Brandywine Battlefield Park holds its annual Patriots’ Day this year on Saturday, Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 seniors and $8 for children 6-12. The event includes lectures and demonstrations on the colonial period and the War for Independence.

HOWARD PYLE STUDIOS

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 

1305 N. Franklin Street, Wilmington, DE 19806

11 a.m to 3 p.m.

FREE

Come join us in 1305 N. Franklin Streetand sale of artwork with a “Red” theme by all our Studio Group Members. We will be serving holiday sweets and hot spiced apple cider. A raffle of two books written and illustrated by Howard Pyle will be held. Tour the historic buildings which will be decorated for the holidays.

HowardPyleStudio.org

302-656-7304

Listen to international opera singer Peter Campbell sing songs of the holiday season.

Success Circle is a private, interactive group that discusses various topics that are relevant to Today’s Family. It features expert stress coach and Chadds Ford Live Today's Family Columnist Kim Engstrom. The session runs from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 27 at Shoo Mama’s at Routes 202 and 926 in West Chester, with 9-9:30 for coffee and mingling. The first session is complimentary. Register at www.squareup.com/store/SuccessCircle

The annual Christmas in Miniature exhibition gets underway on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at Barbara Moore Fine Art Gallery in the Barn Shops in Chadds Ford Township. More than 40 artists — painters and photographers — will have smaller sized pieces on display for sale.

The exhibit runs from 1 to 8 p.m. the opening day. After that, the show runs Wednesdays through Sunday until Dec. 31.

Enjoy a glass of wine, bask in the warmth and beauty of the holiday season, and listen to the melodic sounds of live jazz in the Galleries Reception Atrium every Wednesday during Yuletide. Cash wine and beer bar; fruit and cheese for purchase. Members free. Nonmembers, Jazz & Wine is included with Yuletide Tour general admission ticket. For nonmembers who are not purchasing a Yuletide general admission ticket, tickets are $15 and include live jazz, entry to galleries & exhibits. 

November 28, 5:30–8:00 pm
Music provided by: The Ron Cole Trio

Featuring Tony Smith on trumpet, Mark Johnson on organ, and Wayne Morgan on drums, The Ron Cole Trio plays an array of musical styles of blues, swing, bebop, " back to the roots " soul, and of course, music for the holiday season.

Chester County residents encouraged to attend and take part in a public hearing on Landscapes3, the plan that will update Chester County’s priorities for how the county will balance growth and preservation over the next 10 years.

The Chester County Commissioners will hold the hearing on Thursday, November 29, 2018, at 7 p.m. at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 N. High St., West Chester.

The public is invited to attend the hearing and provide testimony on the draft Landscapes3 plan. Upon its adoption by the Chester County Commissioners, the plan will establish a series of actions to be carried out by the county, its municipalities, landowners and other stakeholders.

Landscapes3 will guide the county and municipal governments, as well as developers, investors, consultants, preservationists, conservancies, transportation providers and others on balancing preservation and growth, while embracing the characteristics that make the county a cherished place to live, work, and play.

The county’s original award-winning Landscapes plan was completed in 1996. The updated Landscapes3 plan guides development and champions open space and farmland preservation programs. Landscapes3 will continue the partnership forged from the original plan between the public and private sectors.

Chester County has earned a number of accolades in the past related to planning, managing growth and quality of life, including being named in the top 10 list of best places in the U.S. to raise a family by Forbes.com and ranked one of the healthiest counties in Pennsylvania by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

Landscapes3 seeks to balance preservation with growth across the county’s landscapes through six goal areas: Preserve, Protect, Appreciate, Live, Prosper, and Connect. To continue to balance growth and preservation, Landscapes3 recommits to core principles that will position the county and its municipalities for success, including resource preservation, revitalized urban and suburban centers, housing diversity, transportation choices, collaboration, and resiliency.

To view the current Landscapes3 draft plan, visit http://www.chescoplanning.org/Landscapes3/.

