Chadds Ford Life Spring/Summer 2024 Edition

Chadds Ford Life Spring/Summer 2024

Letter from the Editor:

In the new issue of Chadds Ford Life, we share stories with our readers about Martha King, Chadds Ford’s highly respected Lumberjill Champion; Jen Panaro, who writes extensively about eco-friendly living for modern families; and artist Robert Rogers Stack, who has become one of the area’s most prominent artists—in an area known for its prominent artists. We also shine a spotlight on rising Chester County-based singer Carly Simmons, highlight the work of Thomas Burke and his amazing birdhouses, and take a look at the rebirth of Hank’s Place—a restaurant that is inextricably linked to Chadds Ford’s past—and an important part of its future, too.

The King family is well known in Chadds Ford for their work in forestry through the family business, Chadds Ford Tree Services. Martha King, the daughter of business owner and founder Rob King, is blazing her own trail through the competitive world of Timbersports with multiple wins at national and international events.

In his story, “A crossroads with a long history: The rebirth of Hank’s Place,” writer and local historian Gene Pisasale looks at how Hank’s Place has evolved through the years. For many, Pisasale notes, Hank’s Place is Chadds Ford. The restaurant’s owners, Anthony and Katie Young, are making plans to bring the new Hank’s Place to life as a beam signing ceremony took place in April and the construction team is working diligently on the new building that will likely be unveiled later this year.

We profile Jen Panaro, an advocate for sustainable living who writes extensively about eco-friendly living, and her family lives that Honestly Modern way. This issue also features a story about Thomas Burke, who started making birdhouses after a 25-year career in the construction business. His birdhous-

es have earned widespread acclaim, and he constructed a series of birdhouses inspired by some of the rural buildings portrayed in Andrew Wyeth’s paintings.

Artist Robert Rogers Stack grew up in an 1820s-era house on Brinton’s Bridge Road in Chadds Ford, and had as a neighbor Andrew Wyeth, of course one of the most famous artists in the U.S. Stack grew up surrounded by art and artists – and their influence certainly shows in his work.

The subject of the Chadds Ford Life Q & A is singer-songwriter Carly Simmons, who is making a name for herself in the country music industry and, in the photo essay, we spotlight Jaime Kerrigan of Spring Point Acupuncture.

We hope you enjoy these stories. Please contact us with comments and suggestions for future stories. In the meantime, we’ll be planning the next issue of Chadds Ford Life, which will arrive in the fall.

Sincerely,

Avery Lieberman Eaton averyl@chestercounty.com

Stone Lieberman stone@chestercounty.com

Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com

Photo: HaLeigh Abbott

Cover Design: Tricia Hoadley

It’s for the birds: Thomas Burke and his amazing birdhouses

birdhouses

By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer

Delaware artist Thomas Burke started making birdhouses after a 25-year career in the construction business, where he and his father built many homes in the Brandywine Valley region. One day, he made a birdhouse for his girlfriend—and she liked it—so he continued, expanding his scope to include well-known structures and houses owned by famous people like George Lucas (producer of the Star Wars movies) and Martha Stewart. Architectural Digest has called him “America’s birdhouse builder/designer extraordinaire.” Burke’s birdhouses are truly wondrous—and immense. Many of them are 3 to 5 feet wide; the largest measured in at over 11 feet. The most expensive one he’s ever made sold for $17,000. He often re-creates scenes from our heritage, constructing representations of local historic structures. His birdhouse depicting the Wilmington Amtrak Station is one of his favorites.

Over a period of nine years, Burke constructed a series of birdhouses inspired by some of the rural buildings portrayed in Andrew Wyeth paintings. One of Burke’s structures is based on the home which was owned by brother and sister Alvaro and Christina Olson in Cushing, Maine. Wyeth repeatedly returned to the Olson house as a subject throughout his life. It appears in one of his best-known paintings— “Christina’s World”—and also in “Weatherside” and other works.

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PHOTOS (left): Thomas Burke’s birdhouse version of the Martha Stewart house.

(top right): Thomas Burke with the Olson house from Andrew Wyeth’s painting “Christina’s World,” courtesy Thomas Burke.

(right): Thomas Burke’s re-creation of the church in Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night.”

Thomas Burke

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Burke typically pays very close attention to details in his works. He includes key features of the structures, like the weathered, woodshingled roof and rustic exterior of the Olson house with its many windows. However, he adds elements of his own artistry as well. Some of Burke’s creations are more whimsical. He did a series of Campbell’s Soup cans, which were for a time displayed along the Wilmington waterfront. The birdhouses he creates are usable structures for wrens and other small birds. Many of the birdhouses have removable roofs for easy cleaning.

With their large size and exquisite detailing, some people might ask: “Aren’t these more like works of art than houses for birds?” Burke readily agrees. His creations are folk-art and his long-honed skills in the construction industry are meticulously used in detailing intracacies of every structure he builds. As he has done beautiful versions of several historic structures throughout the Chadds Ford area, his creations may be of interest to institutions and individuals looking to bring a unique item to their venues or homes.

