Willow Grove 300 Commemorated with Plaque

The Township Building now has a plaque hanging with the names of the people who made the Willow Grove 300 Celebration possible.

Willow Grove 300 steering committee members Richard Booth and John Connell presented to the Township a plaque that both commemorate the historic occasion, as well as those closely involved with organizing the celebration. The presentation took place at the Jan. 9 regular meeting of the board of commissioners. The plaque holds the names of the 21-member steering committee, most of who were in attendance. The plaque also holds the names of the sponsors of the celebration, which held over 50 events from April to June last year. The top name on the list of steering committee members, is the committee’s chairman, the late Dick Sayer. “Without his leadership, the tri-centennial celebration would not have been as successful as it was,” Booth said…

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The Up and Up in Upper Moreland

Patch Reflection: Dick Sayer and the WG 300

Upper Moreland - Willow Grove Patch editor Gerry Dungan reflects on a brief but lasting experience covering the Willow Grove 300 Celebration with Dick Sayer.

I had the pleasure of working with Dick Sayer through the Willow Grove 300 celebration. My first impression of Mr. Sayer was that he was tall. This feature stuck with me, because throughout the WG 300 celebration events, Mr. Sayer could be easily spotted at whatever well-attended tri-centennial event I had the pleasure of covering that day. Yet, with someone so recognizable, it seemed that he only wanted to remain out of the spotlight. Despite his position as the chairperson of the Willow Grove 300 steering committee, he often redirected any questions I had about an event to other committee members, encouraging them to have their say. And, he always redirected me with a smile. After the last Willow Grove 300 event, I finally had a chance …

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Willow Grove 300 Committee Helps Bring Historic Quilts to UM Library

The Willow Grove 300 Committee donated over $3,000 for new mounts to hang the donated hand-sewn historical quilts, depicting the Willow Grove area, at the Upper Moreland Free Public Library.

Dick Sayer, Karen Houck and Richard Booth presented a check for $3,320 to Margie Peters, director of the Upper Moreland Free Public Library. Thanks to the generosity of the Willow Grove 300 Committee, two hand-made quilts depicting eastern Montgomery County historic homes and area maps will be properly mounted and permanently displayed in the Community Room at the library.  The quilts were donated to the library by long-time Upper Moreland Township resident, Mildred Wintz. The quilts will be installed by the end of December.  Everyone will be welcomed to stop by the library to view this truly unique and valuable historic display during the regular hours of the library: Monday-Thursday 10-5, Friday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5. The Upper …

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Willow Grove 300 Broadcasts Historical Presentations

From this week through October, the Willow Grove 300 Committee will broadcast its Historical Presentation Series.

For those who were unable to attend one or any of the Willow Grove 300 historical presentation series film screenings, which took place during the Willow Grove Tricentennial celebration from April to June, history will now repeat itself. "People who are interested in finding more about the history of Willow Grove will be intersted in seeing these," Richard Booth, Willow Grove 300 committee member said. Starting this week, broadcasts of the historical film series may be seen twice a day for two weeks. The films will be run through the Upper Moreland School District TV channel, on Comcast channel 60 and Verizon channel 37, at 1 and 6 p.m. The schedule is as follows:   According to Booth, the films are also available to borrow at the Upper …

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What is to be Done With the UM Township Foundation?

Commissioners discuss the closing of the nonprofit organization.

The Upper Moreland Foundation is classified as a charitable nonprofit whose main purpose is to house donations as given to the township. The foundation was formed early on in this decade. It performs independently from the township, and is governed by its own board of directors. Recently, the foundation served as the main reservoir for corporate and private donations that were used to fund the Willow Grove Tri-centennial Celebration events. During this time, the foundation had funneled nearly $140,000 in donations for the Willow Grove 300 events. But, now that the celebrations are finished, the current foundation directors would like to know what will be the fate of the foundation. “It served a really useful purpose in the Willow Grove 300…

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