Spring/Summer p g 2021
Landenberg Life
M g i Magazin Magazine
The Springlawn Trail: Arching toward summer –Page 38
Inside: • Looking ahead to the opening of the Splash Surf Club • Q & A with Monsignor Francis Depman • The Feng Shui of Kristin M. Wistar
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Landenberg Life Spring/Summer 2021
Landenberg Life Table of Contents 8 In the spotlight: Reins of Life 16 Q & A with Monsignor Francis Depman of St. Rocco’s
24 Kristin M. Wistar:
The Oracle of Landenberg
30 Wineries hope and plan for warm
24
16
weather events
38 Photo essay: The Springlawn Trail 44 Meet, greet, paint 56 Splish Splash, Landenberg 56 30 6
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Landenberg Life Spring/Summer 2021 Letter from the Editor:
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We’ve dedicated a significant number of pages in this issue of Landenberg Life to the exciting story about the plans for the new Splash Surf Club at the pool area of the former Saint Anthony in the Hills site. Everyone in the area is looking forward to the opening, and we wanted to feature a story about the project, which will transform the long-dormant facility into a high-end swim club bursting with activities, food and entertainment. Landenberg is the home to several terrific wineries and vineyards, and this issue takes an optimistic look ahead at the warm-weather agendas for Harvest Ridge, Paradocx Vineyard, and Va La Vineyards as they plan for the next few months. In this issue, you’ll also meet Kristin M. Wistar, sacred lifestyle designer, beauty seer, truth seeker, vision keeper and transformational hostess. Wistar utilizes her expertise in energy to help homeowners, homebuyers, business owners and other interested clients to make the most of the places where they live and work. We’re pleased to feature a story about Reins of Life, a Landenberg-based organization that offers a world of opportunities to those facing challenges. We talk to Judy Freedman Hendrickson, the founder of Reins of Life, about its mission to “enhance the physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities of children, young adults, and adults with special needs and life challenges through the experience of equestrian therapy in a pleasant and natural environment.” The subject of the Q & A is Monsignor Francis Depman, who presides over his flock at St. Rocco Church. He has presided there since the church was built in 2011, having moved to the new position from the one he had held as the regional priest to the Hispanic community out of Mision Santa Maria in Avondale. He is widely admired and is known to all as Father Frank. Like many of us, Landenberg artist Nanci Hersh has spent the last year speaking, and looking, into her computer screen. She has turned the faces she saw into art, and the result is a stunning portrait of moments in time. We’re very pleased to be sharing the stories in this issue of Landenberg Life with you. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions for future stories. We’re already hard at working planning the next issue of the magazine, which will arrive in the fall of 2021. Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, Ext. 13 Cover Design: Tricia Hoadley Cover photo: Moonloop Photography www.chestercounty.com | Spring/Summer 2021 | Landenberg Life
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|In the Landenberg Community|
Reins of Life
All photos courtesy
Landenberg resident Ruthann Vaganov, one of the devoted volunteers at Reins of Life, and Bob Smyth, from West Grove, are pictured with Austin Rafferty, who has enjoyed the program for 9 years. 8
Landenberg Life | Spring/Summer 2021 | www.chestercounty.com
This photo was taken at the Halloween horse show at Reins of Life.
By Marcella Peyre-Ferry Contributing Writer
T
he restrictions COVID-19 placed on the world were even more dramatic for those already suffering from the isolation of physical, emotional, or mental disabilities. As the world begins to return to normal activities, Reins of Life in Landenberg is again offering a world of opportunities with horses for riders facing challenges. “We anticipate we’re going to start with our normal seasonal schedule in the spring,” said founding director Judy Freedman Hendrickson. “Families are reaching out, they’re anxious because they couldn’t do anything last year, and because we’re an outside activity, there’s a lot more freedom and it feels more safe because we’re not indoors.” Precautionary guidelines are closely followed. The forehead temperature is taken for every person arriving at the farm. Everyone is required to wear a mask. Staff wear rubber gloves when working with riders in the arena. Continued on Page 10
With the help of a leader to direct the horse, and side walkers to help stabilize the rider, instructors take the physically challenged rider through a variety of fun exercises to improve their mobility and balance while they feel the warmth and the rhythmic motion of the horse beneath them.
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Reins of Life Continued from Page 9
Pete, the rider, is pictured on Cooper.
The mission statement of Reins of Life is to “enhance the physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities of children, young adults, and adults with special needs and life challenges through the experience of equestrian therapy in a pleasant and natural environment.” Based in Landenberg, the non-profit organization has been active since 1993. Reins of Life is a well recognized and very successful therapeutic riding program for children and adults with special needs as well as life challenges. Over the years, the program has helped clients with diverse needs make tremendous strides in improving the quality of their lives through therapeutic horseback riding. Interested families that meet criteria for the program visit the farm for a meet-and-greet. A limited number of scholarships are available. “We see if the individual is suitable for the program,” Hendrickson explained. “They meet the horses, they pet them, they get a tour of the barn and see how it works. We’ll serve anybody who wants to be in the program provided they meet the criteria and they have a doctor’s note saying it is safe for them to ride a horse.” With the help of a leader to direct the horse, and side walkers to help stabilize the rider, instructors take the physically challenged rider through a variety of fun exercises to improve their mobility and balance while they feel the warmth and the rhythmic motion of the horse beneath them. Benefits can include improvements to gross and fine motor skills, self-awareness, body strength, balance and coordination. Children feel a new 10
Landenberg Life | Spring/Summer 2021 | www.chestercounty.com
Reins of Life rider Bryce with the horse Christie Brinkley, who is also known as ‘Chrissie.”
