What are you doing this weekend? How about Life’s Patina spring open weekend? You will be so glad you did – good for your soul 🥰 Click here for information!
oh it’s a life’s patina weekend this weekend!
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Category Archives: non profit special events
any fairy godmothers or godfathers out there who can pay it forward for the boys at church farm school so they can go to their very first prom?
Church Farm School is a wonderful institution. And it gives deserving boys a chance at education and opportunity that might not necessarily find them. So it’s not your average silver spoon private school.
Because they are not your average silver spoon private school, they don’t always get the opportunity to do things a lot of high schoolers get to do, like go to prom. Prom is a right of passage and this year for the first time, they have been invited by a sister school to come to prom.
Prom wear is not int he average budget of a lot of these kids so when I saw a message posted on social media I knew I needed to pay it forward, because while there are tons of organizations to help girls get dressed for prom, they don’t exist for boys. Here’s the message:
Hi Malvern! Please delete if this is not permitted.
I work for Church Farm School, which is an all boys’ Boarding School grades 9-12 in Exton, PA. Our boys have pretty much never had a Prom before. This year we are excited to have been invited to our sister school’s Prom. So we have a group of juniors and seniors who are eager for the chance to attend. However, access to formalwear can be difficult for our student body. If anyone has suits or other formalwear that they would consider donating to our Clothes Closet or has coupons to formalwear stores/rentals, we would be so grateful for any assistance.
The prom is April 29th, 2023
Please email development@gocfs.net if you are willing to help out.
So how about it? Can you help? Even if you can sponsor a tux rental? Any formalwear businesses out there which could help last minute?
We want kids to all have these great experiences, so how about a little Cinderella magic here? They promise to get home at a reasonable pumpkin hour.
Do it for the boys.
Thanks for your consideration!
go to the malvern retreat house art show on thru sunday afternoon
They don’t publicize this the way they should and this is a great show this year!
This show benefits their outreach at Malvern Retreat House.
10 AM – 7 PM Saturday, February 4, 2023
10 AM – 4 PM Sunday, February 5, 2023
315 S. Warren Ave Malvern, PA and there is ample free parking onsite. #art #freeevent
Seriously, this show is so terrific! And the price points are better than Yellow Springs Art Show which I love as well. And some of the same and comparable artists. Some of my favorites include New Hope Stained Glass and the fused stained glass artist whose name escapes me.
The Malvern Retreat House Annual Art Show has more than 2,000 fine art pieces including paintings, sculptures, photography, jewelry, and so much more.
For more information please visit: www.malvernretreat.com
The grounds of Malvern Retreat House are also gorgeous and have an increasingly rare naturalistic beauty about them.
surprise! outfest lives!
Guess what I got today? The above notice. And I will tell you I have nothing to do with it, I’m just sharing it.
It’s time for the everything phobic people to let things go. If you don’t want to participate, don’t participate. If you think your children are going to be harmed or their eyes will burn to the back of their heads seeing a drag queen, then by all means keep them in the house October 1st and allow their eyes to burn into the back of their heads playing video games or watching TV.
I can tell you that I honestly don’t know who is behind this, and I also don’t care. I report all threats to law-enforcement. And the person who gave me this poster is County Commissioner Josh Maxwell. He has been told by his sources that the event will not be canceled.
support freedom of events at the chester county commissioners meeting july 14th.
The rallying cry of local fake conservative extremist groups this summer is drag queen bingo. They object to a fundraiser which hasn’t even been formally announced yet. I wrote about it last week. (CLICK HERE.) this event is not compulsory for anyone. If it’s not your jam, you don’t have to go. You can stay home. It’s pretty much that simple.
So now all these multi phobic individuals are taking their insanity to the Chester County Commissioner’s meeting this week.
There is a county commissioners meeting Thursday July 14, 2022 10 AM at
313 W. Market Street West Chester. It should be the 6th floor, but just ask inside the building. You can also Zoom it. (If you follow the embedded link it should take you into their page on the website so you can access this information)
Don’t let these people be the voice that decides what is right for everyone in our community, and that’s what is at stake every time they start about something . They always want to be THE voice, to project THEIR twisted belief systems and phobias on all of the rest of us. I don’t know about you, but they don’t speak for me, they don’t support me, they don’t pay my bills. They are welcome to their little twisted views in their little twisted sub-communities of equally twisted people. But they do not, and should not, speak for anyone anywhere. They represent what is ugly in this country.
