March 2022 - Page 6 of 8 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Around Town March 10

BRM — It will be pie on Pi Day — March 14, 3.14 — for the price of pi at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

• The Brandywine River Museum is offering pie at pi prices on “Pi Day,” March 14 (3.14). Pi is the mathematical constant 3.14, and the price of a slice of pie at the museum’s café will be $3.14 that day. This also coincides with the final month of the exhibit, Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings. Thiebaud is famous for his pop art paintings of pies.

• Attention Chadds Ford Township high school seniors. The Chadds Ford Township Residents Association is accepting applications for its annual $1500 scholarship. The application deadline is April 9, 2022. The applicant must live in Chadds Ford Township, be a high school senior, must have been accepted into a post-secondary educational program, and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. The applicants shall apply on their own behalf. The application form, as provided by the Residents Association, shall be received by April 9, of the current academic year. See full application and submission details on their website at cftra.org

The Chester County History Center will be reminding people not to forget the ladies on March 19.

• In early America, women were all too often the people who just weren’t there: not in the records, not in the censuses, not on juries, not in the voting booth. Now, Chester County History Center is offering a virtual class, “Don’t Forget the Ladies”: A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law. The class is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, beginning at 10 a.m. It’s a free class for members $q10 for non-members. Click here for tickets.

• COSA, The Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging, in collaboration with Crozer Health is offering the evidence-based Healthy Steps program virtually for those 60 and older living in Pennsylvania. This program helps reduce fall risk by helping participants address fears while educating and equipping them with the right tools to make a difference in their lives. The Healthy Steps program will be held virtually on Zoom 1-3 p.m. Thursday, March 31, and Friday, April 1. All program costs including the Healthy Steps workbook are covered by COSA, so the program is free. However, class size is limited, and registration is required. To register, contact Ellen Williams at williamse@co.delaware.pa.us or call 610-499-1937. When calling, please provide your name, address, phone number, and email address.

• Legendary composer and conductor John Williams will join violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and The Philadelphia Orchestra on the Verizon Hall stage at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, April 19, at 8 p.m. Mutter will perform Williams’s Violin Concerto No. 2, a piece created especially for her. This special one-night-only event will also feature Williams leading the orchestra and Mutter in some of his most cherished works, including “Flight to Neverland” from Hook, selections from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and “Throne Room and Finale” from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as well as selections of some of Williams’s beloved film themes specially adapted for Mutter for their 2019 album Across the Stars. For more information and tickets, call 215.893.3140 or visit www.philorch.org/constellations.

Wrecking crews tear down the former Farmers’ Road restaurant in Painter Crossing shopping center. In addition, the old Arby’s and the original El Gran Rodeo building have also been torn down.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Around Town March 10 Read More »

Kennett Symphony reimagines Stravinsky

Arts & Entertainment, Chadds-Ford

It’s been an exciting time for Kennett Symphony Music Director Michael Hall. After two years of not being able to perform because of COVID, the orchestra got back on stage in January.

“It was great,” he said. “The feelings were positive, and the audience was receptive. People said it was great to have live music again.”

Now Hall and 25-30 of his orchestra members are gearing up for what can be termed “edutainment.” A performance that will entertain and educate at the same time, billed as a ‘Reimagined Symphony.’

The less formal and short one-hour-long concert will feature Pergolesi’s Olimpiade, and Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite with some educational commentary by Hall.

The reimagined concerts are “a different type of concert,” he said. “It’s a concert experience that we think is a little out of the norm.”

Hall said it would be more informal and relaxed. It’s a shorter concert than normal, only an hour-long, snacks and beverages are available, and the audience sits around the orchestra, similar to theater in the round. In this case, music in the round. And it will be in the ballroom at the Mendenhall Inn instead of a more typical venue.

“Everything is different. We want to make it a concert where people who may not know if they want to go to a concert or are not sure what to expect, that it’s something very easy to take,” he said.

The educational aspect of the concert is that Hall breaks down the masterwork and discusses it with the audience.

“I talk about the piece, talk about what to expect when you hear it. We’ll play musical examples. So, for an audience member who doesn’t know anything about the piece, I will point them in certain directions [so they’ll know why a certain part is so interesting.] … That opens up their ears a little bit … We’re opening up the door, letting them in to see how interesting and fascinating these pieces of music are.”

As Hall said in a previous interview, the reimagined concerts help people know how the music is put together and, he hopes, get them to understand it and love it.

The cost for the 1 p.m. Sunday, March 19 concert is $50, but Hall said that also includes your first drink. He jokingly referred to the event as “Stravinsky and Stoli.”