The Wyeth family moved between Maine and their home in Chadds Ford. Burke’s studio is located nearby in Wilmington, Del. The two

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Come meet Catt Wolfe, our General Manager and the mind behind the

Thomas Burke’s version of the Wilmington Amtrak Station, courtesy Thomas Burke.

Thomas Burke’s Campbell’s Soup cans along the Wilmington waterfront, courtesy Thomas Burke.

Thomas Burke

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artists crossed paths over time. At an event in 2008, Andrew reportedly whispered to his wife Betsy, “I can see my painting in that birdhouse.” Andrew and Betsy later purchased one of Burke’s birdhouses as a Christmas present for their son, Jamie.

To date, Burke has constructed roughly 160 birdhouses—and shows no signs of slowing down. You can see several of his creations as you walk around at the Chadds Ford Barn Shops. His rendition of the N.C. Wyeth studio is beautiful and quite serene, showing its large expanse of windows which brought in natural light for the artist to capture on his canvases. One titled “Starry Night” depicts the church shown in Vincent Van Gogh’s famous painting. The Chadds Ford Historical Society owns one of his houses. He built one of the John Chads House and the original Hank’s Place. Burke

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Thomas Burke’s version of the N. C. Wyeth Studio.

Thomas Burke

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has numerous ideas for future projects—including a possible religious theme, incorporating the Stations of the Cross.

Talking with Burke, one can sense how much he enjoys building new birdhouses which will capture the attention of the general public. With a wide array of cultural and historical sites scattered throughout the Brandywine Valley, he has numerous scenes available which he might re-create in the future. If his past works are any indication, they will likely turn into more amazing places for birds to make a home in the years to come.

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. His 11 books focus mostly on the history of the Chester County/mid-Atlantic region. Gene’s latest book is Heritage of the Brandywine Valley, a beautifully illustrated hardcover book with over 250 images showcasing the fascinating people, places and events of this region over more than 300 years. His books are available on his website at www.GenePisasale.com and also on www. Amazon.com. Gene can be reached via e-mail at Gene@ GenePisasale.com.

Thomas Burke’s version of the historic John Chads House.

Chadds Ford Barn Shops sign.

Thomas Burke’s birdhouse re-creation of the original Hank’s Place.

A crossroads with a long history: The rebirth of Hank’s Place

By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer

From 1859 to 1920, Brittingham’s blacksmith shop occupied the northwest corner of Baltimore Pike and Creek Road in the sleepy village of Chadds Ford. It may be hard for many current residents to imagine, but both byways were dirt roads at the time. Frank Brittingham was the blacksmith there for 50 years. With the arrival and rapidly growing popularity of the automobile, the need for blacksmiths diminished.

The business at the northwest corner of Baltimore Pike and Creek Road was rebuilt in the 1920s as a service station. Some “old timers” in the area may recall that, in the 1940s,

a vegetable stand was constructed on the property next to the service station. It was later converted to a 14-seat open air hot dog stand called George’s Brandywine Lunch. After George, the manager, passed away in the late 1950s, Hank Shupe offered to take over operations. He was working in Pocopson as a senior machinist at the Lenape Iron Works (today’s Lenape Forge). Hank lived in an apartment above the popular Gallagher’s Store across from the hot dog stand. Shupe rented the property and became manager of the diner in October of 1960, turning the business into Hank’s Place, which became a big success.

The site was subject to regular flooding from nearby Brandywine Creek, including a devastating flood in 1977 which damaged the foundation. Hank purchased the property, tore down the small green-and-white venue and rebuilt Hank’s Place a bit further east on slightly higher ground, in the footprint of the old blacksmith shop.

Hank and Virginia Shupe in front of original Hank’s Place, prior to demolition in 1978, courtesy of his daughter Joyce Shupe Watson.

Hank’s Place with surrounding gardens in 2015.

front

the precursor to George’s

eventually became Hank’s

Hank Shupe retired and sold Hank’s Place in 1991 to Peter and Voula Skiadas, who later expanded the building and added beautiful garden landscaping surrounding the eatery. For 26 years, Hank’s Place was “Where friendly people meet and hungry people eat”— a hugely popular dining establishment, with “down home cooking” drawing visitors from around the region. Many people, when they think of Chadds Ford, think of Hank’s Place, its reputation inextricably linked with the town.

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The famous sign at Hank’s Place above floodwaters at the restaurant in 2011.

Shorty Steilmeir stands in

of

Brandywine Lunch, circa 1940s, which

Place. Photo courtesy the Christian Sanderson Museum.

Hank Shupe in 1991 when he sold Hank’s Place. The photo is courtesy Joyce Shupe Watson.

Peter Skiadas in Hank’s Place in 1995, photo courtesy of the Wilmington News Journal.

Hank’s Place in 1979 showing local flooding.

Hank’s Place

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Numerous local and regional celebrities, including Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, George “Frolic” Weymouth and others dined there regularly. With hundreds of colorful flower arrangements flanking the sides of the establishment and the bold blue and white Hank’s Place sign out front on the corner, the restaurant became a notable tourist attraction, all due to the dedication of Peter and Voula Skiadas.

