The Delaware County Weekly

Bringing Delco news and information directly to our residents!

—— December 1, 2023 (97th edition) ——

Delaware County’s cherished annual Festival of Lights and the 3rd annual Delco Holiday Village at Rose Tree Park are now open!

Delaware County Council and the County’s Parks and Recreation team, led by Director Marc Manfre, were thrilled to join Santa Claus, the Springton Lake Select Choir, local elected officials, and hundreds of residents to celebrate the opening of the 2023 Festival of Lights and the 3rd annual Delco Holiday Village at Rose Tree Park in Media on December 1 — despite the heavy rains.

Delaware County’s annual Festival of Lights began over four decades ago as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration and quickly became a popular local tradition. Over time, the outdoor displays have grown from 50 decorated trees (one for each municipality and one large one to represent the County) to more than 100 lit trees and many festive displays, including candy canes, a penguin family, and Santa’s reindeer.

“New this year, the display area extends to the rear parking lot behind the historic Hunt Club building,” said Manfre. “Visitors now have a larger area to stroll and enjoy the lights and we have more space to enjoy the Holiday Village.” 

Also new this year — the Parks and Recreation team repurposed metal stakes from recycled election signs collected by the County’s Sustainability Office last month to hold some of the light displays. This creative initiative exemplifies Delaware County’s innovative spirit and dedication to sustainability.

“We didn’t let the raindrops damper our holiday spirit,” said Delaware County Council Vice Chair Elaine Paul Schaefer. “The Festival of Lights has been a treasured Delco tradition for more than four decades and we are absolutely thrilled to begin December by officially opening the light display and hosting the 3rd annual Holiday Village.”

The Springton Lake Select Choir entertains the crowd before the lights come on!

County Council members Richard Womack, Dr. Monica Taylor, Elaine Paul Schaefer, and Christine Reuther enjoying the Springton Lake Select Choir despite the rain.

And then there was light!

Presented by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, the Holiday Village operates on select evenings from 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. It is scheduled for December 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 (the first three Friday and Saturday evenings).

Visitors can visit www.holidayvillagedelco.com for a list of vendors and rain date information. Each night will feature different vendors and food.

Residents are encouraged to visit the Holiday Village multiple times this season to enjoy and shop with different local vendors.

Thank you to the hundreds of residents who joined the opening night celebration and to Springton Lake Select Choir for getting everyone into the holiday spirit. Council commends and thanks the entire staff of the Parks and Recreation Department for once again out-doing themselves in creating a winter wonderland and bringing this year’s festival to life.

Also, thanks to Delaware County Commerce Center Director Laura Goodrich Cairns and Delaware County Chamber of Commerce President Trish McFarland and their hard-working teams for spearheading the Delco Holiday Village. 

A great turnout despite the need for umbrellas and winter wear!

Holiday Village Hours

Hours are 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following weekend evenings:

Fri. & Sat., Dec 1 & 2

Fri. & Sat., Dec 8 & 9

Fri. & Sat., Dec 15 & 16

Admission and parking are free. Handicapped parking is available. 

The Festival of Lights: Nightly Through January 1

The 2023 Festival of Lights runs from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. nightly through Sunday, January 1, at Rose Tree Park, located at 1671 N. Providence Road in Media.

Parking and admission are free. Handicapped parking is available. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome. 

For event notifications, such as weather cancellations, text the word DELCOPARKS to 888777 or select 'Parks & Recreation Alerts' in the Delco Alert system (available at DelcoPA.Gov/DelcoAlert), or call (610) 891-4455.

Weather notifications and possible changes in the schedule can also be found online at www.holidayvillagedelco.com.

The Delaware County Park Police are proud to announce their 8th annual “Blue Christmas” Toy Drive.

New, unwrapped toys will be collected through December 22 at various locations across the county for children in need this holiday season. Residents and County employees are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped gifts for children ages 2-16. The gifts will be donated to local families in need. 

“All children deserve to feel joy on Christmas morning,” said Delaware County Park Police Chief John Deihl. “For children in foster care, those battling cancer and other illnesses, and those experiencing hard situations, Christmas can be a difficult time. We hope the small gesture of giving them a gift to open on Christmas morning brings them some happiness.”

Donations are being accepted at the following locations:

• Delaware County Government Center. 201 W. Front St., Media / ground floor lobby
• Delaware County Park Police/69th Street. 20 S. 69th St., Upper Darby/ 3rd floor
• Chester District Court. 529 Penn St., Chester /desk at the main lobby
• Sharon Hill Probation Office. 1600 Calcon Hook Rd., Sharon Hill
• Delaware County Bureau of Elections /Wharf Building. 2501 Seaport Dr., Chester, PA
• The Fronefield Building. 201 W. Front St., Media, PA
• The Falcon Center. 525 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA

Thank you to Delaware County employees and residents who will help to make Christmas a little merrier for some children this year!

Thousands of children in need, ages 2-16, have received gifts thanks to the amazing "Blue Christmas" Toy Drive run by the Delaware County Park Police.

Delaware County Council extends its gratitude to the Delaware County Office of Sustainability, the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority, the Delaware County Bureau of Elections, and the numerous dedicated volunteers and County staff members for successfully hosting the Election Campaign Sign Recycling Drop-Off on November 17 and 18.

