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Chester CountyPRESS

www.chestercounty.com

Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas

Volume 157, No. 23

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

$1.50

Expressions of joy and success at Oxford’s graduation ceremony By Chris Barber Contributing Writer

Just before the playing of “Pomp and Circumstance,” Principal Jamie Canaday The bleachers in Oxford greeted the full house. He Area High School’s gym advised polite behavior by endured the presence of the attendees and announced hundreds of friends and the imminent arrival of the relatives bringing their class of 2023. good wishes to the grad- At 6 p.m. sharp, the senior uating class of 2023. The class proceeded in from the guests came early and in rear of the gym, circled the great quantity to the high floor and took seats in the school on Friday, some center of the arena. Their bringing flowers to present line was arranged in colafterwards, others attend- or-matched small sections, ing from afar to see their boys in maroon and girls in grandchildren receive their white. diplomas. Canaday opened the cer-

emony with words of pride for the class: “It has been an honor to serve you. … I am confident you have the skills necessary to make a positive difference in the world. Remember, good things happen to good people,” he said. He also advised them to embrace that feeling of anxiety and determination which comes with facing new tasks. Class President Paige Pechin welcomed the crowd, Continued on page 3A

INSIDE

All photos by Chris Barber

Confetti showers the new Oxford Area High School graduates as they celebrate receiving their diplomas on Friday.

Fetterman, Casey, Houlahan introduce legislation to protect mushroom farmers By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Photos by Richard L. Gaw

Cecil County Life

Jessica Fields of Seven Pines Apothecary in Warrington, Pa. was one of 100 artisans whose work was showcased at the Clover Market, held in Kennett Square on June 4.

Clover Market draws 100 vendors to well-attended festival in Kennett Square ‘We work hard to cultivate an artistic community that is kind, helpful and collaborative’

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The Chester County History Center……1B

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer When Jodie Farrow and Meggie Crnic of Savoir Chair – restorers of antique furniture based in Collingswood, N.J. – arrived this past Sunday morning for their first appearance at the Clover Market in Kennett Square, they were excited to expand their artistic footprint to a new community. Moments after the event first welcomed visitors at 10 a.m., the community arrived in droves and kept coming throughout the sixhour festival – produced in partnership with Kennett Collaborative -- that featured the work of 100 artisans in a small city of artisan tents along South Union and East South streets. Crnic and Farrow, who have appeared at other Clover Markets, also anticipated what has become the most intangible quality of this festival: a camarade-

rie among vendors. As they were arranging their booth, another vendor nearby stopped his work to make a small repair to one of Savoir Chair’s pieces of furniture. “The Kennett Square Clover Market is everything we expected it would be, and even more,” Crnic said. “Jodie and I had previously heard that the Kennett Square community was amazing, and we thought that this would be a wonderful opportunity. Everyone is super-friendly and there is a great vibe. When we first founded Savoir Chair in 2021, our goal was to open our business at a Clover Market event, and [Clover Market founder] Janet Gardner Long made it happen for us.” “The thing I love about bringing the Clover Market to Kennett Square is that this is a community that comes out to support events, whether it is Clover Market or the Mushroom Festival or Continued on page 4A

As part of a measure that would provide crop insurance to the mushroom industry and the more than 8,500 who are employed in Chester County’s thriving mushroom business, Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey have joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in the House in introducing the Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act. The proposed legislation requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a study that would analyze the effects of threats to production, such as inclement

Courtesy photo

Pennsylvania’s two U.S. Senators, John Fetterman and Bob Casey, joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in the House to introduce the Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act that would provide crop insurance to the mushroom industry.

weather and pests uniquely maintain profitability. harmful to mushrooms, in The companion bill was addition to farmers’ abil- introduced by U.S. Rep. ity to grow mushrooms and Continued on page 4A

Sweet Peace Farm Sanctuary: Saving animals and changing hearts By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer The five dollars you spend on your everyday latte could be spent on an entirely different Latte. That’s Latte with a capital ‘L’ and the name of a newly-rescued duck who is currently receiving medical treatment and care at Sweet Peace Farm Sanctuary, a non-profit animal rescue located in Lincoln University. Latte was rescued along with four other ducks from the Brandywine Park in Wilmington, Del. on May 9 by Sarah Stegeman, the founder of Sweet Peace Farm Sanctuary and a longtime animal advocate.

What Stegeman and a local volunteer were able to recognize that others may not was that the ducks were domestic and never intended to live unsupervised in the park. Stegeman sought approval from the Natural Resources Police in order to facilitate the rescue of the five ducks shortly after one disappeared and was presumed dead. Ducks of their

breeds, normally skittish and avoidant, had become accustomed to people during their time in the park making the rescue easier than expected, according to Stegeman. “Domestic ducks are flightless, they don’t have the migratory instinct to leave a bad situation, they don’t really forage, they have no idea how to surContinued on page 2A

Pollutant-reduction plans are costly for municipalities By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer

Pollutant-reduction plan discussions may not have gotten your attention yet, but municipal budgets usually do. Budgets are built on a foundation of tax dollars and all municipalities will be dealing with, or are already dealing with, the cost of pollutant reduction plans. Oxford Borough residents

are fortunate because their council members have been working on pollutantreduction plans for years, when they started an environmental committee. Due to the efforts of that committee and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, 675 trees have been planted in the borough. Borough Council President Kathryn Cloyd has been instrumental in many environmental improvements. Cloyd talked about the

tree plantings spoke some years ago. “This came about with the help of David Ross and members of the Oxford Regional Environmental Advisory Council,” Cloyd said. “Many dedicated people were involved in this beautification of Oxford.” The planting of shrubs by volunteers from the Oxford community and the Penn State Master Watershed Steward and Master Gardeners also

added 1,000 native perennials at the parking garage. That project grew out of a collaboration between Oxford Borough, the EAC and Penn State Extension. Most of the perennials are in bloom. It is not just beautiful but also an environmental effort that may also go toward pollution reduction. What do trees and shrubs have to do with pollutant reduction plans? Besides their contribution to reduc-

ing air pollution, trees also soak up the rain and help reduce stormwater runoff. Their leaf canopies help reduce erosion caused by falling rain. They also provide surface area where rain water lands and evaporates. Roots take up water and help create conditions in the soil that promote infiltration. Tree plantings can be one of many ways municipaliContinued on page 3A