In May of 2017, Anthony and Katie Young purchased the business with plans to continue Hank’s fine traditions. These plans changed when COVID-19 hit in 2020, forcing businesses to close for an extended period of time. The Youngs were quite resilient. They adapted and converted an outdoor area into a patio where patrons could dine under a canopy. No sooner did things start to return to normal when a record flood of the Brandywine in late summer of 2021 filled the building with eight feet of water, making it unusable. Anthony and Katie were faced yet again with an enormous challenge—but they proved their dedication by petitioning the township to rebuild on the same spot. It took seemingly endless negotiations before final approval could be granted to tear down the building to make way for the new Hank’s Place. After nearly two years, they are now ready to start… anew.

Demolition of the long-standing establishment occurred on a cold morning, December 8, 2023, before a crowd including many of the long-time staff, who watched as the place they knew and loved for decades came down before them. There was palpable sadness in the audience, but also a glimmer of hope. The Youngs have shown remark-

able perseverance and fortitude in remaining dedicated to maintaining this wonderful landmark establishment which, to many, IS Chadds Ford.

Over the past few months, a construction team has been

Hank’s Place demolition on Dec. 8, 2023.

Hank’s Place owners Anthony and Katie Young standing with employees on demolition day, Dec. 8, 2023.

Katie and Anthony Young at the Beam Signing Ceremony for the new Hank’s Place.

working diligently to bring the new Hank’s Place to life. A Beam Signing Ceremony took place on April 18 at the site, allowing people to sign their names and “leave their mark” on one of the sturdy wooden beams which will be part of the establishment, which is expected to be open around Labor Day. Anthony and Katie welcomed all attendees to make their mark on the foundation of the new structure.

Cognizant of the risk of flooding, the Youngs will have the new building positioned on a platform rising well above ground level. With a lovely design, the rejuvenated Hank’s Place will begin a new chapter in Chadds Ford history. Sadly, its beloved former owner, Peter Skiadas, passed away just a few days before the beam-signing event. He was likely watching from up above along with Hank Shupe, proud that their former restaurant will now have a new “look,” a new life and with Anthony and Katie’s strong efforts, will serve thousands for many years to come.

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. His 11 books focus mostly on the history of the Chester County/mid-Atlantic region. Gene’s latest

book is Heritage of the Brandywine Valley, a beautifully illustrated hardcover book with over 250 images showcasing the fascinating people, places and events of this region over more than 300 years. His books are available on his website at www.GenePisasale.com and also on www. Amazon.com. Gene can be reached via e-mail at Gene@ GenePisasale.com.

Artist’s drawing of the future Hank’s Place, courtesy Hank’s Place.

A big assist for Mother Nature

A big assist for Mother Nature

Jen Panaro writes extensively about eco-friendly living, and her family lives that Honestly Modern way, too

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

“Jen Panaro is a self-proclaimed composting nerd and an advocate for sustainable living for modern families,” the Chadds Ford resident writes on www.honestlymodern.com, a website that she created in 2013 to encourage eco-friendly living.

“In her spare time, she’s a serial library book borrower, a messy gardener, a composting tinkerer and a mom of two boys who spends a lot of time in hockey rinks and on baseball fields,” she continues. She also finds time to write for Kennett Area Community Service and serve as board treasurer for the Rachel Kohl Community Library.

She has written more than 1,000 posts on sustainable living, from why soaking banana peels doesn’t lead to a nurturing fertilizer for houseplants to 12 questions to consider when selecting gifts.

Panaro and her family – husband Matt, son Tyler, 11 and son Jackson, 10 – together live this honestly modern life, as best they can.

“It’s achievable,” she said in an interview. “Do the best you can, where you can. You don’t have to be perfect.” Or, as she writes on Honestly Modern’s Instagram: “imperfectly pro-planet.”

That approach means that while Jen is turning the compost, the boys might be snacking on treats, Tyler said. When Jen comes in, she might enjoy a treat herself.

“Mom’s a chocaholic,” Jackson said.

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Panaro, who calls herself “a composting tinkerer,” works on her compost bins.

All photos courtesy of Jen Panaro

Chadds Ford resident Jen Panaro advocates for many things through her Honestly Modern blog, including spending more time outdoors and more time with her family.

Jen Panaro

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CPA,

serial entrepreneur and eco-enthusiast

Jen grew up in Minnesota and met Matt at Boston College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in management. They moved to Chadds Ford in 2016, and their two-acre property offers generous space for vegetable and flower gardens and increasing numbers of native plants.

She feels that 15 years as a certified public accountant helped prepare her for Honestly Modern.

“There’s an element of analytical thinking that I can bring from that job to environmental living, like a cost-benefit analysis,” she said. “As an auditor, a lot of our job is asking questions. And there’s a big element of being curious and figuring out how things are working. I think I still continue that today.”

An early curiosity involved the environmental and ethical impact of clothing. That led to devoting time to thrifting, with a Diane von Furstenberg dress – $17 with the tag still on – a memorable score.

Jen is a serial entrepreneur. In the summer of 2020, she and Jess Purcell, a former chemistry teacher who’s now

a stay-at-home mom near Harrisburg, founded Raising Global Kidizens, which creates and curates resources and also hosts workshops geared to the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals.

