Connect Chadds Ford is a civic-minded community newsletter, focused on Chadds Ford and the Brandywine Valley. Through values of transparency, accountability, connection, and delight, Connect Chadds Ford is about building the community we hope to share with our children and neighbors. Drop your email below to subscribe to the weekly newsletter!
π£ Get your feet moving this fall! πΎ
π Get your Mah Jong onNever played but heard it's all the rage? Now's your chance to learn how to play Mah Jong at the Rachel Kohl Community Library. This October, the library is hosting a four-day Friday series for beginners. From 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on October 2, 9, 16, and 23, learn all the rules and be ready to join the regular Mah Jong meetups. Now's your chance to get in on the game! The four sessions cost $20 (total), and registration is limited. Registration opens September 16, so mark your calendars and sign up! Mah Jong at the library has been super popular (learn more about it here). As a result, the library is looking for donors to sponsor a set of new Mah Jong tables. Each table costs $50, and the library hopes to get 10. Know someone or a local small business who might like to sponsor new Mah Jong tables? Please have them reach out to the library for more information. TIA! Presented in partnership with the Pennsylvania Resource Council πΎ Fun Glass Fact: Glass bottles and jars are 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without any loss of purity or quality. Did you know this about glass bottles and jars? There's a robust market for glass recycling, so it's important to get all our empty bottles and jars back into the recycling stream instead of tossing them in the trash. The Pennsylvania Resource Council has coordinated with Concord Township to host a Glass Collection Bin at the township public works building, 675 Smithbridge Rd in Glen Mills (across Bob Mench Rd from the Rachel Kohl Community Library). The collection bin is available through December 31, 2026. π Surprise! Concord Farmer's Market is back for pop-up mini fall marketsCatch your favorite vendors in the park BIWEEKLY beginning this Sunday, September 13th! The market is open from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. at 701 Smithbridge Rd in Glen Mills. Stop by to get produce, coffee, sourdough bread, sweet desserts, pickles, and more. The vendors have enjoyed the event so much that they asked for the extra days! Thanks to all the neighbors who are supporting these local businesses. π πΎ Speaking of pickle...Ready for some fall pickleball, even if you're a beginner? Check out these pickleball clinics for juniors, beginner adults, and intermediate adults at Concord Township courts. All the details here. P.S. Have you seen the movie The Dink? We really liked it. π£ Can we walk Walkable Chadds Ford yet?Almost! Most of the work is done, and the township expects a grand opening of all the paths at the end of October! Even though we can't walk the full paths yet, the Chadds Ford Walking Club will be walking along Harvey Run Trail next Wednesday, Sept 16, at 9:30 am. Want to join us? Here are all the details! β€οΈ Remembrance Day at Brandywine Battlefield ParkAt the Brandywine Battlefield Park, "in this place where American, British, and Hessian soldiers fell, we gather in solemn reflection to honor their lives and to remember the weight of the struggle that unfolded across this landscape. Their sacrifice still echoes, and we commemorate it with gratitude and reverence." Join them for the Remembrance Day Ceremony held on September 11 at 6 PM at Brandywine Battlefield Park. Attendees surely won't miss how this day continues to honor those who sacrificed for our country in countless ways, in both long-ago and recent history. π Will you join my Carbon Wave?Just finished reading a book called The Carbon Wave by Dr. Leah Stokes. If you're familiar with the concept of the Carbon Footprint, Stokes wants us to ditch the Footprint and join a Wave. Fossil fuel companies created the Carbon Footprint to shift responsibility for carbon emissions to individuals (and effectively absolve themselves of their responsibility to help address climate change). Stokes suggests we should stop feeling guilty about our Carbon Footprint and start feeling great about growing our Carbon Wave. Stokes says: "Rather than thinking of a single person leaving a footprint in the sand, think of waves in the ocean. These waves are made by strong, sustained winds blowing in the same direction. Over generations, these waves are built, as thousands of people work together to create change, adding to the effort of the people before them. And just as waves wash away footprints on a beach, our carbon waves can erase our carbon footprints. Whatever negative impacts we have on the planet from living in a fossil fuel society can be offset by our activism, if we join with others to change the system. Working together, we can make waves." (source) Want to be part of our Chadds Ford Carbon Wave? Come to the Electrify Everything at Home Open House I'm hosting on Sunday, Sept 13, from 2- 4 p.m. Mark your calendars, and stop by to learn why and how to electrify your home. Let's do this together! If youβve been curious about EVs, rooftop solar, heat pumps, induction stoves, and generally how to swap fossil fuels for electrons at home, this is a great chance to walk through a real home, ask real questions, and skip the sales pitch. No cost to attend; registration is free. βGet more details here. Registration is required! I hope you can make it!! π PLEASE SHARE! π The more the merrier, so please share this with others you think might be interested.
π¦ Wish we could have a Birdtown Chadds Ford?Me too. But alas, the township supervisors won't approve it, despite over 120 residents supporting it and zero residents publicly opposing it. Silly gooses. In the meantime, you can meet up with the Birding Club of Delaware County for a Bird Walk at Harvey Run Trail this weekend. All the details here. π§Ί Reminder: Library's Annual Fundraising Dinner!I already told you that the annual Rachel Kohl Community Library fundraising dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15 at 5:30 pm at Fava in Glen Mills. You can catch all the details and grab your tickets here before they sell out! And don't forget about the baskets! There are some serious baskets this year, including items worth over $2,300, that WILL NOT DISAPPOINT. I made a basket specifically for the t(w)eens. π₯° I feel like so many baskets are for adults, and tweens and teens deserve a bit of love. It could be a great gift for a t(w)een in your life!
π Ponder ThisIn this section, I share book recommendations, articles, podcasts, quotes, and other links I think Chadds Ford neighbors might find interesting. Let me know what you think. β½ "Be curious, not judgmental" - I haven't watched much Ted Lasso (though I should), but I'm pretty sure this is why so many people love it! π€ I feel like this is what JD Vance is going to sound like when he stops performing for an audience of one. The end to the theatrical cruelty can't come soon enough. π A few simple ways to care for neighbors this fall (and most of them are free). π How about this day trip? π Did you know 1 in 50 American sheep work in the energy industry? π‘ Want to know what a balcony solar panel looks like? Here you go! They are now legal in New Jersey. Let's get on it, PA! π― A fun way to track your goals. β¨ Loving Connect Chadds Ford β¨While I donβt have any secrets behind paywalls, did you know you can choose to become a paid subscriber if you value Connect Chadds Ford and itβs within your budget? No pressure, but if you feel compelled to upgrade to a paid subscription, I wonβt be mad. And if youβre already a paid subscriber, thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
Looking aheadHere are a few events you might want to add to your calendar. Several require registration in advance. Double-check dates and times in case theyβve changed since I shared. Weekend Plans
Mark Your CalendarsA few more exciting and important events to put on your calendar now so you donβt miss them!
Other events to add?Feel free to share any other events happening in and around Chadds Ford (just reply to this email) that you think our neighbors will enjoy! Got a question or a comment? Hit reply to this email. It comes right back to my inbox. ππ» Did you get this from a friend and want to sign up yourself? If so, you can get more information and sign up here! From your Chadds Ford Neighbor, Jen |
Jen Panaro | Connect Chadds Ford
Connect Chadds Ford is a civic-minded community newsletter, focused on Chadds Ford and the Brandywine Valley. Through values of transparency, accountability, connection, and delight, Connect Chadds Ford is about building the community we hope to share with our children and neighbors. Drop your email below to subscribe to the weekly newsletter!