Greenville & Hockessin Life Summer/Fall 2016

Summer/Fall 2016

Magazine

Do the Dew: A new brewery opens in Yorklyn Page 62

Inside • Local businesswoman teaches that 'Cooking's Cool' • World War II veteran pens book • Hiking Hockessin, Greenville and Centreville Complimentary Copy

Consider your to-do list... done!

PARTS | SERVICE | SALES Atlantic Tractor of Newark 2688 Pulaski Hwy (Rt. 40) Newark, DE 19702

(302) 834-0114

4

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

www.atjd.net

Because every story is better with a glass of wine.

SPECIALS All Specials valid until 9/30/16

Summer Wine Deals: Hazana Rioja 92pts WA - Reg $11.99..............................$9.98 Man Vintners Sauv. Blanc 90pts WA - Reg $8.99............$7.48 Wolftrap Red 88pts V - Reg $9.99....................................$7.98 La Tremenda Monastrell 91pts WA - Reg $11.99............$9.98 Tilia Malbec 90pts WA - Reg $9.99...................................$7.98 Caparzo Sangiovese 90pts JS - Reg $10.99....................$8.48 Lafage Cote d'Est Blanc 90pts WA - Reg $12.99..........$10.98 Lafage Tessellae Carignane 92pts WA - Reg $14.99...$11.48 Kris Pinot Grigio Reg $11.99...........................................$9.98

Summer Beer Deals: Heineken/Light Loose Bottles Reg $29.99.................$25.99 Lagunitas IPA 12pk Bottles Reg $18.99......................$15.99 Lagunitas IPA Case Bottles Reg $34.99......................$29.99

Buy 1+ case of mix and match non-sale 750ml wine and receive

Buy 2+ case of mix and match non-sale 750ml wine and receive

Buy 3+ case of mix and match non-sale 750ml wine and receive

17%OFF 19%OFF 21%OFF Cannot be combined Cannot be combined Cannot be combined with any other promotions. with any other promotions. with any other promotions.

Offer expires 9/30/16.

Offer expires 9/30/16.

Offer expires 9/30/16.

Prices ending in 8 do not qualify for additional discounts.

Follow us on Facebook for weekly special offers and wine tastings.

302-239-4973 633 Yorklyn Rd., Hockessin, DE 19707

www.hockessinwine.com

Greenville & Hockessin Life Summer/Fall 2016

Table of Contents

8

36

42

8

Experiencing trails of all kinds around the region

20

Teaching kids that ‘cooking’s cool’

28

World War II veteran pens book

36

The gift of well-chosen words

42

Ronald McDonald House of Delaware celebrates 25th anniversary

58

Q & A with Shan Haq

62

Dew Point, the neighborhood brewery

72

Letterboxing, the Victorian treasure hunt

78

Photo essay: Hiking in Greenville, Hockessin, and Centreville

84

Walking through an age of innovation

88

...Open the doors and there’s all the people

62

84 Cover design by Tricia Hoadley Cover photograph by Jie Deng 6

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Greenville & Hockessin Life Letter from the Editor: Welcome to the summer-fall issue of Greenville & Hockessin Life.

In this issue, we have collected stories on a wide variety of topics, ranging from a World War II veteran who has written a book, to the opening of a new business in Yorklyn, to the celebration of a special anniversary by a nonprofit organization, to a look at the hiking and biking opportunities in the area.

After years of planning, the Hoffman family of Hockessin have put their talents together to create the Dew Point Brewery, renovating an historic building in the Garrett Snuff Mill in Yorklyn.

We look at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. During that time, the organization has served more than 40,000 families.

The Greenvillle and Hockessin communities offer many recreational opportunities. In this issue, we feature a story about the Wilmington Trail Club’s activities.

Meanwhile, the photo essay looks at hiking opportunities in Hockessin, Greenville and Centreville.

The subject of the Q&A is Shan Haq, an avid runner who is preparing for his medical boards. We talked to Haq about his passion for running and his career.

We introduce you to Cindy Sardo, whose “Cooking’s Cool” kits and curriculum bring healthy dining habits to children across our region – and just might inspire some future chefs. We also meet poet Jill Kimmelman, who carefully crafts poems that celebrate the little things in life and take on some serious issues as well. We also examine a new collection of patent models that are on display at Hagley Museum & Library. The detailed models are from an era when American innovation spanned the practical and the ridiculous.

Our writers and photographers always enjoy the opportunity to meet and talk with the people who help make the community such a wonderful place to live and work, and we hope that you enjoy the stories in this issue as much as we enjoyed preparing them. We also look forward to bringing you another edition of Greenville & Hockessin Life in the winter of 2016.

Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher, randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor, editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, ext. 13

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

7

———|Greenville & Hockessin recreation|———

Wilmington Trail Club:

Courtesy photo

The Wilmington Trail Club supported the construction of the Tri-State Marker Trail in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Experiencing trails of all kinds around the region 8

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

By Carla Lucas Correspondent

O

n any given day, people are meeting and enjoying the outdoors, whether for a short hike in Brandywine Creek State Park, a paddle around Lum’s Pond, a bike ride along the farm roads in lower New Castle County, or a 16-mile hike along Horseshoe Trail. This is all possible because they are members of the Wilmington Trail Club (WTC).

WTC was started in 1939 by a small group of outdoor enthusiasts from Wilmington who organized a few hikes each year in the New Castle County area. Today, on just about every day of the year, the 800 members of the Wilmington Trail Club have the option to participate in one of the organization’s sponsored activities. All these activities are planned by the members themselves, and open to all members.

Some of the many events are open to the general public as well.

“Participating in any of Wilmington Trail Club’s activities is a great way to exercise, get outdoors and do it with other people,” says Gary Kirk, spokesman for WTC. “It is a great way to learn about new trails and to meet people with similar interests.”

Kirk became involved with the group many years ago, when he purchased a kayak and was interested in finding someone to paddle with. The salespeople at the L.L. Bean store on the Wilmington waterfront introduced him to WTC. He attended a few kayaking events, but found the organization’s hikes drew his interest more, and today he hikes two to three days a week on WTC-led hikes.

Photo by Carla Lucas

At the beginning of each hike, the group forms a circle. The group leader talks about the hike and all in the group introduce themselves.

When nature cooperates, groups go snowshoeing on local trails, such as the Brandywine Creek.

Continued on Page 10

A bike group out for a ride. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

9

Wilmington Trail Club Continued from Page 9

Members volunteer as Group Leaders to scout and plan a route, and then lead the event. Locations can be anywhere, near or far. Events could be a four-mile hike at a local park in the tri-state area, multi-day backpacking trips along the Appalachian Trail, or week-long crosscountry skiing trips in upstate New York, Pennsylvania or Vermont.

Hiking trips seems to be the most plentiful and popular activities. Each Wednesday, there’s a choice of two: An eight-to-10-mile hike, or a 12-to-15-mile hike. Each Thursday is a three-to-fivemile morning hike. Saturdays usually have at least two hikes planned. Half-day Sunday hikes are on the schedule, too.

The more popular locations are Brandywine Creek State Park, Fair Hill Natural Resources Area, White Clay

10

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photo

Hike Across Delaware participants along the C&D Canal.

Creek State Park and Preserve, Cheslen Preserve, Northern Delaware Greenway, Anson B. Nixon Park, Peacedale Preserve, and Auburn Heights Preserve.

The second Saturday of each month features a shorter New Members Hike. This is a great introduction to WTC and gives new members a chance to get their questions answered and meet a few of the current members before joining. These hikes are posted on the Public Monthly Calendar on the website.

On Tuesdays from April through November, WTC sponsors a bike ride. The scenic rides are on paved roads, usually a 25-mile loop with a stop for lunch somewhere.

Continued on Page 12

Courtesy photo

Refreshments are great after a long WTC hike.

Professional Handyman Services Professional | Respectful | Reliable | Affordable

GREENVILLE & HOCKESSIN LIFE SPECIALS

Comfort Height Toilets Grab Bars www.kennetthandyman.com 302-213-3235

AARP

10% OFF

Limited time offer. Call for details.

Veterans

10% OFF

Limited time offer. Call for details.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

11

Wilmington Trail Club Continued from Page 11

Delaware routes include Delaware’s Amish Country and Middletown to the Sassafrass River. Examples of Maryland routes are loops from Chesapeake City or a Millington Farm Country ride. Popular rides in New Jersey are the Fort Mott Ride and the Ride of the Seven Wawas.

Scenic rides in Pennsylvania include the “Witness Ride” in Amish country and the Landenberg to Lewisville Ride.

WTC’s kayaking events span calm lake and river paddles and thrilling trips down Class III and IV whitewater. To ensure the safety of everyone involved, WTC offers training for new members that is mandatory in order to participate in any of the organization’s paddling trips each spring.

Once trained, members are welcome to attend all scheduled club paddles – some

Courtesy photos

When it is too cold for outside kayaking, the group hones their skills or teaches newcomers in an indoor pool.

Kayaking along a calm river.

Photo by Carla Lucas

Continued on Page 14

T L

A late fall hike along the White Clay Creek.

MOVING SERVICES, LLC

C

610-268-3243 A Personalized and Friendly Service Specializing in House and Retirement Home Moves

Coordinating and Managing Moves Since 1984!

If you’re planning a local or long distance move, across town or across the country, then do what smart senior citizens and other residents have done for years and call TLC Moving Services, LLC at 610-268-3243.

These professionals will pack your items with the utmost care, arrange to have them moved by a reliable moving company, then unpack them and place them in your new home where you desire. If you are downsizing, they can help you arrange a sale of your goods or assist you in donating to the charity of your choice.

Once out of your old home, they can clean-up and make repairs so the house is ready for the new owners, or to be put on the market.

If moving is in your plans, then your first move is to call TLC Moving Services, LLC. Put these professionals to work for you and call Caen Stroud at 610-268-3243.

CaenStroud@msn.com 12

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

www.tlcmovingservicesllc.com

Wilmington Trail Club Continued from Page 12

just day trips and others multi-day adventures. WTC even offers low-cost rentals of equipment needed for kayaking.

One of WTC’s premier events is the annual Hike Across Delaware, held on the first Saturday in November. This hike follows the C&D Canal. Those who finish the hike can boast they walked across an entire state in one day.

As a supported one-way hike, participants park at the end of the hike and are bused to the start. Along the way there are rest stations with snacks, and lunch is provided. For those who cannot make the entire hike, transportation to the end point (and your vehicle) is provided. All participants get a T-shirt to commemorate their accomplishment. With new sections of trails now open, plans are in Continued on Page 16

14

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photo

Great times along the ski trails.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

15

Wilmington Trail Club Continued from Page 14

the works for this year to hike from Chesapeake City, Md., to the end of the trail at the mouth of the Delaware River -- about 17 miles total.

Each April, the End-to-End hike, a 36-mile, one-day supported hike along the Brandywine Trail, is another event planned by WTC. It starts in Ludwig’s Corner in Continued on Page 18

Photo by Carla Lucas

WTC leads a series of public hikes on National Trails Day each year.

16

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

17

Wilmington Trail Club Continued from Page 16

Pennsylvania, and ends at Brandywine Creek State Park in Delaware. For some, the goal is not just to finish, but to win the annual trophy for fastest male or fastest female.

Only those who hike the trail (not run it) can take home the trophy. An average of 130 people start the hike each year, and between 75 and 90 of them finish. The average finishing time is about nine to 10 hours. The End-to-End challenge attracts hikers from across the country who want the challenge of this long hike in one day.

The scope of WTC has grown over the years to include preservation of the region’s natural resources. The organization has adopted a section of the Appalachian Trail to maintain. It advocates for recreational resources throughout the region and supports the creation of new trails. WTC members can be seen hiking with clippers on local trails to keep them in tip-top shape.

Photo by Carla Lucas

A heron spotted in the trees on a hike in White Clay Creek State Park.

18

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

WTC is just as much about the trails as it is about the people you meet while on the trails. Many lifelong friendships, even a few marriages, have started from a WTC event.

