Chester County Press 10-18-2017 Edition

With Election Day approaching, Oxford Borough candidates vie for votes at forum

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Municipal taxes, the importance of public safety, and the proposed parking garage project and its potential impact on the borough’s budget emerged as the main topics during an Oct. 10 forum for candidates seeking a seat on Oxford Borough Council and for the three mayoral candidates. The forum took place at the Pavilion Auditorium on the Ware Presbyterian Village campus, and attracted a large crowd of more than 100 people.

The Oxford Borough Council candidates who are vying for four seats on borough council are Amanda Birdwell, Randy Grace, Geoff Henry, Ron Hershey,

Continued on Page 3A

Three vie to become the new mayor of Oxford Borough

Mayor Geoff Henry is not seeking a fourth term as mayor in the Nov. 7 election, so there will be a new mayor of Oxford to start 2018

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Pam Benjamin, Lorraine Durnan Bell, and Randy Grace are campaigning to become the new mayor of Oxford Borough, and a candidates’ forum on Oct. 10 found them competing for the support of borough residents as Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, approaches.

Bell, a current member of the Oxford School Board, is the Democratic nominee. Benjamin, the owner of two businesses in town, is the Republican nominee. Grace, a current member of Oxford Borough Council, has launched a write-in campaign for mayor while continuing his bid for a seat on council.

All three candidates used the forum as a way to share the professional experiences that have shaped them up to this point, and to communicate their vision for Oxford Borough’s future.

Bell is a third-grade teacher in Rising Sun, Md., a position that she has held since 2001. She is also a part-time adjunct professor of psychology at Cecil College. In addition to serv-

ing on the Oxford School Board, Bell is a member of the borough’s planning

Lessons learned on the trail

Library referendum meeting to be held in New Garden on Oct. 24

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

On Jan. 17, by a vote of 4-0, the New Garden Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve Resolution 766, a referendum that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot and will read as follows:

“Do you favor increasing New Garden Township’s real estate property tax by 0.100 mills, the revenue

from such increase to be used exclusively to fund the operation of the Kennett Library?” If the wording of the referendum sounds familiar to a lot of township residents, it’s because they’ve voted on it before. In 2014, the New Garden board voted 5-0 to include a similar library tax referendum on that year’s November ballot, asking township

residents if they would be in favor of establishing an annual dedicated library tax for the then-named Bayard Taylor Memorial Library, beginning in 2015. If passed, each household in the township would have been required to pay a little more than $37 a year in a dedicated library tax. The referendum was defeated by a slim margin: 1,279

Continued on Page 2A

Race raised $16K for local charities in 2016 KSQ Mushroom Cap II set for Nov. 4

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

As the sun first began to emerge near the start of the first KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 last Oct. 15 at Kennett Stadium, members of the Weekly Fight, a local nonprofit organization created to benefit war veterans and their families, stood valiant and still with the American flag held high above them.

At that moment, the cold that had welcomed more than 700 runners earlier that morning seemed to have melted into a blanket of warmth and protection.

At its November celebration, Run2Shine, Inc., the fundraising wing of the KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1, donated a total of $16,000 to three beneficiaries: The Garage Community

Morris and Schenk seek seat on Franklin Township board

NANCY MORRIS

By John Chambless Staff Writer

a sixyear term on the Board of Supervisors. Below, the incumbent and her challenger review their histories and plans for the township.

What inspired you to run for supervisor? I decided to run after attending a Board of Supervisors meeting last fall where the topic of farmland preservation was on the agenda. I am passionate about preserving farmland, and two farmers had asked for consideration to put their farms in agricul-

tural easement. At the time, most of the board was unwilling to allocate funding from the budget for these farms. We need to make sure people can continue to maintain farms here in Franklin. I believe short-term investments in preserving our farms will lead to longterm benefits for all of us through lower taxes and less Continued on Page 5A

4 at

& Youth Center, Family Promise of Southern Chester County and The Genesis Employee Foundation, at its gala celebration held at the Marketplace at Kennett Square. Now, as the KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 half marathon prepares for its second run on Nov. 4, the event has already come to stand for its challenging terrain through the streets and past the pastures of southern Chester County -- and for its generosity toward its community. As proof, nearly 20 war veterans who belong to the Weekly Fight -- sponsored by Knox Continued on Page 2A

reopen until “early summer,” according to Chester County facilities head Stephen Fromnick, who is in charge of the project. The delay has been caused by the lack of maintenance over the years by Avondale Borough, which is constantly broke. The bridge has also been

residents – or 47.67 percent – voted “Yes,” and 1,404 – or 52.33 percent – voted “No.” If the referendum is passed this year, it would direct $17.50 in taxes per year to the Kennett Library for a household whose home is valued at $175,000, and about $25 annually to the library for households whose home is valued at $250,000. The contributions would help fund annual operating costs at the library, which include providing additional educa-

Mushroom Cap race...

Continued from Page 1A

Equipment Rentals, a West Chester-based equipment leasing company -- will again lead the more than 700 competitors who are signed up to run.

“One of the veterans who ran last year was in a terrible car accident, but he’s been rehabbing himself and with the help of his brothers and sisters, he will start the race in a wheelchair and compete in the first five miles,” said Run2shine, Inc. cofounder Sarah Nurry, who began the KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 race with Karen DiMascola nearly two years ago. “Folks like those from Knox Equipment Rentals play a huge part in making

tional programs. Passage of the referendum would contribute about $50,000 a year to the Kennett Library from the township, and place the township into a “fair share designation,” which will be a far cry from the degree of support the township has extended to the library in recent years. According to the library’s fair share calculations, New Garden is responsible for 8.5 percent of the library’s annual total budget, but only funds 1.3 percent to the library every year -- $10,500 in annual contributions over the past few years. The township boosted that fig-

the KSQ Mushroom Cap the event that it’s already come to stand for.”

Still in its infancy, the KSQ Mushroom Cap Half Marathon and Relay Event is already thought of in local running circles as the companion race of the annual Kennett Run. The overlaps are many: Both races enjoy a hometown feel. Both courses take in Kennett Square’s landmarks and unique neighborhoods, and then opens up to reveal the Autumn colors and landscape of southern Chester County. Like the Kennett Run, the KSQ Mushroom Cap relies on the selflessness of volunteers who work tirelessly to assure that the event goes smoothly, and the KSQ Mushroom Cap hopes to recruit more than

ure to $15,900 to the library this year.

These proportionally low annual contributions have been exacerbated by the fact that township residents account for 28 percent of the population of the eight municipality areas that are served by the library, about 18 percent of its cardholders, as well as 23 percent of the library’s assessed property values – all of which factor into what the township is supposed to kick back to the library every year.

If the referendum passes, the budget line item dedicated for the library would go back into the township’s

150 volunteers this year.

Most importantly, at the core of each race is the commitment to give back to the community. Nurry said that the goal of the race is to bring attention to and raise funding for low-income, underprivileged families in the Kennett Community.

Run2shine, Inc. is collaborating in their efforts with the Kennett Education Foundation and the Garage and Family Promise of Southern Chester County.

“We knew that the Kennett Run has been around for 30 years and that their charitable givings have been amazing,” Nurry said. “We didn’t want to be redundant with our beneficiaries, so we met with a lot of leaders in the community and asked them, ‘Where can we be

general fund, and be spent somewhere else, Township manager Tony Scheivert said.

On Oct. 24 beginning at 7 p.m., members of the Kennett Library board of directors and staff will hold a towns hall meeting at the township building, in an effort to convince township residents that voting in favor of the referendum will benefit both the township and the library.

In other township business, the board approved a refund from the township in the amount of $65,475.17 to Oriole Avenue Enterprises, the existing owner of the six-acre parcel on Newark

Road that has since been put up for sale to TKC, who is processing their land development application for a sale that is expected to be finalized next January. In 2009 and 2010, Oriole Avenue Enterprises processed land development and zoning approvals for the construction of a small shopping center just north of the Sunoco station on Newark Road, but the company has since put the property under agreement for sale to TKC, who is still processing the remainder of their land development application.

“It is the intent of both parties that the sewer capacity

most beneficial?” We kept hearing over and over again that there is a need being felt from low-income families who just don’t have the same resources, and the dichotomy between them and the rest of the community is quite large.”

New for this year’s race will be the Victory Relay, which will team two runners up to complete the 13.1-mile race, together. The runner competing in the first leg

that was originally reserved for Oriole Enterprises is in excess of what TKC needs for their proposed use of the property,” said attorney John Jaros, who spoke on behalf of Oriole Enterprises. “Forty-three EDUs were originally reserved, and TKC only needs 12 EDUs. This is a request for a refund of 85 percent of the sewer fees paid by TKC, originally reserved by Oriole Avenue Enterprises, which will preserve 12 EDUs for TKC and their plans for the property.”

Avondale residents Michelle and Keith Waggoner introduced

will run six miles and his/ her teammate will finish the race by running 7.1 miles. Currently, over 100 relay teams have registered.

“We decided to go this year with the relay,” Nurry said. “We found out that there were so many community members who wanted to participate, but just didn’t have the time to train for a 13-mile, which is a life commitment. Now they can share the event with a

friend. The relay allows for a different type of runner to compete.”

The event will also feature Mr. Fungi’s Speedy Mile, a one-mile race for middleand high-school students around the stadium track.

The chief lesson that Nurry and DiMascola carry with them into this year’s KSQ Mushroom Cap is improved communications.

“The original conception behind this event was that it was a homegrown idea that attempted to bring our runner friends to a beautiful course, but now we’ve learned everything that goes on behind the scenes,” Nurry said. “We’ve learned how important an EMS plan is, and how important the logistics of communication are. This year, we will have a team of emergency marshals with us, who will be constantly moving among zones, to make sure that the emergency plan is consistent throughout the entire course.”

The 2017 KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 Half Marathon is a rain or shine event, and will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Kennett Stadium. The race, which will feature an Olympic-style starting line, will be led by race director Lynne Hernandez, and will be timed by Lin-Mark Sports, using the disposable B-tag from ChronoTrack, the world’s most advanced timing system. On race day, Lin-Mark will set up laptop computers near the finish line to allow runners to locate their race results. There will be 13 themed aid and hydration stations set up throughout the course.

Following medal ceremonies, a post-race celebration will be held at the Kennett Square Creamery, and will feature beer by the the race’s title sponsor Victory Brewing Company, food trucks and live music.

To learn more about the KSQ Mushroom Cap 13.1 Half Marathon and to register, visit www.runksqmushroomcap.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

their proposed business plans to open and operate a 8,500-square-foot

Camp Bow Wow franchise at 739 Newark Road in Landenberg, on an 8.4-acre site just south of the Route 41-Newark Road intersection, commonly referred to as the Singer property.

Camp Bow Wow, a national franchise with 135 locations nationwide, is a premier dog day care, grooming, training and boarding facility, and it attracted the Waggoner family as a potential business opportunity.

“We wanted to do something that we could do as a family, and bring it to a community [that would

Oxford Borough Candidates...

Continued from Page 1A

Phillip Hurtt, and Robert Ketcham. Pam Benjamin, Lorraine Durnan Bell, and Grace are the mayoral candidates. Benjamin is the Republican nominee, Bell is the Democratic nominee, and Grace has launched a write-in campaign.

The forum began with an opening statement by each candidate and concluded with a closing statement from each candidate. In between those statements, the candidates answered questions from residents that were submitted in writing to the forum’s moderator, Ward Keever.

The field of candidates for Oxford Borough Council includes a mix of experienced public servants and newcomers who are looking to hold elected office for the first time.

Ron Hershey, the current borough council president, is in his twelfth year on council. He talked about some of the progress that the borough has made in recent years. Referring to his 12 years in office, Hershey said, “I think we’ve accomplished a lot. We’ve had three streetscape projects in that time. We built a new police station. We hired Brian Hoover as borough manager. I take pride in the council that we have currently. We’ve moved things forward.”

Hershey is excited about the proposed parking garage project that could break ground in 2018 and would finally offer a solution to one of the town’s long-standing issues.

Hershey, who grew up in neighboring Lower Oxford Township and is a graduate of Oxford Area High School, said that parking has been a topic of discussion in town for as long as he can remember.

“When I was a kid, there were people talking about the parking problems in town,” he said.

A trio of candidates who earned the Democratic nominations in the Primary Election―Amanda Birdwell, Phillip Hurt, and Robert Ketcham―talked about the importance of fiscal responsibility, public safety issues, and transparency. They also want to ensure that the local government is fair to all residents, and that the borough’s rules and regulations are applied fairly and that all the regulations are coherent.

According to Hurtt, he, Birdwell, and Ketcham hold similar beliefs on many issues currently facing the borough.

Birdwell, a registered nurse and mother of two, said that if she were elected

benefit from it],” Michelle said. “We have a son with special needs, and as he gets older, there’s not a ton of opportunities for him, so we thought, ‘What could we do that he could be involved in?’ Maybe we could also help other kids with special needs in the community.”

