Good to Know

Happy Trails

This fall, take a scenic hike or bike ride along the Schuylkill River Trail, named the most beautiful trail in the state by Visit PA. Currently 75 miles long, including a 30-mile stretch from Philadelphia to East Coventry Township, it will be nearly 120 miles long once completed. Be sure to stop at a few Chester County landmarks along the way, like the Phoenixville Foundry and Valley Forge National Historic Park. VisitPA.com.

Stream Local

Tune into Netflix this month for Rustin, a new biopic about gay civil rights activist and West Chester native Bayard Rustin. Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, the film stars Colman Domingo as Rustin, alongside Chris Rock and Glynn Turman, and tells the story of this influential figure who helped Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organize the 1963 March on Washington. Available to stream November 17. Netflix.com.

Pages in the Park

Before it gets too cold, take your kiddos to West Chester’s brand-new Story Walk in Hoopes Park. A partnership between the Borough and West Chester Public Library, the town’s first and only story walk features 19 markers on a quarter-mile path through the park, each with pages from a children’s book, changing seasonally. The first featured book is Señorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer, a bilingual story about monarch butterfly migration. 700 Hoopes Park Ln., West Chester. West-Chester.com.

Nature Preserved

Did you know over 30% of Chester County is protected land, and that keeps growing? French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust recently acquired two more properties, adding over 175 acres. The first is 138+ acres, located along portions of French Creek near Warwick and East Nantmeal Townships, including forest, meadow and agricultural lands, plus a nearly 5,000-foot vegetated stream corridor. The second is a 37.6-acre agricultural property in East Coventry Township with a 1700s farmstead. Hooray for conservation! FrenchAndPickering.org.

Delco Story

Looking for a new read? Check out Comedy of Errors (Outskirt Press), the latest novel from local author and painter George H. Rothacker. It’s the fictional autobiography of a boy growing up in Delaware County in the 1950s and ‘60s, featuring local landmarks like the Philadelphia Chewing Gum Corporation, 69th Street and Upper Darby High School. Find it at Main Point Books or Amazon, and listen to the author-narrated companion podcast at Buzzsprout.com.