Start your long weekend early with an alfresco dinner or happy hour, or with any one of the number of events slated for this evening. (Photo by D. Tavani for GPTMC)

The Memorial Day holiday is fast approaching, so start the long weekend early and head out tonight to enjoy dinner alfresco or a number of the events lined up for this evening.

Though storms may be in the forecast, cross your fingers and don a cocktail dress to fete the Mural Arts Program, or head out lovely Terrain at Styer’s for a twilight market and chef dinner.

Today also marks the first day of the phenomenal Hidden City Festival, so take the opportunity to digest all of the amazing events slated to take place throughout the next six weeks.

But for those who want to head indoors, plenty of festivities abound. Get tickets to see Arden Theatre’s A Little Night Music, or head to Old City for a artist talk.

Check out our top picks for tonight, below.

• Mural Arts Wall Ball and the 2013 Off-the-Wall Ball: Celebrate Philadelphia’s great murals at the annual Mural Arts Wall Ball, tonight at Vie on North Broad Street. While tickets are no longer available online, they will be available at the door. Mix and mingle with art-makers and art-enthusiasts and retired basketball star Julius “Dr. J” Erving, who is the subject of one of the city’s great murals. Enjoy live entertainment, an auction and more. The event honors numerous members of Philadelphia’s community who help make the Mural Arts Program possible. Or, if the price tag to the main event is beyond your reach, connect with mural arts-lovers at the 2013 Off-the-Wall Ball, held next door at Alla Spina. For a $40 ticket, guests will snack on Alla Spina’s tasty food and drink, meet special guest artists, Mural Arts staff and young friends while listening to the sounds of a guest DJ.

When: Thursday, May 23; Ball, 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Off-the-Wall, 8:30-11 p.m.
Where: Vie, 600 N. Broad Street; Alla Spina, 1410 Mt. Vernon Street
Cost: $200; $40

• Terrain Patio Party and Twilight Farmer’s Market: The Urban Outfitter Corporation’s latest shop, Terrain at Styer’s, hosts an outdoor extravaganza tonight in celebration of its all-new patio. The Patio Party and Twilight Farmer’s Market invites guests to enjoy alfresco shopping, live music, cocktails and farm-fresh food from any number of the local farms that are slated to be in attendance. More local vendors like Green Aisle Grocery and Paradocx Winery are also set to join the fun. Beginning at 7 p.m., a five-course tasting dinner featuring fresh and tasty ingredients is available for $60 (plus tax and gratuity per person). Reservations are required. Call 610-459-6036 to reserve your spot.

When: Thursday, May 23, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Terrain at Styer’s, 914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills
Cost: Pay as you go

• Hidden City Festival Opening Day: The six week long Hidden City Festival kicks off today in all of its oft-unseen architectural glory. Two events take the stage today, and dozens and dozens of events roll out in the upcoming weeks. The festival encompasses 10 projects at nine locations in neighborhoods all over the city. Events include everything from a giant knitting circle to impressive art installations.

When: May 23-June 30
Where: Various locations
Cost: $20-$70

• Guest Artist Lecture at the Clay Studio: The Clay Studio welcomes a new guest resident artist, Hong-Ling Wee tonight with a guest lecture and reception beginning at 6 p.m. Listen to Wee, an accomplished ceramicist whose work has been featured in publications and museums around the globe, share her insights at this lecture. Tonight’s event is free and open to the public.

When: Thursday, May 23, 6 p.m.
Where: The Clay Studio, 139 N. 2nd Street
Cost: Free

• A Little Night Music at the Arden Theatre: It’s the first night of the previews of A Little Night Music at the Arden Theatre. Stephen Sondheim’s classic show, which has entertained audiences since its original 1973 Broadway debut, centers around a far-from-ideal marriage, a trip to the countryside and the happenings that occur on the trip. With a musical score comprised solely of waltz music, tonight’s show is bound to be a melodic affair.

