What To Do: orchids take center stage at Longwood

Also: educational mini golf, marine dinosaurs and racing nirvana

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

What do you think is the largest family of flowering plants in the world?

You can give three answers and you still probably won’t come up with the correct answer. But, if your answer was “the orchid” — move to the head of the class.

That’s right. The largest family of flowering plants is the orchid — a flower that is acclaimed as one of the most beautiful, delicate and graceful flowers in the world.

The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew list over 20,000 accepted species with about 800 new species added each year. Additionally, horticulturists have more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.

This time each year, Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) celebrates the ultra-popular plant during “Orchid Extravaganza” — an annual event that opens this year on January 24 and continues through March 29.

The celebration of the orchid species features thousands of orchid blooms along with a variety of displays and special exhibits throughout its four-acre conservatory. “Orchid Extravaganza” will also feature stunning displays of orchids in planting beds, containers and innovative exhibits.

Approximately 5,000 colorful orchids hang from baskets, create inspiring arrangements and adorn unique forms throughout “Orchid Extravaganza.” Two of the most interesting exhibits are an oncidium waterfall display and an orchid meadow.

Another attraction is “OrKid Days,” which are scheduled for February 16 and March 14. Each “OrKid Day” includes a kids’ performance, craft sessions and the “Orchid Sorting Game.”

Admission to Longwood Gardens is $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $10 for students.

Now that it’s almost the end of January, you probably think you’ve seen your last Christmas tree of the 2014-2015 holiday season. It’s probably true — but not if you head over to a special event running at Linvilla Orchards (137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.org).

Now through March 1, thousands of unsold Christmas trees are the focal point of “The Ultimate Recycled Maze,” a popular event that was recently featured on The Travel Channel’s “Xtreme Xmas.”

A huge amount of unsold Christmas trees have been collected from around the region to create this exciting new attraction that is fun for all ages. The maze takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to get through. It all depends on your internal navigation system.

The maze, obviously, is held outdoors but a visit to Linvilla doesn’t have to be an entirely chilly activity. Visitors to the site in central Delaware County can move indoors where they can have a snack at the garden center café or play an educational round of miniature golf inside the new garden center.

After March 1, the tree maze will be recycled. The trees will be chipped and used as fuel to heat the green house where the miniature golf course “Fore! the Planet” is located. Admission to the maze, which is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., is $5 — or $4 when purchased with a round of mini-golf.

Linvilla Orchard’s “Fore! The Planet” is a highly interactive and playful museum exhibit created by the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. This exhibition pairs important environmental issues with the fun of miniature golf.

It features 18 unique educational holes on a variety of topics — butterfly metamorphosis, a tropical rainforest, evolution, dinosaur extinction, food chains and more. Kids of all ages can enjoy playing miniature golf while learning about our environment on every hole.

The first hole is “Butterfly Life Cycle” and players must putt through each stage of the colorful insect’s metamorphosis. The next five holes are titled “Seed Dispersal,” “Bat Sonar,” “Food Chain,” “Evolution of a Golfer” and “Backyard Explorer” followed by “Natural Selection” and “Predators and Prey.”

On the “Dinosaur Extinction” hole, players get to hit their balls toward the scientific theory of dinosaur extinction they find most plausible. The remainder of the thought-provoking holes are “Recycling,” “Water Pollution,” “Landfills,” “Wild Corridors,” “Bird Migration,” “Spawning Salmon,”  “Alien Species,” “Population Threats” and “Rainforest Threats.”

The mini-course is open daily from 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Tickets are $6.95 (ages 11 and over) and $4.95 (ages 10 and under).

Another fun activity which is nature-related and educational is “Dinosaurs of the Deep,” the new attraction at the Adventure Aquarium (1 Riverside Drive, Camden, New Jersey, 856-365-3300, www.adventureaquarium.com).

The exhibit allows spectators to travel into an underwater world of millions of years ago when giant prehistoric monsters ruled the seas. These enormous and deadly prehistoric marine reptiles were as vicious and fascinating as their dinosaur counterparts that roamed the Earth — and often twice the size.

