Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 150, No. 36
60 Cents
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
INSIDE ‘It was an amazing moment’ Oxford Car Show attracts thousands of spectators By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Miriam Herr, wife of the Herr Foods founder, passes away...3A
Changing the world through architecture, a little bit at a time...1B
The cars rolled into town one by one: powerful Corvette Stingrays and Mustangs and gleaming Plymouth Road Runners and Chevrolet Bel Airs from the 1950s. There was a vintage pickup truck from the 1920s and a black gangster car similar to the one driven by Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious criminal couple. Photo by Steven Hoffman A sparkling Ford Fairlane Grayson and Aydan Savery served as the honorary captains of the Kennett football attracted a lot of attention, team during the home opener against Chichester. as did a Herr Foods 1937 Dodge panel truck, a replica of the one that James. S. and Mim Herr would use during the company’s early days when they would deliver their products door-to-door.
First-grader Grayson Savery and his brother, Aydan, served as honorary captains of the Kennett football team last Friday night. Grayson’s battle against cancer has inspired the community By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Kennett football home opener...5B
When the Kennett football team took the field for the first home game of the 2016 season on Sept. 2, two extraordinary youngsters led the way. Grayson Savery, a firstgrader who has battled pediatric brain cancer since wins the age of two, and his older brother Aydan, charged out
to the field followed by the football team as the large home crowd cheered in delight. Their parents, Tim and Jaclyn Savery, said that the experience was something that they will never forget. “It was an amazing moment,” Jaclyn explained. Tim Savery said that Grayson is a football fan— he roots for the Eagles—so it was a great experience to
There were shiny Cadillacs and sporty convertibles. The third annual Oxford Car Show on Sept. 2 was bolder and bigger than ever, featuring a record number of classic cars and trucks and attracting thousands of visitors. Heidi Kern, the events coordinator for Oxford Mainstreet, Inc., said that there were about 250 cars on display this year. The estimate on the crowd size was 4,800 people. Everyone had a good time. “I think it’s a very good show,” said Ken DuBree, a resident of Port Deposit, Maryland who was showcasing his 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL. His Ford Continued on Page 4A
lead the Kennett team out onto the field for the game against Chichester. Grayson is a first-grader at New Garden Elementary, while his brother is a second-grader at the school. Grayson was diagnosed with a form of pediatric brain cancer, medullary fibrillary astrocytoma, on Oct. 31, 2012. Since Photo by Steven Hoffman that time, the Kennett Jason Daliessio, with Stella and Carter, joined more Continued on Page 2A
than 4,800 people at this year's car show.
The 31st Annual Mushroom Festival: There’s a little bit of new mixed with some old favorites By Carla Lucas Correspondent
Feel free to snoop at the Designer Showhouse ...10B
INDEX Calendar of Events.....2B Classified....................6B Obituaries...................3B
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Opinion........................7A
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Photo by Carla Lucas
Fun Gus, the Mushroom Festival’s mascot, makes sporadic visits to the street fair. You can usually catch him in the center of town at mid-afternoon each day.
The Mushroom Festival has gained a reputation as one of the best food festivals in the United States. It achieved this distinction over its 31-year history by building on tradition, changing with the times, and always finding new ways to celebrate the mushroom in Kennett Square, the Mushroom Capital of the World. This year is no exception. Many of the traditional events associated with this annual fungi celebration return for another year, with a couple of tweaks that may make them even more interesting. Kennett Square native and professional eater, Monty Wiradilaga, Jr., (a.k.a. Moe Train) is organizing this year’s National Fried Mushroom Eating Championship, one of the newer and most popular
events of the Mushroom Festival. He’s encouraging his pro-eating friends to take a stab at the world record of devouring 11.5 pounds of mushrooms in eight minutes, while at the same time encouraging all residents within a 15-mile radius of Kennett Square to compete for a new local champion title. You can cheer for all the contestants in the Special Events Tent on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. Want to be a last-minute contestant? Come to the Special Events Tent between 1 and 2 p.m. to see if any slots are available. The first event of the Mushroom Festival, the Amateur Mushroom CookOff, is now a qualifying event of the World Food Championship. The winner of the cook-off will win a golden ticket to compete against 400 other competitive cooks at the World Food Championship this November in Orange
Beach, Ala. They will have the opportunity to win additional cash prizes, including the $100,000 grand prize. The theme for the Recipe Division of the World Food Championship and the Amateur Mushroom CookOff is “Breakfast.” The six finalists will start cooking at 10:30 a.m. Judging is at 11:30 a.m.. Shortly after that, the winner will be announced. Visitors are invited to cheer the contestants on as they create such dishes as Mushroom Stuffed Omelet Waffles with Cheesy Mushroom Drizzle, Sunnyside of Shrooms, and Mushroom Biscuit Egg Sandwich with Mushroom Ragu. Over at the Antique and Classic Car Show, they are expecting some spectacular cars spanning the last 100 years. Stroll along Broad Street and chat with proud car owners about their vehicles – everything from old Continued on Page 11A
Raising awareness, one step at a time Steve Wescott and his goat, Miles, pass through the county on their way to Times Square By John Chambless Staff Writer Last week, Steve Wescott and his goat, Miles, were nearing the last part of their trip across America – step by step. They ambled slowly along Old Baltimore Pike, past the Red Rose Inn, and into West Grove. At that point, Wescott found himself waylaid by Jacquie Delaney of the Jennersville YMCA, who picked him up with his goat for a detour to Avon Grove Charter School, which houses the YMCA After School Program. That was OK with Wescott, whose journey from the Space Needle in Washington state to Times Square in New York City
has taken a leisurely route since he started the first leg in May of 2012. If people want to host him overnight, that’s fine. If they want him to come and speak to a group, that’s fine, too. Last Tuesday was one of those days, and as Wescott and Miles walked up to a picnic table behind the charter school, his audience of 11 children was impressed. As Miles chomped on some nearby bushes, Wescott answered a few questions from the children, and laughed as he figured out that he has been walking for about half of their lives. Wescott, 37, has become Photos by John Chambless something of an internet Steve Wescott and Miles pose for a photo at Avon Continued on Page 8A
Grove Charter School.
Pipelines a boon to prosperity By Uncle Irvin Pipelines are in the news all around this area. The usual knee-jerk reaction is public outcry of “Not in my backyard!” This reaction is most usually wrong for residents and the prosperity of the area. The only safe and efficient way to move energy is by underground pipeline, not tanker trucks, railroad Continued on Page 2A