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  • Christmas at Longwood Gardens is an ‘economic engine’ | Inquirer Chester County

    Christmas at Longwood Gardens is an ‘economic engine’ | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    A Longwood Christmas is more than an annual staple for many — it’s an economic boon for businesses in and around Kennett Square. Also this week, the county has certified the November election results, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made another gift to Lincoln University, plus a new restaurant has opened at the former Lotus Inn.

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    A Longwood Christmas makes for a bright economic season in Kennett Square

    State Street in Kennett Square sees lots of additional visitors during the holiday season.

    Kennett Square is buzzing thanks to a holiday swell of visitors in town for the annual Longwood Gardens holiday display.

    To capitalize on the “economic engine” that is “A Longwood Christmas,” merchants kicked off the holiday season a little early this year, including with a festive parade a week ahead of its usual schedule. That decision was a boon for businesses, which reported “record-breaking” sales during Thanksgiving week, something they plan to replicate next year.

    The Longwood effect isn’t just great for the gardens or area shops — it also means increased hotel bookings and full restaurant dining rooms.

    The Inquirer’s Tony Wood delves into Longwood’s year-round impact on neighboring businesses.

    📍 Countywide News

    • The county’s Board of Elections certified November’s general election results on Friday as it continues to investigate why third-party voters weren’t included in poll books. (WHYY)
    • The Chester County Economic Development Council launched a new program last week aimed at helping startups and entrepreneurs throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. The investment group, i2n Angels, will fund promising early-stage companies with between $50,00 and $500,000, as well as provide coaching and advice.
    • The Chester County Department of Community Development was recently recognized by community solutions organization Built for Zero for its efforts in reducing homelessness. County CEO David Byerman said there was a 33% decrease in first-time homelessness in 2024 compared to 2022 and that the number of people entering emergency shelters was slashed by nearly half over the past five years.
    • SEPTA missed Friday’s federally imposed deadline to finish repairs to the heat-detection system on its Regional Rail cars. The agency said the lapse was due to a shortage of the thermal wire required to make the repairs. Installation of the backordered wire for 30 of SEPTA’s remaining trains is expected to be completed next week.

