UPPER DARBY — Upper Darby Summer Stage, one of the nation’s premier youth theater programs, recently announced a partnership with the Haverford Township School District to host its summer 2026 programs onsite at Haverford High School.
The collaboration marks a new chapter for both organizations and reflects a shared commitment to arts education, community engagement, and providing exceptional performance and learning experiences for young artists from across the region.
For summer, Haverford High will serve as the home for Upper Darby Summer Stage’s full slate of performances, offering students access to outstanding facilities, rehearsal spaces, and performance venue. The partnership will allow Summer Stage to expand its impact while continuing its long-standing tradition of excellence in youth musical theater.
For Haverford, the partnership brings additional cultural and educational opportunities to local students and families while strengthening connections between neighboring communities.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Haverford Township School District and bring Upper Darby Summer Stage to Haverford High School,” said Chris Luner, artistic and managing director of Upper Darby Summer Stage. “This partnership allows us to continue delivering high-quality theater education in a space that supports creativity, collaboration, and community. Summer 2026 is shaping up to be a season unlike any other for our students and families!”
Haverford district leaders echoed the excitement, emphasizing the value of hosting a nationally recognized youth theater program and the opportunity to further strengthen arts opportunities for students within the community.
“We are excited about the opportunity to welcome Upper Darby Summer Stage to Haverford High School,” said Dr. Matthew Hayes, district superintendent. “This partnership aligns with our commitment to supporting the arts and creating meaningful experiences for students and families throughout our community. We look forward to opening our doors to Summer Stage and to the energy, creativity, and community it will bring to our campus.”
Upper Darby Summer Stage also announced that Summer Stage Junior programs will continue to be held at Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast High School in Upper Darby this summer.
“As the Founding Sponsor of Upper Darby Summer Stage, Upper Darby Township is proud to provide scholarship support for our residents,” said Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown. “In Summer 2026, the township will once again contribute $125,000 in funding to ensure that students from the community have access to high-quality performing arts education and opportunity. This ongoing investment reflects a shared commitment to the transformative power of the arts. Once renovations and upgrades are complete, we eagerly await the return of Summer Stage in 2027 to its home of the last 50 years, Upper Darby High School.”
Despite this summer’s relocation, Upper Darby Summer Stage remains committed to its Upper Darby roots and to serving Upper Darby’s young people. As part of this transition, Summer Stage is actively working to ensure that students from Upper Darby continue to have access to programming through transportation options, financial assistance, and ongoing community partnerships.
Registration for Summer Stage 2026 is now open.
For more information about programs as well as a performance schedule, visit www.udsummerstage.org.
For more information specifically about the relocation, visit www.udsummerstage.org/relocation26.
Philly St. Patrick’s Day Parade to hold annual Delco fundraiser
The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade will host its annual fundraiser, 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 8 at Springfield Country Club.
The event will feature The Brothers Boyce, John McGillan and Jimmy McGrory performing Irish Music, as well as the opportunity to meet the 2026 Ring of Honor members and CBS3 personalities and watch the McDade-Cara and McHugh Schools of Irish Dance.
There will also be a scone contest, a children’s traditional dress parade, a 50/50 drawing and raffle baskets.
Tickets, which include a buffet, cost $40 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17.
A cash bar will be available. Pay via Venmo payment @Phillyparade and include name, cell number and note it’s for SCC tickets.
To purchase tickets by check or to be a sponsor, text Karen Boyce McCollum at 610-389-4246 or Margaret King at 609-206-5373 or visit www.PhillyParade.com.
Chichester residents Albert Pernsley and Demi Moore, owners of Crown Me Fit in Brookhaven, will present a free screening of their new short film, “Success Beyond Prison Walls, followed by a Q&A session at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18 in the Meagher Theatre at Neumann University. (COURTESY OF NEUMANN UNIVERSITY)
Chichester couple debuts film about post-prison reform
Albert Pernsley III spent more than 10 years in prison after he was convicted of third-degree murder in 2009. Since his release, he has been asking himself the same question: “What would you do if you were defined by the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
To answer that question, Pernsley and fiancée Demi Moore, a criminal justice professor at Neumann University, produced a short film, “Success Beyond Prison Walls.” A free screening of the film and a Q&A with the Chichester couple is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18 in the Meagher Theatre on Neumann’s campus in Aston. Everyone is welcome.
