By Eshan Singh, Sophia Cui, Grace Hu, Nolan Talley and Ashley Wang, Co-Copy Editor and Staff Reporters
Community enjoys tree lighting celebration at Wilson Farm Park
By Sophia Cui and Grace Hu, Staff Reporters
On Dec. 7, Wilson Farm Park hosted the annual Tree Lighting Celebration from 5-7 p.m. Members of the community enjoyed the tree lighting and many other festivities, including a Philly Hots food truck, pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and festive holiday music provided by Just4FunMusic.
The event coordinators catered to the needs of all attendees by providing handicapped parking and enlisting police and members of the fire department to patrol for the occasion. Besides the Christmas tree, many festive lights adorned the nearby walkway, surrounding bushes and stage.
Amanda Zimmerman had never been to the event before but wanted to participate in something to celebrate the holiday season.
“I love the holiday lights,” she said when sharing her first impressions. “I live in the area, I’ve never been to the tree lighting ceremony before, and I wanted to do something festive locally.”
There were many activities for children and adults alike, such as a stand with accessories and activity pages, pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a polar bear photo booth. On one side of the Christmas tree, the Philly Hots food truck served fries, cheesesteaks and smash burgers, while on the other, a Berwyn Fire Company truck held tours.
Nidhi Naik, a local resident, has been coming to the lighting for five years. Though she and her family do not celebrate Christmas, they still enjoy the seasonal fun.
“We like to take part in all the festivities. It’s a happy time,” Naik said while waiting in the line to take pictures with Santa. “In the winter, we need to be happy. It’s a gloomy time of the year.”
Many who attended felt that the event was very well organized and brought the community together, including Stephanie Greenberg, who heard about the lighting from a friend and went for the first time with them.
“I think Wilson Farm Park is a great park. We’ve lived here for 42 years, and there is always something happening here,” she said. “It’s a great place to walk, and Chesterbrook in itself is a great community.”
Easttown Township establishes 0.5% income tax
By Nolan Talley, Staff Reporter
The Easttown Township Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to impose a 0.5% tax on income and profits for its residents and non-residents that will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. The tax will increase township revenue. Residents with an average Easttown income of $185,000 would be taxed around $925 a year.
Easttown becomes one of the 73 townships in Chester County that will collect this type of income tax. Keystone Collections Group is the local income tax administrator collecting the tax. Keystone has provided tax collection services to over 900 school districts and 38 municipalities in Pennsylvania for over 30 years. All employers within Easttown will be responsible for withholding the tax from their employees’ paychecks, starting in January. Keystone recommends that township employers report their taxes through the group’s online business portal.
This is the second time that Easttown Township has considered this income and profit tax, which failed to pass in July 2023. Tredyffrin Township rejected the same earned income tax in June 2023. Its decision was based on a study the township conducted that showed that the tax would stress residents who already pay roughly 3.8% in Philadelphia income tax.
NAHS students sell artwork at craft fair
By Ashley Wang, Staff Reporter
On Dec. 11 and 12, National Art Honors Society (NAHS) students hosted a winter craft fair where they sold their handmade artwork to fellow students. The students sold items ranging from paintings to homemade bracelets during all periods in the atrium. The purpose of the fair was mainly to raise money for the NAHS, as well as to provide a way for artists to share their artwork with the school. Junior Lila Hitz described the cut of sales she received as a result of the fair.
“It (the sale) started off as a way for NAHS to raise money. They were actually planning to take more of a cut of sales, like maybe 50/50,” Hitz said. “But now it’s 75/25 (in favor of the artists), so I think it’s more of a way for artists to just be able to share their work with the school.”
The artists created their own products to sell to their peers, including items such as hand-drawn stickers, crocheted works and holiday cards. Hitz explains how she decides on what items to feature.
“I just make whatever I’m interested in, or whatever makes me feel happy, and I hope that the right person comes along and likes it too,” Hitz said.
Many students browsing at the fair looked for holiday gifts to buy for their friends and family. Freshman Nolan Westawski describes his thoughts on what makes him most likely to purchase items from a vendor.
“I think the handmade (products) definitely have more dedication put into it, and more time and more passion,” Westawski said. “The quality would usually be better, and there’s lesser of them, not as much as a store-bought (item) would be, so they’re a bit more limited, kind of special.”
Chester County lifts burn ban
By Eshan Singh, Co-Copy Editor
On Dec. 9, Chester County lifted its ban on open fires. Chester County Commissioners Josh Maxwell, Marian Moskowitz and Eric Roe officially lifted the ban at a specially scheduled public meeting.
A lack of rain, low humidity, and sunny and windy weather had caused an increased risk of wildfires, leading the county to declare a 30-day burn ban on Oct. 27. In November, the county received small amounts of rain but not enough to reduce the fire potential, resulting in the extension of the ban through Dec. 26.
After a period of rain, the risk of wildfires decreased enough for Chester County Department of Emergency Services Director Bill Messerschmidt to recommend rescinding the burn ban. According to Messerschmidt, shrubs, grass and branches are most likely to catch fire and dry out very quickly, meaning that sustained rain and humidity were necessary to reduce the risk of fire.
Despite the burn ban, Chester County experienced 166 brush fires — fires involving low-growing plants — and 73 mulch and trash fires, according to the county. One civilian died because of a brush fire. According to Messerschimidt, the damage was worse than usual for this time of year. However, without the burn ban, the number of fires would have been even greater.
Eshan Singh can be reached at [email protected].
Sophia Cui can be reached at [email protected].
Grace Hu can be reached at [email protected].
Nolan Talley can be reached at [email protected].
Ashley Wang can be reached at [email protected].