Camp Bow Wow locations feature indoor and outdoor play areas, individual sleeping cabins, security cameras and sound proofing throughout the facility. The Landenberg facility would operate daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and would be able to accommodate a maximum of 140 dogs, and average about 32 dogs overnight, a number that will fluctu-

to council, she would make sure that all the decisions reflected the voices of all residents―she explained that listening to residents’ concerns would be important to her.

“As a nurse, the first thing you do is listen to the patient,” she said. She added that financial responsibility and transparency would be priorities for her.

Hurtt, a father of three, who works at West Chester University, said, “I’d like to see us balance our fiscal responsibilities with our social responsibilities. We all want good schools and safe streets.”

Ketcham, who works in the Biology Department at the University of Delaware, has been active in the community for several years. He said that he has heard a lot of different ideas from residents as he has been out campaigning, and if elected he will work on behalf of the residents to improve their quality of life. Ketcham added that there are a lot of concerns about high taxes, and also about the impact that the Oxford Area Sewer Authority’s woes might have on borough residents.

Grace, an incumbent council member was in a unique position at the forum since he is seeking both a seat on council and is also making a bid to become mayor. He will only hold one of those offices if he were to emerge victorious in both on Election Day.

Grace talked about the experience he gained serving on borough council for the last four years.

“I have experience with local government. I am aware of the issues. I want to continue the work we started four years ago―no tax increases, or minimal tax increases,” he said, pointing out that in three of the last four years there has been no tax increase for borough residents.

Grace moved to Oxford from Jacksonville, Florida in 2000, and he explained that it was the borough’s small-town charm that made it clear to him that this was where he wanted to call home.

“I knew that this was a the small town for me,” he said, adding, “I want to maintain Oxford’s small-town charm.”

The format of the forum allowed the candidates to share their ideas with those in attendance while avoiding head-to-head debates with each other, and the candidates were professional and respectful to each other throughout. The first question posed by the audience pertained to the borough’s sidewalk ordinance, which might once again be revamped as borough officials work on

ate according to peak travel times of the year, such as holidays and summer vacations.

After researching potential business ideas for a year-and-a-half, a key factor that drew the Waggoners to Camp Bow Wow is the franchise’s commitment to safety and the communities it serves.

“Every last thing down to the screws used on the cabins, to the food that is served, to the toys that the dogs play with has been tested time and time again,” said Michelle, who has visited several Camp Bow Wow locations with Keith. “We will work with shelters to help dogs get social-

determining how it can be fairly enforced throughout the borough.

Hershey, as one of the incumbents, talked about borough council’s most recent efforts to tackle the sidewalks issue, noting that a committee has been formed to take a comprehensive look at the sidewalk ordinance to see if the regulations are as fair to residents as they can be.

Everyone agrees that sidewalks need to be safe and well-maintained, but what happens in cases where repairing or installing sidewalks would be a significant burden to a homeowner?

Birdwell said, “I know how important it is to have safe sidewalks, but we have to balance that with not placing a burden on homeowners.”

The second question was about the borough’s already-high tax rate, and what impact the proposed parking garage project and the Oxford Area Sewer Authority’s existing financial woes might have on the borough’s finances in the future.

Ketcham expressed his concerns about the Oxford Area Sewer Authority’s financial situation, and how the borough might have to pay for a portion of the debt-service payments that the sewer authority can’t make.

Hershey said that the borough has been transparent about the financial numbers pertaining to the parking garage project, and said that it will be a good investment for Oxford.

“This is our chance to create some new opportunities for the downtown,” Hershey said, explaining that the parking garage represents the best way for Oxford to attract economic development to the downtown.

The third question was about how to increase the borough’s revenues without raising taxes.

Grace said that they must increase property values, and one way to do that is to make Oxford such a good small town that more people want to move to town.

Benjamin talked about how it would be beneficial for Oxford to attract a company with maybe 50 to 100 employees where those people would be shopping in the town’s shops and eating in their restaurants.

“People spend where they work,” Benjamin explained. “We need people here during the day, eating lunch or getting their laundry done.”

The fourth question pertained to improving conditions for the elderly in the borough, including issues involving their personal safety. Several candidates responded by talking the importance of having a strong and visible police

ized in order to be adopted. There will be programs for first responders, and discounts for police, fire and military [personnel].”

The Waggoners will also use their business to bring dogs into schools to work with children with special needs.

Before they open the facility, the Waggoners – who are looking to secure a tenyear lease on the property, with an option to purchase it at a later date – need to obtain zoning variances from the township, related to regulations governing the operation of kennels. After discussion, the board invited the Waggoners to its Oct. 23 budget meeting, where

it will render a decision on what the next step of their application should be.

The supervisors passed a township ordinance that authorizes the incorporation of light industrial commerce in the New Garden Flying Field development zone district. Township Solicitor Vince Pompo defined “light industrial” as furniture manufacturing; textile products; pre-shop stone, clay or glass products; and computer and software fabrication.

Although it was originally included on the agenda for the Oct. 16 meeting – and advertised on the township’s Facebook and website – discussion about

a proposed country music festival to take place on the grounds of the New Garden Flying Field next year was removed from the meeting’s agenda, due to rules and regulations enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration that need to be addressed regarding concerts at the Flying Field. “The township will continue to investigate this opportunity and the residents of New Garden Township will receive new information when it becomes available,” Scheivert said.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

A match made by hoagies and Herr’s

When Sarah Young and John Dubitsky got married, the Philadelphia couple knew there was only one way to celebrate their love of the city they call home: With a photo shoot at Primo’s Hoagies in Fishtown. The photo shoot for Philadelphia Magazine featured the happy couple posing in front of a display of Herr’s snacks.

Herr’s management was flattered by the couple’s willingness to let the brand have a supporting role in their special day, and invited Sarah and John to its headquarters in Nottingham recently for a whirlwind, VIP tour of its snack factory.

department.

Bell advocated increasing police foot patrols as a way of continuing to improve the safety in the community.

Benjamin said that Oxford needed to make it clear to criminals that they don’t want to do business in this town. “We need to arrest those people that need to be arrested,” Benjamin said. “We need to be diligent and relentless.”

The fifth question was a difficult one: What happens if no private entity is willing to purchase the Oxford Area Sewer Authority and its holdings, leaving the four member municipalities to deal with the sewer authority’s financial situation?

Hershey, as the president of Oxford Borough Council, had more information about that than anyone at the candidates’ forum.

“I personally don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” Hershey said. “I think it will

The chauffeured visit included an up-close-andpersonal look (and taste) and a visit with Herr’s president, Ed Herr. Later, the couple dined at the

be sold.”

In response to the sixth question about what role borough council will play on the opioid crisis, Grace said that the mayor, who oversees the operations of the police department, must serve as a conduit to borough council to make sure that the borough is providing what is needed to effectively deal with the opioid crisis.

The final part of the forum was reserved for closing remarks by each candidate.

Not surprisingly, each person talked about their pride in Oxford, and how their love for the community was a motivation to run for public office. There was a lot of optimism, as illustrated by comments by Hershey.

“I enjoy being part of the community,” he said. “I think we have seen a lot of changes. We’ve accomplished a lot, and we have a lot more to accomplish.”

Geoff Henry, the bor-

ough’s mayor, was not able to attend the candidates’ forum because of a longstanding prior commitment, but he is on the ballot as a candidate for borough council in the Nov. 7 election. He was written in by enough residents in the Primary Election to secure a position on the ballot. Though he wasn’t at the forum, Henry’s service to the borough and qualifications and experience are well-known to residents after three terms and twelve years as mayor, and another eight years on borough council.

After the exchange of ideas at the forum, Keever concluded the event by commenting, “I think this is the best demonstration of our American democracy.”

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY AND BURGLARY

On Sept. 26 at about 3 p.m., Southern Chester County Regional Police were dispatched to the 900 block of Newark Road in Toughkenamon for a report of a suspicious person. The elderly female homeowner stated that a younger white male, described as being 5-foot-8, weighing 140 pounds, and missing his front teeth, arrived in a white truck and knocked on her door. He was granted access to the basement under the guise that he was there to address issues with the power lines. He then asked the homeowner for $50. When she declined, he made a phone call and fled the residence.

On Sept. 26 just after 3 p.m., a man fitting the same description, with a white pickup truck, stopped at a home on Friends Meetinghouse Road in Highland Township and began talking to the elderly homeowners about electric poles that he said were going to be installed along the road. As he distracted them for approximately half an hour, someone else entered their home and stole a large amount of jewelry. Anyone with information about similar incidents is asked to call Pennsylvania State Police Avondale at 610-268-2022.

MARIJUANA PLANTS FOUND

On Sept. 25, Pennsylvania State Police Avondale were dispatched to find marijuana plants growing in a cornfield in the 3000 block of Newark Road in Lower Oxford Township. Twenty plants were eradicated.

INDECENT ASSAULT

Maaen Aboafch, 37, of Kennett Square, was charged with indecent assault and

harassment by Southern Chester County Regional Police on Oct. 11 following an incident that occurred on Sept. 6 at New Garden Family Dentistry in New Garden Township. Aboafch, who practices under the name of Michael Afash, DMD, is accused of having indecent contact with a 21-year-old woman during a job interview/dental examination. Charges were filed and Aboafch will be issued a summons.

MAN DIES IN CRASH

Paul Norbert Milkowski, 25, of Malvern, died in a onevehicle crash on Oct. 8 at 9:08 p.m., according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. He was traveling on Route 1, south of Jennersville Road, when his car left the road and hit a guard rail. He was killed in the collision, according to police, who were assisted on the scene by West Grove Fire and EMS.

RETAIL THEFT

Raymond Marrero, 43, of Kennett Square, was charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property by the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department on Sept. 27. Police were called to the Giant Food Store at 350 Scarlett Road in New Garden Township for the report of a theft. Store personnel reported that $391 in grocery items were taken by a former employee, Marrero. He was confronted in the parking lot by store personnel and relinquished the items. Police later located Marrero at his residence and charged him.

SHOPLIFTING AND STOLEN CAR

On Sept. 21, a woman took a television and other items from the Walmart store in East Marlborough Township without paying. She was stopped by store employees before escaping with a man in a white Chevrolet Impala, with Pennsylvania license plate KBD5074, that was reported stolen in Chester and later

recovered on Sept. 22. Anyone with information is asked to call Pennsylvania State Police Avondale at 610-268-2022.

GUNS AND TOOLS STOLEN

Overnight on Oct. 10, a barn at 3201 Appleton Road in Franklin Township was burglarized, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. Stolen was a .22 caliber rifle/shotgun combination, a .20 gauge Mossberg shotgun, a Dewalt impact driver, a Dewalt drill, a 20-volt battery, drill bits and nine rounds of shotgun ammunition. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 610-268-2022.

TURKEY HILL ROBBED

The Southern Chester County Regional Police Department is investigating a robbery that occurred on Oct. 3 at 9:29 p.m. at the Turkey Hill store located at 735 Newark Road in New Garden Township. Store employees reported that the suspect, believed to be a female, 5-feet-5 with a stocky build and raspy voice, and wearing a black ski mask, grey hoodie and black pants, entered the store and demanded money. The suspect reportedly implied that she had a gun, but no gun was displayed. The suspect fled the store with an undetermined amount of money.

CHECKS STOLEN

More than $20,000 in uncashed checks were stolen from an 85-year-old Avondale resident, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. The checks were taken sometime between Aug. 28 and Sept. 19. The investigation is ongoing.

COMPUTER FRAUD

A 92-year-old Penn Township man was the victim of an online pop-up ad scam that persuaded him to get I-Tunes gift cards and send the card information to the scammers over the phone. He was defrauded of $800, according to Pennsylvania State

Police Avondale.

ASSAULT CHARGES

Richard Sydenstricker, 65, of Toughkenamon, was arrested on Sept. 19 by Southern Chester County Regional Police and charged with simple assault and harassment. Police were called to the 1500 block of Baltimore Pike in New Garden Township for a report of a fight. A man and woman at the residence reported that they were both punched by Sydenstricker during an argument. Police saw recent physical injuries supporting the their statements, and Sydenstricker was taken into custody without incident.

COPPER PIPES STOLEN

A foreclosed home at 105 Stricklersville Road in London Britain Township was burglarized between Dec. 26 and Sept. 23, and more than $5,000 worth of copper piping was stripped from the home, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale.

BURGLARIES

Two unlocked homes on Barnsley Road in East Nottingham Township were entered on July 16 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., and about $100 in cash was stolen, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale.

CHARGES AFTER FIGHT

David P. Medley, 41, of West Grove, was arrested by the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department and charged with simple assault, resisting arrest, and related summary offenses, following a domestic disturbance. The incident occurred on Sept. 10 in the 200 block of Walnut Street in West Grove Borough. Police were called to the scene for a report of a fight between two males after a verbal argument turned physical.

PHONE SCAM

On Oct. 11, a 69-year-old Oxford man was tricked by a

phone caller into buying $3,600 worth of gift cards and giving the numbers to the caller, who identified himself as someone working with the government to fix his computer, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale.

