Horses vault the stone wall at last year’s Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point.
With spring in Chester County comes the local fox hunting tradition and point-to-point races, where Brandywine Hills stands out for its more intimate, kid-friendly event.
The Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point will take place on Sunday, April 5, at the Myrick Center in Pocopson Township. An expanded slate of activities for youth includes metal pounding with renowned jewelry artist, Hattie Weselyk, a “pennies in the hay” game, Lenape Indian lore activities, mural painting, a photo station, and more.
A smaller venue makes it easier to get to the various event elements, connect with neighbors, and keep track of the youngsters. But the intimate setting doesn’t mean inferior racing, as many of the horses use the competition as a preparation for the ultimate race, the Maryland Cup.
Gates open at 11 a.m., adult races start at noon and traverse 318-acres of stunning Chester County scenery vaulting as many as 17 jumps on the course. During a break around 1 p.m., there is a parade of the Radnor Hunt Club’s hounds, always a crowd-pleaser. During the day, younger riders compete in pony races and stick pony races for kids as young as three.
Local resident, Kara Bovard describes the event, “The Point-to-Point is the first outdoor event of the year signaling spring has arrived! The excitement of the races, socializing with our neighbors and spending time at one of our favorite places (Myrick Center), is so much fun.”
This point-to-point is the oldest in the Delaware Valley, and proceeds benefit the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance environmental education and watershed conservation programs. Preferred parking near the finish line costs $50, and general admission parking is $20 per car. Refreshments are available for sale from Saloon 151 and visitors are encouraged to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win artwork by Bill Ewing, trips to Ireland and St. Maarten, and box seat tickets to the Devon Horse Show.
In a nondescript industrial park in Wilmington an altruistic project is quietly building momentum that’s related to both art and the environment. Eco Plastic Products of Delaware, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, diverts plastic waste away from landfills while educating the public on the importance of recycling. The organization works with local schools and New Castle County in providing memorial benches for county parks. Other items made include picnic tables, bicycle racks and sandboxes.
All of these products are made from recycled plastic and the entire process takes place on site. It includes putting collected plastic bags, bottles and caps through several machines to melt the plastic. It’s then dyed various colors and put into molds to create colorful, artistic products.
Benches at Eco Plastic of DE
The company was founded in 2018 by Charlie Falletta and Jim Kelley. Falletta and Kelley had previously worked together in the solar industry and have always had a common interest in supporting environmental causes. They reconnected and decided to start this unique nonprofit to make a more positive impact on the environment. Eco Plastic has donated benches to Habitat for Humanity, The Sierra Club, Chester County Art Association, Tower Hill School and Smyrna Middle School to name just a few organizations. Local schools make field trips to the plant and learn about responsible recycling and more. Kelley said they also give second chances by providing work to people who were previously convicted. But that’s not all there is to the story.
Requiem for a Rainforest by Leo D’Odd at Studio 18
In addition to the primary business, manufacturer and artist Leo D’Odd, who transforms post-consumer plastic into meaningful sculptures, is launching a series of art exhibitions on the premises in a gallery space dubbed Studio 18.
The first exhibition titled “Requiem for a Rainforest” opens this Thursday, March 5th. The show features D’Odd, Jenny Rice, Cassandra Hosler and Amanda Adams.
Adams is showing thoughtful paintings of children while Hosler included eye catching abstract paintings. Rice is exhibiting still life and seascape paintings and D’Odd has hung several of his wildly unique plastic sculptures. Eco Plastic Products of Delaware and Studio 18 is located on 18 Germay Drive in Wilmington. The opening reception is March 5th from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The show will run through May. D’Odd is planning on hosting four shows a year and is interested in connecting with collectives like “Trashy Women” and “Dumpster Divas” groups also focused on re-purposing discarded trash into works of art. For more information about Studio 18 visit: https://www.studio18ecop.com/the-art-gallery.
Brandywine by Amanda Adams at Studio 18
Station Gallery in Greenville, DE is kicking off March with a group show featuring Rosemary Castiglioni, Jim Gears and Kim Hoecsht. Castiglioni, teaches drawing and painting at Rowan University and has exhibited her work in national venues. Her still life paintings explore subtle forms and colors of objects. Gears, a plein air painter and lifelong resident of Chester County, wants to preserve the beauty of the County through his art for future generations. Hoechst began studying art in 2006 when she left behind an established marketing career. Working from her studio at Spring City Mill Studios in northern Chester County, she strives to capture how the play of light and shadow makes things she encounters in everyday life interesting. The opening reception is on Friday, March 6th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The show continues through March 28th. Visit http://www.stationgallery.net/UpcomingEvents.htm for more details.
In Exton, Susan Curtin is the featured artist at Chester County Art Association’s (CCAA) Exton Square Studio Gallery. Curtin, a popular instructor at CCAA, is showing her bold paintings of barn animals along with some illuminating pointillist paintings. The show opens on Sunday, March 1st and a reception will be held on Saturday, March 8th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Gallery is located in the Exton Square Mall on first floor, next to Boscov’s.
Echoing Gold by Susan Curtin at CCAA Exton
Other events to check out this week: Popular local artist Lynnette Shelley has a solo exhibition this month at The Gallery at Community Music School in Trappe, PA. The opening reception is on Saturday March 7th from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
In Philadelphia, the 15th Anniversary “Small Favors” Exhibition opens at The Clay Studio with a preview party on Thursday, March 5th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Old City. Every piece on display must fit into a four inch cube which makes for a really interesting display. Historically, the show was reserved for ceramics only but this year it was opened up to mixed media.
And finally, save the date: the popular Chadds Ford Art Sale & Show featuring works by over 65 professional artists from the Brandywine Valley is coming up on March 20th and 21st, 2020. More on this next week.
A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.
Otto’s BMW can move forward with plans to replace a row of 21 standard parking spaces with a bank of 19 two-tiered parking racks. Birmingham Township supervisors voted 3-0 Monday night to grant conditional use approval for the project. Supervisors held a hearing on the matter last month.
The current 21 standard spaces — used for employee parking — are against a retaining wall at the rear of the building. They can be moved to the side of the building without needing to add more room, according to testimony from last month.
The double-stack units are 15 feet long and slightly wider than a regular parking space. But the units will give the dealership a net gain of 17 parking spaces that would be for inventory, according to Otto’s Michael Vadasz.
Other business
Supervisors voted to raise sewer rates, bringing the quarterly sewer fee to $165.
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.
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.
