Teen Had A Great Day Playing With Green Day: 13 Good News Stories From Across Patch

ACROSS AMERICA — Mind blown. Brynn Kremer can say that with authority and authenticity. The 14-year-old guitar player from Furlong, Pennsylvania, was picked from the crowd to play with Green Day at the band’s recent concert in Philadelphia.

She quickly picked up the chords of a Green Day hit and was soon at the front of the stage, rocking out with one of her favorite bands and doing it with the aplomb of a seasoned performer.

She was “a natural,” her parents told Patch. And as for Brynn?

"I was just in shock, and I was really excited," she said. "I don't know why, but I didn't really think of the people (in the crowd)." By Jason Addy for Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Patch

At 13, A Rocket Scientist And Inspiration

Caleb Anderson is only 13, but he started school this week as a sophomore aerospace engineering major at Georgia Tech. No one who knows him is surprised. After all, he read the U.S. Constitution to his family as a 2-year-old. He started high school as a 10-year-old. He also could be a changemaker who inspires African American boys and young men to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. Her son’s story will “shift the perspective of what you see when you see a young Black man.” By Marcus K. Garner for Atlanta Patch

Righting A Wrong

Gravestones from the Columbian Harmony Cemetery, a historic African American burial ground in Washington, D.C., were repurposed in 1960 in what Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam called “a dehumanizing act.” The stones, removed when the remains in the cemetery were relocated, were sold for scrap, dumped or used to control erosion along the Potomac River. Fifty-five of the headstones have been recovered and will become part of a 1-acre memorial garden honoring the more than 37,000 people buried in the original cemetery in D.C., which had existed since 1859. By Mark Hand for Washington, D.C., Patch

Secret Donor Replaces Stolen Wedding Gifts

A psychologist in Austin, Texas, showered a couple — thousands of miles away in Malden, Massachusetts — with wedding gifts after theirs were stolen. “As a psychologist, I say with certainty this is a traumatic event,” the donor said in a statement shared by Malden police. The gifts stolen following a wedding shower were worth thousands of dollars, authorities said. By Alex Newman for Malden, Massachusetts, Patch

Grand Service = Grand Gratuity

Michelle Rodrigues (top photo) was stunned by what she found when she cashed out a $503 check for a group of four adults and six kids who recently had lunch at the RHK Seafood Boil and Bar in Norwalk, Connecticut. The 24-year-old server got a $1,000 tip. It can’t be, she thought. So she chased after the party of 10 and was reassured the gratuity was correct, and she had earned it. By RJ Scofield for Norwalk, Connecticut, Patch

Take A Photo Tour Of Tiny Fairy Village

For quite a while, it seemed as if a mirthful sprite had dropped the tiny handcrafted houses along the trail in a New Jersey forest. But then the truth came out about who was behind the whimsical “South Mountain Fairy Trail” through a 2,112-acre nature preserve. By Eric Kiefer for West Orange, New Jersey, Patch

3-Year-Old’s Township Takeover

New Jersey 3-year-old Adeline Eick’s battle against brain cancer is nothing short of an inspiration. She recently took over Hillsborough Township as mayor for a day and ordered “macaroni and cheese for everyone” as her first order of business. She also took care of some law and order, and was presented with a superhero cape for her efforts. By Alexis Tarrazi for Hillsborough, New Jersey, Patch

Packing The Backpacks

More than 860 students in a suburban Chicago received backpacks filled with school supplies through the Start Strong Backpack Program. Robyn Vickers started Community Cares last year to help people during the pandemic, and her group partnered with the Oswego Kiwanis Club to purchase and fill the backpacks. By Emily Rosca for Oswego, Illinois, Patch

Answering Questions, Questioning Answers

Connecticut high school senior Rachael Roizer was 10 when she began to feel symptoms that eventually led to her diagnosis with a type of epilepsy. Her time in the hospital was frightening for Rachael and her family because they had more questions than the medical team had answers. But the experience exposed her to a world she wanted to be part of from the other side. “It made me want to give back to children,” she said. “Being on the other side, I can see how good it would have been then to have a resource or something that I was going through.” The result? A project and website called Explore Neuro that can help answer kids’ questions. By Richard Kaufman for Greenwich, Connecticut, Patch

More Lasagna Love

Since Shari DiBrito launched a local Lasagna Love chapter in February, she and other volunteers in Bridgewater, New Jersey, have dished out close to 100 lasagnas. “It’s been really exciting,” she said, noting volunteers nationally hit 100,000 lasagnas on National Lasagna Day, which was observed July 29. In New Jersey alone, more than 6,000 lasagnas have been shared with people in need. By Alexis Tarrazi for Bridgewater, New Jersey, Patch

Making Masks Cool

On the first day of school, Rancho Santa Margarita mom Brittany Higgins' kitchen table looked more life a craft zone than a back-to-school breakfast. Her four kids wore masks at their various elementary and middle schools, but they don't mind. In fact, they've turned mask-wearing into a fashion statement with beaded lanyards that attach to the mask, making it easier to take on and off as needed and cutting down on PPE litter. "I thought this would be a fun project for us to do together," Higgins told Patch, but it’s turned into an entrepreneurial effort called “Babes with Beads.” By Ashley Ludwig for Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Patch

‘You Guys Belong Here’

The Upper Providence Little League team didn’t make it to the finals of Little League World Series, but they met their goal — reaching the showdown in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Their loss will “hurt for a little while,” team manager Ben Ludwig told the players as he smiled. “You know why I’m smiling? Because of all the heart and all the effort and all the hard work you guys put in. You guys are awesome. Eyes up. You guys belong here.” By Marlene Lang for Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Patch

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

A 1-month-old kitten earned her name, Chassi, after she crawled into the engine compartment of a van and got herself trapped under the dashboard. Animal control officers first played a recording of kitten distress noises and, when that didn’t draw her out, they put some wet food on the engine to lure her out. That worked, and Chassi was taken to an Arlington County, Virginia, animal shelter, where she was given a thorough check and a bath. She’d gotten quite dirty during her adventure. By Michael O’Connell for Arlington, Virginia, Patch

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