Masking at Mendenhall is optional.

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.

Kennett Symphony reimagines Stravinsky Read More »

Periodic closing of Heyburn Road

Local News Chadds Ford, Local News

Information regarding the gas line installation on Heyburn Road has been updated. Instead of just alternating lane closures while the work is being done, now the whole street will be faced with periodic closing. This could last for another week, according to a release from the township.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Periodic closing of Heyburn Road Read More »

A coat of arms for Kennett Twp.

Local News Kennett, Local News

coat-of-arms_edit — Kennett Township residents have a choice in which coat of arms they'd like to see for the township.

Kennett Township residents can vote on a shield and coat of arms for the township between now and March 15.

Send an email to Kennett.twp@kennett.pa.us to vote for one of four options, which can be found on the township website and Facebook page and will be discussed at their March 16 meeting.

The township is asking residents to vote on two things: the shield design, and the two colors used in the shield.

“We have been given, free of charge, advice on a heraldic design by the president of the American Heraldry Society and the Windsor Herald at the Royal College of Arms in London,” according to a press release. “The latter is responsible for American heraldry when requested.”

Supervisor Geoff Gamble first raised the idea at the Jan. 19, supervisors’ meeting, saying at the time, “A new symbol would represent a new change for Kennett Township.”

Gamble said most counties have seals or coats of arms.

“The current logo of Kennett Township is more in the nature of a letterhead than a proper symbol,” according to Gamble. “I suggest that it is time for the adoption of coat of arms and seal for the township to mark our history, our progress, and our future.”

Sycamores are prominent in each of the four designs.

“This tree is found all over the township, and there is a large sycamore in front of the township building,” according to the press release. “In colonial times these trees were planted along streams and creeks as a sign of drinkable water. Their descendants are still to be seen today along the Red Clay.”

About Monica Fragale

Monica Thompson Fragale is a freelance reporter who spent her life dreaming of being in the newspaper business. That dream came true after college when she started working at The Kennett Paper and, years later The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale and other dailies. She turned to non-profit work after her first daughter was born and spent the next 13 years in that field. But while you can take the girl out of journalism, you can’t take journalism out of the girl. Offers to freelance sparked the writing bug again started her fingers happily tapping away on the keyboard. Monica lives with her husband and two children in Kennett Square.

A coat of arms for Kennett Twp. Read More »

New perspectives on familiar landscapes

Arts & Entertainment

Gallery 222 - Clearing the Pond by Bill Sweeney — Clearing the Pond by Bill Sweeney

There truly is an endless source of inspiration to be found in the gorgeous vistas of the Brandywine Valley. Beloved by artists for centuries for the soft rolling hills, hidden ponds, and enticing trails, the area continues to create beauty, both in person and reflected via art. Nowhere can that be found more this month than at the new exhibit at Gallery 222 in Malvern. The Rhoda Kahler & Bill Sweeney Show, which opens March 9^th and runs through April 2^nd, showcases the heritage of the Brandywine Tradition and how it continues to evolve.

Bill Sweeney is a popular name among local art lovers, and you don’t have to look far to find the inspiration for many of his works. “Almost all my paintings in the show are of Ring Farm in Chadds Ford,” Sweeney says. “These are among my favorites of the several dozen works I have painted there in recent years.” Ring Farm has been painted hundreds, if not thousands of times, by artists over the years, and Sweeney continues that legacy. “I find the sights, the smells, and the sounds of the farm very attractive. I enjoy the quiet, interrupted only by the sounds of birds or the winds through the high grasses or the occasional farm cat demanding a few seconds of attention.”

A drive down Ring Road is always a sight to behold—as long as there hasn’t been any heavy rain for a few days! But clear the low bridge and the sights unfold at every turn. As Sweeney eloquently puts it, “The shapes and values of the farm are just so interesting. The uncut and just-cut grasses, the hay bales, the wildflowers, or the stones in the wall in need of repair are disorganized, but there is an order within the randomness.” Sweeney notes that he sounds philosophical when talking about his inspiration. “The physicists call that chaos. That fascinates me.”

While Sweeney’s pastel landscapes are natural extensions of the classic Brandywine Tradition of art, Kahler finds inspiration in the same natural world but with very different results. Kahler is a ceramic sculptor and tile artist. In this show her pieces include stoneware and porcelain mounted on wood panels, then glazed in a painterly way. When asked about her inspiration, she notes, “Nature and the real world are always an inspiration for me. It could be either hiking on the trail, or walking in the city. There will always be a texture, or found object lying in front of me that will inspire me.”