    💡 Community News

    • Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made another donation to Lincoln University, this time for $25 million. The no-strings-attached gift to the historically Black college will support scholarships and other initiatives.
    • Last week, PennDot outlined its updated plans for the busy intersection at Old Baltimore Pike and Newark Road in New Garden Township, a project that is expected to cost upward of $11 million and has already been pushed from its original timeline. In 2022, the agency projected work would get underway in 2025, but plans now call for the three-phase project to begin in 2028 and is expected to take several years to complete. (Daily Local)
    • South Coatesville Borough has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to hire a full-time municipal manager. There’s no timeline yet for when the hiring process will begin.
    • After 45 years, Brandywine Conservancy announced last week that 2026 will be its last year as the sole operator and beneficiary of the Radnor Hunt Races. The popular Malvern steeplechase event is looking for a new operator going forward. The 2026 races will take place May 16.
    • Still in search of a fresh-cut Christmas tree? Wiggins Farm, which has locations in Cochranville and West Chester, is one of a number of area farms offering delivery this year. The service runs about $50 near West Chester and jumps to $75 for deliveries more than 30 minutes away.
    • Residents in West Bradford Township are expressing concern over skyrocketing sewer bills after being switched to a metered rate for running water rather than the previous flat rate. The change doesn’t differentiate between interior and exterior water use, causing some residents to say they’re now being charged for a service that isn’t being provided. (CBS News Philadelphia)
    • NBC10 recently profiled The Barn at Spring Brook Farm in West Chester, a nonprofit that connects children and teens with disabilities to nature- and animal-based programming. The organization launched in 2005 and served 477 children last year alone. See the segment here.
    • Gadaleto’s Seafood Market in West Chester will continue providing family meals for free to those in need throughout the holiday season. (6abc)
    • Santa is making a stop in Spring City and East Vincent Township this weekend. At 11 a.m. on Sunday, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Rudolph will hop aboard one of Liberty Fire Company’s trucks and travel around town.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • New student registration for kindergarten through 12th grade is now open for the 2026-27 school year at Downingtown Area School District.
    • Last Friday, several school districts throughout the county held reorganization meetings, swearing in new members as well as voting on leadership. In Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, Sue Tiede was elected president and Kenneth Hong as vice president. In the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, the board reelected Victoria Baratta and Erin Talbert as president and vice president, respectively. And Avon Grove School District’s board reelected Dorothy Linn as president, and elected Ruchira Singh as vice president.
    • Some local high school football players have signed on to play college ball. Last week, Malvern Prep edge rusher Jackson Ford committed to playing with Penn State next year. Fellow Prep teammates Max Mohring, a linebacker, will head to Northwestern University, and running back Ezekiel Bates will play for Minnesota. Kennett Square kicker Shay Barker is headed to Syracuse University and West Chester East offensive tackle Tyler Duell is off to Rutgers.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • The former Lotus Inn in Berwyn has gotten new life. Karthic Venkatachalam and Gopal Dhandpani of Nalal Indian Cuisine in Downingtown and Adyar Cafe in Exton opened Vibe Haus Indian Plates & Taps there last week. The restaurant, at 402 Swedesford Rd., features Indian-meets-American pub food, with plans to add a brewery in the coming months.
    • Our Deli Café expanded to its second location on Monday, opening at 498 Nutt Rd. in Phoenixville. The Paoli-based eatery serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including staples like burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and milkshakes.
    • After nearly two years in business, Bookstore Bakery in West Chester has announced it will close at the end of the year. Located at 145 W. Gay St., the shop was known for its selection of both books and baked goods, including customized cakes.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎁 There are more holiday markets and events taking place this weekend, including the Downingtown Good Neighbor Christmas Parade on Saturday. That same day, Christkindlmarkt takes over part of Gay Street in West Chester, and on Sunday, shoppers can browse vendors at the Berwyn Holiday Market at Bronze Plaza. On Saturday and Sunday, the Kennett Square Holiday Village Market returns for its second weekend at The Creamery, while in Phoenixville, Fitzwater Station’s Christmas Village continues. On Sunday evening, Congregation B’nai Jacob in Phoenixville will host its Hanukkah Celebration with a menorah lighting, jelly donuts, and games of dreidel.

    Here’s what else is happening around Chester County:

    🎭 Anastasia: It’s the final weekend to catch SALT Performing Arts’ stage performance of the lost Romanov. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 13 and Sunday, Dec. 14, times vary 💵 $31.60-$36.70 📍 SALT Performing Arts, Chester Springs

    🏡 Home Alone: Catch a screening of the beloved holiday classic, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 13, 12:15, 4:30 and 7 p.m. 💵 $10-$15 📍 The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville

    🐦‍🔥 Phoenixville Firebird Festival: Now in its 22nd year, the festival inspired by ancient mythology and the symbols of resurrection and renewal returns to Phoenixville, where a 20-foot phoenix will be burned. There will also be a Festival Village. ⏰ Saturday, Dec. 13, 4 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Reservoir Park, Phoenixville

    🏡 On the Market

    A fully updated five-bedroom West Chester home

    Part of the family room’s ceiling reaches two stories, while another part has a stone fireplace.

    Located just outside the borough, this West Goshen Township home recently underwent a full update, with over $560,000 in improvements. The sprawling home features an office, dining and living rooms, and an open-concept kitchen on the first floor. A sunny family room, part of which spans two stories, features a stone fireplace. There are four bedrooms upstairs, including a primary suite with two vanities, a soaking tub, and dressing area with a wardrobe and separate walk-in closets. Other features include a finished walk-out basement and a new deck overlooking the pool.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $1.65M | Size: 6,579 SF | Acreage: 1.81

    🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Meet the people who use Pennsylvania’s rivers to create art

    Meet the people who use Pennsylvania’s rivers to create art

    MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. — The rocky shores of Loyalsock Creek looked a bit drab to the untrained eye on a blustery, overcast November afternoon.

