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MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Fire Co. #1 will celebrate its 100th Anniversary with a parade and ceremony on Saturday, May 7.

The parade will begin at 11 a.m. in the Knowltonwood/High Meadow section of Middletown. The fire apparatus parade will wind through the southern portion of the township ending at the Fire Station, 425 S. Middletown Road. Several marching bands will join the parade at the Indian Lane Elementary School located at Indian Lane and Old Middletown roads. The marching portion will proceed on Old Middletown Road to the entrance of the fire station at Bortondale Road.

The community is encouraged to view the parade along the route with the best viewing area near Indian Lane and Pine Tree Drive areas of Old Middletown Road. A brief ceremony will follow the parade at the Fire Station.

Additionally, Middletown will be celebrating the Township Pride Day following the parade at the Roosevelt School Municipal Center adjacent to the fire station.

The Middletown Fire Co. was started in 1919 by a gathering of a dozen men around a wood pile at William Borton’s home in the Bortondale section of the township. The original equipment was 12 buckets. Borton built a small garage to house a dual reel hose cart with 500 feet of hose a one nozzle. The fire company was chartered in January 1922 and recorded in the county of Delaware with James Shields as first president and the first chief John Yarnell. Through the years, the all-volunteer company has grown to six pieces of state-of- the-art equipment housed in the larger firehouse that relocated to 425 S. Middletown Road in 1996.

The fire company remains all-volunteer with over 50 active members and is supported by the citizens and council of Middletown. Community businesses and institutions will have historical displays in the fire station throughout the day. Everyone is welcome to all events throughout the day. For more information, visit http://www.middletownfirecompany.org.

Whether observed through a telescope or captured on canvas, Bob Kerr and D. Owen Stephens have always been fascinated by the starry night.

Kerr, a lifelong amateur astronomer, will speak, 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, on “When Owen Painted the Sky.” The lecture, sponsored on Zoom by the Rose Valley Museum, will center on Stephens’ astronomical works.

Raised in the borough, Stephens was the only child of Charles, an early Native American ethnologist, and Alice Barber Stephens, a world-renowned illustrator. His passion for astronomy stemmed from childhood and his parents added an observatory to their home, Thunderbird Lodge, a converted 1790s stone barn now owned by the Rose Valley Centennial Foundation and home to the museum.

Stephens studied to be a professional astronomer, but never earned a degree, and directed his interest to the possibility of translating scientific knowledge into art forms. He used his talent to depict accurate night skies, painting his first solar eclipse in 1925, as at the time a brush stroke could create a more precise image than a photography lens.

He was commissioned in 1937 by the Hayden Planetarium, part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, to paint the total eclipse in Peru. His images of the alignment were displayed throughout the country, including in AMNH and the Buell Planetarium in Pittsburgh. Stephens suffered a stroke while returning from the expedition, dying days later at age 43.

The media/digital presentation will include readings from Stephens’ journals and letters, his book “Flow of Horizons,” and samples of his work. All of Owen’s contemporaries are gone and much of the material has been handed down in the family.

The cost is $15 or $10 for members and reservations are required. The link will be provided when registered. Reservations may be made by calling 484-444-2961 and leaving a message or through email at programs@rosevalleymuseum.org by noon, May 18. For more information, or to register after May 18, visit http://www.rosevalleymuseum.org.

The League of Women Voters of Central Delaware County will present “Hot Topic: Criminal Justice in Delaware County,” noon Friday, May 20, via Zoom. Participants can learn about recent developments in the criminal justice system in Delaware County.

A distinguished panel of county leaders will discuss a variety of topics including a new central booking system, deprivatizing and reforming the George Hill Prison and community-based initiatives like Chester Partnerships for Safe Neighborhoods.

Laura McLaughlin, LWV-CDC Civic Education Committee Member and Professor, Neumann University, will moderate the discussion.

Panelists will include Kevin Madden, Delaware County Council and Chairman, Delaware County Jail Oversight Board; Jack Stollsteimer, Delaware County District Attorney; Jean Pierre Brice, CMP Radio, Chester Partnerships for Safe Neighborhoods

The Hot Topic presentation is free but to receive the Zoom link via email, people must register. People can also submit questions for the presenters in advance with their registration. To participate, go to http://lwvcdc.org and find the event on the front page.  Click on “read more” to find the registration form.

Moms can trade in brunch for trout this Mother’s Day at Linvilla Orchards, where all moms can fish for free with paid child’s admission, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 8. May’s mild weather creates prime conditions at Orchard Lake to catch trout.  Named 2017 Best of Philly’s Best Easy Fishing by Philly Magazine, all are guaranteed a day filled with fun and plenty of fish at the end of their line. No fishing license is required. Families can feel free to bring their own rods and bait or rent supplies as needed. Linvilla Orchards is at 137 W. Knowlton Road, Middletown. For more information, visit http://www.Linvilla.com or call 610-876-7116.

Readers can email community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@21st-centurymedia.com.

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