Sept 12-13, 2009 24th Annual Mushroom Festival !! A Fun 2 day event held in historic Kennett Square, Pennsylvania the Mushroom Capital of the World on Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, 2009.  Celebrate the mushroom as well as the beauty, history and excitement of Southern Chester County with music, children's rides and a variety of entertainment. 2009 Mushroom Festival Culinary Event at new location at the American Legion Building (Block B) for all of the Culinary Highlights of the Festival.  Guest Chef Cara Hall & Chef Miguel Morales of "Topp Chef" will be in attenances $2 Admission for 12 yrs. and older. Sat., Sept. 12, 2009 Parade 10am Street Festival 11am-7pmSaturday Night Dance Party 8pm-11pm Sun., Sept. 13, 2009 Street Festival 10am-5pm Enjoy the Food, Music & Events!!   09/04/2009

Every book in this delightful book store  located at 113 South Union Street is donated and profits go to the Kennett Area Senior Center. Hours are o Monday through Sautrday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m If you are in a Book Club, they would love to host you. Just call Harry at 610-444-6069. For newcomers to the area, it's a great place to volunteer and get to know people and the area. http://kennettseniorcenter.org   My favorite event is the "SIREN SALE" - anytime you are in the sotre and the siren goes off, all books you purchase are half-price. ! And on your birthday, you get a freebie! 09/01/2009

The August First Friday Art Stroll in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania,  turned into a murder mystery with the help of the KATS (Kennett Area Theatrical Society). A popular place to meet in town, under the clock at the corner of State and Union at the Genesis Walkway was mobbed with amateur sleuths trying to deduce the culprit from the clues given by a cast of characters. The rules were that the innocent always tell the truth (if they know it) and the guilty will lie. The story was that there was a circus (unusual though it was) at Anson Nixon Park, and the ringmaster, Galloping Gunty, met his demise at 6:30 in the Genesis Walkway. You could buy clues from the clue sellers with the yellow hats as they wandered around town. The word was on the street that one of the Mendip sisters clobbered ... 08/08/2009

  Chip Plumley Prudential Fox & Roach REALTORS®   Packing is one of those dreaded but necessary chores of moving. Not only is it time consuming, but it sheds light on how much we really have accumulated since the last move. But it can be a manageable task by starting early and having a plan. Don’t wait until the last minute. Moving is stressful enough. Give yourself at least six weeks, which gives you enough time to pack a few boxes each day. Take inventory of your items to determine how many packing boxes you will need. As a rule of thumb, use small boxes for small, heavy items such as books and canned goods; medium-size for bulkier, not so heavy items like linens and pots; and reserve larger boxes for very bulky lightweight items such as lamp shades. Obtain boxes from a moving compan... 07/27/2009

It seems a prudent precautionary measure. The annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, mushoroom capitol of the world has been called off due to the flue pandemic. There are no reported cases in our area, but just across the state line in Newark, Delaware, there are several reported cases at the University of Delaware. The Winterthur Point to Point on the other hand goes rain or shine and it is raining so bring umbrellas and wear your "Wellies." 05/02/2009

Not only is this Friday, the  First Friday Art Stroll ( April 3 ) but you can also  meet  mayorial candidate Matt Fetick over wine and cheese at the SUNRISE CAFE on State St. Starts at 5:30 p.m. All the shops will be sporting spring merchandise.  Longwood Art Gallery at 200 E. State St. presents "The Red Umbrella Collection" during the month of April. Meet artist Liz Hess, known for her award winning style, artistic expression and exploration. The show runs through April 25. For more information, call the gallery at 610.444.0146 or go to www.longwoodartgallery.com. The Brush & Palette, 123 E. State St, will host an artist reception on Friday for Matthew Reinert. His exhibit "Around Town", spontaneous views in oil will be in the gallery until April 18. Light refreshments will be served. ... 04/02/2009

  YOU ASKED FOR IT AND NOW YOU HAVE IT! Best of all, IT'S FREE! www.ChipPlumley.com My new website offers exclusive features including; ·         Active & Sold Property Searches: Ever wonder what your neighbor's home really sold for? Did you see a new home for sale on the way to work? Now you can get all the information about any property whether it's residential or commercial. ·         MLS / IDX Searches with built-in Google Map Search: Why spend your time searching the internet and making phone calls to real estate offices for more information? Now you can get the same detail as every other real estate agent would get from the MLS. ·         Property Watch: Save Searches, Favorites and even get email notification for new properties for sale. ·         Google Live Street Views: Go rig... 03/20/2009