When: Thursday, May 23, 8 p.m.
Where: Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd Street
Cost: $15-$36

• Invasion: Diaries And Memories Of War In Iraq at Drexel University: Mere days before Memorial Day, Invasion: Diaries And Memories Of War In Iraq, arrives and leaves Drexel University’s URBN Center Lobby. Tonight is your last chance to catch the traveling exhibit curated by two men who had firsthand experiences with the Iraq War. The exhibit boasts multimedia artifacts like a video installation of a 2003 newscast about the Iraq War and photographs by Gary Knight, a photographer whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek and more. Firsthand accounts also fill the space; read pages from the war diary of Marine Lt. Timothy McLaughlin and accounts from journalist Peter Maass who traveled through Iraq.

When: Thursday, May 23
Where: Drexel University’s URBN Center Lobby, 35th and Market Streets
Cost: Free

See whose storytelling reigns supreme at First Person Arts' Grand Slam competition, Friday, May 31. (Image courtesy First Person Arts)

Gather ’round for a night of terrific tall tales.

The culmination of anecdotes and accounts told throughout the season, First Person Arts’ Grand Slam pits winners from First Person Arts’ monthly StorySlams against one another in a championship round.

Set for Friday, May 31 at Underground Arts in the Callowhill neighborhood, the event sees its competitors vying for the title of “Best Storyteller in Philadelphia.”

Drawing on significant personal experiences, knack for embellishment and dramatic timing know-how, storytellers will try to sway the judges with their most hilarious, tearjerking or hair-raising personal tales.

As with all StorySlam events, the Grand Slam revolves around a nightly theme — this year, the theme is “power,” which ought to illicit some seriously strong stories.

The evening is hosted by Martha Cooney and R. Eric Thomas, and the lineup includes Sean Carney, Steve Clark, Donald Deeley, Kitty Hailey, Megan Hicks, Nimisha Ladva, Mike Lobis, Andrew Panebianco, Hillary Rea, Katie Samson, and Anthony Scutti.

Rather than source the audience as judge and jury — as in the monthly StorySlams — three teams of judges will decide whose story beats all. The judges panel includes Dave Heller, Peter Crimmins, and Kimberly Haas from WHYY’s Newsworks; Jim Caiola and David Salama from Beau Monde Creperie/L’Etage; and WURD’s Stephanie Renee and Erica Atwood from the Mayor’s Office.

The Grand Slam will also kick off a new partnership between First Person Arts and WHYY’s Newsworks program, which will start a monthly feature on the upcoming First Person Arts Podcast series this summer.

Tickets for the final slam of the season are $20, and available online.

Note that the event sells out every year, so buy tickets in advance to witness this excellent display of spoken word.

First Person Arts’ Grand Slam
When: Friday, May 31, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Where: Underground Arts at the Wolf Building, 1200 Callowhill Street
Cost: $20
More info: www.firstpersonarts.org

Family-friendly arts and crafts, exhibitions, festivals and activities are the subject of the summer at Art Splash at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art)

Come one, come all to the Philadelphia Museum of Art this summer for Art Splash, a variety of family-friendly events and exhibits.

The Perelman Building hosts children and adults alike for fun, art-centric programming from June 28 to September 2.

The events center around five exhibitions that are either currently on display, or will be very soon, at the PMA: CandyCoated Wonderland, a recent exhibit that features bright, child-sized costumes created by a local artist; Design for the Modern Child, an exhibit that showcases modern toys, furniture and more from all over the world; All Dressed Up: Fashions for Children and Their Families, a collection of child and adult clothing from the 18th century to the 20th century; Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney an exhibit that brings the work of celebrated children’s book illustrator, Jerry Pinkney to light; and Family Portrait, an exhibition about the various ways to photograph families and how it has changed over the years.

Tours of each exhibition and exhibition-related events occur daily.

Art Splash themes change each week, but many of the same type of activities (under a varied theme) occur with each week’s programming.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, June 28, Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30, opening weekend celebrations abound under the theme Make A Splash. The Create, Play, and Explore All Day event entertains children of all ages. Children are invited to visit the Splash Studio to create artwork of their own, play in the Art in Action Zone and visit the exhibitions. The youngest of visitors are invited to take part in the Baby Bird Playdate on Friday, June 28 when the PMA hosts age-appropriate fun for babies and toddlers (and parents).

The Red, White and Glue series of events arrive just in time for the fourth of July. Create patriotic arts and crafts all week, and on Sunday, July 7, meet illustrator Jerry Pinkney, the subject of the Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney exhibit, as he reads and signs some of his acclaimed books. Pinkney joins the Art Splash festivities as part of one of three pay what you wish festivals. Take note, the PMA is closed on July 4, patriotic arts and crafts, stories and events surround the date.

