Chadds Ford Life Spring/Summer 2024

Letter from the Editor:

In the new issue of Chadds Ford Life, we share stories with our readers about Martha King, Chadds Ford’s highly respected Lumberjill Champion, Jen Panaro, who writes extensively about eco-friendly living for modern families, and artist Robert Rogers Stack, who has become one of the area’s most prominent artists—in an area known for its prominent artists. We also shine a spotlight on rising Chester County-based singer Carly Simmons, highlight the work of Thomas Burke and his amazing birdhouses, and take a look at the rebirth of Hank’s Place—a restaurant that is inextricably linked to Chadds Ford’s past—and an important part of its future, too.

The King family is well known in Chadds Ford for their work in forestry through the family business, Chadds Ford Tree Services. Martha King, the daughter of business owner and founder Rob King, is blazing her own trail through the competitive world of Timbersports with multiple wins at national and international events.

In his story, “A crossroads with a long history: The rebirth of Hank’s Place,” writer and local historian Gene Pisasale looks at how Hank’s Place has evolved through the years. For many, Pisasale notes, Hank’s Place is Chadds Ford. The restaurant’s owners, Anthony and Katie Young, are making plans to bring the new Hank’s Place to life as a beam signing ceremony took place in April and the construction team is working diligently on the new building that will likely be unveiled later this year.

We profile Jen Panaro, an advocate for sustainable living who writes extensively about eco-friendly living, and her family lives that Honestly Modern way. This issue also features a story about Thomas Burke, who started making birdhouses after a 25-year career in the construction business. His birdhouses have earned widespread acclaim, and he constructed a series of birdhouses inspired by some of the rural buildings portrayed in Andrew Wyeth’s paintings.

Artist Robert Rogers Stack grew up in an 1820s-era house on Brinton’s Bridge Road in Chadds Ford, and had as a neighbor Andrew Wyeth, of course one of the most famous artists in the U.S. Stack grew up surrounded by art and artists—and that certainly shows in his work.

The subject of the Chadds Ford Life Q & A is singer-songwriter Carly Simmons, who is making a name for herself in the country music industry and, in the photo essay, we spotlight Jaime Kerrigan of Spring Point Acupuncture.

We hope you enjoy these stories. Please contact us with comments and suggestions for future stories. In the meantime, we’ll be planning the next issue of Chadds Ford Life, which will arrive in the fall.

Sincerely,

Avery Lieberman Eaton

[email protected]

Stone Lieberman

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Steve Hoffman, Editor

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