The next First Friday Art Stroll is April 3 and all the shops will be open and ready to show off all of their spring merchandise. Details on the April Art Stroll will be included in the next newsletter. The weekend of May 15, 16 and 17 will be filled with many activities for the Main Streets of the Brandywine Valley Festival. The weekend will kick off with the Farmers Market opening on Friday. There will be live music at the market and the festivities will continue with a Spring Stroll on Friday evening. During the evening all shops will be open late and most will serve refreshments. On Saturday the festival continues with the Kennett Run, followed by "A Taste of Kennett" where the downtown merchants and restaurants will be serving the best Kennett Square has to offer. There will be an ... 03/17/2009

The day might have been gray, but inside Longwood Gardens outside of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the sun was shining. Orchids were everywhere in the conservataories, in large containers on the ground, growing in floor displays, hanging above, covering a wall.  It was a great day to wander amid the brightly colored              Cinerarea and Phalaenopsis fighting for attention in the conservatory.  A special treat was hearing Irish musician Tommy Sands and his son and daughter singing, playing guitar, banjo, fiddle, and penny whistle, as well as the daughter doing a little clogging. Just one more reason that this southeast corner of Chester County Pennsylvania and northern part of New Castle County Delaware is a great place to live! 03/16/2009

Newcomers to the Kennett Squre area should know about the Newcomers club where there are  activities and events to pique the interest of anyone who likes to socialize, make new friends, and have a good time. If you are new to the area (or even not so new), check out the  February Welcome Coffee on Wednesday, February 11th at 10:00 am at the Cypress Grill in Kennett Square (835 West Cypress Street). Contact Helena, KSANC Presidentpresident@ksanc.org for directions or more information.  For more information, and to receive the most current newsletter, please email membership@ksanc.org. You can also download a KSANC membership form directly from this site by clicking on the link KSANC 2008-09 Membership Form. Print the form and send it, with your check for membership dues, to the address l... 02/07/2009

The Kennett Area YMCA is my home away from home. I've been a volunteer there nearly 10 years and have taught myrad kinds of classes, for the last 4 years, it's been yoga. There is such a positive"can do" attitude there and truly customer service consistently always ranks very high in member surveys. The facilities, located at 101 Race Street in Kennett are some of the nicest in the countyr - towel service and babysitting are free with a memberhisp! And memberhip is on a sliding scale. It's such a wonderful community resources. There's an indoor pook, sauna and steam room. The weight room and cardio rooms are outstanding, with a large room for stretching. Classes and instructors are top notch and there's always a new kind of class to try, whether Salsa and Merengue to various versions of... 02/07/2009

Guess wher the  grain drill was invented ?  Samuel and Moses Pennock (patented on March 12, 1841) did it in Kennett Square, It also was the site for their  improvements for the corn sheller and harvester (1857), and the first four-wheel road machine (1877). Their business, S & M Pennock & Sons, eventually grew into the American Road Machinery Company. Seems lilke the 'shroom capitol of the world also spawend other inventors such as James Green, inventor of a hay knife, Bernard Wiley, inventor of the famous Wiley Plow, John Chambers, inventor of the asbestos stove plate, and Cyrus Chambers, who patented a machine for folding papers and a brick making machine. It was on the Chambers property that the first circular saw in Chester County was built in 1835. Another large business, still ope... 01/24/2009

 Where is Kennett Square, the mushroom capital of the world? Who are its prominent citizens? In the early 1700s, it simply was the crossroads between Philadelphia and  Baltimore. Before that the Unami clan of the Lenni Lenape tribe, a branch of Algonquin-speaking Native Americans used the area as a a smoke signal center. The name Kennett came from a village and river in England, home to Francis Smith, who moved here and purchased 200 acres at the mouth of the Pocopson Creek around 1686.  Names you see around today are the names of  earliers settler, Way,Pyle, Pusey, Perice, Miller, Kirk, Harlan, Shippen, When the railroad arrived in the late 1850s, it grew into an  agricultural and manufacturing center. During the Civil War is was an important link in the Underground Railway aiding many... 01/24/2009