Kahler’s approach to her work requires that inspired moment. “I create with a guttural instinct. I keep working in a series until I’ve ‘said’ what I needed to say, or expressed what I needed to feel.” Kahler has been sharing her process of inspiration and creation with fans and collectors beyond exhibitions using social media. For her favorite piece included in the show, “Juicy,” a large two-foot-square piece of porcelain-covered tile, she documented her step-by-step creation on Instagram @rhodakahlerstudio. “It was nice to share my process on social media and show both the physical and creative work that goes into each piece.” The work definitely paid off, as the vivid piece reminds viewers of both colorful sunsets and, as Kahler notes, something a bit more earthbound: “It has the delicious feeling of candy or, more specifically, sugary gum drops. You must see it in person to experience its sweet contemporary taste.”

Kahler and Sweeney both have collectors and appreciative audiences which go far and wide, but are excited to bring these pieces to local art lovers. As Kahler puts it, “There are so many wonderful artists [in Chester County] and its such a supportive group of both artists and collectors. We all tend to know each other and support each, either other on social media or attending shows or exhibitions, and I’m very grateful to be a part of this culture in Chester County.”

“We travel the world to see great art,” Kahler says. “The arts tell the stories and create culture and give memories to those who visit. Whether you are traveling to a remote village or city, anywhere in the world, look to the artists as the history tellers.” In a region with such a celebrated and rich history, the artists have certainly taken up this mantle. “The artists of Chester County tell its story and its history. Great artists in the past are celebrated. We must remember to support our local arts and preserve our culture.”

Sweeney notes a specific piece in the show as his favorite, which ties in to Kahler’s statement of local support. “Clearing the Pond” is a view toward the farmhouse from the far side of the pond on Ring Farm, the early sunlight breaking to show the colors of wetland and freshly cleared high grasses. “Perhaps the message I would like visitors to consider is how much beauty there is in the very simple yet ever-changing shapes and colors of nature as seen on a farm.”

Gallery 222 is located at 222 East King Street, Malvern, PA. A public Artist Reception for this show will be held on Thursday, March 10^th, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. More information can be found at Gallery222Malvern.com.

About Victoria Rose

Victoria Rose (she/her) is an editor, writer, avid reader, self-described geek, and fan of all things creative. Her passion for words has led to her current career as a freelance editor, and she is the owner of Flickering Words, an editing service. When not wielding a red pen (or cursor), she loves reading books of all genres, playing video, board, and word games, baking ridiculous creations to show off on the internet, or enjoying the gorgeous outdoors. She is a board member of the West Chester Film Festival and part of the Thirsty Monsters, a team of streamers from around the world who fundraise for various charities supporting LGBTQIA+ and accessibility rights. She can be found online @WordsFlickering or the Brandywine Art Guide @BrandywineArtGuide.

New perspectives on familiar landscapes Read More »

Police Log March 9: DUIs, drug busts

Police

Pennsylvania State Police

Avondale Barracks

Police said Brandon Vinson, 32, of Bensalem, was arrested for DUI on Jan. 9. Police didn’t release any other details other than the arrest was made at 2:08 a.m. on Route 1 at N. Walnut Road.

Kennett Square Police Department

Police said an arrest warrant for Andrew P. Booth, 56, of Mebane, N.C., was issued after he violated a protection from abuse order by contacting the victim via phone five different times within several minutes and has been an ongoing issue for approximately two years. The incident occurred on Feb. 28, at approximately 3:33 p.m., in the 200 block of West Cypress Street. Charges of criminal contempt of court were filed on March 1.

Rasheed Smith, 23, of New Castle, was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia, and other related charges after the vehicle he was the passenger in was stopped for the odor of marijuana and failing to maintain its lane of travel, a police report said. The incident occurred on Feb. 24, at approximately 9:01 p.m., in the 200 block of Center Street. Police said the vehicle operator, Justin Williams, gave officers consent to search the vehicle, which yielded a burnt marijuana cigarette in the driver’s side door and two firearms, one of which was reported as stolen by the Philadelphia Police Department. The firearms were not registered to either occupant of the vehicle. Once in custody, officers also located six bank cards in the names of other individuals in Smith’s wallet and marijuana “Raw” rolling papers inside of his jacket pocket. Rasheed Smith was transported to Central Booking at Chester County. Also arrested and charged was Justin Williams, 24, of Drexel Hill, police said.