A program on LGBT Jewish life in the United States and the United Kingdom with two speakers. Steven Henry Goldring, a San Francisco-based musician and AIDS activist who is living with HIV. In his memoir "Unbelievable," he reflects on his experiences of coming out to his family at age 21 and being the only Jewish family in his hometown, Orville, Ohio.

Surat-Shaan Knan, founder and manager of both Rainbow Jews and Twilight People. The Rainbow Jews project records Jewish LGBTQ history from the 1950s to today through oral history and archive creation. The Twilight People program chronicles and celebrates the hidden history of transgendered and gender variant people of faith. 7 p.m. in Sykes Student Center, 110 W. Rosedale, West Chester.

Three visual artists will exhibit pure abstract artwork during the December show at the Chester County Art Association.

“To liberally paraphrase Picasso, abstract art may not have a recognizable subject but it always has a story,” said Ken Vavrek, one of the featured artists in the exhibition.

Artist Donna Usher and coordinator of the exhibition added, “The creations don't incorporate a specific subject matter they do utilize similar elements such as line, color, shape, space and texture, conveying different stories with different visions.”

Usher of West Chester and Vavrek of Cape May, N.J., will be joined by Susan Melrath of Oxford.

The show will take place at the Chester County Art Association, 100 North Bradford Avenue, West Chester, from December 1, 2018, until January 3, 2019. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, December 6 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. An artists’ panel discussion will take place Thursday, December 13 at 6:00 p.m.

The art of the three artists demonstrate Picasso’s concept. Those viewing the artwork will see that while there is no concrete object to relate to in the works there is a place represented that has the sense of something occurring. The viewer is thus freely drawn into the world of the art and is allowed, even encouraged, to see the creations in their own way.

Melrath’s artistic roots are in illustration, although there is nary a trace of it in her current work. After graduating from a Philadelphia commercial art school, she was a successful freelance illustrator for years. “I discovered a world of magic and metaphor in a painting process that has become a way of life,” Melrath said. “I have been painting solidly for over a decade. Best of all, I have discovered my love of teaching, a vehicle for sharing the magic.”

Vavrek began experimenting using sculptural geometric space as the basis for imagery in 2008. He painted with glaze on the surface of platters. In 2012, Vavrek started his sectional wall works that explore this abstract world in a larger format with a freer major shape. He said, “Although the work is abstract in form, my objective is to create an image that gives the viewer a sense that some real dynamic is going on, that things are moving and are part of an event.”

Welcome the holiday season with a day of family fun when you join us for Enchanted Winter Day! Holiday decorations will adorn Enchanted Woods, the Follies in our outdoor exhibition, and the greenhouses as you enjoy a magical winter walk through the woods or hop on for our Garden Tram “sleigh ride," complete with holiday music. There will be plenty to do in the warmth of the indoors, including making kids’ holiday crafts and learning adult how-tos, marveling at magician Magic Tad’s tricks, watching The Muppet Christmas Carol family movie, and more! Included in admission is our famous Yuletide Tour—a wonderful way to get into the spirit as you marvel at H. F. du Pont’s mansion decked out in holiday splendor. The day is Members free; included with admission.

The day’s activities include:

• Crafts: Kids can make their own ornament and gift wrap to give to someone special as well as make a craft for themselves to keep.
• Adult How-Tos:
  • Christmas Tree ID – Learn about the different types of Christmas trees, which ones are best for what environments, how to care for them, and more.
  • Holiday Plant ID and Care – Learn about the different types of plants that are often given as holiday gifts (poinsettia, cyclamen, amaryllis, paper whites, etc.) along with tips for how to take care of them.
  • Wreath and Bow Making – On display will be a progression of the steps involved in making a holiday wreath and bows and what materials you’ll need to make your own.
• Family film: The Muppet Christmas Carol will be shown in Copeland Lecture Hall several times throughout the day.
• Performers: Be wowed by the sleights of hand of magician Magic Tad.
• Unique family holiday photo op: The Green Folly will be all decked out with holiday greens and decorations creating a unique setting for a family holiday photo.  A Winterthur staff member or volunteer will be on hand to take the photo so that all members of the family can be a part of it. There will also be an indoor holiday scene for photos in case of inclement weather.
• Yuletide Tour: An annual family favorite not to be missed, our magnificent holiday tour of Henry Francis du Pont’s mansion will fill your senses as you take in the breathtaking trees and dazzling room displays. Don’t miss our magical dollhouse, decorated in miniature holiday wonder just for the holidays.

