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Interested in supporting the continued economic development of Kensington? Love a good Cuban-style pork roast? Then have we got an event for you!

On Saturday, November 21st, the Greensgrow Philadelphia Project will be throwing their second annual Whole Hog Event at the Philadelphia Brewing Company. The event runs from 5 – 8 p.m. and a suggested donation of $50 (they’ll happily accept larger amounts as well) will get you all the roasted pig, grilled salmon, Harvest from the Hood beer and freshly pressed apple cider you can eat and drink (and yes, there will also be delicious things for vegetarians and vegans in the crowd).

Proceeds from this event will go to support the Kensington Community Fund, which this year is targeting the Community Kitchen Project at the St. Michaels Lutheran Church on Trenton Avenue. They will also be awarding the first-ever Whole Hog Community Award at this event.

You can either sign up through Paypal or mail in a check to the Greensgrow office. Mailing details are after the jump.

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We mentioned the Peddler’s Village Apple Festival late last week, but in blog time that’s like last year, so we wanted to drop a brief reminder in here, so that you don’t miss this fun event.

Starting tomorrow morning, it will be 48 hours of straight apple goodness all throughout Peddler’s Village. That means apple pie eating contests, homemade apple butter and cider demonstrations and all the apple-filled cuisine a body can handle (I keep imagining apple fritters and turnovers).

For more information about the Apple Festival, visit the official Peddler’s Village website. That’s where you’ll find details on the merchants and artisans that will be selling their wares, as well as all the restaurant specials. A complete schedule of events is after the jump.

Peddler’s Village Apple Festival
Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, 2009
41 Peddler’s Village Road, Lahaska, PA 18931

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The Parade of 1000 Rockys: You know you want to join them

Friday

First Friday!
Go see some art, nibble some cheese, drink some wine! I’ve got a round up of First Friday events, here.

Eastern State Penn’s Haunted House: Last Chance!
This is the final weekend of Eastern State’s awesome haunted house. Be sure to catch it!

Going to Extremes: Todd Carmichael @ the Painted Bride
Carmichael, who set the record for the fastest walk-across-Antarctica, will be at the Bride giving a talk about his adventures and future plans.

Duross & Langel Weekend Soap Sale
It might have started on Thursday, but there’s five more days of sales and events at D&L.

Saturday

Mark Bowden @ the Painted Bride Arts Center
The author of Black Hawk Down comes to the Painted Bride, as a part of the First Person Arts Festival, to answer some questions and do a book signing.

Farmers Market in Rittenhouse Square
This happens every weekend, but Marisa took some gorgeous photos from her last trip. Have a look. It might inspire you to stop by today.

Kayte Terry Book Signing @ JimmyStyle
Terry will be signing copies of her latest book and give some art workshops at JimmyStyle. Space is limited, so RSVP with the shop.

Morris Arboretum Wellness Walks
The brisk, chilly walks around the arboretum start today. Go check it out, and discover a new way to wake yourself up on Saturdays. Burrrr!

Sunday

Parade of 1000 Rockys
A troupe of one thousand Rockys will parade through the art museum today, starting at Love Park at 10am. Read all the details here.

Last Day @ Pumpkinland
It’s your last chance to visit the Pumpkinland at Linvalla. Get out there while you can.

Sadia Shepard @ the Painted Bride Arts Center
Shepard visits Philadelphia for the First Person Arts Festival. She’ll be signing copies of her book, The Girl from Foreign, and screening her film In Search of the Bene Israel.

New Puma Kicks @ UBIQ
Puma debuts their new 700 Level kicks at Philadelphia UBIQ today. Aaron’s got the scoop.

The Swell Season @ the Kimmel Center
The Oscar winning duo from the movie Once, visit the Kimmel Center with their heart warming (and breaking) songs.

Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune will be signing copies of their book, The Naked Pint.