For 75 years, the organization has attracted people who want to enjoy the outdoors. Today they fulfill their mission with every event: “To provide opportunities for members to enjoy outdoor recreation and to promote and support the protection and restoration of places of natural beauty and interest.”

More information can be found on WTC’s website, www.wilmingtontrailclub.org. From the “Hiking” tab on the left, click on “Public Hikes” to see upcoming opportunities. You can also find them on Facebook (search for Wilmington Trail Club).

Call for 2016 Brochure!

Courtesy photo

Great times along the ski trails.

The Station Gallery Fine Art & Custom Framing

*Reservations suggested.

Back Burner Dinner Train July 14 at 7:00pm Christmas in July July 16 at 12:30pm & 2:30pm Wild West Robbery July 31 at 12:30pm & 3:00pm Hunter’s Den Dinner Train August 9 at 7:00pm

Kirk McBride “Worth Getting Up For” 24 x 30 oil Showing the region’s most exciting original art in changing monthly exhibits.

www.wwrr.com

3922 Kennett Pike, Greenville, Delaware

Greenbank Station • 2201 Newport Gap Pike • Wilmington, DE 19808

302.654.8638 stationgallery.net www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

19

———|Greenville & Hockessin Business|———

Teaching kids that ‘Cooking’s Cool’

Photo by John Chambless

Cindy Sardo developed her ‘Cooking’s Cool’ program for young chefs and brings it to Delaware schools.

20

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Cindy Sardo has built a career out of teaching healthy recipes and fostering family fun

By John Chambless Staff Writer

W

hen Cindy Sardo was a little girl, growing up in north Wilmington, she and her four sisters “were always smelling bread baking, and soup simmering on the stove. Our mom and dad were great home chefs,” she said during an interview at her home. “We were all taught to love cooking, and we all helped out in the kitchen. And we always sat down for dinner together.”

Those simple memories have sustained Sardo through her adult life, and inspired her as she developed “Cooking’s Cool,” a set of books, cooking kits and lessons that aim to make cooking a favorite part of everyone’s life.

Sardo, who was an elementary school teacher in the Brandywine School District before becoming a full-time mom, has three daughters of her own. Her youngest, Sarah, has developmental disabilities and struggled with feeding issues. “She was only eating Continued on Page 22

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

21

Cooking’s Cool Continued from Page 21

tan foods, for instance,” Sardo recalled, “so it became a game for us to eat different colored foods. That’s when I discovered the Eating A Rainbow concept, which is not my idea, but we have a rainbow hanging on our fridge,” she added.

One day in 2007, Sardo was watching “The Rachael Ray Show” and heard about Ray’s non-profit, Yum-o!, that has a goal of improving nutrition and reducing childhood obesity. “That inspired me to begin writing my books,” Sardo said.

“Cooking’s Cool” centers on the lively instructor Mrs. Sheff, who starts each day by asking, “What are we cooking today?” The book contains recipes for dishes that kids can help make – and enjoy eating. The book naturally led to boxed sets that contain everything needed for a fun cooking experience – kid-sized tools, a chef’s bandana, recipes, shopping lists and tote, and even a Spotify playlist of food-related songs that can be played in the kitchen while you’re working.

“I never imagined myself being a children’s author,” Sardo said, smiling, but the engaging book illustrations by Penny Webber and the clear, well-designed text are irresistible.

“Everybody asks me if I’m Mrs. Sheff,” Sardo said.

“But actually, I’m not!”

Reaching out to her target audience, Sardo initially volunteered at the schools attended by her daughters. As a teacher, she can handle a gym full of bouncy third-graders and keep them focused on cooking. “Now, I go into public, private and Catholic schools in Delaware.

I’ve been doing that since 2009,” Sardo said.

“Sometimes the school lets me use Courtesy photo

Cooking demonstrations are hands-on, with children helping as much as possible.

22

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Iron Bridge Farm

Antiques and Collectibles 3 floors (3,000 sq ft) of Quality, reasonably priced antiques, primitives, vintage and country collectibles located at:

2953 Appleton Rd Fair Hill, Elkton, MD 21921 Open Thursday-Sunday 10am-5pm Additional hours every day- please call ahead New items frequently Courtesy photo

Sardo works with schools to teach children about healthy cooking.

their kitchen,” she said, “and sometimes we have to bring everything in – burners, ovens, the whole thing. I teach the recipes and kids get to taste what we make. A lot of the kids are surprised that they like it. But when they see their peers enjoying it, it inspires them.”

All the dishes in the “Cooking’s Cool” books are healthy, but fun. “We make things like rainbow wraps, alphabet soup, and roasted vegetable quesadillas,” Sardo said. The emphasis is always on fresh ingredients.

“I think that with the pace of families today, everyone’s busier, and a lot of families rely on the drive-through for dinner,” Sardo said. “And it’s cheaper, believe it or not, to just buy fast food.

People today just don’t know how to cook. Even some of my friends,” she added, laughing, “don’t prepare their own meals.”

Children not only don’t make the connection between animals on the farm and the meat we eat, but they don’t know how fruits and vegetables grow.

Continued on Page 24

410-398-0954 or 267-250-8155 Find us on facebook @ Iron Bridge Farm www.IRONBRIDGEFARMANTIQUES.COM Email: IronBridgeFarm@yahoo.com

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

23

Cooking’s Cool Continued from Page 23

“I do things like hold up a scallion and describe how it grows – how the roots draw up the water,” Sardo said. “A lot of kids have never tasted a fresh strawberry. Some of them are actually afraid of them.”

Beyond the health benefits of eating fresh foods, the time spent around a family table has been proven to help children grow socially and academically. Meal times are a chance to catch up on everyone’s lives, and for too many families, that time is non-existent.

“In our family, we all eat together, probably five nights a week,” Sardo said. Her daughters are now 12, 14 and 16, so schedules are getting busier, but table time is still a priority.

When Sardo does the school programs, she said boys are as eager as girls to get involved. The old adage about cooking being for girls has faded away, she said. “Some of the boys want to be on ‘Chopped Junior,’ Sardo said of the popular Food Network cooking show. “There’s a good mix of girls and boys who take part.”

Sardo demonstrates food prep with real knives and

24

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

kitchen tools, and the children use plastic versions or pizza cutters to lend a hand. She does family classes at the Hockessin PAL Center. The six- to eight-week sessions cover many of her fun, delicious recipes.

“Once a year, we do ‘Bandanas for a Cause’ at the PAL Center or a local school, and we bring the meal to the Emmanuel Dining Room,” Sardo said of the shelter in Wilmington. “We did things like a six-foot hoagie, and vegetable macaroni and cheese. The people there just loved it. I’d like to do things like that more often.”

There was a field trip to a restaurant where chefs explained how they work, and helped the families make pizzas and vegetable kabobs.

In Sardo’s Cooking’s Cool Collection, customers can buy meals themed by color and by season. “In the yellow kit, for instance,” Sardo said, opening up the box, “We feature three recipes and shopping lists featuring yellow foods, with a yellow wooden spoon, a chef’s hat, and there’s a playlist of yellow-themed songs, along with a Continued on Page 26

Courtesy photo

The ‘Cooking’s Cool’ kits contain everything needed to prepare a healthy meal – and have fun doing it.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

25

Cooking’s Cool Continued from Page 24

book with a story and activities.”

Sardo works online with a graphic designer for the visual part of the products, but she handles all the boxing and mailing herself from her home. “I do take off summers to spend time with my kids,” she said. “I do so much food shopping to make sure everything’s ready for the classes during the school year. I handle the shipping of the kits during the day. I have a whole play room stacked full of boxes.”

Stores can order the “Cooking’s Cool” kits for resale, and Sardo’s business is becoming known nationwide. “The kits are a great way for me to reach a broader audience beyond Delaware,” she said.

There’s a commercial for “Cooking’s Cool” that was filmed with Sardo in her own kitchen, and her e-commerce website offers everything a customer could want.

Sardo is already booked for next year’s school appearances, she said. “A lot of wellness communities in schools invite me because it fits right in with their goals of improving eating habits,” she said.

“My whole goal is that I just want kids and their families to realize that cooking and eating healthy is cool. That’s why I call it that – it sounds like cooking school. Kids love the recipes. They’re all observing how the recipe begins and ends -- and then they get to taste.”

For more information, visit www.cookingscool.com.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

26

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

27

———|Greenville & Hockessin History|———

World War II veteran pens book Hockessin resident John Harrison has published a book about World War II with more than 300 photographs focusing on the effort in the South Atlantic Photo by Steven Hoffman

John Harrison, a resident of Hockessin, has penned a book called “Fairwing Brazil: Tales of the South Atlantic in WWII.” He is also currently working on a book about the history of Yorklyn.

28

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photo

Pictured are nineteen pilots of FAB 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron.

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

J

Courtesy photo

Harrison enlisted a month after graduation.

ohn Harrison graduated from high school in June of 1942, and the next month he enlisted to serve in the U.S. Navy.

The 91-year-old Hockessin resident has penned a book looking back on World War II called “Fairwing Brazil: Tales of the South Atlantic in WWII.� He spent ten years working on the project, which is an illustrated account of U.S. Navy operations in World War II. The 392-page book includes approximately 300 photographs, many of which were taken by Harrison when he was assigned to serve as a photographer during his service in Brazil with Fleet Air Wing 16, the aviation component of the U.S. Fourth Fleet.

Continued on Page 30

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

29

John Harrison Continued from Page 29

“The reason that I started this book is that I had this wooden box filled with photo negatives,” he explained during an interview in June. “I put a photo lab in my basement, and I started to make some prints. I would send the prints out to some of my friends. They are the ones who told me that I should write this story.”

Harrison possesses a razor-sharp memory of not just his time in the military, but of growing up in Yorklyn.

He was born in 1924 to Thomas and Ella Harrison. The Great Depression took hold of the country during his childhood, but Harrison has fond memories of growing up in a small Delaware town. Yorklyn only had about 300 or so citizens, and probably twice as many workers at the local mills back then. By the time Harrison was ten or eleven, he was working on a nearby farm, especially at harvest time, which was hard work. He remembers when a new school was built in Yorklyn and it immediately became the center of the community. His mother was active with the PTA, and his father served on the school board.

“All the teachers would be at our house for dinner at least once a school year,” Harrison said.

By the time his senior year in high school rolled around, the United States was mobilizing for its entry into World War II. His older brother, Bill, had joined the Navy in late 1940, and was scheduled to leave the Naval Base in San Diego to go to base in Hawaii on Dec. 10, 1941.

Harrison remembers the events of Dec. 7, 1941 very well. He had turned 17 just three weeks earlier. He was shooting baskets in the backyard when his mother called him to listen to the important announcement about the Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The family knew that Bill

Courtesy photo

The book contains approximately 300 photographs, including wartime activities.

30

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photos

Harrison remarked at how much some of the personnel changed in appearance during just a few years in their time of service. Billie Goodell is pictured in 1941 and again in 1943.

was still safe in San Diego, but it was still a very scary time—and the United States was at war.

Harrison enlisted in July of 1942. After boot camp, he was sent to a naval air station at Quonset Point, Rhode Island to serve as an apprentice in the photo laboratory there. He remembers the assignments during the first winter when he would be flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

It was so cold that, no matter how many layers of clothing he wore, it was still freezing cold. During the fall of 1942, he started flying as a lookout in PBY patrol planes escorting convoys in the North Atlantic on their way to Britain or Russia.

In June of 1943, he was transferred to Brazil for his service with the Fleet Air 16, the aviation component of the U.S. Fourth Fleet, which was headquartered in Recife, Brazil under the command of Admiral Jonas H. Ingram.

Harrison said that the commentary in the book focuses primarily on the events that took place in and of the coast of the northeastern Brazilian cities of Natal, Fortaleza, Recife, and the southeastern city of Rio de Janeiro.