“We make it fun,” Jen said. “We make it easy. And we build some science into it.”

In the fall of 2020, Jen founded WasteWell, which picks up compostable material from homes and small businesses and delivers it to a composting facility. In the spring, customers can get finished compost delivered. She sold the business two years later.

Honestly Modern ranges wide to encourage “everyday sustainable living for modern families.” The home page has about 100 internal links. The first row of tabs includes compost, consumption and lifestyle, and the second row encourages browsing by eco-goal: biodiversity, energy, food, soil health, transportation and water. Below that are four “I want to’s”: buy less and reduce waste, celebrate together, enjoy family time and build community. Six more headers follow: library, food waste, buy nothing, family adventure, compost, secondhand, and the list goes on and on.

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Panaro dries apples from a local orchard. “I bought in bulk as seconds –also reducing food waste and packaging waste while supporting local farmers without much extra effort.”

“Compost” is the sixth word on her website, following “honestly modern,” “home” and “start here.”

Panaro enjoys time out in the sun hanging laundry on the clothesline and listening to the birds. “I like the process. It doesn’t feel like a slog.”

Her “imperfectly pro-planet” stance includes cleaning up the land.

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How it all plays out for the Panaros

Every member of the family we asked about living the Honestly Modern life. Jackson and Matt mentioned reusable water bottles.

“We always keep water bottles with us so that we aren’t buying drinks or creating more waste,” Matt said.

And when they’re enjoying the outdoors together, lunch is served with metal utensils, Jackson said, adding that the sandwiches are packed in old bread bags.

“When the kids want something new, we almost always look through Facebook Marketplace first,” Jen said. “Almost all their clothes are hand-me-downs. We’re really focused on leftovers. We make sure we use up the food we have and are not throwing a lot away. I think they’ll probably roll their eyes occasionally when some of their friends might get new things. It’s tampered-down consumption.”

“It’s always entertaining for me to watch our guests as they are often aware of Jen’s eco-friendly lifestyle but unsure of what to do the first few times they come over,” Matt said. “We usually use cloth napkins and put things in the compost after dinner. When they leave, they are usually supportive (these are two very simple changes that have a nice benefit).

“We also have a bin of plastic cups/plates that we use for parties to help reduce the waste,” he said. “They are dishwasher-friendly so the incremental level of effort is minimal.”

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Wedding & Special Event Venue

The Panaros favor cloth napkins, which are washed and reused, over paper napkins that would be tossed after one use.

Jen Panaro

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Take a hike (and that’s a positive thing)

Jen said that she enjoys time out in the sun hanging laundry on the clothesline and listening to the birds.

“I like the process. It doesn’t feel like a slog,” she said.

They have also switched to PECO’s time-of-use pricing for electricity.

“It saves money and is good for the environment,” Jen said, noting they recharge their Tesla 3 when the rates are lower. Their other car is a Chevy Traverse, which Jen called a “gas-guzzling SUV” that’s helpful to ferry the kids around for their sports and hobbies and carry the family and gear to enjoy the outdoors.

When Jen turned 40 in 2023, she concluded that classic ways to celebrate a birthday ending in zero – like a big party or a special trip – “didn’t resonate.” Instead, she chose to go on 40 hikes. Solo hikes, hikes with others, hikes nearby and hikes afar.

“My climate-conscious and eco-friendly lens includes getting outside, and you have to appreciate the environment in order to want to take care of it,” she said. “And that hiking project is a reflection of that. Now my friends, if they want to hang out, that’s one of the ways they’re going to think about.”

Matt has absorbed the message as well.

“I have to be more thoughtful about gifts for Jen,” he said. “It’s not as easy as just buying her something, so we end up doing more things together, like going on hikes, which is nice.”

The Panaro family: Jen and Matt and their sons Tyler and Jackson.

|Chadds Ford Sports and Recreation|

The lumberjill of Chadds Ford

By HaLeigh Abbott Contributing Writer

The King family is well known in Chadds Ford for their work in forestry through the family business, Chadds Ford Tree Service, but one family member has been blazing – and chopping – her very own trail.

Martha King, the daughter of owner and founder of the business Rob King, has been making her mark in the competitive world of Timbersports. With multiple wins at national and international events, Martha has cut her way through the competition—and through setbacks, too.

Growing up in a family of arborists, Martha had a very clear plan for herself from a young age — she wanted to go to Penn State University’s main campus in State College and learn everything she could about nature. She grew up playing field hockey at Wilmington Christian School, where she was an exceptional athlete and student, and when the time came to apply for college, she was accepted to the Mont Alto campus of Penn State rather than the main campus. She was devastated.

“I thought, ‘What, am I not smart enough for the main campus?’ but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for me,” she said. “I was used to a small school with 60 kids in the graduating class, and even the Mont Alto campus totaling 1,100 students felt like a shock to me. But I found my niche pretty quickly when I sought out people on the woodsmen team.”