*Please note that Enchanted Winter Day is reserved for Winterthur members or paying guests.  AHS, ROAM, and NARM reciprocity is not available on this program day. Thank you for your understanding!

The Chadds Ford Historical Society will host its traditional Candlelight Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 1. Admission is $15 per person; $10 for CFHS Members. Tickets can be purchased online at www.candlelightchristmasinchaddsford.com or at the CFHS Visitor Center beginning Nov. 16. Guests with online ticket purchases must pick up tickets at the Visitor Center before touring the houses.

Please Join Us for the 30th Anniversary of the West Chester Charity Ball

Join Us!

West Chester Charity Ball 30

December 1, 2018

A Marinelli & Sons Presenting Sponsor

Pops Goes The Holidays

Saturday, December 1, 2018 • 7:30pm

Auditorium, East High School
450 Ellis Lane, West Chester, PA

Michael Hall, Conductor and Music Director
Kara Mulder, Soprano
Kennett Symphony Children's Chorus

Celebrate the season with us as we perform some of your favorite holiday music. Joining us is the incomparable Kara Mulder, a rising star in the vocal world, who will serenade you with beautiful renditions of your favorite carols. Fresh off their joint performance with the Philadelphia Boys Choir, the Kennett Symphony Children's Chorus will add their voices to the festivities. A night full of holiday cheer.

Tickets:

Adults - $53, $45 in advance; $58, $50 day of concert
Students up to age 18 - $10
$6 order fee, per order

Program:

HOFFHEINS - A Christmas Overture
HERBERT - March of the Toys
HANDEL - Messiah: I know my Redeemer Liveth; Rejoice Greatly
TCHAIKOVSKY - Nutcracker Selections
SCHUBERT - Ave Maria
Arr. SHELDON - Most Wonderful Christmas
WILLIAMS - Somewhere in My Memory
Arr. BRUBAKER - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
WENDEL - A Celtic Nativity
STEPHENSON - I Saw Three Ships/Jeanette Isabella
ANDERSON - Sleigh Ride
TYSIK - What Child Is This
FINNEGAN - Sing A Long

Stoneleigh Saved – A Community Celebration Sunday, December 2, 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Remarks at 2:00 PM

Cookies and light refreshments will be served.

The event is free but registration is required.

https://natlands.org/event/stoneleighsaved-2018-1202/

Press Release:

After a six-month-long battle, 42-acre public garden is safe from development Thanks to a staggering groundswell of support—consisting of vocal community members, Township officials, members of the Pennsylvania legislature, the Lower Merion Conservancy, and many others—Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden is no longer at risk of being developed.

This past spring, the Lower Merion School Board announced it had targeted the 42-acre Villanova estate as a possible site for a new middle school and sports complex. Despite the property being protected by a conservation easement, the School Board was prepared to seize it using eminent domain.

Tuesday morning, Lower Merion School District announced that it had identified an alternative location for its ballfields and thus would end consideration of Stoneleigh. The District’s threat to seize the public garden prompted Natural Lands to launch the #SaveStoneleigh awareness campaign. In response, nearly 40,000 people signed an online petition, 3,000 households displayed “Save Stoneleigh” signs in their yard, and thousands sent messages of concern to the Lower Merion School Board. Some 350 residents attended a May School Board meeting wearing crimson Save Stoneleigh t-shirts.
“Unfortunately, saying ‘no’ to the School District wasn’t enough,” said Natural Lands President Molly Morrison. “But the overwhelming response of the community—from Lower Merion and far beyond— sent a clear message: taking any inch of Stoneleigh would be a devastating loss… one that must be avoided at all costs.”