The objective of the Fourth Fleet, according to Harrison, was to secure the strategically important Atlantic Narrows between Natal, Brazil and the Freetown-Accra portion of Africa. The Fourth Fleet’s duty was to destroy Axis Power submarines and blockade runners who were moving essential war materials. The Fourth Fleet also wanted to stop the sinking of Brazilian and other Allied merchant ships. The Mediterranean Sea was hazardous for allied shipping, so the South Atlantic narrows was strategically critical.

Continued on Page 32

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

31

John Harrison Continued from Page 31

Harrison was able to use his photography skills to document and preserve the wartime activities in the area. One of his favorite photos in the book is of seven VP-83 pilots and a crewman in a tent city in Natal.

“I have a lot of pictures of the airplane crews,” he explained.

He also has photos of what Brazil looked like in the 1940s, as well as images of the residents of the area.

The book includes some modern photographs of cities in Brazil placed adjacent to photographs from the 1940s to illustrate how they have changed. Natal, for instance, had about 50,000 residents in the 1940s. Today, the population is more than one million people. Harrison said that he has friends and acquaintances who helped him by taking the modern photographs of some of the areas in Brazil.

The book also includes reflections on the war and subsequent events. There have been many books and movies about World War II, but, according to Harrison, there has

not been an abundance of sources taking a look at the conflict in the South Atlantic. He said that the contributions of Brazilians have been overlooked.

“A lot of people don‘t realize how close we came to losing that war,” Harrison explained. He said that there were several developments—Italy delayed its invasion of Russia, Hitler interfered with his generals, and Germany pulled its troops away from Moscow at a time when they were about to take control of the city—that proved to be pivotal.

After serving in the military, Harrison went on to enjoy a 35-year career with Hercules. He worked for the company in the U.S. as well as in Europe. He worked on a chemical engineering pilot program. He was hired by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to write a process design manual. He and his wife, Doris, shared 67 years of marriage and raised four children.

Writing the book and compiling the photographs was Continued on Page 34

McLimans Furniture Warehouse

“McLimans is neat, well-organized and filled with fabulous deals. You can back up a truck and literally fill it up with great furniture!”

-Philadelphia Magazine

Established 1976

Spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional & physical education for the “whole child.”

Early childhood education provides the transition from the home to a school atmosphere.

Classes for 2s, 3s, & Pre-K 9am to noon Before Care 8-9am | After Care 12-2pm

7200 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707 For information call Karen Rombach at

302-239-7100 Ext.34 email: eep@stmaryoftheassumption.com

www.stmaryseep.org

32

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

• Gently Used Name Brands: Ethan Allen, Thomasville, Etc. • Older Reproductions Circa 1910-1960’s • Fine New Antique Reproductions • Handmade In USA-farm Tables/chairs • See The Value! See The Savings!

• Browse Our Website For Partial Inventory

13,000 SQ. FT. OF QUALITY FURNITURE 610.444.3876 • 940 W. Cypress Street, Kennett Square www.mclimans.com

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Harrison was assigned to serve as a photographer during his service in Brazil with Fleet Air Wing 16, the aviation component of the U.S. Fourth Fleet.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

33

John Harrison Continued from Page 32

a labor of love for Harrison. He started to write the book in 2001 and worked on it until about 2011. He first published soft cover copies of the book, and when the supply ran out he worked with Schiffer Publishing in Atglen, Pa. to publish hard cover copies of the book. Harrison was very pleased when Schiffer Publishing officials told him that his book was so good that they didn’t have to change anything about it for the hard cover edition.

Harrison is already hard at work on another book. He is writing a history of Yorklyn, his hometown. He has a presentation about the history of Yorklyn planned at Auburn Heights in November. He said that the history of Yorklyn, and how it was shaped by the industries that were there, is similar to what other towns have experienced.

“What has happened in Yorklyn is similar to what has happened in other towns,” he said. “I‘m looking forward to completing the book on Yorklyn.”

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@ chestercounty.com.

For more information about “Fairwing-Brazil: Tales of the South Atlantic” or to order copies of the book, visit www.wwiibrazil.com or email johnharrison24@gmail. com. Copies can also be ordered through Schiffer Publishing at www.schifferbooks.com.

Meat Market

Quality BUTCHER SHOP & DELI

Serving Hockessin since 1980 • Prepared Meats • All Natural Chicken • Catering Specialties • Marinated Items • Certified Angus Western Beef • Boar’s Head Gourmet Deli Meats • Honey Glazed Sliced Ham • Homemade Sausage • Homemade Prepared Salads • Fresh Roasted Beef & Turkey

302-239-2529 Shoppes of Hockessin MC/VISA/WSFS 34

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Rt. 41 — Lancaster Pike M-F 8:30-6 • Sat 8-4:30

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

35

————|Greenville & Hockessin Arts|————

The gift of well-chosen words

Poet Jill Kimmelman writes about the exceptional and the everyday

Photo by John Chambless

Jill Kimmelman has been a reader and writer since she was 4 years old.

36

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Martini (Is she real or a dream?)

Morning

By John Chambless Staff Writer

W

hen Jill Kimmelman was just 4 years old, there was really no doubt that she would become a writer.

“I was a voracious reader as a young kid. I was reading at the age of 4,” Kimmelman said recently at the longtime home of her mother and stepfather in Greenville.

Growing up on a sprawling farm in New Jersey with her parents, cousins and grandparents in close proximity, Kimmelman would sometimes stay at her grandparents’ house. “I would sleep over at their house and I would have a pencil in my hand, and my little notebook. My grandmother would say, ‘I cannot let you sleep with the pencil.’ And I’d say, ‘No! What if I wake up and have something to write down?’”

Kimmelman said, laughing. “I did the ‘Harriet the Spy’ thing, hide behind the sofa and listen to conversations, and I wrote them down and printed a little newspaper and sold it to my family.”

Kimmelman performed plays and directed her cousins in performances for her family.

She excelled in school as part of a program for independent learners. “We got to read and learn about things that weren’t going to come along in regular school for years to come,” she recalled.

“We were reading ‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘The Odyssey,’ and learning about caribou in Alaska, that kind of stuff.”

Later, at Moorestown High School, Kimmelman was the editor of the school newspaper, and wrote for the school’s literary magazine. All along, she kept a journal and wrote poems when she could.

She went to Douglas, the women’s college of Rutgers University, and majored in women’s studies. “It was American studies and literature.

I had dreams of being a writer. I had always thought that I would probably go to law school,” Continued on Page 38

his desk was overflowing displaced files heaving stacks of mail the product of an overworked fax machine and everywhere pink pages of unanswered messages what to do with all these papers now that her heady scent was everywhere?

There was barely room for one martini glass deep blue with three olives on a crystal stick He had never known such a powerful thirst words like slake and slay danced in his head confusing him mocking his efforts to offer himself to her It was quite clear she did not need his help she had climbed atop his desk and here she sat last night’s laughing tender darling little whore shredding the satin ribbons of her dancing shoes and twirling the beads of amber and topaz that decorated her chest

Perhaps if he squinted he might see her better was she fair or dark? a sleek cap of auburn hair and green green eyes He thought her lovely a pose of something distant like a wish...

She had not existed before the first martini he drank the third martini from her shoe draining every precious drop of gin while chanting her name over and over whispering reverently the song of his new mantra What must he look like so early on this the morning of his longest night?

He said her name again and again it was a sing-song tonic that made him cry out He must find a way to keep her all to himself he could write his name across her thigh scribble a bit of a heart behind her knee cover her in an avalanche of pink papers or keep her hidden beneath his desk Now he wonders what shall he do? how should he begin one more time?

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

37

Jill Kimmelman Continued from Page 37

she said. “My dad thought that I’d be a great lawyer.”

She transferred to hotel school at Widener University because she loved pulling together all the details of a catered event. “It was the first year that they were doing this program,” she said. “It was based on the program that Cornell had.”

She married a man who worked as an executive chef, and eventually founded her own business, Catering By Jill, based in Richmond, Va. “We’d make desserts in my apartment,” she said. “I had an extra refrigerator in my guest room. We started out selling desserts to restaurants, and grew into a very trendy, upscale company. I got to do a lot of really fun theme parties. I loved it.”

Her writing took a back seat to her catering career, and Kimmelman had a son when she was 28. After a divorce, she found a job as the assistant to the owner of a Chicago caterer who handled events attended by Princess Diana, among many others; and she also worked as a food stylist and upscale craft services provider for movie shoots, including “My Best Friend’s Wedding” with Julia Roberts.

Sidelined by illness, Kimmelman found that writing kept

38

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

calling her back. Since the 1990s, she has been honing her craft, turning out carefully constructed poems on subjects as diverse as rape, the 2012 school shootings in Newtown, Conn., and simple slice-of-life works that have a deep resonance.

“They pretty much run the gamut. I try to be diverse,” she said. “I have an illness that results in chronic pain, but I don’t define myself as a patient. I think I’ve written one poem, at someone’s request, about what it’s like to live with pain. But I really don’t focus on that.

“People think it’s cool to be a writer, but they don’t know how hard it is,” she said. “It’s like when I was a caterer and running things smoothly. People didn’t realize what went into planning a ‘Great Gatsby’ party, complete with a yellow Rolls-Royce. I had a blast when I was doing food. I miss it. Maybe that’s why, every once in a while, you’ll see food appear in one of my poems.”

In one of her favorite works, “Dancing in the Kitchen,” Kimmelman gets to the heart of a longtime relationship with a few well-chosen details. “It’s based on a real couple, although when I wrote it, I didn’t know that,” she said. “When I finished it, after 28 hours, I realized it was about longtime friends of my parents.”

Kimmelman is often on Fanstory. com, a site where writers offer their works and trade advice on writing and revising. “It gets you to build your confidence, because it’s for critique. It’s not about ‘Oh, what a lovely poem,’ it’s about honest feedback. It’s extremely helpful,” she said.

The life of a poet is not a lucrative one, Kimmelman admitted. “I’ve got a rejection letter from The Atlantic.

But then, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Emily Dickinson got rejected by The Atlantic, so I’m in good company,” she said with a grin.

“I got a phone call once from somebody at The New Yorker who said they were an associate editor. She said, ‘I just want to tell you that your poem, ‘I Am Your Daughter,’ isn’t like anything I’ve ever read, and I’m Continued on Page 40

December 14, 2012 (Today We Grieve As One Family) A Prayer For Mothers and Fathers Where will they turn our nation of heartbroken souls?

Who will come to heal the parents of these children?

What prayers and even individual words can we offer to help heal hearts that are already etched with forever pain?

Tears fall today and for a thousand tomorrows One day one hour at a time a thing impossible to imagine here and now...

Safiya Davis is a UD alumna and a graduate of the Project Management Certificate.

There will be a memory of an impish grin on the face of a red-haired charmer in a pink dress or the image of a devilish smile in the green eyes of a seven year old squirming on Santa’s lap Ten thousand more memory pictures will some day in a distant future overflow our hearts and minds and then we will find that we can pause in our grief to celebrate the gift of every single one of our children

Join us to learn how UD certificates can help you build your career!

INFORMATION SESSION

Thursday, July 21 • 6–8 pm Arsht Hall, 2700 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington Call 302-831-7600 (reservations requested) FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE CERTIFICATES:

Advanced Telehealth Coordinator Analytics: Optimizing Big Data | Business Analysis Clinical Trials Management | Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Management Essentials for Engineers and Scientists

UD is for you!

Upgrade your credentials • Change careers Acquire practical new skills

Paralegal | Project Management | Senior Fitness Specialist Social Media Marketing Strategy

302-831-7600 • continuing-ed@udel.edu www.pcs.udel.edu/certificate

GL070616

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

39

Jill Kimmelman Continued from Page 39

going to encourage the magazine to accept it. But I’m leaving, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to help you.’”

Kimmelman and her fiance, Tim, have just built a website (www.jillspoetry.com) as an online home for her works. “I still write almost daily,” she said. “It is a commitment. I have an old, original iPad from 2010, and it’s dying, but it still lets me write.”

Her working process is precise, because “each word is like a jewel,” she said. “You have to place each word, and not have an extra word. In many ways, it’s about the economy of the language. I’m not an artist, but I draw images for people with words.”

