What To Do: Celebrate Cinco De Mayo in Kennett

Also: Trout Rodeo, May Day and much, much more!

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

Cinco De Mayo is day for partying. It is one of the biggest party days of the year for the people of Mexican descent. But, just as you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with gusto, you don’t have to be Mexican to celebrate Cinco De Mayo.

With the huge Hispanic population in southern Chester County, Kennett Square is the perfect location for a Cinco De Mayo Celebration.

Full-tilt celebrations of Cinco de Mayo have become an annual tradition in Kennett Square and they are celebrated each year on the Sunday closest to May 5. This year, Sunday May 3 is the “designated party day.”

“Cinco De Mayo” (The Fifth of May”) commemorates the defeat of the French army by the Mexicans at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. On May 5, 1862, over 6,000 French soldiers tried to capture the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe in Puebla de Los Angeles, Mexico. Led by General Ignazio Zaragoza, 2,000 Mexican men fought back hard and held the fort.

Kennett Square’s Cinco De Mayo Celebration (http://www.casagks.org/#!cinco-de-mayo/cfvg), which will be held on State Street and Broad Street from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., is a celebration of Mexican culture. The free event features authentic Mexican food, music, entertainment and children’s activities.

The festival has been sponsored in Kennett Square since 2006 by Casa Guanajuato, a group promoting Mexican culture. One of more than 50 kindred organizations across the USA, Casa Guanajuato derives its name from Guanajuato, a state in Mexico that is the original home of many of the Mexican immigrants in the area. The event is co-sponsored by Univision65.

Video link for Kennett Square’s Cinco de Mayo celebration — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QmIggg69sBQ.

Kennett Square will be a bustle of activity all weekend beginning with the Kennett Square Farmers Market. Every Friday, the market, which is located along East State Street between Broad and Union Streets, will be open from 2-6 p.m.

Kennett Square’s Art Stroll is a monthly celebration of the local art scene. Attendees are encouraged to stroll along the tree-lined streets and browse the many businesses that stay open late. The Art Stroll runs from 6-9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month.

As an added attraction, there will be free parking after 5 p.m. in the downtown parking garage and at any street meter.

On May 2, the 20^th Annual Anson B. Nixon Trout Rodeo, which is sponsored by the Red Clay Valley Association and the Kennett Area Park Authority, will be staged at Anson B. Nixon Park from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Ponds will be stocked with trout up to 22 inches for youth and adult fishing.

For more information on this weekend’s events in Kennett Square, call (610) 444-8188 or visit www.historickennettsquare.com.

Winterthur’s annual Point-to-Point Races have become so popular that the event is one of premier attractions in the Brnadywine Valley each year. This year’s 37th annual staging of the event will be May 3 from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Winterthur (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-4600, www.winterthur.org).

The Point-to-Point features a variety of cross country equestrian events. The main events are the steeplechase races. The races, which are on a course just over three miles long, include eight fences that are jumped 17 times.

Post time for the first steeplechase event is the Isabella du Pont Sharp Memorial Maiden Timber Race at 2 p.m. The Point-to-Point’s other featured races will be the Winterthur Bowl at 2:30 p.m. the Vicmead Plate at 3 p.m. and the Middletown Cup at 3:30 p.m.

The full-day event will also include all of its other traditional annual features such as the “Parade of Antique Carriages,” pony rides, food tents, the traditional opening ceremony with bagpipers and the legendary “Tailgate Picnic Competition.”

The list of special family activities includes “Canine Capers” (a playground area for dogs), “Stick-Horse Races” and “Winterthur Hunt” featuring “Personal Ponies” (equine safety program), “Success Won’t Wait” (scholastic books give-away) and “La Petite Salon.”

Tickets are $50 for adults and $15 for youth (ages 12-20).

When May arrives in Chester County, people from the area know that it is time once again for West Chester’s annual May Day Festival.

The festive annual event, which includes the West Chester Festival of the Arts, will be held on May 3 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. in Everhart Park (West Union Street and South Bradford Avenue, West Chester, 610-436-9010, www.west-chester.com).

The festival, which is free and open to the public, will host more than 40 vendors with exhibits and sales booths featuring a variety of high-quality juried arts and crafts. There will also be an array of crafts demonstrations by the participating artisans and a number of food and beverage vendors in the park.

