Good times roll through Radnor Hunt at Concours D’Elegance
More than 3,000 collectors and car buffs oohed and aahed at a smashing array of vintage vehicles at the Malvern show grounds last weekend. Zipping along in its 21st year, the Radnor Hunt Concours is now internationally recognized as one of the world’s premier automotive shows.
The Wheels: Per usual, the Concours invited only the finest to its three-day post-Labor Day show: classic coupes, roadsters, vintage motorcycles, tractors and carriages, even Victorian-era bicycles and high-wheelers. Featured classes this year: Auburn, Cord and Duesenbergs and the snazzy race cars of the legendary Roger Penske.
The Concours: Some 50 judges sized up the competition in scores of categories, inspecting for such things as artistry, elegance, design and sportsmanship. The car show capped off a weekend of festivities including a welcome barbecue, a road rally through Chester County, a black-tie gala and carriage parade.
Not just horseless carriages: True to its Main Line setting, the Radnor Hunt Concours is the only nationally recognized show that features horse-drawn coaches and carriages.
The Beneficiary: Thorncroft Equestrian Center, the Malvern nonprofit that offers therapeutic riding and related mental health programs for special needs and handicapped riders.
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Smokin’ hot kosher cook-off draws 4,500 to Wynnewood temple
Hava NaGrilla, the region’s first kosher BBQ competition, was a smash hit for Wynnewood’s Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El.
The contestants: Twenty professional BBQ teams from around the U.S. began slicing and seasoning Thursday night, paused for Shabbat, then fired up their grills and lit their smokers Saturday at sundown. To monitor their meats, many slept under the stars. Joining them at the camp-out was “The Big Rib,” aka Dr. Stu Gordon of Haverford, the event organizer.
The festival: Enticed by mechanical bull rides, whisky tastings, a beer garden, a pickle-eating contest, and what-have-you, the throngs began arriving late morning, hours before the judging on Sunday, Aug. 27.
Mazel Tov: Among the locals who went home happy: Robert Krause of Gladwyne, whose team, Bob’s Kosher Klub, was named Reserve Champion, and Wynnewood’s Len Lodish, who led his Smokin’ Chutzpah team to a “best brisket” win.
The Mitzvah: Hosted by the temple’s men’s club, Hava NaGrilla raised more than $20,000 and collected 400 lbs. of canned kosher food for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Mitzvah Food Project.
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Philly sports stars light up Kendall’s Crusade, laughing all the way
More than 250 FOK’s (Friends of the Kemms) turned out for the 2nd Annual Comedy Classic at Valley Forge Casino Resort, a midsummer soirée for Kendall’s Crusade.
The Crusade: Funding a cure and helping survivors of AVMs (Arteriovenous Malformations) and aneurysms.
The Berwyn family behind it: A grassroots charity, Kendall’s Crusade was started by young Kendall Kemm and her parents – former TV sports reporter Leslie Gudel and PA State Trooper Jaime Kemm – after Kendall suffered a stroke from a ruptured AVM at age 10. Now in eighth grade at Valley Forge Middle School, Kendall gets radiation treatments for three other aneurysms and wants to help others with this puzzling vascular disease.
The Classic: Drinks, dinner, a sports memorabilia-laden silent auction, and a rip-roaring standup show by comedian Craig Shoemaker. Dr. Robert Rosenwasser, chief of Neurosurgery at Jefferson’s Farber Institute, was honored for his contributions to AVM research and treatment.
The bottom line: The 2017 Comedy Classic raised $75,000. In less than two years, Kendall’s Crusade has raised $200,000, funding AVM research at Stanford, helping individual AVM families in need and establishing a patient fund.
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LBBC previews fall Butterfly Ball
Living Beyond Breast Cancer held an alfresco preview party this summer for its annual Butterfly Ball. Nearly 100 guests gathered to sip and schmooze at the Chestnut Hill home of two gala co-chairs, Katy and Jason Friedland.
The Ball: LBBC’s biggest fundraiser, The Butterfly Ball flies into the Loews Philadelpha Hotel Nov. 11. Last year’s ball brought in nearly $1 million.
The Going Beyond Awardees: Dr. Marisa Gefen and Teresa Kohl, both of Wynnewood, Megan Do Nasciemento of Mt. Airy and Felicia Johnson of Philadelphia – four women whose lives have been impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis. Each chose to use her personal experience to help and inspire others.