Kimmelman points to her poem “Martini” as “my yardstick for the longest time. I knew when I wrote it that it was so different from anything I’d ever written. It stays as one of my favorites.”

She also singled out “Rapscallion’s Gifts” as a favorite.

“It’s about someone who never had a childhood. I wanted to show somebody how to give that childhood back, by digging into mine,” she said. “So there are references

40

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

such as Easy Bake Ovens and toys that kids don’t play with anymore. I’ve written some sensual poems, too, and I’ll read to my mom, and she says, ‘That’s enough. I get the idea,’” Kimmelman said, laughing.

In the case of “December 14, 2012,” about the Connecticut school shootings, “it wasn’t about how I felt about it,” she said. “It was about how we can help. I had to write it. What was important was saying, as a nation, that we need to help these people for as long as they need that help. And someday they’re going to get to a point where they’re strong enough to have these memories and survive.”

The pull of the creative urge is a familiar feeling, she said. “When I need to write something, it’s almost like and ESP kind of thing where you’re shaking inside, you may not sleep for a night or so,” she said. “You know that something needs to come out, but you can’t make it happen any faster. Then you sit down and it happens, and there you are. It’s done, in its own time. And then you’re fine.”

For more information, visit www.jillspoetry.com.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

Dancing In The Kitchen (Sixty years together) They dance in the kitchen like movie stars from 1939 With her eyes closed, she imagines herself to be this man’s siren all heady scents, fiery hair and throaty whispers She could be a star of the silver screen Alabaster wrists and swan neck flashing emeralds and rubies The whisper of her caresses delivered by hands in long satin gloves With his eyes shut he could be the UPS man Twenty five years old in summer shorts flashing a devil of a smile His lips deliver a commanding brush of sea-deep kisses that rock her

from her toes to her cerebellum and back again...

There is music A solo saxophone drifting in through the open windows soul-stirring on a cool and scented breeze Icy cocktails are produced As smooth as slipping skin he removes her gloves allowing her fingers to graze the rim of her frosted glass, pluck a briny glistening olive, and place it between his teeth...

It’s a shabby room scuffed up floors, a patched screen door

and counter-tops in avocado green He washes... she dries that’s the way it’s always been Sweet tea and ice cold beer to toast another perfect sunset As if he arranged it all just for her pleasure, his face crinkles with that funny lopsided smile she knows so well He fiddles with an old black radio Slow sweet jazz fills the kitchen spilling into every corner Crossing the room he takes her hand Sixty years of Saturday nights still dancing in the kitchen

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

41

———————|In the Spotlight|———————

Courtesy photo

The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware has helped more than 42,000 families through the years.

Ronald McDonald House of Delaware celebrates 25 years of helping families

Courtesy photo

Pam Cornforth, the president and CEO of the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, has been the leader of the organization for 17 years.

42

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

T

he Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, an organization that has already served as a silver lining to more than 42,000 families in need, is celebrating its silver anniversary this year. During those 25 years, the Ronald McDonald House has been a home away from home to families of seriously or chronically ill or injured children who are seeking treatment at area hospitals.

Pam Cornforth, the president and CEO of the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, said during an interview in June that each one of the 42,000 families has represented a special chapter in the organization’s ever-growing story of help and hope. There are many heartwarming stories about how the staff and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House have provided comfort to a family or made a connection with one of the children.

One such story: In 2006, a family from Chile sought care for their eight-year-old child at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. The family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House periodically through the years as the boy sought the specialized medical treatment. Eventually, the family settled in the area. The boy is now 18, and doing very well.

He recently graduated from high school, and Cornforth was invited to the graduation celebration.

“That‘s just one of many stories,” she explained.

While Cornforth joined the Continued on Page 44

Courtesy photo

The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware staff is very dedicated to the mission of serving families.

Courtesy photo

Delaware legislators present board chairman Paul Kempinski and president and CEO Pam Cornforth with a proclamation in celebration of the House’s 25th Anniversary in 2016. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

43

Ronald McDonald House Continued from Page 43

organization about 17 years ago, first as the executive director and then as the CEO and president, she was volunteering to support the Ronald Donald House of Delaware even before it officially opened. As a mother of three herself, Cornforth said she feels very strongly about helping those families who have sick or injured children.

“I believe in that commitment of helping families,” she said. “The families are all so special.”

Cornforth said that the reputation of Ronald McDonald House Charities and its more than 350 chapters has grown to the point where the presence of a Ronald McDonald House factors into the decisionmaking process for families who are deciding where to have their children treated. The organization has earned widespread praise for the services that it provides to families in need.

“The Ronald McDonald House has a history of serving families in need and our story is one of growth and change over these 25 years,” Cornforth explained.

When the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware first opened in June of 1991, it had 17 guest rooms. That number has now increased to 50 guest rooms as needs have increased. Each family that checks into the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware has a private guest room with a private bath, a telephone with voicemail, and a television. The house

44

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photos

The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware has served about 42,000 families who have been seeking specialized medical treatment at local hospitals.

is also equipped with three computers with high-speed Internet, a fitness center, four different playrooms, including a teen room, a kitchen, library, and outside playgrounds.

Some of the rooms are wheelchair-accessible.

“We also operate three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in pediatric units where families can rest, gather strength, and find some comfort during very difficult times,” Cornforth explained.

The families who stay at the Ronald McDonald House of

Courtesy photos

Many families have stayed at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware during its first 25 years.

Continued on Page 46

CHATEAU BU-DE Bohemia Manor Farm Winery & Vineyard

Tasting Room Hours Wed, & Thurs 2p-7:30p Fri, Sat, & Sun 11a-7:30p Call or email to schedule events & weddings Located on the Bohemia River & Scenic Byway 213 The original site of Augustine Herrman’s Historical Bohemia Manor

410-885-2500 | 237 Bohemia Manor Farm Lane Chesapeake City, MD 21915 | www.chateaubude.com www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

45

Ronald McDonald House Continued from Page 45

Delaware have children who are being cared for by Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and the Christiana Care Health System. The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware has opened its doors to families from all over the world during the first 25 years, but a significant number of families do live in Delaware. According to Cornforth, approximately 36 percent of the families who stay at the house are from Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware.

The staff and volunteers do everything they can to make the families feel like they are at home. One of the most important programs that the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware offers is a meal program for the families.

“We have a saying that food is love,” Cornforth explained. “We work with different volunteer groups and civic organizations Continued on Page 48

46

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photo

Volunteers sorting and stocking the pantry.

July 22–30, 2016

Rt. 213 & 273, Fair Hill, MD 410-392-3440 www.cecilcountyfair.org SPONSORED BY

Ronald McDonald House Continued from Page 46

to make sure that a hot meal is prepared in the evening for families, and we do that 365 days a year.”

There are other programs aimed at making sure that families are comfortable during their stays.

For example, they provide guests with transportation—there are vans available so that guests can go back and forth to the hospital to see their children or run the errands that they need to run.

When the guests are in the house, every effort is made to make them feel like they are at home.

“Every single night,” Cornforth explained, “we have a family activity planned—that allows the families to relax a little bit.”

One new thing that the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware has added is a Good News Bell—families get to ring the bell in celebration whenever they receive good news, such as if their child came off a respirator, finished the last

Complete Landscape Service Design - Construction - Installation Master Plans/General Site Development New Installations - Renovations Foundation Plantings - Screening - Raised Beds Entry Spaces - Streambank Restoration Outdoor Rooms - Hardscape - Specialty Gardens

Hockessin, Delaware 19707

302.239.9229 www.irwinlandscaping.com 48

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photo

Members of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority host a craft activity for children.

chemotherapy treatment, or is going home.

The staff will gather around and cheer when the good news is announced.

A staff of 14 people run the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware.

“I have a great team,” Cornforth explained.

“My staff is very capable, and they work very hard.”

She emphasized that the organization is very reliant on volunteers to do its work. There is a roster of approximately 410 volunteers who help out various capacities. Individuals from Delaware and southern Chester County offer their services on their own, but large corporations and civic organizations also work with the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware to line up volunteers. There are four volunteers assigned to each shift to ensure that there are enough people on hand at any time to meet the needs of guests.

“We have a reliable group of volunteers,” Cornforth explained.

Courtesy photo

Volunteers perform many duties for the organization. This is a van driver who drives families on local errands.

Continued on Page 50

®

Y

CLOTHING - JEWELRY - ACCESSORIES

mykonospa.com

610-558-8000 Glen Eagle Square Glen Mills, PA

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

49

Ronald McDonald House Continued from Page 49

The financial support from the local community has been important as well.

Cornforth explained that the organization must raise about $2 million annually. A small amount of that comes directly from the families who stay at the Ronald McDonald House. There is a suggested donation of $15 per night, although no family is ever turned away based on the ability to pay. It costs about $72 a night per room to operate the house, so it takes quite a bit of work just to make up that difference.

Each house raises funds in a variety of ways, including special events, a major gifts program, an annual fund campaign, planned giving, direct mail campaigns and more. Cornforth explained that the owners of McDonald’s franchises always help out considerably. Other businesses, foundations, and non-profit organizations also provide assistance, as does the United Way of Delaware. Because each Continued on Page 52

50

Courtesy photo

A group of volunteers preparing a meal for families. A hot meal is served at dinner 365 days a year.

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Roger C. Summers Lawn Care “26 Years of Doing it the Right Way” Tree Removal Tree Pruning

Firewood

Snow Removal

Spring Clean-Up • Stump Removal

Call for estimate 302-234-8725 or 610-388-0832

www.RogerSummersLawnCare.com

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

51

Ronald McDonald House Continued from Page 50

Ronald McDonald House chapter is operated locally, all the funding that is raised locally stays to support the effort in Delaware.

“Every dollar we raise here, stays here,” she said.

The Ronald McDonald House has a strong partnership with Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and Christiana Care. The organization’s board of directors is required to have one-fourth of its board come from the medical field. Paul Kempinski, the president of Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children is the current chairman of the board of directors.

“I really can‘t say enough about our board of directors,” Cornforth said. “They are so engaged. They are very important to our success. Every year, we hold a dinner for our volunteers, and the board of directors will prepare a meal and serve it to the volunteers.”

Continued on Page 54

Courtesy photo

Volunteers serving dinner to families.

Did you know...

Delaware’s #1 Roofer is also your best gutter choice.

(302) 654-2783 www.hurlockroofing.com

An Exclusive Installer of

Residential Roof Experts • Seamless Gutters • Gutter Cleanings • MasterShield™ Gutter Protection •

FREenE

writt estimates

52

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED FOR OVER 60 YEARS

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

53

Ronald McDonald House Continued from Page 52

All the volunteers and contributors are helping to meet an important need in the community. The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware has about an 85 percent occupancy rate, just one illustration of the level of need.

Cornforth added that they receive many positive comments from families thanking them for their help during a difficult time. For the last six or seven years, a survey has also been distributed to parents. The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware routinely scores 4.9 out of 5 on these ratings.

The 25th anniversary is a good time to celebrate the good work. There are a number of events planned to celebrate the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware’s silver anniversary. There was a family birthday party in June, a brick pathway campaign is underway, and a gala event is slated for October at the Hotel du Pont. Cornforth said that it’s a time to celebrate the contributions of everyone who supports the mission of helping families in need.

“It‘s pretty exciting,” Cornforth said. “The Ronald McDonald House is truly grateful to the thousands of friends and partners, including hundreds of volunteers who have made our first 25 years such a tremendous success. It takes everyone working together for that success.”

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty. com.

54

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

How to help There are many ways to support the Ronald McDonald House financially. For information about how to help, contact Barbara Loeslein, development director, at 302-428-5331.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

55

Kennett Square

56

c

c

Visit Historic Kennett Square Pennsylvania

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Kennett Square

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

57

————|Greenville & Hockessin Q&A|————

Q & A

with Shan Haq

Shan Haq is an avid runner who logs a lot of miles running with the Pike Creek Valley Running Club and several other groups. When he is not running, Haq is preparing for his medical boards and hopes to apply for a residency next year. Taking a break from his studies, Shan shared his passion for his favorite sport.