Their story is one of resilience and commitment. While incarcerated, Pernsley decided that he would not become just another lost statistic in the history of criminal justice. He lost 105 pounds, developed a passion for fitness, and built his dream of becoming a personal trainer and owner of a fitness center.
From the moment he regained his freedom, however, Pernsley’s record has haunted his attempts to reintegrate into society and build a productive life. For two years, he applied for jobs, secured interviews, and made positive impressions with employers, only to have his background checks produce a string of denials.
As his job applications were being denied, he applied for loans and grants to fund his dream, but his conviction for a violent felony blocked every attempt he made to succeed.
In 2021, frustrated by a system that made a second chance improbable, the couple launched Crown Me Fit, a Brookhaven gym that specializes in personal fitness and nutritional health. They built it from the ground up, investing countless hours in person-to-person marketing.
It was an appropriate project for the couple because physical fitness brought them together.
On April 24, 2019, Moore was a Delaware state trooper with eight years of experience. She was violently attacked by a prisoner who was being extradited to Pennsylvania and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Moore met Pernsley on her road to recovery and fitness.
At the same time, they began advocating for reform in the system for those faced with reentering society after they have served their time.
“We’re pushing to expand the Clean Slate Bill,” says Pernsley, “not to give blanket clean slates but to establish criteria. Look at the person’s conduct before prison and in prison. Look at the circumstances and community references.”
Moore, after 10 years as a trooper, took the lead in lobbying efforts. The couple has visited 34 legislators in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
“The circumstances of a conviction can be very different but, on paper, individuals look the same,” she explains. “At what point do we look at people who had violent felonies and give them a chance to show who they really are?”
Moore has two degrees from Neumann and a master’s degree and doctorate from Wilmington University. Now a criminal justice professor at Neumann, she teaches a course on re-entry.
The couple hopes to show the film and make their case for reform to as many people as possible.
“I want employers to see what life is like every day for applicants with a record,” Moore states. “Our visit to Neumann is the first public screening of the film, but we have reached out to the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, and other universities, too.”
Pernsley is now the CEO and owner of Crown Me Fit LLC, which has adopted a fitting motto: Where limits don’t exist. For more information about the film, visit “Crownmefit” on Facebook and Instagram.
Penncrest High School presents ‘Phantom of the Opera’ this weekend
Penncrest High School, 134 Barren Road, Media, will hold its production of “Phantom of the Opera.” this weekend.
Friday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. , and Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. in the auditorium. Tickets cost $15 for age 19 and up; $12 for students 13-18; $10 children, ages 5-12; and $8 for kids 5 and under.
The community is welcome to enjoy the show featuring local talent and vocals. For advance tickets, go to www.onthestage.tickets/…/68f7d206cf17170ff79ea2d8.
People line up to enter The Main Point on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr, likely sometime in the 1970s. A documentary, “The Main Point Story,” about the former music venue that closed in 1981, will have two screenings at The Kelly Center in Havertown on Friday, Feb. 27. (COURTESY OF OLD IMAGES OF PHILADELPHIA)
Kelly Center hosts two screenings of ‘The Main Point Story’
The Kelly Center, 4 E. Eagle Road, Havertown will present the screening of the documentary film, “The Main Point Story,” Friday, Feb. 27.
There will be two screenings: a matinee from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and an evening showing at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/kellycenter/02272026-1090237233.
“The Main Point Story” tells the history of a remarkable local music venue.
The film is an improbable tale of a tiny suburban Philadelphia coffeehouse that was a launch pad to stardom for aspiring young performers and a beacon for the people who would fall in love with their music.
The documentary recalls the beloved local landmark, the people who ran it, the amazing roster of performers who played there, and the fans who kept it alive for nearly two decades.
The Main Point seated fewer than 200 people.
The local fire station horn often interrupted shows and the worst seat in the house was maybe 20 feet from the tiny stage.
But that little stage was just the right size for the likes of Bruce Springsteen and John Denver, Bonnie Raitt and Janis Ian, Jim Croce and Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne, and hundreds of other then-lesser known young musicians who would hone their craft and prepare themselves to either eke out a living or blossom into greatness.
From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, the “little coffeehouse that could” attracted thousands and thousands of guests who would line up around the block to hear music they loved. But the love of its fans, its performers and its founder couldn’t save the club, and The Main Point closed its doors in 1981.
Anyone who was lucky enough to have been there will especially enjoy re-living some local history, watching the triumphant and tragic Main Point Story.