Martha King is chopp national and international

Martha King is chopp national and international The lumberjill of Chadds Ford

Her father, Rob, had also competed on the Penn State Woodsmen team and she knew she wanted to follow in his footsteps, and at the time it was a good option since field hockey was not a campus sport.

“It kept me fit, kept me traveling, and out of trouble,” Martha said. “We got to travel to cut wood in college. How cool is that?”

Martha began competing with the Penn State Woodsmen team in 2007 under the coaching and teaching of Dr. Beth Brantley and Craig Houghton. She recalled traveling with the team and coaches to events in North Carolina and Canada, singing the song “Wagon Wheel” on repeat (the Old Crow Medicine Show version to be exact). It was a time of personal, competitive and educational growth for Martha as she earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science with minors in wildlife and fisheries and forest science.

“I believe that God’s plans are perfect, even if we are railing against something at the time and we’re frustrated and disappointed,” she said. “Coming through it, I could see that I was so blessed because I didn’t get what I wanted at the time [being at main campus].”

The King family is still closely tied in with the woodsmen team and hosts an annual cookout for them on their family property off of Route 1.

“If we want the sport to succeed, we have to give back, and I’ve been so blessed so how can I not give back?” she said.

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ping her way through Timbersports competition ping her way through Timbersports

competition

Photo by HaLeigh Abbott

Martha King, Champion Lumberjill and arborist with Chadds Ford Tree Service.

Martha King

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Top spots and event records

After graduating from Penn State, Martha moved to Germany to work on a pig farm with a family from a foreign exchange program she met in high school. After keeping in touch with the family and visiting for special events, Martha decided to go all in and become fluent in German.

“When I first went to Germany, I was very shy and embarrassed about my inability to speak German well,” she said. “I didn’t want to be embarrassed or offend them, and I realized I was missing out on really great experiences because of it.”

Once Martha moved back to Germany, she immersed herself in the language and culture until she was finally able to speak to her friends in their native tongue.

“Once you get through the phase of hearing nothing but German roaring through your ears, the pieces just click and I started even dreaming in German,” she said. “Knowing another language has opened so many doors, and now I’m never afraid to walk up to someone and start talking to them, because it could really make their day!”

As Martha’s German improved, so did her competitive chopping skills. She began competing both nationally and internationally in women’s Timbersports, earning top spots and multiple event records.

“A lot of people see me and think I’m so small or itty bitty, and I get up there and compete with excellence,” Martha said. “I hope it makes people see that they can do anything too.”

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Martha cuts through the mounted pine by tacking it from both sides.

Photos by HaLeigh Abbott

Martha King

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In 2021 and 2022, Martha placed first in Nationals, and came in second place in 2023.

Women’s events include Stock Saw (a chainsaw event cutting two slices of wood from a log within a 10-centimeter-wide area using a downward and upward cut), Single Buck (a hand saw about 2 meters long cuts a disc from a horizontally fixed block), and Underhand Chop (chopping through a horizontally mounted block from both sides with an axe while standing on top of it).

The events each require their own technique and precision which is critical to completing a good time, but is also very dependent on the luck of the wood block pull. Sometimes competitors end up with knotty or difficult grain in their blocks, which makes their technique and adaptability even more crucial to their performance.

Most recently, Martha competed in Sydney, Australia at the Royal Easter Show, also known as the Wimbledon of woodchopping events. Australia is considered by some to be the birthplace of Timbersports and hosts the biggest and best competitions in the sport. Australia is also known for its stubborn wood that can be infamously hard to work with.

During her work-up to the Royal Easter Show, Martha

sustained a torn ligament in October and a herniated disc in January that greatly impacted her training. At first a devastating blow for her, Martha learned to find beauty in recovery.

“You have to take what you’re given and run with it, and I could only hope that my foundation I had built over the last 8 to 10 years was solid enough to come back strong,” she said of her recovery time. “I needed that moment to remember my identity is not placed in my performance. I want to enjoy what I’m doing and not put too much pressure on the performance expectations.

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Photos by HaLeigh Abbott Martha’s axe kit is filled with equipment.

Martha prepares her axe with chalk to help her grip.

Martha King

Continued from Page 34

“I want to pursue joy in the arena, and focus on being an excellent athlete, role model and sportswoman.”

Her training resumed in February and Martha was able to have a pain-free competition in Australia, placing third in the Underhand Championship and World Title, first in the Jill and Jill Sawing Championship with her female partner, and 4th in the Jack and Jill Championship with her male partner.

Silencing the doubters

Timbersports is a male-dominated field where competitions often find the female divisions canceled due to budget cuts, yet most men Martha has encountered have been supportive and welcoming to her in the sport.

“Some men can be chauvinistic, but most people in general think it’s really cool and get excited about it,” she said.

Once, in Germany, a man scoffed at Martha’s goal to complete an underhand chop in 40 seconds — so she made sure to prove him wrong. Many of the great and legendary male competitors have given their respect and praise to Martha, building confidence for her place in the sport.

Photos by HaLeigh Abbott

Martha demonstrates the Underhand Chop on a piece of pine.

“I like to think I’ve accomplished something for women in the sport by silencing the doubters,” she said.