sense of mobility as well as the psychological boost that comes from controlling a large animal. For the riders with mental or emotional challenges, the horses offer unconditional love and support. Looking at the world from the back of a horse gives confidence while the rider learns to build a relationship with their mount. Many times, riders experience increased feelings of independence, improved self-image, confidence, attention span, and motivation. Therapeutic riding programs have been shown to benefit those will cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, spina bifida, Angelman syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, learning disabilities, hearing impairments, visual impairments, depression, PTSD, ADHD, anxiety, behavioral issues, substance abuse, eating disorders, and more. The program also helps children facing life challenges, such as bullying at school, loss of a family member, pet or friend, divorce, or lack of social skills. “Very often, these children arrive here faced with an emotional situation they don’t know how to deal with,” Hendrickson said. Reins of Life also offers a unique sibling riding program where special equestrians share this unique experience with their siblings to create a greater nurturing experience together and promote family bonding. Now they have a chance to have something in common they can share and be proud of. Reins of Life strives to achieve physical development, socialization and learning through fun equine Continued on Page 12 www.chestercounty.com | Spring/Summer 2021 | Landenberg Life
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Reins of Life Continued from Page 11
activities and riding for participants. This will instill a great sense of success, confidence, and accomplishment in the riders. Every program is individually designed for the rider’s specific abilities and goals. Riding skills are taught in a safe, secure, caring environment. Reins of Life special equestrians never age-out of the riding program so they can continue to benefit even after reaching adulthood. Even though the pandemic limited access to the program for most riders, supporters looked toward the future and moved forward with improvements. Eagle Scout candidate Kai Sharp of Landenberg Troop 62 contributed materials and labor to build a run-in shed in the pasture so all of the horses have a place to shelter from the sun and rain while enjoying time outdoors.
Continued on Page 14
Austin enjoys a ride at Reins of Life. Based in Landenberg, the non-profit organization has been active since 1993.
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Reins of Life Continued from Page 12
“That was superexciting that we had that done and we were so grateful for it,” Hendrickson said. Unfortunately, a long-planned addition to the barn that will provide a handicapped accessible restroom, tack room with laundry, and a wash stall had to be put on hold because of the pandemic and the escalating costs Every program is individually for materials and con- designed for the rider’s specific struction. Hendrickson abilities and goals. Riding skills is hopeful the project are taught in a safe, secure, caring environment. can go forward. “To properly run the kind of business we are doing effectively and efficiently, you need the resources,” Hendrickson said. “It has been a necessary project for many years. We’re praying it will finally happen.” Funding is important to every non-profit organization, and so are volunteers. In the case of Reins for Life, volunteers working at the farm get to see the results of the program. “People believe in the work because it works,” Hendrickson said. “They see it firsthand when they’re here volunteering with the kids. They see it from the testimonials, they see it from the photographs. They see the smiles and the connection. People leave here for the better, feeling like they made a difference for these kids by volunteering.” There are never more than two students together in a class. Currently there are 12 lessons given each week, with riders at the farm 36 to 39 weeks of the year. Reins of Life has three lesson horses in residence with a fourth being added to the barn this spring. Hendrickson also hopes to expand to provide sessions four days a week. “We always are looking to have growth with our program,” Hendrickson said. For more information, find Reins of Life on Face Book or visit the website at www.reinsoflife.com.
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|Landenberg Life Q&A|
Father Frank presides over his flock at St. Rocco Church
All photos by Chris Barber
Father Frank addresses his congregation on a Sunday morning. 16
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By Chris Barber Contributing Writer Monsignor Francis Depman, 65, of West Grove is the pastor at St. Rocco Catholic Church on Sunny Dell Road in New Garden Township. He has presided there since the church was built in 2011, having moved to the new position from the one he had held as the regional priest to the Hispanic community out of Mision Santa Maria in Avondale. Recently, Father Frank met with Landenberg Life.
St. Rocco Catholic Church sits on a hill along Sunny Dell Road.
Landenberg Life: Tell us about your life and how you decided to enter the priesthood. I was born and spent my early childhood in the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia. I went to the Rhawnhurst Elementary School through sixth grade and then to Catholic School in Philadelphia and Jenkintown, then Bishop McDevitt High School in Cheltenham. I went to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. When I was in eighth grade, the missionary priest came around and during the summer would take us out to the U. S. missions to have that experience. I thought I wanted to be a missionary, but they did away with that missionary college seminary while I was in high school, so I went to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. What are the origins of St. Rocco Catholic Church? I was in the old mission with Sister Jane – we all worked out there. Back in 2006, there was a five-part article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the Catholic Church. One article was about Mother Theresa, and another one was about our mission [in Avondale]. A reporter came out, rode on the bus and made a video. They did that article, and Rocco Abessinio read the article. [Benefactor Abessinio is the Founder and CEO of Applied Bank, a personal and commercial bank headquartered in Wilmington. He has also endowed other institutions such as Salesianum High School and Nemours Children’s Hospital in Delaware.] He called me up and said, “It looks like you need a church, and I’ve always had a dream to build a church to my patron saint, St. Rocco. Maybe we can work to
Father Frank in his office in a previous meeting.
