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Chester County Press

Beautiful fall day in a wonderful small town

10/03/2017 12:10PM ● By Steven Hoffman

A person visiting Oxford on Saturday, Sept. 30 would have been in for quite a treat. Some of the best aspects of the town were on full display, centered on activities taking place at the Oxford Memorial Park.

At 9:30 a.m., the Oxford Presbyterian Church’s Apple Festival got underway. It is one of the town’s most popular annual events, featuring lots of family-friendly activities for people of all ages. A fall day filled with fun activities is good, but what's even better is that some of the proceeds from the Apple Festival are used to support worthy causes in the Oxford area.

This year, the Oxford Community Preschool was selected as the primary beneficiary of the 2017 festival. The Oxford Community Preschool is a non-profit organization that offers a safe and nurturing learning environment for children in the community. Last year, a donation of about $8,000 was made to the inclusive playground project.

At 10:30 a.m. last Saturday, the full results of that playground project were unveiled as a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to officially open the beautiful, new inclusive playground that will allow children of all different abilities to play alongside one another.

Over the last few years, a large number of individuals and organizations worked collaboratively to raise the funds necessary to pay for the $155,000 playground. That includes many Oxford residents and business owners, school groups, and community groups.

Barbara Ross, a 96-year-old resident of Lower Oxford Township, not only donated $50,000 of her own money to the cause, she also spent countless hours making ornaments that were sold to raise additional money. Ross’s wonderful act of kindness and generosity will benefit children in the area for years to come.

The Apple Festival and the inclusive playground say a lot about the people of Oxford. The town has always benefited from the kindness and generosity of its residents. Last Saturday was a beautiful fall day in a wonderful small town.