The entertainment roster this year features West Chester Dance Expressions, illusionists Kyle and Kelly, Eric Reavey, West Chester Dance Works, juggler Randy Lyons, West Chester Performing Arts Studio, and Palace Pool Cleaner

The list of attractions also features a full slate of games and activities for youngsters, including children’s rides and a moon bounce.

Malvern Blooms (downtown Malvern, 484-321-3235,  http://www.malvernbusiness.com/events/6/2015-malvern-blooms-festival), one of Chester County’s popular early spring events, will be held May 2 and 3 from noon-4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday.

For two days, the Borough of Malvern will be hosting a large array of juried artists, home and garden vendors, entertainers and crafters. The event will take place along King Street, on Warren Street and in Burke Park. The street will be lined with booths, exhibits and sales displays presented by artists, local store owners and food vendors.

Malvern Blooms, which has become an annual springtime tradition in Malvern, will also feature free trolley rides, a “Field Day” in Burke Park, live musical entertainment by The Fabulous Greaseband, an antique car show, a fashion show, a wine garden, a sock hop and a wide array of children’s activities.

Card collecting is a contemporary hobby — and a hobby that has been around for more than 100 years. It is a pastime that has been handed down from generation to generation. There are two primary categories of trading cards — sports cards and non-sports cards.

Everybody is familiar with sports cards such as baseball cards and football cards. However, there are actually many more non-sports sets issued each year. Not surprisingly, non-sports cards have attracted a large number of collectors around the world.

Two times a year, collectors and dealers from all around North America come together in the Delaware Valley for a very special event — the Philly Non-Sports Card Show.

Now in its 32nd year, the show is the oldest show of its kind in the country. This weekend’s event, which will be held May 2 and 3 at the Merchants Square Mall (1901 South 12th Street, Allentown, 717-238-1936, http://phillynon-sportscardshow.com).

At this weekend’s 62^nd Philly Non-Sports Card Show, many of the hobby’s top manufacturers will have exhibit booths at the show and will be distributing free promo cards. There will be a huge array of non-sport cards, sets, singles, wrappers, chase cards, promos, and related memorabilia.

Whether you’re looking for brand new items such as Game of  Thrones or the latest Big Bang Theory issue or vintage items such as Hopalong Cassidy or Mars Attack, you’ll be able to find them at this weekend’s huge show.

There will be a number of special autograph guests including highly-respected card artists such as Brian Kong, Rhiannon Owens, Sean Pence, Elaine Perna, Tony Perna, and Jeff Zapata.

Show hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on May 2 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on May 3. Tickets are $8 daily or $14 for a two-day pass.

On May 2, one of Montgomery County’s most popular historic sites will celebrate the arrival of May. Pottsgrove Manor (100 West King Street, Pottstown, 610- 326-4014, www.historicsites.montcopa.org) is hosting a Colonial May Fair on May 2 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

The event will feature 18th-century entertainment, including performances by Tucker’s Tales Puppet Theater, acrobat Signora Bella, the Tapestry Historic Dance Ensemble and Levram the Great.

Tucker’s Tales Puppet Theater is an Abington-based performing company founded in 1981. Co-directors Marianne and Tom Tucker have performed at puppet, folk, ethnic and street festivals as well as at craft fairs, shopping centers, theaters and schools around the country.

Signora Bella “the Great Italian Equilibrist” has entertained audiences of all ages since her arrival on the eastern seaboard 10 years ago. Raised in northern California as Jody Ellis, she is a circus veteran whose solo act focuses on the tradition of the traveling performers of the 17th, 18th and 19h centuries.

The Tapestry Historic Dance Ensemble is dedicated to the research, re-construction and performance of historic social dance. The group’s repertoire encompasses historical eras from the late 15th through the mid-19th centuries, ranging from the elegant dance forms of the European Courts to the social dances of but a few generations past in America.

Levram the Great is a local magician who bills himself as the “Official Colonial Conjurer of Philadelphia.” The Colonial May Fair hosts a number of early American crafters who will be demonstrating their crafts and selling their wares. There will also be games and contests for youngsters.

