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| NEIGHBORLY NEWS July 2016 |
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There is so much to do in Southern Chester County and surrounding area!
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It's time to make the most of this summer, as it is flying by! Make sure to take time with your family, as so many of the very best memories are made on outings and day trips in the summertime.
What's in This Issue?
75 Ideas to Keep Kids Busy
Local Music Fests
Day Trip to Jersey Shore
Sponsor Specials
Anne in the Kitchen
Along the Welcome Trail
Upcoming Events
Be sure to scroll all the way down and click on the sponsor logos to receive great offers and discounts for your home and family.
Warm regards,
Bob and Anne Pounds
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| Summer Activities for Kids: |
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75 Ideas for Keeping Kids Busy This Summer!
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Summer is here, which means kids are home from school for the next 2 months! As parents, we want our kids to keep learning, exploring, and of course, have fun during the summer. If you're looking for summer activities for kids (especially if you don't plan to enroll your kids in summer camp), then check out this list full of ideas for keeping kids busy this summer!
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| Local Music Fests to Rock your Body! |
Warmer temperatures, bright blue skies, and sunny days are luring you outside. One of the highlights of summer is enjoying the warm summer evenings listening to live music. Here are a few local venues to check out. Mark your calendars.......and grab your blankets and chairs. It's time to enjoy another summer full of spectacular performances!
Longwood Gardens Presents: Summer Spectacular
Now thru Monday, September 5, 2016
This summer celebration showcases annual and perennial flowers, roses, waterlilies, as well as alfresco concerts and fountain shows. See their website for details
Summer Concert Series at Anson B. Nixon Park
Wednesdays, June 29 thru August 10
Come to Anson B. Park on Wednesdays throughout the summer and enjoy their FREE concerts. See their website for further information.
Delaware County Summer Festival at Rose Tree Park
Now thru Mid August
FREE concerts in Rose Tree Park's scenic outdoor amphitheater. from Classical to Cajun, Motown to Broadway, Doo Wop to Rock and Pop, and everything in between. Fore more information
Chaddsford Winery Friday Concert Series
Now thru Friday, August 12
Enjoy wine and music under the stars featuring local musicians. These are ticketed evenings visit website for details
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Bigquestionmarks_ Flickr
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Going down to the Jersey Shore is a popular summer tradition with mid-Atlantic residents from New York, Philadelphia and, of course, New Jersey. Busy city dwellers trade a subway for a beach cruiser and embrace a vacation of boogie-boarding, beachcombing and cruising the boardwalk. While basic hotel accommodations are available all along the Shore, most visitors choose to get comfortable in a rented house, ranging from simple condos to beachfront mansions. Here's our selection of the best Jersey Shore beach towns, from north to south.
Ocean City
Known as the America's Greatest Family Resort, Ocean City is often voted the best beach in New Jersey. There are 8 miles of shore for swimming, boogie-boarding and sandcastles. A wooden boardwalk lines 2-1/2 miles of these beaches, entertaining visitors with rides, mini-golf, carnival games and a water park. A spin on the Ferris wheel followed by some free fudge samples is the pinnacle of nightlife in this dry town, making it a popular spot for families who appreciate old-fashioned fun. The boardwalk scene is even more festive on Thursday nights in July and August with free entertainment including musicians, magicians and karaoke.
Wildwood
Wildwood occupies a unique spot in pop-culture history as the center of Doo Wop in the 1950s and 1960s with colorful motels, bright diners and flashy neon signs. Young people flocked to nightclubs like the Rainbow Club where Chubby Checker first introduced the world to the Twist in 1960. Today, the Doo Wop Preservation League works hard to preserve the space-age architecture and keeps the kitschy spirit alive with historic tours. Today's beach scene may be different from the beach blanket bingo days of old. The twisting and turning is more likely to be experienced at one of the boardwalk's 6 bone-rattling roller coasters or 3 water parks. However, with free admission and a busy boardwalk scene, countless families and groups of friends still stake their spot in the sand amidst a sea of colorful umbrellas.
Cape May
You know you've arrived when you reach the mile marker "0" on the Garden State Parkway. As the farthest point south on the Shore, Cape May is the crown jewel of the region with gorgeous beaches and a quaint town center filled with gingerbread Victorians and colorful bed and breakfasts. Bring your binoculars to the beach to spy the playful dolphins jumping in the wake. Just before sundown, head to Sunset Beach to catch the daily lowering of the US flag accompanied by Taps. Then head to town for a cocktail at the hip Brown Room at the stately Congress Hall hotel. Other dinner choices range from the casual seaside ambience at the Lobster House to formal dining at Union Park or the Ebbitt Room. After dinner, peruse the shops in Washington Square, climb aboard a trolley for a slow tour of town or learn about the area's long-term residents on a spooky ghost tour.
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| Sponsor Specials for You! |
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Click on our Sponsors' logos to get additional offers.
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$ 5.00 off one day of doggy daycare or one night boarding.
BHCU Federal Credit Union matches up to $ 5.00 in savings when you open a Youth Savings Account for your child.
Every Monday - Seniors 10% off
We are getting our 2016 services lined up and have a great offer for you: Soil test and first mow FREE with new customer yearly contract.
