It’s not every year that the Ivy League has a team ranked in the Top 25 in the nation. But this year they do. And it’s the Harvard Crimson, who at 20-2 on the season, are now ranked #21 in the country. Harvard is coming to town this Friday night for a showdown with the Penn Quakers at the Palestra. The atmosphere at the Palestra is going to be electric, with Penn’s student section coming out in full force for the big rivalry game. Moreover, the postseason implications: Penn is 4-1 in the Ivy League and needs a win to improve their chances at the Ivy League crown. Tickets are $14. [Penn vs. Harvard]

Kids will enjoy digging in the dirt to select a sweet birch seedling to take home at Morris Arboretum’s Tu B’Shevat Family Day this weekend. (Photo by Arnold Winkler courtesy Morris Arboretum)

Morris Arboretum invites everyone to celebrate the Jewish New Year of Trees at Tu B’Shevat Family Day this Sunday February 12, from 1–3 p.m.

Families will have the chance to learn about important food crop trees of Israel, and why they can’t be grown in Pennsylvania. Children will engage in various activities and will even receive their own seedling to take home.

If attending, you can expect to hear a speaker describe what the growing conditions are like in Israel, and how the trees are actually grown. You can then see visual displays of how these trees are used to make various products. The delicious foods these trees provide will also be available to sample (yum).

The event is free with regular admission.

Morris Arboretum Tu B’Shevat Family Day
When: Sunday, February 12, 1-3 p.m.
Where: 100 Northwestern Avenue
Cost: Free with admission
More info: www.business-services.upenn.edu

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

Hot off her spectacular performance in Sunday’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, Madonna announced she’s hitting the road this summer on a North American tour. Her first stop? The Wells Fargo Center in South Philly on August 28. Tickets go on sale Monday, February 13, making a perfect last minute Valentine’s Day gift for the Material Girl/Boy in your life. Madonna’s highly-anticipated new album, MDNA, will be released on March 26. [Madonna at the Wells Fargo Center]

Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney, pictured here at their newest restaurant Jamonera, are pulling out all the stops for Valentine's Day this year. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

Valerie Safran and Chef Marcie Turney are making it easy to whittle down your Valentine’s Day checklist with limited-time offerings from their six 13th Street boutiques and restaurants.

Complete your Valentine’s Day shopping in one fell swoop by perusing the gifts at Verde and Open House. Both boutiques are carrying the entrepreneurs’ We Heart Philly gift line, with mugs, necklaces, tees, and totes emblazoned with Philadelphia’s LOVE icon, an appropriate sentiment for Tuesday’s romantic holiday.

In addition, Verde is freshly-stocked with jewelry, women’s accessories and special V-Day Marcie Blaine chocolates, while fresh flower bouquets will be available in store from February 11-14.

With your shopping finished, make a reservation at Barbuzzo, Lolita or the newly-opened Jamonera. Special Valentine’s Day menus, priced at $45-$65 per person, are guaranteed to spark romance (and give you a break from washing the dishes).

And leave room for dessert, because from February 11-14, Verde will offer to-go packs Barbuzzo’s crazy-popular budino, a creamy butterscotch custard with a dark chocolate crust. Forget sharing, the dessert will be specially-priced at $15 for a pack of two.

Valentine’s Day 2012 on 13th Street [We Heart Philly]

Bruce Springsteen purchased this Corvette in 1975, after the success of Born to Run. Photos of the car have appeared on various album and single sleeves. It will be on display at the National Constitution Center, starting next Friday, February 17.
(Photo credit: Frank Stefanko courtesy Bruce Springsteen)

The sure-to-be epic Bruce Springsteen exhibition — From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen — opens next Friday at the National Constitution Center.

Yesterday, one of the signature pieces from the exhibition — Springsteen’s 1960 Chevrolet Corvette — arrived at the NCC.

Bruce Springsteen purchased this Corvette in 1975, after the success of Born to Run. Photos of the car have appeared on various album and single sleeves.

The classic Corvette is just one of more than 150 artifacts from the iconic musician’s career that will be featured in the 5,000-square-foot exhibition, including:

• Family photos of Springsteen’s childhood in Asbury Park, N.J.
• Scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, photos and handbills from Springsteen’s early music endeavors
• Handwritten lyrics from all phases of Springsteen’s career
• Clarence Clemons’ microphone used for his saxophone
• Springsteen’s Fender Esquire from the cover of Born to Run
• The outfit Springsteen wore on the cover of Born in the U.S.A.
• Springsteen’s 1993 Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Streets of Philadelphia”

From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen is a must-see exhibition, featuring a collection never before seen outside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. It’s the first major exhibition about the American songwriter that takes a comprehensive look at Springsteen’s catalog, from such early bands such as Child, the Castiles and Steel Mill through his work with the E Street Band and as a solo artist.

Bruce fans, plan ahead and get your tickets now. You’re not going to want to miss this.

From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen
Where: National Constitution Center
When: February 17 to September 3, 2012
Cost: $24.50 for adults, $23 for seniors and students and $12 for children ages 4-12
More info: www.constitutioncenter.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

UPDATE: We just received late word that Love Park has cancelled this event.

There are so many excuses to celebrate in February: Valentine’s Day, Groundhog’s Day and the anticipation of Spring. Plus, there’s this: Winter Fest 2012 in Love Park.

On Saturday, February 11, from 1-5 p.m., you’ll find some of Philly’s favorite gourmet food trucks and brews like Guapos Tacos, Mini Trini, Buttercream Cupcake, Say Cheese Philadelphia and Yards Brewery gathered in the park serving helpings of all-you-can-eat-and-drink options for ticket-holders to degust.

Live music and Philadelphia’s RAW: Natural Born Artists will also be on board showcasing an exhibit entitled “Art Walk” for viewing and purchasing pleasures alike.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the Fairmount Park Welcome Center in Love Park.

LOVE Park Winter Fest 2012
Where: LOVE Park, 15th Street & JFK Blvd.
When: Saturday, February 11, 1-5 p.m.
Cost: $20
More info: www.events.membersolutions.com

Ice is heating up in Manayunk this weekend with three days' worth of frigid fun. (Photo courtesy National Ice Carving Association)

Nothing says, “I love you” like a chainsaw furiously ripping away at a massive block of frozen H2O.

If this sounds like the perfect way to declare your love, then cozy up with the National Ice Carving Association as they present this year’s Valentine’s Day-themed 2012 Manayunk on Ice, February 10-12, on Main Street.

The opening ceremony lights up Friday evening with an ice bonfire from 6-8 p.m. where you can fill up on sips and fare from Couch Tomato, Kildare’s and Chabaa Thai Bistro and peruse goods from participating merchants like TAG Denim and Manayunk Greenworks.

Saturday and Sunday include two competitions as the “Ice Carvers” and “Master Carvers” come from all over the country to bring hours of skillful crafting and sculpting to portray this year’s romantic theme: passion.

All participants compete for ten places with first receiving the grand prize of $2,000, bringing someone’s Valentine a whole lot of roses and chocolates.

If admiring from afar with a hot cocoa in hand is more your style, then check out the weekend schedule here.

2012 Manayunk On Ice
Where: Main Street, Manayunk
When: Friday, February 10-Sunday, February 12
Cost: Free
More info: www.manayunk.com

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