This two-day event was remarkably successful, recycling 2,000 pounds of plastic signs and 3,600 pounds of metal wickets. This impressive haul surpassed the combined totals of the two previous events held earlier this year and in the fall of 2022.

“This event showcased Delaware County's commitment to environmental stewardship, uniting community and staff in a remarkable effort to recycle and repurpose, setting a new sustainability standard,” said Delaware County Council Vice Chair Elaine Paul Schaefer. 

Collecting and dismantling thousands of signs in two short days was only possible due to the hardworking individuals from the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Management, the Delaware County Planning Department, Parks and Recreation, and Fleet Management—and the Delaware County community. Hundreds of residents and dozens of campaign leaders from municipalities including Upper Darby, Edgmont, Haverford, Bethel, and Swarthmore participated. 

A special thanks goes out to Nether Providence for organizing its own collection and utilizing its Public Works crew to drop of a truckload of signs to kickoff day 1. And, kudos to the Parks and Recreation Department for their ingenuity in repurposing metal wickets for use at the holiday light display at Rose Tree Park that begins December 1st. This initiative exemplifies Delaware County’s innovative spirit and dedication to sustainability!

We eagerly anticipate more collaborative and impactful events like this in the future.

Just some of the thousands of metal wickets collected!

Volunteers and staff working hard on a Saturday!

Nominations are now open for the 2024 Heritage Commission Preservation Awards. These awards, first held in 1978, celebrate those in Delaware County—including individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, and institutions—who have made significant strides in safeguarding and revitalizing our local landmarks and the abundant historical narratives of Delaware County.

Help us honor those who are preserving our heritage by restoring or rehabilitating a building, object or site, publishing an article, book, or any written material about our history or our heritage, contributing to the general public knowledge and awareness of Delaware County history, or creating a special program or project that highlights a facet of community history.

We want to know about these projects and accomplishments and ensure that the people and organizations in Delaware County who are working hard to preserve our heritage are recognized and celebrated. Any group or person can make nominations for any category.

By helping us recognize Delaware County’s successes, you will be helping to encourage the continued preservation of our county’s heritage. Coordinated by the Delaware County Heritage Commission, these awards are presented annually by County Council during National Preservation Month in May. Award categories include:

• Site Preservation. Recognizes efforts towards exterior and interior restoration, preservation, or rehabilitation of an historical structure and/or site. 
• Publications. Recognizes those who have published books, articles, magazines, videos, calendars, social media, and websites, that present the heritage of Delaware County. 
• Special Programs/Projects. Recognizes education, research, archival activities, or other creative processes used to preserve Delaware County’s heritage. 
• Individual or Group Achievement. Recognizes an individual or group whose contributions in support of projects or activities. Group Achievement recognizes a group who has formed for the purpose of history or preservation. 
• Historic Preservation Planning. Recognizes efforts in planning to preserve Delaware County’s heritage, including preserving buildings, complexes, archaeological sites, and community character.
• Youth. Recognizes a youth who has made outstanding efforts to preserve Delaware County’s heritage through various projects undertaken, in school or outside.
• The Leedom B. Morrison Heritage Award. Recognizes preservation projects in the City of Chester that involve restoration, rehabilitation, or adaptive reuse of an historical structure.
• Legacy Award. Recognizes the efforts of long-standing members of the business community that have demonstrated good stewardship and have maintained the architectural integrity and architectural elements of their historic buildings and site.
• Veterans Legacy. Recognizes efforts to memorialize veteran’s history, sites, cemeteries, monuments, or objects.
• Indigenous Heritage. Recognizes projects that ensure preservation of Indigenous objects, traditional places or lifeways, and intangible heritage or languages.

Nominations will be accepted through February 29, 2024.

Details about the Heritage Commission Preservation Award categories and nomination forms are available online at DelcoPA.Gov/HeritageAwards. Award nominations can be submitted through an online form, via email, or through the mail. 

We strongly encourage you to thoroughly review the award criteria, fully complete the form, and include all materials requested. We look forward to receiving your nominations. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Clifford at (610) 891-5223 or by email at DelawareCountyHeritage@co.delaware.pa.us.

Award winners and individuals and organizations who submitted a winning nomination will be invited to attend the 2024 Heritage Commission Preservation Awards ceremony in May.

Thank you to the members of the Delaware County Planning Department, the Heritage Commission, local municipalities, historical societies, and individuals from the community who are dedicated to preserving and honoring the historic sites throughout our County.

On January 28, 2022, Delaware County Council launched the Delaware County Weekly, a weekly e-newsletter designed to provide Delaware County residents with timely and insightful information, delivering everything Delaware County residents need to know, from county updates and events to job openings, services, and more.

In our commitment to transparency and community service, we've published 97 editions containing over 900 insightful articles. 

Now, as we approach the milestone 100th edition, we want to hear from YOU!

Your feedback is invaluable in shaping the future of the Delaware County Weekly, to ensure that we continue to provide informative, timely, and interesting information to Delaware County residents.

What aspects of the newsletter do you find most engaging? Are there topics or features you'd like to see more of? What can we do better? Your insights will help us continue delivering meaningful content.

Share your thoughts at AskDelco@co.delaware.pa.us – we are eager to hear from you!

And please spread the word! If you have friends, family, or colleagues in Delaware County who could benefit from being in the loop, encourage them to subscribe at DelcoPA.Gov/Newsletter. 

For those looking to catch up on past editions, all editions can are available at DelcoPA.Gov/Weekly.

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