Food and music: A movable feast comes to Kennett Square
12/05/2017 10:34AM ● By Richard Gaw
By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer
On Dec. 10, a four-course, progressive evening along North Union Street in Kennett Square will take nearly four dozen people on a journey of food, music and history, and all they will need to do is walk, eat and listen.
The Merry Movable Feast, a fundraiser for The Kennett Flash, will begin at the historic Brosius house at 119 E. Linden St., where hosts from the civil engineering firm of Gilmore & Associates -- the building's current occupants -- will offer cocktails, hors d’oeuvres by Nourish, and entertainment by guitarist and Kennett Square native Mark Unruh.
Guests will then proceed to the office of Melton Architects (206 N. Union St.) to enjoy Kennett Inn’s famous mushroom soup, champagne and guitar music by Christie Lenée.
A sit-down dinner will be the newly renovated Chalfont House (220 N. Union St.), where guests will feast on Portabello’s award-winning cuisine with paired wines and the music of the Sin City Band’s Scott Birney, as guests of Century 21 Pierce & Bair.
The evening will end on a sweet note at Mrs. Robinson's Tea Shop (242 N. Union St.), where hosts Marlene and Don Robinson will offer a selection of teas and desserts from Sweet Magnolia Bakery. Matt Sevier will round out the evening’s entertainment.
Each of the event's two seatings sold out in less than two weeks. A similar fundraiser for the venue was held in 2015.
“This event is showing off some of the best performers at The Flash,” said event organizer and primary host Dennis Melton, who will give a brief historical overview of each location during the event. “This is showing off the community. This is showing off all of these wonderful properties that people have respected and enhanced.”
“It's the perfect event to display what we do,” said Andrew Miller, managing director at The Flash. “At the end of the day, we are bringing together the community, home owners, business owners, local restaurants and caterers, some of the best area musicians, and nationally recognized musicians in benefit of The Kennett Flash, and also in benefit of Kennett Square.”
The Movable Feast will feature some of the top recording artists in the area, all of whom are regular performers at the Flash. Lenée is the 2017 International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, and her work has been showcased live on national television and radio stations. Her most recent album, “Stay,” was one of three finalists for “Best CD of 2016” (Indie Acoustic Project Awards), including the song “Love Who You Are,” which was nominated for a 2016 Posi Award in the category “Songs for Personal Transformation.”
Birney is a founding member of local heroes Sin City Band, and is also a host on WVUD-FM at the University of Delaware.
Sevier is an accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist who has shared the stage with musicians such as The Band, Jackson Browne, Graham Parker, Matthew Sweet, The Roots and many more. A native of Kennett Square, Unruh has been active in the local music scene as a performer and educator for more than three decades.
“In my opinion, the funding raised from this benefit will encourage The Flash to do more of what its core mission is -- to bring world-class and local and credible performers who have a story to tell, whom you wouldn't normally see,” Melton said. “In the mix of things, some of the shows that fit the mission of The Flash do not fill the house, but it allows new performers to reach the ears of people who haven't heard this kind of music before. It's still part of the mission, and an event of this kind can help fill that gap.”
“It does take the whole community for The Flash to succeed,” Miller added. “A healthy non-profit arts organization will earn 50 percent of its income through donations, sponsorships and grants. The Flash's donated income hovers around 25 percent. However, it's imperative that we -- Dennis, the board and I -- find more ways to generate income away from ticket sales. Relying on ticket sales so heavily puts us in a corner when it comes to programming, and we are not able to give as many opportunities to up-and-coming artists, and up-and-coming art. Events this this give us more flexibility in our programming, and give us an opportunity to better meet the needs of the community.”
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].
Staff Writer
On Dec. 10, a four-course, progressive evening along North Union Street in Kennett Square will take nearly four dozen people on a journey of food, music and history, and all they will need to do is walk, eat and listen.
The Merry Movable Feast, a fundraiser for The Kennett Flash, will begin at the historic Brosius house at 119 E. Linden St., where hosts from the civil engineering firm of Gilmore & Associates -- the building's current occupants -- will offer cocktails, hors d’oeuvres by Nourish, and entertainment by guitarist and Kennett Square native Mark Unruh.
Guests will then proceed to the office of Melton Architects (206 N. Union St.) to enjoy Kennett Inn’s famous mushroom soup, champagne and guitar music by Christie Lenée.
A sit-down dinner will be the newly renovated Chalfont House (220 N. Union St.), where guests will feast on Portabello’s award-winning cuisine with paired wines and the music of the Sin City Band’s Scott Birney, as guests of Century 21 Pierce & Bair.
The evening will end on a sweet note at Mrs. Robinson's Tea Shop (242 N. Union St.), where hosts Marlene and Don Robinson will offer a selection of teas and desserts from Sweet Magnolia Bakery. Matt Sevier will round out the evening’s entertainment.
Each of the event's two seatings sold out in less than two weeks. A similar fundraiser for the venue was held in 2015.
“This event is showing off some of the best performers at The Flash,” said event organizer and primary host Dennis Melton, who will give a brief historical overview of each location during the event. “This is showing off the community. This is showing off all of these wonderful properties that people have respected and enhanced.”
“It's the perfect event to display what we do,” said Andrew Miller, managing director at The Flash. “At the end of the day, we are bringing together the community, home owners, business owners, local restaurants and caterers, some of the best area musicians, and nationally recognized musicians in benefit of The Kennett Flash, and also in benefit of Kennett Square.”
The Movable Feast will feature some of the top recording artists in the area, all of whom are regular performers at the Flash. Lenée is the 2017 International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, and her work has been showcased live on national television and radio stations. Her most recent album, “Stay,” was one of three finalists for “Best CD of 2016” (Indie Acoustic Project Awards), including the song “Love Who You Are,” which was nominated for a 2016 Posi Award in the category “Songs for Personal Transformation.”
Birney is a founding member of local heroes Sin City Band, and is also a host on WVUD-FM at the University of Delaware.
Sevier is an accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist who has shared the stage with musicians such as The Band, Jackson Browne, Graham Parker, Matthew Sweet, The Roots and many more. A native of Kennett Square, Unruh has been active in the local music scene as a performer and educator for more than three decades.
“In my opinion, the funding raised from this benefit will encourage The Flash to do more of what its core mission is -- to bring world-class and local and credible performers who have a story to tell, whom you wouldn't normally see,” Melton said. “In the mix of things, some of the shows that fit the mission of The Flash do not fill the house, but it allows new performers to reach the ears of people who haven't heard this kind of music before. It's still part of the mission, and an event of this kind can help fill that gap.”
“It does take the whole community for The Flash to succeed,” Miller added. “A healthy non-profit arts organization will earn 50 percent of its income through donations, sponsorships and grants. The Flash's donated income hovers around 25 percent. However, it's imperative that we -- Dennis, the board and I -- find more ways to generate income away from ticket sales. Relying on ticket sales so heavily puts us in a corner when it comes to programming, and we are not able to give as many opportunities to up-and-coming artists, and up-and-coming art. Events this this give us more flexibility in our programming, and give us an opportunity to better meet the needs of the community.”
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].
