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: It’s all about Mom this weekend

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Kennett Symphony at Winterthur Sunday is Mother’s Day which means there will be a wide array of special events to celebrate the occasion – and that it will be virtually impossible to get reservations at area restaurants at this late date. Winterthur (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-4600,www.winterthur.org) will welcome mothers on Mother’s...

What To Do: Holiday weekend events are, uh, hoppin’

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times  West Chester Railroad Easter weekend has arrived and special Easter activities – big and small — are happening all over. The Easter Bunny is known for hopping around — but not always. Sometimes, instead of bouncing along the ground, Peter Cottontail opts to ride a train. The holiday bunny has already embarked on his holiday spree of riding...

What To Do: Busy weekend of events to celebrate with your favorite Dad

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The West Chester Railroad Father’s Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on March 19 as Saint Joseph’s Day since the Middle Ages. In the United States, Father’s Day was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd and celebrated...

What To Do: Remembering our indigenous roots

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Chester County American Indian Cultural Festival Temperatures that have climbed into the upper 70s and low 80s but don’t let that fool you. We’re in the fourth week of autumn and winter is just around the corner. If you look at an event calendar, you’ll see that it is loaded with autumn and Halloween events. This week’s schedule features a variety...

What To Do: Winterthur Point-To-Point returns with changes

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Winterthur Point To Point Every year for more than four decades, Winterthur (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-4600,www.winterthur.org) hosted the annual Winterthur Point-to-Point Races on the first weekend in May. The event was one of the Brandywine Valley’s most cherished traditions. Last year, COVID-19 caused a shutdown that knocked out traditions...

What To Do: Fountains at Longwood, Willowdale Steeplechase and so much more for Mothers’ Day

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times  Longwood Gardens There are many annual events that are eagerly anticipated by visitors to Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org) such as the Christmas display, the “Orchid Extravaganza” and the just-concluded “Spring Blooms.” But the one that attracts visitors more than any other is the annual “Festival of Fountains.” The...

What To Do: Spring brings many holidays and celebrations

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times  Linvilla Orchards There is a quartet of religious holidays that occur close to each other every spring – Holi for Hindus, Passover for Jews, Easter for Christians and Ramadan for Muslims. This year, Holi began on March 28 and ended on March 29. Holi marks the advent of spring and is widely celebrated throughout Hindu-majority India. The festival...

What To Do: The Easter Bunny is ridin’ the rails

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The Easter Bunny on the West Chester Railroad The Easter Bunny is known for hopping around — but it is not always his preferred mode of transportation. Sometimes, instead of bouncing along the ground, the big happy rabbit rides a train. The holiday bunny has just embarked on his two-weekend stint of riding trains all around the area. The West Chester...

What To Do: A holiday season like no other gets under way

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times  Longwood Gardens The number of days left in the countdown to Thanksgiving 2020 is in single digits. We all know that Thanksgiving is the traditional “unofficial” start of the Christmas holiday season – even though the season commercially “started” when Christmas items were being stocked on stores’ shelves on Labor Day Weekend and “Black Friday”...