Lester Water pitches in for Kennett Square Farmers Market | Local News

KENNETT SQUARE – Dave McKeon, owner of Lester Water, can’t wait to start his morning at Philter or Talula again with a good cup of coffee, the newspaper – and good old and new friends. The type of isolation required by the pandemic has been a challenge for this sociable man with a lucrative storytelling gift inherited from his Irish ancestors.

However, it was important for McKeon and his wife Pat, who became twice proud grandparents in 2020, to take the necessary precautions. His face lights up when he talks about his children, their spouses, and their new grandchildren and granddaughter – and he’s already busy signing up for grandfather duties.

He especially enjoyed the parklet of Historic Kennett Square last summer and fall.

“You could see people and speak to them safely, with their masks on,” he says. Alfresco dining on East State Street was another bright spot for the McKeons. “We’d be sitting in front of the Byrsa Bistro on a nice evening,” he says. “We enjoy the music and watch the community come out to support these restaurants. That’s what’s unique about Kennett – there is a shared feeling that we can do this together. “

McKeon has seen Kennett Square come back to life over the decades, and he credits Leon Spencer, Mayor Fetick, historic Kennett Square, and many business owners, nonprofits, and concerned citizens with that revitalization.

McKeon’s early morning uptown coffee shop routine began many years ago at Harrington’s Coffee – which first opened in what became the Sunrise Café and is now Byrsa Bistro, and later moved to South Broad Street in the room where it was Holly Peters is now located. “I was there at 6:30 am most days to see people and talk,” he says. “And when they closed, Carla gave me my mug. It was a very friendly place. “

At this point Talula’s was open and then Philter. When Philter opened in 2013, McKeon and Dennis Melton were some of its early customers. They told owner Chris Thompson which newspapers he needed – and then paid for the first month of subscriptions.

McKeon says doing and talking across the different sections of the newspaper – between the tables at Philter or over the large farm table at Talula – is a great way to meet people and have conversation.

water is life

After graduating from criminal justice, McKeon worked as a consultant for several years – first in a rehab facility with teenagers and then in the Glen Mills schools. “I loved the kids,” he says. “Teenagers can read people well and spot a fake a mile away.”

You knew when you interacted with McKeon that as he says with a smile, “What you see is what you get.” He and Pat met in college and were married at The Stone Barn in 1980.

Pat’s grandfather founded Lester Water in 1951, and in 1982, Pat’s father asked his son-in-law to help grow the business and become a partner. The transition went smoothly for McKeon. “I had to learn about water chemistry, but working with people was a given. The business world is all about relationships, ”he says.

“People buy from those they know and trust. My clients know that we sell and service water treatment equipment to make sure the water from their tap is the cleanest, healthiest water and they know that I am a man of my word and will support anything without asking questions. ”

The quality of the water we drink and use in our homes – from cooking to laundry to bathing – has a direct impact on our quality of life.

High quality water makes a big difference in the taste of food, for example when cooking and when preparing coffee and tea. Lester Water offers a full range of systems and services tailored to the needs of every customer, regardless of their water source. These solutions include reverse osmosis (RO) systems that remove most dissolved ions, including sodium ions, hardness, metal ions, and most suspended materials and bacteria, as well as UV light systems for cleaning well water and a whole range of filters and plasticizers, pressure tanks and well pumps.

Symptoms like dirty clothes, leaks, and loss of efficiency in a water heater are easy to treat, according to McKeon.

While chlorine is often used as an effective means of killing bacteria in municipal water, it alters the taste of the water. “Kennett Square water is hard,” says McKeon. “You can see the white scale building up.” One way to see this is to let a clear cup of tea sit overnight.

“There’s nothing worse than a great meal accompanied by a glass of chlorinated drinking water,” he says. “RO produces water that is like bottled water at your fingertips. Bringing a Yeti filled with tap water is not only cheaper than bottled water, it also eliminates the plastic and thus protects the environment. “

Sustainable sponsorship helps the KSQ Farmers Market to be successful

“I love helping the community and local businesses,” says McKeon. “You leave your community what you give back to your community.” He speaks from his own experience, having invested in the Kennett community for decades.

