BROOMALL–From Wednesday, Sept. 21, through Sunday, Sept. 25, St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church in Broomall was the scene of the 2011  Greek Affair, a festival in its 34th year. Considered a premier event by the regional Greek community, there were things there for people of all ages. Amusements and rides kept the children delighted, while adults shopped the flea market and boutique booths selling wood crafts, jewelry and more. Topping it off was Greek dancing by local dance groups. And, of course, there was every kind of Greek food you can think of, served in both outdoor and indoor settings. A …

BROOMALL–The Broomall Fire Company hosted its annual fall carnival again this year. The carnival was scheduled from Sept. 8-11. The fire company had to make the unfortunate decision of cancelling opening night due to poor weather.  View our gallery of the fun we captured from this carnival.

EDGMONT–The 3rd Annual Patriot Day Golf Outing took place on Friday, Sept. 9, at the Edgmont Country Club, in memoriam of former president of the Delaware County Veterans Memorial Association Tony Fizzano, Sr.  The day was filled with golf, silent auctions, cocktails, a dinner, and a helicopter ball drop. Towards the end of the day, a helicopter flew over the 18th hole and dropped golf balls purchased by the event participants. Several Navy men took part in the event: Julio Torres, Ron "Flagstick" Patterson, James "Hacker" Sager, Joseph "The Man" Prosa, Lt. Kevin Cooney, Matt Richmond, Lt. …

BROOMALL–The Thomas Massey House is a monument to the American dream–the home of an indentured servant who became a landowner, and like the American dream, the house has endured over 300 years. The Thomas Massey House, one of the oldest English Quaker homes in Pennsylvania, was built in 1696 by Thomas Massey. It was a log home. In 1731, his son, Mordecai, replaced the log or frame house with a stone section. On the National Register of Historical Places and the Historical American Building Survey, the house retains much of its original character inside and out. Thomas Massey came to the …

NEWTOWN SQUARE–The Newtown Square Fire Co. held its annual BBQ Fundraiser on Tuesday at the firehouse. They served up ribs, pulled pork, and pulled chicken platters to all that stopped by for a take home meal and for the many who made volume orders in advance for pick-up and delivery. The weather was near perfect for most of the day. The wonderful aromas of barbecue could be smelled from a block away.  All the food was prepared by Pig Out BBQ Pit of Glen Mills, PA, which specializes in tasty meats prepared by long smoking. Owner Anthony Scheirer supplied the food at his costs to the fire …

What separates a good photo from a less than good one is both technique and aesthetic. Today's digital cameras make technique an after thought. The automatic functions of the cameras are right more than 90 percent of the time. However, manufacturers have not yet figured out how to program a camera to automatically yield a better aesthetic result.  I take a lot of photographs for Patch. On every assignment, I look for opportunities that are aesthetically pleasing in addition to informative images. This gallery of images around Marple Newtown has tips for making better photographs. These are …

NEWTOWN SQUARE–Built in 1742, the Square Tavern located at the intersection of Goshen and Newtown Street roads was in that colonial period of what was know as a "house of entertainment." Its name then was the Square Inn, and it was built to accommodate travelers who frequented the area.  The most famous resident of the tavern was Benjamin West, who as a child discovered and developed his talent for visual art. West went on to become a famous painter of the period, eventually becoming part of the Royal Court in England where he founded the Royal Academy of Arts. He died in London in 1820 at …

The Summer Enrichment Program operated by the the Home and School Association of St. Pius X School in Broomall will end in two weeks. Beginning in late June, the program has offered a series of enrichment opportunities for area children. The curriculum includes arts & crafts, science, sports, writing, technology, and even cooking. The learning opportunities are aimed at children from preschool through eighth grade. Patch stopped by on Wednesday to look in on three programs. Best Foot Forward is a program designed for preschool children in which they learn and play at the same time. First …