achieve our dreams.” Rocco had been out to a mission church in California -- San Juan in Capistrano. He said, “I want that church to look like that.” He wanted that Spanish architecture. When we got permission on the name, we wondered how we could tell people we changed name from Santa Maria to St. Rocco. Someone in the parish said, “One of the oldest churches in Guanajuato [where many in the Chester County Mexican population are from] is St. Rocco, so people will be familiar with the name.” I gave my camera to a social worker who was going to Continued on Page 18
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Father Frank Continued from Page 17
Capistrano so she could take pictures of that church in California, for a model for the appearance. We wanted to build a large church inexpensively like a box rather than a more elaborate round base. It came in less than the original estimated cost, so he had money for a parking lot, the glass wall and the retable. How does St. Rocco operate? St. Rocco is technically called a “national” church. We serve a special population that includes the Spanishspeaking population. It’s territorial in southern Chester County and serves the areas of St. Pat’s, St. Gabriel’s, Assumption, Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Consolation. The official data states 31,000 people, but our list is 15,000 members and 4,500 families. I am friends with and work with all the priests in the area—in fact, we had dinner together last night. You seem driven by the energy you derive from your position. You do everything: drive the bus, direct traffic for Guadalupe, clean up after events, preside at funerals and help individuals. Talk about your affection for your job and your flock. I am enthusiastic, but it’s also financial reality. We don’t
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have the resources that other churches have. We can’t afford a maintenance person, so I do it, and we pick up the kids for CCD. We don’t charge for funerals here, but we have the facilities, Masses and the parking. When families want to return the bodies of the deceased to Mexico and they have financial difficulties, the family takes up a collection at each Mass. It’s a family Mexican tradition. They put cans in the Mexican stores with pictures of the deceased. There’s a realization that the whole family steps in – a whole lot of people step in. Also, many now have life insurance with their jobs to help pay, and they have patrinos. With the patrinos, if they have a ceremony, say a wedding, one person pays for the dress, one for the band … whatever they need, it’s not just the parents. And you see that in everything that is done. It has all these patrinos. And you are expected to help out later when someone else needs assistance. As for the characteristics of my Hispanic congregation, it’s my family seven days a week. It is a community of hard workers that employers want to hire. Continued on Page 20
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Father Frank Continued from Page 18
The people in my church are also family-oriented with lots of children. At fiestas and the celebrations it’s not just kids or old people; the whole family comes. At the annual carnival, the whole family comes. At some other places they just drop the kids off. Here the whole family comes. You see old people dancing and the young people are dancing, too. I come from a family that’s very family-oriented. That’s the love that’s present there. At the Mass, it impresses you how many children are there. In what ways has COVID-19 impacted operations at St. Rocco? It concerns me when we start taking down the ropes between pews moving to 75 percent capacity. We added a 2 p.m. Mass to increase the space taken up by the closed pews. We had quinceaneras cancelled because the halls had too many restrictions. Lately, with vaccinations, the folks are really gung-ho and have smiles on their faces. Two months ago we had five funerals in one week, but not all of them were COVID-19 related. I think things are
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starting to come back. The kids need to come back to school. The kids seem to be regressing. I have to read to the fourth graders to help them with every single word in the acts of contrition in CCD because they aren’t getting the practice, and their parents aren’t able to help them. The only place they are getting reading in English is at school. For CCD [Confraternity of Christian Doctrine lessons in the faith for kids] they have three options: in person once a week (parents bring them); virtual and once on Saturday morning; totally virtual (that’s the hardest). We have to bring back the buses for transportation, but you lose your bus drivers because they get another job. Did you have to learn Spanish? That’s a crazy story. I took German in high school, and as the teacher was watching me take the final in German II, he told me he would pass me if I promised not to take German 3 and took Spanish instead. So I was taking Spanish I, and as a junior in a class of sophomores I was the ace of the class. In seminary, they put me in Spanish. When word got out that I preferred Spanish they offered me a Puerto Rican house in the city with Spanish for three years.
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Father Frank offers the holy Elements at Father Frank reads scripture and addresses communion service. his congregation.
When Pope Francis visited Philadelphia a few years ago, how was that received by your congregation? You know, when you are doing all those logistics, you only have time to get buses for the members and the other things -- business mangers contacting me get another bus. I didn’t actually go into Philadelphia for any of it. I was doing the video here live streaming so my people could see the Mass in Philadelphia. I did go in for the Mass for the priests. We had to be at
Father Frank addresses his congregation.
Villanova very early in the morning to park our cars in garages. The buses took forever going down the Schuylkill Expressway -- they had it all closed for the Pope visit. At the service my friend just ahead of me in line sat next to the center aisle and got to shake hands with him. I was at the other end of the aisle at the far end. I ended up the next row back behind a pillar. I asked myself, “How did this happen?” Continued on Page 22
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Father Frank Continued from Page 21
How does the community see St. Rocco from outside? This last Kennett graduation -- the one before -- they came to baccalaureate at St. Rocco. We had tents, a snack bar and the carnival was going on. I think the people were happy to participate. We made a good impression. You don’t see problems between communities here. The people think well of the Mexican community; it’s the backbone of the economy here and they are involved in so many parts of the community here. So many of our children have been able to go to college because the schools have done a great job educating the children. A lot of the youth, their parents worked very hard and didn’t come here with anything. But their kids went to college and have homes and cars – the American Dream. You see in the community they’re successful, some with their own mushroom farms. You don’t see that much drugs and violence as you see in other places. They get a good education and know they can achieve good things for life, and they are doing it. Your journey of faith has come a long way from Northeast Philadelphia. I am happy here, and I think the community is happy here. You don’t see the prejudice you see in other places. There are problems, yes. At the same time, there is hope. The greatest thing I have experienced here is to find that there is hope.
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St. Rocco is decked out with roses for Our Lady of Guadalupe in a previous December.
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|In the Spotlight|
‘The Oracle’ of Landenberg
Meet Kristin M. Wistar, sacred lifestyle designer, beauty seer, truth seeker, vision keeper and transformational hostess By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer
M
oving her bed from the east wall to the west and replacing the clock in her office with a mandala are two of the changes that Kristin M. Wistar has made to add positive energy to her Landenberg home. “The new area [for the bed] is a prosperity area of our home where as the old area had the energetics of inner struggle and conflict,” she explained. “I felt that by arranging our bed on that wall it was a win-win. I got to receive better nighttime chi because I was facing one of my best directions and receiving more restful sleep, and my husband Scott and I both benefited by spending our sleeping time in a prosperous area of our home, instead of the energetics of inner struggle and conflict.”
