Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 150, No. 35
INSIDE
60 Cents
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Excitement builds for car show in Oxford
Football’s back
The Sept. 2 event will feature between 300 and 350 cars, as well as music, food, and fun for the entire family Kennett Square Mushroom Festival special section
Photo by Steven Hoffman
The Oxford Hornets football team opened the 2016 season against West Chester Henderson last Friday night. Running back Tim Davis, pictured here looking for running room in the first quarter, scored a touchdown for Oxford. A recap of some of the week one football action can be found on Page 1B. Courtesy photo
Audra McLaughlin, a contestant on season six of “The Voice,” will be performing in Oxford on Sept. 2. Oxford edged Henderson...1B
out
by
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Organizers now expect between 300 and 350 antique and classic cars to be showcased in the third annual car show in down-
U-CF district superintendent welcomes the new school year...6A
For more than 20 years, Camp Dreamcatcher has been a positive force in the lives of youngsters who are growing up with HIV or AIDS
Eleanor Roosevelt once observed that “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Twenty years ago, there Kennett Copy & More was plenty of darkness for opens its doors in Kennett children whose lives had Square...10A been impacted by HIV or AIDS. If a parent or a sibling suffered from AIDS, the children’s lives could Calendar of Events.....6B be dominated by a sense of Classified....................4B grief and loss. And if the Obituaries...................3B children themselves were HIV-positive, they often led Opinion........................7A lives of secrecy and unnecPolice Blotter.............10A essary shame—in addition to the serious health issues that came with the disease.
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‘Our kids are so resilient’ By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
town Oxford this Friday, Sept. 2, as excitement continues to build for one of the town’s most popular events. According to David Ogino, a car enthusiast who serves on the Car Show Committee that oversees
planning for the event, car owners from throughout the region have been registering their beloved Mustangs, Chevy Bel Airs and Cadillacs at record numbers for this car show. Approximately 140 vehicles were showcased in the
The children might hide their medications from others or avoid forming close relationships altogether because they didn’t want anyone to find out about their illness. Patty Hillkirk knew that many of these children who were dealing with these enormous challenges could benefit from counseling and therapy and love and support from adults. She also knew that the children needed a safe, welcoming environment where they could be around other children who understood what they were going through. So instead of cursing the darkness, Hillkirk lit
Octoraro Hotel and Tavern scheduled to reopen Nov. 18
Local architect lends vision and ideas to landmark’s restoration
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Courtesy Photo
The children loved the performance of singer John Flynn, a regular supporter of Camp Dreamcatcher.
The first time Ed Rahme of THINK Architecture walked into the historic Octoraro Hotel and Tavern in Oxford after the tragic fire it suffered in November of 2014, he uttered a few words that accurately described his shock and dismay at what he saw, none of
a candle. She founded Continued on Page 3A Camp Dreamcatcher in the mid-1990s, and for each of the last 21 summers, children from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region have come together for a camp that blends the fun and friendships of a traditional summer camp with a variety of therapeutic programs aimed at helping the children overcome their challenges and mature into happy, productive adults. This year’s camp took Photo by Richard L. Gaw place from Aug. 20 to Architect Ed Rahme, in front of the Octoraro Hotel and Continued on Page 2A
Tavern.
Welcoming visitors with cutting-edge technology The Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau unveils new touch-screen table in historic Kennett Square headquarters By John Chambless Staff Writer The past has met the future at the headquarters of the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau. The Tourist Information Center, housed in a historic meetinghouse that dates back to before the Civil War, now has a video display table that boasts the best 21st-century technology. At a ribbon cutting on the morning of Aug. 29, local officials and members of the bureau unveiled a touchscreen table that will allow visitors to scroll through everything the Brandywine Valley has to offer, calling up photos, videos and audio which spotlight the region’s history, attractions and accommodations like never before. “We are the official destination marketing organization for the county,”
which are printable in this newspaper. On Nov. 4, 2014, a fire ripped through the 187-year-old building, severely damaging the first floor restaurant and leaving 11 adults and one child without a place to sleep. Thirty-one employees were also left without work as a result of the blaze, which
15 years late! By Uncle Irvin
The former layout of the visitors center had people enter the front door and feel like they were in someone’s office – which, in a way, they were. Jan Reeps, the manager of guest and
Something that should have happened 15 years ago is finally happening now: The formation of a Kennett Area Regional Library Task Force. A joint endeavor by the Kennett Library, Kennett Square Borough, Kennett Township, East and West Marlborough townships, New Garden Township, Newlin and Pocopson townships is what should have taken place 15 years ago, instead of fingerpointing and petty arguments over the location of a new, larger library with off-street parking. The task force is going to study a regional library by means of a Vision partnership grant. Hopefully, the study will give the community a
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Photos by John Chambless
Chester County Commissioner Terence Farrell cuts the ribbon at the front door of the Tourist Information Center on Monday morning.
said Susan Hamley, the executive director of the Conference and Visitors Bureau. “Our job is to generate overnight stays. So we do that through commercials, print, billboards, social media, and special
events. Once people come here, we want them to start their journey here. We know that 83 percent of our current visitors are day trippers, so we want to change that number and have them stay longer.”