Police said Abel Gabriel, 25, of Kennett Square, was arrested and charged with DUI and related traffic offenses after the vehicle he was operating was stopped for failing to maintain its lane of travel and failing to come to a complete stop at two posted stop signs. The incident occurred on Feb. 26, at approximately 9:36 p.m., in the 300 block of West Mulberry Street. After officers approached Gabriel, they observed indicators suggesting intoxication, and field sobriety tests showed impairment, they said. He was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI and submitted to a chemical test of his breath, resulting in a blood alcohol level of 0.179 percent. Gabriel was processed and later released at his residence pending the issuance of a summons.

Theo Ramirez-Tomas, 35, of Kennett Square, was arrested and charged with DUI and related charges after an officer saw that Ramirez-Tomas was stopped in the roadway, completely obstructing both lanes of travel. The incident occurred on Feb. 26, at approximately 2 a.m. in the 200 block of Ridge Avenue. Ramirez-Tomas was asleep in the vehicle, and officers said they detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverages emanating from inside the vehicle and his person. Standardized field sobriety tests indicated impairment, the report said, and a chemical test of his breath showed a blood alcohol level of 0.195 percent.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Police Log March 9: DUIs, drug busts Read More »

Oz comes to Concord

Along the Ford

_1JF0072-Oz-speaks — Dr. Mehmet Oz tells an audience in Concord Township: “The reason I’m running for the Senate, and the reason you should vote for me, is I’ve fought in the biggest playing fields there are. I know what it feels like, I can take a punch, and I know how to counter punch.”

Medical doctor, TV personality, and political hopeful Dr. Mehmet Oz was in Concord Township Tuesday as part of his campaign to run for the U.S. Senate. Oz wants to get on the Republican Party ballot for the May primary.

He told about 100 people in a meeting room at the Comfort Inn at Routes 1 & 202 that Republicans and Democrats speak different languages.

“Democrats care about caring; Republicans care about fixing things,” he said, adding that “Republicans need to stop bringing index cards to knife fights.”

He took a familiar conservative approach when talking about Democrats, calling them “woke warriors” who are taking over all the institutions.

“They firmly believe what they believe, but it’s not what I believe and not what conservatives embrace. So if we don’t show up and start protecting what’s happening in our schools, public institutions, and our arts and even what’s being believed in Washington, we’re not going to fix the problems.”

He said Washington keeps getting things wrong, but it’s the reason Washington gets it wrong that concerns him.

“Washington is getting it wrong because don’t agree with our values.”

Oz said he wants to run for the Senate because “America is in crisis. I’m a doctor. I run to the fire. That’s my instinct, my calling.”

He said he started his television show to let people know how much power they have regarding their own health but are kept ill-informed by big pharma and mainstream media. And that led to him fighting those who wield power.

“On television, I started talking about issues that got people uncomfortable. Organized medicine didn’t like it. Big Pharma got upset. I went to war with agri-chemical companies because they were being dishonest about pesticides. I went to war with big tech because they’re lying, claiming I was selling products that I wasn’t. I went to war with the government over arsenic in apple juice. … We won all those battles. I can be that bold, loud voice that Pennsylvania needs.”

Oz is not apologetic when it comes to his stance on issues. He opposed and still does oppose mandatory masking and vaccines. He said one of the worst things that happened was the silencing of doctors who were critical of the government’s handling of COVID.

“The government said things through a top-down authoritarian approach, which didn’t make us safer. The mandates did not help our country cope with COVID. [They] shut down debate, did not let people talk, and we now know that [Dr. Anthony] Fauci communicated with the media to take out respected leaders who had things to say. … By silencing any critics who had other opinions, it caused a crisis.”

He went on to say that doctors were taken out of the equation and not allowed to treat patients how they thought best. Anything out of the norm, such as Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin, were shot down. Doctors weren’t even allowed to study whether they were effective.

“They stopped the studying of these products so we couldn’t learn,” Oz said.

He said energy policy is also a problem because Washington is still getting things wrong.

The United States is “abandoning allies in Europe and empowering the Russians. So now we’re negotiating with the Iranians, the dictatorship there that is an existential threat to Israel, and the Venezuelans who aren’t good players just to get oil. We’re not freeing our own natural gas producers in Pennsylvania to go back to work.”

He added that getting natural gas producers back to work here in the U.S. is a national security issue and would help the economy.

“The reason I’m running for the Senate, and the reason you should vote for me, is I’ve fought in the biggest playing fields there are. I know what it feels like, I can take a punch, and I know how to counter punch.”

Oz said he’s a firm believer that life begins at conception and is pro-life. He also believes in term limits and said he would serve no more than two terms if elected.