Smudging is one of her techniques. 24
Photo by Julie Elliot
Landenberg Life | Spring/Summer 2021 | www.chestercounty.com
“And since moving the bed we have definitely gone into a higher, different echelon of prosperity.” Wistar sells such expertise in energy to homeowners, homebuyers, business owners and other interested clients, for similar changes in themselves and where they live and work. “I had decorated my home as Kristin the interior designer, not as who I was and who I was becoming,” she recalled in an interview from her office, with the sacred geometry art of that mandala. “I had bought stuff because it was beautiful, but it wasn’t meaningful. There was a disconnect in her office.” How it all began Wistar connects a lifetime of experimentation (starting with frequently redecorating her childhood bedroom in
Photo by Madeline Reynolds
Kristin Wistar (left) and her client unite for space clearing.
Wilmington) and lots of training (starting with a bachelor of science in interior design from the University of Delaware) into a business that enlightens her clients. It is a business not easily summarized. Often, her work involves “creating a more sacred space, not in a religious sense but in connecting their heart and their home. Whatever you put in your home should support you in a sacred union,” she said. To support that philosophy, she has trademarked two concepts: the Sacred Space Union Method and the Sacred Space Yoga Method. She calls herself a sacred lifestyle designer, a beauty seer, a truth seeker, a vision keeper and a transformational hostess. Husband Scott Wistar calls her “the Oracle. She has all these healing powers.” Wistar’s energy business began after she was hit by postpartum depression, after the 1998 birth of her daughter, Bri. “I wasn’t able to work. I had to give up my [interior design] business, and it was like giving up my first baby,” she said. “There was so much struggle and pain, and I looked at all these ways to heal myself.” She started with reiki. Transcendental meditation followed. Then Marge Richards of West Chester gave her a feng shui consultation. Although she was at first doubtful, “It was the best therapy I had in my entire life, and I had been in a lot.”
Photo by Kristin M. Wistar
Wistar in her office, with the mandala behind her.
Certified and customized treatment Wistar continued studying and is certified in several healing techniques, including feng shui, dowsing, yoga, breathwork, qi gong and reiki. In her business, she relies on what she’s certified in, plus house whispering, space clearing, meditation Continued on Page 26
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Kristin M. Wistar Continued from Page 25
and interior design. She’s been trained in even more, including Psych-K; the emotional freedom technique, also known as EFT; neurolinguistic programming, also known as NLP; hypnotherapy; and transcendental meditation. Wistar customizes her techniques to what clients need, and the first part of many jobs is just determining that. “People call when something is off, when they don’t feel quite right but they can’t quite put their finger on it,” she said. “As I grow deeper, I can often see that they have blocks or limiting beliefs that go back to their childhood.” She then read from a list of common issues that she confronts: major transitions, such as marriage, a death in the family, and becoming empty nesters; financial challenges; facing and recovering from illnesses; emotional problems; sleep disruptions, insomnia and nightmares; relationship issues, including finding a soulmate; buying and selling homes; and personal development. Whew. Following a free 15-minute introductory conversation, she mostly charges by the hour, and the final bill reflects the complexity of the job and the size of the space. “Kristin’s not motivated by profit and growing her business,” Scott said, “but by helping and healing people and making their home, their office be nurturing and grounded – and making them the best that they can be.” Inner and outer issues Wistar’s work also often involves decluttering but goes far beyond that.
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Photo by Madeline Reynolds
“She walked through the door with a huge green bag like Mary Poppins filled with all kinds of beautiful tools that I instantly knew had some kind of special powers capable of magic,” client Ashley Sachs wrote.
Photo by Madeline Reynolds
Photo by Monique Feil
She takes a compass reading for feng shui.
Wistar uses dowsing rods.
Her usage of feng shui, similarly, goes deeper. “There’s always less clutter, a shift in how objects are arranged and addition of natural elements,” she said. Feng shui also involves calculating a building’s energetic footprint, using the year it was built and its orientation. It’s like a person’s natal chart. She treats both inner and outer issues, the former referring basically to the person and the latter to everything else, because they affect each other.
“Your home is a mirror of you,” she said. “We look at home as being separate from us, but everything in your home is like a vision board, showing what you care about – or the lack of it, if you don’t know where you’re going with life.” Here’s another metaphor: “Our home is a matrix, like the movie. I believe in spirits. I’ve met many people who have a ghost in their home. There are some souls that get stuck. Continued on Page 28
www.chestercounty.com | Spring/Summer 2021 | Landenberg Life
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Kristin M. Wistar Continued from Page 27
We need to create access so that they can cross over.” “My most important tools are my heart, my intuition, my connection with others, my eye for design, my training, my body and voice,” she said. Important physical tools include incense for space clearing, dowsing rods for divining practice, copper cures, crystals, a crystal singing bowl and a frequency device. ‘Beautiful Tools’ When she’s done, clients feel “validation and closure,” now that something invisible, something that they didn’t understand, is gone, replaced by positive energy. Ashley Sachs has hired Wistar twice, first for Awakened Beauty, her salon in New London, and then for her home in Lincoln University. “She walked through the door with a huge green bag like Mary Poppins filled with all kinds of beautiful tools that I instantly knew had some kind of special powers, capable of magic,” Sachs wrote about the service on her www.awakenedbeauty.life website. Wistar’s work at the salon included extracting her feng shui information from her birth information, exploring the space with dowsing rods, asking some thought-proving
How one client’s room changed: dramatically.
