August 19, 2023 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Brandywine Art Guide: Fall art fests & fairs

Chester County Fall Fine Craft Fair — Brandywine Art Guide: Fall art fests & fairs

Hot days may still reign, but cool days are on the horizon. This fall promises to be full of festivals and fairs celebrating not only the gorgeous colors of the season but also the inspired art of the Brandywine Valley! Mark your calendars now for these fantastic events!

Learn to make your own glass pumpkins on Sept. 15-17.

• The second annual WGK Glass Art Pumpkin Festival will be held from Sept. 15 to 17 in Toughkenamon. There will be local artists, glassblowing demonstrations, vendors, make-your-own glass pumpkin classes, and more. The event will be located at WGK Glass Art, 1255 Newark Road, Toughkenamon. More information can be found at WGKGlass.com.

• The 2023 Chester County Art Walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. With more than 100 artists plus food and beverage vendors and live music, it is a great chance to get outside with the whole family. The event will take place throughout East Goshen Township Park, located at 1661 Paoli Pike, West Chester. More information can be found at EastGoshen.org.

• The Fine Arts & Crafts Festival returns on Sept. 23 in Swarthmore. Hosted by the Community Arts Center, it includes a juried art show as well as family activities, local vendors and restaurants, music, and other entertainment. More information can be found at CommunityArtsCenter.org.

• The Kennett Arts Festival will be held Sept. 23 and 24 in Downtown Kennett Square. With over 100 artists, local food and beverage vendors, live music, children’s activities, and more, it has something for everyone! Tickets will be available for $5 at the gate, and children 12 and under are free. More information, including parking and a map of the day’s festivities, can be found at KennettArts.com.

• The Artisan Market hosted by the Oxford Arts Alliance will be held on Sept. 23 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Glenroy Preserve. This market is a chance to sample the best culinary creations of Southern Chester County while enjoying art and music from the local community. More information can be found at OxfordArt.org.

• Landsdowne Arts on the Avenue celebrates its 20^th anniversary festival on Sunday, Oct. 1. With more than 70 juried artists, music, live performances, art and craft demonstrations, family activities, and other attractions, it showcases the best of the local art scene. Find out more at LandsdowneArtsontheAvenue.com.

• The Fall Gallery Walk in Downtown West Chester will be held on Friday, Oct. 6 from 4 to 8 p.m. This popular event includes a self-guided to art galleries, pop-ups, and businesses hosting this one-night-only show. With free metered parking in town, it is a great chance to explore and see amazing art from local creators! More information can be found at DowntownWestChester.com.

• The Fall Into the Arts Festival presented by the Delaware County Arts Consortium returns this year on Saturday, Oct. 7. Listen to live music while perusing art from local artisans, artists, and more from community businesses. It will be held at Smithbridge Park, 725 Smithbridge Road in Concord Township. More information can be found at DelcoArts.org.

The Kennett Arts Festival will be held Sept. 23 and 24.

• The Clover Market travels around to different towns throughout the fall and spring every year. Find it on Oct. 8 in Bryn Mawr and on Oct. 22 in Kennett Square. This popular market features a wide variety of handmade and vintage goods, food trucks, live music, crafts, and so much more. More information can be found at TheCloverMarket.com.

• The Fall Fine Craft Fair will take place on Nov. 4 and 5, cohosted this year by the Chester County Craft Guild and the Chester County Art Association. Featuring a variety of artists and mediums, it is a chance to meet some of the amazing craftspeople of the Brandywine Valley and see their creations! The indoor show will take place at the CCAA, located at 100 N. Bradford Avenue, West Chester. More information can be found at ChesterCountyCraftGuild.com.

• The Historic Yellow Springs Fine Arts & Craft Show will take place Nov. 10 to 12. The juried show features original artworks in a wide range of mediums, including paintings, ceramics, glass, wood, paper, fiber, and more. The show will take place indoors at Historic Yellow Springs, located at 1685 Art School Road, Chester Springs. More information can be found at YellowSprings.org.

• Looking for more events happening this fall? Check out @BrandywineArtGuide on Instagram and Facebook!

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.

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Hillendale gets its classroom, again

For the second time in three months, the Pennsbury Zoning Hearing Board granted variances for a proposed pavilion/outdoor classroom at Hillendale Elementary School. The ZHB granted special approval for the project on May 31 but a party to that hearing was going to appeal the decision. So, the school district filed an amended application to avoid litigation.

The newer application has the pavilion in a different location, which satisfied the concerns of Kathleen Carmody, the resident who opposed the first application and was going to appeal. She lives on a portion of Hickory Hill Road that is south of the school property and said at the first hearing that she was concerned about parking, noise, trash, and trespassing.

To avoid the costs of fighting the appeal, Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Director of Facilities James Whitesel walked the grounds with Carmody, and together they found a location that was amenable to the district and the neighbor.

“We looked at a number of locations,” Carmody said during the Aug. 17 session, “and we both had the same feeling that this particular location was best.” She called it a “phenomenal improvement.”

That new location is farther to the north on the school property and is situated adjacent to the parking area, near both Hillendale and Hickory Hill roads. While that is a mutually agreed upon site, it also posed a bureaucratic snag. Because the new location is close to those two roads, the township code deems that as having two front yards. Hence the need for a variance.

But the district also needed a variance for the size of the pavilion. The structure is 40 feet by 24 feet or 960 square feet. But the code said such accessory structures be no more than 600 square feet. So, the district needed a variance for that as well.

After the hour-long proceeding, the ZHB approved the requested variances with a set of conditions. Those conditions include the prohibition of a public address system at the pavilion, making sure all trash and debris are removed before mowing, installing vegetative screening along Hillendale and Hickory Hill roads, and ensuring that all security lighting is directed downward.

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.