Photo essay: Patisserie Lola
Kennett Square Life Fall/Winter 2024
Letter from the Editor:
In this issue of Kennett Square Life, we take a look at the changing face of Kennett Square. Over the last two decades, the borough has become a thriving town of diversity, events, and community. But there is growing concern for how it will balance its identity with the weight of its growth and popularity. Writer Richard L. Gaw presents an in-depth look at the changing face of this unique borough as its future is charted.
We also present a story that focuses on the interesting history of the area—including Bayard Taylor, “The Story of Kennett” and the Legend of Sandy Flash. Writer and historian Gene Pisasale takes a look at the life and work of Bayard Taylor. Taylor wrote dozens of popular books, travelled around the world, and exchanged letters with some of the most recognizable names in American history.
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Dave Mattock of the Mattock School of Music has created a unique opportunity for youngsters to make some beautiful noise, outdoors. Since 2011, he has been bringing music to the community.
The Q & A in this issue is with Edie Burkey, the president of Kennett Community Grocer. Over the past seven years, there has been a grassroots movement launched by a group of Kennett Square area residents and currently supported by nearly 500 member-owners to begin a food cooperative in the heart of Kennett Square. Despite a recent setback that delayed its start, they are committed to bringing healthy and locally sourced food to the entire community.
The subject of the photo essay in this issue is Patisserie Lola. Since its opening in the spring of 2023, Patisserie Lola has taken its customers on a short journey from Kennett Square to the quaint confines and tastes found in a European bakery.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Kennett Symphony Orchestra already has an important—and impressive—performance planned. The orchestra members will be performing at world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City next October.
We’re already hard at work planning the next issue of Kennett Square Life, which will arrive in the spring of 2025. Until then, if you have any comments or suggestions for stories, please contact us. Happy holidays!
Sincerely,
Avery Lieberman Eaton averyl@chestercounty.com
Stone Lieberman stone@chestercounty.com
Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com
Cover design: Tricia Hoadley
Cover photo: Richard L. Gaw
Over the past two decades,
Kennett Sq
hamlet of diversity, events and communit it will balance its identity with the w
The changing face
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
At a little more than one square mile in size, Kennett Square Borough manages to stuff itself with all the ingredients that make up a generally accepted definition of a successful small town. From the time that Genesis Healthcare’s Michael Walker made the decision to locate his company’s headquarters on State Street several decades ago, the borough has emerged from a sleepy and somewhat sketchy outpost to a thriving partnership of merging entities, people, neighborhoods, events and green spaces, and all of it – every vital action – is attached to the same well-oiled and workable engine.
Driven by the tireless work of its non-profit agencies, volunteers and visionaries, the borough has become a center of hope and services for the Hispanic population, the marginalized and the working poor.
Its educational opportunities open the door for young people who would otherwise not see college or a career in their future.
Its calendar is chock full of events that celebrate the mushroom industry and the exploding beer, wine and spirit culture in southeastern Pennsylvania – a roster of jubilation that has placed Kennett Square on the cultural and tourist map in the mid-Atlantic region, and where it is not uncommon to welcome visitors from states near and far.
In partnership with Longwood Gardens, it has become the “quaint, small town” next to one of the world’s great institutions of botanical science and horticulture.
Its neighborhoods are dotted with walking paths and
nature trails that connect people to people.
Its main street is lined with popular restaurants and cafes, and Birch Street, once an avenue of neglect, has become one of the top social attractions in town.
It boasts a new, state-of-the-art library that welcomes thousands of visitors every week.
To peel away these layers of success, however, is to find a borough of enormous growth and change, as evidenced by a population growth that has surged from nearly 6,000 in 2020 to 6,500 in 2023 to just shy of 7,000 in 2024. It has experienced a glut of new housing development that has seen condominiums and apartments spring up on the borough’s eastern and western edges, with additional residential construction now underway.
Given this evidence, it does not take the wisdom of a soothsayer to state the key issues that are conspiring to change the complexion, the image and the definition of what the Kennett Square Borough is slowly becoming, and indeed, there are some – who chat in cafes and in schools and in neighbor-to-neighbor conversations over hedges – who proclaim that the future is already here.
The truth, simply put, is this: Kennett Square Borough is on the verge of literally drowning in its own popularity.
To address the dynamics and potential ramifications of this issue, four stakeholders were chosen and interviewed separately: Andrew Froning, a member of the Kennett Square Borough Planning Commission; Kennett Collaborative Executive Director Daniel Embree; Michael Cangi, a member of the Kennett Collaborative Board of Directors; and Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick.
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quare Borough has become a thriving ity, but there is growing concern for how weight of its growth and popularity
of Kennett Square
Photo by Kelly Giarrocco
The changing face of Kennett Square
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‘This is not a four-year deal, but a 40-year deal’
Andrew Froning grew up in Kennett Township, and for the last 40 years, he and his family have lived in Kennett Square Borough. A member of the Borough’s Historic Architecture Review Board, Froning can easily rewind and roll back images of the borough’s past, to a time in his childhood when there were two grocery stores on State Street, when medical doctors worked out of their own homes and when industrial companies like National Vulcanized Fiber and the Clark Shoe Company employed hundreds of locals.
“We were an underdeveloped, residential town with an industrial manufacturing presence,” recalled Froning, who has been a member of the borough’s Planning Commission for the past five years. “The growth in the mushroom industry began to spur growth, but we also saw people who were wanting to move out to the country from, say, Wilmington or Philadelphia, and found that Kennett Square was livable.
“What also led to the borough’s growth was that we had political leadership in the past who, over a period of time, were concerned that the borough was going to run out of money, so they began to let in real estate developers, who gave the borough money to build and were given the freedom to write their own ordinances according to what they wanted.”