They don’t understand that a drag queen bingo fundraiser or drag queen story time for kids at a library isn’t a threat to society or democracy that THEY actually are. Every day, these people say they represent the freedoms that our forefathers fought and bled and died for, yet every day they try to undo all of those things.
I don’t object to people living their lives however they are most comfortable, I object to THESE people in these EXTREMIST groups telling all of us how we should live, and how we should collectively believe their twisted gospel. And remember, politicians like Guy Ciarrocchi support these people/groups and panders to them. As a related aside, this is also why it is so important that people vote this coming November and understand who the candidates really are and their platforms.
Our rights are not subjective.
You can also contact the commissioners via email and phone, but if you do have time to go and support the library and people planning this event and a small business called Stolen Sun Brewery please go.
Phone: 610-344-6100
Marian Moscowitz
Michelle Kichline
Josh Maxwell
cccommissioners@chesco.org
all hail the karen revolt of the summer of 2022! new target: drag queens, small businesses, bingo, libraries.
I borrowed a snippet from you because it was just too apropos.
Oh my goodness, school board meetings are off for the summer, whatever with they do in all their Karening glory? Oh simple: try to close down libraries, ban drag queens, and destroy a local business.
Why?
Over the idea of a Drag Queen Bingo family event to raise funds for a local library at a local Chester County business….in September.
Yesssss. Seriously.
They have moved on from playing doctors at school board meetings regarding COVID vaccines and banned book lists (Angry Jesus made them do it), to flat out trying to control every aspect of the world outside. They are at this point EVERYTHING PHOBIC so we will leave it at that (or add it to the list of homophobic, transpohobic, queerphobic, lifephobic.)
Oh my gosh, am I being sarcastic? Why yes, yes I am.
How did this start? Well someone posted in a group called No Left Turn In Education Downingtown School District PA. Phew. Try to say THAT six times fast! And seriously such a cumbersome name they can’t even have a catchy acronym…
That is where it started. Here are all the screenshots gathered just from that group. Yes, there will be more, much more to follow:
Oh good lord, be still their tiny little minds. Of course, not to be over-shadowed, the Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism had to get in on this news. Bless their tiny little minds and man slave members:
Yes, I committed sacrilege and the Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism screen shots are out of order, but actually in order/out of order they all read the same: WE ARE EVERYTHING PHOBIC AND YOU MUST BE LIKE US. But hey, before this half of them were selling Lu La Roe, Slipada Jewelry, Isagenix so what did I expect? And did you know according to them you can take kids to strip joints?
They also contacted Congressional candidate and politician Guy Ciarrocchi who gave a non-answer reply. They tried to tag him so he must not be in that group any longer, but he was once, wasn’t he? Guy would be wise to stay out of it. They also contacted Doug Monsteriano who will undoubtedly jump up and down and foam at the mouth with glee.
Oh and then they drag God into it and send a pleading note to the library association orr something. Oh and my favorite? They compared Drag Queens to Strippers. And do you think they are going to be super provocative at an event where kids were present IF the event occurred?
I have to ask do they even know what drag queens are about? Why is a gender bending art form such a threat? Drag performance rag and related entertainment, it is also used as self-expression and a celebration of LGBTQ isn’t it? So is that what it’s really all about? Once expressing queerphobia?
One of my favorite comments about this? Here:
How many of them probably grew up listening to David Bowie, Elton John, Queen, hair metal bands like Poison, etc. did any of that *POOF!* turn them gay? Why are they so confused by this???
~ Chester County PA resident
Even one of their Trumpublican heroes, Rudy Giuliani dressed in drag in a skit with…wait for it….Donald Trump in 2000. You know their Messiah of bad politics? But hey, Donnie motorboating Rudy probably IS family friendly in their eyes, right?
Oh but there is another country…err group to be heard from. The Chester County Coalition of Republican Women. (Seriously, these nut bags specialize in tongue twister group names huzzah!)
Again, if the screen shots are out of order, oh well. It all makes about the same amount of nonsense no matter what the order. But it begs a question: is the photo they posted yesterday of the new chair of the Chester County GOP collecting male underwear family friendly? Is he making Making the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of underwear a reality for all?