Visitors will also be able to tour the manor house which features the early Georgian architecture that was popular with wealthy English gentry during the mid-18th century. It was built in 1752 for John Potts (ironmaster and founder of Pottstown) on a 1,000-acre plantation.

Admission to the event is free but there is a $2 suggested donation.

The Yellow Springs Art Show, which now features over 175 participating artists, will run through May 10 in Historic Yellow Springs Lincoln Building (Art School Road, Chester Springs, 610-827-7414 or www.yellowsprings.org). Show hours for the free event are from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.

The 2015 show will have on display over 3,000 pieces of fine art in a wide range of media and styles – oils, watercolors, bronze sculptures, pastels, landscapes, still life, seascapes and abstracts. All proceeds benefit arts education, environmental protection and historic preservation of the 300-year-old village of Historic Yellow Springs.

Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) has “Spring Blooms” running through May 23. Visitors can enjoy hundreds of lush acres featuring burgeoning gardens of daffodils, tulips, magnolias, azaleas, flowering cherries and more than 240,000 flowering bulbs.

Daily visitor programs, including gardening demonstrations, behind-the-scenes tours, and talks add to Longwood’s charms. Children will enjoy the many activities in the outdoor Children’s Area, and the imaginative fun of the Indoor Children’s Garden.

Admission to Longwood Gardens is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $10 for students.

If your allergies are acting up because of the springtime conditions or if the possibility of cooler temperatures this weekend puts you in the mood for activities that can be enjoyed in an indoor environment, then maybe you should consider attending a cultural event — a live theatrical show, a classical music concert or a ballet performance.

The Media Theatre (104 E. State Street, Media, 610-891-0100, mediatheatre.org) is presenting “Hello Dolly” now through May 24. Not only is the show one of Broadway’s all-time favorite musicals, it is a production that features Broadway star Andrea McArdle, who was the original “Annie” when the show opened on Broadway many years ago.

“Kinky Boots” has arrived in Philadelphia and will run through May 10 at the Forrest Theatre (1114 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 800-447-7400, http://www.forrest-theatre.com). The inspirational story tells the tale of a shoe factory owner facing bankruptcy who works to turn his business around with help from Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos.

People’s Light & Theatre (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, 610-644-3500, PeoplesLight.org) is performing Neil Simon’s “Biloxi Blues” now through May 24.

Simon’s semi-autobiographical Tony Award-winning play follows the adventures of Eugene Morris Jerome as he is shipped off to boot camp during World War II. It is billed as “A classic coming-of-age tale told with wit, heart, and humor.”

“Judy Garland — World’s Greatest Entertainer” will wrap up its two-weekend run at the Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) this weekend. An evening performance at the theater in Arden is slated for May 2 and a matinee show will be presented on May 3.

Additionally, the show will be performed at the Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, www.thegrandwilmington.org) on May 10 with performances scheduled for 2 and 7 p.m.

The Grand will also host a performance by the Delaware Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Conductor David Amato called “Restraint to Opulence” on May 1 at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will feature Webern’s “Passacaglia,” Bach’s “Excerpts from Musical Offering,” Bach/Webern’s “Ricercare No. 2 from Musical Offering” and Rchmaninoff’s “Symphony No. 2.”

The Ardensingers and Gilbert & Sullivan are a natural match — and they have history to prove it. The Ardensingers have been presenting the works of Gilbert & Sullivan continuously since 1948 at their historic Gild Hall (2126 The Highway, Arden, Delaware, 484-319-2350, www.ardensingers.com).

On May 1 and 2, the Ardensingers are performing Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Sorcerer” at their historic Gild Hall (2126 The Highway, Arden, Delaware, 484-319-2350, www.ardensingers.com). It is a two-act comic opera from 1877 with music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and libretto by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert.

From May 1-3, the Brandywine Ballet will perform “Sleeping Beauty” at West Chester University’ Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall (South High Street, West Chester, 610-696-2711, www.brandywineballet.org).

The choreography featured in the production is based on the original 1993 choreography of David Kloss. It was then updated in 1999 with additional staging and choreography by New York City Ballet’s Richard Hoskinson. Today, Artistic Director Donna Muzio and Resident Choreographer Nancy Page will present the production using both original and new choreography.