By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times

Being a natural redhead, I know a thing or two about self-tanner.  I know, for example, that I need it before even thinking about putting on shorts or a bathing suit.

As such, I have become something of a connoisseur due to the never ending quest to find the perfect one. It can’t make me orange, smell funky, rub off on my clothes or leave unsightly streaks. It must be easy to apply and gradually wear off without looking blotchy. It can’t cost an arm and a leg.

I don’t ask for much, people.

Recently, Jergens Natural Glow released a new formulation that has no odor. (We’ll see about that)

Obviously, I picked the “firming” lotion so I can be savagely tan AND cellulite free in as little as 7 days! (How do they get away with claims like that???)

I always apply at night before going to bed. The cream is white so it doesn’t stain….but, it also means that you need to be uniform in your application to get an even coverage. The fact that the tanner is mixed with a moisturizer helps minimize mistakes.

I did notice that the smell wasn’t as overwhelming as other brands. It definitely had an odor and I wouldn’t claim it to be fantastic smelling….but, it was tolerable. The true test, though, comes AFTER it is on your skin for a bit. My husband says that I usually smell like a stink bug. Sexy. This time, he said nothing! Could it be? Have I stumbled across the Holy Grail of Tanning Cream?

Well……..sorta.

I have a rather impressive olfactory system. It’s not always a good thing and certainly not when you live in the heart of mushroom country in the high heat of summer. That being said, while I still could detect the slightest tell-tale smell, the overall aroma was pleasant.

I have always been happy with the color from the Jergens products. You don’t look like George Hamilton (not that you would want to). The glow is warm and natural. When you go too many shades above your skin tone, it’s just too Jersey Shore. Stick to something realistic and you will be successful.

Check it out! And, as always, feel free to leave comments about YOUR favorite products! Knowledge is power (my “After School Special” message of the day).

Happy Weekend!

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
CALN — Driving down Lincoln Highway the other day, I was a little shocked to note how many businesses were either struggling or shuttered, and I was thinking to myself, “man, I hope there’s something that can be done about that.”

As it turns out, there is, and Caln is doing something about it.

Earlier this year, the township’s Board of Commissioners adopted the local authorizations needed to adopt the Local Economic Revitalization Act (LERTA). The program, which dates back some 30 years, cuts additional taxes — even school and county taxes, and both bodies had to agree to sign on —  on a sliding scale for a decade on new construction and reconstruction of commercial and industrial properties.

In layman’s terms, it’s ratable farming. Ratables are properties that pay property taxes, use minimal services, don’t send kids into the school district and with luck, create local jobs and spark the local economy. If everything works, the area ends up with a bigger tax base, the governments and school districts more than recover their revenues and you end up with a healthier, more prosperous community.

Long ignored in many parts of the commonwealth, the need for ratables is just now coming on the radar in some communities.

Caln, though, is showing that it might just be a bit ahead of the curve. Phoenixville used the program to help create one of the great municipal turnaround stories in southeast Pennsylvania. My sense is that it will be a winner for Caln, too, and should be strongly considered in other neighboring municipalities along the Lincoln Highway corridor.

But in other parts of Chester County, where the cry of “preserve open space” still resonates, could LERTA be used to create ratables?

Obviously. But more importantly, adopting a program like LERTA would allow municipalities to better target where development happens and manage growth, both in terms of development and tax base. I can’t say I haven’t seen the process starting to come to light in parts of Southern Chester County previously. After years of open space preservation mixed with residential development, the tax base gets strangled and local governments and schools start finding themselves with no good choices moving forward. I covered that entire process in New Jersey in the 1980s — a problem still far from being resolved in those parts.

In many rural Chester County communities a program such as LERTA could be paired with open space preservation, both to provide long-term tax revenue, job growth and to help pay for the loss of tax revenue on the open space. In  the end it comes down to money, so if municipalities make developing where they want it more cost effective, that’s where it will happen.

Although long derided by some, “smart growth” really is possible. Frankly, as the state’s land-use laws are written — once the economy turns again — a new phase of growth will launch again. How that happens and whether we see thousands of townhouses or commercial and light industrial development depends on the decisions made by municipalities in the coming years.

Let’s hope LERTA is part of their ongoing discussions.

* * *

Driving along Lincoln Highway reminded me of one other thing:

Almost 100 years ago, it was nothing short of a marvel of progress: the first interstate highway in America began formal work to select the route on July 1, 1913. By Oct. 31, the final route was picked, and work started on the highway that today runs through the middle of Chester County — using what had been the old Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike, which itself dated to 1796.

Starting next month, celebrations of the Centennial of the highway will begin and run through much of the next few years, if not the rest of the decade, as the roadbuilding in those days came in fits and starts.