In late June, the Pennsylvania legislature passed House Bill 2468 by wide margins and it was quickly signed it into law. The new law requires that entities like school districts and local governments seek court approval before taking property by eminent domain if it is protected by a conservation easement. Prompted by the threat to Stoneleigh, this extraordinary legislative success was a result of the leadership and determination of the Bill’s original sponsors: Representatives Warren Kampf, Kate Harper, and Marcy Toepel, along with Senator Bob Mensch and a host of bipartisan supporters.
Perhaps best known for the iconic hare sculpture located near the intersection of Spring Mill and County Line Roads in Villanova, Stoneleigh was once the beloved home of the Haas family. Following the deaths of John and Chara Haas—whose ashes are scattered on the property—in an extraordinary act of generosity, the estate of John Haas donated all of Stoneleigh to Natural Lands in 2016. After a two-year period during which Natural Lands undertook renovations to convert the former private estate to a public garden, Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden opened to the public in May, 2018.
Since opening its gates, Stoneleigh has welcomed thousands of visitors who’ve come to stroll the garden paths, admire the towering trees, and take inspiration from native garden design—all free of charge.

“At last, we can be assured that Stoneleigh will remain a place of beauty and joy for generations to come,” said Molly Morrison. “This has been a trying few months. However, we have been heartened by the remarkable public support for Natural Lands and Stoneleigh. It has been a powerful reminder that our communities’ green spaces are beloved, and that there is a large and passionate constituency ready to stand in their defense if needed.”

“The public is invited to the Holiday Author’s Event on Sunday, December 2, 2018 from 2-4 p.m. showcasing the works of eight local authors, including well known historians Gene Pisasale and Bruce Mowday. Guests will have a chance to chat with each author and view their many books available for purchase. Book lovers and history buffs will find this a great opportunity to become familiar with these writers and pick up gifts for the holiday season. Family-friendly; all ages welcome. Light refreshments will be served. The event benefits and is being held at the Kennett Area Senior Center, 427 South Walnut Street in Kennett Square, Pa. For more information, contact the Senior Center at 610-444-4819 or the Kennett Resale Book Shoppe sponsoring the event at 610-444-6069.”

Join Google and Constant Contact for a morning of education

A dual workshop by Google, Get Your Business Online and Constant Contact

Randi Penfil, National Speaker for Google's Get Your Business Online program and Matthew Montoya, Product Trainer, Constant Contact

Every Contact Matters: The Value of your list

All small business will admit that growing their list of contacts is important. But do they really know why?
Very few have ever taken the time to truly quantify the value of their list and the impact it can have on their bottom line.
In this session, you will learn how to: 
- Calculate the value of your current list
- Make more money by improving your email marketing results
- How to use today's best practices in marketing to reach your organizations full potential

Reach Customers Online with Google
Learn how customers find your business online and how to promote your online presence using a free business listing,  search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, and online advertising. We’ll introduce some tools that can help, including Google Analytics and Google Trends.

In this workshop we’ll discuss best practices for:

• Creating a free Google My Business listing, how to verify, edit and what's new
• Improving your website’s visibility in Google’s organic search results, on all devices
• Advertising your business on Google

Randi Penfil an official speaker for Google’s Get Your Business Online program has more than 20  years of experience helping small businesses and nonprofits improve their digital marketing
As a professional speaker and trainer, Randi has educated thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs. Before joining Google’s Get Your Business Online team, Randi educated and trained SMBs for Constant Contact as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Development Director. She brings enthusiasm and experience to every workshop and conversation about digital marketing.  Her passion is helping small businesses take control of their digital footprint.

Matthew Montoya from Constant Contact has crisscrossed the country over the last seven years to 46 states, helping, in person, over 12,00 small business to better understand how email marketing can effect growth and what design and automation mean to the bottom line. In his 17 years in marketing he’s worked on nearly every kind of marketing vehicle around, from print, broadcast, social, web and now email marketing, he’s seen and had a role in it all. His extensive background has helped these thousands of small businesses rethink their email marketing strategy to meet the demands of today's subscriber's expectations.