From July 23-28, children are invited to explore a fourteen-foot-tall cardboard cubby house created specially for the Arts Splash event as part of the theme of the week; Forts and Crawly Spaces. The week’s hands-on project then encourages children to create their own fort and crawl space. Cool!

The full listing of events and themes is available here.

Stay tuned for more arts to make a splash this summer.

Art Splash at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
When: June 28-September 2
Where: The Perelman Building at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2525 Pennsylvania Avenue
Cost: $10 for adults, free for children under 12
More info: www.philamuseum.org

The American Philosophical Society Museum hosts a free evening event celebrating its marquee exhibit Through the Looking Lens, Thursday, June 6. (Image courtesy American Philosophical Society Museum)

In conjunction with its new exhibit, Through the Looking Lens: Cornelius Varley’s Wondrous Images of Art And Science, 1800-1860 which showcases the watercolors of Cornelius Varley, a British inventor and artist, the American Philosophical Society Museum hosts Look, Draw, Make: Exhibition Open House on Thursday, June 6.

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., guests are invited to a free and hands-on evening of fun, music, art and a tour of the exhibition.

Cornelius Varley used tools of his own creation to inspect items for an up-close view, and then paint gorgeous watercolors.

Guests are encouraged to get in touch with their inner Varley as they watch 3D printing demos and view interactive projects from modern-day inventors, and visit The Drawing Room as it’s unveiled for the first time.

The Drawing Room is part of the Through The Looking Lens exhibit, and brings guests back in time to a typical drawing room of 19th century England where families and friends gathered to learn. The Drawing Room boasts interactive displays and hands-on activities.

Also enjoy music, food and wine on the night of the event.

Guided tours of the exhibition will be available at 5:45 and 6:45 p.m.

Reservations are required, secure your spot by Monday, May 27 by emailing museum@amphilsoc.org.

Look, Draw, Make: Exhibition Open House at the American Philosophical Society Museum
When: Thursday, June 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: 104 S. 5th Street
Cost: Free
More info: www.apsmuseum.org

Celebrate the start of the Hidden City Festival with a block party this Saturday, May 25, at the Goldtex Building. (Image courtesy Hidden City)

The incredible Hidden City Festival officially gets underway today and runs through June 30, with 10 visionary projects exhibited at nine remarkable locations in a wide array of neighborhoods including Germantown, Frankford, South Philadelphia and University City.

This Saturday, May 25, mark the start of the fest with a formidable fete: the Hidden City Festival 2013 Block Party underneath the Reading Viaduct at the Goldtex Building in the Callowhill neighborhood.

Come out for the party on Saturday night, 7-11 p.m., to get down with entertainment from Hank & Cupcakes, City Rain, DJ Adrian Hardy, DJ Lina Luv and the New Sound Brass Band.

Stay fueled for what’s sure to be a dance party with eats from food trucks including The Dapper Dog, Spot Burgers, Kami, Hot Tea and Little Baby’s Ice Cream. Craft beer will be sold on-site, too, to keep the party going.

Want more information about the six-week festival? For a comprehensive primer on the sites and projects, check out our guide.

Tickets to the block party are $10 in advanced and $15 at the door, and are available online.

Hidden City Festival 2013 Block Party
When: Saturday, May 25, 7-11 p.m.
Where: Goldtex Building, 315 N. 12th Street
Cost: $10 in advance; $15 at the door
More info: www.hiddencityphila.org

Philadelphia Theatre Company's production of the hit play Venus in Fur opens this Friday, May 24. (Image courtesy Philadelphia Theatre Company)

With the Philadelphia Theatre Company season closer Venus in Fur, you’ll finally have the chance to fulfill every first-date-meets-job-interview fantasy you’ve ever had, by turning those pre-jitters into post-jubilation.

David Ives’ two-person comedy hit Broadway in 2011 and is set to draw you in here in Philadelphia with biting wit and provocative subject matters: masochism and power.

At the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, actors Jenni Putney and Mark Alhadeff (who was the Broadway understudy for the male lead) play out the cat-and-mouse game on stage.