If you haven't cruised the main drag in Kennett Square, check out the Half Moon Saloon and Restaurant from some great eats - especially some wild game chili in these chilly months http://www.halfmoonrestaurant.com Phone: 610-444-7232   108 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA, 19348 Local raised Buffalo/Bison is on the  regular menu. they rotate  wild game burger /  sloppy joe / entree favorites, and occasionally appetizers and soups. Seasonal menus include entrees and appetizers with any of the meats below. Wild game is such a healthy choice!  there are marked nutritional health benefits from natural raised meats. Keep in mind when ordering! wild game doesn't have near the fattiness of beef, the meats are lean! we recommend not ordering beyond medium rare. Locally Raised Buffalo, Buff... 01/08/2009

Baseball heroes aren't hard to find around the Philadelphia area, not after the Phillies won the World Series in 2008 , but Chester County, one of the five counties surrounding the city of Brotherly Love claims Herbert J. Pennock, pitcher and manager among the ranks of the famous, albeit he ran the bases a few years ago.  Born in Kennett Squre, now the "mushroom capitol of the world,, in1894; he was general manager of Bob Carpenters Philadelphia "Phillies" when he died in 1948. His strong left arm propelled him into baseball's Hall of Fame after starting his career with the Philadelphia Atheltics at the tender age of 18. He ended up playing for the New York Yankees, and was named Player of the year, just before he was released at the age of 40. Known for his friendly smile and willingne... 12/31/2008

Among the treasures of sthe Brandywine Valley is Longwood Gardens, open year round indoors and out. Among the horticultural delights is a collection of bonsai - ask when you go to visit and it is worth it this time of year, especially at dusk when the outside lights start to come on. Remember a neighborhood pass pays for itself! 12/26/2008

http://thetoypad.com/ This is hidden away, but so convenient if you're grocery shopping at Genuardi's or picking up a movie at Blockbuster, or taking advantage of the Thursday 20% off special at the Dry Cleaners in Kennett Square. Great puzzles, nature and science kits, dolls - calico critters and ugly dools - lots of unusual choices, but also the tried and true like Legos, trains, bath toys. Sure beats, beating the the lines. Service is outstanding 12/21/2008

It's not just because this new little bistro in the shopping center with Genaurdi's and WSFS was a sponsor for our latest promotiion that I love them. Floga Bistro just has some amazing dishes from brick oven pizza to more elegant fare. I couldn't believe the grilled salmon salad the other night. I stuck wtih my ususal  blasalmic vinagrette, but the  woman next to us, who'd asked me how it was hwen oour darling waitress served us , said she ordered the mandarin dressing with hers and it was outstanding. My friend Erin is a chicken parm guy and he raved about it. The bread and seasoned olive oil were a treae and we left only about $20 lighter. This is just a great place for lunch or dinner. http://www.flogabistro.com or call 610-444-6500. with our new KW office around the corner off McFa... 12/21/2008

In Southeastern PA, we often have relocation clients looking for properties in the Kennett Consolidated  School district. Sometimes they can be as close by as northern Delaware, or they might be coming from a distance To respond to that need, the MATT FETICK REAL ESTATE TEAM has developed a best buy list for Kennet Square - only appropriate as we just opened up a beautiful enw office in KSQ and love it! . Whether you are an agent or buyer, please give me a call at 610-764-3062 or email me at jroosevelt@kw.com for a copy. Happy Holidays!   12/21/2008

The Back Alley Theater  presents Children of Heaven on December 19 if you haven't discoverd this inexpensive way to see some great films (not movies. Check out http://www.kennettflash.org for more information . It's the first Iranian film to earn an Oscar nominatio for Best Foreign film. It focuses on childhood telling the story of  a brother and sister who share a pair of shoes when the boy (though no fault of his own) loses his sister's only pair. The boy hatches a plan: the third-place prize in a student footrace is a new pair of shoes, and he's determined to take it. The plot may smack of a Disney film, but the direction couldn't be more different. The family scenes are delicately observed, and Majidi captures the spirit of the children perfectly: proud, emotional, petulant, sweet, ... 12/12/2008