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The changing face of Kennett Square
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Over the last decade, developers have redesigned the skyline of the borough and dug deep into its dirt, constructing condominiums and luxury apartment complexes that have revamped former abandoned spaces throughout the borough, all in an effort to capitalize on the common desire – for those who are able to afford it -- to live in a beautiful, inclusive and walkable town:
• As part of a long-term goal to monetize the once abandoned Ways Lane area, Kennett Pointe and its 53 urbanist townhomes and one- and two-bedroom apartments combine to provide residents with convenient access to shops and other businesses.
• Located on Millers Hill, The Flats at Kennett offers 175 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with luxury amenities that include a resort-style outdoor pool, a pool lounge area, outdoor workspaces, a firepit and a 24-hour fitness center.
• On West Cypress Street, Magnolia Place Apartments
offers spacious 1 and 2-bedroom layouts and convenient amenities just a short walk from State Street shops and restaurants.
• Recently opened, Kennett Square Apartments offers studio, one- or two-bedroom apartments that combines “classic charm with modern sensibilities.”
The growth of new residences in the borough does not end there. At their Aug. 21 meeting, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors approved a preliminary/final land development plan in order to construct a 16.1-acre residential and commercial development on the east side of Walnut Road, which is projected to include seven singlefamily dwelling units, 72 multi-family attached dwelling units, 104 apartment units, three detached garages and two commercial/retail uses.
For a borough with a per capita income measured at $43,677 as recently as 2022, this new construction has
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The changing face of Kennett Square
been accused of catering to a transient population who can afford to live there. In contrast, the borough has been criticized for not investing its time in finding – and developing -- adequate housing solutions for its low- to moderateincome individuals and families – including the majority of the borough’s Hispanic sector, who makes up 35 percent of its’ population, who cannot come up with the money to pay for a $1,500-a-month one-bedroom apartment or a three-bedroom space that can be theirs for $2,525 a month.
These rates are clearly against the grain of a 2022 community survey that Kennett Collaborative sent to residents regarding the planned development of the long-proposed former NVF site. Of the 815 responses that were received, 60 percent of the English-speaking respondents said that an affordable cost of a home in the borough would be between $350,000 and $500,000, but 40 percent of Spanish-speaking respondents put the maximum amount at about $150,000. Similarly, maximum affordable monthly rent for about 60 percent of English-speaking respondents was between $1,250 and $2,000, but between $600 and $1,000 for Spanish-speaking respondents.
According to a recent housing market trend report, homes in the borough were selling for a median price of $500,000 as recently as September.
In general terms – and as specified in the current Kennett Square Borough Comprehensive Plan -- housing is considered affordable if the household spends 30 percent or less of its gross monthly income on housing costs, and that any household paying more is categorized as “cost burdened.” When added up, based on the American Community Survey data from 2006-2010, an estimated 45 percent of households in the borough were cost burdened, a number that has spiked even higher in recent years.
Froning said that if the cost of housing in the borough continues over time – with no viable options for affordable housing – a valuable asset to the community will be forced to leave.
“In the Planning Commission, we talk all the time about how the Kennett Square Borough needs housing for people who can afford to pay a lot of money,” he said. “You also need housing for people who are in the middle-class. You also need housing for college graduates who want to come to a popular town and work, and you also need to have housing for our agricultural workers.
“We are not taking advantage of all of our talent because we’re making it impossible for some folks to live here. We’re not doing enough to make their life better so that
Courtesy images
Magnolia Place
Kennett Square Apartments
The Flats at Kennett
they can contribute more. There are a million things they could be doing if they weren’t struggling to make ends meet and find a place to live.”
In order to best change the paradigm of density and affordable housing, Froning said that the borough leadership needs to develop short- and long-term plans to encourage the building of smaller and affordable units.
“I tell Borough Council that addressing this problem is not a four-year deal, but a 40-year deal,” he said. “Whatever we do as a borough, we need to think long term as well as a short term. Let’s think about not only what we’re doing next, but what is expected to happen down the road, because if we don’t, we stick someone else with our problems.”
When will the building stop? Froning is not confident that he sees a clear ending.
“The borough has been forced to deal with these factors over the past few years,” he said. “How do we manage increases in density? How do we manage overcrowding and housing? How do we deal with parking? How do we
promote accessory building units (ADUs) to give us more density without reverting to large-scale development?
“If ‘a better’ Kennett Square Borough means less density, less population and less traffic, it’s not going to get better. The trend is not there. There is too much financial stake for developers who see a market in building in the vicinity of State Street. What we’ve been attempting to do is to ask, ‘How do we keep Kennett Square on a human scale?’”
The business of selling Kennett Square
On any given weekend – and often on weeknights – the police barriers placed at the edges of Kennett Borough have become a telltale sign that a large-scale festival is taking place along State Street, or along the revitalized Birch Street or at Anson B. Nixon Park, or that the cafes and restaurants are promoting al fresco dining on selected Thursday evenings.
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The changing face of Kennett Square
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For every naysayer who points directly at the borough’s streets teeming with shoppers, festival goers and fine diners as the very reason how Kennett Square Borough got this crowded, there are likely several others who rejoice in all the attention.
While Square Roots Collective and its many partnering agencies have joined forces in the past several years to facilitate projects throughout Kennett Square related to social equity, affordable housing, municipal services, infrastructure, trails and transportation, the primary role of Kennett Collaborative is, quite simply, to sell the town.
Judging by the overflow throngs of visitors to top events like The Kennett Brewfest and Winterfest and the Kennett Square Holiday Village Market, they are doing a great job. The organization’s calendar of events is a nearly non-stop carousel of activities and must-visits that has pulled in locals and out-of-towners and converted Kennett Square Borough from a small town to a destination point, and for many of those visitors, attending a festival is only one stop in an extended day in the borough, where they enjoy boutiques, specialty shops, art galleries, cafes and restaurants.
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The changing face of Kennett Square
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There is also proof that crowds are arriving from well beyond the borough’s borders. A percentage breakdown of visitors to a recent Kennett Collaborative festival showed that 20 percent live in Kennett Square, 50 percent arrived from elsewhere in the county and state, and 30 percent came from Delaware and other states, including Maryland, New Jersey and New York.
“We are a small and quaint town, and we use those adjectives in the way we promote the Kennett Square Borough,” said Kennett Collaborative Executive Director Daniel Embree. “Kennett Square is on the border of many other entities. It is the intersection of Pennsylvania and Delaware, the intersection of the suburbs of Philadelphia and horse country, and it takes the best of those things and brings them together.”
Embree said that what has stimulated the growing number of attractions in the borough is due in part to a strong sense of camaraderie between various agencies.
“This is where the term ‘collaborative’ comes into play,” he said. “One of the things that makes Kennett Square
unique is that there is not just one economic driver, but several. As an example, the Mushroom Festival Committee works with so many other organizations to make the festival draw tens of thousands of visitors every year. We have become a culture of people wanting to build their community, to be involved, to volunteer, to attend and to care about what is happening.
“It has become the culture of our community to create places and spaces.”
‘You have to champion the changes that you want to see’
After spending 15 years living in Philadelphia, Mike Cangi moved back to his hometown of Kennett Square in 2021, where he lives with his wife Katie and their four small children in a home on Broad Street. As a boy growing up in the borough, he enjoyed friendships with a rainbow coalition of boys and girls of different ethnicities and religions, and it was common to see them riding their bicycles to pick-up games in then empty lots.
“It was a tight-knit community growing up, and now Katie and I have the opportunity to give our kids the same experiences,” said Cangi, who serves on the Board of Directors for Kennett Collaborative. “I think that Kennett Square offers a unique lifestyle that combines an incredible mix of culture, great schools, diversity and a small-town vibe that continues to get better.”
While he champions the many benefits of raising his family in the borough, Cangi is very understanding of those who are witnessing a “domino effect” of progress that has turned a once small town into a tourist attraction, which has
led to increased popularity, and the rush to fulfill a finite supply-and-demand housing ratio that ultimately ends with an oversaturated area, limited only to those who can readily afford it.
“There are challenges all over the place, but I see them as opportunities for us to make Kennett Square that much better,” Cangi said. “From an economic perspective, we have to embrace the businesses who are here and adapt to a new reality. There is no NVF anymore, and no Genesis here, so we are no longer just a small town supported by big businesses.
“I have met people in town who don’t want the new construction and the traffic and while I understand their feelings, my question back to them is, ‘Then what is Kennett Square Borough? Are we just supported by the local mushroom industry?’ If we were, our town would look a little more similar to some of the smaller towns outside of Kennett Square, and the truth is that a lot of these other towns want to be Kennett Square.”
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Photo courtesy of Kennett Collaborative
Daniel Embree, executive director, Kennett Collaborative.
The changing face of Kennett Square
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Cangi was one of the leading voices that led to the reopening of the Kennett YMCA pool last year, which he calls a key asset to the borough and has served on the board of Kennett Collaborative for the past year. He said that the challenges Kennett Square Borough continues to face must be met by those willing to take them on one at a time, in public forums that can facilitate ideas and change.
“These conversations are on-going, and these conversations are not being ignored,” he said. “We have placed ourselves in the area of challenges that many towns and cities are now facing – to get to a point where you need to plan for the next generation of growth. It’s going to take a concerned group of citizens and a Borough Council that has a vision for what the next few decades will look like.
“You have to champion the changes that you want to see. You have to participate in order to make this town the town you want it to be.”
Peering
into the crystal ball
Now in his fourth term as the Mayor of Kennett Square, Matt Fetick resembles every small-town mayor in America, whose burdens of responsibility include figuring out the big equation: how to achieve prosperity while also keeping a vice grip hold on preserving identity.
Over the 15 years of his time in office, Fetick has seen the surging popularity of the town he governs become a gift and a challenge, and the degree to which the changing face of the borough comes up with a long-term plan falls on him and other elected and appointed officials.
Peering into the crystal ball future of the Kennett Square Borough, Fetick drew attention to the very component of the town that has served as its lead influencer, which he predicts will become its chief economic driver.
“We are not going to go back to being a manufacturing town, but what I see as a consistent draw is tourism,” he
said. “People come to Kennett Square when they want to explore the Brandywine Valley. Tourism and the hospitality industry provide job opportunities.
“Tourism is what sustains small towns, and it is what leads to a thriving downtown. Do I think that our main street will be a tourist destination? I sure do. It does bring traffic, but it also brings workforce opportunities. When you look at restaurants and hotels and gift shops, there are entry level job opportunities and the possibility of creating management opportunities.”
Fetick also provided reassurance that the out-of-control growth that some have forecasted for the borough will soon reach a saturation point, but while the availability of space for additional residential, condominium and apartment construction will certainly diminish, he said that the intangibles of the borough – accolades that cannot be measured in square footage or in monetary value -- remain the hallmarks of its appeal and popularity.
“What makes small town living so attractive is the ability to walk from destination to destination, whether it is to engage with friends or try a new restaurant,” Fetick said. “When you look specifically at the Kennett Square Borough, I think we have a lot of great things going for us – access to events, the promotion of our many cultures, our sense of unity and the celebration of our diversity.
“When your town is based around a feeling of acceptance of others, like Kennett Square does, inspired by its Quaker heritage, it’s a town that becomes more attractive than ever.”
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.
Photo by Chris Barber
Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick
Kennett Pointe
EDIE BURKEY
President, Kennett Community Grocer
Over the past seven years, there has been a grassroots movement launched by a group of Kennett Square area residents and currently supported by nearly 500 member-owners to begin a food cooperative in the heart of Kennett Square. Despite a recent setback that delayed its start, Kennett Community Grocer and its President Edie Burkey remain committed to bring healthy, sustainable and locally sourced food to the entire community. Recently, Kennett Square Life met with Edie to discuss the role a food co-op plays, the group’s long-term vision and the healthy products she stores in her refrigerator.
Kennett Square Life: The first conversations that began Kennett Community Grocer started seven years ago, and you have been with the
organization for the last five years. Talk about the evolution of Kennett Community Grocer over that time.
Edie Burkey: I was owner-member #119, and over the last five years, I have been at information tables and giving presentations with my colleagues, and my feeling is that those who have joined are those who really do care about the farmers in the area, and the need to eat healthy –for themselves and their family.
The concept of a cooperative – where owner members decide what is sold – is often secondary but it’s top on the list at Kennett Community Grocer. Our member-owners are people who want to eat local food, and who believe that their health is in large part determined by what they eat.
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Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Edie Burkey, president, Kennett Community Grocer.
Kennett Square Life Q & A
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Talk about why ownership in this venture is beneficial to community members.
At its core, its definition and its mission, Kennett Community Grocer is a cooperative, and as such is a community initiative that provides each member not just with several benefits, but ownership as well.
When large corporations own food stores in an area, their mission is to make profits for the owners -- whether that be a hedge fund or a single owner. Wall Street profits from our need to eat. In contrast, a food cooperative is owned by the community for the benefit of all community members who have a voice in what is sold in the store. Providing they can sustain themselves, food co-ops tend to be in a community for a long time, as opposed to many of the grocery store chains today.
Did I read correctly that you almost moved to Brattleboro, Vermont because you enjoyed the food-co-op up there that much? Take me back to the decisions you were making at the time.
I was considering places to retire. My daughter was in graduate school in Vermont, and I loved the town of Brattleboro and especially the co-op there and community spirit in the town. I considered living there, but Vermont winters are a bit too harsh for me.
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Kennett Community Grocer is very close to achieving its goal of 500 member-owners.
Kennett Square Life Q & A
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What role does a food cooperative play in the enrichment of a town or community, and how will Kennett Community Grocer fill that role here? It’s more than providing fresh produce in a sustainable way, yes? A food co-op selling local foods will provide our community with a place to focus on buying and eating healthy food.
One of the key goals of Kennett Community Grocer will be to provide accessible, affordable, local and natural foods to the entire Kennett Square community and surrounding areas. Where will the food and produce come from, and how will these contractual agreements with farmers and vendors work?
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Kennett Community Grocer appears at many public events
Kennett Square community.
Kennett Square Life Q & A
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Chester County alone has over 1,700 small farmers. The area we live in is blessed with an abundance of food producers, so we will have no problem sourcing locally and sustainably.
Are you at liberty to share the names of a few of the farms and vendors who have already shown commitment to be a part of Kennett Community Grocer?
Flying Plow in Cecil County, Maryland has agreed to become a vendor with us. Yates Produce in Jennersville is a produce wholesaler who will work with us. We currently have member-benefit partners you can find on our website who are food producers such as Big Buffalo Creek Regenerative Farm, The Farm at Cochranville, Locust Hollow Cheese Farm, North Star Orchards, and mushrooms from Phillips mushrooms that are sold at their store, The Woodlands.
On its way to opening, Kennett Community Grocer received a setback when on Nov. 9, 2023, the Kennett Borough Council voted not to accept your lease offer to set up your cooperative in the Genesis Building on South Union Street. While that news must have been heartbreaking to you and many others, I know you and the board to be a resilient group who still have an incredible concept that continues to gain interest. What’s the next step for Kennett Community Grocer?
It was quite a blow to us after working so hard with our realtors and the Borough Manager to make this happen, but we must move on. Our board is actively considering our next moves and our member-owners will be coming together on December 9 via an Annual Meeting Webcast from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to discuss where to go from here. Our future goals will be up to our membership, and we will need to hear all their ideas and then make some decisions.
What are some of the ideas you are considering?
I was speaking with a food advisor just yesterday, and she said, “Keep the retail environment and the entity that is going to sell the food in one bucket. In another bucket, form a non-profit arm of Kennett Community Grocer, who will be tasked with the responsibility to educate the community on good food and supporting farmers and supporting those who cannot afford the purchase
a diet of good food.”
Weavers Way in Philadelphia has a non-profit called the Food Moxie, which teaches children and adults about healthy food, understanding where food comes from, and learning about gardening.
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Courtesy photos
As they continue to strategize on ideas to create a permanent location, Kennett Community Grocer members promote the future store at several area events throughout the year, as well as visit with local farmers.
Kennett Square Life Q & A
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I thought, why don’t we have a non-profit group called Friends of Good Food, which will support regenerative and sustainable farming and educating the public?
What is your favorite spot in Kennett Square?
I love walking. My favorite spot in this area to walk is Barkingfield Park in Kennett Township or the State Line Preserve.
You organize a dinner party and can invite anyone –living or not, famous or not. Who would you like to see around that table?
I would love to see multiple dinner parties in the future in a café space in the co-op and invite local farmers to bring their foods, so that we may all be able to cook together and enjoy the goodness of our local foods.
What food or beverage can always be found in your refrigerator?
I keep a minimalist refrigerator but there is always season-
al fruit, carrots, peppers of all colors, spinach, local cheese and yogurt, locally produced milk and meat from The Farm at Cochranville. Most importantly, let’s also talk about what is not in my refrigerator or on my shelves. I don’t have any deli meats or snacks found in bags such as chips (even though I love them). I also have no cereal, sodas or processed foods, all of which are so detrimental to our health!
To learn more about Kennett Community Grocer, visit www.kennettcommunitygrocer.coop.
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Richard L. Gaw
Kennett perform a
Kennett perform a |Kennett Square Spotlight|
All photos courtesy of Kennett Symphony unless otherwise identified.
The woodwind section performs at a recent concert.
The Kennett Symphony performed a concert at Unionville High School.
Symphony will at Carnegie Hall
Symphony will at Carnegie Hall
By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
Kennett Symphony Board of Directors President Timothy Blair wowed his audience at the October concert when, during the mid-concert break, he shared the news that the orchestra members will perform at Carnegie Hall next year.
A gasp of surprise followed by enthusiastic applause erupted from the assembled guests at the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester.
Carnegie Hall is an internationally famous concert venue on Seventh Avenue in New York City that attracts many of the most famous musicians in the world.
Blair explained that the musicians will present an afternoon concert on Oct. 18, 2025 at Zankel Hall, a 600-seat auditorium among the five at Carnegie and play the background orchestral support for concert pianist Rupert Egerton Smith.
two regional bodies to ever play at Carnegie Hall.
Blair, who earned his Ph.D in music at the Catholic University of America, served for 30 years in higher education, including 20 years as dean at West Chester University, first, as dean of the School of Music, then as founding dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and subsequently as founding dean of the College of Arts & Humanities.
Timothy Blair,
an emeritus dean and professor from West Chester University, is the current president of the Kennett Symphony Board.
Many people casually recognize the hall’s prestige with the well-known riddle, allegedly asked by a Manhattan visitor, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”
The answer, “Practice, Man.”
Blair said later he believes that the Philadelphia Orchestra and the planned Kennett Symphony occasion are the only
He is a concert pianist and is especially fond of jazz and French composers Ravel and Debussy, about whom he presented his doctoral dissertation.
Blair also serves as the president of Alexander & Buono Foundation, whose mission is described online as identifying the world’s most promising classical musicians and helping them launch and sustain careers, while developing new audiences who understand, value, and appreciate classical music.
Those dual presidencies of KSO and Buono help define the connection between the Kennett Symphony and its planned performance at Carnegie Hall.
Blair said that, living in the Willistown area, he has had a longtime fondness for the Kennett Symphony and habitually made the trip to attend the concerts. Given his credentials and his love of KSO, he was elected president of the KSO board in 2023.
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Kennett Symphony
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“I liked it very much, and several of the graduates of West Chester (University) and professors perform with the symphony, as well as other area orchestras,” he said.
In his position at the Foundation, Blair said that he became aware of Smith’s coming recital and realized that this talented concert pianist needed an orchestra behind him.
The Kennett Symphony immediately came to his mind.
There were plans to be made, including arrangements for travel, paying for the event and getting the news out.
As of the October announcement, Blair said, it was not yet clear what musical numbers the orchestra would be playing.
Explaining the obvious financial challenges of running a symphony orchestra, he said it is expensive to keep going. Fortunately for the Carnegie Hall trip, however, the Alexander & Buono Foundation has agreed to pay for the event.
Still, Blair said, the orchestra has to raise funds twice a year just to make up the difference between expenses and ticket revenues. He announced what he called “Kennett-to-Carnegie,” a raffle that would yield the winners attractive, musical awards.
The cost per entry is $20.
The first prize is an overnight stay in New York City, two tickets to the Carnegie Hall concert, and dinner for two at Trattoria Dell’Arte, an Italian restaurant across the street from the hall.
Second prize is a tour of the Steinway piano factory in Astoria, Queens followed by a tour of the establishment that sells them in Manhattan at 43rd and 6th streets.
Third prize is dinner for two with Kennett Symphony Conductor Michael Hall, followed by an instrumental recital by Hall.
Hall is in his 10th year as conductor at Kennett Symphony and has been popularly received by his audience. He is also in his seventh year as music director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia, Canada.
Fourth Prize is $500 and a ride in a 1923 Franklin automobile owned by Dave Ventura.
The raffle was launched on Nov. 3, and tickets are on sale by the musicians and the symphony board members.
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Photo by Chris Barber
Kennett Symphony
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Transporting the musicians to New York City is also part of Blair’s job planning this event.
He said they will board a bus at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, the day of the concert.
He anticipates arriving in New York by 10:30 a.m. to begin practice. The concert is at 3 p.m.
He said a bus is the ideal means of transportation for an orchestra to travel because buses have room for the musicians on top and an entire storage area underneath. Train travel is less convenient because it is not as equipped for large instruments as a bus.
Blair said additionally, if the demand is there, he might hire another bus to take local attendees to the concert.
“Everyone’s excited,” he said.
The Kennett Symphony was founded in 1941 by Kennett Square general practitioner Dr. Duer Reynolds and musician Ray Ott. They decided to form a musical group and performed the first concert in 1942. Reynolds was the president and Ott was the conductor.
According to a historical report in the Kennett Square history book, Kennett Square, Yesterday and Today, Ott was honored at the opening for the 40th anniversary of the symphony.
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Photo by Chris Barber Conductor Michael Hall leads the orchestra at its concert under the stars at Longwood Gardens.
Kennett Symphony
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Proceeds from those early concerts were given for music scholarships to students at the local schools.
The Kennett Symphony had its roots with local residents who served in other professions but played music as an interest or hobby.
In the early years, symphony members included Unionville High School Principal Wilber Reese, Unionville music teacher and composer Karl Forssmark, Kennett Square physician Dr. Robert McKinstry and Kennett Square barber John Dettori, among many others. The orchestra has since become all-professional.
For years, the orchestra played at Kennett and Unionville high school auditoriums and other local venues.
Blair said he has tried to offer a more fully enjoyable experience with food and drink
Photo by Chris Barber
For several years, conductor Michael Hall reached out to runners, challenging them to beat the time in a 5K race of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
available causing the expansion to theaters and restaurant complexes.
Kennett Square has been credited as the smallest community in the United States to have a symphony.
The musicians and staff numbers have expanded through the years to include those from beyond the borough and even the county.
Upcoming concerts include March 23 at Longwood Gardens Exhibition Hall and June 26 at the Longwood Gardens open air theater.
The brass quintet will perform at Chester County History Center on Dec. 13. A woodwind quintet will play at the Kennett Square Library on Feb. 22. And a string quartet will play a Mother’s Day concert at Winterthur Museum on May 10.
Antique cars pass by entertaining supporters at the annual Classics at Brantwyn car show. The Kennett Symphony performs at a variety events throughout the area, and the Classics at Brantwyn garden party this year benefitted the Kennett Symphony of Chester County.
Photos courtesy of Mattock School of Music
The Mattock School of Music recently unveiled its outdoor music garden in nearby Chadds Ford.
ool of Music has created a unique ke some beautiful noise, outdoors
c to the garden
By Gabbie Burton Contributing Writer
For David Mattock, bringing music to the community is an everyday endeavor.
As owner of the Mattock School of Music near Kennett Square since 2011 -- and as a longtime musician and teacher himself -- he’s used to classes, performances and just about anything else that spreads the art of music. However, when there’s an insatiable love for music, the idea of expanding its reach even further will always be too exciting to ignore.
Enter in the matrix of Mattock’s methodology the school’s new music garden, which officially opened in a ceremony on Oct. 13: three permanent instruments and an earthen stage open to public use on a previously empty plot of land at the school. It is a concept, now realized, that became possible when events and people aligned together.
tion whenever I was talking to my friend from high school just a few years back and I went to his drum building company up in Boston and we were just talking about all kinds of crazy stuff, and I mentioned this idea to him, and he was very much intrigued by it.”
Mattock’s friend -- Bill Whitney -- owns Calderwood Percussion in Boston and contributed his skills to the project in the design and execution of the three instruments now in the garden.
“The last piece is that I was talking to one of my students, Ben Barsotti,” Mattock said. “Ben is 14 years old, and he was all stressed out about trying to find an Eagle Scout project, and I had just been telling him about this crazy idea to build outdoor musical instruments. He asked me, ‘Is there any chance that I could do that for my Eagle Scout project?’ From there, it basically all came together, because Ben was the final piece of the plan that we needed.”
“The idea that we could create some kind of funky, weird, new, music garden has been floating around since we bought the property,” Mattock said. “It came more to frui-
The school also received fundraising assistance from If Not for Music, a non-profit based in West Chester, who helped fund the project.
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Music Garden
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The garden’s instruments -- one chordal, one melodic and one bass -- are each about six feet wide and paddle-based instruments that are meant to be played together to sound like a band. Mattock hopes students take advantage of the garden and hopes to use the space to teach music classes in the future.
“At its most basic level, I hope that my students, whenever they come for their lessons, show up 15 minutes early and go out and play music and just make noise,” Mattock said. “It’s the coolest thing in the world for young musicians like these students to just make noise. I would like to eventually start teaching how to play these instruments – especially to younger kids in group classes – because they are very accessible for younger students to learn music on.”
The music garden’s opening ceremony
instruments that are meant to be played together to sound like a band.
drew about 60 attendees and featured a performance by Wilmington-based singer Sharon Sable and a presentation on the instruments and how to play them. The garden is open to the public and Mattock encourages community members visit the school and play the instruments whenever they want.
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The garden’s instruments -- one chordal, one melodic and one bass -- are each about six feet wide and paddle-based
Music Garden
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“I hope that it normalizes this idea that music is something that doesn’t have to be exclusive, and that it can be something like an outdoor instrument that people just randomly play,” Mattock said. “I hope that we make it a priority everywhere in the community that music can be a part of it in other ways than just going to see a band or going to the or seeing the orchestra. This is another way that encourages access to music.”
Mattock, who’s originally from New Hampshire, spent the beginning of his professional musical career in Philadelphia. After he got his Undergraduate degree in Jazz Piano Performance from Temple University and his Masters in Jazz History from Rutgers-Newark, Mattock started working as a professor and performer in the city and continues to teach piano part time at the University of Pennsylvania and
performs about 75-100 shows a year.
Although Mattock has the big city musical experience, he recognizes the Kennett area for its dedication and love of music.
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Music Garden
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“Whenever you don’t have the numbers like you do in Philadelphia, sometimes it doesn’t look like it’s as strong as the community but pound for pound, person for person, there is a lot of musical interest in this area,” he said. “There are venues and restaurants and bars that hold music. There’s the Kennett Symphony Orchestra, The Kennett Flash, music programs and musicals at schools and many families who want their kids to be involved in music.
“Across the board, this area has a really strong musical culture to it.”
Mattock hopes his school and new musical garden will continue to grow that musical culture in the community. Whether young or old, professional or beginner, anyone and everyone is welcome to try the musical garden or even pick up an instrument and go all in.
“I firmly believe that music is not for just the gifted and talented, that music is for everybody, that we should all be learning how to play music,” he said. The Mattock School of Music is located at 320 Kennett Pike, Chadds Ford, Pa. 19317. To learn more about classes, instruction and the outdoor music garden, visit www.mattockschoolofmusic.com or call (484) 734-0329.
To contact Contributing Writer Gabbie Burton, email gburton@chestercounty.com.
The Station Gallery
|Kennett
Square Life Photo Essay|
Since its opening in the spring of 2023, Patisserie Lola has taken its customers on a short journey from Kennett Square to the quaint
Photos by Jie Deng | Text by Richard L. Gaw on State Street
|Sweet Dreams|
-Kallista Pluciennik
For every storefront along State Street in Kennett Square, there is a story there that began as a dream.
For Kallista Pluciennik, the owner and proprietor of Patisserie Lola, her dream the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., absorbing the science of baking from some of graduating in 2015, she established her Lola Dessert Shop in her hometown of Scranton, Pa., where she developed her craft for the next four years. After a pandemic-era stint as a frequent vendor at farmers markets throughout Philadelphia, she and her boyfriend Del. There, Kallista’s dream truly began to emerge, and with a little assistance from Kennett Collaborative, she came upon the former location of a doctor’s to call it her new home.
vibe to the storefront, in the design of a traditional French patisserie,” Kallista said. “When Sean and I began to develop and curate the interior, I was of paint to the pictures on the walls. While I think it’s important to achieve something that subscribes to what people’s vision of a patisserie should be, at the same time I also wanted to make it my own.”
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|Sweet Dreams|
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As the regulars at Patisserie Lola have come
arrive throughout the day to enjoy a delectable assortment of confections that include a canelé – a caramelized vanilla bean and rum cake – as well as a wide variety of freshly-baked scones, a caramel apple galette and of course, Kallista’s signature French macarons.
“There is a lot that sets us apart from a normal bakery, in that I do all of the baking myself, so I am handling everything that comes out of our ovens, in order to keep a consistency with our products,” she said. “I think having high quality ingredients makes a huge difference as seen in when you enjoy our products, you can taste the difference.”
Kallista said that her future dreams for Patisserie Lola will be to establish a bread program that will invite customers to enjoy fresh rustic breads, French loafs and baguettes; an espresso cart; additional interior seating; and the addition of a mobile vehicle that will allow customers to enjoy the store’s products at their public or private events.
For now though, the entire Kennett Square community is invited to take a delicious bite out of Kallista Pluciennik’s sweet dreams on State Street.
Patisserie Lola is located at 219 East State Street in Kennett Square. To learn more about Patisserie Lola and to place your holiday orders, visit www.lolaksq.com.
Bayard Taylor, ‘The and the Legend
By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer
“My deeds are dust in air… My words are ghosts of thought… I ride through the night alone, detached from the life that seemed… And the best I have felt or known… Is less than the least I dreamed.” ~Bayard Taylor, in the poem titled “The Ghosts of Night”
How many people are you aware of who have: 1) written dozens of popular books read widely around the nation, 2) travelled most of the known world and 3) been friends and exchanged letters with some of the most recognized names in American history? One local person did that and so much more. Yet, despite strong popularity during his time, he has largely faded from memory and is now almost unknown to the general public. That man was Bayard Taylor.
Bayard Taylor was born on January 11, 1825 in Kennett Square to a Quaker farming family. Named after Senator and Congressman James A. Bayard of Delaware, the boy was reading at age four and composing poetry at seven.
After displaying little interest in farming, Bayard eventually became apprenticed to a local printer. Bayard’s first publication was a narrative of his visit to the Brandywine Battlefield, printed in the West Chester Register in 1840 when he was just 15. Persuading publishers of the Saturday Evening Post, the United States Gazette and Graham’s Magazine to fund a long-desired adventure, he set out in 1844 for a two-year walking tour of Europe, promising to send back narratives of his exploits to a nation eager to learn of foreign lands. His letters back home were printed and very popular with readers. They were later turned into his first book “Views A-foot, or Europe Seen with Knapsack and Staff.” The book was a hit, going through 24 editions in its first 13 years.
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“The Story of Kennett” by Bayard Taylor.
e Story of Kennett’ of Sandy Flash
Cedarcroft, Bayard Taylor’s home, as it appears today.
Kennett Square History
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Taylor became acquainted and friends with numerous celebrities, including wellknown authors and politicians. The list of people he exchanged letters with reads like a Who’s Who of America and includes Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Washington Irving, Commodore Matthew Perry and Mark Twain as well as Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Rutherford B. Hayes.
Taylor was extremely productive, writing dozens of books over the next 30 years, most detailing his travel to exotic places like the Middle East, Africa and Asia, as well as the rural backcountry of the American West, the latter of which was detailed in Eldorado, or Adventures in the Path of Empire, which was quite popular and one of his finest works. By 1860, he
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An article on Sandy Flash in The Sunday News from March 3, 1935.
Reenactment of the trial for Fitzpatrick (Sandy Flash) which took place in 1924, courtesy The Philadelphia Inquirer.
– Gregory, Oxford, PA
Photograph of the home where the outlaw James Fitzpatrick (Sandy Flash) was captured, courtesy The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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decided to settle down near his roots. He built his home called Cedarcroft outside of Kennett Square. Attendees at his housewarming party included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Greely, John Greenleaf Whittier and James Russell Lowell. He later started work on his ode to Chester County life with his third novel The Story of Kennett, published in 1866. Despite his fervent love of poetry which he hoped would be his legacy, this book would become by far his best-known work.
A photograph of Bayard Taylor, courtesy the Library of Congress
The Bayard Taylor gravesite monument in Longwood Cemetery.
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Kennett Square History
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The Story of Kennett detailed life in Kennett Square in the late 1790s, highlighting the activities of Gilbert Potter, emotionally consumed and ashamed by his suspicion of being born out of wedlock, his family’s meager living on a farm and his seemingly unrequited love for a wealthy neighbor girl, Martha Deane.
Introduced into the narrative is “Sandy Flash,” a character representing a real-life outlaw/highwayman named James Fitzpatrick who terrorized southern Chester County and vicinity after his desertion from the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. It is ironic that after writing dozens of poems detailing intense emotions and experiences in exotic places around the world (which he considered his finest works), a fictionalized outlaw would become Taylor’s most notable imprint on literature and local history.
In the decades following the publication of The Story of Kennett, Sandy Flash became embedded within local lore, his exploits seemingly multiplying with each nar-
rative of his activities. The interesting thing is, he wasn’t around for long. Fitzpatrick’s robberies were fairly limited, occurring for only about one year, between 1777 and 1778. He was captured, then escaped and subsequently captured again and put on trial at the old Chester County Courthouse. Fitzpatrick was convicted and hung for his crimes. Local news reporters and others seemed to be mesmerized by his actions, each story printed from the late 1800s onward embellishing and romanticizing his “achievements” as a modern Robin Hood.
The Story of Kennett set the stage for this glorification of Fitzpatrick, with scenes depicting his almost superhuman ability to overpower and elude dozens of people sent out to capture him. In the novel, Flash frightened large groups of armed men into paralysis by simply pointing his pistol at them. Despite overwhelming odds, Flash always escaped unharmed, much to the astonishment of local citizens, the novel giving “larger-than-life” status to the outlaw.
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The Christian Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford.
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Over subsequent decades, the real-life Fitzpatrick was transformed into the fictional swashbuckling Sandy Flash in the minds of people around the area. It seems Fitzpatrick no longer existed—only the romanticized version survived. This transformation even spurred the creation of another book: Sandy Flash, The Highwayman of Castle Rock by Clifton Lisle. How many of his exploits occurred as described is left to the imaginations of readers of those books and people who viewed regional newspaper stories written well into the 20th century.
The legend of Sandy Flash has an uncanny resemblance to that of a convict who escaped from the Chester County Prison in late August of 2023, a man who amazingly eluded large groups of law enforcement personnel positioned all around the area. Despite the efforts of as many as 500 men and women in law enforcement dedicated to pursuing him, Danelo Cavalcante avoided capture within the somewhat limited area of Chester County for 14 days while frightening local residents with his presence near their homes. At one point, he wandered within the confines of Longwood Gardens—which has security cameras
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Sandy Flash, The Highwayman of Castle Rock by Clifton Lisle.
|Kennett Square Life|
around its perimeter—and managed to elude detection despite State Police and others unknowingly being in very close proximity. Finally, after an extensive manhunt utilizing an enormous number of law enforcement officials, he was taken into custody, allowing people to breathe easier again.
In an interesting twist, Taylor seemed to make his mark on literature and, in an offhand way, have a curious link to local events. Both Sandy Flash and Danelo Cavalcante avoided capture for what seemed an interminable amount of time, terrorizing citizens throughout Chester County as the drama unfolded around them. Dozens of newspaper articles written in recent years keep the legend of Sandy Flash alive. As the best-known citizen of Kennett Square, Taylor is memorialized in a beautiful cylindrical gravestone in Longwood Cemetery across from the Longwood Fire Station on Baltimore Pike. His home Cedarcroft was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark in 1971. If you want to learn more about Bayard Taylor, there is an excellent exhibit
A fictionalized drawing of the outlaw James Fitzpatrick (Sandy Flash).
showcasing his books and personal items at the Christian Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford. Visit their website at https://sandersonmuseum.org. The new Kennett Library has the Bayard Taylor Room on its first floor dedicated to him, with three framed articles written by this author covering his life and many accomplishments.
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, 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.
The new Kennett Library in downtown Kennett Square, courtesy of the Kennett Library.
Come meet Catt Wolfe, our General Manager and the mind behind the
Enjoy the holidays in Kennett Square Enjoy the holidays in Kennett Square
Kennett Square’s charm is on full display during the holiday season. There are many events and attractions to enjoy, and the borough is filled with unique shops and great restaurants. Here’s a look at some of the events to enjoy this holiday season:
A Longwood Christmas and Longwood Reimagined
Experience the magic of A Longwood Christmas as you never have before—made even more spectacular with the opening of Longwood Reimagined, an extensive renovation and expansion project that includes brand new gardens, glasshouses, and landscapes decked out for the holidays. Longwood Gardens is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily now through January 12, 2025. Timed admission tickets required. Your ticket includes admission to Longwood Reimagined and A Longwood Christmas.
Experience the Magic in Kennett Square at the Holiday Light Parade
Kennett Square’s popular annual Holiday Light Parade will start at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 30. Enjoy floats and vehicles decorated with lights, dancers, a DJ playing holiday tunes, the traditional Christmas tree lighting, and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus.
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Photo by Chris Barber
The holidays are a great time to visit charming Kennett Square.
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John Flynn’s annual holiday concert at the Kennett Flash
On Friday, Dec. 6, John Flynn will be performing the annual holiday concert to benefit Kennett Square-based Camp Dreamcatcher. This annual concert is a way for the community to support Camp Dreamcatcher, which has a mission to foster an environment of tolerance, compassion, respect, and understanding of those whose lives have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.
Photo by Chris Barber Kennett Square’s popular annual Holiday Light Parade will be held on Nov. 30.
Kennett Square Holiday Village Market
The Kennett Square Holiday Village Market returns on the first two weekends in December, this year Dec. 7 and 8 and Dec. 14 and 15. Shop dozens of curated artisan and vintage vendors while enjoying live music, festive cocktails, food trucks, and more in the magical setting of The Creamery. The event recreates the atmosphere of the German Christkindlmarkt, which traces its history back to the Middle Ages. For the first two weekends in December every year, the Kennett Square Holiday Village Market brings the Christkindlmarkt experience to southern Chester County. Dozens of artisan and vintage vendors are at the heart of the event, each stall a tiny feast of beautiful and unique handcrafted items that promise to delight the recipient and bring a sprinkling of this magic home. There will be live music, ice sculpture demonstrations, fire pits, s’mores, Santa Claus, food trucks, handcrafted and warming festive drinks and cocktails from The Creamery, and more.
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Square
returns on the first two weekends in December, this year on Dec. 7 and 8 and Dec. 14 and 15. Shop dozens of curated artisan and vintage vendors while enjoying live music, food, drinks, and much more.
Courtesy photo
The Kennett
Holiday Village Market
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Better than Bacon returns to the Kennett Flash
The Kennett Flash will present Better Than Bacon’s unique brand of improv comedy on Friday, Dec. 13. Better Than Bacon improv is a short form improv comedy troupe based in West Chester. The troupe does short skits and games based on audience suggestions. This performance is a Bacon Gives Back fundraiser event — ticket sales and donations directly benefit Max’s Kicks for Kids, a local organization that supplies sneakers to youngsters who need them. It’s a perfect performance for a date night or an evening out with friends. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and the doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tinsel on the Town
A special holiday shopping evening and street fair with Kennett Square merchants from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 19. The popular event is designed for finding those unique, last-minute gifts, and a bit of fun too. Explore the different shops and restaurants along the State Street area and complete a Bingo card to be entered to win a basket filled with KSQ goods and gift cards.
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Midnight in the Square and The Mushroom Drop
Ring in the New Year with the best New Year’s Eve celebration in the county. The Mushroom Festival and the Kennett Area Merchants Association present Midnight in the Square and the The Mushroom Drop—the best way to ring in a new year in the Mushroom Capital of the World. There are road closures and parking restrictions in place to make room for all the fun in Kennett Square.
Photo by Chris Barber
Enjoy Midnight in the Square and The Mushroom Drop in Kennett Square on New Year’s Eve.