On Monday, November 16th, Fork Restaurant will be hosting a “Women of Philly Beer” event, featuring some of the fine women involved in the brewing industry in Philadelphia. Suzy Woods from Sly Fox (sales and founder of the In Pursuit of Ale female beer club), Megan Maguire from Ommegang (sales), Tracy Mulligan (sales) and Whitney Thompson (brewer) from Victory, Seb Buhler from Rogue (sales, and she appears on the bottle of the Rogue Chocolate Stout!), Jodi Stoudt (brewer and PR) and Wendy Dormant (sales) from Dogfish will all be in attendance.

Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune, the authors of The Naked Pint, will be on the scene as well, promoting the launch of their new book. The event will cost you $55, which includes food and beer. Check out the outstanding menu below.

Reception
- Spicy tuna confit with capers on focaccia toasts ·
- Grilled flatbread with artichokes and saffron aioli
- Victory, Prima Pils, Downingtown, PA
- Stoudt’s American Pale Ale, Adamstown, PA

Chef Selection of Tapas
- Grilled house made chorizo with spicy white beans ·
- Salmon rillettes · grilled shrimp with grits and smoked tomato jam · vegetables à la grecque · marinated olives
- Sly Fox, Saison Vos, Royersford, PA

- Seared sea scallops
- Coriander, caramelized brussels sprouts, meyer lemon jam
- Ommegang, Rare Vos, Cooperstown, NY

- Lightly smoked duck breast
- Spiced croutons, caramelized onion, bacon, parsnips
- Dogfish Head, Raison d’Etre, Rehoboth, DE

Dessert
- Chocolate caramel tart
- Lemon-thyme chantilly cream
- Rogue, Chocolate Stout, Newport, OR

Bravo, Fork! This looks like a fantastic dining event.

Fork
306 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 625-9425

With this weekend's forecast calling for a slightly crisp 60° and sunny, blue skies, venture into Philadelphia's great outdoors to revel in the fall foliage — and perhaps 18 holes at FDR Golf Course, a public course with views of the Philadelphia skyline. (Photo by G. Widman)

Franklin D. Roosevelt Golf Course [gophila.com]

Elijah Felder as Mannetjie, age 5; Patrice Johnson as Veronica, Photo by Jim Roese

The Wilma recently opened its 10th season with a production of a fabulous new play, Coming Home, by South African playwright Athol Fugard. Fugard has been hailed as “the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world” by TIME Magazine, and it’s not hard to see why. The theater has produced four of Fugard’s plays previously, and he returns the love – he’s a big admirer of the Wilma’s vision and the directorial skills of theatre co-founder Blanka Zizka.

Coming Home is a sequel of sorts to a previous play, Valley Song, but you don’t have to have seen the first one to appreciate it. In Valley Song audiences met a young, ambitious girl being raised by her grandfather on a poor rural South African farm. She loved her grandfather, but longed to escape to the big city and carve out a new and exciting life for herself. 

Coming Home picks up years later, as the young woman returns from Cape Town to her deceased grandfather’s shack with a young son in tow, her dreams shattered, and a horrible secret. Veronica, the strong but broken young mother, is portrayed by the excellent actress Patrice Johnson in a phenomenal and heart-rending performance.

The other characters in the small cast include the adorable Elijah Felder as Veronica’s 5-year-old son, the talented and precocious young actor Antonio Dandridge as the same boy at age 9, and Nyambi Nyambi as a dunce who loves Veronica.

The play is pretty heavy, but it also has its funny lighthearted moments, and Fugard’s superb writing combines with the inspired performances to make for an excellent production that received a standing ovation.

The Wilma is also hosting a lecture symposium coinciding with the show, which is free to all ticket holders. The next lecture is this Sunday, November 8th after the matinee performance, and features scholars discussing post-apartheid South Africa. And don’t forget that great theatre needn’t break the bank – student tickets at the Wilma are just $10!

