Congratulations to the following on their years of service!

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:

Both Christmas and New Years fall on Friday this year - in order for employees to spend time with family and friends, we will be closing at noon on Thursday December 24th and will be closed on Friday, December 25th and Saturday, December 26th. We will be open regular hours on Thursday, December 31st, New Years’ Eve, closed on Friday January 1st, New Years’ Day and will reopen on Saturday, January 2nd.

Brandywine New Parts is getting a face lift!

In order to serve our customers even better, Brandywine New Parts is expanding! We’ve moved inventory and now cut away a wall and will be moving inventory in soon. Keep checking back with us to see our finished product!!

Congratulations to Jodie Johnson and Lisa on the birth of their son Jacob Michael who was born on November 18, 2009- Jacob weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. Jacob really is the miracle child, born after a lengthy attempt to have a baby, and he looks just like his Mom and Dad, a perfect combination!

Also congratulations to Kim and Brian Hawkinson, daughter and son-in-law to Judy McFaden on the birth of their little girl Peyton Skye who was born on November 9th weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces. She’s a beaut!

We’d like to share in our condolences to Mark Dolesh on the death of his grandmother so tragically a few weeks ago. Grandparents are so special and she will be missed by the Brandywine community

Welcome back to Joel Marquis of our Installation Shop I who came through surgery just fine. We missed you and glad you’re back!

BACK IN TIME…….

Who is this handsome devil???? And what’s up with the shirt with the feet????

Never underestimate the damage that cold, winter weather can do to your vehicle. Everything from tires and brakes to fluids and oils are affected by the change in temperatures. Always make sure you have the correct type of motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and differential grease recommended by the manufacture for proper performance and to insure long life of those components. It is always a good idea to start a cold vehicle and let it warm up to a minimum operating temperature before you leave the driveway. Operating a vehicle when it is just started for the first time (after sitting all night) is doing harm and shorten the life of the internal components of your engine, transmission, and other driveline components.

Make sure you check the pressures in your tires at least twice through out the winter months. The cold temperatures will make the pressure decrease which will result in poor handling and increase the potential for losing control of your vehicle on cold, slippery roads. Furthermore, it’s always a good idea to check to tire pressure in your spare tire. The pressure could be too low when the time comes that you may need it.

Tech Tips
By Will Kivett
G.M. Brandywine Installation Division

With Thanksgiving over and the Christmas season now officially in full swing, people begin decorating trees and setting candles in their windows. While traditions are important to families, the Fire Department notes that safety is essential to ensuring that the holidays are enjoyable.

TREES

With live trees, make sure they’re fresh - dry, dead trees are more flammable. Check for resin on the trunk of the tree and when bounced on the ground, no more than a few needles should fall. The needles should also be flexible in your fingers and hard to pull off the tree.

No matter what tree you get, make sure you set it up away from fireplaces and radiators.

LIGHTS

Make sure you use only lights tested for safety by a recognized testing lab and check each set for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections.

Don’t use more than three sets of lights per extension cord.

Never use electric lights on a metallic tree, it can become charged with electricity from faulty lights and can electrocute anyone who touches the tree.

Fasten outdoor lights securely and use only insulated staples to hold strings in place, or run them through hooks rather than nails and tacks.

Turn off lights when you go to bed or leave the house.

For extra protection, plug outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters. These devices can be purchased and permanently installed by an electrician.

DECORATIONS

Use only flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. That means tinsel or plastic icicles made of plastic and non-leaded metals.

Don’t use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens and use only non-flammable holders, and place candles where they won’t be knocked down.

If you have small children, watch for sharp or breakable decorations and keep trimmings with small, removable parts out of reach. Also avoid trimmings that look like candy or food.

FIREPLACES

Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. It can cause a flash fire when it ignites suddenly and will burn intensely.