Holiday delights and more- and they are all free!

Upper Darby Township to Hold Holiday Tree Lighting and Concert

Upper Darby, PA - Mayor Thomas N. Micozzie and the Upper Darby Township Council will host the township’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and Concert on Sunday, December 8 beginning at 3:00 PM on 69^th Street in Upper Darby.  The public is invited to join Upper Darby Township and School District as they celebrate the start of the holiday season as well as the rebirth of the 69^th Street retail corridor.

 A FREE holiday concert begins at 3:00 PM at the Tower Theater (69^th and Market Sts), with performances by the Aronimink Singers, Beverly Hills Middle School Orchestra, The Bywood Buddies, The Girls Ensemble and Concert Signers from Drexel Hill Middle School, The Garrettford Singers, Stonehurst Select Singers and more.  Immediately following the concert, guests are then invited to walk to the top of 69^th Street where the official Upper Darby Holiday Tree will be lit at approximately 4:20 PM.  Families will also be treated to an appearance by Santa Clause as he kicks off the holiday season.

FREE New Choices Career Program includes mock interviews 

 Delaware County Community College’s New Choices Career Development  program features mock interview sessions as part of the career development curriculum. With newly created résumés,  students have an opportunity to improve their interviewing skills by practicing one-on-one with business professionals. 

 New Choices is a free career exploration and job re-entry program that provides individual and group support, career planning workshops, employer contacts, networking opportunities, résumé writing, interviewing techniques and basic computer training. The program’s goal is to assist participants in reaching economic independence by finding and retaining employment and/or training.

Applications are now being accepted for the session beginning the week of January 20, 2014. Interested individuals are invited to call 610-359-5232, email newchoices@dccc.edu or visit www.facebook.com/NewChoices for more  information. Classes are held at Delaware County Community College’s Marple Campus, 901 South Media Line Road.

Free Tour of Scott Arboretum Saturday

Explore the Scott Arboretum’s plant collections with Arboretum staff, 2-3:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7. This tour is designed for gardeners from beginners to experts. The tour will begin at the Scott Arboretum offices and is free and open to the public. In case of inclement weather, the tour will be canceled. For more information, call 610-328-8025. 

Free Lecture at Delco Institute of Science

Delaware County Institute of Science, 11 Veterans Square, Media will present a free lecture, “Uncorking the Past: The quest for wine, beer, and extreme fermented beverages,” 8-9 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9. Fermented beverages have been with the human race from its beginning in Africa.  Pat McGovern, Ph.D., Penn Museum, will describe how our ancestors concocted a host of beverages using locally available honey, grape, barley, rice, sorghum, chocolate, etc. 

Free Film screened  at Peace Center

Peace Center of Delaware County First-Friday Free Large Screen Film Series continues at 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield. On Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m., the 2005 film “Joyeux Noel” (‘Merry Christmas’) will be screened. This Oscar-nominated “Best Foreign Language Film” is based on the true story of the World War I unauthorized truce that inspired the song “Christmas In The Trenches.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments.  There will be a post film discussion.  For more information and directions, visit www.delcopeacecenter.org or call 610-544-1818.  Co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community.

FREE Concert on Sunday

The Marple Newtown Community Band presents a free concert on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., at Stage One: The Performing Arts Complex of Delaware County, located at 101 Plush Mill Rd., Wallingford. Works include “Overture on an Early American Folk Hymn” by Claude T. Smith, “O Magnum Mysterium” by Morten Lauridsen, “Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam” by Jerry Brubaker, plus favorites to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, and more. For more information, call 610-308-8692, or go online to www.mncb.org.

Free music at coffeehouse

The Vine Christian Shoppe becomes an intimate coffeehouse music venue on the first Friday of December (Dec. 6).  The Vine Coffeehouse will welcome the return of the ladies ensemble, “Out Of The Blue”, from the Blue Church in Springfield. The ladies will sing  at 8 p.m., followed at  9 p.m. by Kate & Charlie’s Christmas Music.

The Vine Christian Shoppe is in Cutler Plaza, 154 Baltimore Pike, Springfield. For more information, call 610-544-5133or visit www.thevinechristian.com.

Free Christmas concert offered

The glory and beauty of the season are always elegantly celebrated at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill.  The annual Christmas concert will be by candlelight, 7-8 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9. Guests are invited, free of charge, to welcome in the holiday season with music by the famous Fairmount Brass Quartet.  They will perform several holiday songs.  Call 610-259-5800 or go to www.ArlingtonCemetery.us for additional details. 

Arlington Cemetery is at 2900 State Road, Drexel Hill. 

No admission for artist trunk show

Join the Steel family, owners of Earth Wood & Fiber, an award-winning shop offering unique art and American Craftsmanship, for their Artists’ Trunk Shows, 3-6 p.m., Thursdays, Dec. 5 and 12. Earth Wood & Fiber is at 3534 Rhodes Ave. (off of St. Alban’s Circle), Newtown Square.

Visit with the artists while enjoying light refreshments.

For more information, call 610-356-9663 or visit www.earthwoodfiber.com.

