Publisher’s Letter

Welcome October! Fall festivals are everywhere. As fall spreads its color, County Lines looks across the county, tunes in to Phoenixville, asks about our kids and schools, investigates a food trend, and visits countless wonderful places in the Brandywine Valley.

As we celebrate our golden anniversary, we’re feeling nostalgic. In “Across County Lines,” Shannon Montgomery takes us on a guided trip down memory lane as we revisit some of the shops and restaurants we’ve featured over the years, discover what’s new, and take a few extra detours for extra fall fun.

In “Why We Love Phoenixville,” Cindy Walker visits one of the most celebratory boroughs in Chester County, with its dozens of festivals and abundance of establishments to raise a glass to all that makes your heart sing, listing 15 — yes, 15 — reasons to visit and enjoy.

Halloween’s approaching! Kids — and adults — are trying on costumes. Homes are being decorated. Spider webs, bats, skeletons, ghosts, spooky sounds. Is it haunted? Was that a ghost? I found plenty of places for scary, chilling thrills. Read “Someone — or Some Thing — is Knocking.”

Most kids don’t read much anymore. In “Reversing the Youth Reading Recession,” JP Phillips explores how several independent schools are using a scientific approach. Reading out loud, especially for younger children, is contagious. Parents, she found, should set aside family time devoted to reading physical books.

What did school look like at the time of the American Revolution? No buses, bells or public schools. In “Learning Liberty,” Kim Andrews notes that most children didn’t attend school. Classrooms, if there was one available, were plain and uncomfortable. Their lessons reinforced authority, faith and social rank. In contrast, read our “Guide to Private, Independent Schools & Education Services.”

“Fernbank Farm” is this month’s Dream Home. Dating to the 1790s, with intricate designs of wood floors throughout, and built with thick walls of green serpentine stone, the home retains charming period details. Now for sale, the three-story, six-bedroom home sits on six acres, with 200 conserved neighboring acres. Laurel Anderson provides a tour.

Your wedding day is one of a kind, so why not choose a venue with a little personality too? In “You Can Get Married Where?” we suggest six local spots, including a 17th-century tall ship, the oldest continuously operating railroad and a 275-year-old mill.

Opening on October 16 and running through October 2027 (over a year), internationally acclaimed sculptor Steve Tobin brings more than 50 large-scale, nature-inspired works to the Tyler Arboretum. For a preview, see “Steve Tobin: In the Light.”

Liz Tarditi of Brandywine Table is making pickles. In “Pickle Perfect,” she says pickles have gone from invisible to artisanal. She offers recipes for not only cucumbers but also grape and pear pickles.

Perhaps you already have County Lines delivered to your mailbox. Lucky you! Save it for future reference. At CountyLinesMagazine.com, you can read the October issue online. At Issuu.com, you can read the digital issue. Or click “Get A Copy” on our website to find locations to pick up your own free print copy.

We hope you’d like to subscribe to County Lines particularly because it is our 50th anniversary of publishing. Do it on our website or call 610-918-9300. For single issues, try Baldwin’s Book Barn, Main Point Books, More Than Books, Bookish Notions, Wellington Square Bookshop or Reads & Co. Bookstore. Visiting an advertiser is also a great — and free — way to find copies!

We hope you enjoy this issue.

Thank you for reading.

Ed Malet, Publisher

610-918-9300

Why We Love Phoenixville

We have 15 reasons. Best of all, the town, like the Phoenix itself, has risen from the ashes. Once a gritty steel town, it now has the oldest Ferris wheel in the world, a movie theater and performance venue — even showing some silent movies with accompaniment by its own pipe organ — a lively downtown of shops, restaurants, live music, public art and plenty of breweries. Best of all, Phoenixville has a community and people who genuinely participate in their town.

Someone — or Some Thing — Is Knocking

For many, October means Halloween. It’s a time to carve a pumpkin, to gather candy, to haunt your neighbors, to join a scary party or chilling parade, or to dress up as your favorite character, whether that’s a superhero, a ghost or something even more sinister. We found several places to bring a tingle to your spine. Beyond the door, under the floor, evil awaits.

Learning Liberty

At the time of the American Revolution, there were very few schools or public education. Schooling depended on geography, money, faith and how much labor was needed at home. For many, education began with religion. Some students received rudimentary instruction in spelling, penmanship and arithmetic. In wealthier areas, some went beyond literacy and numeracy. Eventually, they gained the tools to change their world.