Where were you born and how long have you lived in Delaware?

I was born in Luzerne, Pennsylvania and I have lived in Greenville since I was two.

What is your age, are you single or married, and do you have children?

I’m 34, single, and no children.

What type of runner are you?

I’ve raced distances from 3.1 miles all the way to 31 miles, from flat roads to the unforgiving rocky and technical trails up Bear Mountain in New York. I guess I’m a club runner.

I started running as I was completing my clinical clerkships in different cities. I’ve studied at Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore, St. Elizabeth’s in Washington D.C., spent a year doing elective rotations at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, and did some research credits in Boston. Moving around so much was rough. Running helped me relax and quickly find my way around a new city. I really got into it when I joined Prospect Park Track Club in Brooklyn.

Suddenly, I had 200 or more friends to run with. I began run-commuting to the hospital on some days.

Where is the most interesting place you have run?

New York! When I was doing my infectious disease rotation at Interfaith Medical Center, it was summer and the only way to get in a decent run, and to the hospital on time, was to start at 4 a.m. At that hour, it is like running in a deserted city. You can run the Brooklyn Bridge without getting whacked by a tourist’s selfie stick. I would get lost all the time so I had to take my cell phone, and would end up losing 15 minutes by taking Instagram photos of everything.

There is so much to look at. And if you get tired you can hop on the subway and get back with no problem.

You said you are a club runner. Can you explain what that means?

There are tons of groups to train with. Pike Creek Valley 58

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

All photos provided by Shan Haq

“Sometimes you have to accept that there is going to be some pain and suffering, that it’s going to be terrible for the next 10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour,” Haq explained.

Running Club, Coach Fischer’s track workouts on Tuesdays at St. Marks, Runner’s High near Brandywine Creek State Park, and Delaware Running Club on Thursdays meeting at Tower Hill, to name a few. I run alone much of the time, but I’m happier and more consistent when I get in runs with groups. That’s why I’d say I’m a club runner.

How did you become interested in medicine as a career?

Let me tell you about a great man named Dr. Thomas Scott.

I met him in 1992. Working with a team in conjunction with St. Francis Hospital, he would drive a van into the city of Wilmington and give vaccinations to children, see patients, give medicine, everything. This van was a full-service mobile doctor’s office. He was delivering medical care to people who are homeless, poor and uninsured. It was powerful stuff seeing patients who didn’t normally trust doctors come see this man.

What type of medicine do you plan to practice and where?

Family medicine. I’d like to practice in Delaware, or Brooklyn. Totally different places, but I have love for them both.

Do you prefer to run short or long distances?

It’s all relative, short and long. I’ve even run shortish long runs! I guess I like longer runs lasting a little over an hour, since most of my runs are slower and I need that long to get the proper physiological stimulus for good training.

Have you run marathons?

Yes. I ran my first marathon in May 2014 - the Delaware Marathon. It was on a whim. My whole family was there for me at the finish line. I remember tearing up crossing the finish line. I didn’t expect to see them there. Maybe that’s why I like running so much— it’s linked to that memory, like hard-wired real solid in my brain. I finished in 4 hours and 52 minutes, and it was the proudest race of my life.

Since then, I’ve trained consistently and gotten faster. My next marathon was seven months later in November of 2014.

I ran it in 3 hours and 5 minutes, beating my previous race race starts— it’s usually a peanut butter covered bagel, and by over an hour and a half. It was pretty nuts. I trained using I’ll drink 20 ounces of fluid—a fifty-fifty mix of Gatorade and Phil Maffetone’s methods. They appealed to me because I water. I have a black coffee, use the bathroom, pin on my bib was studying medicine, and he really got into the physiology and then go to the race. of training, so I believed in it.

What hobbies or interests do you have that are not related What was your most difficult race? to running?

My first marathon, in Delaware in 2014. I was wearing I enjoy climbing, drawing and comic books. really light and improper shoes for the distance and my What sports did you play before you started running? calves were destroyed. I was knackered and My favorite sports in high school were suffering from the heat. In many ways, runsoccer and lacrosse. I was a good lacrosse ning a marathon as a slower athlete is harder player, but terrible at soccer. Before getting because you are spending so much time on into running I was lifting weights. It was your feet. I got passed by a visibly pregnant pretty terrible. For some reason I believed lady wearing a shirt that said something that if I could join the 1000-pound club I’d about “Running for Two” and I felt inspired. be something special. So I followed a 5x5 If she could do this, so could I. It was an lifting program, and did my squats, deadlifts, immensely satisfying race to complete. There rows, bench-press, and overhead presses. I is something to Emil Zapotek’s quote, “If you got up to 860 lbs total, and YouTubed the want to win something, run 100 meters. If video. My neck became so thickly muscled I you want to experience something, run a developed sleep apnea from the surrounding marathon.” structures collapsing my glottis. I had a neck Shan Haq runs the last few miles of like a bulldog! I looked like a Ninja Turtle.

What is your normal diet?

I am desperately trying to wean myself 2015 New York City Marathon.

How do you physically recover from a long off of Diet Coke! I eat like a savage. I was distance race? humiliated by a resident for eating too much pizza in the You know, it’s weird! I needed more recovery time after the cafeteria when I lived in Baltimore. I don’t eat swine. I like Brooklyn Half-Marathon (13.1miles) than I did for the Dirty chocolate-covered almonds and black coffee. I eat steamed German 50k (31miles). I recover fairly quickly; I ran North vegetables smothered in Frank’s Hot Sauce. My diet is fairly Face Endurance Challenge Ultra Marathon 50k (31miles), well balanced, otherwise. I haven’t had to watch my diet ran a 5k the next day, the 2016 Delaware Marathon a week since 2014. later, then the Dirty German 50k a week after that, and Do you follow a training or workout schedule? finally the Brooklyn Half-Marathon. It wasn’t planned, just I follow some simple guidelines to structure my training worked out that way. I joined Marathon Maniacs after that. weeks. Usually, for 70 to 80 miles of running, 80 percent What benefits do you get from running? of it is easy. Easy really means easy! My friend Jennie in I like how calm and centered running makes me. Before Brooklyn always teases me for lagging behind her when run- I discovered running, I was an anxious person. A friend ning in Prospect Park. She thinks I do it to make her feel fast I met through Prospect Park Track Club recently moved (she IS fast) but the truth is I like to train slowly. I get passed to Chicago. I remember a month before she moved, she by mommy-joggers pushing strollers in the park. Aside remarked, “I’m not really worried about making new friends. from easy runs, I have one workout at the track with Coach All I have to do is join a running club!” She’s right. It is funny Fischer, and then a long run on the weekend. If I haven’t run how an activity that we all universally do and enjoy can feel enough hard miles, I’ll do a tempo run on Thursday. so personal. Maybe that’s why running brings people closer On the day before a race, do you do anything special as in friendships. I’ve never met a runner I didn’t like. far as food, sleep, exercise?

Any advice for new runners?

The day before a goal race (last year’s was New York City Run more miles. Run them slower than you think you need Marathon for me) I try to slow down my movements as much to. Meet with a friend or group twice a week for a social run. as possible. I know it sounds weird, but trust me I’ll even try Do you have a favorite author/book? to blink slowly. It helps me stay calm. I’ll put my phone on My mom! (Author Hina Haq) She published “Sadika’s ‘do not disturb’ mode and watch “Gladiator” or some other Way.” She’s the best! movie that lets me turn off my brain. I drink Miso soup and What cause are you passionate about? eat lots of sushi, and try to spend as little time on my feet There’s a lot of noise and social media—it’s a busy elecas possible. I’ll avoid hyper or anxious people for the day. tronic landscape. I wish there was more kindness and Surprisingly, I think very little about the race itself. authenticity in the world. It’s something my best friend What is your race day routine? Any superstitions? summed up for me a year ago, “Ask yourself before you do Continued on Page 60 I wake up so that I can eat a meal three hours before the www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

59

Shan Haq Continued from Page 59

or say something, ‘Is it kind?’” That’s a cause I’ll get behind.

Who has helped you become the runner you are today?

I am so grateful for the following people: My friends in Prospect Park Track Club in Brooklyn, in particular Johnny Nuzzela, Mahesh Bailakanavar, and Jennie Matz. Stacey Haddock Schiller, Director of Delaware Marathon and leader of Pike Creek Valley Running Club. Coach Fischer and his track workouts at St. Marks.

Chris Scarpitti’s Delaware’s Runner’s High near Brandywine Creek State Park. John Honorkamp, who leads track workouts on Tuesdays at Red Hook, and the considerate residents of Greenville. A thousand thank you’s for the times you have given me room when I’m running on route 52, Owl’s Nest Road, and the back country roads near Hoopes Reservoir.

Some of you will even cross the double yellow to give me room. Thank you all sincerely.

What is your next running challenge?

I’m running the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9. I am hoping to break my previous marathon personal record of 2:53:38.

That would feel great! I would love to win a race. I never got to bust through the tape. It looks so triumphant. I would

60

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

love to do that.

At the Brooklyn Half Marathon, I slipped off my flat and spiked that shoe like a football after I finished. I bet busting through the tape feels an order of magnitude better. I can see it possibly Courtesy Photo happening for me Shan Haq with VP Joe Biden at the 2016 Beau on a good day at Biden Memorial 10k. a small local race in Wilmington.

Do you have a favorite quote?

Robert Frost’s “And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.”

You can see Shan Haq’s full race history at https:// www.athlinks.com/athletes/180654050 and follow Shan on STRAVA (running website) at http://www.strava.com/ athletes/3116358

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

61

———|Greenville & Hockessin Business|———

Dew Point, the new neighborhood brewery Photo by Jie Deng

The original door to the building was redone, and proudly displays the corporate logo.

62

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

At the Dew Point Brewing Company in Yorklyn, it’s a family business, and the Hoffman family -- with brew master Cody at the helm -- is about to open what will become a surefire destination for the entire community

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

T

he Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, located on Senate Street in South Carolina, boasts that it has more than 200 beers from around the world on its menu, and has become a required visit for those who are drawn to such names as Blanche De Bruyelles, Hummingbird Water, Left Hand Hard Wired, and something called Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar.

For many years, it has been a favorite haunt for students at the University of South Carolina, and when Alexa Hoffman of Hockessin was a student there from 2005 to 2009, she and her college friends would occasionally stop by the Flying Saucer for pint nights. Her father John, she thought, would love this place, given that he was already Continued on Page 64

Photo by Jie Deng

The team at the Dew Point Brewing Company, from left: Fran Hoffman, Alexa Hoffman, Nick Matarese, John Hoffman, Georgiana Hoffman and Cody Hoffman. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

63

Dew Point Continued from Page 63

well ahead of the curve on the whole home brewing fad, messing around the kitchen stove attempting to perfect a batch or two. After all, he was a chemist, so he loved the art of creating variations on the theme, and sometimes, his teenage son Cody would peek over his father’s shoulder, admiring what was happening.

On Christmas morning in 2008, Alexa received a home brewing kit as a gift, and within weeks, what was originally her gift became a shared one. At the age of 16, under the supervision of his father, Cody prepared his first batch of beer with the kit, and that was all he needed to chart the course of his life. By the time he graduated from high school two years later, he began a pursuit that has become his passion, and one that will soon be shared by the entire Hoffman family: the Dew Point Brewing Company, located in the historic Garrett Snuff Mill in Yorklyn, which is scheduled to open in the middle of July.

Before all of this begins; before the doors of the area’s newest brewery and tasting room swing open to welcome the entire community; before anyone gets to enjoy the Belgian-inspired beers that Cody will bring to everyone’s

64

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

taste buds, it is important to understand how this family business went from mere kitchen experimentation to a full-fledged reality.

It began with the 18-year-old Cody Hoffman, unable to climb to the next rung of his dream, and finally, through the assistance of someone who believed in him, getting there.

“I called about 20 different breweries all over Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, and I never heard anything back,” he said. “Finally, Brendan Anderson from Triumph Brewing in New Hope called me back, and gave me the chance to learn how to brew beer.”

