Uwishunu.com

The Food Trust, the organization that is responsible for so many of our favorite local farmers’ markets will be launching a new market this September. Call the Night Market, it will be held in the evening and will feature some of the areas best prepared foods, as well as crafts and lots of music. There will be six markets over the next 18 months. The locations will change for each market. The concept was inspired by the vibrant markets found throughout Asia.

The details are still to come, but if this sounds like something that you’d be interesting in checking out, sign up to get on their mailing list to keep abreast of the information.

The National Constitution Center on Independence Mall. (Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC)

This Labor Day weekend, honor the strength and spirit of hard-working Americans at the National Constitution Center. Throughout the weekend (September 4-6), visitors will have the opportunity to participate in an array of special activities about the history of the holiday. All the Labor Day events at the NCC are included in the museum’s general admission.

The special programming includes an interactive program that will repeat at at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. each day. You’ll learn about some of the leaders in American labor history, such as labor union head Samuel Gompers and Cesar Chavez. They’ll also highlight landmark events like the Pullman Strike and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 191. There’ll be crafts for the kids, including a station where they can make patriot hats.

National Constitution Center
Independence Mall
525 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 409-6600
constitutioncenter.org

(Image courtesy of slashfilm.com)

Tonight’s forecast calls for clear skies — perfect for this evening’s Rocky-thon on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The appropriately located Rocky marathon begins just after sunset (roughly 8:20 p.m.) and will feature the first three movies of the series.

Make sure you arrive early for a good spot on the steps and don’t forget to bring snacks, chairs, blankets and anything else you’ll need to make yourself at home.

When: TONIGHT, August 19, 2010 at 8:20 p.m.
Where: The stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Cost: FREE

Rocky-thon in Philadelphia [Rolling Roadshow]

Last summer, the Funsavers blew our minds by offering half price season tickets to a number of area theaters. Well, it worked so well last year that they’ve expanded the offer and are doing it again.

They’re selling season tickets to more than 20 area theater, dance and music companies for half price. That means that you can get tickets to the four-show season at the Interact Theater Company for just $64. An even $100 will get you into five Arden shows. The Walnut Street Theater season is the most expensive, ranging from $135 to $175 for five shows, but that package includes musicals by both Irving Berlin and Kander & Ebb. Even at that price, it’s still a bargain!

Click here to check out the list of participating theaters. The deals are good through Friday, September 3rd. But don’t wait, they will sell out. Get ‘em while they last!

Spread from the May Cheesemaker Happy Hour (photo by M. McClellan for GPTMC)

We’ve dished about the Meet the Cheesemaker happy hours at the Fair Food Farmstand before. The concept is simple. They invite some of the best cheesemakers from around the region, and we all stand around, eating cheese, sampling beer and talking about how it was all made.

This Wednesday, August 25th from 4-6 p.m., Cherry Grove Farm’s cheesemaker Ian will be joined by the folks from Flying Fish. Ian will be sampling out Maidenhead, a rich, dense and fruity cheese washed with Flying Fish Abbey. Complementary samples of Abbey will be on hand as well.

Fair Food Farmstand
Reading Terminal Market
12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PA
readingterminalmarket.org

This Friday, the Philadelphia Folk Festival sets up on the Old Pool Farm in Schwenksville, PA for the 49th year. There’ll be three days of music, camping, food and more fun than you can shake a stick at. This year’s line-up includes Erin McKeown, Chris Smither & the Motivators, Jeff Tweedy, Taj Mahal and so many, many more (click here to see the full line-up). The event is hosted by long-time Philadelphia folkie and host of The Folk Show on WXPN, Gene Shay.

Tickets are still available and range in price from $8 for a one-day child’s general admission pass to $181 for a full weekend camping pass. There are a number of options in between, so click over and take a look. The weekend is looking to be hot and clear, so make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and water.

 
This is a video we created for the Phanatic Around Town program, in which we traversed the city to visit all of the statue locations in a single day.

The day begin at Philadelphia International Airport and culminated with a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, stopping at a few major landmarks along the way.

Remember that there are now only two weeks remaining for you to visit the Phanatic statues before they are collected and put on display for the remainder of the season at Citizens Bank Park.

And make sure you take pictures and share them with us on Facebook.

Phanatic Around Town Video Tour [Visit Philly]
Phanatic Around Town [Visit Philly]

Attention literary types! Tickets for the Free Library Fall Author Events go on sale today at 10 a.m. This season includes such luminaries as Jonathan Franzen, A. S. Byatt, Amy Sedaris, Oliver Sacks, Patti Smith and Nora Ephron. There’s an incredible amount of variety in the line-up, so there’s bound to be at least one author on the list who you’ll want to see.

You can order single tickets or put together your own subscription of either 6 or 12 lectures. The single tickets are priced at either $10 or $15, making them a particularly good bargain for an evening of entertainment and illumination. Click here to see the complete schedule of speakers. To buy individual tickets, just click on the name of the speaker you’re interested in.

Phillies fans showed their true colors during yesterday's "Big Phanatic Photo Op" at the Independence Visitor Center. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

Yesterday’s “Big Phanatic Photo Op” at the Independence Visitor Center was a huge success, as droves of Phillies fans and visitors participated and got their picture taken with the center’s “Liberty Bellie” statue… and one very special guest!

There are only two weeks left to visit the Phanatic statues around the city, as they will be collected from their current locations the week of August 30th. The statues will then be on display at Citizens Bank Park beginning September 3rd through the remainder of the Phillies 2010 season.

The Phanatic poses with one of the 20 statues made in his honor. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

We’re down to the final two statues, meaning the “Phanatic Around Town” photo submission contest is coming to a close. Keep submitting your best photos for the chance to win free Philly baseball gear!

Week Nineteen’s featured Phanatic Around Town location: The Piazza at Schmidt’s

This week’s featured statue is The Piazza at Schmidt’s “The Phanatic Paints a Mural” statue and the deadline to submit your photo is Monday, August 23rd.

Photo Op

The Piazza at Schmidt’s statue in a great central location, in the middle of the entranceway in front of Darlings. This week, head to the Piazza to catch a Phillies game on the giant television screen or visit this weekend during the Farmers Market or Friday night movie. And in the midst of all this shopping and entertainment, don’t forget to snap your photo with the Phanatic statue!

To submit your photo, upload it to our Visit Philly Facebook fan page or share it on Twitter using the hashtag: #Phanatic. Each week’s winners will receive free Philly baseball gear. Click here for all the details.

Who: You and a “Phanatic Around Town” statue.
What: Take a picture of you with the “Phanatic Around Town” statue of the week and share it with us via Facebook and/or Twitter.
When: Every week for 20 weeks beginning on Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Where: At 20 locations across the city, changing each week.

Last week’s winners and another photo from yesterday’s event, after the jump.

(more…)

Each summer, the American Farmlands Trust surveys the country, looking for the best farmers’ markets around. They invite markets to sign up so that people can vote for their markets. The markets are divided into four categories and the top twenty vote getters in each category are featured on the site.

This summer, a number of our local and regional markets are in the running, including Upper Merion, Collingswood, Lansdowne and West Chester. Click here to visit the page where the voting is taking place and click here to see the markets are currently in the top spots.