Enter (stage right, naturally) fledgling actress Vanda — full of neediness, desperation and other acting pitfalls — who auditions for the lead role in a play adapted from an erotic novel.

She is the embodiment of the director Thomas’ worst nightmare until real-life events take a novel twist and seduction and domination become the name of the game.

Strap yourself in for a night of electric emotion.

Tickets to the Tony Award-nominated play are available online.

Venus in Fur
When: May 24-June 23
Where: Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad Street
Cost: $46
More info: www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

The Hidden City Festival exposes nine oft-forgotten sites in Philadelphia with incredible art installations, performances and events over the next six weeks. (Photo at bottom left by Joseph E.B. Elliott; all others by Peter Woodall)

Starting tomorrow, let the Hidden City Festival be your guide on a treasure hunt to discover incredible site-specific art installations within nine of Philadelphia’s oft-forgotten architectural gems.

Running for the next six weeks, May 23-June 30, 10 projects by visionary artists will be exhibited at nine locations in a wide array of neighborhoods including Center City, Germantown, Frankford, South Philadelphia and University City.

The ambitious, multifaceted festival — now in its second turn after a successful 2009 event — exemplifies a flourishing new breed of art, “social practice art,” which pushes the creative scope beyond painting, sculpting or installing in favor of creating mindful exhibitions, spurring social initiatives and sponsoring forward-thinking dialogues.

Each of the nine festival sites not only spotlight under-appreciated destinations, but also activate the spaces with progressive artists and curious audiences. That mix is intended to spark visitor interaction.

So be prepared — better yet, get excited! — to participate in thought-provoking dialogue, join a knitting circle or have a spot of tea while taking in the awe-inspiring sights at each of the nine locations.

Let your curiosity get the better of you and venture out to take part in this incredible and innovative event.

Read on for our guide, organized by city region, to the nine sites, tickets and events of the Hidden City Festival. For even more information and event times, check out the complete festival calendar online.

Tickets and Donations

 
Festival passes are available online, and ticketing options include a single-day pass for $20, a weekend pass for $40 or an all-festival pass for $70.

Hidden City members receive a 25-percent discount off of festivals passes, discounts on all Hidden City tours and invitations to members-only Hidden City happenings and events. Memberships start at just $25 a year. To become a member, register here.

To support a project individually, funding and financial donations for this year’s festival are being crowdsourced via Hidden City’s website. Check out the projects support status online, and give back if you’d like to make a contribution.

Inspired to get involved and go behind the scenes? The festival still needs volunteers to help with ticketing, ushering and prepping at sites. Learn more here.

What To Know Before You Go

 
All festival sites require a festival pass (see ticketing info above) and are open May 23 through June 30, Thursday to Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.

The Hidden City Festival sites are located in neighborhoods throughout the city, and all are accessible by public transit with the exception of Fort Mifflin.

As many of the sites are intentionally well off the beaten path, though, we recommend mapping out your destination before you go. An interactive map of the nine festival sites is available here.

In West Philadelphia

 
• Hawthorne Hall: Known for installations of epic scale, Rabid Hands Art Collective is well practiced at taking over abandoned spaces and installing widely varying, site-specific performance and visual works.

In Society Of Pythagoras, the collective overtakes a deserted clubhouse and theater in the Powelton neighborhood of West Philadelphia and invites audiences inside to join a secret society. After pledging an oath, expect an immersive experience with interactive sounds, sights and performances.

In Fairmount and Old City

 
• Kelly Natatorium: Adjacent to the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, artist collective Camp Little Hope has constructed Bibotorium in the Kelly Natatorium, a cavernous space that once housed an aquarium and a public swimming pool, but has long been closed to the public.

Visitors will be welcomed into an educational saloon, wherein the five-person collective has created a research-based installation of three water-filtering boats examining three possible futures for water usage in Philadelphia. Throughout the festival, the installation will evolve and festival goers are invited to discuss their visions over Third World-inspired tea service.

• John Grass Wood Turning Company: In Wood Shop, visitors will enjoy a firsthand view of art-making and explore Philadelphia’s history as a center of manufacturing at the John Grass Wood Turning Company in Old City, which was founded in 1863 and closed in 2003.