He remembers Talula’s table, Lilys, and others opening up Kennett Square and breathing new life into it. “Historic Kennett Square did a great job promoting Kennett Square as a travel destination,” said McKeon. “It’s like a smaller version of West Chester with a sense of community. I loved being involved in the life of the community and seeing these changes. “

McKeon not only witnessed these changes, he was also involved in making them happen. He has been a Rotarian for 35 years and is an example of how Longwood Rotary (of which he has been a member for 24 years) gutted Bautista’s upholstery on South Union Street and refurbished it with heating, air conditioning, and bookcases to open up the converted space as Kennett Resale Book Shoppe of the Kennett Area Senior Center.

In addition to being a loyal sponsor of the Farmers Market, McKeon and Lester Water support the work of many other local organizations, including the Senior Center, After-the-Bell and KACS. In the early days of the Farmers Market, Abby Morgan Rex was looking for sponsors to grow this important collaborative venture.

“Dave was one of our very first sponsors,” she says. “His enthusiastic commitment and sincere appreciation of the farmers’ market have always been outstanding.”

McKeon knows that locally grown foods like quality water not only taste better, they are healthier, support local growers and producers, and also have important environmental benefits. He grew up in Scranton and first saw farm-fresh food during one of his semesters at Mansfield State College, when he and three friends lived on a dairy farm for a semester. “We had to help when the cows got out,” he says with a laugh. “But I had never had such fresh milk before.”

When their daughter Erin decided to attend the University of Vermont, the McKeons were thrilled to discover Burlington’s large, diverse, and thriving farmers market. “We’d bet how long the warm cinnamon bread would stay in its packaging when we were back in the car,” he says. Not for long, as it turns out.

Then, when Erin was doing her thesis at Cornell, the McKeons fell in love with the even bigger farmers market in Ithaca. “Kennett Square Farmers Market is where you buy from people who are part of the community,” says McKeon. “It is the connection with people that is important to knowing the person who grows the food that we eat.”

“Continuous support from local businesses like Lester Water really makes the difference to our farmers market,” says Ros Fenton, Market Manager at KSQ Farmers. “This type of sponsorship helps us cover operating costs, keep fees down for participating local farms and food producers, and expand the reach of the market. We are so grateful that committed sponsors like Dave have invested in our community and the mission of the market. “

“Some people don’t know that historic Kennett Square is a 501c3 not for profit and that all of our programs – including the KSQ Farmers Market and Christmas at Kennett, the Parklet, KSQ Restaurant Week, Thursday Third and our new Kennett Blooms initiative to celebrate spring – depends on donations and sponsorship, ”says Bo Wright, Executive Director of HKS. “At HKS, we are very concerned that every project we undertake helps make Kennett a nicer, more welcoming community where everyone can belong and thrive, and we look forward to the reach of the Farmers Market in particular to expand the next few years. Generous sponsors like Dave McKeon and Lester Water allow us to do the work we have done and focus on expanding that work. We are grateful for this regular annual sponsorship model. “

Community support is always in season“We like them all,” says McKeon of the many talented and hardworking farmers and producers at the KSQ Farmers Market. He loves the months when all that locally grown fresh vegetables are in the market. “I’m really looking forward to asparagus, sweet corn, tomatoes and strawberries being in season,” he says. “I love a strawberry cake!”

McKeon’s support for the Farmers Market and the community reflects who he is, says Abby Morgan Rex. “Dave makes the world brighter everywhere. He’s a generous and good-natured person, and Kennett Square wouldn’t be the same without him. It is a pleasure to see how he interacts in public spaces and cafes, greets people, asks about their lives and their family members. I’ve seen Dave pay for the cup of coffee or the scone of the person in front of or behind him in a coffee shop countless times – for friends and strangers alike! Often times this creates a ripple effect of generosity and others share his goodwill by passing it on to the next person. “

And of course he always has great stories to tell.

McKeon is proud of its Irish heritage and loved exploring Ireland, finding places his ancestors lived and of course meeting the people. It was only when McKeon arrived at Dublin Airport with his family a few years ago that he learned that he had mispronounced his name all his life. The car rental company told him he didn’t have a reservation for a Dave “McKē-än”. After a few anxious moments, he said that he had a reservation for Dave “McKyōn”.

McKeon laughs as he tells this story. If you see him at the Farmers Market, Philter or Talula, or Parklet this spring, be sure to ask him how he got on with this car rental company!

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