Uwishunu.com

Of all the industries hit hardest by the recession, you would never think to roll out the pity parade for alcohol purveyors. After all, the best place to ride out a recession is at the bottom of a bottle, right? But with record job losses and fears about financial security still looming, drinkers all across the U.S. have taken to spending less and drinking at home.

So, in these hard times, Philly bar owners have done what they can to keep the doors swinging and the city’s stool-jocks swilling. This has included promotions, Philly Beer Week events and special games and guests all across the city. But sadly for many bars around town, the drink special has gone the way of the rotary telephone.

Lucky for you there is one South Street saloon still selling discount suds. Manny Brown’s has long been the pregame spot for so many music fans looking to kill time before a show at the TLA or trying to eat some succulent ribs. But while the place always has a better-than-average beer selection, it is not thought of as a specialty bar. Until now.

Since we are all fans of America’s Oldest Brewery, South Streeters will most likely forgive the lack of Belgian bottles for $2 Yuengling pints. Yes, you heard right. $2 Yuengling pints from 8pm to midnight every Thirsty Thursday. It’s a night you would be out anyway! And the deals don’t end there. With events like Taco Tuesday’s and 15 cent wings, Manny Brown’s ensures that you won’t go hungry riding out this recession.

Manny Brown’s
512 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 627-7427
www.manny-browns.com

Pennsylvania Convention Center

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

If you are looking for a 30-foot-tall clock sculpture or a one-of-a-kind wedding ring, look no further than the Paradise City Arts Festival. Running from May 1-3 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the show will have fine art and designer craft lovers in a state of nirvana, as nearly 150 nationally juried artists and master craftsmen show off their works.

If you’re going to attend an art festival, why not attend the art fair that was ranked number one in the country last year by AmericanStyle Magazine? There’s good reason why Paradise City earned that distinction. Not only does the festival bring together some of the best and most innovative furniture makers, glassblowers, ceramics artists and painters (just to name a few!) but it does so in grand style!

Visitors to the show can enjoy daily live jazz performances set amidst a 3,000-square-foot indoor sculpture garden, an exotic orchid display courtesy of the Southeastern PA Orchid Society and a special juried exhibition called Shall We Dance that draws its inspiration from the world of performance art.

For the first time this year, Paradise City is partnering with the Avenue of the Arts, and will host a benefit Preview Party on April 30 for the artistic avenue. The party includes the opportunity to hobnob with exhibiting artists and enjoying impromptu performances by the Pennsylvania Ballet, Savoy Opera, Rebecca Davis Dance Company and the Grupo Fuego Dance Company. Besides just watching the dancing, you can learn a few moves yourself with the Salsa dance lessons being offered and be rewarded with some sweet and savory fare. The preview party donation is $75 for advance tickets to the opening night.

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The Professional Association for Design in Philly (AIGA Philadelphia) is conducting a People’s Choice Awards Opening Reception and Exhibition on May 1, 2009. The festivities are to take place between 5pm-8pm at the AxD Gallery. The winning designs will remain on display through the 31st of the month.

The AxD Gallery is also home to to an award winning architecture firm. So, visitors get to view outstanding contemporary visual art, as well as architecture and urban design… all in one spot! The People’s Choice Awards Exhibition reflect some of this city’s very best designers, and at the opening reception, you’ll get the opportunity to meet many of them.

As a People’s Choice Exhibition, it would be wrong of me to not include the web address for those interested in the voting process! www.aigapda2008.com. Best of luck to the artists!

Philadelphia Design People’s Choice Awards
May 1, 2009 @ AXD Gallery
www.aigaphilly.org

AXD Gallery
65 S 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
www.a-x-d.com

Leaving Triumph during last year’s race

Does watching “The Amazing Race” leave you hankering to experience new and exciting activities? Don’t think that just because you’re not jetting of to Thailand or Brazil you can’t have a fun and competitive expedition. This Saturday, High Trek Adventure, which organizes scavenger hunts in cities around the country, is coming to Philadelphia.

In the Philly race, teams of two will meet at The Plough & Stars in Old City and embark on a day full of urban exploration. Clues will lead competitors to sites around town, where they will complete different challenges. It’s anybody’s guess what those challenges will be: bowling a strike at North Bowl? Eating a sundae at Franklin Fountain? Teams can bring just about anything they want to aid their quest — maps, iPhones, computers, Power Bars — but transportation is strictly on foot or courtesy of SEPTA — no bikes, cars, or cab rides allowed.

The goal of High Trek Adventure is to get people to venture beyond the corner coffee shop and experience their city in a new way. Over the course of the race, you may see places and navigate neighborhoods totally new to you. In addition to a sense of pride and adrenaline rush, the winning duo will get $300 and a chance to compete in a championship race with winners from other cities. Get ready to throw your elbows and dress to impress: even if you’re not the quickest pair out there, you could still take home a $50 gift certificate in the Best Uniforms category.

High Trek Adventure Philadelphia
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Check-in 11:00-11:50am, Race begins at 12pm
www.hightrekadventure.com

Starting place: The Plough & Stars
123 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Founded in 2007, Quince Productions is a newcomer to the Philly theatre scene. But with their eclectic mix of theatre, dance, music, and performance art, it looks like they’re here to stay. Which is great, because one of their founding tenets is “trust in the sophistication and adventurousness of Philadelphia audiences.” I always give someone the benefit of the doubt if they complement me first!

In keeping with Quince’s mission, their new gay-themed late-night short plays, Victor Bumbalo’s “Show” and “Tell” certainly deliver a unique experience. They star five young Philly actors who deliver powerful performances. In “Show” Michael (Michael Tomasetti), a young priest who’s been confined to a home for “priests under duress,” searches for God.