So now that all the folks are lathered up, wouldn’t it be a delightful sociological and psychological exercise to find out WHY they are REALLY upset? Are they afraid little Johnny will want to wear his sister’s clothes and play dress up in mommy’s heels after such an event? Or are some of the Stepford Wives afraid of their menfolk getting titillated and wanting to wear their frilly undies or something?
Who does this hurt? Why is it a bad idea to try something to make people laugh, be happy, and raise money. It’s like when they all flipped out about drag queen story time at Tredyffrin Library a few years ago.
And then other than targeting libraries and it’s not enough they want to ban books like yesteryear (but hey, Roe vs. Wade got overturned so everything old and bad is new again and look out for lynch mobs, right?)
Before I move onto the small business these people wish to destroy, allow me to post another favorite comment on this debacle of close mindedness:
They have way too much time on their hands to be worried about drag queen bingo. I’d be more worried about what their kids are exposed to in their homes…hate.
~ Another chester county resident
So how is the above a “review”? It is not. It is a petty assed way to do a small business harm. This dear readers is the other target of these small minded fearful of the world people: Stolen Sun Brewery in Exton. Why? Because if this library fundraising event occurs, this would be the location. Incidentally, they hold bingo events here, anyway. It’s one of their things. So now these freaks want to leave bad “reviews”, harass them and picket them? For trying to do a nice thing and help a beloved community non-profit raise some funds and have fun with their patrons?
Here is the “review”:
The comment that says “If you aren’t interested in an event, don’t go. It’s really that simple.”
And it is JUST that simple. What’s so terrible about Drag Queen Bingo? These events are fun. Now the Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism and related groups are getting in on this and it begs lots of questions. So these fine capitalists here want to close libraries and put local businesses out of business? Are Puritan shoes and chaste dresses going to be in demand for fall?
The Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism have ramped up their efforts in yet another thread about this….ironically they see nothing wrong with their drag queen phobic and everything phobic behavior. I even see some names poking up in this who really need to keep their heads down. Next on their hit list will be the county commissioners who had to listen to their diatribe about masks. Drag Queens are the new mask issue, apparently. And one of my favorites of the inane is “Why Marie” who says she wants to throw up. Why Marie why do you want to throw up? Because you are vomitorious, perhaps?
Enough already. Aren’t you tired of the everything phobic? Now they want to put Stolen Sun out of business? And the Henrietta Hankin Branch Library? They want to shut them down too? And ummm yeah so how many of these upstanding ‘Mericans have adult beverages in front of their kids? Doesn’t that mean they aren’t “family friendly” either?
Stolen Sun is a great business and yes a brewery. A brewery is not a bar. They are also a coffee roaster. Are these freaks anti-coffee too? They do serve food, and have a kids menu too.
Part of the campaign is now leaving fake Google reviews which people can report with a mere click of a button. I will show you the fake review I found below, and other reviews this person left. Seriously, is there something in the water in Downingtown?
Do they think they will be serving kiddos beer in sippy cups at this event or something? Do they realize that West Chester University (for example) has hosted Drag Queen Bingo and Drag Queen events no problem/no fuss? They all love places like Dave & Busters which host Drag Queen Bingo Brunches or something? Historic Christ Church Neighborhood House in Philadelphia hosted Drag Queen Bingo no problem in June. Friday July 15th there is Drag Queen Bingo at McShea’s in Narberth. Are they going to go protest there too? Or call McShea’s and be nasty? (Actually if they tried to rock McShea’s, it would be worth grabbing the popcorn and seeing McShea’s put them in their place.)
These people needs to get over themselves. Leave small businesses alone. Leave libraries alone. Keep their paranoia and prejudices at home and stay in their small minded comfort zones.
Most of all, they do not have the right to project their ugliness on everything and everyone.
Anyway, #SupportSmallBusiness and patronize Stolen Sun they are good people and defend your local libraries. And leave drag queens alone. It’s not their fault you’re terrified of them.
Rant over. For now. God don’t like ugly, and these people epitomize ugly.
Kiss kiss haters.
the beauty of historic preservation: back to odessa, delaware.
As I said in the post prior to this, Odessa, Delaware is one of my favorite places. It is literally a jewel of a historic town, almost frozen in time.
I have written about Odessa, Delaware before. I really hadn’t been down there much since Covid, and I realized today how much I missed visiting this gem of a small town.
Located in New Castle County, Delaware, Odessa was founded in the 18th century as Cantwell’s Bridge, her name was changed in the 19th century after the Ukrainian port city of the same name.