Cody spent the next eight months in New Hope, working side-by-side with Anderson, soaking up everything he possibly could. For the first few months, he labored in the less-desirable aspects of brewing, but he realized that in order to be able to become what he wished to be, it was crucial that he know every stage of the business, from the artistry of brewing to pushing a mop around.

“I went from stove top cooking to going right into the Continued on Page 66

Photos by Jie Deng

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

65

Dew Point Continued from Page 64

professional aspect of brewing,” he said. “I spent the first three months scrubbing floors, but anyone who wants to learn to brew beer needs to first do the dirty work. It was very intense in the beginning, but if you want to learn how to be a brewer, you first need to learn that cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

His next stop was at the Twin Lakes Brewing Company in Greenville, and then to brewing school in England, located about 20 miles south of New Castle, where he spent the next eight months. When he got back from England, John sat down with Cody.

“I told Cody that if he ever wanted to open up his own brewery, let’s talk,” John said. “A lot of breweries were beginning to pop up in our area, and I thought it would be a great family business.”

His son said ‘Yes.’ In October 2013, after more than a year of searching for the right location for the brewery and tasting room, John came across a dilapidated building in the Garrett Snuff Mill complex, built in 1901, that served as the repair shop for the mill. With all of its old wood and brick and rustic

66

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

feel, this is where a brewery and tasting room should be, he thought. He peered into the windows of the vacant building. He began to envision the lower floor as where Cody would be; where the brewing tanks would be positioned, and where his son could be in his own element.

“I obviously saw Cody as the brew master, but I looked at the skill set of everyone else in the family, and I thought we had everyone we needed,” he said.

Here was the roster John envisioned: His wife Georgiana, a controller for a non-profit organization, would handle the business side of the operation. Alexa, a Philadelphia resident, would become the brewery’s special events coordinator. His nephew Nick Matarese, the owner of The Barn Collective, a marketing firm in Wilmington, would be able to brand and promote the business. His brother Fran, a custom carpenter and the project manager for Delaware Mill Work in Middletown, would take the rusty bones of this unused building and bring it back to life.

Together with contractors, Fran went about the work with the intention of preserving as much of the historical building as possible. He restored the original door. He

remade the tabletops and bar top in the tasting room out of reclaimed mahogany. He constructed the face of the bar with reclaimed pine. He kept the building’s original ceiling beams while accenting the tasting room with soft lighting.

“Everything, from the reclaimed wood, the restoration of the original structure, and all the way down to the type font for our graphic identity, was done with the goal of matching the look of the brewery and tasting room to the space itself,” Nick said. “We wanted to make it feel as if this brewery had been sitting here for one hundred years.

This building is part of this area’s history, and in no way were we going to diminish that. We wanted to bring a sense of that history to this brewery.”

The name “Dew Point” was one of more than one hundred potential names for the company, but the winning one came to Cody when he was waiting out a rainstorm in the home garage of a friend in Delaware.

“I pulled a can of beer out of the refrigerator in the garage, and instantly, drops of water began dripping off of it,” Cody said. “I thought, ‘That’s the dew point,’ and I

Continued on Page 68

Photo by Jie Deng

A brand new stairwell will lead visitors to the second-floor tasting room. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

67

Dew Point Continued from Page 67

Voted Best of Delaware • New arrivals daily!

Open 7 days • Gift Certificates available

Prada • Chanel • Coach Michael Kors • Givenchy • Louis Vuitton Kate Spade • Tory Burch many more...

Hockessin • 302-239-4034 7185 Lancaster Pike M, T, R, F, & Sa 10a-6p, W 10a-7p . Su 12p-4p

Rehoboth Beach • 302-212-2467 5 North First Street M-F Closed, Sa & Su 11a-4p

www.designerconsignerde.com 68

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

thought that would be a great name for a brewery.”

When the Dew Point Brewing Company officially opens it doors for the first time, visitors to the tasting room will have an opportunity to taste five beers, either through purchasing growlers, or visiting the second-floor tasting room. Eventually, Cody envisions being able to create as many as ten beers-- all inspired by his appreciation for Belgianstyle brewing.

“Making beer is all about science and art, and Germans know the science about beer, and Belgians know the art about making beer,” he said. “The way Germans approach making beer is that everything has to be according to spec, on the exact time frame, whereas for Belgian beer makers, it’s more of a wine-making approach.”

To accompany the brewery, a constantly-changing fraternity of local food trucks will provide a lengthy menu of items. The timing of their opening could not have been more perfectly placed; Dew Point will join the nearby Kennett Brewing Company, the Victory Brewing restaurant and the Creamery in Kennett Square -- as well as the newly-opened Two Stones Pub in Hockessin -- as the newest installments of what has become a local craft brewing phenomenon.

“We’re trying to make the brewery both a place to come by and take home a growler, and a bar area where you can buy a pint at the bar and hang out with us for awhile,” Nick said. “We know that we’re sitting on a place that’s unique, with roots in the historical fabric of this area, and we’re trying to turn it into a destination point, for not only beer aficionados, but their families as well.”

“We are looking to be known as a neighborhood brewery,” John said. “That’s exactly what we want to be, and that’s fine with us.”

The Dew Point Brewing Company is located on 2878 Creek Road in Yorklyn, in the Garrett Snuff Mill complex. Visit them on Facebook at “Dew Point Brewing Co.,” and at www.DewPointBrewing.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@chestercounty.com.

Continued on Page 70

Photo by Jie Deng

Photo by Jie Deng

Just some of the brewing technology that will be used at the Dew Point Brewing Company.

FREE

The taps at the Dew Point Brewing Company will serve visitors, whether they are stopping by for a growlerto-go, or spending time in the tasting room.

CORDLESS ULTRA UPGRADE EXTENDED

FREE UPGRADE Extended to

8/15/16

Blind Factory, Inc. 3316 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington DE 19808 • 302-999-8800 • blindfactoryinc.com www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

69

Two Stones Pub opens in Hockessin!

If you have ever been to the Two Stones Pub locations in Newark, North Wilmington or Kennett Square, you have already gotten to enjoy what owners Mike Stiglitz and Ben Muse had in mind when they first started the franchise several years ago.

It’s the simple combination of great food and great beer – served in a friendly, neighborhood-like setting – that has been the hallmark of the establishment’s success. With that in mind, Stiglitz and Muse took over the former Mike & Nick’s Italian Sports Bar in Lantana Square in Hockessin and, after a huge face-lift, officially opened the doors on their newest location earlier this year.

Although slightly smaller than the three other Two Stones’ locations, the Lantana Square restaurant captures the same signature decor. Guests are welcomed to its ‘L’-shaped bar – constructed from repurposed wood – and get to choose from 20 draft beers and tap, and another 100 varieties in bottled form. Additionally, a handful of 2SP Brewing beers are always available.

Outside, a temperature-controlled, upscale “beer garden,” complete with a wet bar, is perfect for a summer evening with friends, or a private party. Inside, executive chef Sean Howell has created an eclectic – and seasonal – menu of burgers, wings, tacos and bar snacks, as well as off-the-hook items like crispy Garbanzo beans and

70

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

tofu; vegan white bean and quinoa wraps; blackened Norwegian salmon; and Andouille stuffed meatloaf.

“We had a plan from day one for establishing a restaurant in Hockessin,” Stiglitz said. “When we were first planting our ideas, I took a map (of New Castle County and beyond) and put a dot in the middle of it. I drew three concentric circles around and it, and Hockessin was in the middle of two of those circles.”

Stiglitz said that the concept of Two Stones Pub – restaurant first, bar second – is a perfect fit for the demographics of Hockessin, which have drawn a wide swath of the 30-45-age market to the Lantana Square restaurant – from sports fans catching the games on large-screen TVs, to families relaxing over a great meal.

“Our customers in Hockessin demand a high quality of service and food from us, and we enjoy that, because it asks us to reach those standards,” he said. “By asking us to be the best, they make us want to continue to improve who we are.”

For more information about Two Stones Pub’s Lantana Square location, including menus and beer selections, visit www.twostonespub.com, or call 302-239-2200. Two Stones Pub is located at 300 Lantana Drive, in the Lantana Shopping Center, Hockessin.

– Richard L. Gaw

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

71

———|Greenville & Hockessin Outdoors|———

Letterboxing: A modern take on a Victorian treasure hunt Lisa Fieldman Correspondent

I

f you enjoy puzzles, adventure, and treasure hunting, you might want to give letterboxing a try.

You follow clues to the location of a small box, most often hidden in an outdoor location. Some clues are straightforward, while others take expert puzzle-solving skills. Most clues give directions using landmarks; however, others use compass coordinates. Some of the more difficult “Puzzle” boxes even require research just to figure out the clues.

There are letterboxes for all levels of interest. Each box contains a handcrafted rubber stamp and a logbook. The design of the stamp often has a relationship to the clues or the hiding place. For instance, a letterbox titled Dr. Seuss could contain a stamp carved with the image of a Lorax.

In reality, the letterbox titles and clues are usually much more complex, and the artistry shown in many of the stamps is amazing. Letterboxing is quietly addicting, evidenced by the more than 90,000 letterboxes hidden in North America. It’s a good bet there is a letterbox hidden a short walk or drive from your home.

Ready to start letterboxing? The first step is to check out Letterboxing North America (www.letterboxing.org) or Atlas Quest (www.atlasquest.com). Both websites contain everything you need to know about the game, and it is recommended you acquaint yourself with the do’s and don’ts before heading out on your first hunt. The sites are free to use, but you will need to register and give yourself a trail name. Type in your city and state, and you’ll see a list of boxes waiting to be found. Let the hunt begin!

This hobby does not require any specialized or expensive equipment, but to get started you’ll need a personal “signature” stamp, an inkpad, and a logbook. A handcarved stamp is highly recommended and will be appreciated by fellow letterboxers, but store-bought stamps are also used.

Diane Podolski teaches printmaking at the Delaware Art

72

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Photo by L. Fieldman

Letterboxer Emily duPont with her first find.

Photos by L. Fieldman

Hunting letterboxes - could this be a clue?

Sheba’s artistry – her Into the Woods series stamps.

Museum, and taught a stamp-making workshop last winter that included an introduction to letterboxing. Podolski discovered letterboxing when someone approached her booth at an art show asking if she was a “boxer.”

Podolski was unfamiliar with the hobby and asked her to explain.

“I wonder if there is anything hidden in this park?’ she asked the woman. They looked up the location and discovered there were, in fact, hidden boxes. “The next morning, before I opened my booth, I searched and found a box! It was so much fun -- a treasure hunt!

“I enjoy the whole letterboxing process,” she added, “but since I am an outdoors person, I enjoy any activity that involves walking outdoors, especially in the woods. I guess the biggest thrill is the find itself.”

Once you’ve discovered the hidden box, a measure of stealth is recommended. Casually remove it from its hiding spot, keeping an eye out for curious onlookers. Try to move away from the immediate area before opening the box.

Secrecy is a big part of the game!

Inside the letterbox, you will find a stamp and a journal. Using the unique stamp from the box you mark your personal logbook, and in return, you imprint the letterbox journal with your signature stamp. It is considered polite to leave a comment and date in the letterbox journal along with your stamp.

Part of the fun is looking through the found logbook to see who has been there before you, and the dates of the finds.

Some of these boxes have been active for several years and their journals will have many interesting stamps. When you

A letterbox journal stamped by a recent finder.

are finished, securely pack up the box and re-hide it in the same spot. It’s extremely important to leave the area undisturbed to avoid attracting attention to the hiding place.

Many of the boxes are hidden in very public locations and you need to retrieve and replace them without drawing attention to yourself.

Considered the world’s slowest-growing hobby, letterboxing is almost an underground pastime because it does not get a lot of exposure. Interestingly, the participants seem to like it that way.

A letterboxer with the trail name Psychiker explained, “In general, letterboxers have strongly mixed feelings about publicity. To the extent that it brings in good new boxers, publicity is good. To the extent that publicity draws attention from people who want to seek and destroy or remove letterboxes (yes, that happens), publicity is bad.”

