It's not a coincidence that so many artistic and creative people end up calling Landenberg home. The natural beauty of the area attracts these people, and they find inspiration from the surroundings. Regular readers of Landenberg Today already know about many of the artists in the area, and in this issue we'll introduce you to a few more. For example, you'll meet the talented women in A Broad's Way, an ensemble that includes Landenberg resident Debra Arnold, Erin Cates Smith, Victoria Healy, and Gina Giachero. These ladies all have a long list of musical credits and they love performing, but with growing families and demands at work, they could no longer find the time to fit in the rehearsal schedule of a big show. So they joined together and developed two complete cabaret shows that they perform in the tri-state area.

You'll also meet young artists Jarred Fisher and Emily Greenplate. Fisher's metalpoint drawings show his promising talent. He works with Kennett Design, the storefront studio in Kennett Square where regional artists come in and teach absolute novices how to copy paintings. Greenplate, meanwhile, has already established her own business, Dragonfly Pottery, to sell her artistic creations while she pursues a degree from Messiah College. Greenplate grew up trying all kinds of artistic pursuits—charcoal drawings, pencil drawings, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting—but by the time she was 13 she knew that pottery was going to be her specialty and she has been pursuing it ever since.

Also in this issue, we'll introduce you to Ron DiStefano, a Landenberg resident who founded the Avon Grove Motorcycle Riders group. These cyclists come together about twice a month for group trips on some of the region's most scenic roads.

We shine a spotlight on Reins of Life, a Landenberg-based organization that is celebrating its 20th year in 2013. Reins of Life provides equine-assisted therapy to individuals with special needs.

New Garden Police Chief Gerald Simpson is the subject of the Q & A in this issue.

Writer Richard Gaw visits with the owners of Borderland Vineyard, the newest vineyard in the valley, and also reports about the White Clay Learning Center which, like Reins of Life, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Photographer Lane McLaughlin captured the beauty of the rolling hills, farmland, forests, creeks and wildlife of Landenberg in her photo essay titled “Surrounded by Natural Beauty.”

We hope that you enjoy meeting these people profiled on these pages and we welcome your comments and suggestions for future stories. We look forward to bringing you our next edition of Landenberg Today in the spring of 2014.

Sincerely,

Randy Lieberman, Publisher ([email protected], 610-869-5553)

Steve Hoffman, Editor ([email protected], 610-869-5553, ext. 13)