TWO CHARGED IN AIR RIFLE SHOOTING

Joshua P. Keen, 19; and John Snyder, 18, both of Kennett Square, were arrested by the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department and charged with recklessly endangering another person, criminal mischief, sale and use of air rifles, criminal conspiracy, and disorderly conduct in connection with the firing of a BB gun through the window of an occupied home. The incident occurred on Sept. 11 in the 100 block of New Garden Road in New Garden Township. The residents contacted police after a BB gun was fired through the large window that they were sitting approximately six feet from.

STUDENT CHARGED WITH MARIJUANA POSSESSION

Pennsylvania State Police Avondale responded to Oxford High School on Sept. 26 for a report of a juvenile student possessing marijuana on school grounds. Charges were filed.

DOG BITE

A 52-year-old Franklin Township woman told Pennsylvania State Police Avondale on Sept. 30 that a dog belonging to two people at 124 Thompson Circle in Franklin Township left the yard and bit her on the ankle. Police are investigating.

DRUG CHARGES FILED

David L. Holmes III, 33, of Downingtown, was arrested by Southern Chester County Regional Police on Sept. 21 after the Mazda sedan he was operating was stopped for an

equipment violation in the 1200 block of Newark Road in New Garden Township. Upon approaching the vehicle, police detected the odor of raw marijuana, and a subsequent search produced approximately 2.3 grams of marijuana in the car.

BOAT LEFT ON ROAD On Oct. 5, just after 2 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police Avondale found a dilapidated boat left on Strickersville Road near Peter Christopher Drive in Franklin Township. There was no number on the boat to identify its owner. No witnesses were found.

HOME UNDER CONSTRUCTION VANDALIZED

A home under construction at 200 Broad Street in Lower Oxford Township was broken into and vandalized sometime between Sept. 23 and 30, according to Pennsylvania State Police Avondale. The investigation is continuing.

CRIMINAL TRESPASS

On Oct. 3, Pennsylvania State Police Avondale investigated a vacant home at 2272 Hopewell Road that had a vehicle parked in the driveway and the basement lights on. Police found three trespassers – a 20-year-old man from Cecil County, a 19-yearold- woman from Nottingham, and an 18-year-old woman from Cecil County. They were charged with criminal trespass.

TIP JAR STOLEN Pennsylvania State Police Avondale have charged Patrick Alfred Walton, 62, of West Grove, with stealing a tip jar containing $20 from Jake’s Wayback Burgers on Gap Newport Pike on Sept. 5. BURGLARY

On Oct. 3, two people entered the unlocked back door of a home at 10 Hidden Springs Lane in London Britain Township. One of them tried to restrain the homeowner, who was able to escape and call 911.

sprawl. Farmers also provide real benefits to everyone through the agriculture they produce.

I decided to run so that I can help advocate for land preservation in Franklin Township.

How long have you lived in Franklin Township?

My husband and I moved into Franklin Township in 1988, when we bought our first home in Heather Hills. I will never take this region’s beauty for granted. Whether I am biking along Creek Road or hiking through Peacedale Preserve, I think we live in an incredible area, with these preserved lands made possible by the work of many before me. I feel it is time for me to give back to the township.

What are the three main issues facing the township?

Uncle Irvin...

Continued from Page 1A

delayed by the contractor, Mark Colona and his company, Column Construction, whose bid to replace the public water line was too high and was rebid by the county for a much lower price, and the work is now proceeding.

Avondale is so badly mismanaged that it sent an inexperienced worker to turn off the water line at the bridge. The maintenance man inadvertently turned the wrong valve and drained public water from the reservoir.

Meanwhile, the county estimates that 3,500 people are inconvenienced for more than a year over a lousy two-lane bridge.

Taxes, retaining our rural character, and avoiding congestion and sprawl.

How would you address these issues?

Taxes: We all want to improve our tax base so that we can avoid raising taxes. However, many of the recent developments approved by the current Board of Supervisors will not improve our tax base by one penny.

The Gourmet’s Delight expansion isn’t expected to bring any tax revenue to our township. Nor will the charter school expansion. Some people think building houses increases our tax base. Unfortunately, more houses means greater strain on our schools. Building more homes not only takes away from our farmland. It also increases our taxes. So we need to look at creative ways of increasing our tax base.

One way is to take advantage of our amazing parks, farm produce, vineyards and

The citizens of Avondale and West Grove are deluding themselves that these mini villages can govern themselves. They would lose nothing important by being a village like Jennersville but lower taxes and better services by being annexed by New Garden or London Grove Township.

(This is an occasional column written by Uncle Irvin. As always, the column is the opinion of Uncle Irvin, and is not a news story.)

other small businesses to bring visitors to our region for special events and weekend “getaways.”

Retaining our rural character: Retaining our local charm and history is critical to creating a thriving community that attracts visitors. Anything we can do to preserve the interesting characteristics of our past will be very helpful. Making sure our Amish residents feel welcome is a great start. I look forward to visiting the new distillery on Flint Hill Road, and I look forward to exploring ideas to help make our historic district more walkable.

Avoiding congestion and sprawl: We need to take measures to manage traffic problems in the township and to manage growth sensibly. This requires a Board that consider impacts on current residents when they approve growth. Auburn Road is going to have more tractor trailer traffic due to the Gourmet’s Delight decision. That road is small and winding. I am worried about how we can make sure people are safe on it. I have heard stories of cars being driven off the road by the tractor trailers, and this is before the expansion goes through.

What are your goals if you are elected to the board?

To listen to every voice in the community. To be fair and to work hard. To keep taxes from rising, and to help preserve farmland and open space so that we can continue to enjoy this township’s beautiful and unique character.

For more information, visit www.nancyforsupervisor.com.

PENNY SCHENK

What inspired you to run again for supervisor?

During my time on the board, many positive policy changes have been implemented. Some examples include cost control budgeting measures, road and traffic safety improvements, and streamlining ordinances for easier resident understanding. I find great satisfaction in doing the work required for the township and I want to continue the successful policies that we have developed.

How long have you lived in Franklin Township?

I am a lifelong Pennsylvania resident. I have lived in Chester County for 23 years, and in Franklin Township for 16 years.

What are the three main issues facing the township?

Maintaining the roads and infrastructure are a priority and ongoing issue. Replacement of the Hess Mill Road bridge will be necessary in the next three to four years. The cost for this project is estimated to be $350,000. This will require careful planning and budgeting.

Compliance with stormwater management in urbanized areas (MS4) is an unfunded mandate that will require cooperation with neighboring municipalities with an untold cost estimate.

The township will face major increases in the cost for emergency services as volunteer support continues to decline and will need to be replaced with paid staff.

How would you address these issues?

Money management and cost control are essential to successful government. During my time on the board,

we have developed a system where the staff, contractors and alternating supervisors meet weekly to review and plan capital spending.

Franklin Township has joined a consortium for storm water management (MS4) to identify areas where we can work with neighboring municipalities and share costs. Wise and careful use of taxpayer money is key. In an effort to support our emergency responders and encourage volunteerism, we recently passed an ordinance that provides some tax relief to emergency service volunteers.

Transparency and openness are essential for residents to have confidence in our government. We publish as much information as possible on the township website. My email address and phone number are also available on the website so that residents can contact me as needed.

What are the main accomplishments of the board of supervisors during your tenure on the board?

During my time on the board, we have carefully managed the budget.

Township real estate taxes were lowered twice for a total of a 20 percent reduction. Road improvement and safety projects have been completed successfully. I am particularly pleased with the recently completed road and

guide rail projects on Laural Bridge and South Guernsey roads. Construction of a 1,000-ton salt storage building resulted in the ability to manage winter storms efficiently. An approachable board environment was created along with a friendly, welcoming environment at the township building. Resident input is encouraged and valued.

Open space preservation continues to be a concern for residents. Approximately 26 percent of the township is preserved through public and private means. Due to policies of a previous board, the Open Space program is overspent. The multimilliondollar loan they secured will not be paid off until 2040 and the dedicated Open Space tax does not cover the cost of the loan service. This requires an annual transfer of funds from the General Account. While I will continue to look for opportunities to preserve land from development, I do not support an aggressive open space program that would increase taxes and add to the long-term debt. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the Franklin Township Board of Supervisors. I have worked hard to make decisions that will have a positive impact on residents. For more information about my tenure on the board and my campaign, please visit my website, www.pennyforfranklin.com.

Letter to the Editor

New Garden voters: Open your books, just slightly

As has been reported in the Chester County Press, the rebirth and resurgence of the Kennett Library in the last few years has become abovethe-fold news and one of southern Chester County’s most celebrated success stories, and a tick-off list proves it. A new board of directors and a new executive director have provided leadership and vision. A new branding campaign has led to a new name. Finally, and most important to its continuing legacy, plans are in place for a new, larger facility, which will be constructed on State Street in the heart of Kennett Square.

This November, for the second time in three years, New Garden Township’s election ballot will include a library tax referendum for the Kennett Library. Resolution #766 was approved by a vote of 4-0 by the township’s Board of Supervisors at its Jan. 17 meeting. The referendum will read as follows:

“Do you favor increasing New Garden Township’s real estate property tax by 0.100 mills, the revenue from such increase to be used exclusively to fund the operation of the Kennett Library?”

The primary reason for including the referendum on the November ballot will be to boost the proportionally low annual contribution the township has been making to the library. According to the library’s fair share calculations, New Garden is supposed to be responsible for 8.5 percent of the library’s annual total budget, but only funds 1.3 percent to the library every year.

In recent years, the township has given the library $10,500 in annual contributions; this year, they increased that figure to $12,000 -- about one dollar per resident. Last year, the library received $15,500 from the township.

Currently, the township makes up 28 percent of the population of the eight municipality areas that are served by the library, about 18 percent of its cardholders, as well as 23 percent of the library’s assessed property values – all of which factor into what the township is supposed to kick back to the library every year.

What will passing the library referendum cost New Garden taxpayers per year? For a residence assessed at $250,000, the library assessment will only be $25 per year per household, and will go toward the dedicated day-to-day expenses of the library. That’s $25, less than the cost of a carton of cigarettes; and less than what one would normally pay for a week’s worth of double mocha tall cappuccinos purchased from a coffee emporium.

In Nov. 2014, New Garden township residents rejected a similar referendum that if passed would establish an annual dedicated library tax for the library that would cost residents about $37 per year. The referendum was defeated, as 1,279 residents – or 47.67 percent – voted “Yes,” and 1,404 – or 52.33 percent – voted “No.”

This newspaper believes that the best votes that are cast are made not for ourselves, but for the benefit of others. We also believe that libraries are the playrooms of our educational process, and a quick glance at the Kennett Library’s events calendar for the month of October provides stunning proof of that: Family Story Time, International Book Club, Book vs. Movie Club, Science Explorers Club, guest lecturers and more activities too frequent to list in this space.

For the thousands of residents of New Garden Township that the Kennett Library supports, we encourage township voters to visit their Nov. 7 ballot box and vote “Yes” for the passage of the library referendum.

New Garden Township residents are encouraged to come to the township building on 299 Starr Road on Oct. 24 beginning at 7 p.m., for a public meeting about the library referendum. We encourage you to see where your contributions will be going.

Vote for Morris on Election Day

Letter to the Editor:

Every 10 years, townships are supposed to create a comprehensive plan that helps guide future elected officials and township employees. The process usually involves the community, so it is an excellent way for people from all walks of life to share their ideas and hopes for township’s future. In 2006, Franklin Township Supervisors approved the

township’s comprehensive plan. It set the path for holding down growth by taking advantage of open space funding and regulations. Nancy Morris is running for Franklin Township supervisor on Nov. 7. For the first time since 2011, the township has a choice in ideas for the future. Nancy supports following statewide recommendations to revisit the plan. It is especially important now. As

the economy continues to improve, developers are sure to return to the fertile and open land still available in the township. The last comprehensive plan helped eliminate 1,000 homes that were scheduled to be built. There’s still enough land for developers to build another 1,300 houses. I’ll be voting for Nancy Morris. As an experienced executive in a large corporation, she managed

multi-million dollar budgets and worked to develop long-term strategies that held the bottom line. We need someone on the board with that experience and an open mind.

Thank you for your consideration of this letter to be published in your much appreciated community resource.

