What To Do: Christmas celebrations kick into high gear

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The Coatesville Christmas Parade The Coatesville Christmas Parade is a cherished area holiday tradition. The event, which is Chester County’s largest hometown parade, will be held on December 7 in downtown Coatesville. The festive annual parade (http://coatesvillechristmasparade.com) will get underway at 10 a.m. with Strode Avenue and Lincoln Highway...

What To Do: Holiday season kicks into high gear with celebrations in Kennett, Downingtown

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Holiday Light Parade in Kennett The holiday season will officially arrive in Kennett Square on November 29 when Downtown Kennett Square hosts the town’s annual Holiday Light Parade (Downtown Kennett Square, 610-444-8188, www.historickennettsquare.com). Festivities begin at 6 p.m. with dance performances by Longwood Dance Studio and the parade scheduled...

What To Do: It’s Summer and the strawberries are ripe

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times 47th Annual Strawberry Festival Summer has arrived – unofficially last weekend and officially three weeks from now. The weather is warm, school is almost done for the year and municipal and private pools are open. Another sure sign is the arrival of the annual Brandywine Health Foundation’s Strawberry Festival.

Mixed Media: Celebrating our local holiday art traditions

By Caroline Roosevelt, Columnist, The Times Welcome back from wherever Thanksgiving took you for the last week. For me, I ventured to Charleston, South Carolina to visit family and enjoy the temperate weather, brightly colored colonial buildings, and the smell of salty sea air. It was a lovely respite, but I welcome the return to the Brandywine Valley and our beautiful holiday traditions. Perhaps you’ll...

What To Do: Longwood’s fountains, parades, Devon Horse Show and so much more

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Longwood Gardens Memorial Day Weekend is a time for weekend getaways, barbecues and traditional events. It is also a great time to visit Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org). The biggest attraction at Longwood right now is the Festival of Fountains, which is running now through September 30. With fountains that jet...

What To Do: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times The March to Valley Forge The Christmas season is in full swing. The holiday spirit is in the air, traffic around malls and shopping centers is almost impassable and Christmas events are everywhere. Over the next week or so, you can head in any direction and find a holiday event to attend — and maybe even a few events that are not holiday-related. On December...

Art Watch: Reflections throughout the Brandywine Valley

Editor’s Note: Our regular Art Watch Columnist, Lele Galer is taking a well-deserved week off. Filling in for her this week is Caroline Roosevelt, a Chester County resident and experienced arts writer. Lele will return next week. By Caroline Roosevelt, Special To The Times Laura Ducceschi’s ‘The Pier’ at the Wayne Art Center as part of Reflections Through The Lens The Chester...

What To Do: Hello, Summer, Memorial Day fun opens season

Longwood Gardens By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Memorial Day Weekend is a time for mini-vacations, barbecues and traditional events. Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) will have an eagerly-anticipated special event this weekend. “Summer of Spectacle” will open on May 27 and run through September 30.

What To Do: Off to the races at Willowdale

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the Brandywine Valley is known for being horse country – an area famous for top-flight equestrian events. The 2017 equestrian season is already underway with a big annual point-to-point event last weekend in Delaware and this weekend’s Annual Willowdale Steeplechase (Steeplechase grounds, routes 82 and 926, Unionville,...

Art Watch: From discovery to sublime

By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times The big art weekend event this week is 68th Annual Chadds Ford Art Show, held at Chadds Ford Elementary School this Friday, March 24 from 7-10pm and Saturday March 25 from 10am-4pm. The Friday opening is for adults only, and is always a very fun party with donated delicious appetizers served by students and staff on cleverly made palette trays.