Photo by Kristin M. Wistar
questions and cleansing the space with burning incense. “The room felt lighter and stranger,” she wrote. “I felt lighter, an unexpected but delightful side effect.” Wistar’s work at Sachs’ home was similar and expanded to include suggestions on how to rearrange rooms to bring in feng shui elements and improve energy. Sachs said that she hadn’t felt connected or complete in the home, which she and her husband Greg had bought five years ago. Her
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work “opened my eyes to what my home can be.” Consider Leslie Moyer, a longtime friend. Moyer hired Wistar a few years ago to fix “an awkward passageway that no one liked” in her Londonderry Township home, one that dogs Angus and Fey shunned in moving between the foyer and kitchen. Wistar identified a negative vortex in the basement, right under the passageway, and her cure involved careful measurements and taping two copper rods to the concrete. The dogs immediately stopped shunning the space, even using it for naps. “If there was something negative, it’s not there now,” Moyer said. “The dogs proved it. There’s never been an issue again. What happened is fascinating and mind-blowing.” The Landenberg Loft Wisstar’s own home, bought in 2004, exemplifies her beliefs in several ways. She feels that she and Scott are just “stewards of the land,” a 2.75-acre property overlooking pleasingly rolling hills, including undevelopable land traversed by a Colonial pipeline. Three years ago they built a separate, three-story garage. The two lower levels are Scott’s man cave for his hobbies, and the top story is hers. “He’s the caveman, and I’m the oracle,” she said. “Everything I put into it I cherish. It’s like a retreat, a resort, nestled up like a treehouse.” She calls the space the Landbenberg Loft, “a place for curious souls to gather for inspiration, empowerment and community.” She calls herself the transformational hostess. She hosted a few workshops until pandemic restrictions pushed her to move the Loft Loves movement to Facebook and virtual sessions. As she explains on https://kristinmwistar.com, “Kristin felt called to do this work, after getting off a rollercoaster of anxiety and depression in her own life, and realizing that it was not only a transformation of her home she needed, but also a deeper healing of her soul … and then forging a sacred union between the two.”
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|Around Landenberg|
Preparing for the Pour
Music and other activities are on the warm-weather agenda for Harvest Ridge, Paradocx and Va La By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer The rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations is growing the hopes for resuming favorite activities at Landenberg’s wineries that have been canceled by pandemic restrictions. Several events have been placed on online calendars, and of course, the wineries have adapted to government guidelines. “We have moved our seating around to adhere to capacity and social distancing restrictions, as well as complying with all other requirements like masks, food and sanitation,” said Kristi May Wyatt, director of sales for Harvest Ridge Winery. Here’s what you can expect.
Photo courtesy of Max and Denise Acoustic With an Edge
Max and Denise Acoustic With an Edge are regulars at Harvest Ridge. 30
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Photo courtesy of Glenn E. Williams
Glenn E. Williams and his jazz trio have several gigs booked at Va La.
Harvest Ridge Winery Harvest Ridge Winery is planning public events two months out, which allows for evolving government guidelines. Events include “live music a few times a month, wine and cider pairings with different fun foods, craft workshops etc.,” Wyatt said. Harvest Ridge already has a few warm-weather events on its calendar, including the musicians Max and Denise Acoustic With an Edge and the On the Roll food truck, both once a month. The core of Max and Denise are Max and Denise Collins, a husband and wife who have been performing for 38 years, and their quartet includes Bill Graham and Mark Arnold. “Our entire show consists of songs requested by our audience,” Denise Collins said, with the audience choosing from their repertoire of more than 170 songs. “So every show we do is entirely different than the last one.” The winery is further out in scheduling private events and is starting to plan for off-site festivals. “We are not doing the traditional wine tastings right now, but we have been doing wine flights and have enhanced those with providing flight towers!” Wyatt said. “It makes the flight easy to carry as well as looks really cool for the customer! We have food trucks on site Fridays and Saturdays to adhere to the ‘must eat food to drink on site’ rule. We also have charcuterie, as always, in the tasting room.” Harvest Ridge’s Pennsylvania tasting room is at 1140 Newark Road, Toughkenamon, https://shop.harvestridgewinery.com/pennsylvania-events. It also makes Rebel Seed cider. Continued on Page 32
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Photo courtesy of Exit 93
Landenberg’s wineries
The Exit 93 Band performs June 26 at Paradocx.
Continued from Page 31
Paradocx Vineyard Paradocx Vineyard has three concerts lined up on summer Saturday evenings. Some seating will be available, and patrons are are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Food is available for purchase from a food truck. The Exit 93 Band, which will perform June 26, emphasizes classic rock, blues, R&B and country. Admission is free.
Spokey Speaky, a veteran reggae band from Wilmington, is making its Paradocx debut on July 10. Tickets, $12 online and $15 at the door, include a glass of wine or pint of beer. Admission is free for those under 21. The Jake Joyce Band, which will perform July 24, is known for its Americana-infused rock ’n’ roll. Admission is free. Paradocx Vineyard is at 1833 Flint Hill Road, Landenberg, https://paradocx.com and click on the “events” tab. Continued on Page 34
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Landenberg’s wineries Continued from Page 32
Va La Vineyards “Although nothing is yet set in stone, our plans are to return to our normal handful of outdoor events,” Anthony Vietri said. “These would be small music events by reservation, featuring pianist Glenn E. Williams and the Glenn E. Williams Jazz Trio, including Memorial Day weekend, July Fourth weekend and Labor Day weekend.” Williams and his trio (with Dave Renz on saxophone and Nick D’Orsaneo and drums) are familiar faces at local venues. Williams in September is releasing an album with guitarist Jamie Brown of Kennett Square. “Because of the chronic uncertainty, and because the safest environment for our guests, our staff and our families is outdoors, our family decided last spring to offer our wines and occasional small events in a takeout manner in the outdoor areas overlooking the little vineyard,” Vietri said. Continued on Page 36
Photo courtesy of Va La
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Photo courtesy of Kevin Francis
Spokey Speaky performs July 10 at Paradocx.