Still, at the time, the idea of a 3,300-mile roadway from Times Square, New York City, to Lincoln Park in San Francisco was amazingly audacious. At that point — just prior to Henry Ford transforming America with inexpensive Model Ts — most cars were owned by wealthy folks who used them for sport. Ford’s cheap car and roadways such as the Lincoln Highway changed the way we live.

And while interstate highways and bypasses — largely Interstate 80, which mirrors much of the old Lincoln Highway path (and uses some of the old roadway out west) — have pushed the old highway system into the background, there is a growing appreciation for these aged arteries. As in Caln and other portions of the county, a renaissance of economic life on these roads is crucial to the future of large parts of the county.

As we remember to celebrate the amazing past of these roads, let’s take some time to consider their future, too.

A bogus request for a pizza delivery on Thursday led to the armed robbery of a deliveryman, New Garden Township Police said.

Police said the 23-year-old victim pulled into the expected delivery location at approximately 10 p.m. -  in the 100 block of Old Limestone Road in Landenberg, just north of the Delaware state line. The victim said he noticed a vehicle pull into the driveway right after him, which he thought was odd, police said.

The victim said that he attempted to call the number listed on the delivery ticket when he noticed a 30ish white male, about six-foot-1 and 180 pounds approaching, police said.  The victim said he proceeded to retrieve the food order and looked up to see the man had pulled a black fleece-type shirt up over his face and a black baseball cap down to conceal his identity, police said.

 The man then displayed a small black revolver and demanded all the victim’s money, cellphone, and car keys, police said.  The suspect ordered the victim to turn around and begin to walk.  The victim told police he complied, but that once he had gone some distance, he began to run toward the road, where he flagged down a passerby to call 9-1-1.

Police said the suspect fled the area in an unknown direction, and the preliminary investigation revealed that the residents at the delivery location had not ordered pizza and were not involved in the crime. Police said the victim was understandably upset but physically unharmed in the incident.

The investigation is continuing, and police are requesting that with information contact the department at 610-268-3171 or its Anonymous Crime Tip Line at 610-268-2907, ext. 222.

Organizers hope the 2013 WALK Against Hate will help foster diversity and end prejudice.

Kennett Middle School students, relatives, and neighbors are inviting others to participate with them in the Third Annual WALK Against Hate on Sunday in Philadelphia from 1 to 4 p.m.

Sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in an effort to end the injustices of prejudice, the 5K-route will begin on Martin Luther King Drive, adjacent to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The registration fee for the WALK is $10 for adults and $5 for youths.  To register online, go to  http://bit.ly/12BmQOe, then click the “Join Our Team” link at the top of the page.  Participants should arrive at Kennett High School for a bus that leaves at noon and will return about 4:45 p.m.

Those who can’t participate in person can sponsor an individual walker or the whole Kennett team. Contributions of any size will be appreciated; donations can be made at http://bit.ly/YJOAkg.
Funds raised through the WALK Against Hate will help support the Anti-Defamation League’s mission and programming such as No Place For Hate. Kennett Middle School earned the No Place For Hate Designation last fall for club activities centered on diversity and anti-bullying.

Brandywine Ace Pet and Farm has all-new look, inside and out, but features the same great service that has made the store a staple in the area for than 150 years. Saturday, they celebrate their grand reopening, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

POCOPSON — The old bromide suggests “everything old is new again.”

And while that might seem unlikely in this world of smartphones, social media and the like, the true social hub of the greater Unionville area has been a bedrock of the community since 1849: Brandywine Ace, Pet & Farm.

Saturday marks the Grand Re-Opening of the store, marked by live music, food, prize give aways, special one-day sales and drawings, 9 a.m. for 4 p.m. — but the story of how the new and improved store came to be stretches across more than century of local history and across the southern part of Chester County.

When the old farm store opened up more than a decade before the Civil War in what was the burgeoning village of Lenape, complete with train station — and for a while even trolley service to West Chester or Kennett — and post office, it became the hub of social life in the region. Through various owners, iterations and even buildings, the store has long been the place where it seems you run into everyone.

Just a couple of miles away, the Unionville Feed & Pet Store was the same sort of local hub — the kind of place where you could get a lot of “likes” without clicking a mouse.

But neither store was thriving — and it took vision to take the best of both and build a new operation likely to become as big a staple in the community in the 21st century as the original store was in the 19th century, which is what Saturday’s Grand Re-Opening is celebrating.

And even the current owners, the Drennen Family, Larry Sr., Larry Jr. and Chris Drennen, have family roots that extend back to the 19th century of local retailing. Although a Drennen has been part of the management team of the Oxford Feed & Lumber store for just less than a century, the family’s retailing roots go even further back, dating to the old Fairmount General Store in Lancaster in the 1800s.