See handcrafted woodworking created throughout the company’s 160-year history, found lathe-turned products transformed by artist Joe McTeague and a mobile pop-up modern wood-turning operation run by artisans from The Center For Art In Wood. Docent-led tours depart from the site on Friday and Saturday afternoons throughout the festival.

• Athenaeum of Philadelphia: Inspired by the incredible literary collection of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia — and specifically a single tome analyzing the paint colors of the Edgar Allan Poe house, but containing no images — artist Ruth Scott Blackson presents Through The Pale Door.

For her project, Scott Blackson is creating three complementary books in response to the 1984 Poe paint analysis, each book referencing a different room in the Poe house. Based in literary research of Poe’s works, Scott Blackson aims to recreate the colors described in the source book and hopes to introduce a new element to the canon of works on Edgar Allan Poe.

In addition to an open house and artist presentation on June 13 at 5:30 p.m., Philadelphia-based Poe authority and writer Edward G. Pettit is set to speak on May 30 at 5:30 p.m. and literary and public historian Hilary Iris Lowe will speak on June 6 at 5:30 p.m.

For more on the Hidden City Festival in South and North Philadelphia, see below.

In South Philadelphia and Beyond

 
• Shivtei Yeshuron-Ezras Israel: Within a 100-year-old storefront synagogue, two festival projects take shape. In ADMK Knit Lab, textile designer Andrew Dahlgren invites visitors to join him in remembering early Jewish immigrant textile workers by lending a hand in the knitting of a gigantic sweater.

Throughout the festival, Dahlgren will host at Knit Lab on Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. Stop in to try your hand at operating the artist’s contemporary knitting machinery, then look out for the finished sweater to yarn-bomb the synagogue during the final week of the festival.

In addition to the visual arts project, Philadelphia’s nonprofit jazz and experimental music presenters Ars Nova Workshop host Radical Jewish Music: A Concert Series and associated programming at the synagogue.

The music, part of John Zorn’s Masada Book Two-The Book of Angels commemorates Zorn’s 60th birthday and features the ensemble work of Mycale and Abraxas, and solo cellist Erik Friedlander. In addition to the concerts, return for a lecture on oral history, Sunday, May 26 at 10 a.m. and the documentary Punk Jews on June 20 at 7 p.m.

• Fort Mifflin: South of Center City, near the Philadelphia International Airport, local artists Ben Neiditz and Zach Webber have created Ruins at High Battery, a pop-up settlement on the Delaware River at a historic Revolutionary War site.

Crafted from scavenged and salvaged materials, the installation of makeshift structures intends to call to mind the shacks, shantytowns and informal settlements that have populated the riverfront since the 18th century, and also to take a look towards impromptu housing of the future.

Meet the artists and help gather driftwood and washed-up materials during the project’s open houses, slated for Sundays, 2-4 p.m. through June 16. On June 8, meet in Rittenhouse Square at 11 a.m. to join in a 10-mile bike ride to the site. Finally, at 2 p.m. on May 26 and June 16, trek through the marshlands surrounding the installation with botanical arts team We The Weeds.

In Germantown and North Philadelphia

 
• Germantown Town Hall: In northwest Philadelphia, Germantown Town Hall transforms into Germantown City Hall under the eye of Oakland-based artist Jacob Wick in partnership with Germantown collaborative the Think Tank that has yet to be named. Vacant since 1997, Germantown Town Hall never actually served as a town hall for Germantown, but will now welcome the public to the space with a performance and meeting area, a reading room/lending library and an office/copy center.

Wick and the Think Tank that has yet to be named will be in residency in Germantown for the duration of the festival, presenting programming and engaging in research on the community’s sense of identity, its infrastructure and its hopes for the future.

In addition to its daily hours, on-site events already on the calendar include a weekly City Hall Meeting on an Independent Germantown, Saturdays at 3 p.m., and an Independent Germantown flagmaking workshop, which is available any time during the run of the festival on a drop-in basis.

• Frankford Historical Society: Record label, events producer and online journal Data Garden set up shop in the basement museum and performance space of the Frankford Historical Society for A/V Archaeology, a project that is both art installation and performance.

Creating an A/V archive, Data Garden employs modern and outdated audio tech to produce a wired sound installation that will allow the public to “play” and mix the sound of the historic museum and its artifacts.

