Michelle Chamberlain - Suburban Philadelphia Mortgage Broker

On Wednesday night October 1, 2008 from 5:00-8:00 pm local firefighters from our community will be moonlighting at McDonald's in Clifton Heights. This event is a benefit to raise funds for Primos-Secane Westbrook Park Fire Company #74, which serves the Primos-Secane and Westbrook Park areas of Upper Darby Township, and also provides assistance to other fire companies in Delaware County.

The McDonald's is located at 531 Baltimore Avenue across the street from the Home Depot. Everyone in the area should come out to support this great cause and come out to dine with your friends and neighbors. Or you can pick up dinner from the drive thru on your way home from work. Please see the flyer below for the coupon to present at the drive thru.

Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain along with running mate Sarah Palin visited Media, Pennsylvania this past Monday in a rally in front of the Delaware County Courthouse. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 residents of Delaware County and the surrounding areas came out to support (or in some cases protest) the event. I took my 10 year-old daughter to the event as I thought it would be a good educational experience for her and also a good opportunity to spend some time in seat of Delaware County.

I'm almost embarassed to admit this but although I've lived in Delaware County for the past 6 years I've never really spent any time in Media. I live in Secane and although it is about 5 miles from downtown Media, I seem to never venture further west than the Springfield Mall. Ok, I am exagerating slightly as I have attended performances for the past 2 summers at The Media Theatre but still I never really realized all the little shops and restaurants with outdoor seating that Media has to offer until this trip. No wonder it bills itself as "Everybody's Hometown."

Another thing I noticed is that the Delaware County Courthouse with its clocktower and the Veteran's Square Area around the courthouse reminded me so much of the movie Back to the Future. I half expected to see the DeLorean drive up to get Marty McFly back to the 80's. Instead John McCain's tourbus "The Straight Talk Express" drove through the square and let the candidates out into the crowd. That was almost as exciting.

I will also note that the people at the rally and the people of Delaware County in general are pretty nice ( I grew up in Philadelphia). Everyone in the crowd was talking and laughing with one another as though they were old friends and several taller members of the crowd offered to take some pictures for me as they could get a better view than I could. Unfortunately, I don't have the greatest camera and my batteries were dying so my pictures could be better. After the rally we had dinner at Pinnochio's Pizza on Baltimore Pike which has been in business for over 50 years. The pizza was pretty good,with a very thin crust, still I'd love to come back to Media someday and check out some of the other restaurant offerings. Maybe for the next political rally...

Written by Michelle Chamberlain of Above All Financial Services, a Delaware County Mortgage Broker. To apply for a Pennsylvania Mortgage loan or to learn more visit www.aboveallmortgage.com.

One thing my family and I look forward to each summer are the Summer Stage performances at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center. If you are not familiar with Summer Stage, it is a wonderful program which entertains the community each summer with children's shows and Broadway musicals in addition to teaching young performers acting, dancing, singing, and stagecraft. Participants in the Summer Stage program study theatre and perform for the community in one of the series of summer shows. As evidenced by these performers, there is an incredible amount of talent in Delaware County and the shows are fantastic.

This year the Children's Series offers : Peter Pan, Elliot and the Magic Bed, Alice in Wonderland, Jr., Pinocchio, A Real Boy, School House Rock Live, Jr., and Willy Wonka, Jr. The Mainstage Performance, geared to older audiences is My Favorite Year based on the 1982 movie starring Peter O'Toole. Having already attended the performances of Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio I highly recommend you try to check out one of the remaining performances.

These are not the children's stories you remember reading as a child, as they offer music, dancing, and are updated to appeal to the children of today. For example, in the updated version of Pinocchio, the title character, whose nose grows every time he disobeys his father, skips school in favor of hanging out at the mall to play in the video arcade. He must still learn right from wrong in order to become a real boy, only this time Pinocchio lives in a world of cell phones, high tech toys, and hip hop music and not a small Italian village. The shows are funny and entertaining, and it is hard to believe the people on stage are local young performers and not professional actors. I also attended a past year performance of Beauty and the Beast and heard many people commenting after the show that the quality of the performance was better than some Broadway shows.

The Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is located at 601 North Lansdowne Avenue, in Drexel Hill PA. The Box Office phone number is (610) 622-1189 or you can find more information online at www.udpac.org. Did I mention tickets start at only $5?

Primos-Secane, PA is located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in Upper Darby Township. Primos-Secane is the name of the post office which serves the area an is not an actual town. The area could be known as Primos, Secane, or Primos-Secane depending upon who you ask since the borders between which section is Primos, and which are blurry.

The area was mostly farmland before it was developed and most homes in the area are about 50 years old, although there are a few new construction homes as well. The Primos-Secane swim club provides summertime enjoyment to families in the area. It is a private swim club and open to members only and their guests.

For more information see Secane, PA.

Many people have never heard of Secane. Some would guess that it is a shore town in New Jersey, or somewhere else near the "sea". In fact, the area known as Secane is roughly 6 miles west of Philadelphia and lies in both Upper Darby Township and Ridley Township. The closest thing to the sea is the Muckinipatus Creek which runs through the area.

Secane is not actually a town but the name of the section of the township and the post office which serves the area (this may contribute to the confusion). For mailing purposes a resident's address is Secane but their actually municipality is either Upper Darby or Ridley. Other "towns" in Delaware County which are actually sections of a township include: Holmes, Milmont Park, Folsom, Westbrook Park, Drexel Hill and Primos. The area may also be referred to as Primos-Secane which is the actual name of the post office, although the area known as Primos exists only in Upper Darby Township and not in Ridley. (A bit confusing especially when having a pizza delivered).

Legend has it that Secane was name after Chief Secane (alternate spelling Sicanne) of the Lenni Lenape tribe that once inhabited the area and the Muckinipatus Creek named after his son. In fact, in the wooded areas along the creek you can almost imagine what the area may have looked like when the Native Americans lived there. It is not uncommon to see wildlife such as deer, rabbit, fox, and raccoon although the area is pretty much developed save for a few patches of woods here and there. Almost like living in the country without having to drive 10 miles to the nearest store.

Living in Secane and commuting to Center City Philadelphia is a snap. The Septa R3 train offers an Express train leaving the Secane Station during rush hour times and will have you at your destination in only 20 minutes. You can walk to the train station from most locations, but there is also limited parking should you wish to drive. Secane is also conveniently located to major roadways such as the Blue Route (I-476) and I-95 (about a 10 minute drive to both) and about 15 minutes away from Philadelphia International Airport (no highway driving needed). The Springfield Mall is located 3 miles away and numerous shopping centers, restaurants, and other retailers are even closer.