Morgantown/Honey Brook townlively.com
SEPTEMBER 20, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXI • NO 33
Women invited to join Neighbors group BY FRANCINE FULTON
The Neighbors group recently began its 37th year of offering a time of Christian fellowship for women during gatherings held at Conestoga Mennonite Church, 2779 Main St., Morgantown. The year opened with a “Welcome Back Brunch” on Sept. 19, and the next scheduled meeting will be on Oct. 3 featuring speaker Liz Betz, who will present “Daring To Be Unique in Our Image-Driven World.”
Instead of meeting weekly as it has in years past, the Neighbors group will meet on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of the month from September through May. The change was made to accommodate Conestoga Cubs, the church’s ministry for mothers of young children, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month. “The second Tuesday is focused on women who have young children at home. They do an activity with their children and have fun together,” said See Neighbors pg 2
Rebekah (left) and Amelia Stevenson display the aquatic animals they found in Hay Creek, including crayfish.
Camdyn Carter searches for critters in Hay Creek.
Exploring Hay Creek BY FRANCINE FULTON
hat do mayflies, stoneflies and crayfish have in common? They are all indicators that a stream is healthy. This fact was among the information that children and families learned on Family Fun Day at Rustic Park in Birdsboro during an event presented by the Hay Creek Watershed Association (HCWA), which is a program of Berks Nature. As part of the program, youngsters and their families were invited to wade into the waters of Hay Creek to search for critters living in the water, which they caught in nets and placed in containers to be identified. “Macroinvertebrates can tell you a lot about water quality,” explained Beckey Seel, volunteer engagement coordinator and educator for Berks Nature. “They are biological indicators of water quality. We are teaching the kids how to identify them, and we can tell if the water quality is good or not.” Healthy water, Seel explained, contains a variety of species. “Good (water) quality would be (finding)
“We’ve got not only crayfish but lots of insects. We found a lot of great organisms today.” living creatures in the water. “If only one or two types of critters would have been found, that would indicate a problem,” noted Seel. “If there were not different varieties of insects - say there were just leeches or just crayfish and nothing else - that would indicate that there is something wrong with the water quality. You want to have a good ecosystem. You want to have all these different aquatic insects working together. It
shows that the stream is very healthy by having these different species.” Stan Kemp, a professor from the University of Baltimore, was also on hand during the event to help youngsters identify macroinvertebrates. “We’ve got not only crayfish but lots of insects,” said Kemp. “We found a lot of great organisms today. It makes me happy to see because these organisms are not very tolerant to pollution.” For example, the youngers found crayfish, which are freshwater crustaceans that look like mini lobsters; mayflies, which have three tails that are often longer than their bodies; and dragonflies, which live most of their lives in the water as nymphs (or larvas) before becoming adults. After catching the critters, they were identified and then released back into Hay Creek. Also offered during the Family Fun Day were games and coloring activities. HCWA presented a similar program at the Hay Creek Fall Festival last year
Participating in a pumpkin ring-making craft that was offered by the Neighbors group in 2022 are (from left) Rachel Mast, Kristy Unruh, Rebecca Beam, Blair Petersheim and Jess Petersheim.
Chester County sets annual 4-H auction BY FRANCINE FULTON
The annual Chester County 4-H benefit auction, which will offer people an opportunity to bid on items like artwork, antiques, handmade quilts and collectibles, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Romano 4-H Center, located at 1841 Horseshoe Pike (Route 322), Honey Brook. The event will include a silent auction that will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by a live auction at 6 p.m. Admission is free, and all
See Hay Creek pg 3
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are invited to attend. The silent auction will feature many products and services donated by local residents and businesses. The live auction will feature fresh produce, plants, fine art, home decor and more. “We will have lots of mushrooms,” said Amy Pippin, 4-H volunteer and leader of the Windy Hollow 4-H Club of Coatesville. “We will have pumpkins and mums. The local feed mills will also donate items.” Youth members from local 4-H clubs also contribute to the auction. See 4-H auction pg 5
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mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies, and we have all of them in Hay Creek. We are happy to say that the stream quality is very good,” she said, noting that studying Hay Creek is important since it provides the main water supply for Birdsboro. She said that pollution is indicated when there is a not a diversity of
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