Coming Home
Now through November 15th

The Wilma Theatre
265 South Broad St, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 546-7824
www.wilmatheater.org

Photo courtesy the Kimmel Center

This Sunday, forget Sunday Night Football. Instead, go to the Kimmel Center to see The Swell Season perform! That’s right, as part of a 25-city North American tour, the Oscar-Winning duo will grace Philly with their presence for one night only.

The singer-songwriters will be performing tunes from their new album, Strict Joy, which just came out last week! The duo features Glen Hansard, lead singer of the Irish band The Frames, and classically trained Czech pianist and vocalist Markéta Irglová. You might remember them from their Academy Award win last year for “Falling Slowly” from the independent film Once. That song nearly puts me in tears every time I hear it on XPN.

Since their catapult into fame, Hansard and Irglová have performed in sold-out venues worldwide, from Radio City Music Hall in New York City to the 3,600-seat Chicago Theatre. Basically, get your tickets in advance! Plus, they are cheaper that way. You’ve gotta go see The Swell Season; otherwise, you will be falling slowly into a spiral of your own regret. See what I did there?

The Swell Season
With Special Guest Doveman
Sunday, November 8, 2009 | 8pm

Kimmel Center’s Merriam Theater
260 South Broad Street on the Avenue of the Arts

For vegetarians and vegans, eating out can be a frustrating experience. They’re typically consigned to ordering either a series of unsatisfying appetizers or choosing between a single meat-free pasta dish. However, in recent years, a number of local restaurants have championed the cause of the voluntarily veg and have added a wealth of menu options just for them.

One of these vegetarian and vegan-friendly spots is South Philly’s Royal Tavern. They typically have a handful of options on their menu that eschew meat. However, as kick-off for their week of anniversary celebrations, next Wednesday, November 11th, the Royal Tavern is going completely animal-free. Everything on the specials blackboard will be designed for vegans and vegetarians and there will be a specialty cocktail menu crafted from ingredients that are all cruelty free.

Service starts at 5 p.m. and a portion of the night’s proceeds will be donated to PAWS.

Royal Tavern
937 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.royaltavern.com/

We live in a time when foams, purees and emulsions are all the rage with the foodie set. However popular these gastronomically elevated dishes may be, chances are that 100 years from now, they will be little more than a distance memory.

Case in point? The Festival of Forgotten Foods, coming to Reading Terminal Market next Saturday, November 14th. This event is designed to celebrate and commemorate those forgotten edibles from days of yore. Attend and you’ll have the opportunity to taste many regional specialities that have nearly gone extinct, including Pepper Hash, Snapper Soup, Copes Dried Corn, Fried Catfish & Waffles and Teaberry Ice Cream (handmade by the folks at Franklin Fountain).

Festival of Forgotten Food
Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Streets
Saturday, November 14th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Carnivous Plants @ the Chemical Heritage Foundation back in March '09

Ah, First Friday. There’s just so much going on all around the city, that it’s hard to write up a post for every single event. So here’s a roundup of some of the happenings going down tomorrow.

First Friday @ the Chemical Heritage Foundation: Carnivorous Plants – The folks at the Chemical Heritage Foundation have done an excellent job leaping into the First Friday scene, delivering some of the most unique First Friday experiences in the city. This month’s features Martha Miller and Joe Rucker, experts in carnivorous plants, and will introduces attendees to an array of insect-chomping plants. Runs from 5PM to 8PM, and they’ll be feeding the plants at 6:15 and 7:15.

Khmer Art Gallery – Located on 11th and Callowhill, the Khmer Art Gallery opens their doors on First Friday, dishing out cocktails, appetizers, and, of course, art. The gallery has an extensive collection of Cambodian art on display, from sculptures to paintings to jewelry. Stop by and see the city’s largest collection of Buddhas.

First Friday @ Smak Parlour – I highlighted this event yesterday. Go say hi to the Smak girls and get yourself a makeover.