Helen Hurilla Landenberg

Keep property values high with the right vote

Letter to the Editor:

I am a retiree, and I want my current house to have the highest market value possible. That’s appraised value or the price someone would pay when I sell my house, as opposed to the assessed value used for calculating property taxes. Of course, there are some things I can do to improve my house’s value, such as painting, gardens and lawn care, and keeping the HVAC, electrical and plumbing running well. There are also elements of property value that are beyond my control, such as the general economy in Southern Chester County and housing bub-

ble events. But, there is one other element that actually has a causal relationship which is strong school performance and property value. Redfin, the residential real estate firm, conducted a study of over 400,000 home sales across over 10,800 school zones and confirmed that home buyers pay more per square foot for homes located within topranked school districts. The Wall Street Journal reported a strong positive correlation between school performance and home values and that a study in Florida showed that comparable house values varied between $50,000 to $300,000 based on the

strength of the school district in which the house was located. Additionally, a recent study by the Brookings Institution found that house costs are higher in areas where high-scoring schools are located. The study, which looked at the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., found in average difference of $205,000 in home prices between high-performing versus low-performing schools. And, three academic studies (Black – 1999, Crone – 2006, and Clapp, Nanda, and Ross – 2007) using different assessment methods, all found that a positive correlation exists between school perfor-

mance and housing prices. A strong Avon Grove School District will benefit me personally, even as a retiree with no children in the district. A smart investment will increase my property value. But conversely, an approach to just cut taxes and reduce the investment in education will negatively hurt my and all of our property value that will impact each of us at some point (home equity loan, reverse mortgage, sale of house). Therefore, I am supporting the School Board candidates Walker, Gaerity, Wood, and Farina. Bob Weidenmuller Landenberg

Endorsements are announced for Magisterial District Judge Scott Massey

Magisterial District Judge Scott Massey, who is pursuing his second term at the Oxford District Court, has announced endorsements from key community members. Among them are Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan, Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh, the Pennsylvania State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, Chester County Lodge No. 11 of

the Fraternal Order of Police, Chester County Commissioner Terence Farrell, the bipartisan Board of Supervisors of Penn Township including Curtis Mason, Victor Mantegna, Ken Bryson, Bill O’Connell, and Jay Ennis, and Oxford Borough Mayor Geoff Henry.

Massey’s court has also received clean audits by the Supreme Court of

the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These endorsement letters can be found on www. ElectScottMassey.com.

“I am humbled by this outpouring of support as I seek my second term as Magisterial District Judge.

During the past five years I have strived to uphold the law justly without bias, to run an effective, efficient, and economical district court, to establish

and maintain collaborative relationships, and to be engaged in service to my community. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve,” Massey said.

The Oxford District Court, 15-3-05, serves the communities of Elk, East Nottingham, West Nottingham, Lower Oxford, Upper Oxford, New London, Penn, and Oxford Borough.

Support Jeffrey Casey for Region III Avon Grove School Board

Letter to the Editor:

I am proud to support Jeffrey Casey as the Republican candidate for Avon Grove School District Director for Region III which includes London Grove Township, West Grove Borough (District 2), and Avondale Borough.

Please do not be fooled by the signs you may be seeing on the road. Jeff Casey is the Republican candidate for the position of Avon Grove Region III School Director who will be an honest steward of your hard-earned tax money in addition to educating and providing a safe environment for your children. His Democrat opponent carelessly promotes raising taxes and wasting taxpayer dollars. Along with his incumbent comrades, these Democrats are the ones who are “robbing” from the future to fund an un-needed new school which is projected to cost taxpayers well in excess of 140 million dollars.

This huge, unnecessary debt which the incumbent tax-and-spend Democrats are poised to foist on Avon Grove taxpayers will, over time, force the elderly on fixed incomes, single parents, small business owners and low-income home owners to bear unneeded financial stress due to these increased taxes. Many will no longer be able to afford to live in Avon Grove as these taxes continue to rise as they have been rising for years under this Democrat reign.

These are the same Democrat incumbents who allow the current school buildings to go un-repaired and want to build a new school even though student enrollment is down and is projected to continue to drop over the next several years. These Democrats are not helping our children or the taxpayers, who fund these grandiose schemes, by way of their wasteful spending and gross mismanagement. Jeff Casey, along with his

wife and children live in London Grove Township.

Jeff is a successful businessman and he fully believes that, our school district has the responsibility to invest in core educational needs that will prepare our children for the future while providing a safe, secure and well-maintained environment for our children and ensuring that the School Directors are maintaining a fiduciary responsibility and properly managing the taxpayers’ money for school district expenditures. That is not happening now.

Jeff is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for our children; providing responsible leadership for the students, parents, and taxpayers of the Avon Grove School District; promoting and improving transparency regarding how decisions are made; and working to responsibly balance the interests of our children, parents, taxpayers, teachers, and school administrators.

Jeff Casey strongly promotes a five-to-ten year financial plan for our school district which includes providing for properly maintained facilities. He is not in favor of building a new school unless the citizens of the Avon Grove District have an opportunity to vote on a referendum for the potential borrowing of well over 140 million dollars for the building of any new facilities—especially during this time when enrollment is trending downward through the year 2024.

We need people like Jeff Casey, with practical and successful business experience, principles, and dedication to our children’s education and safety, to lead and provide proper direction for our school district. Join me on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and vote for Jeffrey Casey as Avon Grove Region III School Director.

Jerry La Mastra London Grove Township

Letter to the Editor

Lorraine Durnan Bell

My Commitment:

~ Ensure a safe and wholesome community where people want to live, work, and visit

~ Serve as a positive liaison between the Oxford Police Department and the community

~ Help our police department continue to improve the safety of our community by uniting forces with our Borough Council

~ Desire to give today’s children the same positive experiences, activities, and sense of community from living in Oxford as many of our long-time residents enjoy

~ Govern with compassion

Biography

~ Elected School Board

Candidate for Mayor of Oxford

Director OASD in 2013

~ Appointed member of the Oxford Borough Planning Commission.

~ Positive experiences as a resident and cherished memories of growing up in Oxford have inspired me to run for Mayor.

~ I am a resident of Oxford since 1972, who had benefitted from and enjoyed growing up in such an idyllic and closeknit town.

~ A third grade teacher in Rising Sun, Md. since 2001, and A part-time Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Cecil College.

~Mother of three sons (Ryan, Justin, and Spencer) who all graduated from Oxford Area High School.

Contact Information

I am committed to continuing some of the actions that have been brought forward by the current Mayor which include gun safety, Citizen Recognition Awards, and proclamations. Thank you for your support. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. The email address is Lorrainedurnanbell@ gmail.com or visit the Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/ LorraineforMayor. Honor the past, respect the present, and envision the future In this position, I also want to bring awareness to mental health issues

affecting our community and those communities around us. I believe that most problems in our society tend to stem from the lack of resources, acceptance, and awareness for those with mental health issues. Many people struggle and suffer with depression and anxiety and how they choose to deal with these difficulties leads to more problems. Some people turn to alcohol and/ or drugs which often leads to much more serious concerns including criminal activity. If awareness were more prevalent and help was more accessible, we could help people before their actions became self-harming.

Penny

Schenk should be re-elected in Franklin Township

Letter to the Editor:

According to the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the supervisors’ responsibilities include enacting ordinances, adopting budgets and levying taxes. Other roles include maintaining roads and bridges and land use. Penny Schenk has far exceeded the job description. She has been an integral leader in lowering the township tax rate, wisely approving land conservation, and serves an important role with regards to the township’s long-term planning. Most importantly, Penny Schenk is always there to listen to the residents of Franklin Township with a compassionate ear. We can do no better than to re-elect Penny for six more years.

Requiring U.S.-made steel in pipelines would backfire

By Lawrence W. Reed and Drew Johnson

President Trump has a plan to revive the steel industry. He wants to mandate that oil and natural gas pipelines use only American-made steel. His Commerce Department is finalizing the plan right now. No matter how wellintentioned, the president’s plan would backfire -destroying more jobs than it creates. American steel companies don’t even make the right-sized parts for most pipelines and their products cost more than steel from

abroad. Forcing pipeline companies to use domestic steel would raise prices and delay projects for years, leading to layoffs and lost job opportunities for tens of thousands of Americans. Currently, oil and natural gas companies import more than three-quarters of the steel used in pipelines. They do so for the same reason America buys bananas from Honduras. American companies could technically grow bananas under glass in New York City, but they opt to get bananas from the most cost-efficient source and enjoy the savings. The amount of steel

we import is unlikely to change soon. Certain pipelines need pipes so thick that the U.S. steel industry can’t make them at all.

Mandating the use of domestic steel for pipelines would require steel manufacturers to retool their factories. The renovation and refitting costs could more than double the price of pipeline parts and slow down production. That would be disastrous for everyday Americans. Pipelines create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs. The Keystone XL pipeline project alone could put 40,000 Americans to work and generate more than $2

2017 Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award nominations now open

Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce accepting nominations until Nov. 17

Nominations are now open for the 2017 Outstanding Citizen of the Year to be presented by the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce (SCCCC) at its annual dinner at Longwood Gardens. SCCCC established the Outstanding Citizen of the Year award in 1968 to recognize exemplary volunteer efforts, community service, vision, leadership, and citizenship of individuals who positively influence the welfare of the Southern Chester County community.

Nominations are open until Friday, November 17, 2017. For more information and to download the submission form, visit www.scccc.com.

The 51st Annual Dinner honoring the 2017

Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award will be held on Saturday, February 17 from 6:30 –10:30 pm at Longwood Gardens. Tickets are $175, with sponsorship opportunities available. To learn more, visit www. scccc.com.

Last year the Chamber recognized Leon Ross Spencer, Jr., as the 2016 Outstanding Citizen of the Year. Spencer has a rich history of serving the community, including being actively involved with local education, serving as President of the Chester County School Authority, as a member of the board of the Chester County Regional Education Services, and as a Trustee of Cheyney University. In addition, Spencer’s boom-

ing voice can be heard announcing Kennett High School football and basketball games. Spencer is currently the youth choir director at Church of the Advent, director of the MLK Community Choir, and assistant director of the Brandywine Valley Chorale.

The 2017 Outstanding Citizen will share the honor with these recent past recipients: 2003 Michael Perna, Esq.; 2004 John W. Singer; 2005 Kathleen Lafferty; 2006 Doris Haley; 2007 Eva Verplanck; 2008 James T. Horn; 2009 Michael R. Walker; 2010 Janice Taylor; 2011 Terence Farrell; 2012 Stacie A. Kucera; 2013 Ken Goddu; 2014 Joan Holliday; 2015 David Haradon and in 2016 Leon R. Spencer.

Guns around Town

A review of gun regulations and ecploration of common ground

We hear about gun violence every day, but many o fus don’t know our gun laws. Did you know that in Pennsylvania:

~ No training, education, or certification is required to own a gun

~ It is legal to openly carry guns in public spaces

~ There is substantial common ground as to appropriate gun regulation between those who do, and don’t, own guns. How

can we get them enacted? Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 24 to learn more.

What: Guns around Town: A review of current gun regulation

When: Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7:15 p.m.

Where: Oxford Presbyterian Church, 6 Pine St., Oxford. The event is free and open to the public

billion for local workers. Trump recently approved that pipeline without requiring builders to use U.S. steel. History shows protectionist policies hurt American workers. In 2002, the Bush administration imposed tariffs on imported steel. The resulting increase in steel prices spurred an economic slowdown that destroyed 200,000 jobs, more than the number of jobs supported by the entire steel industry.

Oil and natural gas pipelines don’t just benefit workers. They also save American consumers money. A proposed pipeline project in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey could lower consumer utility bills by almost $900 million in a single winter. Thanks in part to cost-saving pipelines, the average American driver

saves over $500 per year at the pump.

American reliance on domestic oil and natural gas is increasing. In June, demand for oil reached a 10-year high. But despite high demand, energy prices have remained low. That’s because new pipelines have made it cheap for drillers to increase production and meet consumers’ needs.

For instance, President Trump approved the Dakota Access Pipeline in February. With a stroke of his pen, he saved oil and natural gas drillers in North Dakota about $540 million in shipping costs. The pipeline opened up new markets for these drillers, enabling them to increase production by 50 percent -and create many new jobs.

Impeding domestic pipelines would even endanger national security. Unable to produce and transport

its own energy, America would depend or hostile regimes like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Today, America produces more oil than any other country -an impossible feat without pipelines to transport crude to refineries.

The President’s desire to boost U.S. steel sounds good on the surface — but it shouldn’t come at the expense of America’s economic security. Laying off American workers and asking the impossible of U.S. steel is no way to put “America First.”

Lawrence W. Reed is president of the Foundation for Economic Education in Atlanta and Drew Johnson is a senior fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance in Washington, D.C. This piece originally ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Barrar to host

Veterans Appreciation Breakfast on Nov. 4

Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Chester/Delaware) invites veterans of the 160th District to attend the veterans appreciation breakfast he is co-hosting with Sen. Tom Killion (R-9) on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at the Elam United Methodist Church, 1073 Smithbridge Road, Glen Mills.

“I look forward to talking with and personally thanking the men and women

who have defended our American ideals at the breakfast I am hosting with Sen. Killion,” Barrar said.

“They have made incredible sacrifices on our behalf, and this event is a very small way to honor them.”

Space is limited for the breakfast, so veterans are asked to RSVP to Barrar’s district office at 610-3585925 or Killion’s office in Brookhaven at (610) 4473163. Reservations can be

made at one of the three breakfast times: 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Boy Scouts of America Troop 260 will be assisting with the breakfast and serving the veteran community. The 160th District includes the townships of Bethel, Concord, Chadds Ford, Kennett, Pennsbury, Pocopson and Upper Chichester, as well as Kennett Square Borough.

Company donates furnace and air conditioner to Kennett Square couple fighting cancer

Wesley Wood Service Experts Heating and Air Conditioning donated a complete home comfort system, including a furnace and air conditioner, to Robert Melchiorre of Kennett Square, who is fighting cancer.

The system will be delivered and installed, along with a new hot water heater, at Melchiorre’s home in Kennett Square on Sept. 22. Melchiorre has been

fighting prostate cancer for eight years. The cost has left him with tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt, leaving him unable to address his home’s rusted water heater and heat exchanger. There was also a crack in his system that was leaking carbon monoxide.

