What To Do: House and Garden tour, water fun & more

WWII remembrance, street fests just part of busy weekend schedule

By Denny Dyroff, Correspondent, The Times

The annual Bayard Taylor Memorial Library House and Garden Tour in Kennett Square has become one of the area’s more popular late spring outdoor events. This year, the tour will be held on June 7 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

This year’s tour will include a variety of houses and gardens along the Route 52 corridor in southern Chester County and northern Delaware.  The homes range from a spectacular manor house with exquisite 1920’s craftsmanship to a series of magical outdoor “garden rooms” at a Centreville landscaper’s property.

Other stops along the tour include a whimsical garden that has unconventional plantings and a skateboard park, a newer home with influences by Frank Lloyd Wright along with Japanese and nautical imagery, two homes that feature impressive art and photography collections and two galleries housed in the 19^th-century Breck’s Mill on the Brandywine.

Visitors will be invited to sample delectable tastings from local restaurants and merchants and many of the homes and gardens will also showcase regional artists, florists and musicians.

Tickets for the event are $35 and can be purchased at the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library (216 East State Street, Kennett Square, 610-444-2702,www.bayardtaylor.org).

Old buildings and nature themes will also be showcased at Hagley Museum this weekend.

Hagley Museum and Library (200 Hagley Creek Road, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org) is the site of the former DuPont Powder Mill. It was built at this location because of the access to flowing water. Water plays such a big role in Hagley’s history that the site’s logo even features a water wheel.

Hagley pays tribute to the Brandywine Creek on which it sits with a special event each summer — the “H2 Oh! Walking Tour.” The next scheduled date for the tour is June 7 at 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m.

Visitors discover the evolution of water power at Hagley from the water wheel to the steam engine and ways the DuPont Company harnessed the power of the Brandywine to make black powder for over 120 years.

Participants in the walk take a journey of innovation through the Hagley powder yards, including a stop at Hagley’s recent turbine restoration project (which brings green energy back to the site). Those taking the tour must be prepared to walk on uneven ground – -and to get wet.

The tour is included in price of admission, which is $14 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, $5 for children (ages 6-14) and free for children (age 5 and under). The tours will also be held on July 5, September 6, October 4 and November 1.

Water will be the focus of an event at Wilmington’s family-friendly zoo — ocean water which is the home to huge cruise ships, tankers and, in the past, pirate ships.

It seems that kids of all ages love pirates — especially the movie legend Captain Jack Sparrow. And, people of all ages are realizing how important it is to protect our oceans and the amazing amount of creatures living in the deep.

There is a special event that features both on June 7 at the Brandywine Zoo (1001 North Park Drive, Brandywine Park, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-571-7747, http://www.brandywinezoo.org).

Visitors are invited to celebrate World Oceans Day when the zoo presents “Pirates of the Brandywine” from noon-3 p.m. Different programs during the event will help people learn why the oceans are important to us, find out some interesting facts about them, and discover some unique creatures that live in the various oceans.

The Brandywine Zoo will host another popular event on June 8 called “Sunday Zoo Tales” at 10:30 a.m. Admission to the zoo is $7 for adults and $5 for children (ages 3-17) and seniors (age 62 and older).

There are several other good destinations in northern Delaware this weekend.

Every year, Wilmington is home to a pair of huge ethnic food festivals — the Greek Festival at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (808 North Broom Street, Wilmington, 302-654-4446, www.holytrinitywilmington.org) and St. Anthony’s Italian Festival (St. Anthony of Padua Church, 901 North DuPont Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-421-2790, www.stanthonysfestival.com).

Both festivals feature amusement rides and games but everyone knows that the main attraction is the food.

The Greek festival, which is running through June 7 and is free, features all the traditional favorites from that country including mousaka, pastitsio, tyropita, gyros, chicken and orzo, Greek salad and souvlaki as well as variety of sweet treats including baklava, katifi and an array of special cookies.

Greek-American groups from the Delaware Valley will play popular Greek songs and standards. Other attractions at the free festivals are Greek grocery stores and sales booths with items such as Greek music, icons, custom-made jewelry, leather goods and fabric. There will also be a variety of children’s activities.

The St. Anthony’s Italian Festival, which opens on June 8 and runs through June 15, features cafes, carnival rides, live Italian music and amusement games.

This festival is more than just a carnival with rides and food. It also is an educational experience with a focus each year on a different cultural region in Italy.

This year, a visit to the eight-day festival at St. Anthony’s in Wilmington is a visit to the Ascoli Piceno region in the Le Marche province.The region, which is one of Italy’s most popular vacation destinations, is located on the Adriatic Sea — northeast of Rome and south of Venice.

