What To Do (Part I): Holiday events for the whole season

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times  Longwood Gardens In the Brandywine Valley, there are many sites – historical, agricultural, cultural) – that have a history of celebrating the holiday season with lavish displays. There is also a plethora of sites — not so grandiose — that have established their own traditions of Christmas celebrations. Longwood Gardens (Route 1,...

What To Do: Celebrating 75 years of the Goshen Country Fair

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times This is the time of the year for outdoors festivals such as country fairs, festivals honoring a particular fruit or vegetable and outdoor concerts. It’s diamond time in West Goshen. One of the best — and longest-running – fairs is the annual Goshen Country Fair (Goshen Fairgrounds, Park Avenue, East Goshen, 610- 430-1554, www.goshencountryfair.org). The...

What to do: Kennett Symphony at Longwood Gardens

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Longwood Gardens Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org) is one of the best outdoor attractions in the area, one of the best family attractions in the state and one of the best gardens attractions in the country. There are times when even the very best can get better. On June 23, in addition to all of its other attractions,...

What To Do: Willowdale Steeplechase tops list of weekend events

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The Willowdale Steeplechase Undeniably, Brandywine Valley is known for being horse country. It has established its reputation as an area known for staging top-flight equestrian events. The 2024 equestrian season had its unofficial start last weekend with a big annual point-to-point event in Delaware. This weekend, the spotlight will be on the Annual...

What To Do: Flip Circus brings its big top to Plymouth Meeting

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Flip Circus When the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus closed down a few years ago, it pretty much marked the end of big touring productions which featured an array of performing animals. It also pretty much evened the playing field for touring circuses – except for the esoteric Cirque du Soleil touring productions. And it opened the door...

What To Do: Longwood Gardens celebrates the beauty of winter

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Longwood Gardens This weekend, Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) starts its new year with one of its annual special events – “Winter Wonder.” “Winter Wonder,” which runs from January 20-March 24, celebrates the beauty of winter. It’s all about outdoor spacious, indoor oasis, and the power of...

What To Do: Catch these Christmas celebrations while they last

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Brandywine River Museum Christmas Day is now in the rear-view mirror but that doesn’t mean that holiday celebrations have drawn to a close for 2023. The Brandywine River Museum of Art Route 1, Chadds Ford 610-388-2700, www.brandywinemuseum.org) is celebrating the 51st anniversary of the Brandywine Railroad holiday train display now through January...

What To Do (Local): Yuletide at Devon, lights at Griswolds and more this weekend

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Editor’s Note: Due to the larger number of holiday events, we’ve broken our listings into two entries: this one for the local Chester County, Delaware County and Delaware and a second for events around the greater Philadelphia region. Yuletide at Devon Christmas Day is looming on the horizon. Holiday celebrations in Chester County are everywhere...

What To Do: Fall foliage tours hit their peak

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times West Chester Railroad There are people who love Halloween – people who love the concept of trick-or-treat — people who love pumpkins, eat pumpkin muffins with pumpkin-spiced lattes and would probably gargle with pumpkin-flavored mouthwash if it existed. Then there are people on the other side of the fence (or the other side of the pumpkin patch)....

What To Do: Earth Day celebrations throughout the area

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times  Longwood Gardens Earth Day is a worldwide environmental movement that takes place every year on April 22. The goal of this celebration is to raise awareness about sustainability and clean living, and to educate people on the importance of preserving our planet. The Earth Day 2023 theme is focused on engaging the more than 1 billion people, governments,...