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Meet Philly-bred Kevin Bacon in person at this one-night-only special Kimmel Center event. (Photo courtesy Kevin Bacon)

Philadelphia-born actor Kevin Bacon will make an appearance in Philadelphia for the Kimmel Center’s 10th Anniversary special event,”Clips and Conversation with Kevin Bacon,” Wednesday, February 15, 7:30-9 p.m. in the Perelman Theater.

Noted Philly film critic Carrie Rickey will host the event, reflecting on Bacon’s career with a montage of movie clips and a candid discussion with the actor himself.

The evening is a sure to be a thrill, particularly for students who wish to pursue a career in acting or those who are already doing so, thanks to discussion and insight on the industry.

Bacon is actually the official celebrity spokesperson for the Kimmel Center’s 10th Anniversary Season, which pays homage to Philadelphia legends who have contributed to the city’s performing arts landscape.

A little Bacon background: in 1984 he became a household name with his starring role in Footloose. Other well-known film credits include Animal House, Apollo 13, Mystic River, A Few Good Men, Frost/Nixon and X Men.

Space is very limited. Tickets are just $20 for general seating and $5 for high school, college, and graduate students with a valid student I.D. They can be purchased at the Kimmel Center Box Office, by phone at (215) 893-1999 or online.

Kevin Bacon at the Kimmel Center
When: Wednesday, February 15, 7:30-9 p.m.
Where: Broad and Spruce Streets
Cost: $20 for general seating and $5 for high school, college, and graduate students
More info: www.tickets.kimmelcenter.org

Enjoy an exclusive evening of Route 6 Chef DiRienzo's delicious cuisine prepared with crisp craft beer.
(Photo courtesy Route 6)

Stephen Starr’s Route 6 is hosting a one-night-only special beer dinner featuring the New Hampshire-based nano-brewery White Birch Brewing, Wednesday, March 7, the first event of its kind at the recently opened restaurant.

The four-course menu prepared by acclaimed Chef Anthony DiRienzo will feature plates like Smoked Bluefish Dip and Smoked Cod and Mussel Cassoulet, paired with craft brews from White Birch, including Route 6’s own proprietary blended ESB Ale.

The dinner is $50 per person.

Seats are very limited; reserve your spot by calling the restaurant at (215) 391-4600.

Check out the full menu, below.

Route 6 and White Birch Brewing Beer Dinner
When: Wednesday, March 7, 6-8 p.m.
Where: 600 N. Broad Street
Cost: $50
More info: www.route6restaurant.com

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Lucky Magazine has crowned Philadelphia one of the 25 top cities for shopping in the entire country, thanks to excellent boutiques like Kimberly, located in Rittenhouse. (Photo courtesy Kimberly Boutique)

Huge news for Philadelphia’s retail scene: Lucky Magazine recently released its list of the 25 best cities for shopping in the country, and Philadelphia is included!

Check out what they had to say about Philly: “Why We Love It: Most malls and shopping centers are a highway’s drive away, making the city itself a haven for pockets of small boutique shopping. Also, there’s no sales tax on clothing.”

Specific boutiques they highlight include the venerable Joan Shepp, Arcadia Boutique, Knitwit and Kimberly Boutique, all in Rittenhouse.

We adore each of their picks, but be sure to include Old City’s 3rd Street, Northern Liberties, Manayunk, Chestnut Hill, University City and other enclaves around the city in your shopping trips.

Check out Lucky’s full guide to Philadelphia shopping here. And Visit Philly has you covered with a comprehensive shopping guide here.

Congrats to all the magnificent local shops and boutiques on much-deserved praise from one of the industry’s major authorities.

The 25 Best Cities for Shopping [Lucky]

Act II Playhouse in Ambler presents the Philadelphia-area premiere of Broadway drama Time Stands Still, on stage February 14-March 11.

A co-production with Delaware Theatre Company, Time Stands Still tells the story of Sarah and James, a photojournalist and a foreign correspondent trying to find happiness in a world gone crazy (sound familiar?).

The New York Times says the play “crackles with bright wit and intelligence.”

Want to see for yourself? Get tickets online.

Writer Donald Margulies is the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Dinner with Friends, Collected Stories, Sight Unseen and many other plays.

Time Stands Still at Act II Playhouse
When: February 14-March 11
Where: 56 E. Butler Avenue, Ambler
Cost: Tickets range from $27-$33 for Friday evenings; discounts are available for students, seniors and groups
More info: www.act2.org

February is a month of firsts for Irish theater company Inis Nua.

They launch their first production of the season, stage their first play by the Tambor Award-winning Irish playwright Elaine Murphy, welcome local director Kathryn MacMillan to the Inis Nua family and hold their official opening at First Baptist Church in Center City.

Want to be a part of all those firsts? Nab a ticket to Little Gem, a Philadelphia premiere on stage February 7-26.

