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Downingtown Local Pulse is more than a newsletter. It's how we bring locals together offline, too. That's why we're launching the Downingtown Local Pulse Dinner Club, hosted by our friends at dnnr.io.

We know making new friends as an adult isn't easy. This is a fun, low-pressure way to meet people nearby who share your interests and values.

Here's how it works:

🍽️ Take a quick personality quiz.

✨ Get matched with five other locals based on shared interests, values, food preferences and budget.

📍 Meet for dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at [TIME] at a restaurant in or around Downingtown. We'll reveal it the morning of.

🥂 After dinner, all tables regroup at a nearby spot for a casual meetup.

💵 Booking is $15.99, and it supports Downingtown Local Pulse.
🍝 Each guest pays for their own meal.

Seats are limited, so grab yours soon.

👉 Take the quiz and book your seat at chescopulse.dnnr.io

Got questions? Drop a note in the chat bubble at the bottom right of the Dinner Club page, and the team will help you out.

We can't wait to see who you'll meet, and the connections you'll leave with! 💙

WARWICK TWP — About 75 people came to the Desmond Hotel in Malvern last Wednesday to watch St. Peter's Village sold at auction. The sale was postponed before any bids were placed. Piazza Management, the owner, blamed problems with online bidding and on-site phone communications, and has not announced a new date. One report says a buyer may have surfaced, but that is unconfirmed.

The village dates to the mid-1800s, when it served local miners and quarry workers, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The sale covers about 83 acres, with 13 historic and commercial buildings, including a bakery, a boutique, an antique shop and an inn with a licensed tavern. It also includes more than 100 potential home sites and water and wastewater treatment facilities. The auction had no minimum bid, though participants needed a $150,000 cashier's check to take part.

Auctioneers reported thousands of inquiries, some from village residents. Piazza assembled the land between 2003 and 2008 and planned about 121 home sites, but the project stalled after the economic downturn. Finishing it would require upgrading the wastewater plant, and some residents fear new homes could strain the local aquifer. Other proposals include a wine and alpaca farm, trails, wedding venues and wellness retreats.

CALN TWP — Caln Township is accepting applications for career firefighters through 4 p.m. on Nov. 23. Physical and written tests will be held on Dec. 5 to create a two-year eligibility list for full-time and part-time positions. Applicants need Firefighter I and II certifications and several years of experience. Full-time pay is $72,190 after probation, and part-time pay is $24.27 an hour. Applications are available at the municipal building in Thorndale and at CalnTownship.org.

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — A volunteer team from QVC recently spent a day removing invasive vegetation along the Struble Trail, according to Chester County Parks + Preservation. The work took place between the site of a former dam and the pipeline cut-through, where overgrowth had blocked views of the Brandywine.

With the vegetation cut back, the creek can again be seen from that part of the trail. This was the second year in a row that QVC employees have volunteered on the same section.

WEST CHESTER, PA — MaGerk's Pub & Grill is moving into the downtown West Chester space that Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant left when it closed on Sept. 25, 2025. The new restaurant is expected to open in late 2026, the company told The Quad, West Chester University's student newspaper.

It will be the 10th location for MaGerk's, which started near Baltimore in 2000 and came to Pennsylvania in 2009. The chain has restaurants in Fort Washington, Horsham, Lionville and Langhorne, as well as Elon, N.C. One of its founders, John Dolaway, is a West Chester University graduate.

Upcoming local events…

Caln Coffee With a Cop (Thorndale) - Oct 7, 9:30am-11:30am
Alert Fire Co. No. 1 Open House - Oct 7, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Glen Moore Fire Company Open House - Oct 7, 6:30pm-8:30pm

Friends of Chester County Library Fall Book Sale (Exton) - Oct 9-11

Downingtown Farmers’ Market (Kerr Park) - Oct 10, 9am-1pm
Save-A-Paw (Kerr Park) - Oct 10, 10am-3pm
Caln Clean-up Crew (Embreeville rd) - Oct 10, 10am-12pm
West Bradford Family Fall Fest (Broad Run Park) - Oct 10, 4pm-7pm

East Brandywine Fire Co Open House - Oct 14, 6:00pm-8:30pm

The Great Pumpkin Carve 2026 (Chadds Ford) - Oct 15-17

Friends of Hibernia Mansion Mystery (Hibernia Park) - Oct 16th, 5pm-7pm | Oct 17th, 3pm-6pm

Origins: The Lenape, William Penn, and the Colonialists (East Brandywine) - Oct 18, 3pm

Upper Uwchlan Trunk or Treat (Pickering Valley ES) - Oct 24, 3pm-5pm
Halloween Race (Shamona Park) - Oct 24, 3:30pm-5:30pm

Monsters, Masks and Milkweed (Exton) - Oct 25, 1pm-3pm

Caln Halloween Party (Thorndale) - Oct 31, 1pm-3pm

Catch up on previous issues…

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