Boxes include “muggle cards” which are an explanation of what a letterbox is, and a request for it to be re-hidden if accidentally found.

Sheba is a very active letterboxer from Hockessin. One of her boxes is hidden on the grounds of Hagley Museum and was found by a staff member. “I received an email from a Hagley librarian,” she said, “and I figured it was not going to be good news.”

Surprisingly, the librarian explained she not only re-hid the box, but made necessary repairs to keep the contents dry. She was a good sport who could appreciate the fun of this intriguing game.

Letterboxing had its start in England in 1854, when Continued on Page 74

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

73

State Line Liquors Four Generations Family Owned & Operated. Since 1937.

Ranked #3 Best Beer Retailer in the USA by

See the Events page for Wine Tastings, Beer Tastings, Tap Socials & Special Events

Letterboxing Continued from Page 73

James Perrot left his calling card in a bottle on a moor in Dartmoor, Devon. He included a note requesting that finders also leave their calling cards in the bottle. Others found this amusing and followed his example by hiding their own bottles, and the hobby took off.

In the U.S., letterboxing originated in the Northeast.

Around 1989, the Valley Quest program was created to encourage people to enjoy the heritage and natural beauty of Vermont and New Hampshire. They adopted the quaint game of letterboxing, substituting rubber stamps for calling cards.

That same year, Smithsonian Magazine published an article on letterboxing and the hobby spread throughout the country.

Many boxes are planted in state parks to make them accessible to the public. Depending on the letterbox you choose, your hunt can be a relaxing walk or a rugged hike over difficult terrain. Safety is paramount, so be sure to match your hike to your experience level, and before you set out, let friends know where you’ll be hunting.

Letterboxing provides exercise for your body and your brain. Sheba recalled one of her more exciting hunts on Waterfall Walk at Ricketts Glen Park. “I had to traverse a narrow descent with a sheer drop on one side,” she said.

But the letterbox, once found, was worth the effort, with the

statelineliquors.com/events-tastings

Fine Wines • Liquors • Specialty Beers Gourmet Foods • Cheeses Growler Bar with 25 Taps 1610 Elkton Rd., Elkton, MD 1 (800) 446-WINE 1 (410) 398-3838 statelineliquors.com

Photo by L. Fieldman

Emily duPont stamps her logbook with the found stamp.

74

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Photo by L. Fieldman

Emily retrieves a letterbox from its hiding spot.

bonuses of a great hike and beautiful vistas.

While one of the appeals of letterboxing is the hunt, hiding boxes can be just as much fun. Enthusiasts enjoy finding a location, creating the stamp and clues, then planting the box. Psychiker said, “Once you get into it, you discover that there are boxes everywhere and the world becomes a different place. You start looking at places in terms of where you would hide a box.”

Sheba has planted about 50 boxes and prefers to do themed letterboxes. She created a four box series called “Into the Woods” that is based on the Stephen Sondheim musical. The boxes are all hidden in the area of the Brandywine Creek State Park.

Sheba is admired among letterboxers for her intricate, hand-carved stamps. “For me,” she said, “the stamp encapsulates the experience. I appreciate the artistry.”

For Sheba, letterboxing is all about the moment when you’ve correctly deciphered the clues and have found the hidden treasure.

Continued on Page 76

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

75

Letterboxing Continued from Page 75

“Good clues give you the ‘Ah Ha!’ moment,” she said.

Often, boxes have been hidden in a location long enough that landmarks or terrain shift.

“Pirates didn’t go back and alter their treasure maps,” Sheba explained, “so sometimes you have to really work and take into account that something might have changed or moved.”

On both registry websites, finders can note if a box was found or if an attempt failed. Atlas Quest is more userfriendly and allows finders to comments on boxes. Box owners can be alerted if their letterbox needs attention or certain clues no longer apply.

Planters and finders both benefit from the feedback. Each letterbox has stats that tell you approximate hiking distance and degree of difficulty, as well as other pertinent information. You can also see when it was last found or if the box has gone missing. Boxes are sitting out in nature, so you have to contend with animal and human interference as well as changing landscapes.

On a recent weekend, Sheba hiked out to check her Into the Woods series of boxes. Letterbox owners need to periodically check their boxes to make sure they haven’t been damaged, relocated or removed. In one of her boxes, Sheba found a “hitchhiker,” which is a mini–letterbox that has been left inside a regular letterbox. It contains a small stamp and journal, and travels by moving from box to box.

Looking at this hitchhiker journal, she could see that it originated in Virginia, then migrated north, visiting letterboxes in Roanoke, W.Va., and Gettysburg, Pa. It made a few more stops before showing up in her box in Delaware.

Sheba removed the little wandering box, and after marking the logbook, she will place it in another letterbox at a different location so it can continue its journey.

The letterbox community is close-knit, and gatherings are held so the boxers can meet in person. There are annual convention-type gatherings and small local get-togethers where fellow boxers can exchange stamps and participate in special hunts.

Letterboxing brings together a diverse group of people through a shared love of puzzles and treasure hunting.

There are many boxes hidden in the Wilmington area, and also throughout the state. Letterboxes in our area can be found in Valley Garden Park, Ashland Nature Center, Rockford Park, and Tweeds Park in Hockessin. You can easily make a day of letterboxing, and many boxes are out there just waiting to be discovered.

Sheba has found more than 1,300 letterboxes, and when asked which is her favorite, she smiled and said, “the next one.”

76

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

77

——|Greenville & Hockessin Photo Essay|——

By Carla Lucas Correspondent Tucked among the housing developments, country estates and suburban amenities of Hockessin, Greenville and Centreville are wonderful places to get outdoors, get some exercise and get away from the hustle and bustle of life.

It’s time to take a hike!

Here’s a few places to try.

Hiking Hockessin, Greenville and Centreville “But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.

– John Muir, July 1877

“It is not easy to walk alone in the country without musing upon something.”

– Charles Dickens

“Walking is good for solving problems — it’s like the feet are little psychiatrists.”

– Terri Guillemets

78

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Tweed’s Park Tweed’s Park is a great location for a good walk or run, and a place to clear your mind. It is closest to civilization, but still offers views of the region’s natural world. It has an easy paved trail, less than a mile in length with small gains in elevation; a looping trail that goes from Tweed’s Tavern, by some athletic fields, through woods and meadows, and around the Hockessin Athletic Club; and plentiful parking and no admission fees. The entrance is at the stop light on Valley Road and Fitness Way (Lantana Shopping Center and Hockessin Athletic Club).

Working out along the trail.

The view from the parking lot.

Tweed’s Park is a popular place to walk with your dog.

Bird boxes along the trail.

Bridges make water crossings easy.

Continued on Page 80 www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

79

Photo Essay Continued from Page 79

Valley Garden Park A former country estate, now a City of Wilmington public park, Valley Garden Park brings a unique hiking experience to the region. The name says it all – the garden in the valley of this estate features a series of landscaped cascading waterfalls. The park offers paved trails (about a mile loop) through the formally landscaped areas and unpaved trails through woods and meadows; a map of the trails on the kiosk at the parking lot; significant elevation changes as you go down into the valley and back up its slopes; and a connection to Hobbs Trail (stateowned lands) for additional hiking through woods and meadows. The entrance is on Campbell Road, between Hoopes Reservoir and Route 52. Parking is free and there is no admission fee.

Entering one of the meadows.

In the woods along the unpaved trail, the place is filled with bird songs.

The view from the valley.

80

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Cascading waterfalls in the valley.

Phlox blooming in the woods along Hobbs Trail.

Iris blooming by the waterfalls in the valley.

Ashland Nature Center Ashland Nature Center offers multiple trails on 130 preserved acres of rolling hills of the Piedmont plateau. It is a great place to explore various habitats – from the Red Clay Creek to woods, meadows, and marshes. As headquarters for the Delaware Nature Society, various nature programs are also available at Ashland Nature Center to enhance your hiking experience, including the September Hawk Watch program, and the Butterfly House. At Ashland you can hike the four marked trails with printed guides, learning about the environment as you experience the trails; attend free guided hikes on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and get a good workout by hiking from the flatter creek sections up and over the rolling hills. The entrance is near the intersection of Barley Mill Road and Brackenville Road. Parking is free. Admission is free for Delaware Nature Society members. A $2 donation per adult and $1 donation per child is recommended for non-members.

The Hummingbird Garden outside the Nature Center.

In September, you can sit and watch the hawks fly past on their annual migration. During most years, more than 10,000 birds are seen.

A bird blind along the hiking trail offers the opportunity to watch a wide variety of birds.

The starting point for many of the hikes.

Boardwalks through the marshes let you experience the marsh without getting wet.

Continued on Page 82 www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

81

Photo Essay Continued from Page 81

Auburn Heights Preserve Located in Yorklyn, the trails of Auburn Heights Preserve are segmented into two separate looping trails, but in the near future, these trails will connect with each other via a historic pony truss bridge. When the Auburn Valley master plan is complete, more than six miles of walkable, bikable trails will link Auburn Heights Preserve to Oversee Farm, the NVF site, the Center for Creative Arts and Hockessin’s commercial district. Unique to Auburn Heights, once the trail system is complete, antique automobiles will share the trails with hikers and bikers. Highlights of the current trails are the new Auburn Mill Trail, a one-mile paved loop that travels to the back side of the first paper mill site and along the Red Clay Creek; the Trolley Trail, a flat trail along the mill race of the old paper mill that follows the path of the former trolley line; and the Auburn Valley Trail, a 1.2-mile paved trail through the rolling countryside of Yorklyn.

The parking lot for Auburn Mill Trail is off Yorklyn Road, near the Yorklyn Post Office and the Yorklyn Bridge. The parking lot for other Auburn Preserve trails is off Benge Road. Since this is a Delaware State Park, all parking fees are enforced.

Along the Auburn Valley Trail.

82

Along the new Auburn Mill Trail.

Auburn Heights Preserve trails are marked to show their unique mixed use: Hiking, biking, and antique automobiles.

The Trolley Trail follows the former mill race at the trail’s beginning and goes to the former Yorklyn Trolley stop.

The entrance to Auburn Valley Trail.

A view of the Red Clay Creek from the wooden bridge at Auburn Heights Preserve.

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Oversee Farm (Trails opening soon) Oversee Farm, 123 conserved acres off Snuff Mill Road, will soon be the site of the newest trails to hike or bike in the region. Construction of the parking lot and hiking trails has begun, with this new section of Auburn Heights Preserve expected to open later this year. The trails will wander around the property in a figure eight. Eventually, Oversee Farm will connect to the rest of the Auburn Heights Preserve trail system.

The old farm lanes will be converted to trails as part of the project.

Twin ponds on the farm.

The entrance is through a mature hardwood forest.

Forests line the farm fields. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

83

———|Greenville & Hockessin History|———

Walking through an age of innovation Hagley showcases landmark collection of patent models

By John Chambless Staff Writer

All photos by John Chambless unless otherwise noted.

I

n 1790, when the nation was young and ever-expanding, the Patent Act set up some rules for inventors. In an age of exploration and burgeoning technology, anyone who had a design for something new – or an improvement to an already existing item – could submit a written description, a drawing and a scale model to the U.S. Patent Office.

Inventions were given such prominence that until 1836, every patent issued was personally signed by the President of the United States.

Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington has unveiled a huge addition to their permanent collection – the Rothschild Patent Model Collection of 4,101 models. At a February press conference announcing the gift to the museum, Hagley executive director David A. Cole, Jr. admitted that the staff is somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer scale.

“It’s been an interesting year,” he said, smiling, as he discussed the decade-long association between Ann and Alan Rothschild and Hagley Museum that led to placing the collection in Delaware. Unpacking, cataloguing and conserving the patent models “will take well over a year,” Cole said. “There are 962 boxes of them to go through.”

The models join 849 patent models that Hagley already held, along with the early innovations and patents from the DuPont family.

On display in the Copeland Room of the Hagley Library are 100 of the models, placed behind glass doors. The display will change over time, with newly-catalogued models circulated through the cases. But that’s just the beginning.

