For his work to preserve funding for an emergency animal protection program, Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160, received the Pennsylvania Legislator of the Year award from the American Kennel Club and the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs.
“While there are many organizations and groups that work to help people during extreme weather and other emergencies, pets and farm animals are too often an afterthought,” Barrar said. “Thanks to the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team, Pennsylvanians will not be burdened with the loss of a pet or production animal while facing the tragedy of evacuation.”
In the past few years, the state animal rescue team did not have sufficient resources to fund its activities – despite private donations from the state dog club federation, its member organizations and foundation run by commercial interests and private organizations.
After meeting with representatives of the club and rescue team to discuss the program’s value and what would be necessary to keep it going, Barrar advocated on behalf of the rescue team’s financial needs. Ultimately, funding was included in the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s budget.
“I commend PASART and the many important groups that work cooperatively to advance this mission. It is quite an honor to be recognized with this award, and I look forward to working together in the future to serve Commonwealth citizens and their animals.”
Following the tremendous success of the Chester County Studio Tour that is held every spring, Delaware County now has its very first Delaware County Studio Tour this Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Studio Tours were created by artist Jeff Schaller to promote regional art by presenting a brought variety of original art works by local artists, in the inspiring setting of the artist’s studio.
This weekend, visitors will have the opportunity to visit 17 studios, many of which will also host other visiting artists. Most every artistic medium is represented, including: painting, sculpture, jewelry, photography, clay, glass, paper and fiber. In all, 45 artists will be showing and selling their original art work over this very special weekend for art in Delaware County.
Visitors are encouraged to design their own self-guided tour of the art studios with the catalogue and map, which can be downloaded from www.DelawareCountyStudioTour.com. Additionally, the printed catalogues will be available at the studios the week of the tour and at local businesses around Delaware County..
All of the artists will be on hand to talk about their work and meet buyers and browsers alike. Whether this is your first time buying art or you are a seasoned collector, this tour has something for everyone, in a wide range of mediums and prices.
Try to get up early to get to your favorite artist studio so that you can purchase the “County Collector” piece. The “County Collector Series”, well-known from the Chester County Studio Tour, is an opportunity to collect an original framed 6” x 6” piece of art for the special pricing of $75. Two-dimensional artists have created an original work of art in a simple and elegant 6” x 6” frame, and three-dimensional artists have also created special pieces for this Collector Series. A photo of each work in this series is included in the event catalogue, and may also be seen currently on the website.
One of the great artists in the tour is painter Alan Soffer, who recently has a solo show at Church Street Gallery in West Chester. Soffer’s art studio is open to the public at 2 Blackhorn Road in Wallingford, and ceramic artist Mitch Lyons will be at that location as well. Offer says that he will be showing a very broad range of his work, encaustic paintings, figurative work, ceramics, and more experimental pieces including solar prints.
Lacunae by Alan Soffer
He says that he “loves doing an open studio show” and that he “can have all kinds of work from past to present which I rarely show in galleries.” He explains that his studio “is probably more cluttered than most as it is in constant motion,” but isn’t that part of the fun of a studio tour? See the artwork, meet the artists, and get a sense of the artistic process, inspiration and fun that goes into creating a piece of art.
Also on the map are six of the fine art galleries and art associations in Delaware County. This is an excellent opportunity to check out The Main Line Art Center , The Beauty Art Gallery, Community Art Center, Art on the Avenue of the Stars and the Wayne Art Center. The Main Line Art Center, located at 746 Panmure Road in Haverford, will be exhibiting “Panorama 2016, Enlightened Earth” in October, which “investigates the delicate imbalance of nature, technology, and humanity through photography and digital media.” This show features works by Mark Dorf, Julianna Foster, and Nick Pedersen, curated by new Executive Director Amie Potsic.
A crisp fall evening offers the perfect time to get out with the family to enjoy music, pageantry, and fun, and Unionville High School has just the opportunity.
The Unionville High School marching band will perform in exhibition after the other 11 bands have completed their shows.
On Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016 from 6 to 10 p.m., the school will present “March on the Brandywine,” a marching band competition featuring the area’s best high school musicians and color guard squads in friendly competition. Area residents are encouraged to attend, said a band press release.