    There were browns and grays, along with flurries of yellow and orange leaves across the turbid water when the wind whipped through the trees.

    Sierra Weir, an artist from Pittsburgh, stepped gingerly across the mud and rocks. When she got to the water’s edge, Weir saw the landscape in a completely different way.

    “It’s not as visually stunning as synthetic colors, but I would say the depth and variation within one tiny spectra is so much deeper,” she said. “I’ve gained such an appreciation for all the different ways brown can be brown.”

    Sierra Weir of Pittsburgh was an artist-in residency of the Susquehanna River Watershed.

    Weir, who has a background in biochemistry, is a pigment artist and community outreach coordinator for Three Rivers Waterkeeper, a nonprofit organization in Pittsburgh that advocates and protects the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers.

    In June, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, selected Weir and two others for its new artist-in-residency program, “Reflections through Art: Inclusive Access on Water Trails in the Susquehanna Basin.”

    “It’s a new way to get people to engage with the environment,” Weir said.

    Painter Spencer Verney of Coatesville was also chosen as a resident by the PEC. He focuses on preserved lands and protected waterways in historic settings. Meg Lemieur of Port Richmond was chosen to illustrate a map for the Swatara Creek Watershed.

    “My art celebrates the diversity and amazing features of the natural world,” Lemieur told The Inquirer. “I’m definitely drawn to all the living animals, including animals of the watershed like turtles, owls, and gophers, but lately I’ve been getting more into flora and understanding plants.“

    Tali MacArthur, a senior program manager for the PEC, said the residency program was created as another way to get the public involved in watershed conservation.

    “There are people who don’t really see themselves as scientists or fishermen, but maybe they see themselves as artists, as musicians, or visual learners,” MacArthur said. “I’ve kind of been chasing this approach for some time now.”

    The residency program was funded by the National Park Service’s Chesapeake Gateways Grant Program and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnership Program.

    When Weir was in college, in Ohio, she spent a year studying the pigments of Betta fish and contributed a sculpture based on the majesty of jeweled beetles. She’s also created various paintings made with natural pigments like goldenrod, black walnut, and pokeberry, which fade quickly.

    “It’s in opposition to synthetic pigments, which are made from petrochemicals, and I do a lot of work to reduce pollutants,” she said. “This was a natural fit.”

    Sierra Weir of Pittsburgh was an artist-in-residency of the Susquehanna River Watershed. She’s pictured along Loyalsock Creek in Montoursville.

    Weir, 28, said her goal of combining art and waterways was to help people hone their “noticing skills” and provide new ways to engage with the environment and, perhaps, repair broken connections to the natural world.

    “What I do is help people notice the relationship between water, earth, plants, and themselves and how inherently connected we are to this place,” Weir said. “We’re made of this same stuff, biologically and chemically.”

    Sierra Weir of Pittsburgh was an artist-in-residency of the Susquehanna River Watershed.
  • William L. Elkins, pioneering research immunologist at Penn and innovative Chester County cattle rancher, has died at 93

    William L. Elkins, pioneering research immunologist at Penn and innovative Chester County cattle rancher, has died at 93

    William L. Elkins, 93, of Coatesville, pioneering research immunologist at what is now the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, associate professor emeritus of pathology and laboratory medicine, innovative longtime Angus cattle rancher in Chester County, avid sailor, and veteran, died Tuesday, Nov. 11, of complications from pneumonia at Chester County Hospital.

    The great-great-grandson of Philadelphia business tycoon William Lukens Elkins, Dr. Elkins fashioned his own distinguished career as a scientist, medical researcher, and professor at Penn from 1965 to 1985, and owner of the Buck Run Farm cattle ranch in Coatesville for the last 39 years.