Odessa is a National Registry District, home to a National Historic Landmark as well as two National Parks Service Network to Freedom sites.
Odessa like Lewes was settled initially by the Dutch in the 1600s. (Lewes is another favorite place of mine, and it’s a bit larger and busier than Odessa.)
When Odessa was a first settled by the Dutch in the 1660’s (to be more precise), they adopted the Indian name for the area, “Apequinemy”. The Dutch settled here in Odessa because it’s proximity to the Appoquinimink River which flows to Delaware Bay, making it ideal to them for trading. I have been told this was once the shortest route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Chesapeake Bay before the construction of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
This was an area inhabited by Lenni Lenape Native Americans before European settlement. The Dutch weren’t actually in this area for very long before the English assumed control of the area. Then land was granted to a Captain Edmund Cantwell, the first Sheriff of New Castle County, under the government of a person we are familiar with, William Penn. By the 1730s there was a town and Edmund’s son, Sir Richard Cantwell, built a toll bridge and toll house and the town of “Cantwell’s Bridge” was born.
For the next century plus, this was a thriving little port town shipping grain and other things (like peaches.) It was a bustling small town…until 1855 and the arrival of the railroad around Middletown, and bypassed Odessa. Like many other towns that thrived on rivers and canals (think Frick’s Lock in East Coventry Township, Chester County), the railroad did a number on the economy of “Cantwell’s Bridge.”
Cantwell’s Bridge was name changed to Odessa around 1855. It had something to do with hoping that the name change would remind people of the flourishing port of Odessa in the Ukraine and the same thing would happen in Odessa, Delaware.
Now the Odessa area was also known historically for the nearby peach orchards. Odessa remained historically a very active port until the late 19th century when a peach blight ruined crops, one of their larger exports. My research indicates that between the peach virus blight and the railroads Odessa almost died as a town.
However, where a lot of similar little towns have died, Odessa has lived on. It is a great collection of houses and architecture spending 200 years, truthfully. Colonial, mid-Georgian, Federal and Victorian architecture. Another fun fact about Odessa, is there used to be a steamboat that operated out of it from the latter part of the 19th century, up until the early parts of the 20th century, ending I think somewhere around World War I.
A lot of people wouldn’t like Odessa because it’s literally a sleepy historic town. That’s why I personally think it’s so wonderful.
There are different things that go on in Odessa throughout the year. A historic Odessa Brewfest in September (this year September 10th) , lovely Christmas holiday events, tours for all seasons. July 15 – 17th features an event I am interested in called Christmas in July. It’s a special holiday sale in the Christmas Resale Shop in the Collins-Sharp House.
We belong to the Historic Odessa Foundation , and anyone can belong. It’s a remarkable little town and makes a fun little day trip. There are also little bed-and-breakfasts in the area so it also makes a nice we can get away. But if you’re looking for lots of bells and whistles, this isn’t it. Unless of course historic preservation is one of your favorite bells and whistles. This isn’t Disney or Six Flags (thank goodness.)
Enjoy the photos from my ramble and thanks for stopping by.
in case devon horse show has any rain/thunderstorm delays and you need something to read…..best served with devon popcorn (naturellement)….
Well here we are, I guess a good way through Devon Horse Show and low and behold I received an email gift today: the filing against Eastown Township by The Devon Horse Show. The Right to Know Requests are being answered. Here is the original filing:
But it’s been a minute so I also checked the Chester County court docket. And guess what? Found something interesting. “Removal to U.S. District Court”?
So what does this mean? The term “Removal” is the process of transferring a lawsuit filed in state court (or in this case, Chester County Court) to the United States District Court with jurisdiction over the same area. A defendant can remove a case from state to federal court by filing a notice of removal in federal court and then notifying the state court and the other parties. That means….yup….this Devon Case is now in fed court. Probably makes it more expensive too?