And the Drennen’s know a bit about reinventing — having successfully reworked Oxford Feed & Lumber, modernizing the store without losing the old-time charm of the original business. They were also able to show off their merchandising prowess with the opening of Pets & Friends, a retail pets store in Jennersville.

After buying Hess Feeds in the village of Unionville in 2005 and converting it to Unionville Feed & Pet, the business grew rapidly — and quickly outgrew a cramped space. After a number of years of looking for a new location in Unionville, no real option emerged.

Then the current Ace franchisee in Pocopson was looking to move on. And, the building’s owner — another party — were looking to sell. The Drennens were able to buy both the franchise and the Pocopson Road property in 2012 and immediately started drawing up plans to enlarge and improve the store.

The product mix is new, with more farm, horse, pet and feed products — but because of an expansion of the retail area, all of the familiar Ace Hardware products, from Craftsman tools to Weber Grills to Stihl power equipment and even the highly rated Clark & Kensington paint line remains on sale.

What also hasn’t changed: the Drennens kept on the entire staff from both stores, so the smiling faces and helpful folks in both locations that everyone has come to know and appreciate are still there.

In celebration of the new and the old, Brandywine Ace, Pet & Farm is throwing quite the party Saturday.

In addition to a wide variety of sales and special one-discounts, shoppers can stop by to get a Bar-B-Que lunch of Holiday House pulled pork, Herr’s chips and soda (for a donation to Pet rescue fund). For the kids there’s a moon bounce, Petting Zoo and face painting and more.

For the grown ups, there are dog obedience sessions, a demonstration by the Longwood Fire Company, hourly Stihl demos, and live music from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be raffles for five baskets, either valued at $300, plus two grand prizes, a 40-inch Samsung SMART LCD TV and Weber E-310 gas grill with Weber Island Cabinetry.

Manlio Morales, 27, is accused of bringing heroin, crack cocaine into Kennett Square borough from Wilmington.

After a several-month investigation by Kennett Square police, a Wilmington man was charged Tuesday with drug offenses, police said Wednesday.

Manlio Morales, 27, faces five counts of delivery of heroin and crack cocaine in the borough, police said. Morales was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Daniel Maisano, who set bail at $50,000 cash, police said. Unable to post that amount, Morales was transported to Chester County Prison, police said.

Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino said his department received  assistance  with the arrest from Chester County Detectives and New Garden Township Police.   A preliminary hearing for Morales is scheduled for Tuesday, according to court records.

By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times

Michele Amendola (left), kennel coordinator at the Chester County SPCA, and Carin Ford, a board member, show off a Doberman pinscher puppy that they hope will be a short-time guest at the facility.

The Doberman pinscher puppies yelped gleefully when a visitor opened the door to their pen; within seconds they enveloped the Chester County SPCA staffer, jockeying for position to grab the attention they anticipated.

Kennel coordinator Michele Amendola didn’t disappoint, picking up the enthusiastic tail-waggers one by one. “They won’t be here long,” she predicted while receiving copious nuzzles.

Quick adoptions remain one of the highlights of working at the agency, which has had an unarguably drama-filled year – from the completion of a much-needed expansion to the remarkable recovery of a pit bull terrier left for dead in a roadside ravine to a contract with Delaware County to house its rescues.

Several staff members sat down for a recent interview to discuss some exciting changes – such as aromatherapy for dogs – and  to dispel some common misconceptions about the agency.

Toys, a comfy box, food, and water help keep these kittens waiting for a permanent home content.

One of the most prevalent, said Rich Britton, who handles community relations for the Chester County SPCA, involves funding. “A lot of people think we’re affiliated with a national group, and we’re not: We’re an independent nonprofit,’” he said. “People also think we get government funding, which also isn’t true.”

The Chester County SPCA has contracts with some municipalities – Delaware County, for example – and gets fees for services. The rest of the agency’s operating budget – a much-needed infusion to cover the expense of caring for the animals – comes from private donations and fund-raisers such as the recent Walk for Paws and the upcoming Forget-Me-Not Gala, he said.

Britton explained that the Chester County SPCA is an open access shelter, which means that no animals are turned away. The goal is to find them permanent homes, a process that ranges from a few days to more than a year. “There’s no time limit,” he said. “Our main objective is to get them placed; we keep them as long as it takes.” Euthanasia occurs only as a last resort – when an animal becomes too sick or is too injured to recover, he said.

Even with the expanded facility, which includes training runs for the dogs, and a dedicated core of volunteers, some animals need more attention than the agency can provide. Amendola said the Chester County SPCA has a growing list of volunteer rescue organizations, some local and some as distant as southern Tennessee, all of which are vetted.