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Photo courtesy of The Jake Joyce Band
Landenberg’s wineries
The Jake Joyce Band performs July 24 at Paradocx.
Continued from Page 34
The events feature “little islands” of socially distanced, reservations-only seating. “Being closed indoors for the first time in 20 years was a very new thing for us, and required a bit of a sacrifice. But we count ourselves extremely fortunate that our wonderful folks have been so very understanding and very responsive to this new offering. And while it has really become an
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unexpected and beautiful little vibe that we get going out there, we can’t wait to step up to the next stage where we will be offering our folks indoor seating options, in addition to those outdoor seating ones.” Va La Vineyards is at 8822 Gap Newport Pike, www.valavineyards.com.
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|Landenberg Life Photo Essay|
The Springlawn Tr Arching Toward Su
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Trail: Summer
Photos by Moonloop Photography Text by Richard L. Gaw There are certain words – search title cues, really -- that individuals and families look for when considering the idea of visiting a nature trail for the first time. Usually, it’s a long list that demands of the trail to encompass the full menu of what a modern-day walk in the woods is supposed to offer. Is it dog friendly? Is it kid friendly? Is it good for bird watching, and running, and hiking and mountain bike riding? Is there a water source running through it, and most of all, will it offer the opportunity to lose one’s self in the beautiful and temporary sensation of being swallowed up by nature, if only for a short time?
Continued on Page 40
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The Springlawn Trail Continued from Page 39
The Springlawn Trail, a 4.1-mile trek through nature just a few minutes from Landenberg in Elk Township, checks off the entire list. Located just west of Kemblesville and connecting Strickersville Road and Chesterville Road, the trail serves as a welcome mat for nature lovers and adventurers of all levels, from the moms and dads with small children to those who seek the rough terrain of mountain biking. Continued on Page 42
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The Springlawn Trail Continued from Page 40
With an elevation of no more than 200 feet, the Springlawn Trail is a smooth walk or ride past historic stone relics, along the melodious sound of the Big Elk Creek, with the view of forest greenery and swaying meadow grass in the distance. Best of all, the Springlawn Trail offers the changing sweep of seasons, and if you get there soon – either on foot or on a bike, and with family, friends or on your own – you will be given the gift of seeing Summer make its return…and that’s a search title cue that is a most welcome one.
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|Landenberg Arts| Like many of us, Landenberg artist Nanci Hersh has spent the last year speaking – and looking -- into her computer screen. She has turned the faces she has seen into art, and the result is a stunning portrait of moments in time
Meet, Greet, Paint By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
In its purest and most practical form, the entire mission of the Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education – commonly known as DiAE -- can be summarized in one word. Touch. Continued on Page 46
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Nanci Hersh, beside her self-portrait. 44
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Nanci Hersh Continued from Page 44
Its consortium of arms of those who have teaching artists, who often never held these visit schools throughout things before. the state and expose Then suddenly last young people to the March, the switch arts, is often a very was flipped. COVIDtactile form of teach19 had shuttered the ing necessitated by the windows of opportuneed to guide a young nity that had defined hand wielding a paintCourtesy photo the organization since Ms. Dee brush; to position a its founding 40 years Acrylic on synthetic non-woven paper, 16” x 26” young boy just so on a before. In-person lesdance floor; or to highsons became virtual five a child who beautifully times the rhythm ones, and instructional packets were sent of her drum beats to the sway of the accom- to schools that were forced to operate in a panying music. confusing, back-and-forth schedule between It is an organization of hands, opening up the hybrid and full lockdown. great big toy box of discovery and inspiration With little warning, Nanci Hersh – who and placing it all into the small, outstretched Continued on Page 48
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Nanci Hersh Continued from Page 46
‘Unmasked: Portraits has been the Executive from the Zoom Room’ Director of DIAE since 2017 -- was finding During one Zoom herself running the meeting early during organization of teachthe pandemic, Hersh ing artists, staff and caught sight of herself other contributors in one of the many from her home studio faces on her computer in Landenberg, largely through a contraption Courtesy photo screen. She snapped a Puppets! quick selfie, and later of convenience and Acrylic on synthetic non-woven paper, 16” x 26” began to sketch it. The necessity known as pencil drawing became Zoom. “I felt like we all had to pivot quickly,” said the portrait of the artist in the confines of a Hersh who, in addition to her role at DiAE, rectangular screen in the middle of a worldhas had a long career as a contemporary wide pandemic, and soon, the artist had mixed media artist. “This pandemic has forced cracked the code for a new project. Now, 22 portraits later and still counting, us to learn how to connect to each other in Continued on Page 50 new ways.”
