Deprived of access to my most fertile observation grounds — the Crum Woods (curse you, COVID!) – I have recently rediscovered the Taylor Arboretum, in the very southwest corner of Nether Providence Township. Taylor Arboretum consists of 30 acres bounded on one side by Ridley Creek and containing a nice mix of habitats – woods, meadow, creek, and wetlands. Its many native plants, including meadows full of goldenrod and several patches of pawpaw trees currently bearing fruit, attract wildlife.
Ben Yagoda of Swarthmore was part of a New York University journalism school panel that selected the best works of journalism of the past decade. Other panelists included Frank Rich, Dan Rather, and David Remnick.
Jeannine Osayande, a fifth-generation resident of the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore, has won a grant from the Anne Bernstein Richan Peace Action Fund to support a collective oral history project, “Making a Homeplace.” The project aims to collect neighborhood stories in order to preserve the culture, history, and practices of a rapidly changing community.
“Islander” was written and directed by Derek Pastuszek, who grew up in Swarthmore. His first short film, “Solitary,” finished a two-year festival run with a special screening at the White House in July 2016. Shortly after Hurricane Sandy, Pastuszek shot “Islander” on Long Beach Island in New Jersey, where his family once owned a home. Pastuszek credits the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District with nurturing his creativity.
As with so many traditions, it’s hard to know what Halloween will look like this year. Will kids stay home? Will they trick or treat but in smaller groups, and limit how far afield they range? Will those who do venture out find houses dark this year? Will costumed neighbors find new ways to distribute treats? The Swarthmorean recently put out a call for information. We are sharing responses from a handful of community members here.
With the presidential election just days away, Pennsylvania is garnering a disproportionate share of candidate attention, both in terms of visits and ad buys. Each contender knows Pennsylvania could easily be the state that makes the difference in 2020. The state is also in the crosshairs in terms of election litigation and potential litigation.
Richard J. King, a visiting professor at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, will talk about his book, “Ahab’s Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick,” on Monday, November 9, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Wesley AME Church and the Swarthmore Horticultural Society are hosting a Garden Community Work Party on Saturday, November 7, to improve church grounds and create new outdoor gathering spaces in advance of the church’s 100th anniversary in 2021.
The Mütter Museum will present a virtual program on the history of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic and the virus that caused it. It will cover the role of World War I in spreading the disease, the scientific and public-health responses to the outbreak, how it contributed to medical knowledge, and how it continues to influence the ways we manage infectious diseases today.
Jeannine Osayande was born in Swarthmore in 1960 to Betty Ann (née Coleman) and Donald Lee. Her mother taught at Nether Providence Elementary School, and her father was Swarthmore’s first Black policeman. In time, he would become the town’s chief of police. Little Jeannine and her two older sisters, Annette and Donna, lived with their parents in the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore, in the same house Osayande lives in now. Growing up, she was surrounded by family, and by neighbors who were family, too. Osayande likes to tell the story of how African dance found her on a street corner in Harvard Square. “The drums were playing, and a dancer suddenly pushed me into the circle,” she recalls. “And I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”
I recently ran into Swarthmore resident Ginny Scott at a Swarthmore Horticultural Society open house at my garden. She asked, “What general tips can you share for garden design, especially for the small gardens typical of this area?” It’s a great question. Her query made me think about my own evolution as a garden designer. I never attended any garden design classes, but perhaps something like Garden Design 101 would have been helpful.
“It’s a challenge, but they’re doing it.” This was Swarthmore-Rutledge School Principal Angela Tuck’s description of teachers addressing lessons to children at home and children in the classroom at the same time. As reports from other district principals at the October 12 school board meeting made clear, her words apply to many aspects of rolling out the hybrid instructional model in which some students are returning to in-person learning two days a week.
With so much of work and school conducted virtually these days, many people are spending more time in their pajamas than ever before. The Panther Pajama Run offers the opportunity to run a 5K in pajamas too.
Calvary Baptist Church, at 1616 W. Second Street in Chester, could still be the nucleus of contemporary Chester pride. But there’s no vision coming out of the church or the community. The building still looks great. But, like with so many other churches, the membership is dwindling down to nothing, and the church is struggling to find the finances to stay alive.
Swarthmore Borough Council voted to allocate $175 from the general fund for prizes in the borough’s Halloween House Decorating Contest. Also, Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Betsy Larsen said that council had not adequately responded to concerns expressed by North Chester Road residents at the council’s October 5 meeting about subdividing a property in their neighborhood.
Swarthmore’s first-ever Halloween House Decorating Contest starts now. Co-sponsored by Swarthmore Borough, the Swarthmore Recreation Association, and Swarthmore Town Center, the contest is free to enter. Swarthmore residents can register until October 27. Judging will take place October 28 - 30.
The Music Ministry of Trinity Church Swarthmore will present a 30-minute recital on Sunday afternoon, November 1, at 5 p.m. Two song cycles, Beethoven’s “An die Ferne Geliebte” (“To the Distant Beloved”) and Gabriel Fauré’s “Cinq Mélodies de Venise” (“Five Songs of Venice”), will be performed by tenor Colin Doyle and pianist James Smith, the church’s music director.
After hearing from neighbors, developers, and engineers, and deferring to the legal expertise of borough solicitor Robert Scott, Swarthmore Borough Council voted to approve the subdivision of 686 N. Chester Road at its October 5 work session. The council had the choice between voting for one of two proposed plans for the property, or of voting to reject both.
A few weeks ago, I went to a meeting where the borough council’s Public Safety Committee discussed police-community relations. Chief Stufflet, Mayor Marty Spiegel, and Swarthmore resident and sociologist Virginia Adams O’Connell came to the meeting to report on conversations they’ve been having about Swarthmore police policies, training, and attitudes. I like to think that Swarthmore is small enough and has enough resources and good will that it comes as close as any town could to being perfectible. Doubtless that’s a romantic notion. But I’m guessing I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Our most recent Unscientific Survey, on readers’ comfort levels with various activities, had a robust response and a clear message: given the state of the coronavirus, you’re generally not very comfortable at all.