“When I called Mr. Melchiorre to tell him we wanted to perform this service, he actually thought I was pulling his leg,” said Alan Soukup,

general manager of Wesley Wood Service Experts Heating and Air Conditioning. “It was one of the most wonderful moments in my professional experience to hear his reaction once he realized I was serious. For us, it’s a collaborative labor of love, involving the generosity of Lennox, R.E. Michael, and my team of technicians, who are looking forward to making a difference for this family before the Pennsylvania winter

kicks in.”

Soukup and his team installed the system, valued at more than $13,700. In addition to West Chester, Wesley Wood Service Experts serves Birchrunville, Bryn Mawr, Chester Springs, Chevney, Devon, Downingtown, Exton, Garnet Valley, Glen Mills, Glenmoore, Gradyville, Malvem, Newton Square, Paoli, Pocopson, Spring City, Thorndale, Thornton, and Villanova.

Kennett Consolidated School District hires new director of facilities

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

The Kennett Consolidated School District has hired George Wolhafe to serve as the director of facilities beginning on or about Nov. 15. Wolhafe fills the position previously held by Robert Perzel. Perzel was honored for his service to the district when his retirement was announced after 18 years with the district at the October board meeting.

Dr. Michael Barber, the district’s assistant superintendent, said that the search committee unanimously selected Wolhafe from among the candidates who applied to fill the position. Barber said that Wolhafe is a West Chester resident who graduated from Gwynned Mercy College and has professional experience as a master plumber, pipe fitter,

national field manager, and director of operations.

In his Finance Committee report, school board member Michael Finnegan said that the state has established a 2.4 percent Act 1 Index limit for the school district for the 20182019 school year. The district is already starting the early work on the 2018-2019 budget now.

Finnegan also talked about budgeting for the school resource officer that the district has had for the last several years. The school district and Kennett Square Borough initially collaborated to secure a grant that helped pay for a police officer to be assigned to school buildings. Finnegan said that having the school resource officer in the schools has been beneficial. However, the grant funding will no longer be available for the next school

year. The impact on the school district budget could double to about $79,000, Finnegan informed the school board. He added that superintendent Dr. Barry Tomasetti will soon be working with the borough to negotiate the costs for the school resource officer, with the hope that the impact on the budget might be less than $79,000.

During committee reports, board members noted that the State Legislature still has not managed to reach a consensus on a revenue bill that would balance the state budget that was due by June 30. As a result, full state subsidies to the school districts are still not available.

Business administrator Mark Tracy assured the school board that the district is in a strong financial position, and has the cash flow necessary to continue the operations of the schools.

Tomasetti and the school board recognized the contributions of school board member Heather Schaen, who has served on the board for 12 years, and school board member Janice Reynolds, who has served on the board for 8 years. Both board members recently received commendations from the state for their service on the board.

“We’re honored to recognize you tonight,” Tomasetti said. Board president Kendra LaCosta thanked Schaen and Reynolds for helping the other board members, and for sharing their experience with the other board members.

The Kennett School Board will meet again on Monday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. At the New Garden Elementary School.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

Ghostly encounters and haunted locations in Oxford

The Oxford Area Senior Center’s series continues on Oct. 25

Ghost stories and urban legends are woven into the fabric of nearly every local town and community, and Oxford is no exception.

Oxford is home to many ghostly guests that “haunt” a number of local shops and private residences. The Oxford Area Senior Center has invited a team of paranormal investigators, called 610 Paranormal, to share their stories of the most haunted locations in Oxford. An event has been planned for Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Oxford Area Senior Center (12 E. Locust St.). These “ghost hunters” will tell their tales of unexplained sights, sounds and spirits. Participants will see and hear evidence from local paranormal investigations into a series of hauntings, such as objects moved by unseen forces, sudden temperature drops, and lights going on and off. 610 Paranormal will discuss the process involved in conducting an investigation, including the high-tech tools used to document the existence of ghosts. The workshop is free and open to the community. Refreshments will be served. For reservations, call 610932-5244 or email oxsrctr@ zoominternet.net.

Attend one of our no-obligation neighborhood seminars to learn how our plans are focused on you. We offer a variety of plans so you can select the benefits and cost that are right for you.

Experience all the benefits of Original Medicare plus prescription drug coverage, around-the-clock service and extra benefits — all for plan premiums as low as $0! And we make enrolling easy.

See for yourself. Call 1-844-276-5308 (TTY 711) to RSVP for a meeting below or check for other meetings. (Call 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., seven days a week.) Space is limited, so reserve your spot today.

Monday, 10/23/2017

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. La Comunidad Hispana Conference Room 731 W. Cypress St. Kennett Square, PA 19348

Monday, 10/30/2017

10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Jennersville YMCA Enrichment Studio 880 W. Baltimore Pike West Grove, PA 19390

Health Partners Medicare is an HMO plan with Medicare and Pennsylvania State Medicaid program contracts. Enrollment in Health Partners Medicare depends on contract renewal. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. A sales person will be present with information and applications. For accommodation of persons with special needs at sales meetings, call 1-844-276-5308 (TTY 711). Health Partners Medicare complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-866-901-8000 (TTY: 711).

1-866-901-8000 (TTY: 711)。

This is an advertisement.

Oxford Mayoral Candidates...

Continued from Page 1A

commission. She explained that her love of Oxford is the motivation to serve as mayor.

“I feel that I am ready to show how much I care about this town,” Bell said. She moved to Oxford at the age of eight, and she said that she really enjoyed growing up in town.

“The town was a source of excitement,” she said. “My childhood was amazing, and the town was the reason why.”

She moved back to Oxford to raise her own children so that they could attend the same schools that she attended and live and learn in the same community that she had grown up in. Bell became very active in the community.

When she launched her campaign to become mayor, Bell explained, she met with Police Chief John Slauch and Mayor Geoff Henry to learn as much as she could about the police department’s operations. Overseeing the police department is the biggest duty of mayors in Pennsylvania boroughs.

Public safety is a priority for Bell. She said that, due to the tight budget of the Oxford Police Department, “it is vital that all working officers be on patrol when working. It is important that we have an all-handson-deck attitude so that we can add more evening foot patrols and more officers can be assigned daily.”

Grace, a council member for the last four years, earned a nomination for another term in the Primary Election in May. He is still campaigning for a seat on council, but has now launched a write-in bid to become the next mayor. He explained that he did not run for mayor in the primary because he didn’t want to be in competition with Ron Hershey, one of his colleagues on borough council. Hershey had sought the nomination for mayor in the Primary Election.

“I want to continue to serve my community in any way possible,” Grace said of the decision to run for mayor. Grace is a manager of a data center operation with Automated Financial Systems.

“My primary responsibilities are overseeing a multi-million dollar computer environment that is manned 24 hours a day and seven days a week,” he explained. “I also am tasked with disaster recovery procedures.”

He and his wife, Lori, also own a business, the Maroon Hornet, in downtown Oxford, which gives him insights into what other business owners in town are experiencing.

Grace is proud of the fact that council has managed to pass a budget without a tax increase in three of the last four years, and there was only a small tax increase in the fourth year.

During his time on council, Grace has been the chairman of the Public Works Committee and also serves on the Police and Public Safety Committee, which already gives him significant knowledge about the workings of the police department.

Grace talked about how he sees great benefit to having an economically vibrant community. He said that he would like to see more events to bring people into Oxford, so that more people see how great the town is.

“The downtown shops are getting filled up,” he said. “I want people to come to Oxford so much that they get tired of coming to Oxford and say, ‘I want to move to Oxford.’”

Grace said that if he wins a council seat and the mayoral race, he would decide to serve as the mayor. He added that he doesn’t think there is any reason to support a particular candidate based on party affiliation.

“We’re a small town and there’s no need for partisan politics,” Grace said. “This is me wanting to be the mayor of the town. I love this town.”

Benjamin, the owner of the Miss Oxford Diner, pledged to be a voice for residents if she were elected mayor.

“As a small business owner, I want to see Oxford thrive and grow so that people want to live in, work in, and visit Oxford,” she said. “I will be a voice for not only my fellow business owners, but for all residents, regardless of political affiliation.”

Benjamin was born in Orlando, Florida and most of her childhood was spent in Delaware. Eventually, the family moved Maryland. She graduated from North East High School in Maryland.

“I like the small towns,” she said. “I want Oxford to be a place for people to come, a place for people to raise a family.”

Benjamin spent 12 years working as a legal secretary for a law firm in nearby Elkton, Md. Her friend, Jeff Lawson, owned the Miss Oxford Diner. At some time around 2003, she started helping out Lawson by running the diner on some weekends so that he could have a break. She immediately liked the diner and its customers. Lawson wanted Benjamin to become a partner in the business, and she eventually did. When he moved away in 2007, the business was entirely hers. She believes the skills that she has learned working at the law firm and running her own business will serve her well as a mayor.

“I feel that I have a skill set to offer the local government,” she said. “I also have a desire to do it. I have a legal background from running a law firm, and I own two [businesses]. I know how to make a budget and stick to it.”

One of the biggest topics of conversation in Oxford in 2017 is the proposed parking garage, and while the next mayor would not have a vote for against such a project, there is no doubt that a new parking garage would impact the borough’s future in a variety of ways.

As a council member, Grace has been supportive of the borough’s efforts to secure grant funding for the contstruction of the parking garage.

Benjamin said that she knows that residents are concerned that there might be a cost to them to pay for the parking garage, and she shares those concerns. She explained, “It would be foolish to be against anything that will benefit the borough. But I am not supportive of anything that will cost money for borough residents.”

Bell sounded a more optimistic tone about the parking garage project, noting that the borough has already been successful in securing a significant amount of grant funding for the project.

“I’m a taxpayer too,” Bell said. “The burden will not be on the taxpayers.”

All three candidates talked about the importance of having a safe town for people to live and work.

“I want to make sure that we live in a community that is safe and secure,” Benjamin said.

All three candidates also talked about how they were inspired to serve as mayor of Oxford because of their love of the community.

“I see positive growth in this town,” Bell said. “There’s no need to make Oxford great again. We’re already great.”

On that point, Benjamin, Bell, and Grace would all likely agree.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

Classic cars for a good cause

Perfect weather and classic cars were a winning combination on Oct. 1 during The Classics at Brantwyn, a benefit for the Kennett Symphony held at the Brantywn Estate in Wilmington, Del.

The event is centered on beautiful automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. There was an open bar, a gourmet brunch catered by the DuPont Country Club, and live music. The day started with the Grand Parade of automobiles at 11 a.m.,

Lessons learned on the trail

Local artist Lindsay Schmittle walks from Georgia to Maine

By John Chambless Staff Writer

There’s a license plate frame on Lindsay Schmittle’s car, parked in the driveway of her Landenberg home. It reads, “I’d rather be hiking the Appalachian Trail.”

Last week, inside the converted garage that serves as Schmittle’s lowtech printing studio, she was adjusting to having completed the trail – all 2,190 miles of it – and shifting back into normal life again. The experience of walking from Georgia to Maine leaves people plenty of time to think, and Schmittle did just that from March 25 to Sept. 11, when she ended her journey and returned home to Pennsylvania.

“It’s a different sense of scale,” she said. “Particularly in New England, when I’d get to the top of a ridge and see the area behind where I’d been, and then look four mountains away, where I was headed. I was humbled by it. You are very small, compared to nature. Mother Nature is in control.”

That’s one of the things that Schmittle will be conveying in a series of 22 prints that she is creating to document her journey, one print for every 100 miles. Blending hand-set type and graphics with her keen eye for design, she is putting together an exhibit that’s already scheduled for two galleries. The project, called “The Printed Walk: Georgia to Maine,” was funded on Kickstarter in December 2016. many of the prints will go to the project backers, but the remaining limited-edition prints will be available on Schmittle’s website beginning in January.

Some people take on the Appalachian Trail in segments, worked into their schedules or their level of endurance. Schmittle walked it straight through, aside from five days when she returned home for the funeral of her grandmother.

An experienced hiker, she had prepared admirably well, setting up packages of food

and supplies that her family sent to post offices as she arrived in towns along the trail. She spent the nights in her tent or in three-sided shelters that are set up for hikers. For several luxurious days during the trip, she split a motel room with other hikers so they could do laundry, shower, and sleep in a bed – or at least on the floor in a sleeping bag. That happened perhaps one night a week.

“I met lots of people along the way,” she said. “We call them ‘trailmilies,’ like families, only on the trail. I met one at the beginning of the trip, and one near the end.”

The trail, she said, is a great equalizer. Whether you’re a bank president or a college student, the experience of throwing yourself on the mercy of nature breaks down barriers and forms quick relationships. “I saw some people that I worried about,” Schmittle said, “Like, ‘Are you going to make it to the next shelter?’ They were out of breath and out of shape. And I met two other women that I hung out with towards the end. Most of the hikers are guys. Sometimes it was me and like 15 dudes in a shelter.”

