At noon this Saturday, September 28, ACT@ Furness, join members of the community in celebrating diversity in the arts at the Helen Kate Furness Free Library in Wallingford. Musical groups from the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, an open mic for community members, art on display, and a Shakespearean twist on Star Wars await your enjoyment.
Swarthmore Presbyterian Church (SPC) hosts its 41st annual Fall Fair on Saturday, October 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Celebrating fall with Swarthmore and the broader community since 1978, the event has become known for its bonanza bargains on everything from antiques and jewelry, to flea market treasures, handbags, toys and sports equipment, pumpkins and mums, furniture and a wide selection of books.
The community is invited to a free showing of the 2015 movie 1971 at the Swarthmore United Methodist Church on Friday, October 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Weird Delco? You could write a book – at least if you were Matt Lake, who has explored our beloved but decidedly weird county along with the rest of the state for his book Weird Pennsylvania. He’s got tales to tell about our part of the commonwealth in his talk at Swarthmore Public Library on Wednesday, October 2, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Curious about the outlook for new technologies in the new era of data heralded by the rollout of 5G communications? You’ll want to be in Chester on Wednesday, October 2, when Widener University and the Oskin Leadership Institute present a keynote address by Widener alumnus Terry Halvorsen on Leading in the 4th Industrial Revolution; Data Explosion and the Expected Impact of 5G.
Two leading local elder law attorneys will address pertinent topics in talks on successive days at the Schoolhouse Center in Folsom, including Linda Anderson of Anderson Elder Law in Media, who will discuss living wills and advance directives in “Which is Good, Better, or Best.”
At its Monday night meeting this week, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board authorized the hiring of Mary Figura as WSSD’s its first-ever assistant to the superintendent for management services. Superintendent Dr. Lisa Palmer said that compared to similar school districts, Wallingford-Swarthmore has had a “lean administrative team.” Figura is currently director of curriculum, instruction and technology in the Pine Grove (Schuylkill County) School District.
Last month, friends, family members and friends of the Swarthmore United Methodist Church celebrated one of its most faithful and venerable parishioners, Alma Trevethick, on the occasion of her one hundredth birthday.
Candidates for Delaware County Council have agreed-upon dates for three debates in October.
Barbara Park’s bestselling books form the basis of Junie B. Jones the Musical, which will be performed at the Players Club of Swarthmore from October 5-13.
The Swarthmore Recreation Association invites you to a fundraiser with an emphasis on fun, from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 5.
Autumn is the perfect time to dig, divide, and add peonies in your garden. On Sunday, October 6, from 1 to 4 p.m., the Mid-Atlantic Peony Society will host a “Dig and Divide” demonstration at Scott Arboretum, sharing techniques for propagating and improving the health of these perennial beauties.
What’s that mega-amphibian outside the entrance to the Swarthmore Public Library? It’s the latest work of whimsical discovery by Swarthmorean and amateur paleontologist Eric Schaff, who says he has reconstructed an ancient giant frog. He emerged from his lab/workshop to discuss the creature.
In the coming week, Delaware County will become a festive carousel of art and artists, and on Saturday, Swarthmore will be its hub. The Fine Arts and Craft Festival, presented by the Community Arts Center, returns to Swarthmore for its fifth consecutive year this Saturday, September 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. It’s one of the first events in the first-ever Delco Arts Week, which involves more than 50 events and exhibitions across the County through Sept. 29.
It’s interesting how things can come full circle. My goal as a skater was to earn a place on Team USA, whose members travel internationally. I achieved that back in 2001, and my partner and I were assigned competitions in Japan and the Czech Republic. Then, right before we were to leave to compete, the tragedy of 9/11 occurred, and the U.S. skating federation felt it was safer to keep the younger athletes home for that year. And one of the greatest rewards yet came a couple months ago, when I was selected to be a PT for the very first Junior Grand Prix skating event, to be held on our home turf in the iconic Olympic Village of Lake Placid, N.Y. I was thrilled to once again be named as a member of Team USA!
Swarthmorean Summer Travel Series
By Emma Phibbs, PT, DPT
As of August 2020, the Swarthmore Community Center, over the decades a locus of arts and exercise classes, after-school clubs and teenage dances, party rentals and fundraising events, will cease to host any of these activities in the space it has occupied for the past 47 years.
Andrea Hemmenway studied the music of Greece at a seminar on the island of Crete. A gifted musician with an inquisitive mind, she absorbed musical inspiration from everywhere, but was perhaps especially influenced by the Greek tradition which was part of her ethnic heritage, said her mother, Diana Sophocles Hemmenway, On Friday night, September 27, that music will ring out in the sanctuary of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, as the Pharos Ensemble — a vocal and instrumental quartet — and pianist Konstantinos Papadakis come to Swarthmore to perform in a concert celebrating Andi’s life, five years after her passing.
The coming week brings a rich array of musical performances to Swarthmore College and its community, beginning Friday, September 20, with the chamber ensemble Music from China. It all wraps up on Thursday September 26, when former Russian political prisoner Nadya Tolokonnikova brings the feminist punk collective and rock band Pussy Riot to Swarthmore.
Pennsylvania 26th District State Senator Tim Kearney and his chief of staff Sara McCullough recently met with The Swarthmorean to review results achieved during Kearney’s first eight months in office, and to discuss the political life of a first year senator as a member of the minority (Democratic) party.
Wallingford Swarthmore Community Classes is now accepting registrations for the Fall 2019 semester, which begins October 3. In addition to the popular health and fitness offerings, such as yoga, meditation, balance, zumba, pilates, kickboxing, and line dancing, this season brings an intriguing array of new subjects awaiting discovery.