First Friday @ Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction – A new exhibit entitled Impernanent Bliss, featuring mixed-media works by Eric Amling, Kirkland Bray and Matt LaFleur. Artists will be on the scene. Have a talk, eat some nibbles, sip some wine.

Mt. Airy First Friday – Pay a visit to the Avenue in Mt. Airy for their First Friday events, which features a wealth of open art galleries.

Frankford Avenue First Friday – Hosted by the New Kensington Community Development Co (the awesome folks who bring the Kinetic Sculpture Derby here each year), the neighborhoods of Fishtown and Kensington join together for Frankford Ave’s monthly First Fridays. Galleries, bars, and restaurants stay open late, with artists showing off their wares through the night. Most galleries open at around 5ish.

Creature Feature @ Brave New Worlds – This Old City comic book shop always has their lobby packed on First Friday, with illustrators and comics galore showing off their works. This First Friday’s exhibit features pieces from Philadelphia’s Cartooning Society.

Left Behind @ the Projects Gallery – Old City’s Projects Gallery presents Jim Brossy’s Left Behind, which highlights his handcrafted figures created from debris, construction materials, and traditional paint. The exhibit opens today, with a reception with the artist.

We Are Tiger Dragon People – The Asian Arts Initiative launches this exhibit by local artist Collete Fu, which features pop-up books, collages, and photographs that explore southwestern China.

Know of an event I missed? Leave it in the comments! Have a great First Friday, everyone!

Tomorrow morning, the folks at FOX 29 are hosting an early Veteran’s Day celebration to salute our armed forces… and you’re invited! Live performances by the Valley Forge Military Academy and College band, drill team and choir, military displays and demonstrations from the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard… there’s a lot going between 3rd and 4th on Market Street, for this street fair hosted by Good Day Philadelphia.

What can you expect to see? Here’s the list!

- A National Guard display a replica of an F-22, a t-shirt shooter, rock climbing wall and basketball and football displays.

- A U.S. Air Force showcase of its bomb robots.

- A U.S. Coast Guard display of a 25-foot SAR [Search and Rescue] boat.

- 2 TACP’s [Tactical Air Control Party] and a humvee with a communications suite installed from the 148th Air Support Operations Squadron.

Representatives from Toys For Tots, the American Red Cross, the Battleship New Jersey, and more will be available to answer questions and dish out information on their respective organizations.

Planning to go? Take some pictures, and send a few over!

Good Day Philadelphia Street Fair
Friday, November 6th, 2009, 7am – 10am
Market Street Between 3rd & 4th

Celebrate Philadelphia icon Rocky Balboa while enjoying a delicious Tony Luke's sandwich. (Left photo by M. Kennedy)

Listen up Rocky fans! This weekend, to mark the release of the new Blu-ray box set, Benjamin Franklin Parkway is hosting a Rocky celebration like you’ve never seen (we promise).

On Sunday, November 8th, 1,000 Rocky Balboas, decked in gold and black “Itallian Stallion” robes, will flood the Parkway as part of the aptly-named “Parade of 1,000 Rockys”. The parade departs from LOVE Park at 10am and marches toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art in a procession that promises to be quite the sight.

Once the Balboa impersonators reach the Rocky Statue (located at the base of those famous Art Museum stairs), it’s party time! The “Celebration of Rocky” is open to all and includes:

- a meet and greet with 94 WYSP’s Danny Bonaduce

- Rocky and Adrian look-a-like contests

- boxing glove and athletic headband giveaways (coutersy of Everlast)

- free Snapple, Tastykakes and pretzels from Philly Soft Pretzel

And the main event:

- a Tony Luke’s cheesesteak-eating contest with contestants donning boxing gloves, and a free sampling of Tony Luke’s Pronto® sandwich.

For more information on the event or questions about participating, email rockyparade@gmail.com.

Parade of 1,000 Rockys
Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway)
10am to 1pm