Yes, I have the filing, and will post it. But first the judge. The Honorable Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro. It will be very interesting to see what she thinks of Devon’s litigation, don’t you think? She was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2012. She was confirmed in June, 2013. Here is a little video of her induction day:
From Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts:
Nitza Ileana Quiñones Alejandro is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She is the first openly lesbian Latina to serve as a United States federal judge. She was also the first Latina to serve on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
Quiñones was born in Puerto Rico and lived on various military bases throughout her childhood, as her father was a First Sergeant in the United States Army. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Puerto Rico, after attending Central Michigan University as an exchange student. She went on to attend the University of Puerto Rico School of Law…Quiñones’ judicial career began in 1990. At the time, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas had a surprising lack of diversity, despite Philadelphia being one of the most diverse cities in the United States. In an effort to increase Hispanic representation in the judiciary, the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania met with representatives from Governor Robert Casey’s staff to urge the governor to consider the HBA’s recommendation for a judicial vacancy…. Quiñones believed that her experience on the Court of Common Pleas, combined with her experience as a federal employee, would make her well-suited for a federal judgeship. In 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Quiñones to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and her nomination was confirmed in 2013.
In A Personal Essay published in the Duke Law Scholarship Repository in 2020, Quiñones reflected on the obstacles she has overcome in her career…..While reflecting on the challenges she has overcome, Quiñones wrote “I feel fortunate to have seen such an evolution of acceptance and equality in the legal profession. The world we work in today feels so different from the world in which I spent the first formative years of my career…I delight in the victories, big and small, that have opened the door to this profession a little wider for women, Latinos, ethnic and racial minorities, and people of different sexual orientations.
~ Pennsylvanians for modern courts
She is an interesting judge, and from what I have seen from researching her cases, fair, thoughtful, and equitable. I can’t help but wonder what she will think of Devon Horse Show’s litigation against Easttown. Will she see it as first world problems?
The thing about this case that I find curious me is the assertion by Devon Horse Show that Easttown Township has violated the 1st Amendment vis-à-vis the freedom of assembly and speech, and am I the only one? For me it is also amusing because one of Devon’s lawyers in this case is the very same person who wanted to deprive me of my 1st Amendment Rights in the Bishop Tube SLAPP suit where I was the named resident. (Eventually that was tossed. In county court and superior court.)
So how has Easttown Township actually violated the 1st Amendment? Are they saying to Devon Horse Show no you can’t have the horse show? I mean obviously not, because Devon is going on now, right? Is this in fact, all about what Devon has to pay for Easttown Township goods and services? How is asking an organization to pay for the municipal services it will be using for a special event wrong? Are the taxpayers of Easttown just supposed to foot the really big bill?
Get your Devon Horse Show Popcorn ready, this will be interesting….
back to the historic village of yellow springs
Today I went back to Historic Yellow Springs. First up was the herb sale in the big field held by the Philadelphia Unit of the Herb Society of America.
The herb sale had not been held since before COVID19 invaded our lives. The sale was a rousing success and they basically had sold out but just a little after 11 AM! The tables were picked clean like locusts had descended upon the field!
After putting my plants in the car, I went onto the Yellow Springs Art Show. I had also not been there since before COVID19. The show was glorious, but some of the artists’ pricing were eyebrow raising.
One of the things I noticed the most was how alive the village was today. That doesn’t happen often enough. The Historic Yellow Springs Executive Director did not seem to be around and I was there for a few hours. I do not wish to be critical of the woman, but today was the kind of day that you get opportune moments. You never know where your next donation is going to come from and two seconds of conversation with visitors to the village means people come back to the village. I also know of people who have wanted to volunteer that somehow are never chosen to volunteer. And I’m not referring to myself because they don’t want a mouthy blogger volunteering there, and I know that.
For this amazing and living and breathing piece of history to remain viable into the future they have to be less insular. Their volunteers are amazing and helpful and nice, but the people that actually run the show (board and others) need to be more visible.
Becoming a member of Historic Yellow Springs is fun. I belong. You can join here.
While I was walking the village today I thought of an event that Meg Veno does at Life’s Patina. As part of Life’s Patina’s holiday events she does a German Market. It’s hugely popular as most German Markets during the holidays are. So I got to thinking since Life’s Patina/Meg Veno has breathed new life into the Jenny Lind House, and is nearing completion of an extensive and expensive restoration (and boy do I hope West Pikeland and Historic Yellow Springs are appreciative, don’t you?), why not pick you one of THE most creative brains in all of Chester County and take full advantage of the fabulousness coming to an amazing historic village?
What am I talking about? It’s simple: when I was walking the village today and I did it a couple of times first with plants and then going to the art show and buying some art it occurred to me that this life that was in the village today is so important for her survival. And I thought as I stood in front of the Jenny Lind house about how much I enjoy what Meg does every holiday season. And I thought that Yellow Springs should really pick her brain about doing a German Christmas village THERE.
