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Chester County Press

Landenberg Day: One month away, and years in the making

07/05/2016 01:22PM ● By Richard Gaw
By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

It is about one month to Landenberg Day, and organizer Joseph Birmingham feels the entire weight of the town's history, its people and the wish to use the event as a means of giving the town a definition, all on his back.
Written in black Magic Marker on a white board in his Phoenix Press office, are the names of the 25 vendors who have committed to participate – food vendors, artisans, conservation experts, historians, and three musical acts. The Landenberg Day social media has been clogged with interested persons who write that they are not only attending the Aug. 6 gathering at Borderland Vineyards, but are bringing friends and family as well. Registration for the event is still open, but it's one month before the event, and already, more than 675 have committed to attend.
“We may be pushing it to 1,000,” Birmingham said. “We don't want to restrict anyone from coming, but we don't want so many people to attend that no one can enjoy the event because of the large crowd.”
Organized by Phoenix Press – a Landenberg-incorporated publishing company that Birmingham owns – and sponsored by several area businesses, Landenberg Day will feature 18 vendors, seven food vendors, including four specialty food trucks; tours of the vineyard and wine tastings; kid games; as well as local music performed by the Rose Project, guitarist E.B. Hawkins and his band, and the Kennett Square-based 2uesday Nite Band, a high-energy, six-person ensemble that plays classic rock, Motown, blues and country.
“When I announced these bands on our Facebook page, our RSVP attendance jumped from 400 to 600,” Birmingham said. “In the spirit of Landenberg, all three of these musical acts are donating all of their time and their performances to Landenberg Trust.”
A staffed parking area at the Kennett Middle School will provide shuttle service to the event grounds from 8:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
As the idea to create Landenberg Day began to take root earlier this year, Birmingham and his fellow organizers began to think of the Aug. 6 celebration as a feeder that could lead to future community gatherings. Soon after, Phoenix Press established the Landenberg Trust as a platform to build a sense of community in what has been perceived, by many, as a sprawling, disconnected outpost of homes dotted throughout three townships.
“The core group wanted to establish a trust, so that we could hold future events, and do what we could to give back to the community of Landenberg,” Birmingham said. “It's not incorporated. There is no downtown. It's now 15,000 people living in nice neighborhoods in the country with tiny roads, but there really is no sense of community. The purpose of the trust is to use some of the historical buildings in our area for educational or instructional purposes.”
Birmingham pointed to one particular reason for this lack of connection in the town.
“The Landenberg Store was the hub of the community for years and years, and with it no longer being in use, that will serve to further spread the community toward the outskirts, where there is commerce,” he said. “They get out of town, they spend their money, and then they return to Landenberg.
“The idea of this day is to enroll the entire community and promote and educate the residents about the certain aspects that we believe are valuable, and then focus the trust on those specific issues,” Birmingham said. “We wish to have other participation and involvement in the community. This is an inaugural event of this type for Landenberg, for people from ten miles in every direction, from so many different neighborhoods, to come together.”
For those who would like to make a donation to the Landenberg Trust, a Paypal link is available on the Phoenix Press Facebook page. Donations can be made in denominations of $10, $25 or $50, and donors get listed in the event program. The deadline for contributions is July 15.
Birmingham is also looking to form a volunteer team who would be interested in repairing a field stone wall on the Borderland Vineyards property. Food and beverages will be provided, and volunteers will be given a tour of the vineyard. If you are interested, call 410-398-1856, or e-mail [email protected].
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected].

Landenberg Day
Sat., Aug. 6, 2016
9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Borderland Vineyards
322 Indiantown Road
Landenberg, Pa. 19350
For more information, visit the Landenberg Day Facebook page

Vendors
After the Races
AutumnLeaf Foundation
Boy Scouts of America
Brooks Family Threads
Candle Krazy
Carolyn's Clean Critters
Damsel Defense
Estelle Lukoff Deisgns
Fitchett Chiropractic,
Friends of NG Township Trails
Four H Club
Gaston Glassworks
I Want Natural
Lovely Bee Soaps
LuLaRoe
Mike's Lighted Bottles
NG Township Historical Commission
Oxford Handbags
Plantation Delight Farms
ServePro
Treemendous Tree Care
Food
Ashleys SnoCones
First State Catering
Flying Deutschman
Landenberg United Methodist
Natalies Food Truck
Village Pizza
Yor So Sweet

Music
Bill Rose Project, performing live from 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
EB Hawkins Band, performing live from 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
2uesday Night Band, performing live from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
West Grove based EMTs will be on site along with an antique fire truck.