Advance general admission is $18. Advance VIP reserved table seating is $28. At the door, general admission seating is $30.
BYOB is welcome for an additional $5 donation per drinker. Disposable cups and ice will be provided.
Free parking is available in the Oakmont Municipal lot behind Kelly Center off Darby Road. Additional free parking is available courtesy of Grace Chapel at Eagle and Darby roads.
The Kelly Center is operated by Kelly Music for Life, Inc., a nonprofit 501c3 pure public charity that supports Music Education, the Arts, and other community initiatives. For more information, visit https://kellycenter.org.
Middletown Church to host clothing and accessories sale
The Thrift 4 You Shop at Middletown Church, 273 S. Old Middletown Road, Middletown Township, will have its monthly clothing and accessories sale on Friday, Feb. 13 from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Gently used men’s, women’s, children’s and baby clothes and accessories will be available, as well as household items, all at deeply discounted prices.
For more information about shopping or donating to the thrift store, call 610-565-4080.
WCU’s Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center seeks big ideas for 2026 Idea Challenge
Bring your big ideas and enter the 14th Annual Business Idea Challenge at West Chester University.
The WCU Business Idea Challenge is now open and all ideas are welcome that have not yet been commercialized and can be used as the foundation for a new business.
The goals of the competition are to foster idea generation and to facilitate commercialization of business ideas. Submissions are due on Saturday, Feb. 28. Competitors will vie for $11,500 in prize money.
Co-hosted by the University’s Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center, the Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic, and The Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, the WCU Business Idea Competition promotes creativity and idea generation by recognizing innovative ideas for new products, services and technology.
The presenting sponsor is Meridian Bank. WCU Business Idea Competition partners are SCORE of Chester & Delaware County and i2n, an initiative of Chester County Economic Development Council.
Ideas will be reviewed. The top ideas will move on to the Round 2 Fast Pitch video submission and the top two submissions in each track will move on to final round in-person pitch competition, which will take place on Wednesday, April 15.
Business experts, Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic Angel Investors, and members of the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce will judge the idea pitch. Winners will be announced and awards will be presented at the conclusion of the in-person competition.
There are four tracks in this competition: WCU Undergraduates; WCU Graduate Students, Alumni, Faculty and Staff; Early-stage Startups; and Chester County High School Students.
Competitors will be asked to explain their ideas for a product, service, or technology that can be used as the foundation for a new business, focusing on description, uniqueness and target market.
The grand prize is $2,500; first place in each track, $1,500; and second place each track, $750.
For more detailed information and to submit an entry, go to www.wcubizideas.com. For more information or specific questions, e-mail cottrellcenter@wcupa.edu or visit www.wcubizidea.com.
A welding class at Delaware County Community College. (COURTESY OF DCCC)
Interboro students at DCCC in shipyard jobs pipeline
Hanwha Group’s historic $5 billon investment in the Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. means increased annual production volume and more job opportunities for skilled workers in the Philadelphia region.
Through a unique partnership among Interboro High School, Delaware County Community College and the shipyard, 15 high school seniors are on a one-semester pathway that will lead directly from high school to a paid shipbuilding apprenticeship.
The students are enrolled this semester in DCCC’s PACE+ Pre-Apprenticeships to Apprenticeships for Carpenters and Electricians Program.
The special cohort was developed by DCCC, Interboro High School and HPSI as a feeder pipeline to HPSI’s full-time, paid Philly Shipyard Apprenticeship Program.
The program is entirely free for Interboro students.
Students earn college credits, gain hands-on technical experience, and develop the foundational skills needed for success in the skilled trades and shipbuilding industries.
The three-course, nine-credit pathway includes lectures and labs. Upon completing the DCCC program and graduating from high school, students will be ready to apply for HPSI’s apprenticeship program at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
“This partnership reflects exactly how secondary and post-secondary education and industry should work together,” said DCCC’s Dr. Karen Kozachyn, vice president, Workforce & Economic Development. “PACE+ is about building talent locally and creating long-term economic opportunity.”
Not only are the students on a career pathway to a Pennsylvania High Priority Occupation (HPO), they are also enrolled in an academic program that leads to a PA-registered pre-apprenticeship credential, industry credential in OSHA and CPR, as well to an associate degree should they wish to continue at DCCC.
The program was made possible through a grant from the PA Department of Labor and Industry and is a School-to-Work initiative for high school students.
Readers can send community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@21st-centurymedia.com.