Historic Yellow Springs is extra lovely on the outside during the holidays, so why not capitalize on new blood and fresh energy? Today in my mind’s eye I could see a German Christmas village up and down Yellow Springs Village. Christmas carolers and musicians strolling back-and-forth, a cart selling warm chestnuts and brown paper sacks, a vendor selling gingerbread fresh from the oven, and more. Couldn’t you just see someone with a beautiful little booth outside selling hand-painted German Christmas ornaments and nutcrackers ? It would literally be SO perfect!
I mean I don’t know why their Special Events Director, Executive Director, and board haven’t thought of any of these things. I know they don’t want the village to look like Disneyland, but I’m talking about things that are old-fashioned, historically appropriate,wholesome,pretty, and fun.
Other ideas? Bring back an updated version of the fall antiques show. There are enough dealers and high-end crafts people in Chester County that do such fine work including right in the studios of Yellow Springs that you could do this no problem. Why not make it a version of not what it was, but more of a blend of high-end crafts and art as well as antiques and collectibles?
Other things would be more children’s events like hayrides through the fall and pumpkin carving. Maybe a Halloween parade with old-fashioned Halloween games for kids?
There are more than enough garden clubs in Chester County so why not ask them to do their plant sales all on one weekend in the spring or early summer in the village? Or invite garden groups to do plant swaps in the village?
The possibilities are endless for this beautiful piece of Chester County history. But they need to extend themselves so people know they’re there a little more.
And all of these events should have membership tables with people asking are you a member of Historic Yellow Springs? Would you like to be a member of Historic Yellow Springs?
Today I was also treated to the clop clop of horses hooves as riders rode through the village. There is just something so nice about that sound.
Just my thoughts. If you can catch the art show before it closes at the end of this weekend, I highly recommend it.
Thanks for stopping by.
much ado again…and again….and again….about devon horse show
Apparently, dark days have returned to the Devon Horse Show?
With regard to The Devon Horse Show there is always SO much floating around in the past few years, and it makes you wonder because when it comes to Devon and drama, the truth is always stranger than fiction, correct? We’ve already had years of the reported “punisher” when it comes to boxes, yes? Who stays, who goes, who gets moved?
And then there was what REALLY was the truth last year with the cancelling of Devon? Was that US Equestrian or Devon?
One hears so many things, right? Like stuff about the intricacies of hiring police to do traffic control which I might add they HAVE to do, and they should say THANK YOU? I mean let’s get real: nouveau Devon has quite the emphasis on cocktails, doesn’t it?
Then there is the whole who would benefit if Devon ever failed? And the biggest Clydesdale in the room for a few years of WHO WOULD BENEFIT IF THEY HAD TO SELL THE LAND AND WOULD IT BE DEVELOPED?
Why does everything about Devon always feel like Main Line Watergate?
Somewhere in heaven the late great Michael Morrison is shaking his head, isn’t he?
It seems like under the current regime, there is always something newer and more jackassy than the last time we heard anything
So lo and behold, as the court dockets did tell so very recently, Devon Horse Show is suing Easttown Township and Caroline O’Halloran and Savvy have all of the gory details and here is an excerpt:
Devon Horse Show sues Easttown
MAY 5, 2022 / BY CAROLINE O’HALLORAN
Devon Horse Show has filed suit against its own township, accusing it, in effect, of price-gouging the equestrian nonprofit to benefit its own bottom line….The lawsuit is a reaction to the hefty bill Easttown Township presented to DHS for permitting and services for its 2022 show…. and for the first time to be paid upfront…..
“It cannot be overstated that, for the first post-Covid year, 2022, the Township unilaterally and without explanation, seeks to almost double the “Special Event Permit” fee to Devon,” the lawsuit reads….The lawsuit makes free speech and constitutional arguments and says Easttown Special Events Ordinance gives its township manager “excessive unchecked discretion” and represents “government overreach.”
The suit asks the court to, among other things:
-Declare Easttown’s Special Events Ordinance illegal and unenforceable.
-Issue an order allowing Devon to hold its annual show without the “Special Event Permit” and without “Support Services Costs” because both are “unequally and illegally applied to Devon.”
-Order Easttown to award “compensatory damages” to DHS and reimburse DHS for legal fees…..