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Nanci Hersh Continued from Page 48
a recognizable silver Hersh is preparing for lining – illuminating the release of her latthe humor, boredom, est work, “Unmasked: pathos and beauty Portraits from the Zoom that has kept us all Room,” an eventual connected,” she said. wall installation of a “The strange newness series of acrylic paintof being with othings that capture the ers in the privacy of faces she sees every day Courtesy photo their own home while on Zoom – teachers, Truth to Power in the space of my artists and co-workers Acrylic on synthetic non-woven paper, 16” x 26” home seemed surreal caught in various forms – and also intriguing. of expression. The exhibit is a near-exact reflection of her art, It seemed to epitomize the isolation as well which has been informed by the experiences, as the connectivity of the time and place we relationships and places in her life, as well as have found ourselves in. “It was a paradigm shift that moved me their delicacy, beauty and fragility. “With every screenshot captured, I found from focusing on what’s going on in the box a different story, a new perspective, and Continued on Page 53
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Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Unmasked: Portraits from the Zoom Room” is a new project by Landenberg artist Nanci Hersh that captures some of the many people she has communicated with during COVID-19 through Zoom meetings, in portraiture. 52
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Nanci Hersh Continued from Page 50
to how we are now connected through this virtual space. The monitor is a frame which confines us, but the truth is that we are now all unmasked. We bring our lives to every meeting, trying to create this version of ourselves that is presentable, but as we have been learning, we can’t always control – with kids, pets and unexpected surprises that often ‘Zoombomb’ the sessions.” Individual stories What has made Hersh’s exhibit so riveting is not just its volume or its size, she said, but that every individual in these 16-inch by 26-inch rectangles brings his or her own story into focus. There is her fellow yoga student, who has taken the class not only online but into her backyard. There is the artist who has the talent and material to arrange parties on a moment’s
T L
notice, showing off a few of her party designs. There is the university professor who arranged to set up a virtual background for his Zoom participation in the form of a Jake and Elwood Blues photo. There is the young girl who lives next door to Hersh, who the artist photographed watching a virtual DiAE performance. “I look at each person on the screen, in their environment, and begin to visualize where there is a compelling story,” Hersh said. “It begins from a place of personal interest. I hone in on those moments within that rectangle that are the most captivating to me.” Hersh is not alone. Many moments lived during the last year have been scarred by the residue of a pandemic or at the very least, impacted and inconvenienced. For Hersh, the pandemic – and the necessary evil of Continued on Page 54
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Nanci Hersh Continued from Page 53
communicating through an app device – has magnified the power of human connectivity. Hersh envisions the future of “Unmasked: Portraits from the Zoom Room” becoming an installation at a gallery, exhibit space or museum – one that will allow viewers to gather post-COVID-19 and interpret the work as a chapter marker document that celebrates the resiliency to carry on in the face of a pandemic. “This project is about the connection and compassion I have for every person profiled,” she said. “What we really seem to be sharing is our vulnerability and or humanity, for which I am truly grateful, especially during this past year or so of dissonance, uncertainty, trauma and unrest.” To learn more, visit www.zoomroom-NanciHersh. com. To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Working from snapshots she has taken at Zoom meetings, Hersh has created more than 20 portraits.
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|Landenberg Fitness and Adventure|
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On Memorial Day weekend, a new Splash Surf Club will open at Saint Anthony in the Hills, and for the many who have already become members, its opening can’t arrive soon enough
Splis h Splas h, Lande nbe rg By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
I
t is only right that this article should begin in your mind, deep within the wellspring of where your dreams reside – the dreams where you imagine sipping a cocktail on an island vacation or frolicking with the kids at a resort on a sunny afternoon that never ends – dreams that you have to place on hold until the pandemic is beyond you and everyone else. This is your end-of-the-tunnel, on-the-other-side dream, the one that is so richly deserved after more than a year of fear and safety and boredom and vaccinations and more fear and hybrid schooling and Zoom meetings from the confines of your home. Continued on Page 58
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Splash Surf Club owners Nick Reynolds and John McKenzie. www.chestercounty.com | Spring/Summer 2021 | Landenberg Life
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Splash Surf Club Continued from Page 57
Following the success of their first Splash Surf Club in Marple Township, owners John McKenzie and Nick Reynolds will be opening their follow-up Splash Surf Club at the former Saint Anthony in the Hills pool area that will transform the long-dormant facility into a highend swim club bursting with activities, food and entertainment. “This is a location for a complex of this kind that you just don’t see every day,” Reynolds said. “It’s going to become a part of a beautiful property, and we’re inheriting the incredible work and attention to detail of its former owners. It’s inheriting the structures and the history of Saint Anthony’s and infusing our own ideas. “Given all of these intangibles, this will become not just a pool, but a destination, even for people who aren’t members, who can still come here for dinner and get the vibe of being on vacation.”
Make no mistake; this article acknowledges your dreams about taking a long flight with the family and disappearing into a chorus of steel drums and the coconut scent of sun tan lotion applied by the side of a sparkling new pool. Consider, however, the hefty chunk of change required for such a journey, and the relatively short amount of time you will actually enjoy your tropic port of call versus the hassle of airports and the endless schlepping of stuff. How long? Maybe a week, two at most? So consider this: Imagine your dream as an endless one, in the form of a three- to fourmonth-a-year staycation that is located a few minutes from your home, and comes with all of the amenities that are so richly emblazoned in your dream. Beginning on Memorial Day weekend, that dream is about to become real for the readers of Landenberg Life.
Continued on Page 60
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Splash Surf Club Continued from Page 58
The new facility will include: • A completely re-surfaced outdoor pool, with adjacent in-ground hot tub areas for adults, a 30’ x 60’ children’s pool, a poolside lounge and additional areas for outdoor poolside seating, all of which will be accented with Adirondack chairs • A total of 60 private and furnished poolside cabanas available for seasonal and daily rental, that will also include indoor single and double cabanas in the pavilion area, equipped with wet bars, flat-screen TVs, air conditioning and views that overlook the pool area • Private conference and business rooms • Located in the facility’s pavilion, the Wave restaurant – painted in turquoise, creamsickle orange and ocean blue -- will offer members and non-members a seasonal menu reminiscent of a tropical island vacation • The pavilion will also offer members and non-members access to a beer garden and bar, complete with couches and flat-screen TVs, and a VIP lounge for members • Live music, special themed nights for children and adults, movie nights and barbecue events throughout the season for members • Lawn games like Bocce Ball, corn hole, shuffleboard, ping-pong tables and a playground, that will be available for members and non-members • The facility will also provide private swimming lessons and serve as the home pool for The Splash Surfers, a registered youth swimming team that will be coached by Cindy Millison, the current Kennett High School swim coach
Courtesy photo
Club memberships for individuals and families are now available.
