many other countries in the European Union began discussions to host their own referendum on European membership and here in America, Texan secessionist began pushing even harder for what is called a “Texit.”
With freedom comes great responsibility and also some scary dangers. We saw immediately after the Brexit vote that the markets around the world tanked and investors lost billions. Freedom and independence is a risky business. But some risks are worth taking, as we saw with the Brexit vote and as the United States understood, but still decided to face, when the Deceleration of Independence was signed in 1776.
I am an American and I love my freedom. I am so thankful for the men and women who fought to gift us this freedom and the many more throughout these 240 years who have given their all to protect our freedom. Even more than an American I am a Christian. Jesus Christ died on a cross so that I might be free in Him, free from the bondage to sin. Jesus, being the Truth, has set me free forever. I love freedom and I sure love Jesus Christ.
America has provided an essential freedom and that is the freedom of religion. The very first amendment to the US Constitution establishes this freedom. Our freedom of religion is one thing that has set us apart from many other nations and was one of the driving forces of the Pilgrims who came to America. We must always be grateful for this freedom and defend it with our own very lives. If we were to lose this freedom, we lose all other freedoms.
Unfortunately, American Christianity is in grave danger today. The majority of Christians at one time in America pretty much agreed that their authority for life, faith, and practice was the Bible; the Word of God. God says in speaking through the Apostle Paul, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof for correction and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Every word in the Bible from “In” (Genesis 1:1) to “Amen” (Revelation 22:21) is “breathed out by God” and “profitable” for everything.
The danger today is that many Christians no longer hold to scripture being the very words of God breathed out by Him. Christians today cut and paste from the Bible that which benefits their views and thus have watered down the Word of God and also rejected God’s authority over them. These Christians have stated that they have the freedom to do as they please with the Word of God. This is not the case at all. Most disappointing to me are certain Baptists in America.
Baptists historically have held to a concept called “Soul Liberty.” This term originally applied to how Baptist practiced their faith. Today, the term “soul liberty” has been used to justify and defend a multitude of theological views, many of which have no foundation in scripture. The argument from many Baptists is that they have the “liberty” for their “soul” to choose which portions of scripture are authoritative and which ones are suggestive. This has led to a complete secularization of many Baptist Churches including a Baptist Church in Washington DC which ordained the first transgendered pastor.
As a Christian, American and a Baptist pastor, I am extremely sad about the condition of the main stream Baptist Church. I am concerned about the low and non-authoritative view of scripture among historic main line Christian denominations in America. Many Protestant Christians have forgotten that one of the goals of the Reformation was to reestablish the Word of God as the sole authority for a Christian’s life, faith and practice.
Martin Luther, father of the Reformation, said this about scripture: “I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”
I agree with Martin Luther and I would add that the more Christians move away from the Word of God being their authority, the more dangerous it will become for them and by extension the safety and freedom of America is also at stake.
In the words of George Washington, “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”
America continues to systematically remove references to God from the public arena and now Christians themselves are removing the Bible from the church. If this continues we will not be able to rightly govern this nation nor will we have a free nation much longer.
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.