Some animals may return after an extended period of rehab,  some may be placed by the other group, and others may   remain with that group, she said. “We’re constantly looking to partner with rescue organizations,” Amendola said, adding that recommendations are welcomed.

“We are also always looking for foster families,” added Carin Ford, a board member. “Despite our wonderful staff and volunteers, this isn’t the best place to recuperate.” She said people willing to work with animals on a temporary basis to make them more adoptable are a valuable part of the agency’s operation.

For those animals who don’t need extensive care and attention, the agency looks for new ways to break up the animals’ routine and “keep them happy in the moment,” said Britton.

After Kelley Bollen, a well-known animal behaviorist, presented a two-day educational seminar, Ford and Amendola said they both went home and raided their kitchen cabinets. Bollen suggested spritzing an appealing scent into cages once a day to add a pleasant diversion.

Chester County SPCA Kennel Coordinator Michele Amendola quickly gets surrounded as she enters the pen of a group of Doberman pinscher puppies.

“You can see what works,” Ford said. “Their noses perk up, and it keeps them alert.”    She said vanilla, cinnamon, and coconut did the trick while basil was a dud.

Another new addition: 12 hours of music therapy. The agency is using its public-address system to surround the animals with soothing sounds, such as classical compositions and nature songs. The staff is also using clickers to reinforce good behavior with dogs, and cats are getting scratch boxes and covered shoebox homes, a place to retreat and “feel secure,” Ford said.

As any pet owner knows, an animal’s unconditional love comes with a price tag, said Britton, who estimated the monthly cost per animal at about $400, which includes food and veterinary care. Prospective adopters get a bargain since animals are already vaccinated, neutered and micro-chipped, he said.

Amendola said the agency works hard to ensure that animals are ready for adoption and is always looking for ways to make the process easier.  Some new initiatives involve a matchmaking program, which  enables people to be notified when a particular breed becomes available, and a dogs-on-tour promotion in which volunteers take adoptable animals to various public venues.

The outreach has proven successful, Britton said. Even though the agency is accepting more animals, adoption numbers have been keeping pace, thanks to the concerted effort. “We’re trying to cast a wider net,” Britton said. “We’re using social media, and constantly looking for new opportunities to get the word out.”

Ford said it’s impossible not to become extremely attached to some of the animals. In fact, working at the agency poses an occupational hazard: Many rescues end up going home with staffers or volunteers. “You can’t work here and not love animals,” Amendola said.

Sometimes families will bring their pets back to the Chester County SPCA for a visit. Ford recalled one dog that required a lot of socialization work because it didn’t interact well with other dogs. Despite the bond that she formed with the dog, it didn’t recognize her when it returned because it had become so acclimated to new surroundings.

Ford described the experience as a bit bittersweet. She said she felt a tinge of loss that quickly dissipated because the dog’s transition had been so positive. “I remember crying with happiness,” she said.

For more information on the Chester County SPCA, its programs, or its 26th Annual Forget-Me-Not Gala on June 9, visit http://www.ccspca.org.

You can by signing your relay team up for the annual Kennett/Unionville Relay For Life on June 7 and 8 at Unionville High School.

With only four weeks left until the event, it is time to register your team. To do so, just go to relayforlife.org/pakennettunionville and follow the instructions.  Relay For Life is a great all-ages family event that raises money to help cancer patients and their families fight cancer and funds research to end cancer. The Relay, starts at 6 pm on June 7, and continues nonstop all night until 10 am on Saturday, June 8. Go for the entire time and camp overnight, or attend any number of hours during the event.

“Last year we raised over $65,000,” said Mike Zieg, chairman of the committee that organizes the Kennett/Unionville Relay For Life.  “We have been successful because so many community members want to end cancer after experiencing its effects in their families.  Our goal this year is to beat last year’s total, and we need everyone who has been impacted by cancer to come out and join us.”

Relay For Life is also a great opportunity to help celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, organizers say.  Recent research conducted by the RFL organization with local survivors showed that they want to celebrate their victory with family and friends. For those who know anyone who has survived cancer, invite him or her to join you in creating a team and come out to celebrate at the event. Special recognition of survivors occurs on Friday evening, and all cancer survivors are welcome to attend whether part of a team or not.

The Kennett/Unionville Relay includes continuous laps around the UHS track, games, face painting, live music, picnicking and more. A recognition lap and dinner for survivors and their caregivers is held on Friday evening, and a beautiful lighting of luminaria recognizes those who have lost the fight against cancer and honors others who are still bravely fighting the disease. Details about the Relay For Life of Kennett/Unionville can be found at relayforlife.org/pakennettunionville and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RelayForLifeOfKennettUnionville.

One other fun fact: the annual Unionville/Kennett Community Breakfast is held the morning of June 8 at Unionville High School, meaning participants can go right from the track to enjoy a warm breakfast.