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Splash Surf Club Continued from Page 60
Ingenuity, luck and vision What has enabled the wheels of the Splash Surf Club to break ground in New Garden Township is a combination of ingenuity, luck and vision. After years of negotiation with St. Anthony of Padua in Wilmington -- the property’s original owners -- the township’s Board of Supervisors agreed to purchase the property in 2018 for $1.5 million, with a long-term idea to redefine it as the township’s future cultural and social centerpiece for nature and family activity. At about the same time the township was putting its signatures on acquiring Saint Anthony in the Hills, McKenzie and Reynolds were preparing to turn an abandoned swim club property in Marple Township into what became their first Splash Surf Club. It was a sensation before it was even completely renovated, as more than 450 families signed onto memberships several weeks before it opened on Memorial Day weekend in 2019. Continued on Page 65
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Courtesy photo
The Splash Surf Club will open at the site of the former Saint Anthony in the Hills pool this coming Memorial Day weekend.
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Photo by Richard L. Gaw
A few of the poolside cabanas during their construction.
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Splash Surf Club Continued from Page 62
As McKenzie and Reynolds began to consider the possibility of duplicating their success elsewhere, they were alerted to what was happening at St. Anthony in the Hills from a likely source: a very satisfied member of the Splash Surf Club in Marple Township. “I saw that the township had posted a video on its website a while ago about eliciting the township’s ideas for how it could potentially develop the property,” said Justin Busam, an officer with the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department. “I knew that there was a pool facility at Saint Anthony’s, and because I love what John and Nick have done with the Splash Surf Club in Marple Township, I told them about the pool. They contacted [former township Manager] Tony Scheivert, and got the ball rolling.” When McKenzie and Reynolds arrived at Saint Anthony’s for the first time last year, they saw promise in the peeling paint and the ragged neglect. “For most people who walk into this place, all they see is the demolition, and the trees growing through the concrete,” Reynolds said. “Instead, John and I walked through here for the first time and saw it already completed. We saw the cabanas, the kids splashing in the pool, and the people sitting in the restaurant. “If you have the vision, you already know what you’re capable of.” At their Jan. 19 online meeting, the New Garden board voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with McKenzie and Reynolds. As part of the Continued on Page 66
Courtesy photo
The club will also feature a 30’ x 60’ children’s pool.
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Splash Surf Club Continued from Page 65
agreement, Splash, LLC will pay the township a $2,000 fee to operate the facility, assume all liability and repair costs required, and assure that all safety codes are met.
“In the summer, families have only a few vacation or day-out options they can do with their children,” he said. “They can head to the Jersey Shore for a week, which for a family of four will be about A 120-day, affordable staycation $4,000. They can take the kids to a big amusement park for a day, As the renovation of the facility which will still cost about $300 at continues through the Spring, mema minimum. Courtesy photo berships to the club keep climbing. “In contrast, what we wanted to In addition to a completely resurfaced outdoor Individual and family memberships pool, the club will feature hot tubs, a full-service build was an affordable 120-day are available in a one-time or month- restaurant, live music, and other amenities. seasonal staycation, where for a ly payment schedule; an individual family of four, it will cost about membership is $370 for the summer or $123 a month; a $700 for an entire summer. Translated, that’s about 60 two-person membership is $500 for the summer or $167 cents a day, per person. We will also give discounts to monthly; and for a family of four, a three-month member- New Garden Township residents, seniors and veterans, ship is $710 or $236 monthly. and we will work with every family to create an affordWhen placed side-by-side with the cost of a full vaca- able option for them. We never want any family to feel tion, a family membership at the club is a bargain, excluded because of costs.” McKenzie said. Continued on Page 68
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Courtesy photo
The Splash Surf Club’s New Garden location will feature hot tubs.
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
A large children’s pool will soon become a summer destination for several children in the Landenberg area.
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Splash Surf Club Continued from Page 66
The Splash Surf Club will also figure in the local economy, too. In addition to the many contractors its expects to employ in the facility’s construction over the next three months, McKenzie and Reynolds anticipate the hiring of as many as 65 seasonal employees in 2021. If the COVID-19 protocols made last summer in Marple Township were any indication, the Splash Surf Club in New Garden and those who visit will be fully attended to in 2021. “We invested over $40,000 in COVID-19 precautions at our Marple club in 2020,” Reynolds said. “We had a thermal image camera at the entrance taking members’ temperatures. We had hand sanitizing stations everywhere, and had close to 30 active zones that allowed no more than 15 people per zone. We placed signage everywhere, and had an electro-static sprayer that we used to spray down every one of our chairs at the end of the night.” The ‘anchor store’ of a new town center No matter the size, breadth and dimension of the initial
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investment, any entrepreneur willing to make an economic roll of the dice benefits from having a partner who believes in the enterprise of their ideas. “Without their support of New Garden Township, this can’t happen,” McKenzie said. [New Garden Township Manager] Ramsey Reiner and the supervisors have done a great job in helping us move this forward. They could have chosen to keep this facility on the back burner for another year, which would have left the place even more dilapidated. Instead, they chose to create a new town center – a social gathering hub -- in the middle of a 140-acre preserve. “New Garden has chosen us to become the anchor store of that town center.” Membership registration for summer 2021 is underway and residents of New Garden Township may take advantage of a 10 percent discount. To secure your membership at the Splash Surf Club, visit online at https://splash-club. com. To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.
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