Martha’s mother, Katharine King, had trouble at first with her daughter’s choice of a profession due to the risk of injury. While accidents are an unavoidable part of the industry, Martha has avoided serious accidents and only sustained minor cuts, but she has seen competitors lose toes via a missed chop or a deep cut by the slip of a saw. Once Katharine realized Martha’s gifts and passion for Timbersports, she was able to embrace the sport and will listen to Martha compete—she’s still too nervous to watch it.

The rest of this year holds more chances for Martha to show the world women’s place is behind an axe. She’ll be in West Virginia, Europe, and back to Australia growing the sport and representing Chadds Ford on her competition jersey.

“I’m very fortunate to be a part of the Chadds Ford community,” she said. “People always recognize me and wave when I’m in our trucks, and the generosity and goodness of the people here has been overwhelming. I love my community and I want to do my best for them. It’s an honor to represent and compete for the community.”

Q&A with Carly Simmons

Q&A with Carly Simmons

Carly Simmons is a Chester County-based singer armed with the musical artillery of live performances, an unmistakable stage presence and a handful of songs and videos that are making the rounds of the country music industry. I caught up with her last December, when she was on the bill at the Whiskey Jam in Nashville -- a gig that has become a rite of passage for anyone looking to crack the scene.

There is certainly no shortage of country music studio musicians in Nashville.

Caroline Roosevelt: So, when did you head down to Nashville?

Carly Simmons: I’ve been here since last Tuesday and then I go back to Chester County on Dec. 8.

I am assuming your schedule is jam-packed while you’re in Nashville.

Yes, definitely. Like today, I went with my friend to try on wedding gowns for her wedding. So I’m fitting in some wholesome activities besides the typical Nashville thing because it’s a lot of…well, the famous saying is it’s a drinking town with a music problem, which is hilarious because that’s what all networking is. Everyone’s just always out drinking. I feel like it can get really exhausting.

Where do you record when you’re in town?

I’ve gone to multiple different places, from the big recording studios on Music Row to the makeshift studio in somebody’s house or apartment. I went to a studio yesterday that was like a professional studio in Berry Hill. I was visiting to potentially record there.

A person I’m playing with runs the studio and they had the rhythm section from Taylor Swift’s first six albums. The guy who was drumming is the drummer that’s about to go on tour with Kenny Chesney. It’s just insane! When you go to the studios, the session players have done some amazing stuff and they’re on and off tour all the time with different artists. Even though it’s a massively growing big city, there is such a small town feel to it, especially when you’re in the industry.

I haven’t been in Nashville in a year, and I walked into multiple different bars while I’ve been here for writers rounds and bumped into people I know. It’s just such a tight-knit community. Everyone wants to build each other up.

You’re getting married soon and putting down roots in Chadds Ford, right? In addition to traveling to Nashville, will you also be cultivating more of a musical arrangement here in Chester County?

Carly Simmons

Definitely! I plan to continue to play more shows at The Creamery and on the Main Line. I’m booking another show at The Queen in Wilmington. It’s so cool now that I am playing at the Whiskey Jam because this will be the biggest show that I’ve played and I’m playing alongside other established artists in Nashville who already have a great following.

Photos courtesy of Sarah Jordan and Nicole Foley

Name names.

I went two nights ago to see my friend Clayton Johnson perform. There is also a musician named Dalton Dover, and Whiskey Jam just celebrated their 900th show and they have people coming through like Bailey Zimmerman, Morgan Wallen, Megan Moroney, Tyler Childers and Jelly Roll. Ward Guenther has a podcast and a playlist on Apple Music where he’ll interview upcoming country musicians and so my goal is to basically impress him at my show and try to land one of those interviews.

I’m interested to hear how you developed your country personality because you weren’t initially looking to be a country artist, right?

Right, but I did grow up listening to a lot of country music, like Shania Twain and Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, but I just never thought of myself as country. I grew up in Wilmington and went to a really small Catholic school and there was no real music program. I never took any instrumental lessons and I didn’t have anyone or anywhere in the

community, like a mentor, to learn from. I grew up listening to Motown Records and R&B and I always considered myself to be more Pop/R&B/Soul so I think I was stuck on that. Then, when I was in college and my early twenties, I started getting into house music and dance music, but it just took one writing session in California where I wrote my song “Whiskey Kisses” with my old band members for things to click for me.

I realized how much soul there is in country music and what the roots of country really are. It’s rock, it’s Motown, it’s soul and it’s blues -- it’s all those things that I always imagined myself to be. Plus, the stories in country music are so real and authentic and I feel like that’s what drew me to it - the authenticity, the truth, the lyrics. It’s about telling a personal story.

It’s really cool that you found your home with “Whiskey Kisses.” I listened to it this morning and I also listened to your latest, “Strong Woman,” and I loved the lyrics to that.

Continued

Simmons’ talent as a singer-songwriter is supported by her live performances.

Carly Simmons

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Is it a personal story?