    At Penn, Dr. Elkins conducted pioneering research on how the human immune system fights infection and disease. He collaborated with colleagues in Philadelphia and elsewhere around the country to provide critical new research regarding bone marrow transplants and pediatric oncology.

    His work contributed to new and more effective medical procedures at Penn, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and elsewhere, and he instructed students and residents at Penn. But his lifelong love of the fields and rolling hills he roamed as a boy in Chester County never faded, he told Greet Brandywine Valley magazine in 2023.

    Dr. Elkins was a lifelong outdoorsman.

    “Farming is in my blood,” he said. “So even when I went to medical school and all that, the enthusiasm never left, and I wanted to go back to it.”

    So he retired from medicine at 53, and he and his wife, Helen, bought nearly 300 acres of the old King Ranch on Doe Run Church Road in Coatesville. She kept the books and looked after the business. He became an expert on breeding cattle and growing the high-energy grass they eat.

    Dr. Elkins is featured in The Hunt Magazine

    Wearing floppy hats and riding a colorful ATV from field to field, Dr. Elkins worked his land for decades. He mended fences and tended daily to his 120 cows, heifers, and prize bulls.

    He championed holistic regenerative farming and used new scientific systems to feed his cattle. He rejected commercial fertilizer and knew all about soil composition, grass growing, and body fat in cattle.

    Dr. Elkins and his wife, Helen, married in 1966.

    In a 1995 Inquirer story, he said: “Cattle are just like anyone else. If you just turn a few cattle out in a great big field, they will wander around, eat the grass they like best, and leave what they don’t want. That means the less desirable grasses tend to predominate.”

    He traveled the country to confer with other cattlemen and helped found the Southeast Regional Cattlemen’s Association in 1994. He sold his beefsteaks, patties, jerky sticks, and kielbasa grillers to private customers online and to butchers and restaurants.

    Dr. Elkins is featured in Greet Brandywine Valley Magazine

    At least one local chef featured an item on the menu called Dr. Elkins’ Angusburger. Lots of folks called him Doc.

    He earned his medical degree at Harvard University in 1958 and served two years in the Navy at the hospital in Bethesda, Md. He was a surgical intern in New York and discovered that he preferred the research lab. Before Penn, he worked at the Wistar Institute of biomedical research.

    Dr. Elkins graduated from St. Mark’s School in Massachusetts in 1950.

    Away from the lab, Dr. Elkins was an ocean sailor, expert navigator, and former boat club commodore. He was active with the Brandywine Conservancy, Natural Lands, and other groups, and was lauded by national organizations for his wide-ranging conservation and wildlife efforts.

    He made his farm a haven again for the bobolink grassland songbird and other migratory birds and butterflies that had dwindled. “Buck Run Farm is more about growing grass and trees than beef,” he told Greet Brandywine Valley. “We’re blessed by the land.”

    William Lukens Elkins was born Aug. 2, 1932, in Boston. He lived on the family dairy farm in Pocopson, Chester County, when he was young, went to boarding school in Massachusetts for four years, and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Princeton University.

    He met Helen MacLeod at a party in Washington, and they married in 1966 and had a daughter, Sheila, and a son, Jake. They lived in Center City, Society Hill, and Villanova before moving to the farm. “He was easy to be with,” his wife said.

    Dr. Elkins enjoyed sailing and fishing.

    Dr. Elkins loved nature, fishing, and baseball, and he followed the Phillies, the Flyers, and other sports teams. “He had a wonderful bedside manner,” his daughter said. “He was a great listener. He really knew how to support people.”

    His son said: “He was unassuming and direct. He spoke his mind. He connected with so many different people. He was curious about the world around him.”

    His wife said: “He was thoughtful and always concerned about people. He had good humor. He was fun.”

    In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Elkins is survived by five grandchildren and other relatives. A sister died earlier.

    This article about Dr. Elkins and his ranch appeared in The Inquirer in 1995.

    A celebration of his life is to be held later.

    Donations is his name may be made to the Stroud Water Research Center, 970 Spencer Rd., Avondale, Pa. 19311.