A $10 non-refundable registration fee is required. A continental breakfast will be provided

Register Now!

The West Chester Public Library invites you to a book-signing and fashion show of Delicate Crochet with author Sharon Silverman, Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 7-8 p.m.

Sharon Silverman—who, we’re proud to say, lives right here in West Chester, PA—is the author of 17 crochet books, exploring everything from Tunisian crochet, to wall hangings, to what she’s probably best known for: gorgeous garments. Sharon’s work has been featured on HGTV, in instructional videos, and in museums. Her teaching takes her all over the country, and we’re thrilled that she’ll be joining us at the West Chester Public Library on Tuesday, December 4, from 7-8 p.m. to debut her latest pattern book, Delicate Crochet

In the new book, Sharon has curated a collection of patterns—some her own, some from other noted crochet designers—that highlight just how exquisite crochet can be. Her fascination with the ephemeral quality that crochet can achieve has led to pieces you’ll just have to see to believe. Sharon will be bringing books and all 23 garments with her to the event. You’ll have a chance to see and feel (maybe even model) the items, ask questions, and decide which pattern you want to start on first!

West Chester Public Library

415 North Church Street West Chester, PA 19380

610-696-1721

www.wcpubliclibrary.org.

Performance dates:  Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at 1:00pm & Thursday, December 6, at 1:00pm & 6:00 pm
in Copeland lecture Hall in Visitor Center

Reserve your tickets now for this popular holiday event.  This heart-warming one man show of the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, performed by Charles Dickens' great-great-grandson, Gerald Dickens.  A meet and greet follows each performance.

Ticket price: $25.00 adult, $22.00 Winterthur member, $15.00 children 12 & under
Advance tickets are strongly recommended.  
Call 1.800.448.3883 to purchase your tickets today.

Join us for Brunch before the Thursday performance in the Visitor Center Cafe 10:30am - 12:30pm.
Call 302.888.4826 to make your reservation for Brunch.

Enjoy a glass of wine, bask in the warmth and beauty of the holiday season, and listen to the melodic sounds of live jazz in the Galleries Reception Atrium every Wednesday during Yuletide. Cash wine and beer bar; fruit and cheese for purchase. Members free. Nonmembers, Jazz & Wine is included with Yuletide Tour general admission ticket. For nonmembers who are not purchasing a Yuletide general admission ticket, tickets are $15 and include live jazz, entry to galleries & exhibits.

December 5, 5:30–8:00 pm
Music provided by:  Sharon and Shawn

The music of Sharon Sable and E. Shawn Qaissaunee is something to be experienced. Together they create a beautiful soundscape that is both bold and understated, appealing to music lovers of all kinds. The musical paths that have brought them together are rich and varied and weave elements of jazz, world, pop, and much more into their engaging performances.

A Brandywine Tradition for four decades, the Children’s Christmas Party is one of the season’s highlights. Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and enjoy entertainment, costumed characters, face painting, model trains, trees adorned with hundreds of “critter” ornaments and Cookie Land! Courtyard gates open at 6:00 p.m

Business Networking meets every first Thursday of the month

http://chaddsford.org/events/

Performance dates:  Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at 1:00pm & Thursday, December 6, at 1:00pm & 6:00 pm
in Copeland lecture Hall in Visitor Center

Reserve your tickets now for this popular holiday event.  This heart-warming one man show of the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, performed by Charles Dickens' great-great-grandson, Gerald Dickens.  A meet and greet follows each performance.

Ticket price: $25.00 adult, $22.00 Winterthur member, $15.00 children 12 & under
Advance tickets are strongly recommended.  
Call 1.800.448.3883 to purchase your tickets today.

Join us for Brunch before the Thursday performance in the Visitor Center Cafe 10:30am - 12:30pm.
Call 302.888.4826 to make your reservation for Brunch.