The festival has become famous for its array of tasty Italian food. Visitors will be able to enjoy such taste treats as spezzato, pizza, sausage and peppers, panzarotti, porkette, clams and spaghetti, pasta fagioli, pizza frita, meatball sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, calamari rings, spaghetti dinners and fresh expresso and cappuccino.

There will be live Italian music every night along with performances by popular music. As an added attraction, the Fralinger’s String Band, one of the all-time best Mummers Parade groups, will perform on June 8 starting at 4:30 p.m.

A different type of food altogether will be celebrated at an orchard site in Delaware County — the strawberry.

This is the time of year that the strawberry moves into the spotlight — the part of the annual growing season when the locally-grown fruit is at its peak. Each year, the sweet red fruit is celebrated at a number of festivals in the area.

This weekend, Linvilla Orchards (137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com) will host its annual Strawberry Festival. The free event will be held on June 7 beginning at 10 a.m.

The popular annual event will feature children’s entertainment, hayrides, pony rides, face painting, costumed characters, children’s games and contests, live music, ice cream sundaes, giant strawberry shortcake and strawberry treats.

Other special attractions will be live music by the band Makin’ Music!, the Delaware Valley’s largest Strawberry Shortcake and special appearances by Strawberry Dog, Backpack Girl and Bouncing Tiger.

One of the featured events will be “Strawberry Jammin’” with Judi 11 a.m.

Judi will be hanging out in front of our Farm Market preparing homemade jam and providing information about how to preserve strawberries.

Another event will be held just a few miles from Linvilla.

The annual Media Art Exhibit and Craft Fair is closing in on its golden anniversary. On June 8 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., State Street in Media will host the 49th Annual Media Art Exhibit and Craft Fair. Rain date is June 15.

Approximately 100 artists and crafters from the Mid-Atlantic region will have booths along State Street featuring thousands of original works. The wide variety of works will be available for viewing and purchase — and will also be judged by a panel of experts.

A wide array of genres will featured including jewelry, woodcrafts, toys, wearable and decorative fiber art, photography, fine art, pottery and Colonial crafts. As an added attraction, many of the exhibitors will be demonstrating their crafts throughout the day.

State Street will be closed to vehicular traffic during show hours to allow room and provide safety for pedestrians viewing the works of art. Additionally, most of Media’s shops will be open and many of the restaurants in the area will offer al fresco dining.

For additional information, call (610) 915-2253.

If you take a short trip past the northwestern part of Chester County, you can take a trip back in time and/or a trip that might make you think you’re in Spain.

This weekend, the Mid Atlantic Air Museum will celebrate the 24^th anniversary of its annual World War II Weekend. Not surprisingly, many of the planes that will be showcased are about are three times older than that.

The museum’s annual World War II Weekend, which runs from June 6-8, is a popular late spring event that features a huge air show with more than 80 vintage military aircraft, over 200 restored military vehicles, almost 2,000 re-enactors and a wide array of artifacts.

There will also be a variety of family-oriented activities and live entertainment featuring The Manhattan Dolls, Theresa Eaman, Frank Cubillo and the Ultimate Abbott & Costello Tribute Show.

Activities on June 6 include presentations by many of the event’s special guests, ground displays, live swing music by the “Let’s Dance Big Band” in the Hangar and a two-hour, 30-vehicle “Liberation of Reading” convoy.

Some of the showcase events slated for June 7 are a Military Collectors’ Flea Market, battle reenactments and live music by the “Swing Fever Dance Band.” The schedule for June 8 is virtually the same except there will be no music in the evening because the event closes at 5 p.m.

Airshows will take place between 1-4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  There will be an amazing number of vintage military airplanes featured at this weekend’s — both as static displays and as aerial attractions. This year, visitors will also be able to purchase flights on many of the vintage aircraft.

The Mid Atlantic Air Museum is located at 11 Museum Drive in Reading. Tickets for the World War II Weekend are $25 for adults and $12 for children (ages 6-12). For additional information, call (610) 372-7333 or visit www.maam.org.

The annual “Running of the Bulls’ in Pamplona, Spain won’t take place until next month but you can watch — or run in — a local version of the event on June 7 when Maple Grove Raceway, which is located just north of Morgantown, hosts its first annual “Great Bull Run.”

Run times are scheduled for 11 and 11:30 a.m., noon, 1 and 1:30 p.m. Each run is organized into “runs” of up to 600 adrenaline junkies and up to 18 bulls.  The phrase “running with the bulls” is a bit deceptive. Bulls run 35 miles per hour, which is much faster than humans.