Free Money Management Workshop Set

A free money management workshop sponsored by the Delaware County Workforce Investment Board will be held 9:30 to 11:30a.m., Friday (Dec. 13) at Chester CareerLink, 701 Crosby Street, Suite B, Chester.

The workshop will help improve financial health and add to the knowledge of everyday money matters. In addition to the workshop individual financial counseling will be available at no cost. All workshops require pre-registration; call 610-447-3350 from 8 to 4, weekdays

Brookhaven Slates Holiday Tree Lighting

Free tree lighting, refreshments and caroling

Brookhaven will hold its Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony 6p.m., Sunday (Dec. 8) on the grounds of the Municipal Center on Cambridge Road.

Area residents are invited to usher in the holiday season with family, friends, and neighbors and enjoy the beautiful sounds of young Christmas carolers.  Light refreshments will be served and Santa will attend.

The event is sponsored by the Brookhaven Recreation Committee and the Brookhaven Business & Professional Association (BBPA).

FREE holiday concert in Paoli

Handel’s Messiah will be performed by the Main Line Ecumenical Choir (MLEC) and Symphony Orchestra 8 pm Sat. (Dec. 14) at the Church of the Good Samaritan, 212 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli. This will be the 21^st annual performance of The Messiah by MLEC, now under the direction of Conductor Richard Zuch.

  Soloists will be Courtney Ames, Soprano; Susan Weinman, Alto; Perry Brisbon, Tenor;Brian Carter, Bass.

  Admission is free, but a free-will offering would be appreciated. There is ample free parking.

        

FREE Garnet Valley Elementary Choral Concerts

 All are invited to attend the upcoming holiday choral concerts given by Bethel Springs and Garnet Valley Elementary Schools. The third grade concert which will be held on Monday, Dec. 9  and will include fun songs Santa’s Choir and Super Santa, seasonal songs Happy, Happy Hanukkah, Bright Shining Star, and Hanukkah Shalom. The concert will end with the long standing favorite, Happy Holidays to You!  

On Dec. 16  the fourth and fifth grade concert will include Slovak carol A Cuckoo flew out of the Woods, Hanukkah Night, Hodie, and Bring on the Snow. The finale piece, Holidays are Coming!, will feature all 213 fourth and fifth grade chorus members singing on stage. Bethel Springs Elementary School choral ensembles are under the direction of Mrs. Melissa Adam, Garnet Valley Elementary School choral ensembles are under the direction of Mr. Joel Lenderman and both schools assisted by Mrs. Angela DeMarro, accompanist. There are a total of 411 students involved in the third, fourth and fifth grade choral program in the Garnet Valley School District.   

Both concerts will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Garnet Valley High School Performing Arts Center, 552 Smithbridge Rd, Glen Mills.

Growing Healthy Eaters

Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children is offering a series of free nutrition lectures to parents and Nemours Associates to help grow healthy eaters.

Once a month, every third Wednesday, Nemours/AIDHC dietitians will offer nutrition advice on an extensive list of topics. Starting with Gluten Free Diet: Fact and Fiction, Jan. 15; Beyond Weight:  A Healthy Approach to Promoting Nutrition in Kids, Feb. 19, and  Nutrition for Active Kids, March 19 with additional topics through November of 2014.

From toddlers through teenagers, Nemours nutrition experts do whatever it takes to deliver the best outcomes for kids, providing education, guidance and motivation for children with chronic illness, failure to thrive, obesity or other problems that impact nutrition, healthy growth and development.

Lectures are open to parents and held in the lecture hall at AIDHC. Light refreshments will be served but feel free to “brown bag” and bring your own.

For more  information call Lore Noyes, Director, Clinical Nutrition Services, 302-651-4759.

Holiday Origami Workshop @ Upper Chi Library

FREE Origami ornament workshop

   Get into the Holiday Spirit and create Holiday origami ornaments. OnWednesday, December 18 form 3:30pm to 4:30pm at Upper Chichester Library located at 3374 Chichester Avenue, #19, Upper Chichester. Call the library to sign up today at 610-485-0200 or visit www.upperchichesterlibrary.org/.

Wreath Ceremony in Newtown Square

A Wreath Ceremony is planned for Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Delaware County Veterans Memorial on West Chester Pike in Newtown Square. Everyone will gather at 1 p.m. for the 2 p.m. wreath-placing ceremony to “remember, honor and teach about the service and sacrifices of veterans, active military and their families.” All organizations are welcome to participate. Contact Tom Brown at 610-544-0849 or e-mail PAATOM1 @verizon.net. The Memorial is at 4599 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square. Everyone is welcome to pay homage to veterans, living and deceased, at this free event.

FREE Caroling event at Brandywine Baptist Church

 Brandywine Baptist Church will host “Brandywine Celebrates Christmas,” featuring favorite song and carols sung by the choir and guest musicians 7p.m., Sunday, Dec. 8.

The service will be held in the beautifully decorated historic church on Rte. 1 near Brandywine Battlefield. Everyone is welcome.