Musical performances are set for May 31, when Heritage Electronics performs on early electronic instruments. Then, on June 15, see Contemporary Archives make music from media in digital archives.

• Globe Dye Works: In a former yarn-dying factory in North Philadelphia, renowned visual artists the Dufala Brothers (Steven and Billy Blaise Dufala) have created an installation dubbed Oil & Water, which examines the historic use of factory space and the trajectory of industrial infrastructure.

The artists employ the existing bones of the crumbling industrial space, and re-imagine the space to build what might have been with faux ductwork and other industrial components.

At 1 p.m. on opening day, Thursday, May 23 and on June 30, the artists will be on hand to offer an overview of the project, give away project secrets and answer any burning questions.

Stay tuned for more Hidden City Festival secrets to be revealed as the festival continues.

Hidden City Festival 2013
When: May 23-June 30
Where: Various locations
Cost: $20-$70
More info: www.hiddencityphila.org

The Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll welcomes more $1 vendors than ever at its June event, Thursday, June 13. (Photo by J. Fusco for GPTMC)

University City District’s highly anticipated Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll makes a grand return this summer with more vendors than ever before.

This year, a whopping 35 businesses are set to offer dollar food, drinks and other goodies.

West Philadelphia favorites like Dock Street Brewery, Milk and Honey Market, Mariposa Food Co-op, The Gold Standard Cafe and newcomer Little Baby’s Ice Cream will all be on hand to suppply attendees with super deals.

Get excited, seven-ounce beers from Dock Street Brewery will be available for a mere 100 pennies!

Stroll the avenue to find a cluster of food trucks offering dollar deals, too. Jimmies Cupcake Company, Lil Dan’s Food Truck, Sunflower Truck Stop and Sweet Box Cupcakes are slated to take part in the frugal festivities.

Entertainment abounds at the dollar stroll. Live music, fire artists and other street performers will fill the avenue as well.

The festivities don’t end there, though, as Clark Park hosts its weekly Farmers Market from 3 to 7 p.m. filled with farm-fresh food and food trucks.

The first Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll is on Thursday, June 13 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. With a second stroll scheduled for September 12.

Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll
When: Thursday, June 13, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Between 42nd and 50th Streets on Baltimore Avenue
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.universitycity.org

The Rascals: Once Upon A Dream takes the stage at the Academy of Music June 5, 6 and 8 with a memorable show of hit tunes. (Photo courtesy the Kimmel Center)

A rock-and-roll concert wrapped up as a big glossy Broadway show comes to the The Academy of Music , when The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream rolls in for a limited engagement June 5, 6 and 8.

It’s yet another show about a group of Jersey boys who scored big in the music scene during the ’60s and early ’70s, only in this case the cast features the real band members who, despite not having sung together for several decades, have still got what it takes to deliver their hits. These tunes include Good Lovin’, Groovin’, People Got to Be Free and A Beautiful Morning.

Directed by Steven Van Zandt and Marc Brickman, the show is like a time capsule, because they really don’t make songs like that anymore, and also, the production features a history of these blue-eyed soulsters through archival footage and narration.

For baby boomers, Once Upon A Time is sure to bring back fond memories of The Rascal’s wistful music from the psychedelic era (count on a fair number of audience members singing along in their seats).

And if you’re a lot younger than that, here’s your chance to hear a band that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, live and still capable of rocking your world with soulful melodies, and of course, tambourines.

Tickets are available online.

The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream
When: June 5, 6, 8
Where: Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street
Cost: $24-$204
More info: www.kimmelcenter.org

Get moving on Saturday, June 1, as Manayunk hosts its Fit Fest and Walk The Wall fitness challenge for the first time. (Image courtesy Manayunk Development Corporation)

One day before the Philly Cycling Classic (formerly known as the Manayunk Bike Race), the citizens of Manayunk are coming together with their sneakers and water bottles in tow in celebration of the first Manayunk Fit Fest.

On Saturday, June 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Levering Street parking lot, free outdoor fitness classes, personal consultations and local trail exploration get hearts pumping and prepares attendees for the ultimate challenge of the day: climbing the Manayunk Wall.

The Manayunk Wall is a steep and infamous incline located right in the hubbub of Manayunk. Gather in the Levering Street parking lot to take on the challenge.

