Skip to main content

Chester County Press

Musings on a summer day

07/03/2017 12:21PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Here are a few random musings on a summer day…

Memorial Day might mark the unofficial start to summer, the summer solstice might fall somewhere between June 20 and 22 each year, but the warm season really reaches its apex on the Fourth of July, a uniquely American celebration of picnics and fireworks, baseball games and barbecues, and patriotic displays and hot dog eating contests.

Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, 241 years ago, when the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were now one new nation and no longer part of the British empire. We’ve observed that day each year since then. Now, we might associate Independence Day more with fireworks and vacations than the Declaration of Independence, but it’s always a good idea to remember what it means to be an American, and to focus on what unites us, not what divides us.

###

Law enforcement agencies throughout the area collaborated on “Operation Wildfire,” which led to the arrests of 46 drug dealers who were supplying heroin, Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, morphine, MDMA, diazepam and Xanax. The Chester County Detectives Drug & Organized Crime Unit, the Parkesburg Borough Police Department, Tredyffrin Township Police Department, Spring City Police Department, Phoenixville Borough Police Department, Oxford Borough Police Department, and the Downingtown Borough Police Department all worked collaboratively on the eight-week operation. While law enforcement isn't the only necessary method to address the opioid crisis, a consistent and sustained effort to arrest those responsible for flooding our homes, businesses, and schools with drugs will produce results. Thank you to those law enforcement agencies that worked on “Operation Wildfire” and other ongoing investigations aimed at stopping the sale of drugs in Chester County.

###

Kudos to everyone involved with the Town Tours and Village Walks event in Kennett Square on June 22. The tour not only highlighted an important chapter in local history, it also showcased the beautiful Borough of Kennett Square on a beautiful summer evening.

###

Congratulations to Jim Pepple and the Wyncote Golf Club for the 25th anniversary of the golf course in Oxford. Almost from the day it opened, the Wyncote Golf Club earned accolades for being one of the very best public courses around.

###

The Kennett Library has been in the news lately, as Kennett area officials continue to discuss the possibility of constructing a new library, borough building, and police station in a municipal complex. But now that the lazy days of summer are here, it’s a good time to remember that libraries are wonderful places to visit this time of the year. Libraries plan plenty of activities for children of all ages during the summer. In southern Chester County, there are three top-notch libraries—in West Grove, Oxford, and Kennett Square—to visit.