Schmittle’s family was concerned about her safety on the trail as a solitary woman, hiking by herself for weeks on end. “I didn’t feel unsafe,” she said. “We did pass shelters where you’d hear people say, ‘Yep, two women died here,’ but overall the risk was blown way out of proportion.”

Schmittle saw two bears – “Both of them in New Jersey,” she said, laughing. “All along the trail, I’d get up early, hoping to maybe see a bear, but never saw one until New Jersey. I saw one, but he was not interested in me. I made sure to cross in front of him so I didn’t surprise him. And I saw another one later that night.”

The creature that made the biggest impact was a rattlesnake in Pennsylvania.

“It was a timber rattler,” Schmittle said. “About five

feet long. I almost stepped on it. It was in an area where it wasn’t supposed to be common. I jumped back, and yes, there was a little scream,” she said, smiling.

After breaking in her “trail legs,” she set a steady pace of 15 to 25 miles per day, depending on the terrain. The trail has flat stretches through the woods as well as nearly perpendicular rock faces that must be climbed on all fours, so the pace varies, she said.

“The second day I did 21 miles, which was a mistake,” she said. “I felt it the next day, but later I was good to go.”

Schmittle slept in her tent, or occasionally just in her sleeping bag under the stars if the weather was good. “But that stopped in the summer when the bugs got bad,” she said. Shelters on the trail are only three-sided structures to keep the rain off, and do nothing to stop mosquitoes.

The closest brush with calamity occurred near the end of the trip, she said, in Maine. “We had set up camp at night. It was raining, and we set up in the dark,” she said. “Normally, you look around your campsite to make sure there aren’t any dead trees that could fall on you during a storm, but we couldn’t see. At about 12:30, a tree fell on me. It was about 18 inches in diameter. It fell across my legs, with about a centimeter clearance. Luckily, I had set up my tent on a bed of leaves, so there was some give to the ground. That saved me. The other half of it fell on my stove, above my head.”

If Schmittle had been positioned inches to the left or right, her legs would have been crushed. “I was very, very lucky,” she said. “I credit that to all the tree hugging I had done earlier on the trip,” she added, laughing.

The next day, she called her family. “The first thing you say in those calls is, ‘I’m OK,’” she said. “And then I told my mom a tree fell on me.”

Along the way, Schmittle met an 84-year-old man who was hiking the trail

by himself, and a couple with a 1-year-old baby in a backpack. For meals, she had prepped dehydrated foods that she carried and resupplied by picking up packages in towns along the route. Many of the towns on the trail are small and have a solitary fast-food restaurant, so dining options were limited. “I was craving ice cream a lot,” Schmittle said. “That’s what I’d get when I was in town. And fresh food was another thing. I really wanted a nice salad.”

One moment that stood out – and will be featured in the artworks she is creating – is watching the northern lights at a lakeside in Maine. “Seeing that was on my bucket list,” Schmittle said. “It was the last week of the trip, after the tree had fallen on me, and a group of us were camped by a lake. One of the guys came up and said, ‘Come here and tell me what you think this is.’

We looked and there were these green lights, moving in ribbons in the sky. Every once in a while, one of them would shoot off in a different direction. We brought the group out to the beach to see it. It lasted about 15 minutes. That’s definitely going to be one of the prints.”

At one point, she was camping in the mountains during a thunderstorm. “That was wild,” she said. “I heard this huge wind coming up the valley and then it would hit the tent, and I’d be holding my arms and legs out, hoping my tent didn’t fly away. The next morning, my tent stakes were pulled out of the ground,” she said.

Schmittle admitted she didn’t have as much time to think about art as she had planned. “I did take a lot of pictures, and I picked up birch bark that I will print from,” she said. She also picked up charcoal from a burned forest in North Carolina, along with some red clay, mica and slate that she will experiment with to see if they offer interesting textures and pigments.

The trip was planned for safety’s sake, but not

scheduled too tightly. “I saw people on the trail with spreadsheets, marking off how far they had to go,” Schmittle said. “I’m glad I didn’t plan everything out like that. That allowed these moments of spontaneity. I was so glad I took a leap of faith.”

On the last day, she reached the summit of the final mountain with a group of fellow travelers. “There’s this big sign at the top of the final mountain that you see in all the photos of people who finish the trail. My trailmily and I arrived within five minutes of each other and had about an hour and a half on the mountain by ourselves,” she said. “I had envisioned the moment for so long, but there weren’t any tears. I realized that it really is all about the journey.”

Schmittle has a long stretch of art-making and gallery scheduling for the coming months, but she smiled and said she has another trip in her five-to10-year plan. “I’d like to do the Pacific Crest Trail,” she said. “It goes from Mexico to Canada and has deserts and snow-capped mountains. It’s a more technical trip. So yeah, there will definitely be a ‘Printed Walk 2,’” she said, laughing.

For now, her works are scheduled to be shown at a gallery in Alabama in March, and a gallery in Georgia in April, with more to come.

“I’d like it to be a touring exhibit that goes to as many of the states on the trail as possible,” she said. “In Georgia, I’ll be displaying my gear, too – my tent, all the shoes I went through, plus the prints. It could tour as long as 2018 or 2019.”

The experience of creating art prints is another new venture, she said. “I always considered myself mostly a graphic designer, so I’m just dipping a toe into the fine art world. I’m learning. I never thought I’d be in a gallery, let alone doing 22 fine-art prints.”

Schmittle’s time on the trail has shifted the way she sees her life, she said. “It’s really changed my sense of what’s important and what can be sloughed off. It’s changed my outlook on the world. After I got back, I’d hear people talking about the silliest priorities. I was thinking, ‘Guys, you really need to go take a walk in the woods.’”

For more information, visit www.gingerlypress.com.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.

Oct. 19 to 21

Great Pumpkin Carve

The Great Pumpkin Carve will be held in Chadds Ford Oct. 19 to 21 on the grounds of the Chadds Ford Historical Society.

The open-air festival features 70 local amateur and professional artists who carve huge pumpkins that will be lit with candles and displayed at the end of the carving on Oct. 19 and then again on Oct. 20 and 21. Several food and beverage vendors will be on site. Children can paint and take their own small pumpkins. A scarecrow competition will bring together dozens of custom creations to be displayed on site. There is an application fee of $10. A panel of three guest judges will determine the winners in the following categories:

Celebrating Chadds Ford; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; Keeping Traditions, and Forged in History. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 7 to 17, free for children 6 and younger and Chadds Ford Historical Society members. Visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org.

Oct. 20

Benefit for library

A benefit for the Avon Grove Library will be held Oct. 20 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Chisel Creek golf course. Tickets are $45, including food, beer and wine. Tickets are available at the library.

Oct. 20-21

Bazaar at Senior Center

The Kennett Area Senior Center (427 S. Walnut St., Kennett Square) hosts a Crafts Showcase and Bazaar on Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be crafts, needlework, antiques

and collectibles, a general store, fashions, books, baked goods and candy and specialty vendors, along with soup sold by the quart. Call 610-444-4819 or vist www.kennettseniorcenter.

org.

Oct. 21

Crafts at Jenner’s Pond

The public is invited to the Annual Arts and Crafts Festival held in Jenner’s Pond Retirement Community on Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 40 invited artisans from Pennsylvania and surrounding states will be selling jewelry, paintings, home décor, woodcrafts, needlework, Christmas décor and more in the interior public areas of the Alison Building (2000 Greenbriar Lane, off of Old Baltimore Pike in Jennersville). There will also be a used book sale, a bake sale and free face painting. Tickets can be purchased to win gift cards for local restaurants, stores and more. Call 610620-4325 or 610-345-0377 for more information.

Oct. 25

‘Arsenic & Old Lace’ auditions

Avon Grove Community Theater will hold auditions for the classic comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace”

on Oct. 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Kemblesville

United Methodist Church. Rehearsals will begin the first week of November. Performances will take place on March 23, 24 and 25, 2018 at Street Lamp Productions, Rising Sun, Md. If interested, or for more information, email Director.Arsenic@gmail. com.

Oct. 28-29

Nickerson-Rossi Dance

Nickerson-Rossi Dance will perform on Oct. 28 and 29 at the Uptown! Knauer

Performing Arts Center (226 N. High St., West Chester). “Mainstage” is a theater presentation with students in performance alongside professional dancers. Performances are Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., and Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $27 for adults, $22 for students, and $13 for ages 13 and younger, and are available at www.uptownwestchester. org, at the box office or by calling 610-356-ARTS.

Nov. 3

Veterans luncheon

The Kennett Area Senior Center (427 S. Walnut St., Kennett Square) hosts its annual Veterans Day luncheon on Nov. 3, with a program at 10 a.m., followed

by lunch. All veterans eat free. Others ages 60 and older are $2 (under 60, $6). For reservations, call 610444-4819 by Oct. 23. Nov. 3 Mason Porter in concert

The Friends Folk Club will host the band Mason Porter in concert on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Oxford Friends Meeting (260 S. 3rd St., Oxford). Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 (children 12 and younger free). Refreshments are available. For more information, call 610-869-8076 or email friendsfolkclub@aol.com.

Nov. 5

Pennsylvania Hunt Cup

The 83rd running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup will again take place on Nov. 5 in Unionville. This year, the main beneficiary is the Chester County Food Bank. Gates open to the public at 10:30 a.m. Parking subscriptions are sold both in advance and on race day. All parking is per car –all occupants are included. Directions and subscriptions are available on the PHC website (www.pahuntcup. org). The four-mile Pennsylvania Hunt Cup is the race day feature, along with timber races, a flat race, the Junior Pony races, a sidesaddle invitational, a carriage parade, and a visit from Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire foxhounds. The Holiday Boutique shops will be open for shopping all day.

To submit items to the Calendar of Events, e-mail jchambless@chestercounty. com. There is no charge. Not every submission can be included. Items should be submitted at least two weeks before the event.

Through Oct. 28

Jeff Schaller ‘Pleasure Principle’

Church Street Gallery (12 S. Church St., West Chester) hosts “Jeff Schaller: The Pleasure Principle,” a show of new paintings, through Oct. 28. Visit www. churchstreetgallerywc.com.

Through Oct. 30

Don Shoffner solo show

Sunset Hill Fine Arts Gallery (23 N. High St., West Chester) will host a solo exhibit of paintings by Don Shoffner through Oct. 30. Working in watercolor and India ink, his works depict fall and winter Chester County scenes in subdued hues.

Through Oct. 28

Rhoda Kahler and Mitch Lyons

The Station Gallery (3922 Kennett Pike, Greenville, Del.) presents “Twogether,” a show by ceramic artist Rhoda Kahler and clay monoprint artist Mitch Lyons, through Oct. 28. Call 302-654-8638 or visit www.stationgallery.net.

Through Oct. 31

Philip Jamison and John Rush

Mala Galleria (200 E. State St., Kennett Square) presents presents paintings by West Chester artist Philip Jamison and woodworking by John Rush through Oct. 31. Call 202-591-6548 or visit www.malagalleria. com.

Through Nov. 10

Albert Gans

The Oxford Arts Annex (19 S. Third St., Oxford) presents a solo show by local painter Albert Gans through Nov. 10. Visit

A solo show by Jon Redmond opens this weekend at the Somerville Manning

www.oxfordart.org for more information.

Through Nov. 5

Jill Beech at Bookplace Bookplace (2373 Baltimore Pike, Oxford) presents “Anything Considered,” a solo exhibit by Jill Beech, through Nov. 5. The book shop and gallery is open Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Call 717715-4775 or visit www. bookplaceoxford.com. Oct. 19 to Nov. 11 Jon Redmond solo show

Somerville Manning Gallery (101 Stone Block Row, Greenville, Del.) presents a solo show of paintings by Jon Redmond from Oct. 19 to Nov. 11. A reception with the artist will be held Oct. 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. With a studio in Philadelphia and a house in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, Redmond offers a fresh view of his popular subject matters of choice -- urban architecture and still lifes that juxtapose the natural and man-made. Call 302-652-0271 or visit www.somervillemanning. com.

Two new exhibitions explore the Brandywine and cosmos

By John Chambless Staff Writer

The Brandywine River Museum has taken a big step – two big steps, actually –with cutting-edge exhibitions that incorporate video and contemporary art.

The museum is worldrenowned as a repository for works by the Wyeth family and artists of the past, but last week, “Dylan Gauthier: highwatermarks” and “Ana Vizcarra Rankin: time/scale” moved the Brandywine in a new direction.

In a darkened third-floor gallery, visitors can take a seat and immerse themselves in “highwatermarks,” a video displayed on two walls of the space. Gauthier spent his year as an artist in residence at the museum exploring the relationships between the Brandywine River and the communities it passes through, and the result is a 70-minute film that uses natural sounds and scenes captured along the river’s course. There’s no narration, and the pace is contemplative, but the stunning images and enveloping soundscape are captivating.

The film – shown on a floor-to-ceiling screen that’s 60 feet long – captures all four seasons on the river, stretching from the headwaters in Honey Brook Township, through Coatesville and Chadds Ford, to Wilmington, where it feeds the city’s public water supply before merging into the Christina River and the Delaware River. Along the way there are unexpected detours to a gritty mushroom farm, as well as the rolling estates along its path. Water trickling through culverts and under

bridges is examined just as much as a frog perched on a stone, goats munching grass in a field, and the iconic Kuerner Farm. There’s no narration –just a chance to see the river in a whole new way.