Described as “one exciting halftime show after another,” the event includes judges from the Cavalcade of Bands, Inc. who will rate the precision, creativity, musicality and complexity of the performances. The 11 participating high schools are: Bridgeton, Cumberland Regional, Haverford, West Chester East, Sun Valley, Garnet Valley, Mount Pleasant, Pennwood, Kennett, Marple-Newtown, and Upper Darby.
Unionville High’s color guard performs during the ‘Tribal Voices’ show.
When the competing bands are finished, the Unionville High School Marching Band will treat the audience to a performance of its 2016 show, “Tribal Voices.”
Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and free for ages 5 and under. Food, including Unionville’s famous hand-cut, fresh – never frozen! – band fries, will be available for purchase, along with programs and music-related items.
For more information, including a list of each school’s performance time, click here . Unionville High is located at 750 Unionville Road in Kennett Square, and the event will be held rain or shine.
The Cavalcade of Bands Association is a regional circuit that brings together student musicians from across the mid-Atlantic region in Saturday competitions during the fall. Bands are divided into categories based on their size and are judged in the following categories: music, visual, overall effect, drum major, auxiliary (color guard) and percussion. All bands are given a final score and awards are distributed at the end of all performances. At the end of the season, a championship competition is held in Hershey.
The PennDOT Office of Public-Private Partnerships (P3) announced that it is accepting unsolicited proposals for transportation projects from the private sector through Oct. 31.
The submission period applies to PennDOT-owned projects and infrastructure. During this period, the private sector can submit proposals offering innovative ways to deliver transportation projects across a variety of modes, including roads, bridges, rail, aviation and ports. Proposals can also include more efficient models to manage existing transportation-related services and programs, according to a PennDOT press release.
The private sector may also submit applications for non-PennDOT-owned assets directly to the P3 board during this time. Transportation entities outside of the governor’s jurisdiction, such as transit authorities, may establish their own timelines or accept proposals year-round.
Unsolicited proposals are being accepted through 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31. Instructions on how to submit a project and information on the unsolicited proposal review process can be found on the state’s P3 website, www.P3forPA.com.
The state’s P3 law allows PennDOT and other transportation authorities and commissions to partner with private companies to participate in delivering, maintaining and financing transportation-related projects.
As part of the P3 law, the seven-member Public Private Transportation Partnership Board was appointed to examine and approve potential public-private transportation projects. If the board determines a state operation would be more cost-effectively administered by a private company, the company will be authorized to submit a proposal and enter into a contract to either completely or partially take over that operation for a defined period of time.
The next unsolicited proposal period will occur in May 2017.
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.
A Boston Globe critic called her contralto voice one “for the gods that can transport listeners to other realms,” and the Portland Press called her ‘soul-permeating.”
Mary Fahl will perform at The Kennett Flash on Saturday, Oct. 15.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, Kennett area residents will be able to make their own assessment as Mary Fahl, formerly of The October Project, returns to The Kennett Flash.
The expressive, emotional singer-songwriter first achieved fame as lead singer and co-founder of the mid-1990s Manhattan-based chamber-pop group October Project. Fahl created awe-inspiring power vocals over gorgeous melodies played with passion and sophistication, said a Flash press release.
As a solo artist, Fahl has released several compelling albums, including a re-working of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of The Moon” for V2 Records and the original album “The Other Side of Time” on Sony Odyssey. She has also written and performed songs for several major motion pictures, including the lead song (“Going Home”) for the Civil War epic “Gods and Generals,” the release said.
Her most recent album, “Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House,” won the Indie Acoustic Album of the Year award. It a collection of 24 tracks recorded live at one of America’s oldest vaudeville theaters. The show was filmed for PBS and is currently airing on PBS affiliates around the country.
To watch Fahl perform “Gravity” from the album “Love & Gravity – Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House,” click here.
Tickets are $30 and are available at www.kennettflash.org. Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show. BYOB is permitted for $4 at the door (beer and wine only), and dinner service is available from La Verona. The Kennett Flash is located at 102 Sycamore Alley in Kennett Square. Call 484-732-8295 for more information.
