All tagged 2020/12
Rereading articles from this past January and February is like peering through the wrong end of a telescope into a lost world. Here’s a review of what we were doing and thinking about in 2020, as it showed up in the pages (and website) of this newspaper — both BC (Before COVID) and AD (After Distancing). Free to read and share
Ohev Shalom synagogue in Wallingford celebrates its hundredth anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the congregation commissioned a vibrant new ark curtain from Indian-American-Jewish artist Siona Benjamin. The symbol-rich curtain tells the story of the prophet Joseph, an outsider who overcame oppression. This connects to the synagogue’s efforts at “tikkun olam,” repairing the world. Free to read and share
In a sometimes fiery meeting that lasted over three hours, Swarthmore Borough Council voted on Monday not to raise taxes in 2021. The vote was 6 to 1. The most contentious part of the meeting was a report on the increasing nuisance of bicycles in the business district. Business owners have complained that cyclists are riding down the Park Avenue sidewalk with little regard for pedestrians and leaving their bikes obstructing the sidewalk. Free to read and share
Mark Tyson, who teaches ceramics at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, works ground-up stone, sand, and iron from blacksmith scale and old hand warmers into the clay. “Irregularities make the clay surface more interesting,” he says. Much of the ceramic art Mark Tyson is offering was fired at the center’s new wood-burning kiln. Tyson is one of over 40 vendors who will be participating in this year’s annual Community Arts Center and Potters Guild Handcrafted Holiday Sale, running from December 4 through 12. The number of vendors is reduced this year as a COVID-19 safety precaution. But shoppers who preregister for 1-hour slots will still be able to buy locally crafted jewelry, home decor, clothing, and wooden items. And, of course, ceramic art. Free to read and share
Linton Stables, President of the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association, was awarded the 2020 Swarthmore Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award. He got involved in community work when he was living in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood in the 1990s, but his is involvement in Swarthmore came about more accidentally. This is a story of how his community contributions evolved, and his affinity for fundraising, which he calls “telling a story that shows you what the opportunities are for you to be generous.” Free to read and share