At a celebration of the exhibit on Oct. 10, Gauthier, a Brooklyn-based artist, curator and writer, said he knew very little about Chester County before coming here. He’s now clearly in love with the region – even after filming and editing some 100 hours of video for the project. “This is definitely the largest site-specific work I’ve done,” he said. “It started with making sound recordings of the area, before I recorded the video.”

The visual component makes “highwatermarks” an unconventional love letter to the region. By combining river views that are unchanged since the 1800s with the orangetinted glow of the interior of a mushroom house, or the whoosh of cars passing over a bridge, Gauthier said the film “is about depicting the area in a positive light, but it also adds some layers to that, with some places that don’t come

to mind when you think of the Brandywine.”

Gauthier laughed and said, “I ended up with a lot of dogs and horses” in the raw footage, but has successfully pared the film down to a point where visitors can enjoy stopping in for a few moments, or sitting still for the whole experience. It distills the Brandywine experience elegantly.

“highwatermarks” continues through Jan. 7. On Nov. 1, Gauthier will present an artist lecture reflecting on historical currents of environmental art in the region, and sharing research conducted with Brandywine Conservancy staff over his year-long residency.

Meanwhile, on the museum’s second floor, a gallery has been devoted to “time/scale,” the first solo museum exhibition for Uruguayan-American artist Ana Vizcarra Rankin. Curated by Tina Plokarz and Kerry Bickford, the exhibition displays 23 large-scale paintings and hand-crafted collages of astronomical constellations and world maps, reflecting issues of humanity, globalization, migration and scientific exploration.

In the gallery on Oct. 10, Rankin offered intriguing insights into the exhibition, in which familiar world maps are first turned upside down. “There’s no ‘up’ in space,” she said, smiling, “and the show is a reconsideration of biases we have that are shown in phrases like ‘Everything went south,’ for instance.”

By inverting our accustomed viewpoint, Rankin is able to draw on the timeless nature of the stars and constellations, while questioning the divisions we place upon the planet.

In the center of the gallery floor is a large red circle, which was inspired by the red-shift phenomenon as light moves away from our viewpoint in the universe. “When I tried to paint stars on the surface, the red kept sucking up the white and black paint,” Rankin said. “So, if you could map the energy of the universe, this would be the result – a red mist.”

Rankin said she invites visitors to form their own conclusions about her works, which are firmly based in star maps of the past and scientific fact, enhanced here and there with her own input. In one

collage, an inverted map shows Antarctica, which Rankin has renamed Aukberg, based on uk-uk, which is an indigenous word for penguin. And she has renamed the bays along the coast of the continent.

“Instead of the names of all these male explorers, I thought I would use names for whales, like Baleen Sea, Selky Sea and Narwhal Sea,” she said. She was drawn to Antarctica because, “it’s the only continent on earth that has never seen war, but it’s melting” due to global climate change.

Rankin’s paintings are multi-layered and openended, and the exhibition is a blend of scientific fact and artistic fancy, of tiny details and unimaginable distances, of folklore and

recent history. These vibrant, sketchy paintings will stretch your imagination in the best possible way.

The exhibition, curated by Philadelphia Contemporary, continues through Nov. 5. Ana Vizcarra Rankin will discuss the show on Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. in the gallery.

The Brandywine River Museum of Art is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $6 for students and children ages 6 to 18; free for children 5 and younger. For more information, call 610-388-2700 or visit www. brandywinemuseum.org.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty. com.

LEONARD DAVIDSON

Leonard “Steve” Davidson, 90, of Unionville,passed away peacefully at home on Oct. 4, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in 1927 in Unionville, to the late James Davidson and Beulah Nunemaker Davidson. In addition to his parents, Steve was predeceased by his loving wife, Shirley, with whom he shared 40 years of marriage. He was also predeceased by three brothers, Paul “Lem” Davidson, James Davidson, and John “Jack” Davidson; and three sisters, Mitzi Cooper, Geraldine McLaughlin, and Mary O’Fiesh. Upon his graduation from Unionville High School, class of 1945, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard to serve in World War II. In 1950, he was reassigned and served in the Korean Conflict.

After time served, he began his career as a stone mason, which he continued into the 1970s. In 1958, Steve joined the United States Post Office and retired in 1993, after 35 years of service. Steve was a member of the Unionville Presbyterian Church for 50 years, and an active member of the East Marlborough Zoning Board for over 40 years. He and his wife volunteered for the Unionville Community Fair for over 20 years. One of Steve’s greatest joys was sharing in both his children’s and grandchildren’s lives. He could be seen at their sports, music, and school events. He enjoyed playing cards with his friends, family trips to Top Sail, N.C., and rooting for Philadelphia sports teams.

He is survived by three sons, James E. Davidson of Landenberg, Robert S. Davidson and his wife Carol of Collegeville, and John P. Davidson and his wife Vicki of Avondale; daughter-in-law Carol Davidson of Avondale; one sister, Marion Guest of Kennett Square; and seven grandchildren, Ashley, Matthew, Olivia, Joseph, Samuel, Abby, and Jenna.

A funeral was held Oct. 11. Burial was in Unionville Cemetery. In memory of Steve, a contribution may be made to JDRF, 555 Croton Road, Suite 11, King of Prussia, PA 19406 (www. jdrf.org). To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, visit www.griecocares. com.

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

Hebrews 13:14

TheChesterCountyPressfeaturesadedicatedchurch/religious pagethatcanhelpyouadvertiseyourhouseofworshipand/or business.Thepageisupdatedweeklywithnewscripture.Only$10 Weeklyforthisspace. Weareofferingaspecialdiscountof25%offeachandeveryhelp wanted/classifiedadvertisementtoanybusinessthatadvertiseson thePRESSchurchpage.

For more information or to place an ad, contact Brenda Butt at 610-869-5553 ext. 10

JOSEPH A. MCMILLAN

Joseph A. McMillan of West Grove, formerly of New London and Kelton, passed away on Oct. 2 after a brief illness.

He will forever be remembered as a man of devout faith, a friend, husband, brother and father. He was born in 1946 in West Grove, and attended Avon Grove schools, graduating in 1963. Post graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy and served from 1963 to 1967 aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Saratoga during the Vietnam War. Post military service, he attended Widener University and graduated with a B.S. in engineering and worked for E.I. DuPont for the majority of his professional career in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia, and lived a brief time in Florida and Georgia. He was an expert in quality systems, quality assurance practices, ISO 9000 and ISO 9001; and taught at the University of Delaware, Lincoln University and Patrick Henry Community College.

He was a man of great faith, an ordained minister, and served as part of the clergy at the Full Gospel Lighthouse in West Grove and Jennersville, New London Baptist Church in New London, and at other ministries in Pennsylvania and Virginia, delivering sermons and performing many marriages, baptisms and providing comfort at funerals. He previously served on the parent or regional boards of the Full Gospel Lighthouse, New London Baptist Church and Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International.

He was a founder of Southern Chester County’s first alcohol detoxification program at the Southern Chester County Medical Center (Jennersville Hospital) and was active in supporting drug and alcohol treatment programs locally and nationally. He was also a lover of nature and animals, having grown up surrounded by, and working on, dairy, corn, wheat and other crop farms, and was an avid nature and landscape photographer.

He was predeceased by his former wife, Emma Cecilia (Cel) McMillan (Harvey); his parents, Claude Allen McMillan and Ella Mae McMillan (Eggers); his sisters Alice A. Hearne and Gloria B. Lewis; and brother Charles (Chuck) E. McMillan. He is survived by his sister, Dora Ina Walraven; his four children, Michael C. McMillan (Jessica) of Jacksonville, Fla., Lawrence W. McMillan of Jacksonville, Fla., Ila Marie McMillan (Kirk Wiseman) of Landenberg, and Joseph Allen McMillan, Jr. (Jordan Charles-Henri Girard) of New York, N.Y.; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A memorial service was held Oct. 14. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his name to the Avon Grove Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 266, West Grove, PA 19390. The foundation supports students seeking to attend college or university post high school, with an emphasis on financial need.

EDITH L. FLESSNER

Edith L. Flessner, 93, of Oxford, formerly of Newark, died on Oct. 4 at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del.

She was the wife of Donald Flessner, with whom she shared 64 years of marriage. Born in Philadelphia, she was the daughter of the late Leslie A. and Edith M. Kessler Grand, and sister to her late brother, Leslie Grand. Edith received her BS and Master’s Degrees from Drexel University and attended the University of Minnesota for her Doctorate. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Newark, and the Oxford Presbyterian Church. Always a volunteer, Edith served as a Lay Chaplain at Christiana Hospital for 15 years. She conducted several programs for the residents of Ingleside Retirement Home to help them through the long winter months. She was an active Girl Scout for over 80 years, including five decades with the Chesapeake Bay Girl Scout Council.

She is survived by her husband; two sons, Donald Flessner (Kathleen) of Akron, Ohio, and Kenneth Flessner (Rehana) of Denville, N.J.; one daughter, Leslie Meredith (Gerald) of Tucson, Ariz.; and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Oct. 16. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts, ATTN: Eileen Pelham, 225 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

JANIE W. HUDLER

Janie W. Hudler, 84, of Avondale, passed away on Oct. 7 at the Pocopson Home. She was the wife of Harold Hudler, who passed away in 2004, and with whom she shared 53 years of marriage. Born in Ashe County, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Roy Wallace and the late Mary Lou Vannoy Wallace. Janie was a machine operator at NVF in Newark, Del., retiring after over 40 years of service. She was a member of the Kemblesville United Methodist Church. Janie enjoyed crocheting, gardening, shopping, going to church and being with her family.

She is survived by one son, Harold N. Hudler, Sr., and his wife Susan of Avondale; two daughters, Loretta Sturgis and her husband Jim, and Debbie Terry and her husband Louie, both of Landenberg; three grandchildren, Stephanie Folk and her husband Gary, Harold N. Hudler, Jr., and his wife Colleen, and Melissa Terry; and two great-grandchildren.

A funeral was held Oct. 12. Burial was in Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square. In memory of Janie, a contribution may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 399 Market Street, Suite 102, Philadelphia, PA 19106. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, visit www.griecocares.com.

IRENE MARIE GIULIANO

Irene Marie Giuliano, 74, of Cochranville, passed away on Oct. 7 in Ware Presbyterian Village, Oxford.

She was the wife of Raymond A. Giuliano, with whom she shared 54 years of marriage. Born in Ridley Park, she was the daughter of the late Julius and Nora Agnes Sheehan Levandowski. She graduated from Notre Dame Moylan, Pa., class of 1962. Irene was a member of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Parkesburg. She enjoyed cooking, baking and the beach.

She is survived by her husband; two sons, Ray J. Giuliano and his wife Jody, and Kevin M. Giuliano; one granddaughter, Christina Giuliano; one step-granddaughter, Samantha Gizzi; and three brothers, John Levandowski, James Levandowski and Leo Levandowski.

A memorial mass of Christian burial was held Oct. 17. Donations in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 314 Good Dr., Lancaster PA 17603. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

BETTY JANE HENNESSEY

Betty Hennessey, 88, a resident of Severna Park, Md., for more than 50 years, passed away peacefully following a long illness. She grew up in Kennett Square. She graduated from Kennett High School in 1947 and subsequently completed a stenographic course at Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, Del. Following her marriage to Richard (Dick) Klein Hennessey in 1960, they relocated and settled in Severna Park, Md. They resided in Severna Forest and were charter members of the Severna Park United Methodist Church. Betty worked as a legal secretary and retired from Anne Arundel County Government in 1992. After the loss of her husband in 1995, she pursued many activities, including visiting family and friends, traveling and playing bridge. In addition, she was a member of the “Every Other Thursday” Ladies Duckpin League for over 15 years. In 2015, illness forced her to leave her much-loved home and move to Brightview Severna Park, where she lived until her death. She is survived by numerous family members and friends around the country who loved her deeply and will miss her greatly.

A graveside service was held on Oct. 12 in Longwood Cemetery in Kennett Square. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Hospice of the Chesapeake, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena MD 21122. Online condolences may be made at www. barrancofuneralhome.com.

JEROLD S. PANATI

Jerold “Jerry” S. Panati, 81, of West Chester, passed away Oct. 9 at the Chester County Hospital.

Jerry was the husband of Nancy Ramey Panati, with whom he shared 53 years of marriage. Born in Philadelphia, and growing up in Ardmore, Jerry was the son of the late Jerry and late Alta (Mitchell) Panati. Jerry was “Penn State Proud,” earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business in 1958 from Penn State University, where he was also a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. After college, Jerry served in the Army as a Captain. After college and the Army, Jerry joined General Motors, where he worked for over 30 years as a quality engineer. His life’s passions were his family, dogs, cars (Corvettes) and golf. He traveled around the world with his wife after retirement, but for Jerry there was no place like home – swinging a golf club, looking for that perfect swing, watching his granddaughters grow up, having his dog next to him ... that is what made Jerry happy. Family was everything. Jerry (husband, father and Pop-Pop) is survived by his wife Nancy; son-Bob Panati and his wife Tracy of West Chester; daughter Donna Lamberth and her husband Karl of Chadds Ford; his brother, Donald Panati and his wife Sandi of Dresden, Maine; and his three granddaughters, Amanda, Danielle and Jenna.