“These models will be used to inspire the innovator in everyone,” Cole said.

As a repository for science and innovation, Hagley now has the world’s largest private collection of American patent models. Taken as a whole, the collection is a huge slice of American innovation. The models range from the mundane – napkin holders, boots, fruit baskets, folding chairs and fruit jar covers – to the exotic and ludicrously impractical, like “Improvement in Boats for Duck Shooting,” which was a platform with a decoy swan at each corner, and a

84

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

‘Inventing a Better Mousetrap,’ a book by Alan and Ann Rothschild, accompanies the new Hagley collection.

‘Improvement in Boats for Duck Shooting’ from 1857.

‘Improvement in Cordage Machinery’ from 1852.

Alan Rothschild donated his collection of U.S. Patent models to Hagley and spoke about his passion for collecting them.

pair of pants in the middle that a hunter would step into and float out into a pond. There are also medically dubious “Electro-Galvanic Chairs” from 1878 that gave electric current treatments, and dazzling machines that are as complex as anything produced during the machine age – such as a “Portable Engine” from 1879, a “Velocipede” bike from the same year, and a “Machine for Making Paper Collars” with all of its hundreds of moving metal parts. Everything from a new way to cut boot laces to improving locomotives was brought up by inventors, most of whom never saw their inventions produced.

But the ingenuity of the designs – and the way they speak of an era of steam power and manual labor – make them fascinating. The model of a hand-cranked pulley system for “moving invalids from bed” resembles the systems being used in hospitals today. The “Artificial Sliding Hill” from 1869 was a tower and slide that was to be packed with ice.

An elevator would take people to the top of the tower so they could slide down again and again.

“Most of these inventors did not make it big,” Cole said in his opening remarks. “But the important thing is the spirit behind them. These models are beautifully crafted, and are both working models of inventions and works of art in themselves.”

There was a nationwide industry of model makers who would produce patent models for inventors who lacked the skill or materials to make the models themselves. The approved patent models were displayed in Washington, D.C., and visitors would flock to see them, eager to find out the latest innovations. By 1880, the Patent Office was running out of room to store all the models, and ended Continued on Page 86 www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

85

Patent Models Continued from Page 85

the model requirement. Many inventors still submitted models, however. By 1893, the models were taken out of public view.

Fires in 1836 and 1877 destroyed thousands of them. Others were returned to the descendants of the inventors, and most went up for auction, scattered to collections. The Smithsonian took 3,500 of them for its collection. The models remained curiosities and collector’s items, but largely faded from the public eye.

But enthusiastic collectors such as Alan Rothschild were fascinated by them. Speaking at the press conference, he admitted that he could talk for hours about patent models, but summed up his donation to Hagley by saying that he first saw one of the models in 1994 “and fell in love with them that day. I’m honored and pleased that Hagley is the new home for this collection. It has been Hagley’s mission to keep history alive and foster innovation, and I hope that these models are used as an incentive to spark new innovations.”

Also speaking at the press conference was Elizabeth Dougherty of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, who gave a bit of context. “Over the past 225 years, our office has issued 9 million U.S. Patents,” she said. “Each one represents a mere thought being turned into three-dimensional reality.”

A match-making machine (1878).

The Rothschilds have just published a book, “Inventing a Better Mousetrap,” that will be sold at Hagley. It illustrates the whole collection and gives background on the purpose of the inventions and the people who came up with them. There are also do-it-yourself projects that aspiring inventors can tackle, step by step.

After seeing just a small sampling of the collection, it’s possible to share the boundless optimism

Somethings Unique Furniture & Accessories for your home

Semi Annual Accessories Sale Going On Now!

3834 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE 19807 • 302-426-1950 • www.SomethingsUnique.com Monday through Friday 9:30-6 • Saturday 10-5 • Sunday 12-4 • Closed Sundays July and August

We Work with Designers • Tax-Free Shopping • Design Services Available 86

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photos (3)

‘Paper Cutting Machine’ (1877).

A design for a new type of children’s swing from 1870.

of these early inventors. In the lobby of the Hagley Library are patent documents signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, as well as the very silly 1875 prototype of a Pigeon Starter, a crude wooden cat shape that sprang up when a mechanism was tripped, scaring pigeons into flight so hunters could shoot them. The device was never put into use, because shooters soon turned to clay pigeons as an easier and more humane solution. But it’s intriguing to think just how much work someone put into this invention, and every one of the other models included in the collec-

An 1870 washing machine patent model.

tion. After seeing them, you may just want to go home and do some inventing of your own.

Selected models will be on display in the Copeland Room of the Hagley Library on a permanent basis. The library is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and the second Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 302-658-2400 or visit www.hagley. org.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

Filachecks Christmas in July 33rd Annual

l Starts July 14th l

A Family Name Serving The Public For More Than 64 Years!

ONE OF THE

BIGGEST SALES

SAVE UP TO

OF THE YEAR

70% OFF

STOREWIDE*

FLEXSTEEL • KING HICKORY • TEMPLE • SAM MOORE • ZIMMERMAN • KEYSTONE & MORE!

DON’T LET THIS SALE PASS YOU BY!

*Does not include red tag clearance merchandise. Prior Sales excluded.

Stop in today for more details.

SOFAS • CHAIRS • DINING ROOMS • BEDROOMS • CURIOS • RECLINERS Tues, Wed & Sat 10am - 5pm Thurs & Fri 10am - 8pm Closed Sun & Mon

610.869.3351 • www.filachecksfurniture.com 343 E. Baltimore Pike, West Grove, PA

Major Credit Cards Accepted

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

87

———|Around Greenville & Hockessin|——— A few years ago, members of the Trinity Community Church in Hockessin had a dream to convert the relic of what was Delaware’s first Catholic church into their new home. After some proper planning and prayer, the dream is now underway.

...Open the doors, and there’s all the people Photo by Richard L. Gaw

Steve Trader, head pastor of the Trinity Community Church, in front of what will become the new home of the church on Lancaster Pike.

88

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

S

ince its beginning in 2005, the Trinity Community Church has become one of Hockessin’s most inclusive, kindhearted and increasingly growing group of nomads.

During that time, The Well on Lancaster Pike has served as the official headquarters of the congregation, and on Sundays, they conduct two services at the Wilmington Christian School, but what had originally been the mission of five area couples to bring a community-based place of worship to the people of Hockessin is now developing the happiest problem imaginable. It was running out of room.

Its congregation, which when the church began numbered about 30, had grown to close to 400. Its calendar of student groups, support counseling, outreach programs, coffeehouse concerts, mission trips, and Bible study groups had galvanized the church’s mission, but forced several programs to be conducted at other locations.

“We loved being at the Wilmington Christian School – where we’ve had a great collaboration with them – but we had reached a point where we felt we needed our own

Courtesy photo

The 26,000-square-foot church will feature a 500seat worship center, with adjacent offices, a student ministries facility, a children’s area, a coffee house and walking trails.

identity,” said head pastor Steve Trader. “We needed our own church. We needed to meet the needs of a growing church, one that wants to continue to be a lighthouse in the community.”

Enter the miracle – and mystery – of divine intervention. A few years ago, a real estate representative from a Continued on Page 90

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

89

Trinity Community Church Continued from Page 89

well-known Delaware restaurant entered the Well, and approached Trader to see if there was any interest by the church in selling the popular location to the restaurant.

Although Trader turned down the possible sale, the two began a conversation. The representative told Trader that, about one mile up Lancaster Pike, what was now the abandoned and disregarded former home of the first Catholic church in Delaware – purchased in 1772 at the order of Father John Lewis, a missionary – was now hot property.

A major home construction company had expressed interest in building a community there, and yet another building entity had proposed to build a 55-and-over community on the property’s 16 acres. Most recently, the Odyssey Charter School had made plans to construct a 225,000-square-foot school there, but in 2014, the school withdrew its plans, and sold the property to the Trinity Community Church.

“We met with land use people, attorneys, civic associations, and we all prayed on it, and so many people told us that if anything should be built in that property, it’s a church,” Trader said. “So we recently paid the property loan off, in less than 20 months. Now that we have the

90

Greenville & Hockessin Life | Summer/Fall 2016 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

building loan approved, we’re now underway to create our own church.”

With a mission of completing construction by December 2017, the new home of the Trinity Community Church will be 26,000 square feet in size, and feature a 500-seat worship center, with adjacent offices, a student ministries facility, a children’s area, a coffee house and walking trails.

Funding for the church has come from the Assemblies of God and parishioners.

Now in Phase 1 of construction, the job is to stabilize the original stone barn – most of which still stands – and incorporate it into the design of the church. The barn’s restoration is scheduled to be completed by the end of July.

Once it is fully stabilized, construction will begin on the worship center. Trader said that the church’s design not only incorporates history, but it’s being done in conjunction with many meetings the church has had with neighboring communities.

“We didn’t want to come into the community and wrestle with everyone’s view -- one that’s been here for many, many years,” he said. “Passers-by will still be able to see

the same view shed that the farmers’ did.”

Both parishioners and the general public are invited to attend three July events on the church’s new property. On July 13, the church will hold a Kids Night; on July 17, a special service to dedicate the barn will be held, and include a pre-service breakfast, followed by a picnic after the service; and on July 20, there will be live music and food provided

by Big D’s BBQ, and ice cream from Palateria Y Neveria.

Trader gave credit to five families for not only helping to create the Trinity Community Church, but continuing to champion its mission: Paul and Mia Burch; Miguel and Linda Gonzalez; Ward and Debbie Keever; Zach and Reny Koshey; Jim and Danielle Sipala; and Neil and Ann Marie Taylor.

“These are families who, when my wife and I were having doubts about creating this new church, gathered around us,” he said. “They are solid couples who, without their sacrifice, this church would have never happened.

“When we all began this church in 2005, it was formed by families, many of whom came from Catholic backgrounds, and here we are, building on the property that was the first

Catholic church in the state of Delaware,” Trader added.

“It’s incredible. God made it a church 220 years ago, and now it’s about to become a church again, come Hell or high water.”

To learn more about the Trinity Community Church, visit www.TrinityChurchDE.com, or call 302-234-8007.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Summer/Fall 2016 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

91

We Sell and Service the New Castle & Chester County Areas with over 250 appliances on display at our showroom Scratch & Dent Models • Parts Department • Budget Appliance Showroom FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED

www.hawkinsandsons.com

HAWKINS & SONS, Inc. Home Appliance Center

302.998.1010 400 New Road (DuPont Road & Kirkwood Hwy.) • Elsmere, DE 19805

NEW IN OUR SHOWROOM - GE APPLIANCES

All Wood Made in America • One Week Turnaround

CABINET FACTORY HOME OF ALL WOOD CABINETRY

2 LOCATIONS IN TAX FREE DELAWARE

$500 OFF $7,500 CABINET PURCHASE

OR

Mad

e

in U Don’ S t Chin be fooled A ese im b itatio y ns

$1,000 OFF $10,000 CABINET PURCHASE

*Not to be combined with any other offers. Restrictions apply. Visit store for details.

SHOWROOM 302-543-5550

OUTLET 302-792-5070

3460 Naamans Rd, Wilmington, DE 19810 Rt. 202 and Rt. 92 Naamans Rd

100 Naamans Rd, Unit 3A, Claymont, DE 19703 1st Exit off I-95

HOURS: Mon - Fri 10-5, Sat 10-2

HOURS: Mon - Fri 9:30-5, Sat 9:30-12

www.cabinetfactorydelaware.com

www.cabinetfactorydelaware.com

Family Owned and Operated Since 1980 • Free Computer Design • In-House Installers, No Subcontractors

FURNITURE & CABINETRY We build everything from Kitchens, Bars, Free-standing or Built-in Entertainment Centers, Bookcases, Tables and Furniture

SHOWROOM MONDAY-SATURDAY 10AM-4PM

ALL OUR WOODWORKING IS MADE HERE BY OUR CRAFTSMEN 610-869-0700 | 420 West Baltimore Pike, West Grove, PA | londongrove.com