Here is Easttown Township Manager Eugene Briggs’ complete, unabridged response to our request for comment:
“The Devon Horse Show runs a six million dollar revenue operation, and brings tens of thousands of people to its site over the course of the annual show, and yet continues to demand that Easttown Township subsidize the cost of providing critical police safety services, at the expense of the Easttown taxpayers.“
~ savvy main line 5/5/22
I guess I should remind Devon Horse Show that the First Amendment works both ways, right? That I can have my opinions and share media resources of prior articles on THEM? That I can say something here smells like a pile of manure in August?
Ok Devon Horse Show, what’s REALLY going on? For real, for real? And the free speech component? Well that made me laugh out loud because Lamb McErlane are the attorneys, as in the Bishop Tube Slapp Suit attorneys. And one of the other attorneys in particular? Well he was in the news a few years ago over some business over fees, correct? Truthfully I would love to read the complaint, anyone have it?
So we can hypothesize over Devon’s impetus but it comes down to money and it’s not just Easttown’s fees is it? Is there more? There HAS to be more, right? Because one can’t HELP but wonder if this is part of a larger campaign to shutter the horse show and sell the land?
Other Devon articles over the years:
Skybox Debacle Leads To Lawsuit Against Devon Horse Show: Report
Ousted Devon Horse Show box holders demand reinstatement
Wine, cheese, and artwork featuring animals that drink: Fear and loathing at the Devon Horse Show
Judge rules in favor of ousted Devon Horse Show skybox holder
Devon Horse Show and Country Fair canceled for second consecutive year
Disaster. Devon Horse Show cancelled
THE SHOW WON’T GO ON AT DEVON THIS YEAR
Devon Horse Show CEO is cited for public drunkenness
Devon Horse Show chief says he was ‘boisterous,’ not drunk
Development plan near Devon Horse Show site stirs concern
Devon show foundation says it’s not affiliated with new Devon Preservation Alliance
Letter To Devon Horse Show About Boxes
And speaking of spammy, remember the below in 2020 when there were fake Devon pages for a while?
Oh and speaking of boxes, remember their missive to boxholders in 2020 after COVID cancelled the show. It was like pay up buckaroos and I found it in rather poor taste at the time :
In 2015 remember when their website got hacked? Here:
And then of course, remember when they cancelled the show last year but held the carriage pleasure drive? THAT went over like a fart in church with a lot of people.
That Chairman is quite the Dandy. His outfits are very Gilded Age Robber Baron at times, yes? Very To The Manor Born Super WASP, right? But is that the real deal or just a projected persona?
Oh and back to the 2020 cancellation. Back then they didn’t seem to know their own history?
13 times over it’s history Devon has been canceled:
As in….it was not held 13 different years.
Devon Horse Show chronological history
1896 – 1900: Show held either at the Polo Grounds or the lawn of the Devon Inn
1901 – 1909: No show held.
1910 – 1917: Show held at the Polo Grounds.
1918: No show held; War Relief Show was held in June and benefited Emergency Aid
1919 – 1942: Show held at Polo Grounds. Grounds purchased in 1920.
1943 – 1945: No show held. Dog show and Country Fair held 1943 and 1944.
1946 – 2019: Show held.
Another Devon thing I do not understand is why they didn’t mention on their Facebook Page or website when one of their big volunteers and board members died? I did not know her personally, but I am shaking my head at the fact that they haven’t said a peep that I can find, and she passed away in March of this year. I think it displays yet more rather bad form, actually.
My point of recounting the recent history of Devon Horse Show is something needs to change. It’s all so unsavory. They need new leadership and someone to clean house. Now I divorced myself from Devon a few years ago when I could no longer abide nouveau Devon, as in the people who were prancing around there, much like Radnor Hunt, who did not know one end of a horse from the other and lots of them deserved little pebbles in their ridiculous heels at a horse show to match the pretension.
Devon of my childhood was so different. I am sure there was drama because non-profit events always have drama….but the difference is back then it was not so glaringly apparent and the Devon Fudge tasted good. And there were fun antiques dealers and Bryn Mawr Hospital Thrift Shop had a little “store” in that weird little cottage thing. And the horses! The thrill of the Clydesdales and the carriages.
Devon was so special in so many good ways. But Devon now? It’s the school for scandal.
Blech.
I am with Easttown Township on this unsavory and embarrassing business.