Founders Awardee: Author of the bestselling book, After Cancer Care, Pallav Mehta, MD, will receive LBBC’s highest honor, The Founders Award. Dr. Mehta is director of Integrative Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper.
The cause: Rated a four-star charity for 13 straight years and based in Bala Cynwyd, LBBC gives people impacted by breast cancer free access to high-quality info and advice, helping with medical, emotional and practical concerns.
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Guests get crackin’ at Gladwyne Crab Fest for Help Hope Live
The young and young at heart – some 200 strong – picnicked on all-you-can-eat blue crabs, corn and fried chicken at St. Christopher’s Church in Gladwyne Aug. 6.
Adding to the fun: Live music, lawn games for kids and grownups, the lovely setting and plenty of plastic bibs and claw crackers.
The cause: The Fest raised $15,000 for Help Hope Live, a national nonprofit headquartered in Radnor that helps families and communities raise money for people with crisis medical needs including organ transplants. Since 1983, Help Hope Live campaigns have raised more than $126 million to pay patient expenses.
Be The Match: The National Marrow Donor Program was on hand with its Be the Match initiative, swabbing guests’ cheeks to see if they could become bone marrow or stem cell donors.
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Help Us Adopt gets ready to ring in 10 years building families
A nonprofit that helps people pay for adoptions threw a poolside soirée at a private Gladwyne home to thank volunteers as it gears up for its big 10th anniversary fundraiser.
The hosts: Gladwyne’s Jennifer and Mike Miller are co-chairing Help Us Adopt’s Tenth Anniversary Family Building event set for Oct. 18 at Overbrook Country Club. A former teacher in one of Maryland’s neediest school districts, Jennifer Miller says she supports Help Us Adopt because she saw firsthand the challenges facing kids who don’t have permanent homes.
The cause: With an average price tag of $40K or more, adoption is expensive! Help Us Adopt was founded by Shipley alum Becky Fawcett, who is raising two adopted children with her husband, Kip, in NYC. Becky’s unique nonprofit gives grants of up to $15,000 to couples and individuals to help pay for domestic, international and foster care adoptions. In ten years, Help Us Adopt has awarded $1.9 million in grants, helping to build 218 families.
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Changing of the guard at Baker Industries
The Malvern nonprofit that gives jobs, work skills and hope to hard-to-employ adults celebrated its leadership – old and new – at a summer cocktail party.
The setting: David and Lisa Habig welcomed Baker believers to their home, Little Stream Farm, near Chesterbrook. David Habig took guests on ATV tours of their historic estate.
The Presidents: Baker Industries Board President Rich Bevan, a former healthcare executive, succeeds Turk Thacher, who stepped down after 15 years but will stay on as Baker’s board vice president.
The Platform: Bevan will keep the Baker ball rolling: advancing the nonprofit company’s 37-year mission to hire and support people who otherwise might not be employable: adults with mental and physical disabilities, ex-offenders, people with substance abuse disorders and the homeless. Participants get paychecks and real-world job experience at production facilities in Malvern and Philadelphia.
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National Night Out started – and still draws crowds – in Wynnewood
Hundreds of locals congregated at the Wynnewood Shopping Center for the 34th Annual National Night Out Festival Aug. 1.
Main Line roots, international reach: Wynnewood’s Matt Peskin created the event in 1984 to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. It’s since spread to 16,000 communities in all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.
The Wynnewood festivities: Live music, fab food, the Phillie Phanatic, rides, carnival games, Lower Merion police, fire and EMS exhibits, roving entertainers and booths providing safety info and promoting local nonprofits.
Be a good neighbor: Spot a streetlight that’s out, a wire that’s down, a truck parked in a vacationing neighbor’s driveway? Get involved and report your suspicions via Lower Merion Community Watch.
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Wagging tails, proud owners at Ardmore Doggie Derby
Animal lovers converged in the courtyard at Suburban Square for Doggie Derby Day, a canine meet-and-greet benefit for the local nonprofit, Paws and Affection. The festival featured fashion dog sketches by Denise Fike, portraits with your pooch, balloon hats, live music and kids crafts.
The Paws cause: Paws and Affection trains service dogs at its Narberth facility, then places them with Philly-area kids with disabilities. P and A’s pups do amazing things: everything from opening doors and picking up dropped items for kids with mobility and balance issues to alerting a diabetic child to a sugar crash. They’re also trusty companions and boost kids’ self-confidence.
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Dorothy Pisano says
It would be more advantageous to read about events upcoming rather than events after the fact.
Dorothy Pisano