Hi Neighbor!

This was the soundtrack emanating from my driveway, playing on endless loop: “Half pedal stroke. Foot down (stomp). One pedal stroke. Foot down (stomp). Half pedal stroke. Foot down (stomp).” The “musician” was my oldest daughter, who was trying to teach herself how to ride a bike. Lest you think we’re horrible, neglectful parents, we really did try to teach her ourselves. My husband took her (three times!) to a local elementary school with a large, flat blacktop, but each “lesson” ended in tears and frustration. The problem? They were both terrified—my daughter of falling and my husband of letting it happen. I started envisioning my daughter in college…friends and fellow students whizzing by on their bikes, and her sadly unable to join them. Ever.

So like any good parents, we resorted to bribes. But it seems even a trip to the Target toy aisle isn’t enough to overcome a fear of falling. Exasperated, I took the hands-off approach (others might refer to it as the lazy way out). I told my daughter she was free to practice riding her bike on her own but the training wheels were staying OFF. When she didn’t touch her bike for a week, I thought I’d made a horrible mistake. Then one day, she hopped on and started trying to ride. It was painful to watch. (I had spent plenty of time Googling “How to teach a kid to ride a bike” and her “half pedal stroke-foot down, one pedal stroke-foot down” method was not one I had seen.)

This continued for two weeks. Then one Saturday, my husband burst through the front door and told me to come outside. Our daughter was riding smooth, beautiful circles around the driveway. I couldn’t believe my eyes. She had done it. Without our help—and without falling. It was yet another example of how life happens when we let go. It’s a lesson I’m constantly relearning with my kids.   

P.S. Just in case you’re wondering, we will NOT be using this method to teach her how to drive. 

Enjoy!
Kate

Wacky Water Festival
Sunday, July 24th  
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM  
Tyler Arboretum
515 Painter Road, Media
Beat the heat and learn how nature keeps its cool. Warning: you might get wet with our wacky water activities. Stop by our learning stations to hear about life in the water and get creative by using water to enhance your art projects. Cool off with storyteller Greta Rech as she shares stories from around the world in a shady spot. This month’s food trucks, The Meat Wagon and Oink and Moo, are sure to please. Be sure to grab some Weckerly’s Ice Cream before you leave. FREE with regular admission; no pre-registration required. Rain or shine.
tylerarboretum.org

Blueberry Festival & Pie Eating Contest
Saturday, July 9th
(rain date: Sunday, July 10th)
8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Linvilla Orchards Entertainment Garden
598 Linvill Road, Media
Linvilla Orchards Annual Blueberry Festival takes place while the local blueberry season is in full swing. You can pick your own healthy blueberries from acres of bushes. Registration opens at 12:00 PM for our Blueberry Pie Eating Contest. Even if you do not wish to stick your face in some of Linvilla’s own blueberry pies, it is definitely a sight to see! The contest begins at 2:00 PM.
linvilla.com

Delaware County Summer Festival
Wednesday through Sunday Nights
through August 14th
7:30 PM
Rose Tree Park
1671 N. Providence Road, Media
Free concerts in Rose Tree Park's scenic outdoor amphitheater first began in 1975 as part of a two-year Bicentennial Celebration, and four decades later, the Summer Festival concert series remains a popular local tradition.
co.delaware.pa.us/depts/parks/summerfestival.html

Blobfest 2016
Friday, July 8th through Sunday, July 10th
Friday Night “Run Out”: 9:00 PM
Saturday and Sunday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Colonial Theatre
227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville
Blobfest is an annual three-day event held at the Colonial Theatre and all along Bridge Street. The festival, which commemorates the horror film The Blob, offers screenings of this 1958 classic along with other horror films. Sci-fi and horror-focused street fair vendors are on hand, and there's also music, contests and live entertainment throughout the weekend.
thecolonialtheatre.com

 GIVE & RECEIVE

CRUISIN'

Malvern Stroll
Thursday, July 21st  
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Downtown Malvern (King Street)
Don’t miss your chance to sip, shop and stroll during the late afternoon and early evening hours in Malvern when King Street boutiques, galleries and shops open their doors for extended shopping and browsing hours. Join us for a night filled with live music, light refreshments and surprises, including special promotions, happy hour specials, sales you don’t want to miss, popup stores, product demos and more!
malvern.org

9th Annual Media Downtown Car Show
Sunday, July 17th
(rain date: Sunday, July 24th)
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
State and Front Streets, Downtown Media
Check out over 200 antique cars on display! Retailers and restaurants will be open as well. If interested in displaying your car, same-day registration is only $15.
visitmediapa.com

Vintage Garage Sale celebrating First Friday in downtown West Chester
First Friday of the month through September 2nd
4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Chestnut Street Parking Garage
Downtown West Chester
Park and shop ’til you drop with vintage finds from a variety of vendors selling vintage home goods and accessories, antiques, collectibles, up-cycled, re-purposed and architectural salvage, vintage jewelry, clothing and original art and photography made with vintage components or vintage inspiration. Food vendors will also be on site along with a live jazz duo.
west-chester.com

 BOOK IT!

SEEING STARS

Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company presents Moliere’s Tartuffe
Saturday, July 16th
7:00 PM
West Goshen Community Park
1025 Paoli Pike, West Chester
Enjoy Commonwealth Classic Theatre’s FREE production of Moliere’s comic masterpiece, Tartuffe. Moliere’s play pokes fun at both individual and societal moral smugness, and reveals (and revels in) the outrageousness of outright hypocrisy. Orgon, the head of a wealthy family, deceives himself into believing that Tartuffe, a seemingly devout, but actually rapacious grifter is, in fact, a man of impeccable morality and goodness. But Tartuffe is not heaven sent, and all hell breaks loose when Tartuffe sets his sights on Orgon’s fortune…and his wife. The fun heats up once the family, and the family maid, put a plan in place to prove Tartuffe to be a fraud. Bring a blanket, low-backed beach chairs, a picnic and your sense of adventure!
wgoshen.org

A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
Sunday, July 24th  
4:00 PM
Amphitheater Stage at East Goshen Park
1661 Paoli Pike, West Chester
A beloved Shakespearean comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes you on an adventure with a group of young lovers, silly wannabe actors, fairies and sprites, all surrounding a duke’s wedding. Come and see the fun unfold, when the human and fairy worlds collide in this widely produced and timeless comedy. Bring a picnic, a blanket and lounge chairs. Presented by the PA Leadership Charter School’s Center for Performing & Fine Arts. Free admission!
eastgoshen.org