Primary election day in Pennsylvania this year is May 17. Current Sen. Pat Toomey is not running for another term. Oz is one of 12 Republicans wanting the GOP nomination. There are 10 Democrats who want their party’s nomination.

About Rich Schwartzman

Oz comes to Concord Read More »

Daniel E. Gift of Landenberg

Obituaries

Daniel E. Gift, 66, of Landenberg, died Sunday, March 6, at Penn Hospice Rittenhouse in Philadelphia. He was the husband of Sonya Gift, with whom he shared 32 years of marriage. Born in Oceanside, Calif., he was a son of the late Charles “Bubby” Gift and the late Charlotte Peirson Gift.

Dan was a 1973 graduate of Avon Grove High school and Central Chester County Vo Tech where he learned the machine shop trade.

Dan lived for most of his life in Landenberg which played a major part in his being passionate about farming, fly fishing, and hunting. His strongest passion has always been mechanical. Most of his working life was as an auto mechanic but it extended beyond that. Anything from cars and trucks to tractors and lawnmowers to practically anything with a motor, Dan would work on. Even if it wasn’t running, he would make it work even if he had to make the parts himself.

Dan was a restless spirit, always needing to be doing something. Some of his other interests included woodworking (especially lathe turning), fly tying, sketching, and airbrush painting. Dan truly enjoyed gathering with family and friends, good conversations, and was always quick with a laugh and a joke.

In addition to his wife Sonya, he is survived by four children, Ruby Brison and her husband RJ of Landenberg, Daniel Gift of Texas, Angela Dalton and her husband Justin of North Carolina and David Gift and his wife Brittany of North Carolina; two brothers, Chris Gift and his wife Nancy of New London, and Jamie Gift and his wife Terry of Virginia; one sister, Cynthia Gift and four grandchildren.

You are invited to visit with Daniel’s family and friends from 10:30 to noon Friday, March 11, at New London Presbyterian Church (old church) 1986 Newark Rd, Lincoln University, PA 19352. His Life Celebration Service will follow at noon Interment will be in the adjoining cemetery. In lieu of flowers, go outside and appreciate nature, kiss a puppy and tell someone a joke.

Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. of Kennett Square (484-734-8100) To view his online tribute, please visit www.griecofunerals.com

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

Daniel E. Gift of Landenberg Read More »

Photo of the Week: Older than US

Photo of the Week

The old sycamore dominates the landscape next to the Gilpin House at the Brandywine Battlefield Park. The National Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture assert that the tree was alive at the signing of the U.S. Constitution, according to the small sign on the left.

About Rich Schwartzman

Photo of the Week: Older than US Read More »

Guido Frezzo, formerly of Avondale

Obituaries

Guido Frezzo, 90, of Chestertown, Md., formerly of Avondale, died Friday, March 4, at the Christiana Hospital in Newark. He was the husband of Barbara Bullington Frezzo, with whom he shared 33 years of marriage.

Born in Toughkenamon, he was the son of the late Emedio Frezzo Sr. and the late Josephine DeLaurentis Frezzo.

Guido was a life-long mushroom farmer and co-owner of Frezzo Brothers in Avondale, retiring in 2000.

He was a member of St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother Church, a 30-year member of the Chestertown Elks Lodge 2474, Moose Lodge in Canton, Pa., American Mushroom Institute, American Legion in Rising Sun, Md. and a former member of the Italian American Club in Kennett Square.

Guido enjoyed fishing, hunting, cooking, traveling, making wine, and being with his family and friends.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three daughters, Anita Swayne of Kennett Square, Coni Frezzo and her husband Ed Sannini of Summit, N.J. and Kathy Frezzo of West Chester; three brothers, Joseph Frezzo of Elkton, Md., James Frezzo of West Grove, and Emedio Frezzo, Jr. of West Grove; three grandchildren, Michael Swayne, Emily Sannini and Claire Sannini; sister-in-law, Flossy Frezzo of West Grove; brother-in-law, Frank DiMarco of West Grove; brother-in-law and best friend, Alford Byrd of Chestertown, Md., and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by a son-in-law, Richard Swayne; a brother, Gabriel Frezzo and a sister, Louise DiMarco.

Guido’s family would like to extend a special thank you to his caregiver, Scott Orr.

You are invited to visit with his family and friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, at the Foulk Funeral Home of West Grove, 200 Rose Hill Road, West Grove. His service and burial will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to the Chestertown, MD, Elks Lodge No. 2474, P.O. Box 839, Chestertown, MD 21620-0839

To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com