Registration is available online or on the day of the event. Take note, the price of registration increases on the day of the event. Proceeds benefit a local charity of your choice.

The events launch Manayunk Fitness Week which will run from Sunday, June 2 to Friday, June 7. Fitness Week passes will be available at Saturday’s event for $25 a piece. Passes grant guests a free class at every participating workout studio and other fitness-centric discounts.

Manayunk Fit Fest and Walk The Wall
When: Saturday, June 1, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Levering Street Parking Lot
Cost: Manayunk Fit Fest, free; Walk The Wall, $15 in advance, $20 on the day of, $40 for family four pack in advance, $50 on the day of.
More info: www.manayunk.com

Visit the American Philosophical Society Museum this summer to take in watercolors by artist/inventor Cornelius Varley and engage with contemporary versions of a camera obscura in the Drawing Room. (Works by Cornelius Varley courtesy American Philosophical Society Museum)

The American Philosophical Society Museum is known for housing thought‐provoking exhibitions of history, art and science, but rarely have the three disciples harmonized so completely at in its new display of watercolors by British artist/inventor Cornelius Varley.

On view through December, Through the Looking Lens: Cornelius Varley’s Wondrous Images of Art and Science, 1800-1860 displays 26 watercolors by Varley, a talented artist who also devised ingenious tools of his trade, including the Patent Graphic Telescope.

An artist ahead of his time, Varley employed magnifiers of his own invention to render watercolors of such subjects as microscopic algae. Sixteen such paintings were recently discovered in the APS Library, and are now on view for the first time.

In conjunction with Through the Looking Lens, the museum has created a sister exhibition, Drawing Room, set to open June 6, wherein visitors can get hands-on experience with contemporary versions of optical instruments of the 19th century.

Before there were great rooms or man caves, the drawing room served as the central hub of the home, where visitors could relax and be entertained. In Victorian times, that entertainment often involved learning about aspects of science. Those days are back in style at the APS Museum.

The instruments explored in the Drawing Room — camera obscura, camera lucida and Patent Graphic Telescope — were innovative in their day. Each offered an opportunity to see the world in a special way, as well as to draw, or trace, what was on view.

In the pre-photography era these gadgets provided a popular means to record the natural world, as evidenced by Varley’s watercolors. In the Drawing Room, visitors can try their hand with contemporary versions of these tools, with each instrument providing a different and sometimes disorienting experience.

To see both exhibitions, a $1 donation is requested.

Through the Looking Lens and Drawing Room at the American Philosophical Society Museum
When: Through December 29; the Drawing Room opens June 6
Where: 104 S. 5th Street
Cost: $1 donation requested
More info: www.apsmuseum.org

Discover the frightening and heart-wrenching moments of the Iraq War through film, photos, text and more at Invasion: Diaries and Memories of War in Iraq now on view at Drexel University. (Photo by Gary Knight for Invasion: Diaries and Memories of War in Iraq)

Salute the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, a day that honors fallen United States Armed Forces, with an exclusive, insiders view of the Iraq War during a limited-time exhibit at Drexel University, Invasion: Diaries And Memories Of War In Iraq.

The free exhibit features multimedia artifacts like a video installation of a 2003 newscast about the Iraq War and photographs by Gary Knight, a photographer whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek and more.

Explore the war diary of Marine Lt. Timothy McLaughlin as pages from his diary — a true firsthand account — are enlarged to poster-sized pages.

Accounts from journalist Peter Maass, who traveled with Marine Lt. McLaughlin’s military unit in 2003, also fill the exhibit space.

Knight and Maass curated the traveling exhibit.

Invasion: Diaries And Memories Of War In Iraq arrives and leaves mere days before Memorial Day Weekend, so begin the weekend with a visit to the exhibit.

Be sure to catch it before its too late, the exhibit closes on Thursday, May 23. Doors open at 9 a.m. and stay open all day long, but IDs are required for entry after 3 p.m.

Invasion: Diaries And Memories Of War In Iraq at Drexel University
When: Through Thursday, May 23, 9 a.m.
Where: Drexel University’s URBN Center Lobby, 35th and Market Streets
Cost: Free
More info: www.drexel.edu