When completed, the Cynwyd Heritage Trail will run from the Cynwyd Train Station on Bala Avenue all the way to Manayunk where it will connect to the Schuylkill River and Manayunk trails. The project is part of Lower Merion Township's plan to improve parks outdoor spaces, and recreational areas. While the construction work on the trail is being done by contractors many volunteers are contributing time to the project. The volunteer efforts are coordinated by the nonprofit Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail.  This week, I looked on some of the volunteers as they cleared ground adjacent to the …

In 1992, West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Cemetery is a sister of Laurel Hill Cemetery in the East Falls section of Philadelphia along the Schuylkill River.  West Laurel Hill Cemetery is located on 187 acres of land between Belmont Avenue and the Expressway and between Righters Mill Road and the old railroad line just east of Levering Mill Road. West Laurel Hill Cemetery was founded in 1869 as a non-denominational cemetery. Its rolling landscapes are filled with sculpture and trees in addition to burial vaults and monuments. 

Narberth Park was a sea of people Monday night by the time the sun started to set, as thousands came to see what the Narberth 4th of July Committee called a "Pyrotechnic Extravaganza." While the crowd waited for the fireworks display they listened to music played by the Zing Kings. Children played and chemical light sticks and tapes were a rage.  There was plenty of food and beverages for sale for the people who arrived hours early to assure themselves a good vantage point. The fireworks started at 9:40 p.m. and went on for 30 minutes, ending with a grand finale of bursts in rapid succession …

The Cynwyd Heritage Trail is part of Lower Merion Township's effort to expand open spaces and create trails for walking, biking, jogging, etc. The trail is about two miles long, running from SEPTA's Cynwyd Station at Bala and Montgomery avenues all the way to Belmont Avenue and Rock Hill Road.  Running along the trackless bed of an old railroad line, the trail will eventually cross the Schuylkill River on an old railroad bridge and connect to the 130-mile long Schuylkill River Trail that runs through Manayunk. Volunteers from the Friends of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, a nonprofit organization…

For this week's Viewfinder, we decided to take in part of the Narberth vs. Aston-Media baseball game at Narberth Park. The game was an American Legion Senior League contest, with players between 16 and 19 years old. While the attendance was limited to loyal followers, the action on the game certainly rewarded them. This is not little league baseball by any stretch of the imagination. It is played hard and fast. We concentrated on the Narberth players to bring you some action shots from the game, including a three-shot sequence of a swinging strike and a seven-shot sequence of a single pitch …

This week in Viewfinder, we focused on Friday's Narbark Dog Parade to get a look at the owners and the dogs that brought to them to the fourth annual event. There were food and music and pet vendors with free samples. All proceeds went to local Animal Rescue Foundation of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Take a look at the gallery to see Narberth go to the dogs.  

We surveyed the 19004 (Bala Cynwyd and Belmont Hills) ZIP code so we could show our viewers the wide range of houses for sale.  The least expensive house we found was $299,900 and the most expensive was $1,325,000.  Take a look at our gallery to see what we found.

Every week I try to focus Viewfinder on something of interest with a visual slant. After a week of rain and giving up hope that a sunny day might present some good photo opportunities, on Friday afternoon out into the rain I went to see if anyone was out about and to look for some rain photos. I found some. Interestingly, as soon as I had finished taking photographs the sun began to shine, the umbrellas were folded, and the late afternoon brought the best spring can offer. Next time it rains, I'll try my new technique for making the rain stop. Take a look at the rainy day photos taken in …

Spring is the prime real estate buying and selling season even in these times of a depressed housing market, hard to qualify for mortgages, and foreclosures. Narberth borough has a wide variety of house styles, sizes, and ages. With that comes a wide range of prices. We photographed all the Narberth houses for sale that we could find the asking price for. Scattered around the borough we found 14 houses for sale. We checked the prices for them at Trulia.com and Sawbuck.com. The least expansive house we found was $239,000 and the most expensive was $784,000. This week's gallery give you some …

On Saturday morning in a heavy rain, almost 500 runners assembled to compete in the Narberth Cystic Fibrosis Run, an annual event that started in 1995. Proceeds from the 5-mile run are used to "to fulfill the wishes and dreams of children living with CF by giving them a respite from the havoc this disease plays on their young lives," according to organizers. Most often those young patients have wishes fulfilled like trips to special places or events.  Ashley Owens of Spring City, PA, who overcame the disease with a lung transplant as a child, sang the national anthem.  NBC-10 broadcast …

With no rain and lots of shine, Thursday afternoon was a perfect spring day. We trained our camera on scenes in the Narberth-Bala Cynwyd area to record a rare day in a spring season that has been full of rain, gray skies, and chilly air. Take a look at the gallery to see what we saw.

The borough of Narberth was established in 1895.  That undoubtedly accounts for the fact many of its earliest built house are different style Victrorians, an era from the 1840 to 1900.  Among the most stately Victorians is the Queen Anne style and there are several beautiful examples along the streets of Narberth. The Queen Anne Victorian was  designed to have an air of elegance, majesty if you will.  They are distinguished from other styles of Victorians by tower, wrap around porches, spindles, brackets, and multiple surface textures. We found some prime examples of Queen Anne Victorians and…

The Narberth Public Library hosted a steady stream of visitors, young and old, throughout Saturday afternoon.  The event, organized by the The Philadelphia Japan Disaster Relief Fund and Puppet Box Theater, raised money for the Japanese Red Cross Society disaster relief efforts. On sale with a steady stream of cutovers were crafts and and baked goods and tee shirts.  The art of Japanese calligraphy was demonstrated and children and adults enjoyed learning how to do origami.  There were kimonos for the children to wear toys to be played with and treats to eat.  The grand finale of the event …

This Viewfinder looks back on the playoff season of Lower Merion High School's girls varsity basketball team, the Lady Aces. In over 40 years of shooting sports from sand lot to professional, I have photographed hundreds of teams and covered thousands of games. In no more than a handful of cases have I developed an attachment to a team.  When that happened, it was because the team was exceptional not only by winning and being high-spirited but also by never becoming full of themselves. The 2011 Lady Aces were one of those teams.  On the court this season, the Aces showed themselves to be …

This week's Viewfinder focuses on artwork, signs and messages. One of the tasks of a photographer is to show people something that they may have walked by a dozen times and never stopped to look at. This is a chance to take a look.

This week, Viewfinder focuses on the dress rehearsal of the Narberth Community Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has a cast of 35 and a seven-person orchestra. It premiered Friday with the first of nine shows, concluding March 26 and all to be performed at the United Methodist Church at 206 Price Avenue, Narberth. Information about tickets and times can be found at www.narbertcommunitytheatre.org.

This week's Viewfinder focuses on First Friday at Sweet Mabel  and Nannygoat Antiques in Narberth where friends, neighbors, and shoppers came to socialize and shop at two unique and special stores..

One thing that distinguishes Narberth from many other regional communities is that it has a main street: Haverford Avenue. This week Viewfinder focuses on "Main Street" Narberth (even though Narberth has no "Main Street," and indeed no "Streets" at all), the people walking it, and some of the color to be found there.