The second one-act features Peter Danzig as a young man who is gravely ill. The act takes place in his darkened hospital room, where he is visited by a robust friend (Matthew McDonough), who recounts sexual exploits for the bedridden. The sexual tension between the two is palpable. Frequent interruptions from a nosy nurse seem like they might kill the mood, but that’s certainly not how it plays out.

The two one-act plays are being performed together at 10:15 on Friday and Saturday nights at the Shubin Theatre, a Queen Village institution just a block from South Street. The little black box theatre barely holds 30 seats, adding a level of intimacy “” and perhaps discomfort, giving the material “” that’s hard to beat. With the performance’s late start time, taking in the shows will add a powerful, artsy cap to a weekend evening. Venture south of South Street and get some culture.

Quince Productions Presents “Show/Tell”
Friday/Saturday, 10:15pm, April 18th “” May 2nd
www.quinceproductions.com

Shubin Theatre
407 Bainbridge St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Photo by Lois Greenfield

Philadanco is known for its youthful verve and is keeping that alive by helping to show you what’s next.

They’re hosting four world premieres in a new program entitled New Faces: Choreographers for the Future, held from Thursday to Saturday, April 30 to May 2, 2009 at 7:30pm and Saturday to Sunday, May 2 to 3, 2009 at 2:30pm in the Perelman Theater. The performances all involve young choreographers”"Zane Booker,Camille Brown, Hope Boykin and Tony Powell”"and the company’s special blend of black-American inspired movement, ballet, jazz and modern styles.

Zane Booker’s “The Red Envelope” uses Faust themes of death and the afterlife in three duets, inspired by an original musical composition from Jeff Story. Camille Brown is mixing modern dance techniques with West African influences in her “Those Who See Light.” Hope Boykin’s “Be Ye Not…Philippians 4:13″ explores the context of conformity and societal acceptance through internal transformation. Then, Tony Powell’s full company work, “Unbound,” looks into the many emotional and physical ‘Phases of Relationships,’ including happiness, sadness, contempt, heartache, joy and love, set to a powerful musical score by various artists.

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What’s the proper way to dice an onion or filet a pepper?

Are you familiar with the terms chiffonade and brunoise?

Chef Chris Koch will school you on these terms and techniques “” and show just how much better he is at using a knife than you are “” at a free knife skills demonstration on Saturday afternoon, April 25, at the Marketplace at East Falls. Following a demonstration of classic techniques, audience members will be able to ask specific questions and learn the proper ways to cut and prepare any fruit or vegetable.

If there’s anyone in Philadelphia to teach wannabe chefs about knife skills, Koch’s at the top of the list. In addition to being the Culinary Director and Lead Chef at the Cooking School at the Marketplace at East Falls, he’s also a culinary arts professor at Drexel and a former chef at plenty of regional restaurants of note. You might have also seen him on Comcast’s Digital Cookbook On-Demand Program. Yeah, the guy’s got chops.

Marketplace at East Falls offers lots of different kinds of classes, including intense, all-day Saturday cooking marathons and more casual Sunday afternoon sessions. Classes during the week are broken down by topics, including “Technique Tuesdays” and “Ethnic Wednesdays.” Weekday classes run from 6-8 p.m. Call or check the calendar for more details.

Knife Skills Demonstration @ Marketplace at East Falls
Saturday, April 25, 1:00 p.m

Marketplace at East Falls
3747 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 228 0969
www.marketplaceateastfalls.com

In case you missed it while out enjoying the weather this past weekend:

The Sixers stole a win from their opponent, the Orlando Magic, in dramatic fashion on Sunday and continue the series tonight. Win or lose, the furiously inconsistent (yet amazingly entertaining) team returns home to South Philly this weekend for games 3 and 4 of the series.

Lucky for you, tickets are still available. If you haven’t been to a game this year, why not start with one that actually matters?

Game 3 “” Friday, April 24 at 8:00 p.m.
Game 4 “” Sunday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Click here for game and ticket information.

Today in ‘things I wish I thought of first’, I present Salt Pepper Ketchup, a great new web video series produced by Rob Rawlings and Brendan Huffman.

Created using just a Flip video camera and Brendan’s Mac, Salt Pepper Ketchup is a fun DIY series that visits local Philadelphia food carts, with special guests along for each episode. In the first show, which I have embedded above, Brendan Rob (thanks Mare!) takes along Bruce Walsh, a local writer and playwright living here in Philadelphia. His most recent play, Whiskey Neat, is currently up at the Azuka Theatre.

Go have a look. Know of a cart they should feature? Drop them a line via their website.

And keep watching during the credits. Best. Theme song. Ever.

Salt Pepper Ketchup
www.salt-pepper-ketchup.com

In 2004, Fairmount businesses agreed to open their spaces on the last Sunday in April as a neighborhood-wide celebration of spring and exhibition of wares. The idea became a small tradition and is now a serious organized happening – The Fairmount Arts Crawl.

From 2-6pm on Sunday the 26th, about forty rooms open their doors for the Crawl’s fifth afternoon. Never seen the sun set at Bridgid’s or Era Bar? Never spoken in ancient tongues with La Chouffe at the Belgian Cafe? Never had an extremely well-dressed guy try to steal your date as you walk past Jack’s Firehouse on your way to salvage your brain at Little Pete’s?

For one night, you can combine all of these classic Fairmount nightlife opportunities with the goodwill of the neighborhood, performers and jugglers(?!) in the parks, and the work of something like fifty local artists up on all of the walls.

Complete event and artist listings are on the Arts Crawl website. If you don’t feel like setting an agenda, showing up near 20th and Fairmount and slowly heading west will be a sure shot for a fine afternoon.

Fairmount Arts Crawl
Sunday April 26th 2-6pm
www.fairmountartscrawl.org