On Friday Marple Newtown Patch stopped by the Marple Newtown Recreation Center to photograph the soccer portion of the UK Elite 3 Sports Camp. Hosted by the Marple Newtown Rec Center, the camp for 6- to 12-year-olds introduces campers to the fundamentals of baseball, basketball, and soccer. Temperatures were nearing 100 degrees when we shot the photographs, but the campers seemed to handle that well. There were lots of water breaks and longer breaks for snacks taken in air conditioned space inside the Gauntlett Community Center. Information about this camp and other programs can be found on …

BROOMALL–This week we stopped by to see the Basketball Skills Camp that is part of the Summer Enrichment Sessions at St. Pius X School in Broomall. The five-day camp takes students from grades kindergarten through fifth grade to a training camp in basic basketball skills. In addition to learning, the kids were having a very enjoyable time. Check out our gallery to see what went on during Thursday's session. For more information about the Summer Enrichment Sessions email jentuberosa@comcast.net.

While it's somewhat counterintuitive to shoot photographs in poor light, dusk and night have their own photo opportunities. Check out our gallery of what some sites in the Marple Newtown Patch area look like when the doors are closed and night befalls.

Churches, synagogues, and mosques across the country are often important to communities not just for religious reasons but also because they can be the center for social and charitable efforts and events. This week we focused our Viewfinder on houses of worship in both Marple and Newtown townships.

The Paper Mill House and Museum located at Paper Mill and St. David's roads in Newtown Square is a historic building that contains a local history museum. Constructed in 1828 as housing for mill workers, the original building was expanded in 1845 to accommodate a general store. In 2002 the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Paper Mill House contains a museum for local history,  a meeting place for local neighborhood groups, and the offices of the Historical Newtown Square Historical Society. Within its walls are exhibits that date back to the Colonial period. Our…

VILLANOVA–Marple Newtown High School's graduation ceremony  on Thursday night was only for one hour. But graduates were there two hours earlier and many were there long after they graduated. Patch was there for most of that time and snapped some photographs for our gallery that show the informal moments that took place.   Make sure to view our other gallery of the actual graduation ceremony and our videos that recap the ceremony and the student speeches. 

NEWTOWN SQUARE–This weekend's  Mud Run for MS (multiple sclerosis) brought out nearly 4,000 mud runners and over a 100 volunteers.  The Mud Run's 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) course over natural terrain is lined with obstacles the runners must surmount. Many of those obstacles involve mud and water. It is the second year for the event, which is jointly staged by the Delaware Valley and Greater Delaware Chapters of the MS Society.  Last year, there were 900 runners and $90,000 was raised. This year the 4,000 runners raised half a million dollars.   Runners are grouped in heats that start every …

NEWTOWN SQUARE–We popped in at the Square Tavern in Newtown Square on Saturday afternoon, where some activities of the annual Historic Newtown Square Day were being held. There were attractions for children, arts, crafts, music and food.  Colonial re-enactors demonstrated the reality of life in the early days in the colonies. Take a look at our gallery to see what went on there.

We did a small photo survey of homes for sale in Broomall around the Lawrence Park Shopping Center. We found houses on sale as low as $239,900 to over $749,000. Our gallery provides a look at the houses and their prices.

NEWTOWN SQUARE–The Delaware County Christian School's  Renaissance Faire was a popular event visited by a continuing stream of people from the community supporting the school's fundraiser.  Among the attractions and events were an antique car how, an art show and sale, a silent auction, games,  performances, and concession stands offering some of the biggest drumsticks. Take a peek at the event through our gallery.

BROOMALL–We visited the Broomall Rotary Field at Veteran's Memorial Park on Thursday afternoon to see how people were enjoying the 75-degree sunny weather.  We found sunbathers, joggers, walkers, picnickers, and some tots  having great fun playing tee ball, which you just have to see to enjoy. Take a look at our gallery for a peek at how some people spent part of that day in this week's Viewfinder.

The Rotary Club held their 7th Annual Junior Olympics at Veteran's Memorial Park on May 1. The event was for children from ages 3 to 10 and drew about 75 contestants this year, who competed by age group in three events–the long jump, 50-yard or 30-yard dash, and ball throw. The top three entrants in each event are awarded medals, gold, silver, and bronze. The kids had a good time and parents had just as good a time watching the youngsters in their athletic pursuits. Our gallery shows a recap of the event.