“Dinosaurs of the Deep,” which will be open now through July 5 and is included with General Admission, is a chance to discover and learn more about these amazing animals that ruled the Jurassic seas with an immersive, larger-than-life experience that will bring visitors face-to-face with more than 20 of these ancient animals.

Some of the replicars are a 42-foot Elasmosaurus, 20-foot Kronosaurus, 21-foot Zygorhiza, 16-foot Dunkleosteus and 34-foot Liopleurodon whose teeth were each four inches long.

Along the way, visitors will witness 5,000 square feet of life-sized species, ancient fossils, a coral reef teeming with prehistoric animals and an array of interactive activities. They can touch a living dinosaur — the horseshoe crab, a “living dinosaur” that has roamed our planet for nearly half a billion years (200 million years before dinosaurs even existed).

The exhibit offers interactive dioramas where visitors can explore a variety of modern species of sharks (including life-size replicas of 10 species) and find out what they have in common with their ancient counterparts.

There is also the option to compare replicas of the largest sea turtles that ever lived and learn more about these incredible species. Witness an 8-foot leatherback turtle and leatherback turtle skeleton, a 5-foot Protostega skeleton and 14-foot Archelon. Another popular area is the 40-foot prehistoric reef that recreates an ancient ecosystem featuring trilobites and prehistoric fish.

Other attractions at the Adventure Aquarium include “Hippo Haven,” “Stingray Beach Club Feeding Experience,” “Meet the Divers,” “Hippo Feed and Talk,” “Ocean Realm,” “Caribbean Currents,” “Shark Realm,” “Penguin Island,” “Creature Feature” and the Aquarium’s “4D Theater” featuring the film “Sea Monsters.”

Admission to the Adventure Aquarium is $25.95 for adults and $18.95 for children (ages 2-12). Children under two are admitted free with a paying adult.

The Yeomen of the Guard are a bodyguard of the British Monarch — and the oldest British military corps still in existence.

“The Yeomen of the Guard” is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances. It was the 11^th of 14 collaborations between Gilbert and Sullivan.

Also known as “The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid,” it will be the first production of 2015 by the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Chester County (610-269-5499, www.gsschesco.org).

The show will be presented at West Chester University’s Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre (Swope Music Building, 817 South High Street, West Chester) from January 29-February 1.

The darkest of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, “Yeomen” ends with a broken-hearted main character and at least two reluctant engagements, rather than the usual armful of marriages. However, there are plenty of topsy-turvy plot complications along with a score that many consider to be Sullivan’s finest.

It is set in the Tower of London in Shakespearean times. The plot concerns Colonel Fairfax, a gentleman, soldier and scientist, who has been sentenced to be beheaded in an hour on a false charge of sorcery. To avoid leaving his estate to his accuser (a cousin), and with the help of the Lieutenant of the Tower, Fairfax secretly marries Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer.

The bride agrees to be blindfolded during the ceremony and expects to be a well-paid widow in an hour. With the help of the Meryll family, Fairfax escapes, throwing the Tower into confusion and the astonished Elsie into despair. But Fairfax, disguised as Leonard Meryll, woos Elsie. After a number of plot complications are worked out, she falls in love with Fairfax.

Performances are scheduled for January 29 and 30 at 8 p.m., January 31 at 2 and 8 p.m. and February 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $19.

The Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest, which is running now through March 1 at RiverRink (Delaware Avenue at Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-925-RINK, www.riverrink.com), is featuring a special event this weekend — the site’s first-ever “Brewfest.”

“Brewfest,” which is running now through January 25, features a variety of free events, including beer talks, instruction on home brewing and screenings of films and television shows that are considered “beer-centric.”

Unquestionably, the biggest draw will be generated by a number of regional breweries that will be giving out samples of some of their best beers — Slyfox and Weterbacher from 5-9 p.m. on January 23,Yuengling and Twin Lakes on January 24 from noon-4 p.m., