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Summer/Fall 2016

Kennett Square Today Magazine

Giving honey bees a helping hand Page 30

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Kennett Square Today Summer/Fall 2016

Table of Contents

A neighborhood rises

Artist Daniel Chow paints the beauty of ordinary places

Giving honey bees a helping hand

Investigating ghosts in Kennett Square

The Chocolate Connoisseur

Photo essay of historic buildings in the area

Q&A with Wayne Braffman

A natural inheritance: The beauty of Kendal-Crosslands

The Scarlett Thicket Farm: A barn full of art

64 Cover design by Tricia Hoadley Cover photograph by Jie Deng 6

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Efforts to revitalize an historic neighborhood show Kennett Square’s heart Letter from the Editor: Welcome to the summer/fall issue of Kennett Square Today. Our writers and photographers always enjoy the opportunity to meet and talk with the people who help make the community such a wonderful place to live and work. The East Linden neighborhood has a long and proud history. Two decades ago, drugs and poverty threatened the future of the neighborhood until the citizens rose up and started a remarkable revitalization for one of Kennett Square’s most diverse neighborhoods. We talk to some of the people involved with the effort. We profile artist Daniel Chow, who paints the beauty of ordinary places. After years of study, he is entering the gallery world and just picked his first art gallery representation. We also visit the “Abstractions” show, which is held each year on an historic Kennett Square farm. We introduce readers to Estelle Tracy, a chocolate connoisseur, whose blog is a popular read among thousands of chocolate lovers worldwide. Writer Lisa Fieldman talks to Kennett Square resident Cindy Faulkner, a past president of the Chester County Beekeepers Association. The organization, which has more than 300 members, educates the public about the importance of these fuzzy pollinators. The Chester County Beekeepers Association also serves as a place for beekeepers to share information, their challenges and their successes. The Delaware City Ghost Hunters were called in to investigate three buildings on South Union Street in Kennett Square. We have a story about the findings of that investigation. The subject of the Q&A is Wayne Braffman, who joined Kennett Square Borough Council at the beginning of the year. We talk about some of the initiatives that council is working on, his diverse professional experiences, and more. Bronze plaques are springing up throughout the borough—about 100 to date. They are marking the properties where the history is known. The photo essay in this issue focuses on some of those properties within Kennett Square’s Historical District that have the bronze plaques. Please enjoy this latest collection of stories about the individuals and businesses that make Kennett Square special. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed preparing them. And look for our next edition, which will be published in the winter of 2016. Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher, randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor, editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, ext. 13

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

—————|In the Spotlight|——————

A neighborhood rises The East Linden neighborhood has a long and proud history. Drugs and poverty threatened the future of the neighborhood until the citizens rose up and started a remarkable revitalization for one of Kennett Square’s most diverse neighborhoods By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Peace, community, and caring are much more than a motto on a sign in the historic East Linden section of Kennett Square. 8

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

hen LaToya Myers was growing up in the historic East Linden section of Kennett Square, she wasn’t allowed to play outside. It wasn’t a particularly safe neighborhood back then, and Myers can remember having to walk with her mother to the bus stop at the corner of North Willow and State streets to catch the school bus to Greenwood Elementary School, even though it was just a short walk from her home. “There would be men standing around that we didn‘t recognize,” Myers recalled. “I was not allowed outside without an adult. I knew that this was not how neighborhoods should be.” Even as a child, Myers sensed that there was something amiss in the neighborhood—but being a child comes with a certain amount of innocence. She didn’t fully recognize the dangers that those strange men hanging out in the neighborhood represented. But her mother certainly did. Theresa Bass understood that the East Linden neighborhood was teetering on the brink. The open-air drug trade had taken hold, and local residents—the good people who called this proud neighborhood their home—lived in fear. Theresa had lived on East Linden Street since she was a child in elementary school, and she wasn’t about to sit back and watch this neighborhood deteriorate the way that so many other neighborhoods across the U.S. had. So she started organizing the neighbors, and had conversations with them about some of the issues that the community was facing. “We really wanted to address some of the street behavior,” explained Myers. Police Chief Edward Zunino, who is a 40-year veteran in the Kennett Square Police Department, said that back then the historic East Linden neighborhood was plagued by drug dealers who would come in to push their products to Kennett Square residents and out-of-towners who knew that drugs were available in the community.

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Two churches in the heart of the neighborhood.

“Drugs became a problem there,” Zunino explained. “It was an area that was well-known for the drug trade. We would get a lot of out-of-towners come in and hang out there, and you get some of those issues—drugs, drinking, noise—that come with that. The people from the neighborhood were law-abiding, but some of them were afraid to call the police because of the fear of retaliation.” Zunino said that the police regularly sent extra patrols to the area, but they needed the help of the local residents to combat the drug activity. A group of residents realized that a coordinated effort was needed to improve the neighborhood. Myers, who was studying psychology and business management at the University of Pittsburgh at the time, would assist whenever she could, helping her mother set agendas for the regular meetings and encourage people in the community to take part in the activities that were being planned to build community spirit. “I started out just in support of my mother,” Myers explained. Those early conversations between neighbors quickly grew into something more—a cohesive plan to change

the course that the East Linden neighborhood was on. The Historic East Linden Project was born in 2004, with the goal of building a neighborhood that would offer a high quality of life for residents. They started a number of different programs focusing on the 100 or so households located in the five square blocks centered around East Linden Street. This neighborhood has a long legacy in town—in the years before the Civil War, Quakers invited those escaping slavery to stay and build lives in Kennett Square area. It has always been a diverse community filled with people who care, and the Historic East Linden Project tapped into that. From the very beginning of the effort, an emphasis has been placed on supporting children in the community. They started a Study Buddies after-school program, and built a computer lab for students. They offered summer camp scholarships to families and gave lunches to children during the summer. During the school year, dinners were provided to youngsters in the all-important after-school hours when, statistics show, children are most likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol and other dangerous behaviors. Continued on Page 10

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Neighborhood Continued from Page 9

Volunteers involved with the Historic East Linden Project handed out holiday baskets to families and distributed children’s coats and clothing, book bags, school supplies, and more to local children. They also organized special events for children, including a Black History Month celebration, a back-to-school barbecue, a holiday party, and trips to places like the Brandywine River Museum. To improve the cleanliness and appearance of the neighborhood, they started a spring cleanup, worked together to build a rain garden, and organized cleanup days for the streets and the area around Anson B. Nixon Park. In an effort to boost community pride, volunteers planned a health & resource fair, a community gala, a block party, and National Night Out. This last event strengthened the bonds between the community and the police department. Zunino explained that it’s natural for young children to be afraid of police officers, so it’s important for the officers to establish a rapport with youngsters in the community so that when they grow up they view the local police in a positive light and will trust them. Myers said that she could see changes taking place in her

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neighborhood while she was still in college. The community events were particularly important, according to Myers, because when people feel connected to their community and get to know each other the crime rates inevitably fall. For a time, Myers planned to go on to medical school, but she instead focused on public health, in part because of the needs she was seeing in the historic East Linden community. She went on to earn a master’s degree in public health and worked as the community outreach coordinator for a non-profit that helped provide services to residents with high risks of medical issues. Myers made Kennett Square her home and started digging in to do the hard work that was needed to improve her community. She joined a small but devoted core group of volunteers who were leading the Historic East Linden Project initiative. “My mom always said that volunteering and giving back is not a chore—it should be a part of your life,” Myers explained. “And watching my mom affect change was definitely inspiring.” Ethan Cramer moved to Kennett Square in 2007, and when he learned about the efforts to help children in the community he knew that he wanted to get involved. He signed up to volunteer his time as a tutor in the Study Buddies program.

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“The stories you hear from the children can be heartbreaking,” he explained. “A lot of the kids are living in deep poverty.” Cramer was already a veteran of community organizing—he had spent years working to improve Wilmington, Del. neighborhoods that were burdened by crime, drugs, and poverty. As a response, Cramer helped establish the Community Bridges organization. He also worked on beautification efforts and started vacant lot gardens in Wilmington. “Vacant lot gardens are not really about gardens,” Cramer explained. He knew from his experiences in Wilmington that progress on improving a neighborhood can be very slow, and that it takes a lot of effort from a lot of people to make changes. Cramer was impressed with the work that was being done through the Historic East Continued on Page 12

Photo by Steven Hoffman

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Neighborhood Continued from Page 11

Linden Project, and he was soon very involved, helping to set up an accounting system and handle other tasks that a professional organization needs to continue operating. He was especially impressed that so many people were involved with the effort—and that they focused so much on helping young people in the community. “The whole neighborhood gets involved with providing support to those kids,” he explained. “When they feel supported, and when they have each other’s backs, then they function as one unit. All the things we do is to build a community.” Myers is the executive director of the organization but, like Cramer, she volunteers her time for the betterment of the community. In her professional career, she runs three public health programs in Philadelphia, including one that serves women in a county correctional facility. There is a lot of overlap with what Myers does professionally and the work that takes place to improve the neighborhood around her in Kennett Square. “I really use a lot of my skills from my profession in the Continued on Page 14

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Theresa Bass and LaToya Myers, with LaToya’s daughter, Payton, and Aalana Vasquez, Jasmine Morefield, and Britney Bautista.

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Neighborhood Continued from Page 12

neighborhood, helping people,” she explained. “We want people to understand that they can live well, even if they don’t have a lot of money.” Myers is still inspired by her mother’s work in the community. In many ways, Bass was perfectly suited to lead the efforts to turn the East Linden neighborhood around. “She had lived here since she was eight or nine years old,” Myers explained. “So the neighbors were receptive to her because she had always been such a nice, respectful child when she was growing up here. People were willing to share with her, and trust in her, and trust in the community. They felt like the community had a true voice.” In Myers, the community has another voice—and a tireless advocate. She finds herself helping out in small, but important ways. One illustration: Myers answered a desperate call from a student who was distraught because, on one exam, she fell a few points short of qualifying for sixth grade honors classes. Myers could see that it not only disappointed the girl, it also hurt her self-esteem that she didn’t qualify for the honors classes. “She had the talent,” Myers explained. “She had straight A‘s in fifth grade. I told her, ‚you are good enough, and there are options out there for you.’” Myers went to talk to school district officials to see what could be done. They were able to pay for a tutor, who turned out to be a teacher at the Kennett Middle School, and the girl was able to earn a spot in the honors classes by putting in the extra work. “This put the child on a different track,” Myers explained. “She‘s in seventh grade now and she does really well.” It’s success stories like this that can make a real difference in the community. Cramer said that Bass remains extraordinarily dedicated to the cause, and will field calls from her neighbors throughout the day. If a student misses the bus, Bass has been known to just drive them to school. She helps Photo by Steven Hoffman organize the community The neighborhood has become a Continued on Page 16

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much safer place for children to play.

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Neighborhood Continued from Page 14

events and is always willing to help her neighbors whenever possible. “The number of hours that she puts in is incredible,” Cramer said. He marvels at Bass’s ability to find solutions to issues. “She will think about it, talk about it, and then all of a sudden, she will find the solution,” he explained. “Without Theresa, there really isn’t [a Carter CDC].” Cramer said that Bass had the insight into the community to understand that they needed to make a push on many different fronts, and not just focus on any one area. “One of the reasons that we’ve been successful is that we didn’t prioritize,” Cramer explained. “We have an emphasis on children. We do the academic stuff, we have the bonds with the police. We do the computer stuff, too. But we don’t focus on just one thing.” While the core group of volunteers does a lot of the work, the effort has now been underway for more than twelve years and has garnered support from many different sources. There are maybe one hundred different people who volunteer for various activities. The board of directors

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Aalana Vasquez, Jasmine Morefield, and Britney Bautista all say that the Study Buddies program has had a positive impact on their lives. Vasquez, a seventh-grader, has been involved with the program since kindergarten. Morefield said that she likes connecting with younger students as she helps them with homework. Bautista, an eighth-grader, also likes helping younger students.

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includes teachers, a police chief, an attorney, a banker, and other leaders in the Kennett Square community. “Our board is extraordinary,” Cramer said. “This has never been the neighborhood alone. This has always been a lot of people helping out. It’s a shared success. It’s a success for Kennett Square. It’s hard to imagine that State Street would be doing as well as it is if this neighborhood wouldn’t be doing what it’s doing.” One of the major accomplishments of the initiative was achieved when drug dealers no longer openly roamed the neighborhood. With that mission achieved, the volunteers were able to shift their focus a little bit. The organization was renamed the Carter CDC to coincide with its changing goals. The “Carter” name is in honor of Joseph and Sarah Carter, who were the first African-Americans to own their own home in this neighborhood. The Carter CDC initiatives have earned tremendous respect in the Kennett Square community. Zunino said that he has seen a real improvement in the neighborhood since the coordinated efforts began more than 12 years ago. “We’ve seen the results of the police and the neighbors working together. The residents feel safe now, and the problems haven’t come back,” Zunino said. “And this happened

with the cooperation of the residents. Without this cooperation, it never would have worked. We’re really grateful to the residents.” According to Myers, the work of the police department has been invaluable, and the residents appreciate their efforts. “Chief Zunino says that the police couldn’t have done this without us, but we couldn’t have done it without them,” Myers said. Dan Maffei, the president of Kennett Square Borough Council, said that the Carter CDC is an illustration of what residents can do when they make a commitment to solving a problem. “Carter CDC is an excellent example of citizens taking responsibility for solving a problem,” Maffei said. “In their case, it was drug dealing and neglected houses, but it could just as easily have been sidewalk conditions, the lack of street trees or scoffing at traffic laws. Neighbors can organize themselves for the betterment of their quality of life, and work cooperatively with police, public works, and other agencies to achieve an outcome.” Maffei added, “Some may say that solving these problems is the borough’s job, but we can be much more effective Continued on Page 18

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Neighborhood Continued from Page 17

when citizens report what they see and work with us to find a solution. Carter CDC has created a road map to how this works that other neighborhoods in the borough can follow.” While much has already been accomplished, the work of revitalizing a neighborhood never really ends. Myers explained, “Once an area has been an open air drug market, that image doesn‘t go away. You always have to keep monitoring. This is not something that you win, and since you‘ve won, it‘s now over. It‘s never over. You have to keep working at it.” Cramer agreed. “The drug dealing would return if the Carter CDC did not exist,” he said. Myers said that everyone involved with the effort is now focusing on implementing programs that will lead to what she called cycle-breaking changes. “We want to make it better than what it is,” she explained. “We want to hire a full-time teacher that can work with each family to develop a plan for each child.” Another goal is to work on affordable housing, which is critically important to the residents in the neighborhood. Cramer said in order to continue creating success

stories like the ones that have been produced, and for Carter CDC to continue to evolve, they want to hire the fulltime education director that Myers talked about. “We are at a point where we have to start to employ people,” Cramer said. “The work is being done, but the infrastructure that an agency needs is not all there yet.” He explained that having staff will allow the organization to acquire the funding that will be necessary to sustain its efforts. Carter CDC recently secured a grant from the Longwood Foundation, but overall funding has been hard to come by and insufficient to meet the needs in the neighborhood. There are still plenty of needs, so there is still plenty of work to be done. “We need to make sure that each child in the community has a plan forward,” Cramer explained. Cramer, the experienced community organizer, is impressed with all the work that Historic East Linden residents have done to improve their own neighborhood. “The neighborhood would still be an open-air drug market, but instead it’s a magical place,” he explained. “A lot of people have made the effort to make it a place where children do well, where families do well.” To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

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—————|Kennett Square Arts|——————

Finding magic in the mundane

Daniel Chow paints the beauty of ordinary places

Photo by John Chambless

A new work sits on the easel in Daniel Chow’s home, with past works stacked on narrow shelves. 20

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

‘Red Clay’

By John Chambless Staff Writer

summertime back yard with a telephone pole. A parking lot with nondescript buildings in the distance. A bleak expanse of brown field, streaked with snow. A slant of sunlight on a whitewashed wall. For Daniel Chow, these small moments and ordinary places have resonance. “I challenge myself to see something in what everyone else would overlook,” Chow said quietly during an interview at his Kennett Square home.

‘Telephone Pole’

‘Junk’

“Every landscape has a spirit, and if you will be still and listen, it will have something to share with you.” The jewel-like little paintings that are stacked neatly throughout the home Chow shares with his partner, Bob Pariseau, are quiet, contemplative scenes that share a mood of hushed reverence. There’s a sense that the scene is being observed quietly, at a distance, until something beautiful emerges. The understated nature of the paintings reflects Chow himself, who came to painting late – about 15 years ago Continued on Page 22

‘The Blue Recycling Bin’ www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Daniel Chow Continued from Page 21

– and who has never had an exhibition, aside from putting up a few paintings at the State and Union shop in Kennett Square last year, and again in early June of this year. At 55, Chow is in the place of artists half his age as they come out of art school – unknown to galleries, not quite sure of the merit of his work, but firmly settled into a style that perfectly suits him. It has been a meandering path to Chow becoming a full-time artist. His family arrived in America from Singapore in 1976. He has five siblings – two older brothers, two younger brothers, and a sister. He is quick to credit his parents for sacrificing a comfortable living in Singapore. “I think that was the best decision we ever made,” he said. “I think my parents thought they had made the wrong decision, but it turns out it was the best for the rest of us. My dad was a vice-president in the Bank of Tokyo, and we are fourth-generation bankers.” Chow tried to work in banking, bounced from school to school, and had a short-lived study of pre-med, before he fainted while watching a minor operation in an emergency room. He worked in banks for 15 years in New York City and San Francisco, hating it. He entered San Francisco State University to major in anthropology, but eventually got a job in a public relations firm. That job ended after 9/11. In 2002, he and Pariseau settled in Asheville, N.C., in a large house with Continued on Page 24

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‘The Chads Springhouse’

Courtesy photo

A summertime view, with Chow’s painting in progress.

‘The Junk Yard’

Courtesy photo

Chow works in all kinds of weather to paint near his home.

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Daniel Chow Continued from Page 22

bare walls. Chow decided to paint some pictures to decorate the place. He enrolled in an art class at the Fine Arts League of the Carolinas, led by famed artist Benjamin Long. Paralyzed by indecision at the prospect of drawing a cast in class, Chow eventually made a dot on the paper. But he had learned some fundamentals. After a move to Philadelphia and a time as a black-and-white photographer, Chow took more painting classes and got better with a brush. In the city, he set up a group show at a tea shop, printed up flyers and advertised, bought snacks and wine, only to sit at the opening night alone with his artist friend, John Sasnett. “We were the only two there,” Chow said, laughing. “We had delusions of grandeur. We just ended up laughing at ourselves.” At another show of his photographs in an Old City Starbucks, “that First Friday was the busiest Old City ever had. The streets were packed,” Continued on Page 26

Photo by John Chambless

Chow holds his painting of the pump house across the street from his home.

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‘The Well House’ ‘The Red Basement Door’

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Daniel Chow Continued from Page 24

Chow said. “Bob and I saw this huge crowd, and I was very excited because I thought my works were getting attention. We went in and everybody was just waiting for their latte. Their backs were to the photographs. Everyone else was waiting to go into the bathrooms. I told Bob, ‘I wish I’d hung the photographs in the bathrooms.’” Renting in Philadelphia was expensive, so he and Bob began to look for a home to buy. “We checked so many places in the area. We had always driven by Kennett Square, but it never occurred to us to take a look,” Chow said. “We finally decided to take a look. We saw this place was for sale, but it was just a concrete foundation then. That was two years ago.” Chow has been learning about the region’s rich art history, and he has adopted a quote from N.C. Wyeth as his motto. Wyeth once wrote, “I don’t believe any man who has ever painted a great big picture did so by wandering from one place to another, searching for interesting material. By the gods! There’s almost an inexhaustible supply of subjects right around my back door.” And that’s something that Chow has taken to heart. Continued on Page 28

Photo by John Chambless

Daniel Chow and his partner, Bob Pariseau, in Chow’s studio room. 26

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Courtesy photo

A winter view of the pump house.

Photo by John Chambless

Chow lives with his paintings throughout his Kennett Square home. www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Daniel Chow Continued from Page 26

His subject matter is largely drawn from the area within half a mile of his home. A pump station across the street is featured in several paintings, as is the field next to it. The backs of his neighbors’ homes are also subjects. In each painting, he finds magic in the mundane. “I had spent so long looking for inspiration, and that has distracted me,” he said. “Everything is before my eyes, but I had not taken advantage of it. Instead of trying to find faraway places, I just walk around here until I see the first thing. I set up the easel and just paint away. It’s like a meditative process. “There’s a term in Japanese cuisine, umami,” Chow said. “You can’t put your finger on it, but you sense something special in there – a love, a passion. I strive for artistic umami. If you don’t put love into it, the audience can sense it.” Chow’s paintings are done on site, usually in one session. The sketchy areas convey movement, and the focused details put the viewer right into the scene. And always, there’s the stillness. “I enjoy the spontaneity in my paintings,” Chow said, “but I’ve spent the proverbial lifetime listening.” Visit www.danielwkchow.com. To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

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Giving honey bees a helping hand Photo by Jie Deng

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Lisa Fieldman Correspondent

Photos by Jie Deng

Cindy Faulkner, left, is the past president of the Chester County Beekeepers Association, and produces wildflower honey in the back yard of her Kennett Square home.

he tiny honey bee has some mighty big advocates in Chester County. With more than 300 members, the Chester County Beekeepers Association educates the public about the importance of these fuzzy pollinators. It serves as a place for beekeepers to share information, their challenges and their successes. Most importantly, CCBA encourages people to explore the world of beekeeping. Cindy Faulkner of Kennett Square is a past president of CCBA, and has been keeping bees for more than seven years. “One of my daughters was quite keen to have honeybees,” Faulkner said. So mother and daughter set up an apiary. Thanks to her hardworking bees, Faulkner began bottling her Sidecar Honey. It’s quite popular locally. “I was invited to sell honey at the first Brandywine Food and Wine Festival,” she said, and she has been invited back each year. Faulkner takes the opportunity to educate the public about honeybees. “Even with all the press, I don’t think people appreciate how important honeybees are to agriculture,” she said. The decline of the honeybee population is having huge impact on commercial and backyard beekeepers. The widespread use of pesticides, as well as viruses, pests, and poor hive management are taking a toll. Faulkner has a background in biology and toxicology. Most of her career was spent working for ICI, first in pharmaceuticals and then in pesticides. “I had an introduction to honeybees and bee biology through my work, so I feel like I’ve come full circle now,” she said, laughing. Despite her work in the field of pesticides, she keeps her yard pesticide-free to benefit the pollinators. “It’s OK if your lawn has dandelions and violets. here is nothing wrong with having a diversity of plants,” she said. “It’s important food for the bees.” An organization called The Bee Informed Partnership recently issued a report stating that, nationwide, there has been a 44 percent loss of honeybee hives from April 2015 to April 2016. This collaborative program gathers and processes data submitted by beekeepers. “It’s frustrating to try and figure out why bees die,” Faulkner said. Like many area beekeepers, she suffered major hive loss last winter. Her hives were doing very well and had ample honey stores, but they did not survive. “There is stuff going on we just don’t understand,” she said. There are so many variables as to why a hive can perish. “The nutrition of the individual bee and the colony, the Continued on Page 32

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Honey Bees Continued from Page 31

genetics, parasites, and diseases -- a whole lot can go wrong,” she said. This is a challenge facing both new and seasoned beekeepers. “Loss of habitat and pesticides play a part for sure, as do poor beekeeping practices, but sometimes you just don’t know what happened. It’s pretty clear that a combination of things are weakening the population overall,” Faulkner said. Despite her losses, there are honeybees buzzing around Faulkner’s garden this spring. She ordered a package of bees and installed them in her hive. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to start all over, but I really missed seeing the bees,” she said. “Beekeeping is like a little trail of bread crumbs that has led me in so many different directions.” Apiculture – keeping bees – has a rich history and has sparked in Faulkner a curiosity about the Colonial and post-Colonial periods. An avid cook, she was already exploring Colonial cooking when her beekeeping mentor, Warren Graham, suggested she check out Ridley Creek State Park’s Colonial Plantation. “I took a hearth cooking class at the Colonial Plantation,

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Photo by L. Fieldman

Don Coats working in the pollinator meadow.

and now I volunteer there as a hearth cook,” Faulkner said. “Through beekeeping, I’ve had the chance to meet so many people, and I’ve learned so much. The beekeeping community is hugely supportive; there is a lot of help and advice out there. You have the opportunity to tap into a Continued on Page 34

Photo by C. Faulkner Photo by L. Fieldman

A vial containing a honey bee and Varroa mites.

Dr. Don Coats stands next to his ‘smart hive.’

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Honey Bees Continued from Page 32

great network of people.” Faulkner feels there is a spreading interest in beekeeping throughout the area. “People see my Honey Bee license plate and stop to ask me, ‘How are the bees?’ I also recently stopped at Pocopson Hardware and noticed they are selling some beekeeping supplies,” she said with a smile. Anyone who would like to get started in beekeeping should check out the Chester County Beekeepers Association’s website at www.chescobees.org. This year, Faulkner’s oldest daughter is helping with the bees. Hilary Faulkner says she finds honeybees interesting, and likes that they are a female-centric society. “The honey bee was the first symbol for feminism. I think that’s pretty cool,” she said. “When I am out working with the bees, there is a very cool hum going on. You have to be careful; you need to move slowly, and it forces you to think about what you are doing. It’s kind of therapeutic.” Dr. Don Coats is a Chester County beekeeper who is taking a scientific approach to apiculture. In his bee yard sits a “smart hive.” The hive is filled with active bees, and also contains sensors that read out the temperature and humidity in the hive. The

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Photo by Jie Deng

Cindy Faulkner and her daughter Hilary.

hive sits on a scale so the weight can be monitored. There is an internal microphone that records three different harmonics. “All the info goes from my hive to London then back to me,” Coats said. Bayer Bee Care gave this smart hive to Coats as a research tool. The company is developing new technology to help beekeepers and support sustainable agriculture. “There are only 15 to 20 of these hives in the nation, and maybe 100 of them are functional world-wide,” he explained. Coats is able to monitor the hive from his computer. “This is considered the Cadillac of the systems,” he said, “but fortunately a company called BroodMinder is making a streamlined version at a much reduced cost. For about $200, you can get a scale and a temperature/humidity sensor that operates on Bluetooth.” Fluctuating hive weight gives a clue as to what’s happening inside the hive. As bees bring nectar in, the weight will increase, so you know the bees are being productive foragers. If one of the hives is gaining weight but another hive plateaus or loses weight, this could be indicative of an inefficient queen bee. She may have stopped laying, or she may have swarmed with a portion of the hive. “If you are weighing your hives, you can intervene early. You know which hive needs attention,” Coats said. “This hive gained six pounds yesterday,” Coats said, pointing to one of his beehives. The gain was most likely the result of a sunny day, and busy bees gathering nectar. Continued on Page 36

Photo by Jie Deng

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Honey Bees Continued from Page 35

Coats retired from his veterinary practice after 48 years, and is now using his skills to study the honey bee health crisis. He started beekeeping about 15 years ago when a client gave him equipment. “I began keeping bees for honey. But I could see there were a lot of beekeeping practices that are anecdotally shared and probably mis-practiced,” he said. Coats is focusing his research on the Varroa mite and the Nosema parasite, both contributing factors to honeybee decline. The Varroa mite feeds on the blood of the larvae and adult honey bee, and also introduces viruses into the honeybee population. It is considered to be one of the most devastating pests affecting the honeybee industry. Nosema is a fungus that is held in an infected bee’s gut and impairs their ability to digest pollen, which weakens the bee and shortens its lifespan. The fungus spores are passed through the bee’s waste and spread to other bees in the colony. “Early on, I began looking at the evidence of Nosema’s role as a pathogen,” Coats explained. “There are spores in the colony, and under certain circumstances, like weak

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hives, they will increase. But it’s not a cause and effect experience.” Coats sampled 15 hives last year and found a small percentage had up to 5 million Nosema spores per bee. To contrast, he sampled a feral hive (one that is not being managed by a beekeeper) in Chester County that has been active for 50 years. Bee samples taken from the feral hive show as many as 13 to 17 million spores per bee at peak times. Yet that hive is healthy and thriving. Considering its longevity, this colony of bees is able to manage their Nosema infestation on their own. Coats believes this is due to the overall good health of that colony. He strongly feels that good hive health is the foundation for any successful hive. Beekeepers need to accept there is a certain level of pest population in the hive, and allow pests to exist at or below this level. If the infestation increases, the least toxic or invasive methods should be used to treat it. “Beekeepers need to be able to determine when their hive has crossed that threshold, and then treat appropriately,” Coats said. Overuse of chemical treatments can be harsh on the colony, and can contribute to an immunity build-up. Coats shares his research with the Bee Informed Partnership as well as with the Eastern Apiculture Society.

He will also be offering a microscope workshop at the EAP annual conference in July. Equally important to Coats is his work with Delaware Bee Walkers, a group he formed with fellow bee enthusiasts. The Bee Walkers monitor pollinators and strongly advocate for native plantings. A few years ago, Coats was observing honey bees feeding on native plants at Coverdale Farm. He noticed there was a large variety of bees feedPhotos by Jie Deng ing alongside the honeybees. This experience Hilary Faulkner with brought his focus to native pollinators. some of the many “There are 400 species of native bees in beekeeping tools. Pennsylvania, and they are losing their habitat,” he said. “Native bees are more fragile than honeybees, and they need native forage; it’s what they evolved with.” To help support natural bee habitats, the Bee Walkers promote turning lawns into mini-meadows using native plants. Originating in Delaware, their work has spilled over into Chester County. “We have helped create a mini-meadow in a location off Fairville Road, and one at the intersections of Spring Mill and Burnt Mill Roads,” Coats said. Continued on Page 38

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Most exciting is the creation of a large pollinator meadow at Oberod. Pointing to flats of plants destined for Oberod’s meadow, Coats said, “I have some Cardinal Flower, Liatris Blazing Star and White Turtle Head.” Many other native plants have already been seeded into the meadow. Coats and another beekeeper also have installed four beehives at the site. Bees are not the only pollinators to benefit from the meadow, “We are planting forage that is favorable for all pollinators,” Coats said. “The White Turtle Head flower is the native host for the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly.” This butterfly is Maryland’s state insect and is on their endangered list. The group is also monitoring bees at Winterthur as part of their Native Pollinator Project. The volunteers count bees visiting the meadow and note what the bees are feeding on. Sometimes, bees are captured and examined under a microscope. “We are assessing the habitat differences between Winterthur and other area pollinator meadows,” Coats said. When asked which plants are important to the native pollinators, he mentions Hyssop, Aster, Boneset, Joe-pye weed and Mistflower, among others. Websites such as www.xerces.org and www.panativeplantsociety. org are great resources if you want to include native plants for pollinators in your garden. Coats shares information about his native pollinator project on his website, www. citizensciencebeekeeping.com. In addition to his native pollinator work and his bee health research, Coats finds time to mentor other beekeepers. “It creates an exchange of information, we all learn from each other,” he said. “I’ve always been an environmentalist at heart, and beekeeping just Photo by L. Fieldman fits.” Looking across Oberod’s new bee meadow. 38

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—————|Around Kennett Square|——————

Investigating ghosts in Kennett Square The Delaware City Ghost Hunters were called in to investigate three buildings on South Union Street. Here’s what they discovered…

Photo by Steven Hoffman

The Tribe Hair Salon building in Kennett Square. 46

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Courtesy photo

Above: Olen Grimes, the owner of the Art Works & Metal Works.

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Right: The Delaware City Ghost Hunters were called in to investigate three buildings on South Union Street in Kennett Square, including the Artworks & Metalworks building.

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

re ghosts haunting buildings on South Union Street in Kennett Square? Olen Grimes, the owner of Art Works & Metal Works, said that he often hears unexplained noises—the sounds of someone walking on the floor above, rustling noises, or papers being shuffled around in an empty room. “I always hear walking on the floor,” Grimes explained. “That has happened dozens and dozens of times. I’ll usually hear something at least once or twice a week.”

Grimes was also curious about the buildings at 116 and 112 South Union—the homes of Tribe Hair Salon and My Polished Salon, respectively. There had been sporadic sightings of the spirit of a little girl. So Grimes reached out to the Delaware City Ghost Hunters and arranged for them to send a team to investigate. “Olen took us through all three buildings that were thought to have paranormal activity,” Wanda explained. She is the director of the Delaware City Ghost Hunters, and has long had the ability to detect spirits. Wanda considers herself to be an empath, which is someone who can sense things Continued on Page 48 www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Ghosts Continued from Page 47

in the spirit world. “I come from a family of gifted people,” she explained. To understand the work that the Delaware City Ghost Hunters do, you have to set aside everything you’ve learned about ghosts in scary movies. Television shows about ghost-hunting can be misleading, too. The real-life ghost hunters talk about things like orbs and spirit energy levels, and they use scientific equipment to document their investigations. Wanda was only four or five years old when she started being able to see things that others couldn’t. This was an ability that her sister also had. It wasn’t until they were teenagers that they learned that their mother also had the same ability. As she got a little older, Wanda saw fewer spirits, and for a time she didn’t see any at all. But then, at the age of 25, Wanda had a near-death

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experience and began to sense things again. She started to embrace the gift, doing research at the library. She learned that a ghost is the spirit of a person who can’t fully move on to the spirit world, and that their “hauntings” are typically harmless to humans. “They are usually just trying to get us a message,” Wanda explained. She welcomed the opportunity to join the Delaware City Ghost Hunters. The group was formed in 2011, led by Walter Wisowaty. After about a year, Wisowaty was ready for retirement and wanted to spend his time on other endeavors. At the time, there were only a handful of people, including Wanda, as part of the team. “We didn’t want to quit,” Wanda explained. The group continued and flourished. Now, there are approximately 20 members, including Dolly Ziegler, a co-director of the Delaware City Ghost

Hunters, who is one of the team members who uses scientific equipment to monitor the buildings that they are investigating. The group’s work has earned them more and more investigations. In the first year that they formed, the Delaware City Ghost Hunters did eight investigations. Last year, that number rose to 15 investigations. “We do not charge for these investigations,” Wanda explained. “And we try everything that we can to debunk that there is something paranormal going on.” One of the things that the Delaware Ghost Hunters do before an investigation is to research the property history as much as possible. At 112 South Union Street, Olen and his wife, Roxann, purchased the building in 2013 from James G. and Joan Blaine. The Blaines had owned the property since 1994, when they purchased it from the partnership of Peter Alonzo and James Blaine.

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The property had also previously been owned by Sara Noznesky, the executor of the estate of Tillie Noznesky. Jacob Noznesky is also associated with the property. Knowing the history of a property can help the investigators as they do their work. Wanda and Dolly listed some of the things that people might experience if there is a spirit present in a home or business: anomalies in electrical appliances, such as a television shutting on and off on its own or an unplugged appliance suddenly turning on; noises, such as bangs or tappings; hot or cold spots; and certain smells, like a smoky or burning smell, or a certain kind of perfume or cologne that a person used. The equipment that the group utilizes during investigations includes everything from handheld digital voice recorders to audio cassette recorders to stationary infrared cameras. They use Continued on Page 50

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Ghosts Continued from Page 49

hand-held digital cameras, laser grids, sensor cells, and OSUN EMF Hunter, which identifies radiation sources and detects invisible fields. During investigations, the empaths do their work and compare notes with those who are monitoring the scientific equipment. “We’re a team,” Wanda explained. “Whatever information anybody gets, we share it right away.” Wanda said that it’s more common for spirits to be present than what people might think, especially in older buildings with long histories. “Every single investigation that we have done, we have found a spirit,” Wanda said. “The spirits might be lingering, or they may be coming back for a visit.” Wanda drew a sharp distinction between demonologists and ghost hunters. Demons are pure evil and are not human, and if the investigation team ever senses that they are encountering a demon

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they will leave immediately. “Ghosts and spirits are harmless,” Wanda explained. “We have more power over them than they have over us.” Wanda said that, thanks to the popularity of several television shows about ghost-hunting, more people are willing to believe in ghosts. “It’s definitely more easily accepted today,” she said. “People aren’t as afraid of it as they used to be,” Dolly added. “We love doing this,” Wanda explained. “We love to help people.” The investigation at the art gallery and neighboring buildings started with a walk-through and an interview with Grimes to find out about some of the reported incidents that had taken place through the years. Wanda and Dolly both felt cold spots in the art

gallery building, especially on the second floor. When they went to the building at 116 South Union, Wanda tried to detect the spirit of the little girl that people had reported seeing. Soon enough, Wanda felt the little girl’s spirit trying to channel her. The spirit giggled through Wanda and said, “Hi, I am Mary Beth.” Wanda felt very uneasy and went outside to shake off the effects of the interaction with the spirit. The investigative team utilized toys that are motion activated. At two different times as the team was communicating with the spirits in the basements, the toys were activated. No one was near them to make them go off. Orbs were also Continued on Page 52

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Evidence of spirits were detected at the My Polished building.

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Ghosts Continued from Page 51

visible in photographs that were taken near where the toys were positioned. Once the initial investigation is completed, the investigative team members analyze the many photographs and hours and hours of video and audio recordings to document the findings for each case. Each piece of evidence is reviewed thoroughly and discussed by the team members so that they can compare notes on whether the scientific evidence corroborates what the empaths found. For example, in the final report to Grimes, the investigative team said that they were able to document purple orbs through the photos and videos. “We have seen red, pink, and blue, but never purple,” the report stated. “We did some research and discovered that some experts believe the color of the orb determines the type of spirits that reside in the location. Purple is thought to be a

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sensitive, wise, intuitive, idealistic spirit seeking spirituality.” The investigators were also able to record and photograph a mysterious mist outside the buildings that they did not see themselves when they were conducting the investigation. It was a clear night, and there is no explanation for the mist. Based on all the evidence that they collected, they concluded that the My Polished Salon, in particular, has some mild—but benevolent— activity consisting of several male and female spirits. They believe that they communicated with spirits with names like Robert or Bob, Steven or Stephan, Jennie, and Sally. If the investigative team comes across a spirit that they believe is trapped, they will get everyone together, form a circle, say a prayer, and let the spirit know that it is okay to pass over. “Our success rate is about 75 percent on getting

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them to cross over,” Wanda explained. “But we can’t do anything to make them cross over.” Overall, the investigators were satisfied with the results of the investigation in Kennett Square, although “we didn’t have as much activity as we had hoped,” Wanda said. Grimes said that he and his wife were very satisfied with the results. “My wife and I were both enthralled when they went over the videos and the recordings,” Grimes explained. He said that he has no problem co-existing with the spirits in the buildings. “I think it’s neat,” Grimes said. “We’ve been telling some of our clients that there is an ongoing investigation, and I would say that 99 percent of the people are interested and not scared. As long as I don’t bother them, and they don’t bother me, we can live here happily.” To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

About the Delaware City Ghost Hunters The Delaware City Ghost Hunters are a non-profit organization that strives to help their neighbors and community by providing investigations in anything paranormal or otherworldly. There is no charge for the investigations, and they will do their work within an approximately 50-mile radius of Delaware City. For more information, visit the Facebook page, the website at www.delcityghosthunters.org, or email them at delcityghosthunter@gmail.com.

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—————|Kennett Square People|—————

The Chocolate Connoisseur

Photo by Jie Deng

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When Estelle Tracy turned 37, she took it upon herself to achieve a personal mission, one that was both and sweet and semi-sweet. The result has made her blog a popular read among thousands of chocolate lovers worldwide By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

stelle Tracy of Kennett Square is a food blogger whose admirers number well into the thousands, but when she first arrived in the United States in 2003, she did not know how to cook. Continued on Page 58

Photo by Jie Deng

Estelle Tracy, the creator of 37chocolates.com.

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Connoisseur Continued from Page 57

There is nothing truly alarming about that admission, except for the fact that Tracy spent the better part of her youth in France, generally known in culinary circles as the country of the food mastery, the self-professed center orb for all matters gustatory. The reason had less to do with her not enjoying cooking, and more to do with the fact that the family kitchen tended to be the private sanctuary of her mother. So when she arrived in the United States 13 years ago to begin her career in the chemical industry, Tracy began to experiment in the kitchen of her one-bedroom apartment in King of Prussia -- and it was like unleashing a pent-up passion. Tracy took culinary journeys around the internet, scooping up recipes she would try out on her friends from the office, at small dinner parties. Soon after she was married in Sept. 2003, she left the company while she waited to receive news of her work permit for a few months, and used that

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

time to discover the world of food. She perused local grocery stores; she studied cooking shows on television; and flipped through food magazines, especially the now-defunct Gourmet. Soon, her world became the kitchen she always wanted for herself. “The more I began to cook, the more confident I became,” Tracy said. “All I needed were a few recipes and the right sources, in order to get my confidence to the next level.” While she was engaging in her new-found passion, Tracy began to read food blogs on the internet, which her husband described to her as “a diary on the internet.” Soon, she started one of her own, including on it basic American recipes she had begun to make, writing in the French language and targeting it to French ex-patriots who were living in the United States and learning how to cook using American ingredients. “My mission statement has always been to

feature the best American food on this blog,” Tracy said. “In general, I had stereotypes and cliches about coming to the United States, that of associating American food with greasy, ‘ballpark’ food. It was hard to judge if I had changed anyone’s mind about American food or whether I was just preaching to the choir, but I realized that there are many French people who are drawn to certain types of American food, that really doesn’t have any relative of it in France. Generally, as the blog emerged, that French people are drawn to American food and recipes that are generally associated with happiness and joyful emotions, like cookies, pies and pancakes.” Continued on Page 60

Photo by Jie Deng

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Connoisseur Continued from Page 59

Submission by submission, recipe by recipe and idea by idea, Tracy’s blog began drawing the interest not only from readers, but from French magazines and radio stations, where she was often a guest. In 2006, she published the 12-page “Food Survival Guide” for French-born people who were struggling to adjust to the learning curve of American grocery stores and subsequently, American-based ingredients and their application to recipes. “I saw all kinds of mistakes being made,” she said. “My French friends would look to buy soup and end up buying broth, and then end up buying yeast, thinking it was baking powder. My hope was to give people a grasp on these ingredients.” This past April, Tracy followed up her 12-page book with an e-book, and then had the book converted into printed form last July. Once the book was printed, Tracy was anxious to pursue her latest project, and while promoting her book, she came across the on-line comments of a French ex-patriot who wrote that American chocolate is terrible and a cheap imitation of the finer chocolates found throughout Europe.

Photo by Jie Deng

Tracy constantly updates her blog with stories about her latest finds and tastes. 60

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“I was sick of people saying those things and coming to those false conclusions,” she said. “I was inspired by my friend in Canada who ran a 50K for her 50th birthday, and was looking for something to do for her 51st birthday. I recommended that she should have some fun and eat 51 chocolates. I thought that was an awesome idea.” Tracy turned 37 last October, so to commemorate, she committed last May to the challenge of researching, tasting and writing about 37 different kinds of American-made chocolate -- not mass-produced, but hand-made by food artisans. Every time she went back to the grocery store, she found out more and more about the true art about making chocolate, and soon, words got out about Tracy’s blog, and by October -- her 37th birthday -- she had begun correspondence with several chocolate makers across the United States. “People are now becoming so aware of natural and organic foods, but when it comes to

chocolate, there was a lack of education because many still look at it as candy,” she said. Her research led to her blog 37chocolates.com, which began last month, with the mission to educate her readers about her journey, by introducing them to chocolate makers. “What really interests me is how the small maker infuses his or her personality into what they make,” she said. “Craft chocolate tends to be three to four times the cost of a normal candy bar at the grocery store, but what you get is a piece of the soul of the maker. I want to share their stories with my readers, to serve as a guide for those who wish to explore the world of chocolate, in order that I may accompany them along the way.” To learn more about Estelle Tracy, visit her blog at 37chocolates.com, or visit her Facebook page at “37 chocolates.” To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@chestercounty.com.

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Jenny Chen Pediatric and Family Dentistry: enny Chen Pediatric and Family Dentistry is a multispecialty dental practice with a highly visible location at Old Baltimore Pike and Guernsey Road in West Grove. The practice offers pediatric, family, and cosmetic dentistry, and has specialists in orthodontics and implant dentistry. “From the moment our patients Àrst arrive here, our goal is to provide them with a comfortable, relaxing experience,” said Dr. Jenny Chen, who provides top-quality care along with her husband, Dr. Michael Lemper, and their team at the West Grove ofÀce and their ofÀce in Willow Street. For a decade, they have built a thriving practice that has seen long-term loyalty from parents, children and grandchildren. Dr. Jenny, as she prefers to be called, was a dentist in Beijing, China, before coming to America 20 years ago to pursue a Ph.D. in experimental pathology at the University of Texas. After earning her degree and preparing to be a scientist, she decided that she wanted to pursue her Àrst love, dentistry. She then obtained her DMD from the University of Pennsylvania school of Dental Medicine, where she met her husband, Dr. Mike. After several years of honing her skills as an associate in busy Philadelphia practices, Dr. Jenny came to Chester County to open her own practice. Dr. Jenny is skilled at all aspects of general dentistry, including cosmetic dentistry, root canals, crowns, bridges, and restoring implants. The aspect of Dr. Jenny most loved by her patients, however, is her friendly, humorous, easygoing manner, which often calms the fears of the most severe dental-phobic patient. Many patients who have avoided seeing the dentist for years out of fear have come to Dr. Jenny and now will receive dental care from no one else. She trulyy treats her p patients as part of the family. A unique feature of Dr. Jenny’s practice is that it provides comprehensive dentistry for

(L to R) Tracy Nino - EFDA, Lindsey Mccabe - EFDA, General/ Ortho Asisstant, Dulce Villagomez - Ortho/General Asistant.

all ages, and to this end has both a board-certiÀed pediatric dentist and board-certiÀed orthodontist on staff. It is unusual for a dental practice to provide this kind of specialized care for everybody in the family. Dr. Ahmad F. Charkas is the orthodontist, and he provide comprehensive orthodontic care for children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Charkas is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and is Invisalign certiÀed. Dr. Jenny’s husband, Dr. Mike, is the pediatric dentist, and is trained and experienced in providing dental services for all children, including those with severe dental disease, anxiety, behavioral issues, and special health care needs. Dr. Mike is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Almost the entire staff speaks Spanish, Dr. Jenny said. “People appreciate that you try to communicate in their language,” she said. “We have brochures and information in Spanish to explain everything about a procedure.” About half S of the service’s clients are Spanish-speaking, she said. A very o warm and welcoming environment exists among staff and w patients. “The staff treats each other as family, and we treat p our patients as family,” says Dr. Jenny. o Many people avoid the dentist due to barriers involving insurance and economics. At Jenny Chen Pediatric and Family in Dentistry, they try to make dental care available to as many D people as possible. “We take a wide range of insurance p and coverage through almost every network.” Among the a many insurances accepted are the full range of PA Medical m Assistance and CHIP programs for children. “We want to help A the children who need us most”, Dr. Mike says, “and we want th

Dr. Charkas (Orthodontist) and Daniella Guzman (Receptionist) D

Expert Dental Care for the Entire Family to erase the typical barriers to care that many children face. All children have the right to see the dentist and have happy and healthy teeth”. In addition to accepting a wide range of insurances Dr. Jenny is willing to work with you to implement the best treatment plan for your budget. “Some dentists examine a patient and give them a very expensive treatment plan, which is either all or nothing, and no other options. This naturally scares the patient and prevents them from undergoing much-needed dental care. We work with a patient within their budget or insurance limitations and prioritize. You can get a few teeth Àxed this year, and a few next year” Dr. Jenny says. Another aspect of the practice that Dr. Jenny is proud of is her willingness to squeeze in emergencies. A wide range of emergency dental services are offered, and often people can be seen on the same day as they call. Tooth pain can be very serious, and we want to help as much as we can. To this end, the practice offers convenient hours including evenings and Saturdays. The practice stays up-to-the-minute with technology as well, Dr. Jenny said, including the i-CAT, a three-dimensional dental imaging tool that allows the doctors to examine teeth and surrounding structures with amazing accuracy. Because the i-CAT allows the staff to view a patient’s oral structures from different angles on a monitor, the doctors can create more comprehensive treatment plans. This is extremely useful for implant placement, and the practice has an implant specialist

for complex cases, including multiple implants for denture stabilization. “This advanced x-ray system allows us to take 3-D photos, whereas previously we were only able to diagnose from 2-D images,” Dr. Jenny said. “With this technology, we have a better understanding of the patient’s anatomy and dental problems, and can more accurately recommend procedures. Very few general dentists have this technology. Everything’s very advanced in our ofÀce. We’re constantly looking for new technologies.” Jenny Chen Pediatric and Family Dentistry is open Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.SmilesInPA.com.

www.SmilesinPA.com Jenny Chen Pediatric and Family Dentistry West Grove, PA • 610-869-0991 207 N. Guernsey Road For our friends in Lancaster County:

Lancaster County Pediatric and Family Dentistry Willow Street, PA • 717-464-0230 325 Carol Lynn Drive Se habla Español

Front row (L to R) Dr. Ahmad Charkas, Dr. Jenny Chen, Dr. Michael Lemper. Second row (L to R) Dulce Villagomez, Vicky Zhu, Tracy Nino, Diana Fraticelli, Paula Williams, Andrea Mireles, Lindsey McCabe. Third row (L to R) Dalila Padron, Daniella Guzman, Edgar Beltran.

———|Kennett Square Photo Essay|————

Photo essay by Carla Lucas Since the William Penn land grants, the transactions for each parcel of land were recorded as land was divided and transferred to various owners. To learn the history of a single house, you can trace the recorded deeds back to their roots; to the first time the words “messuage” appears in the deed. A messuage is simply a dwelling. Bronze plaques are springing up throughout the borough -- about 100 to date. They are marking the properties where the history is known. Walking through town, you can identify those properties within Kennett Square’s Historical District which have been traced back to their original messuage, and all have a story to tell. Some are featured here.

The Lois P and Edgar W. Cleaver House

Another recent deed search for this bungalowstyle Arts and Crafts house on Lincoln Street showed it was built by T. Elwood Marshall in 1924, but the original owners were Lois and Edgar Cleaver, and they purchased the house in 1927. The new plaque will say the Lois and Edgar Cleaver House, 1924.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Kennett Square Inn

The Kennett Square Inn recently had its history traced and the bronze plaque is being made. The owners always thought the inn was built in 1835 and a second attached building was added in 1865. Through going back and looking at the deeds, they learned the first part was built in 1831 and the second house (sharing a wall) in 1832.

Unicorn Inn

Sinclairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sunrise Cafe was once called the Unicorn Inn, and was a temperance tavern during Prohibition. The original building no longer stands. The current building has a date stone of 1925.

Washington and Cora Sellers House

Washington and Cora Sellers were the original owners of this Craftsman-style house built by local builder William N. Worral in 1921. Washington Sellers was a member of the Kennett Fire Company and the Masonic Lodge.

John Gilmore House

The John S. Gilmore House was built in 1866 for John Gilmore when he came to Kennett Square as the minister of the Presbyterian Church. This house is more commonly known as Robinhurst, named by Charles Pennock, an ornithologist and businessman. The property was actually owned by his wife, Mary.

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Photo Essay Continued from Page 65

Susan Taylor House and Alban and Dutton Otley House

Methodist Parsonage/ Dr. Orville Walls House

The house was built in 1889. The plaque states the house was once the parsonage for the Methodist Church next door. It was also owned by Dr. Orville Walls, a noted black physician who practiced in Kennett Square from 1937 to 1964.

The Otley brothers, Alban and Dutton, built two houses sharing one wall in 1841. On the right of the duplex, the plaque states the Alban and Dutton Otley House, 1841. On the left, the plaque mentions the Otley brothers but also highlights Susan Taylor, who lived there from 1858 to 1876. She died without leaving a will. Her cousin, Caleb Wickersham, lived in the house on the right and wanted to purchase the house from the estate. Near settlement, another cousin said she “found a will under the rug,” giving the house to her. Litigation on the property lasted seven years. Wickersham won. The house is now a law office that uses the house’s history to encourage people to make and file a will.

Mary Phillips House

Mary Phillips, a spinster, built this home in Kennett Square in 1871. When the owners traced its history, they learned that Phillips died when she was trampled by a herd of runaway horses in Philadelphia. The house was also the boyhood home of Herb Pennock, from ages 3 to 18.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

The bronze plaques

The plaque program was started years ago by the Kennett Square Historical Commission to create awareness of each home’s background. Property owners who conduct the research learn a lot about their home’s past. Now that the Kennett Square Historical Commission has been dissolved, Lynn Sinclair continues the program for the borough’s Historic District as a citizen volunteer. Bronze plaques are ordered from Erie Landmark after the research is completed, and homeowners proudly display them on their homes.

Hicks Schmaltz House

This house was built by Harry Hicks in 1899 and then purchased by Hermann Schmaltz. Schmaltz, a native of Germany, came to the U.S. In 1884, and settled in Kennett Square in 1903. He owned and operated a heating, hardware and plumbing business in the area. The house is now Kennett Square Borough’s headquarters.

James Gawthrop House

James Gawthrop was a local businessman in the coal and lumber business. He built this house in 1879 with a mix of Queen Ann and Stick styles.

Pennock Dennison House

A series of spec row homes were built on Linden Street in 1847 by Samuel Pennock, around the same time as Pennock’s American Road Machine Company was expanding and bringing new workers to the borough. Many generations of the Dennison family lived in the end unit (with the turquoise shutters). All houses along the row have plaques attributing Pennocks and the original owners. Continued on Page 68 www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Photo Essay Continued from Page 67

Harry K. Hicks Building

The plaque on the Harry K. Hicks building identifies it as the first Kennett Square mushroom house. Harry Hicks was a successful businessman in one of Kennett’s major industries, growing carnations, at the turn of the 20th century. Hicks owned on the land between what is now the Borough Hall (formerly Hicks’ residence) and this mushroom house bordering Willow Street. The land was filled with greenhouses.

Joseph McMullen House

The Joseph McMullen house was built in 1869. Joseph McMullen was the Burgess (Mayor) of Kennett Square at the time.

John and Susan Lamborn House

William Swayne House

The William Swayne House was built in 1882. William Swayne is credited as the first grower of mushrooms in his carnation greenhouses, using spores he brought back from England. 68

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John and Susan Lamborn had their Federal-style home built in 1841. Esther Hayes lived in the house for eight years. She was an abolitionist. Esther sold the house to pay for her adopted daughter’s medical schooling. She moved to Virginia to tend to Civil War soldiers.

Gause Pennock House

The Gause Pennock House was built in 1873. The plaque reflects the early two families that controlled the property. First, Samuel and Deborah Pennock owned the land. In 1873, it was sold to William and Elizabeth Gause. About 10 years later, the Pennocks bought the house and lived there for another 24 years.

Archie Ruggieri Building and Fanny and Joesph Soule House

These two properties share a common wall. On the left is the Fanny and Joseph Soule House, built in 1858. The house was built as a residence with a large lot. The property was divided and the Archie Ruggieri Building was built in 1923. Among the uses of the Ruggieri Building was The Dutch Kitchen, owned by John Blokzeyl and specializing in mushroom dishes.

John J. Woodward House

The John J. Woodward House was built in 1858 by Thomas Pyle. It started as a colonial-style house. A Dutch architect changed its exterior dramatically in 1888, embellishing it with Victorian-era details such as the tower, porch and gingerbread.

How to “take it back”

If these stories sparked your interest in learning the history of your property, you can do the research yourself. Start at the Chester County Recorder of Deeds office and get the most recent property transfers. Once you’ve gone back as far as you can, the next step is to visit the Chester County Archives, where all the early records are recorded on micro-fiche films and easily copied. Special thanks to local historian Lynn Sinclair for her help with the history of many of the properties. She has conducted the research for many of the properties within the borough, and is the administrator for the plaque project. Visit her at Sinclair’s Sunrise Cafe (127 E. State St., Kennett Square) if you have questions about conducting your own research project. www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

—————|Kennett Square Today|——————

Q& A

with Wayne Braffman In the spring of 2015, Wayne Braffman went to the polls to vote in the Primary Election. He found out that day that there weren’t enough candidates to fill the three borough council seats that were up for election that year. His immediate thought was that Kennett Square was simply too great of a town not to have a full slate of candidates. So he decided to run for one of the seats. By the time the November election rolled around, there were six candidates vying for the three seats. Braffman won the election, and in January he began a four-year term on borough council. Five of the seven council members are new this year, and borough council has been quite active on a number of different initiatives, including economic development planning, making how the council does its work as open as possible, and improving communications with residents. Kennett Square Today caught up with Braffman to talk about some of the initiatives that council is working on, his diverse professional experiences, and more.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Wayne Braffman, a member of Kennett Square Borough Council, talks about how council has handled everything from development planning to code enforcement to fiscal oversight to communications with the public. He is also very proud of the creation of the Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.

You’ve been on Kennett Square Borough Council now for about six months. What are some of the things that borough council has been working on that you’re proud of? I have been impressed with the range of activities that this council has tackled in a short period of time, from street lighting, to economic development planning, to code enforcement, to public safety to budget and fiscal oversight and public communication. I take the greatest pride, though, in the creation of the Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. Can you tell us about efforts to boost government transparency and to increase the citizens’ involvement with the government? Once I became a candidate in May of 2015, I began attending council meetings to get a sense of what the job entailed. I was struck by the atmosphere of confrontation between the public and the council that permeated those meetings. I decided to make changing that relationship my first order of business. I see transparency and openness as minimum standards to be met, not goals. The Sunshine Law and Open Records Act provide us with those standards, so you don’t hear me talking a lot about that. I have

set a higher standard: to promote active collaboration between Borough Council, residents and other stakeholders… but you can’t do that without first providing clear pathways to engage and providing the information folks need to participate in a meaningful way. We have already taken several steps to achieve this. We have added a public feedback period at the end of our meetings, and we are responding to more concerns as they are raised. Instead of just raising questions about problems, people can now complete a form to submit their concrete, actionable proposals about how we can improve operations. Information about agenda items that is provided to Council members is now available to the public prior to our meetings. And we are presenting more detailed financial information in the meetings and making still more information available online. It’s been very gratifying to see the entire council and staff embrace these changes, and they all deserve a lot of credit for their willingness to move in this direction. When you ran for a seat on borough council, you said that you were going to improve your abilities to communicate in Spanish. Why is that important to you? I knocked on over 500 doors during the campaign. It was an eye-opener to me to see so many people answering their doors with whom I could not communicate because I didn’t speak Spanish. How could I possibly represent them? To put it mildly, I felt very inadequate. In the spirit of full disclosure, though, I have to report that I worked hard at teaching myself Spanish and was doing well for about four months before I hit a wall. I’m very disappointed with myself. I can read some and pick out a few words in a conversation, but it’s just not ‘sticking.’ It makes me wish I had taken Spanish in high school instead of four years of French! You have a diverse professional background. Can you tell us a little about that? I like to joke that I can’t keep a job because I am now into my fourth career! After graduating from Brown University in 1972 with a BA in economics, I worked in Newark, New Jersey, for 14 years, first conducting economic development studies for the City’s economic development agency and then serving for 10 years as the executive

director of Newark’s 3,365-seat historic landmark performing arts center. I gave that up in 1986 when my wife and I moved to Wayne County, PA, and opened a bed & breakfast. I was the cook. Ten years later, in 1996, I decided to become a clinical psychologist, so we sold the B&B and moved to Connecticut where I earned my Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. I worked as a staff psychologist in acute, adult in-patient units in three different hospitals in North Carolina between 2000-2011. A year after my wife passed away (2011), I reconnected with my first girlfriend from high school. After not having seen each other for 41 years, we discovered a spark was still there and—as they say—the rest is history! I retired from psychology, moved to Kennett Square and we were married two years ago. My time since then has been filled with my role as vice chair of the Kennett Area Democrats and, since January, with my position as a member of the Kennett Square Borough Council. If we fast-forward to the end of your first term on borough council, what are a few goals that you would like to see accomplished by then? I hope there will be a more collaborative relationship with more of our residents, one in which more of our neighbors understand that the Borough government is available to them, that they can participate in Borough affairs, and that their ideas, suggestions and complaints will be embraced and evaluated. Also, this may not be do-able in one term, but I envision a day when people open their tax bill and, no matter what the amount, think, ‘This is money well-spent and a reasonable price to pay for living in this great town.’ What is your favorite spot in Kennett Square? Anson Nixon Park If you could invite any three guests, living or dead, to a dinner party, who would it be? Robin Williams, Barack Obama, and Mr. Buckley (my high school physics teacher) What food is always in your refrigerator? Flour tortillas www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

————|Kennett Square Outdoors|—————

A natural inheritance

By Michele Berardi

n 1681, William Penn specified that settlers coming to the lands granted to him by English King Charles II (Charles called it “Pennsylvania”) must preserve one acre of trees for every five acres cleared. Nearly 300 years after Penn, a gift from Philadelphia-area Quakers helped establish Kendal-Crosslands Communities, a continuing care retirement community in Kennett Square, and they immediately began preserving the environment. Continued on Page 74

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Courtesy photo

The Kendal-Crosslands campus includes a 500 acre certified arboretum.

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Kendal-Crosslands Continued from Page 72

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s therefore not surprising then that Kendal-Crosslands still maintains a focus on sustaining the natural environment. The campus includes a 500-acre, certified Arboretum surrounded by forests, meadows, tranquil water features,

luscious gardens, more than seven miles of hiking trails, and rolling hills. Preserving the campusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; capacity to sustain and inspire, along with nature that nurtures, requires a creative responsibility toward the Earth that has been

Courtesy photo 74

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Iron Bridge Farm inherited from previous generations. It is the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intention to leave the next generation a legacy of resources that bequeaths to the future a world that is rich in beauty and diversity. The staff and residents take great care in improving the landscaped grounds and have been very active in the stewardship of natural resources, including the restoration of a rich diversity of plants that provide native habitat for birds and other wildlife. Over the years, resident volunteers and staff have planted more than 500 woody plants in the forests and countless wildflower plugs in the meadows. Residents enjoy life and the natural beauty of the world around them and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evident with their countless hours of labor of love to sustain it. As a result of the efforts of the staff horticulturist and residents, the campus has been certified as an official Continued on Page 76

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Courtesy photo www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Kendal-Crosslands Continued from Page 75

Arboretum. Joint committees work with local nature conservancy groups to sponsor public events at the Kendal-Crosslands Arboretum (www.kcarboretum. org), service programs for area youth, educational programs and other health-giving involvement for the residents. The Arboretum is open to the public. Simply check-in at the front desk during normal working hours, acquire a map, and go for a walk. Additionally, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has designated the campus as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. NWF celebrates and recognizes the efforts of the community to create outdoor spaces that improve habitats for all wildlife by providing essential elements needed such as natural food sources, clean water, cover, and places to raise young. Kendal-Crosslands has a legacy to build upon, starting with William Penn, and one to leave as well. The campus is a place of peace and tranquility, inspiration and joy, and is a landscape that supports each personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s individual needs and interests while reflecting the richness of community living.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Courtesy photo

The rolling hills add to the beauty of the area.

Courtesy photo

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

—————|Kennett Square Arts|——————

A barn full of art

Photo by John Chambless:

The artists who took part in the ‘Abstractions’ show at Scarlett Thicket Farm on June 4, with farm owner Peter Welling.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

The yearly show at Scarlett Thicket Farm is a casual afternoon of friendship and dazzling artworks

Photos by John Chambless:

Above: A sculpture installed near the barn for the ‘Abstractions’ show. The barn at Scarlett Thicket Farm traces its roots to the 1600s. Right: Scarlett Thicket Farm owner Peter Welling greets visitors at the show.

By John Chambless Staff Writer

eter Welling, dressed down comfortably for the opening of the “Abstractions” art show, grinned and said, “I wanted this to not be a typical art show. There are very few rules. But one is there are no cute puppies, fox hounds, kittens, Jack Russell terriers, or anything resembling the Brandywine school of art.” Continued on Page 80

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Barn Art Show Continued from Page 79

The one-day show, which started in 2003, is held in the magnificent, sprawling barn on Welling’s 200-acre property on Route 926. This year, the June 4 event was opened more widely to the public, with a tiny bit of internet publicity, but nothing more than a bunch of red balloons tied to the mailbox to give visitors an idea that something was happening. Welling maintains that “all I do is sweep out the barn,” but by supplying the ground level of the structure to a group of artists who push at the edges of the mainstream art world, he is helping build a community of creative people who might otherwise not get the recognition they deserve. Welling is quick to credit sculptor Stan Smokler with starting the annual show. Smokler was at the farm in Continued on Page 82

Photos by John Chambless:

Vicki Vinton with her painting, ‘Primary Blast.’

Kennett Square artist Peter Willard with some of his paintings of dogs. 80

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Stan Smokler, with his ‘Caged Botany.’

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Barn Art Show Continued from Page 80

2003 to cut up some broken-down metal farm equipment to incorporate into his sculptures, and he couldn’t help noticing the gigantic barn that wasn’t being used for anything except as a home for untold generations of barn swallows. “No one knows how old the barn is,” Welling said. “The farm was a William Penn land grant in 1671 to the Scarlett family. The original farm was 200 acres, and that is still intact. The original Penn land grant deed references an existing dwelling, outbuildings and barn. So there were residents here before 1671. Beyond that, no one knows. That’s where the chain of title begins.” Welling has lived at the farm since he was 5, and clearly treasures the

T L

Photos by John Chambless:

Artist Katee Boyle with two of her paintings. Right: A metal sculpture by Katee Boyle.

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barn, “but this kind of design is obsolete as an ag facility,” he said. “There’s a beam that runs the entire length of the barn, and it’s hand-hewn chestnut. There haven’t been mature chestnut trees here for 250 years.” The open courtyard behind the barn is an ideal sculpture garden, and the former stalls under the building have some added clip lights to illuminate the walls, which are streaked with bird droppings, but somehow entirely appropriate for the low-key spirit of the day. A pickup truck was pulled into the barn to hold tubs of iced drinks, there was a hot-dog cart, and a side table was nearly leaning under the weight of ribs and wings and other tempting foods. Visitors strolled around and renewed acquaintances with the artists, and the artists mingled as well, examining each other’s works – and, incidentally, racking up some sales. People know that they’ll see art at Scarlett Thicket Farm that they’ll never see in other galleries, so they come ready to buy. A few of the artists – notably Frances Roosevelt of Coatesville – don’t show anywhere else. Her dazzling, semi-abstract landscapes Continued on Page 84

Photo by John Chambless:

Frances Roosevelt’s landscapes were favorites at the show.

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

Barn Art Show Continued from Page 83

were being snapped up early at the show. Smokler’s metal sculptures are exhibited frequently, but as the guiding hand of this show every year, he’s in charge of lining up about four or five returning artists, and giving newcomers a shot here and there. “It’s limited to nine artists,” he said, due to the size restrictions in the barn’s lower level. Word has gotten out, however, and he has to turn would-be exhibitors away “constantly,” he said with a smile. The artists are all friends to begin with – or they become friends quickly -- and the afternoon at Scarlett Thicket Farm is an annual highlight for all of them. The same is true for Welling. “I’m just a hacker,” he said. “I took art history courses in school, but didn’t major in it, or anything. I just like art. And it’s a good use for this space.” According to artist Peter Willard – who joked with Continued on Page 86 Photo by John Chambless:

Lele Galer with her paintings and metal sculptures.

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Barn Art Show Continued from Page 84

Welling about how often their names are mixed up – the nearby Welling household is full of artworks picked up during the shows since 2003. As dozens of barn swallows chirped and darted in and out of holes in the barn beams above him, Willard noted that, “this one day a year, these birds must be thinking, ‘What the heck is going on with all these people?’” Without fail, the exhibitors Continued on Page 88

Photo by John Chambless:

Artist and instructor Eo Omwake with his paintings and an old mantelpiece.

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Barn Art Show Continued from Page 86

this year praised Welling’s generosity for hosting the show, and each one made sales and contacts that will sustain them in the months and years to come. And it was one heck of a party. To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

Musicians played bluegrass and traditional music for the afternoon art show.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Photo by John Chambless

Sculptor Dennis Beach with his wood sculpture, ‘Curl No. 3’

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————|Kennett Square Business|————— The Creamery, now open in Kennett Square, is reusing, repurposing and reimagining a part of the town’s past while connecting it to the future

Pop-up alchemy

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The opening of the Creamery in Kennett Square in early June.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

n the afternoon after the opening weekend of the Creamery beer garden in Kennett Square, as contractors floated in and out of what once served as the former headquarters of the Eastern Condensed Milk Company on Birch Street, general manager Sandra Mulry sat at a picnic table and quietly – she would say exhaustively – reflected on the start of what may become Chester County’s most one-ofa-kind destination. “Saturday night may have been the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in Kennett Square,” she said, referring to the threeday kick-off in early June that drew hundreds of Millenials, Gen-Xers, beer connoisseurs and families. “Something happened. We really didn’t know what to expect, and were overwhelmed by the number of people. We always conceived it as a community venture, and the support was amazing, and the feedback has been tremendous.” For three consecutive days, the space was filled with lawn games, live music, food and beer and wine, and a laidback feeling of camaraderie that pop-up beer gardens have become known for. The original seeds of the idea to begin the Creamery date back to May of last year, when Mulry and her husband visited Washington, D.C. with Mike Bontrager and his wife, Dot. Bontrager, the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Chatham Financial, began to talk about ideas on

how to develop business along Birch Street, wrapped around his purchase of the building in 2011. Over the next several months, Mulry – Bontrager’s real estate representative – began to look at the development of the building as the perfect business catalyst for what had become an underutilized industrial section of town. “We wanted to give a nod to the building’s past and make it a community gathering space, and I saw that they were beginning to do it well in Philadelphia with its many pop-up gardens,” Mulry said. “We began to see that developers were taking derelict properties and breathing life back into them, and all of a sudden, they became a destination. We decided to explore what works here.” Working with the Philadelphia-based Groundswell Design Group, Bontrager, Mulry and contractors took several months to demo the complicated infrastructure. Slowly, they unearthed the rustic bones of the building, combining it with the sweeping berms of plantings and birch trees, while leveraging the industrial steel and metal of the building’s original framework. Although the Creamery will feature a wide variety of cocktails, wine, beer and menu items, its identity and purpose will be to serve as a vehicle for musicians, artists and artisans to showcase their talents, coupled with an ever-changing variety of events dotting its social calendar. Although the Creamery’s social media marketing will clue interested parties on what’s going on from week to week, it will also rely on the impromptu, seat-of-the pants alchemy that a venture of this kind represents. “We created this space for events,” Mulry said. “We’re going to have music here. We want to do programming. We are doing yoga here on Saturdays. Continued on Page 92

Photos (2) by Kelli Cohee

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The Creamery occupies the former site of the Eastern Condensed Milk Co. on Birch Street.

www.kennettsquaretoday.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Kennett Square Today

The Creamery Continued from Page 91

We’re developing childrens’ art programs. When a community gets together, the world shows up, and Kennett Square does ‘community’ so well.” Mulry credited the Creamery’s owner Bontrager with bringing the concept to fruition. “Mike and Dot are behind so much of the good of this community, and I don’t know anyone else who would pour so much investment into something merely to bring the community together,” she said. “I think of the Creamery as a platform to let people know about all of the things we can do together, to have a place where we can share friends and art and culture. “It’s not about profit. It’s about community. It’s about history. It’s about economic development. It’s about reusing, recycling and reimagining.” The license to operate the Creamery was granted by Kennett Borough council and extends to the end of 2016. The Creamery will be open Thursdays through Sundays, through Sept. 30. For more information, visit www.kennettcreamery.com, or visit its Facebook page. To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@chestercounty.com.

Kennett Square Today | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.kennettsquaretoday.com

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The design aesthetics of the Creamery combine plantings, repurposed items and the preservation of the buildings’ original infrastructure.

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