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Health & Fitness

The Heavens Smile on Historic Newtown Square Day

Thoughts and musings on another successful Historic Newtown Square Day on June 4. What if everyone in the community did what our volunteers do?

When planning an outdoor event–a wedding or reception, a party, or a community event such as Historic Newtown Square Day, the biggest secret fear is the one item that is completely out of your control: the weather.  

An all-day rainstorm, and five months of effort can be washed away.  You can still hold the event, but not many may come, the activities have to be squished into tents and other covered spaces, and the spirits of the many volunteers are deflated when so much work has gone for naught. We have never had to cancel or postpone to a "rain date" in our 16 years. And this year the weather gods were smiling on us–a cool and sunny day was the perfect day for our community gathering on the green behind the Square Tavern on Saturday.  

The attached photos will tell some of the story . We have a lot of really interesting old venues with much history attached to them, and we have great community-minded volunteers who staff them each year.  

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Thanks to the many volunteers who came out on Saturday to provide that service.  Thanks to the merchants who bought ads in our program book, to the local businesses who made generous donations to our cause, to the members who worked on planning and preparation, to Sam Coco, who had the original idea for the event and continues to volunteer his time and talents at the Railroad Museum, and in particular to Jim Kisela, Cathy Cavalier-Gach, Lisa McCauley, Doris Beck, and Chris Driscoll, without whom this year's event would never have gotten off the ground.  

It is always amazing what a small band of people with energy and imagination can do.  I have always wondered what could be done if everyone in the community gave of their skills, talents and time in the same measure.  Every community institution that needed volunteer help, the fire department, the library, the schools, the Marple Newtown Players, the Little Leagues, the Garden Club, the Historical Society, would benefit from that level of volunteer effort.  

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If you have ever wanted to contribute to the community, I urge you to try it.  It is a wonderful feeling to stand in the midst of all of that activity, to see the interaction of the community, and to know that you are a part of something larger than yourself. That you are giving back.  That you are making history.  That's what we did on Saturday.  

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