Tickets go on sale today for Saturday's "Tip-A-Canoe" day on the Brandywine, with performance by Hoots and Hellmouth.

Date: Saturday June 16, noon to 11pm.

This event benefits the Brandywine Conservancy, and is put on every year by the Young Friends of the Brandywine, which is an off-shoot of the Brandywine Conservancy.  From their social networking page:

"Tip-A-Canoe and Barbecue, too!, first held in 1999, has grown into the must-attend event of the summer. Attendees come from all over the country and Young Friends plan their vacations around the July weekend when hundreds take to the Brandywine River for a leisurely afternoon canoeing from West Chester to Chadds Ford. The day cumulates with an exuberant evening of barbecue, live music and dancing.

Tip-A-Canoe and Barbecue, too!, spotlights the Conservancy’s integral relationship with the Brandywine River. It is a family-friendly event for all ages. Back again this year will be the rambunctious energy of the popular band, Hoots and Hellmouth.

The funds raised from this event benefit the Brandywine Conservancy allowing us to continue to conserve the natural and cultural resources of the Brandywine River watershed. We invite you to join us".

UPDATE:  Tickets range from $55 - $90 depending on if you're a member or non-member, and depending on whether you want to participate in the canoeing or just in the BBQ/ Hoots concert.  here's the link for tickets:  http://brandywinemuseumshop.org/BrowsePage.aspx?searchtype=navitem&navitemid=1000056

Learn about native wildflowers at Mt. Cuba Center's 7th annual Wildflower Celebration, on Sunday May 1st

From Mt. Cuba Center's website:

"The goal of the annual wildflower celebration remains a desire to share our mission of fostering an appreciation for plants of the Appalachian Piedmont. Our guests will see the beauty of the gardens and understand how native plants support the environment. One more feature has remained constant over the years – parking and admission is still free. "

For more info, visit: http://www.mtcubacenter.org/images/PDFs-and-SWFs/Wildflower_2011_1.pdf

Brandywine River Museum offers free admission every Sunday from 9:30am to noon

The Brandywine River Museum, located on Rt. 1 in Chadds Ford, houses a world-class collection of works by Andrew Wyeth, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and other artists of the Brandywine valley.  It's really worth a look, if you haven't been in a few years.  In addition, there is usually a good temporary display or exhibit to see, such as the highly detailed train display of December, or the Edward Gorey exhibit of a couple of years ago.  Tickets are usually $10 for adults, but are free on Sunday mornings.   On a nice day, you can picnic outside of the museum on the banks of the Brandywine, or walk a long trail that runs next to the river.  It's a pretty sweet deal for something different to do on a Sunday.

For more info about the museum:
http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/mapdir.html

New 30 mile long greenway is being proposed for the Brandywine River

It's being called the Brandywine-Struble Greenway, and will span from the Delaware state line at Chadds Ford to an established "Mega-Greenway" 30 miles north in Pennyslvania.  The Brandywine Conservancy is the private organization that is proposing the idea.  Conveniently, most of the 30 miles of greenway wouldn't have to be built from scratch, since much of the Brandywine is already edged by informal paths.  This idea seeks to connect and refine the various pathways and to accomplish this before increasing development makes this logistically impossible. 

It makes sense to me.  My honey and I have walked a lot of the banks of the Brandywine, both in North Wilmington and near the Brandywine River Museum, and wouldn't mind if some of the particularly pot-holed, muddy parts of the path were smoothed out a little.  This greenway would also insure that, should some private land be sold to a proposed strip mall, the land can't be paved right up to the edge of the river. But if, for some reason, you're opposed to this idea and you live in southeastern PA, you can voice your opinion at the Chadds Ford Township Building tomorrow evening (4/14) at 7 p.m.

For more info on the proposed greenway:
http://www.brandywineconservancy.org/greenway/index.html