What To Do: Ethnic festivals are a ‘Go’ even if the rains come

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The weather looks very iffy with forecasts of rain changing every few hours but still threatening each day of the weekend. Outdoor concerts and events will be in a “wait and see” situation. Ethnic festivals, on the other hand, are a “go” no matter what — especially because so many of them are indoor/outdoor events. More importantly, when...

Parade to kick 40th annual 2025 Mushroom Festival

The Mushroom Parade Float in the 2025 MemorialDay Parade. Photo by: Moonloop Photography. Historic Kennett Square will come alive with music, color, and small-town magic as The Mushroom Parade kicks off the 40th Anniversary of the Mushroom Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6:00 PM. Produced by Kennett Collaborative and funded by the Mushroom Festival, the parade will march along a familiar route, starting...

Downingtown STEM knocked off by Great Valley in National Quiz Bowl playoffs

Ryan Smith od Downingtown STEM was honored as an All-Star at the National Quiz Bowl playoffs. On the weekend of Saturday, May 24, Downingtown STEM Academy joined 335 of the top high school quiz bowl teams at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and the Hilton Atlanta for the 2025 High School National Championship Tournament to determine who was the best. Quiz bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic...

What To Do: Memorial Day means Kennett Parade, Devon Horse Show and more

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Devon Horse Show Memorial Day means the time has arrived for many of the area’s traditional events to return for another year – including the Devon Horse Show and Kennett Square’s annual Memorial Day Parade The Devon Horse Show (Lancaster Avenue, Devon, 610-688-2554, www.devonhorseshow.org) is one of the oldest events of any kind in the state. The...

CCIU celebrates academic excellence at the 2025 Breakfast of Champions

Travis Johnson of Great Valley High School was honored as the recipient of the 2025 Howard M. Reinard Jr., Competitor of the Year Award. After several months of studying, practicing, and rigorous competing, Chester County high school students gathered at the Downingtown Country Club on Tuesday, May 13, to honor the hard work and dedication of the Chester County Academic Competition teams. Coaches and...

Local students compete in Reading Olympics, celebrating teamwork and the love of books

The Chester County Reading Olympics featured sessions for elementary, middle, and high school students. Pictured here is a team from Valley Forge Middle School, who called themselves the Bookie Monsters, as they worked together to answer questions about the books they read for the event. Students from across Chester County gathered for the annual Reading Olympics, a high-energy, quiz-bowl style competition...

What To Do: Radnor Hunt, WC Porchfest and Dogwood Festival this weekend

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Radnor Hunt This area has many — really many — annual events which have passed milestone anniversaries….and there are some still in their infancy. May 17 is a big day in the local equestrian world – the day of the Radnor Hunt (826 Providence Road, Malvern, https://www.brandywine.org/conservancy/radnor-hunt-races). This year marks the...

CCIU holds annual staff awards dinner

Sue Mateka, CCIU Hall of Fame inductee, poses with her family. On the evening of May 8, the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) transformed the Technical College High School (TCHS) Pickering campus into an awards celebration, held to recognize distinguished service among its employees. The Awards & Recognition Celebration, now in its 42nd year, honors excellence across the 1,800-employee organization....

What To Do On Mothers’ Day: Longwood’s Festival of Fountains, Kennett Symphony at Winterthur

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Longwood Gardens Sunday is Mother’s Day which means there will be a slew of different special events to celebrate the occasion over the next three days. Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org) is inviting visitors to enjoy the beauty of late spring – and to have a special Mother’s Day. The “Festival of Fountains”...

What To Do: FL!P Circus, Willowdale Steeplechase on tap

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times FL!P Circus Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus closed down a few years ago for many reasons – including PETA protests at every tour stop. Big touring productions which featured an array of performing animals no longer held the appeal they once had. Fortunately, there are several smaller circuses — top-flight circuses — performing...