Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 158, No. 21
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
$1.50
KCSD breaks ground on new elementary school By Chris Barber Contributing Writer The Kennett Consolidated School District broke ground on its upcoming New Garden Elementary School in the company of students, faculty, high school band and administration. The May 24 ceremony took place behind the
INSIDE
existing elementary school, which was opened in 1957. The original building is destined for demolition with the opening of the new structure planned for 2026. The groundbreaking was largely ceremonial inasmuch as the actual construction process has been going on for several months now. All around, the ground has
been turned, dust is flying, large scooping trucks sit in the wait, and protective fences are already in place. Continued on Page 2A Photo by Chris Barber
The Kennett School Board takes shovels and ceremonially digs dirt for the new elementary school at its May 24 groundbreaking ceremony.
Oxford Police Department earns accreditation from state commission By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer
Memorial Day events around the area...1B
The Oxford Police Department has successfully completed the lengthy process to earn accreditation from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. James Adams, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association (PCPA) Accreditation Program Coordinator said, “This certification is quite an achievement and reflects well on the Borough of Oxford. Out of 1,100 police departments in Retrospective of artist’s Pennsylvania, only 175 are 50-year journey...5A accredited.” The PCPA introduced the Accreditation Program in the summer of 2001, and they have since accred-
ited over 100 agencies across the Commonwealth. The accreditation process included three assessors spending two days to make sure all best-practice standards are met and complied with. They ride with the officers, spend time with the chief and write a comprehensive report. The PCPA Accreditation group is comprised of police chiefs of the law enforcement community. A unanimous vote is required to grant accreditation to a police department. The benefits of securing accreditation has many benefits, including the following: • Establishes a credible framework for evaluating agency practices and procedures;
FROM OUR LENS Painting our history
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Downingtown artist Al Moretti is placing the finishing touches on his mural adjacent to the Kennett Library that commemorates the history of Kennett Square and southern Chester County. Moretti’s work depicts images of a Lenape Indian mother and child, Harriet Tubman, Longwood Gardens, Bayard Taylor, the county’s equestrian heritage, the Hispanic culture of southern Chester County and the mushroom industry. Several of Moretti’s jazz and blues paintings are also currently on display at the library. To learn more, visit www.almoretti.com.
Continued on Page 3A
To Subscribe Call 610.869.5553
Clover Market returns to Kennett Square on June 2
© 2007 The Chester County Press
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Over the past several years, the parking lot at 600 North Broad Street in Kennett Square has served as a local mecca for entertainment and social gatherings, as evidenced Courtesy photo by its being the home of The parking lot at 600 North Broad Street will again the Kennett Winterfest, the play host to the Clover Market fair on June 2 from 10 Kennett Brewfest, and most a.m. to 4 p.m. recently, the new site for the
KSQ Farmers Market on Friday afternoons. Not to be hidden in that widening calendar of activity has been the Clover Market, which returns to Kennett Square on June 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – and again on Oct. 20. In partnership with Kennett Collaborative and the Borough of Kennett Square, this year’s market will feature 100 curated vendors
from Chester County and beyond, who will showcase a wide variety of handcrafted goods and historic heirlooms that will suit the tastes of vintage clothing aficionados, antique collectors and followers of artisans who spin, weave, sew and embroider. The vendors will be joined by a large lineup of food trucks including Dos Continued on Page 2A
Brandywine Ace Pet and Farm showcases appearance by Budweiser Clydesdale By JP Phillips Contributing Writer It was all sunshine and smiles at the Brandywine Ace Pet and Farm store in Pocopson on May 25, as area residents welcomed the arrival of a Budweiser Clydesdale horse. Shortly after 11 a.m., the huge Budweiser horse trailer pulled into the front parking lot, the side door swung open, and out stepped Toby, a sixyear-old Clydesdale horse. After a few moments of primping and grooming
by his handler, Toby was ready for his close-up. Larry Drennen, who owns both the Brandywine store and Oxford Feed and Lumber with his brother Chris, explained how they were able to bring a Clydesdale to Pocopson. “Budweiser has several hitches around the country in different parts of the geography so horses don’t have to travel so far. This hitch was booked by the West Chester Parade Committee,” he said. On May 24, West Chester featured a team of six
Clydesdales hitched to the Budweiser wagon riding through the borough. Drennen explained that the Clydesdales are fed Purina feed, and Brandywine Ace is a Purina dealer—the second oldest in the nation. Since the store is less than a 30-minute ride from a scheduled event, they could ask to have a horse make an appearance. “We found out about the Photo by JP Phillips parade a couple months Co-owner Larry Drennen and three of his daughters: back,” Drennen said, “and Oxford Feed and Lumber Manager Alicia McGarvey, we started the process of Outside Sales Manager Lindsey Drennen, and Continued on Page 2A
Brandywine Manager Lauren Bonhert.