Yes. My mom had cancer three times -- a super rare type of sarcoma. She first discovered she had it when I was living out in L.A. and she made it seem like it was going to be benign, like nothing’s wrong, and she wasn’t really giving me a lot of details. Then she got a laparoscopy and was at Johns Hopkins, and then a year later she found out she had it again. Then she did another laparoscopy at Johns Hopskins and when it came back a third time, she went to Sloan Kettering, where she underwent major surgery.

I moved home for the summer to be with her during her recovery because she couldn’t get out of bed. My stepdad was working, so I did the grocery shopping and helped with dinner and driving and running errands. That song was inspired by her because she acted like her illness was no big deal. Now that I’m getting married, she tells me, “This is why I beat cancer. I’m not leaving this earth without going to your wedding.” She’s just so strong-willed, and an inspiration. This past May, she was officially deemed a survivor as she hit her five-year mark of being cancer free.

Was she aware that you had written “Strong Woman” with her in mind?

She didn’t know I had written it. I was playing a show in Philly for Hello Sound Room. My mom was visiting and on the way to the show, I told her, ‘Oh Mom, by the way, I wrote this song about you,’ and we listened to the song on the way to the show. She began crying in the back seat and I told her that I didn’t want to tell her because I knew she would cry when she heard it, but I knew that if I were to sing it in front of her for the first time on stage in front of people, I wouldn’t be able to get through the song, so I felt that I had to get this over with on the car ride.

That’s the best gift you can give a mother.

Yeah, but it’s not just for her. The way that we wrote the song, we wanted it to relate to all women. We women, we have so much strength - we give life, we raise babies, we still work, we deserve equal pay, we deserve respect, and we don’t deserve having all of these pressures put on us.

To learn more about Carly Simmons’ music, visit www.instagram.com/carlysimmonsmusic, or visit her on Facebook.

This interview was originally published in the Chester County Press in December 2023.

Caroline Roosevelt

Simmons’ videos can be found on YouTube and other online media sources.

the art of HEALING

For Jaime Kerrigan of Spring Point Acupuncture, the science of her practice is about the restoration – and the actualization – of one’s life force

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Photos by Jie Deng | Text by Richard L. Gaw

|Chadds Ford Life Photo Essay|

|Spring

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Kerrigan of Spring Point Acupuncture has been

Much of her practice takes its inspiration from Kiiko and teacher with whom Kerrigan studied at Tri-State was working for.

turned to acupuncture and became fascinated by to transform.

To learn more about Jaime Kerrigan and Spring Point Acupuncture, visit www.springpointacupuncture.com.

|Chadds Ford People|

For the past several decades, Robert Rogers Stack

has His work conveys shape, color and emotion but it is al

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

When Robert Rogers Stack was growing up as one of seven children in an 1820s-era house on Brinton’s Bridge Road in Chadds Ford, visitors looking to locate the family home would invariably find themselves at a nearby neighbor, asking for directions.

“The original Brinton’s Bridge had burned down before I was born, so a lot of our friends and family would come up Route 202 and turn onto Brinton’s Bridge Road and drive for miles, only to find that the bridge was no longer passable,” Stack recalled. “Not knowing any alternate routes, they would often knock on the door of the house near the bridge and ask there, ‘Could you tell us how to get to the Stack’s house?’”

A man would answer the door and point out how to cross the river further down at Route 1 so they could find the Stack’s home on the other side.

That neighbor was Andrew Wyeth, who in addition to being one of the most famous artists in America also had a side hustle as the GPS system for the Stack family home and, on a larger scale, as one of the key navigators for the artistic life Robert Rogers Stack has enjoyed for the past several decades.

While prominent, Wyeth was far from the only influence on Stack’s creative journey.

“I grew up seeing art shows at the Chadds Ford Elementary School that displayed Wyeth’s paintings or visiting the Brandywine River Museum of Art that had just opened,” Stack said. “We lived in a big old house and behind it was

a smaller home that was lived in by a sculptor and a few painters, so I literally grew up around art and artists.”

Whether it was through influence or proximity to the sweeping landscape of creativity around him, Stack’s progress to becoming one of the most recognized artists in the Chadds Ford area began when he was a boy, when he lost himself in sketch book drawing. By the time he had reached his teens, Stack had already dabbled in nearly every medium known in the application of paint to a canvas. While a student at North Penn High School, he found himself gravitating toward watercolor, influenced by two area artists – the painter and sculptor Tom Bostelle and the filmmaker and painter Rea Redifer.

When Stack attended the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, he studied with artists Roger William Anliker and Charles Schmidt.

Working with the gifts of place

It has been said that for an artist growing up in what is generally known as “Wyeth Country,” he or she is given an unfair advantage – a head start – by virtue of being given the very same tools of landscape, nature and color that the most famous family of American art were – and have been -- blessed with. Throughout his career, Stack has drawn heavily from these influences, but to comprehend the backstory of Stack’s art, it is crucial at the outset to know that a career of stunning canvases extends farther than the tangible skills of applying paint on canvas.