It’s a look into one transitional year in the lives of three generations of a Dublin family. Daughter Amber is taking a break from binge-drinking with the girls, mother Lorraine is testing the waters of love on the north side of 40, and Granny Kay is watching her dear man slip away.

Artistic Director Tom Reing calls the show “simply one of the best plays I’ve seen out of Ireland in the last ten years.”

Get tickets online.

Inis Nua’s Little Gem
When: February 7-26
Where: First Baptist Church, 1636 Sansom Street
Cost: $25
More info: www.inisnuatheatre.org

Mega-Bad Movie Night returns to the Academy of Natural Sciences this Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m.

A popular regularly-recurring program in which absurdly awful movies are presented party-style, Mega-Bad Movie Night is also a great time to check out the academy’s exhibits after-hours.

This week’s edition features a screening of The Lost World: Jurassic Park. As always, the academy’s experts will be onstage to comment on the many scientific absurdities of the film.

Grab some snacks and a beer, and check out the many cool things on display at the academy. They’ll unveil some amazing fossils from their Paleontology Collection in honor of the event.

In addition, The Berserker Residents, the “mighty warriors of comedy,” will perform “Jurassic Park the Experimental Movement Puppet Exploration” prior to the show.

Register online.

Then be sure to check out the nearby Franklin Institute’s Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs exhibition, curated by none other than the world’s leading dinosaur collector and popularizer, Philadelphia-bred Don Lessem, advisor to the movie Jurassic Park.

Mega-Bad Movie Night at the Academy of Natural Sciences
When: Thursday, February 9, 6:30 p.m.
Where: 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Cost: $15
More info: www.ansp.org

Today, February 7, marks the 200th birthday of celebrated English author Charles Dickens. Thanks to his ties to Philadelphia, the city has been celebrating since last fall with Sunday readings and tea at The Dandelion, literary salons, special exhibitions and a birthday party in Clark Park, home to the famous bronze Dickens statue that has graced the park since 1901, which for nearly a century, remained his only statue in the entire world. Check out the Year of Dickens event calendar to see what else is in store throughout the year. [Free Library of Philadelphia’s Year of Dickens]

Last week we introduced our month-long “29 Nights of Dates” promotion, a sweet giveaway-a-day throughout February for couples to enjoy the City of Brotherly Love at its loveliest.

As promised, we’ll be teasing each week’s series of giveaways every Monday.

A sampling of what you could win throughout this week (in scrambled order, to keep an element of surprise), by entering on the Visit Philly Facebook page:

• Tasteful Music: Dine in style at Sbraga, the buzzed-about American restaurant by Top Chef winner Kevin Sbraga. Hit the right note after dinner with a performance by the acclaimed Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center.

• Rink side and Courtyard: Your night begins at Chickie’s & Pete’s, followed by a Taxi Crab ride to the Wells Fargo Center to watch the Flyers. Then, snuggle up for the night at Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown and enjoy champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and breakfast for two.

• A Date-Night Classic: Romance and delicious Italian cuisine await at Positano Coast, a trattoria boasting 27 wine flights, 150 by-the-glass selections and a 530-bottle reserve. Directly across the street at the indie-movie heaven Ritz Five Theater, you can look forward to perfect-sized popcorn and plenty of hand-holding time.

29 Nights of Dates Contest [Visit Philly Facebook]

Previously: Introducing Our “29 Nights Of Dates Contest”: Enter To Win A Vespa Plus 28 Other Great Romance-Themed Prizes All Month Long

The always-impressive Arden Theatre has a truly sensational play in production now on the upstairs Arcadia Stage.

Titled Clybourne Park, the piece, a 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner, leases characters and setting from the 1959 classic A Raisin in the Sun.

The play deals with important issues of gentrification, particularly poignant in Philadelphia’s urban setting. It takes you through the story of a house, a neighborhood and the people who have come and gone over five decades’ time.

Get tickets online.

Clybourne Park at the Arden Theatre
When: Now through March 25
Where: 40 N. 2nd Street
Cost: Tickets start at $29
More info: www.ardentheatre.org

Chef Brad Spence is dishing up an all-pig dinner at Amis on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Amis)

Amis Trattoria, the Washington Square West Vetri Restaurant Family eatery, is hosting a four-course whole suckling pig dinner Wednesday night, February 8.

Chef Brad Spence is preparing the meal, just $65 with an additional, optional $35 wine pairing. It will be served at the Chef’s Counter for an extra-special evening.

Feast on Amis’ self-proclaimed “favorite animal,” from trotter to tail. Chef Brad Spence will be dishing up everything from porky borlotti bean stew to pici pasta with pigs head ragu & kale.

Latest word is that there are still a few seats left, so make a quick call and reserve your spot: (215) 732-2647.

Four-Course Whole Suckling Pig Dinner at Amis
When: Wednesday, February 8
Where: 412 S. 13th Street
Cost: $65, optional $35 wine pairing
More info: www.amisphilly.com