March 2022

An estimated 700 volunteers showed up for the cleanup of the Red Clay Creek area in Pennsylvania and Delaware. There were three staging areas for the volunteers, one at the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, another at the Kennett YMCA outdoor swimming pool, and the third at Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett Square.

The Brandywine Red Clay Alliance organized the cleanup. Alliance Executive Director Jim Jordan said 600 people preregistered, but at least 100 more showed up early Saturday, March 26, the cleanup day.

“Today is about cleaning up the environment,” Jordan said. “Everyone wants to know what they can do to help the environment, to help their environment locally. And the Red Clay Valley Cleanup is a big part of that.”

That entails a lot of people with little experience picking up trash along the waterways and the adjacent roads. Removing trash from roadways along the creek is important because “What gets thrown out along the road, it ends up in the stream.”

Jordan said that among the hundreds of volunteers are school groups, National Honor Society members, environmental groups, Cub Scouts, and just everyday people who want to keep the area clean.

There’s an educational aspect to the event, and that education stays with people.

“Children are learning the importance of not littering. That’s a great thing. We had people come today who have been doing this for 20 years, since they were 4 or 5 years old, and we see them bringing their kids,” Jordan said.

The Red Clay Creek runs roughly 19 miles from the Kennett Square area in Pennsylvania to Stanton, Del., at the confluence of the Red and White Clay creeks. Kennett has two stream heads, with one part of the Red Clay beginning near Longwood Gardens and the other in the Unionville area. Their confluence, Jordan said, is at the Marshall Bridge on Route 82 in Kennett Township. It flows down through Yorklyn and Ashland, then under Kirkwood Highway and down into Stanton.

Other road and creek cleanups are scheduled for April. The Brandywine Conservancy has a Brandywine Creek cleanup scheduled for Saturday, April 23, and the Chadds Ford Residence Association has a road cleanup set for the same day, April 23.

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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Poppies anyone? The rare Himalayan blue poppies are now at Longwood Gardens, and they’re only available for a short time — 10-14 days. The poppies are in the Orangery of Longwood’s Conservatory. It’s a once-a-year event. Plan your visit here.

Seven branches of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine, a nonprofit association of YMCAs serving Chester County, are hosting Summer Camp Open House Celebrations from Friday, March 25 through Sunday, March 27. The Kennett Y’s open house is this Saturday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Chadds Ford Historical Society has a new podcast, Saving the John Chads House. It’s the latest from the society’s Oral History Project that includes memories of the volunteers. Go here to hear the last seven podcasts, including one on Hank’s Place.

The Chester County History Center is offering a new virtual history lecture from 7-8 p.m. on March 30. The subject is Female Death Workers: A History of Death Care in Pennsylvania. Before the modern funeral industry, care for the dying and the dead fell to female relatives, neighbors, and women who offered their services for pay. This presentation will consider how women’s responsibilities caring for the dying and the dead changed because of the Civil War and industrialization. The event is pay-as-you-wish, but registration is required.

Delaware Theatre Company announces The Nanny star Renée Taylor coming to DTC in My Life on A Diet. The one-woman show, written by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna, and originally directed by Bologna, runs April 6-17. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $29 for adults and $20 for students, and can be purchased online at delawaretheatre.org or by calling the box office at 302-594-1100.

The Hagley Museum has changed its spring hours on April 1. New hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last admission at 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and $6 for kids 6-14 years of age. Admission is free for kids younger than 6, active military (with ID), and Hagley members. To visit, use the library entrance at 298 Buck Road, Wilmington, because the main entrance is temporarily closed.

About CFLive Staff

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