What To Do: Downingtown’s Good Neighbor Christmas

Also: Santa makes many, many appearances in and around Chester County By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand for Downingtown’s Good Neighbor Christmas, Saturday. For as long as anyone around here can remember, Downingtown has had a reputation as a neighborly town — especially with an annual event schedule that includes Good Neighbor Day each...

Fall registration for YMCA youth sports opens Sept. 8

Registration for Fall 2015 Session 2 Youth Sports leagues and clinics at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine begins on September 8 and runs until October 4 with late registrations being accepted after that based on availability. Sports offerings include soccer, cheerleading, floor hockey, DEK hockey, tennis, volleyball, basketball, T-ball, coach pitch baseball and flag football for kids ages 3 to 18...

Susquehanna Bank donates $10k to YMCA

Susquehanna Bank executives present Denise Day, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine, with a check for $10,000 in support of health and fitness programs for youth at local Y branches. Pictured from left to right: Joe Calabro, Liz Goldberg, Denise Day, Jeff Culp, and Matt Provinski. WEST CHESTER — Last month, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine received a $10,000 donation from its community partner,...

YMCA honors volunteers

​Denise Day (YMCA of Greater Brandywine CEO), honors Rip Tilden (left) and Joe Viscuso (right) with the 2014 Distinguished Service Award.

Local YMCA’s celebrate birth of basketball

WEST CHESTER — In 1891, a YMCA program director named Luther Gulick asked James Naismith, a gym teacher at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Mass., to invent a new indoor sport. Gulick wanted an activity to keep Y directors fit and limber during the winter months. After much trial and error, Naismith decided to hang two peach baskets from the bottom of an elevated running track, posted...

Melting ice & warming hearts…people YOU know doing ‘Good Stuff!’

Got ‘good stuff’ to share? Email kim@chescotimes.com (submissions are due the 15th & 30th monthly; and are subject to editorial review.) So much DRAMA…A  ‘shout-out’ to all the hard-working local kids and directors bringing affordable theater to our communities… Look for these March performances: Kennett – Oklahoma, Unionville – West Side Story,...

Lionville Y turns on Saturday Night Lights

The Upper Main Line YMCA and Lionville Community Y have added a popular weekend program for youth from fourth through twelfth grades called Saturday Night Lights.   The program “turns on the lights” on Saturday evenings throughout the school year from 7:30 to 10:00 pm for kids to swim, play and have fun. Special events, like Zumba, dance nights, pizza nights, extreme dodgeball, obstacle races...

YMCA to hold open houses, Jan. 18

Come to the Y for an afternoon of family fun and games! On Sunday, January 18, branches of the recently merged YMCA of Greater Brandywine will be free and open to the public from noon until 3:00 p.m.   Use the opportunity to swim in the pool, play games, work out, and check out everything the Y has to offer. Non-members can enter a drawing to receive a free three-month membership – one will...

Area YMCA’s waive join fee to celebrate merger

Area residents can become members of their local YMCAs without paying a joining fee during January. As of January 1, 2015, two area YMCA organizations officially unite to form YMCA of Greater Brandywine. Leadership from YMCA of the Brandywine Valley and YMCA of the Upper Main Line voted in June to merge the two associations. To celebrate the merger, all branches of YMCA of Greater Brandywine will...

Winter sports registration starts Dec. 15 for area YMCAs

Registration for YMCA of Greater Brandywine winter sports leagues and clinics begins December 15 and runs through January 18. Register before December 21 for a $15 savings.   A variety of sports leagues such as basketball, indoor soccer, floor hockey, indoor flag football and volleyball are available at different branches and open to youth ages 3 to 14. The leagues run from February 2 to March...