Features

Michael Londra and friends bring Ireland to Mt. Airy

Michael Londra brings his national tour of “Ireland with Michael – LIVE” to the Commodore Barry Arts and Cultural Center in Mt. Airy on March 6.

Bird in Hand Consignment Shop: More than collectibles

The Bird in Hand shop is a place where area residents consign family heirlooms, start their own collections, or shop for gifts. It also is a nonprofit that supports community organizations. 

Going beneath the surface for inspiration and connection

Although her photography spans the breadth of human experience, Julia Lehman has found her truest inspiration underwater.

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.
Local Calendar
Community Feature

Developer Stuart Udis adjusted his proposed development plans for the former Fred's Mt. Airy Motors site to address community concerns and provide affordable housing.

More News
The following report is for crimes reported in Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy for the period from March 13 - 20. 
The development team that is now redeveloping the former Mt. Pleasant Garage went before the city’s zoning board last week to fight an October stop-work order.
The Springfield Township Board of Commissioners and Police Chief Robert Pitkow came together at a March business meeting to officially commend almost half of the force.
Last week’s edition of the Local contained an article that misidentified Karen Bojar as a Chestnut Hill resident. She lives in Mt. Airy.
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: Innovative housing in Chestnut Hill, part 2

This is the second of three articles about innovative urban housing in south Chestnut Hill. 
By Design

Welcoming spring with a silken, custom-ordered garden room

Welcome Spring! It is the time of renewal, revival and redecorating. The time to put away the blankets and bring out the bunnies. And what goes with bunnies? Flowers. 

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. 

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.

Sometimes the path to simplicity can be complicated

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

Sports

Crew's opening day still felt like winter for area rowers

There are always limited entries for the first Manny Flick/Horvat regatta of the spring rowing season, and last Sunday's weather led to even slimmer pickings than usual.

SCH lacrosse looks to improve upon solid 2022 season

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy gradually built up the level of competition in a series of scrimmages over the first two weeks of the girls' lacrosse season.

Hoops Madness returns to Chestnut Hill

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.

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.

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.
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.
Schools

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.

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.

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

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 and professor dies at 93
Harold Bershady, 93, a respected author, professor, intellectual and beloved family man who lived in Chestnut Hill for the past 31 years and in Mt. Airy 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
It may seem to many of you that the Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Annual Appeal has raised several million dollars. Not exactly, says the publisher.
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.