WINTER ARTS FESTIVAL at Delaware Art Museum

Friday, December 7 | Noon - 8 pm

Saturday, December 8 | 9 am - 4 pm

Celebrate the season during this family-friendly two-day event! Shop for holiday gifts from 18 regional artisans, listen to festive music performed by local choirs, and enjoy the Museum's seasonal decorations. Winter-themed art projects will be available for children and their families with delicious refreshments offered in the Museum's Thronson Café by Toscana. The Museum Store will offer Member specials throughout the weekend. Click here for more details.

Folksingers Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle will perform songs popular during the lifetime of Winslow Homer, including tales of rural and farm life, seafaring and coastal life, and music of the Civil War.

All Aboard! Join in an exclusive, behind-the-scenes visit with the Brandywine River Museum of Art Railroad. Discover how the extensive layout, one of the world’s largest, is created and the complicated multitasking it takes to keep everything running. This before-hours event includes a private tour of the trains in action with Brandywine Railroad engineers including special activities for the youngest train fans and a continental breakfast (including assorted pastries, yogurt, granola, fruit, coffee, milk and juices) in the museum’s café. Children will receive a Brandywine Railroad souvenir; ages 3 and older accompanied by an adult are welcome.

The American Helicopter Museum and Education Center (AHMEC) brings Santa via helicopter and Mrs. Claus to West Chester for its annual SantaFest on Saturday, December 8, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Santa lands at 11 a.m. to greet good girls and boys, hear wish lists and distribute goodie bags. He visits with each one in his colorful workshop in the museum.

The event also features special songs by Makin’ Music, a reading of Linda Kerschner’s book, Cheerful Chopper to the Rescue, by the author and wonderful volunteers with their dogs from PAWS for People pet therapy services. Ornament decorating and face painting add to the holiday festivities. And everyone receives a snack!

Admission is $10.00 per person and includes a photo opportunity with Santa, so bring a camera! Helicopter rides cost $60.00 extra per person on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 11:15 a.m.

Contact AHMEC at 610-436-9600 or see the website at http://americanhelicopter.museum/santafest to purchase tickets or for more information.

The American Helicopter Museum and Education Center, located at 1220 American Boulevard, West Chester, in the land of industry innovators in the Philadelphia region, is the nation’s premier aviation museum devoted exclusively to helicopters. Established in 1996, the nonprofit organization collects, restores and displays rotary-wing aircraft, including over 35 civilian and military helicopters, autogiros and convertiplanes.

Bowdoin College Museum of Art Curator Frank Goodyear will discuss the exhibition Winslow Homer: Photography and the Art of Painting in the gallery.

Winslow Homer: Photography and the Art of Painting examines the role the relatively new medium of photography played in the evolving practice of one of America’s most iconic artists. During the last three decades of his life, Homer often created compositions of the same subject in different mediums including painting, printmaking and photography. His use of various media came from his interest in probing the way things look and the challenge of portraying them realistically. Homer often borrowed certain elements—the cropping, the blur of the background and the flatness of the composition—from photographic convention, yet his painting, based on unique optical experiences, was an artistic creation reflective of myriad decisions. To Homer, paintings had the potential to make a subject more clearly understood; photography added to that conversation about how to portray the world around him.

Christmas Organ Music Party
Saturday December 8, 2 p.m.—4:30 p.m. Join us in our 1740 barn with one of the largest local collections of organs. We have serval musicians playing various instruments and singing. We may even ask the audience to join in! Tickets include a glass of wine (21+) and hors -d'oeuvre. This helps to fund the Thornbury Farm Pipe Organ Restoration Project.

Limited seating. Start a new holiday tradition this year!

Tickets are $35 available on our website or by calling 610.793.2933 $45 at the door. Children under 18-$20.00

Please dress warmly for the barn. Park in the field and stroll down the driveway to the barn. 1256 Thornbury Road, West Chester PA 19382
Thornburyfarmcsa.com