Services were private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jerry’s memory may be made to the Brandywine Valley SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville, Pike West Chester, PA 19380. Condolences may be made at www.griecocares.com.

TIMOTHY L. ROARK

Timothy L. Roark, 55, of Nottingham, passed away peacefully at his residence on Oct. 4, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in 1961 in West Chester, to Charlotte Ann (Hampton) Roark and the late Robert Glenn Roark.  He was a dedicated truck driver for 30 years. In his leisure time, he would often be found fishing or attending car shows and tractor pulls. Timmy enjoyed spending time with his family watching T.V., and junk yard hopping on Saturday with his son.

Timmy is survived by his wife of 31 years, Lisa Roark; daughter, Nicky Egolf; son, Matthew Roark; daughter, Samantha Roark; son, Timothy Roark, Jr.; brother, Robert Roark and his wife Vicky; brother, Matthew Roark; sister, Lori Roark; brother, Joshua Roark and his wife Dee; three grandsons, Christopher, Jacob, Liam Egolf; two granddaughters, Daisy Cole and Bobbie Roark; and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of his life was held Oct. 14. To send an online condolence, visit www.rtfoard.com.

GEORGE C. GUSS III

George C. “Sonny” Guss III, 75, of Oxford, passed away on Oct. 7 at Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville after a long illness. He was the husband of Louise D. Guss (nee Kearney) with whom he shared 52 years of marriage. Born in Bryn Mawr, he was the son of the late George C., Jr., and Kathleen McManus Guss. George graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School Class of 1959. He honorably served in the U.S. Air Force from 1959-1963. He was employed with the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in the 1980s as a pipefitter, and went on to join the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers at the shipyard. George retired in 1995 and moved to Oxford with his family. He was employed with the Oxford Borough as the Building Inspector and Code Officer.

He is survived by his wife; two sons, Michael Guss and Christian Guss (Monica); eight grandchildren, Michael Jack, Daniel, Megan, Luke, Gabriel, Vincent, Gerard and David; one sister, Bessie (Jack); niece Kathleen (Theo); and grandniece Julia.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Oct. 12. Interment was in St. Agnes Cemetery in West Chester. In lieu of flowers, request Mass Cards in his name or donations in his name may be made to St. Michaels World Apostolate, P.O. Box 514, Bayside, NY 11361. Visit www. elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

MARY ELIZABETH MORRISON

Mary Elizabeth Morrison, 95, of Oxford, passed away on Oct. 11 at Ware Presbyterian Village in Oxford. She was the wife of the late Lawrence J. Morrison. Born in Glen Roy, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Jesse and Beulah Finney Reeves. Mary enjoyed word search puzzles and NASCAR racing.

She is survived by her five sons, Richard Morrison (Nancy) of Oxford, Lawrence Elwood Morrison (Elaine) of New Castle, Del., Kenneth Wayne Morrison (Gail) of West Grove, Barry Morrison (Elaine) of Kirkwood, and Robert Morrison of Oxford; one daughter, Mabel Elizabeth Brooks (Charles) of Homeville; 18 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; several great-great-grandchildren; two sisters, Hazel McMahan and Alma Shoemaker, both of Quarryville; daughter-in-law, Brenda Morrison of Oxford; and brother-in-law, Richard Landis. She was preceded in death by a son, Joseph Morrison; two brothers, Elwood Reeves and Arnold Reeves; and two sisters, Anna Grace Landis and Jane Deibler.

A funeral was held Oct. 16. Interment was in Oxford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

HELEN LOUISE HAGERTY WARFEL

Helen Louise Hagerty Warfel, 99, of Kennett Square, passed away peacefully on Oct. 7 at Linden Hall of The Friends Home of Kennett Square. Born in Hockessin, Del., in 1918, Helen was the daughter of Frank T. Hagerty and Maud Moore Hagerty. She was preceded in death by a brother, Harold F. Hagerty, of Wilmington. She was the wife of the late William D. Warfel, Jr. Both were 1936 graduates of Kennett High School and attended Goldey Business. They were married May 29, 1941. Helen became a bookkeeper and retired at the age of 70 from C&R Antonini’s. She was a member of The First Presbyterian Church of Kennett Square. She was also a lifetime member of the Kennett Grange and Kennett Senior Center. She enjoyed painting, reading, doing puzzles, and spending time at her cottage at White Crystal Beach in Maryland.

Helen is survived by two daughters, Patricia Warfel Hoffecker of Kennett Square, and Judith Warfel Hart and her husband James of Exton; three grandchildren, Kristin Hart Scatamacchia of Fleetwood, Pa., Keith W. Hart of Downingtown, and Helicia Hoffecker of Kennett Square. Helen was Nana to nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.

A funeral was held Oct. 16. Interment was in Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square. Helen enjoyed living the last nine years of her life living, singing, playing and talking with friends in The Friend’s Home in Kennett Square. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Friends Home in Kennett, 147 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19341. To view her online tribute, and to share a memory with her family, visit www.griecocares.com.

Oct. 25

Joseph’s People meeting

The monthly Joseph’s People for the unemployed and underemployed will be on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in the parish life center (lower level) of ABVM’s Church (300 State Rd., West Grove). The topic will be “Handling Difficult Interview Challenges” by Ken Sher, an executive, career and life coach. Visit www.josephspeople.org for more information.

Oct. 27

‘The Case for Christ’ screening West Grove United Methodist Church (300 N. Guernsey Rd., West Grove) hosts a big-screen showing of the film “The Case for Christ” on Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, and open to everyone. The film is about Lee Strobel’s search for the truth about Jesus.

Oct. 28

Buffet breakfast

Oxford United Methodist Church (18 Addison St., Oxford) holds its monthly buffet breakfast for the community on Oct. 28 from 7 to 10 a.m.

The menu includes buttermilk pancakes, sausage and bacon, scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and more. Tickets at the door are $7 for adults ($3 for ages

3 to 10). Proceeds benefit the church’s general fund. Call 610932-9698 for more information.

Oct. 28

Halloween fair

ABVM Assumption (300 State Rd.,West Grove) will hold a “Spooktackular Halloween Fair” with games, food and prizes on Oct. 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. Come dressed in costume. For ages 5 to 10.

Oct. 28

Chicken barbecue Chatham United Methodist Church (3215 Gap Newport Pike, West Grove, in the village of Chatham) will hold as chicken barbecue on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Halfchickens will be $6.

Oct. 29

Trunk Or Treat event West Grove United Methodist Church (300 N. Guernsey Rd., West Grove) will hold its annual Trunk Or Treat event on Oct. 29 from 3 to 5 p.m. The community is welcome to come and trickor-treat from cars, vans and trucks decorated for the season which are parked in the church lot. There will be games, crafts, a story, a hayride, music and snacks. The event is held inside in case of rain. Admission is free. Call 610-869-9334 or visit ww.westgroveumc.org.

Students share memories of one-room schools

The original bell from Pleasant View School was rung by Philip Edwards to open the eighth One-Room School Reunion on Sept. 23 at Manor Church. The bell, made by the Eagle Bell Company in Lebanon, Pa., was sold at the Pleasant View Auction to Clyde Williams and donated back to the school in later years. In order to display and ring the bell, Philip Edwards made a stand out of an antique car wheel. Former students of all five Upper Oxford one-room schools had an opportunity to hear and touch their old bell. It will be on display permanently at the Upper Oxford Township Building.

Students from the five oneroom schools in Upper Oxford Township each brought a covered dish to the event. Jane Palmer Cannoy carried the large flag into the room as the group rose to salute. Kathryn Fisher Steele commented that 89 of the first reunion students have passed on, but almost that number still attended in 2017. Those over 90 -- Betty Diem, Mildred Harris, Mary Reyburn, and Frank Steele – received prizes. Steele attended Pleasant View the longest of any of the Upper Oxford students. Several others who are over 90 are housebound. Lawrence Waltman, who

attended Penns Grove, was visited by Philip Edwards and sent his memories of Penns Grove school days as well as days at Sunset Park. Edwards has a small museum containing some of the relics of the schools, along with things he collected from Sunset Park in Jennersville. Iris Gray Dowling emceed the program. Doann Gordon Freese and others of the committee decorated the tables and room with a patriotic school theme. In keeping with tradition, Hazel Gray Duncan led the singing of “The Little Red Schoolhouse.”

Seventy former students and spouses attended the luncheon. In 1954, the Oxford Area one-room schools closed and all students were bussed to Oxford Consolidated Schools. All of the one-room schools started in the late 1800s, the first being Maple Plain, that

opened in 1854. A plaque marks four of the schools, and Penns Grove will soon receive a marker. Students who attended Penns Grove have promised funds to make the marker a reality.

Hazel Duncan, the Historical Commission member, talked about the dedications of the plaques for the other four schools.

These schools educated the children of the area using some of the books displayed in the History/Memory Room, which was set up by Iris Dowling and her helpers. Displayed were books used in every subject, along with one of the desks.

A gift of appreciation was given to Vivian and Cecil Miller for their interest in starting the one-room school reunions in 2003. Vivian and the original committee, which includes most of the present committee, held the

first reunion at the Pleasant View School under a large tent. The Pleasant View School was decorated inside to look as it did in the oneroom school days. Vivian was present and told about the preparation for the first reunions and expressed her gratitude for those who have carried on the reunions biannually. Cecil continues recording the reunions on video each year.

Dowling discussed the passing of Pfc. Jesse Thomas

in 2016 and his funeral in Parkesburg. He received a 21-gun salute at the gravesite, and the road from Cochranville to Parkesburg was lined with flags to honor him for his service in Okinawa, where he helped raise the U.S. flag at the end of a battle that helped bring about the close of the war. Of the four Marines who hoisted that flag, Thomas had been the last.

By

First-half explosion leads to 55-36 Oxford win

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Kennett High School quarterback Jake Dilcher is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the ChesMont League this season, and his resilience in the second half of last Friday’s loss at Oxford proved it.

His teammate, Kennett sophomore running back Garrett Cox, is power, speed and balance packed into a 5-foot-10 frame, junior Mitch Kosara is a multipurpose player who can both score and defend, and his receiving comrade Chris Brooks is gifted with stellar hands and speed.

In the second half of the loss, every member of Kennett head coach Josh Kaufman’s team demonstrated sheer will in the face of extreme adversity, scoring 36 points in the second half. And yet, football is a game played in two halves, and in the first half, the Blue Demons were met head-on by a freight train.

Before a Senior Night crowd, the Hornets rode the crest of a 38-0 halftime lead on their way to a 55-36 win over Kennett, led by a well-balanced offensive assault that ended with touchdowns by five players. At the center of it all was quarterback Chandler England, who racked up close to 500 yards on the ground and in the air, with the assistance of wide receiver Brandon DeShields (eight catches for 157 yards) and running back Tim Faber, who each

scored two touchdowns.

DeShields was the first Hornet to touch the end zone, when with 10:28 left in the first quarter, England found DeShields for an 18-yard TD strike. On Oxford’s next possession, England tossed a quickie screen pass to tight end Julian Nadachowski, who ran 48 yards to extend Oxford’s lead to 14-0 with 6:50 left in the quarter.

Oxford then converted an interception by Brett Kochmasky at midfield to a 38-yard field goal by kicker Jake O’Connor with 3:14 left to extend the Hornet’s lead to 17-0. With 8:15 left in the first half, England threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Alijah Thomas, who scampered ten yards up the sideline to give Oxford a 24-0 lead, which was followed by a three-yard run by England with 3:14 left in the half. With one more opportunity to put more points on the board in the first half, the Hornets did, when DeShields took an England pass at midfield and ran straight up the middle for a TD with just 11.3 seconds left in the half.

But in the second half, Kennett outscored Oxford, 36-17. A fouryard Cox run with 8:05 left in the third quarter got the Blue Demons on the board, and after a 30-yard field goal by O’Connor made it 41-6, Dilcher found Kosara for a 52-yard pass and then connected with Brooks for a 42-yard touchdown pass, which was followed

up by a two-point conversion.

A pitch from backup quarterback Kochmansky to Faber for a 13-yard score with 10:10 left in the game extended Oxford’s lead to 48-14, but with 6:58 left, Dilcher again found Kosara for an 11-yard TD, followed by a two-point conversion. Kosara then recovered an offensive fumble near midfield with 3:11 left in the game and eluded tacklers for a 40-yard touchdown, and after Faber’s second touchdown with three

minutes remaining rounded out Oxford’s scoring, Dilcher connected with wide receiver Brooks for a 12-yard TD strike. With the win, Oxford is now 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Ches-Mont, and will travel to Bishop Shanahan for an Oct. 20 game starting at 7 p.m. Kennett, now 0-4 in the Ches-Mont American and 2-6 overall, will play host to Octorara on Oct. 20 with the kickoff at 7 p.m.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.