When the bulls get close to where you are, that’s when you start running beside them and try to keep up with them for as long as you can before they leave you in the dust (which is usually about 3 seconds).

The event also features an activity called “Tomato Royale.” This is a wild tomato food fight that happens once a day. When the music starts, participants sprint to crates of tomatoes stationed around the arena and the free-for-all gets underway. The “Tomato Royale” is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Maple Grove Raceway is located at 30 Stauffer Park Lane in Mohnton. Tickets are $15 for spectators. For more information, call (610) 856-9200 or visit www.thegreatbullrun.com.

Lancaster County joins Berks County as a destination for fun events this weekend.

From May through October, Rock Ford Plantation (881 Rockford Rd., Lancaster, 717-392-7223, www.rockfordplantation.org) will be hosting “Second Sunday Living History Events” that include a guided tour of the mansion. Rock Ford Plantation focuses on life in the late 18th Century.

As part of the series, Rock Ford Plantation will present “18th Century Dancing” on June 8, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Visitors will be able to watch the dance styles and listen to music of Federal America. Music will be provided by Penn’s Company.

Observance of etiquette and knowing how to dance properly was held in high importance in this area in the 18th century. Prominent families would employ dance masters who came to their homes to teach dance to all the family members.

Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (age 65 and older), $6 for children (ages 6-12) and free for children (under 6). All proceeds from the Second Sunday Living History Series will benefit the ongoing preservation and operation of Rock Ford Plantation.

The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen will host the inaugural staging of “MAKERSfest” on the 300 block of North Queen Street in Lancaster on June 8 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The brand-new street festival celebrates the beauty of a finished object — along with the act of making the object. The Guild invites everyone to come for the day and start making crafts — and to acquire a piece from a master craftsman.

The event features more than 50 craftsmen, live music, food trucks, and hands-on activities that focus on the artistry and ingenuity of making. There will be a variety of genres represented including ceramics, jewelry, handmade clothing, weaving, artisan furniture and functional objects.

Crafters from the area who will be participating in the event are Leni Hoch Designs (Glenmoore), Eldreth Designs (Oxford), Honeybrook Woods (Coatesville), Better with a Bow LLC (Landenberg) and Piazza Ltd. (Atglen).

The show features free admission. For additional information, call (717) 431-8706 or visit http://www.pacrafts.org.

Crafts of a different type will be featured at several events in Philadelphia this weekend.

The Odunde Festival has been a mainstay on the Philadelphia event calendar for almost four full decades. This year, the 39^th Annual Odunde Festival will be held from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at 23rd and South streets in downtown Philadelphia.

Odunde attracts close to 500,000 people each year, covers 12 city blocks and is one of the largest African-American street festivals in the country. Its authentic African marketplace features vendors from around the world selling merchandise from many African nations, the Caribbean and Brazil.

The free festival, whose concept originates from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa, celebrates the coming of another year. One of the highlights each year is a colorful procession from 23rd and South streets to the Schuylkill River where an offering of fruit and flowers is made to Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of the river.

There will be continuous live music throughout the day. Some of the featured performers will be Rakim, Kulu Mele, the African Heritage Dancers, The Saints, Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble, Aliah Khaylyn, The Perfect Solution Band and Angela White.

For additional information, call (215) 732-8510 or visit http://odundefestival.org.

Visitors to the old, historical district in Philadelphia on June 7 will be able to check out Fete Day 2014 at Elfreth’s Alley, which is located off Second Street. From noon-5 p.m., the oldest residential street in America will be hosting a traditional festival with colonial flavor.

The popular annual festival will feature Colonial crafts, music, storytelling, refreshments, scavenger hunts and a wide array of hands-on games. Historic Tours of the 32 historic residences on Elfreth’s Alley will be offered between noon and 5 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and $55 for families. For more information, call (215) 574-0560 or visit http://www.elfrethsalley.org.

There is another good destination for family fun in Philly this weekend.

On June 7 and 8, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 215-299-1000,http://www.ansp.org) is hosting a special event called “All About Birds Weekend.”

Visitors will be able to meet the Academy’s squawking, talking live birds during this special weekend which is being held in conjunction with the museum’s “Birds of Paradise” exhibit. Through a variety of fun hands-on activities, experiments and crafts, they will be able to learn about the anatomy of birds and investigate what it means to be a bird-of-paradise.

 Some of the featured activities this weekend are the “Feathered Friends Live Animal Show,” “Bizarre Birds,” screening of the film “Birds of the Gods,” “Science Live — Meet the Birds,” “Bird Games” and an interactive stage show called “Field Tested.”

Admission to the Academy of Natural Sciences is $15 for adults (age 13 and older) and $13 for children (ages 3-12).