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Septic System Service 610-466-7500
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THE LIGHT HOUSE Home Lighting Center
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| Welcome Neighbor Representative of the Month |
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| | Tina Jernigan |
Meet our Welcome "Rep of the Month," Tina Jernigan, who resides in Kennett Square Borough. She loves walking to the local restaurants, farmers market, library, YMCA, and browsing in and out of all the nice shops on State St. Tina's passion is her family, which includes two children, five grandchildren, and an adorable Basset Hound. Tina enjoys spending time with them, traveling to the Jersey shore, taking day trips, and assisting her friend at her doggie day care. Tina greets new homeowners to the charming town of Kennett and surrounding area.
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How to Make Creamy Stovetop Polenta
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Credits: Cooking Lessons From The Kitchn
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I am making this dish more and more often, as I realize it is an easy add-on to so many other dishes or on its own as the star. It makes a luscious bed for anything from quickly saut�ed mushrooms to a hearty slow-cooked meat or veggie ragu.
When you see the sausage roll type things in the Italian section of the gourmet market, you assume it must be difficult. Not so! It is anything but fussy. You can whip up a pot of creamy polenta in about 30 minutes. Here's how to do it yourself.
"Once upon a time, it was thought that polenta needed to be stirred and stirred and stirred as it cooked. You can try this method if you need an upper body workout, but I find the cover-and-forget-it approach much easier to handle on a weeknight. This is a method most famously espoused by Marcella Hazan (and which we've talked about before), and I've adopted it whole heartedly.
The idea is to get the polenta going by whisking coarse-ground polenta or yellow cornmeal [I buy the Red Mill coarse ground] into boiling water and stirring until it gets thick. Then you cover the pot and let the polenta cook while you go about making the rest of dinner. Every 10 minutes or so, uncover the pot and give it a good stir to make sure it's cooking evenly and the sides aren't drying out. Thirty to forty minutes later, your polenta is ready for the table. A tense moment might come around the 15-minute mark. At this point, the polenta looks done. And indeed, if you taste it here and like it, by all means serve it! But if you let it cook for a little longer, you'll find that the polenta tastes sweeter and more deeply corn-like, and any last lingering grittiness from the ground corn smooths away. I love it at 30 minutes, but go a little longer if you have time or want a thicker polenta. Any leftover polenta will set into a solid block as it cools. You can actually cut it at this point (say, for dinner the next night) and grill it, roast it in the oven, or deep-fry it. If you're really craving creamy polenta again, you can warm the leftovers with some water or milk, and stir until it becomes soft again. Or, since you now know how easy it is, you can just make yourself another batch." Michael Chiarelli likes to serve his polenta up on a huge wooden cutting board, rustic style, and he has toppings his guests can choose from. Also, glazing the poured-out polenta with a swirl of good olive oil or butter cannot hurt a thing and gives it a nice glaze and further flavor.
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| Roller Coasters and Meeting Strangers |
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| | Anne Pounds |
Years ago we found ourselves standing in a long line at Busch Gardens in Virginia, waiting patiently for yet another great roller coaster ride. We were there from the moment it opened, determined to stay until the last minute with the intention of riding every roller coaster as many times as we could.
As we stood in line we began to notice the variety of fellow roller coaster lovers. We chatted with a giant of a man who was over 70 years old in faded denim overalls and a worn T-shirt underneath. His arms were as big as my legs, his face wrinkled and reddened by years in the sun. He said he was from Iowa, where he farmed 1,000 or so acres. We found a young Asian couple, who spoke little English and came from China, here with a little baby who was also going to experience the roller coaster. We saw a couple on their honeymoon, just married the day before, and celebrating their honeymoon in Williamsburg and Bush Gardens. Their weddings rings shone like the top of the Chrysler Building, as did their faces as they smiled at each other. We asked them how their wedding day went, what went wrong, and what they'll always remember. So many times, I've recalled that day and likened it to each time the Welcome Neighbor women ring a doorbell. We never know who is on the other side of the door and what they will be sharing back with us. Different cultures, ages, experiences, hobbies, work, and new homeowner needs. Each visit is a kind of gift to us. It is a human exchange, and that is what life is about. It's what makes our visits such a thrill, even when at the end of the day we feel we can't utter another word, just totally "chatted out." The experiences are so rich and restorative, and we keep finding out once again that people are great.
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Here are just a few upcoming events in our area. Click through to the websites to see even more events.
Now through July 28 at Longwood Gardens
Thursdays 7-9 pm
Kennett Flash offers The Wayward Wanderers and Gary Hoss & The Sidewinders
Thursday July 21, 8 pm
Brandywine Battlefield Park: Pick your own Raspberries - while they last
Tuesday, July 19 10-3 pm thru Saturday, August 13 10-3 pm
Shrek the Musical
Longwood Gardens Open Air TheatreJuly 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 @ 8:00 p.m.
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You could win a $25 Visa Gift Card in our Facebook contest. Every person who has "liked" our Facebook page is automatically entered into a random drawing. What are you waiting for? Just go  and you will be entered to win! |
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