Throughout his life, Stack has also pursued photography, astronomy, video production and digital printmaking, all of which draw their application from the power of light and

…Creating the light and the shadow

as been one of the most prominent artists in our area. also about…

shadow and are applied to his work as an artist. The early sunlight tapping against the eastern-facing walls of the hotel in “Cape May Morning.” The sun gleaming off of the large roof in “Greenhouse.” The shadows that cross the face of the fox in “Morning Raider.” The late afternoon dusk of light illuminating the soldiers’ helmets and rifles in “Hessians.”

“I had already learned a lot on my own about art even before I got to college, but the thing that intrigued me most was my fascination by the light, and anything of artistic construct is based on where the light is, where it was and where it is going,” Stack said. “Chuck Schmidt began to explain to me how things are warm and cool, and if we want to organize our light, we need to determine whether your light is warm or if it is cool, and the shadows in the work will always be opposite, and you can structure your colors based on that –to create big, broad warm shapes or big, broad cool shapes.

“Roger spoke about the importance of painting from dark to light, and I began to register this knowledge about light and shadow in terms of a click, and explanation that would click into place for me.”

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

Robert Rogers Stack

“Morning Raider” at the Barns-Brinton House

Robert Rogers Stack

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Through the use of watercolor, gouache, egg tempera and oil, Stack’s paintings have been showcased at invitational, juried, and group shows and are also in gallery, private, and corporate collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. Yet, if there is a consistent model used by Stack over the course of his artistic journey, it has been horses, from the time he was a small boy sketching them at local farms in Chadds Ford to the equestrian art that has in some ways become his trademark.

Stack’s foray into equestrian continued to blossom after he graduated from college.

“My admiration for horses began from simply observing,” he said. “After I graduated from college, horses served as cheap models for me.”

It was at that time when Stack met Virginia W. Kibler, who lived nearby and was an artist and the owner of horses. She had studied illustration with Thronton Oakley – a former student of Howard Pyle’s and had spent 40 years teaching 4-H students how to ride horses.

“Viriginia was right out of an Andrew Wyeth painting, and one day she saw me sketching her horses and said, ‘You shouldn’t be sketching horses. You should be riding them,’” Stack said. “She put me on a horse, and I saw her gallop away on hers. I didn’t fall off the horse, so I guess that was a good sign for me.”

Stack’s equestrian connection continued with a video he made for a charity event for a local non-profit organization

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“Fog of War”

“At the Gate”

Robert Rogers Stack

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several years ago that depicted a horse-and-carriage drive that was shown at the event. After his friend “Frolic” Weymouth convinced him to travel to Virginia to shoot another equestrian event, Stack found himself arriving at the event with a full crew, which then led to other video work.

Eventually, the camera gave way to a paintbrush, and in 1995, his gouache painting of sidesaddle titled Line Up won the Ruth E. Robins Award for watercolor at the American Academy of Equine Art. His paintings have appeared in exhibitions such as the Horse in Fine Art at the Wildlife Experience Museum in Parker, Colo. as well as on the official posters for the Ludwigs Corner Horse Show, Dressage at Devon, and the Devon Horse Show.

‘A

nagging in the back of my head’

It is often difficult for a creative person to accurately describe the merging of mechanics and his or her craft, and Stack is certainly no exception, but the answer to what allows him to create magnificent work from a blank canvas, he said, can best be found in the abstract, something he said that comes from “a nagging the back of my head.”

“For me, a painting always starts in my mind, with a shape and a feeling,” he said. “It just gnarls at me, and it may stay there, and two or three ideas may end up being combined. I usually hit on an idea, do some sketches and three of four

days later decide, ‘I think it would be really neat to do a view from a window when the light is coming down.’”

Stack works out of a small studio in Fallowfield. He is 62 years old, which he calls “young for an artist.” Art, he said, is a forever gift.

“I have taught a few art classes during my career, and I always tell students to follow the old military training that says, ‘Every battle has a solution, and you are trained to find out what that solution is,’” he said. “Whether that solution is to retreat, go sideways or advance, an artist needs to find out what the solution is, whether to move forward,

change the course of a painting’s direction, or simply discard it.”

Stack said that his favorite moments as an artist are when he is about two-thirds of the way through a painting, “when every stroke I put in will improve the painting,” he said. “It will solve all of my problems and pull it all together and become an interesting piece.”

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

Continued on Page 52

“Granogue Drive”

Stack wins poster competition at county art show

Robert Stack’s work, “Early Spring” was the winner of this year’s annual poster competition at the 51st Yellow Springs Art Show, that ran from April 27-May 12. The painting was featured on the show’s catalog, postcards, billboards, invitation and flyers, and was sold by silent auction in the Lincoln Building galleries.

As the longest-running and most esteemed juried art show in Chester County, the Yellow Springs Art Show unveils new artistic talent annually, providing a distinctive cultural experience for thousands to embrace. The exhibition boasts over 3,500 works of art, spanning a variety of media including ceramics, sculpture, watercolor, pastels, and oil. The proceeds from the show play a pivotal role in sustaining and expanding the mission and impact of Historic Yellow

Springs, funding conservation projects, arts education programming, and historical experiences that benefit the community at large.

To learn more about the Historic Yellow Springs Art Show, visit www.yellowsprings.org.

Image courtesy of Historic Yellow Springs