Features

Learning to love the ‘beautiful efficiency’ of flowers

Courtney Jewell has been selling weekly deliveries of fresh local flowers in Northwest Philadelphia since 2019, after moving to East Mt. Airy.

A delicious taste of Irish at Tavern on the Hill

The bar, as dark and dense as the Irish woods, was rocking with laughter as we made our way gingerly to the charming dining room just beyond.

A life of musical learning delivers a chance to give back

I guess you could say that Mt. Airy resident Randall Grass, 73, does not let any grass grow under his feet. Grass has traveled to or lived in more than two dozen countries. Now he's teaching a MALT class.

Viral video captures a Morehouse dream come true

Amir Staten desperately wanted to become a Morehouse man. And then on Friday, the Morehouse email landed.  It led to a joyous viral video.

Black women florists group blooms in the spotlight at the PHS Flower Show

When floral enthusiasts walk into the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show this week, somewhere amid the sweeping displays will be an exhibit showing barrels pouring streams of flowers into a foundation of colorful blossoms. It has local connections.

Tired of those ‘fowl’ egg prices? Here is a solution

Eggs, which nature conveniently delivers as perfectly formed little packages of protein, are perhaps one of our healthiest and most versatile foods. 
Local Calendar
Community Feature

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, hundreds of community members packed Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s Vare Field House to celebrate the return of Hoops Madness.

More News
Trailers full of students and their industrial-size robots will stream into Chestnut Hill this weekend for the FIRST regional robotics tournament hosted by Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.
After years of decline, Northwest Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood has in recent years become attractive to developers.
All across Philadelphia, community fridges exist to help provide food to neighbors in need.
The following report is for crimes reported in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy for the period from March 6 - 13. 
Business
There is a fresh burst of color at Gallery on the Avenue, with a spring exhibit that includes Christopher Ward's life-sized psychedelic llama, and more.
Crime

Crime Report: May 16 to June 6

The following crime report is for crimes reported in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy for the period from May 16 to June 6. 

Homes and Gardens

Conservancy Chronicles: Chestnut Hill's innovation

The first of three articles about innovative group housing in south Chestnut Hill, which discusses developers George and Gertrude Woodward and their architects. 
By Design

An Edith Wharton classic still relevant for this modern moment

"The Decoration of Houses” continues to be an exact and authentic classic, and is arguably the most important book of its kind.
Design Matters

Sometimes the path to simplicity can be complicated

We worked for over a decade with one couple in their search for domestic simplicity. 

In praise of walls: The joy of separate spaces

For many years, newspaper real estate sections included the much sought after building description “open floor plan,” touting homes with no walls.  I happen to like rooms.

Five tips for navigating a successful renovation project

In last week’s By Design column, Patricia Cove gave wise advice about the value of certain renovation decisions. This week, I thought I’d add to that discussion.

Sports

Chestnut Hill Classic draws international athletes

This past weekend, 24 of the best female squash players in the world spent five days battling it out on the courts of the Philadelphia Cricket Club at the inaugural Chestnut Hill Classic.

Host Norwood wins boys' title at Snowball tournament

In the boys' championship game last Sunday at Norwood Fontbonne Academy's 49th Annual Snowball tournament, the Bears claimed a 42-39 victory over Germantown Friends and emerged as the tourney champions.

St. Philip girls repeat as Norwood Snowball Tournament champs

The girls' basketball team from St. Philip Neri School in Lafayette Hill always seems to be a force to be reckoned with at Norwood Fontbonne Academy's long-running Snowball Tournament.

In the PIAA District 1 Class 5A basketball tournament, Mount St. Joseph Academy won in the first round and lost in the quarterfinals. The Magic then guaranteed themselves a spot among the six District 1 teams.

As in 2022, top-seeded Westtown School met number two Penn Charter in the finals of this year's Pa. Independent Schools girls' basketball tournament.
The Patriots and the Irish were playing for two-out-of-three, as well as the chance to keep their basketball season going. The girls of Germantown Academy and the Academy of Notre Dame had each won …
After trailing 17-13 at halftime, the host Bears were ahead 34-33 at the end of the third quarter and also led by one point late in the fourth period.
In a non-league middle school basketball contest, the girls of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy middle school varsity squad jumped out to an early lead, but Norwood Fontbonne Academy soon made a game of it.
Schools

Penn Charter's wrestlers literally stepped into the spotlight for last Friday's Senior Night meet.

At last Tuesday's Inter-Ac League hoops contest, the Academy of Notre Dame recorded a 42-18 victory over visiting Springside Chestnut Hill.

Late last week, Penn Charter was pretty much assured of making an undefeated run to its second straight championship in girls' basketball. However, on Friday night there was a pitched battle for second place.

Obituaries
A legacy of courage for a trailblazing bishop
The Rt. Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold, III, of Chestnut Hill, the 25th presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church who came under fire after supporting the ordination of women and gay Christians, died on March 5.
Beloved teacher, mother and pioneer dies at 103
Alice Davenport, a beloved former teacher at Germantown Friends School as well as the first African American teacher in Norristown in 1952, died at age 103 on Feb. 1.
Beloved Hill scholar/author/professor dies at 93
Walter Bershady, 93, a brilliant but humble professor, author, intellectual, beloved family man and scholar who lived in Chestnut Hill for the past 31 years and in Mt. Airy for 28 years before that, died Feb. 18.
Wyndmoor businessman, puzzle maven, 'collector,' dies
Michael Alan Savar, of Wyndmoor, died peacefully at his home on Jan. 14 at age 81.
Beloved former CH Conservancy director dies at 88
Kathy Shaifer, a longtime Chestnut Hill resident who served as executive director of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy (formerly the Chestnut Hill Historical Society), died Jan. 19.
Opinion & letters
Editorials
In last week’s Chestnut Hill Local, I wrote about the financial state of the paper. This year, unlike previous years, you will be able to help The Local address some immediate needs when you give to the CHCA Annual Appeal.
Letters to the editor
About Chestnut Hill
CHCA agenda
 Thurs. March 2, 2023: Land Use, Zoning, and Planning Committee Meeting
Chestnut Hill Library gets a “surprise mini-renovation”
The laundry list of repairs is expected to be complete by the first week of March for reopening.
A series of developments for historic buildings in Chestnut Hill
A series of recent news developments suggest that one of Chestnut Hill’s historic buildings may be saved from the wrecking ball while another may yet face one. And the fire-gutted Hiram Lodge faces challenges of its own.
Hill business exec a major force in pandemic recovery
Chestnut Hill resident Susan Jacobson, recently selected by Gov. Josh Shapiro to be a member of his transition team, may well have done more than most to help Philadelphia recover from the pandemic.
Hill physician celebrated with hospital unit named in her honor
The palliative care unit at Chestnut Hill Hospital will soon have a new name: the Susan Bray Palliative Care unit.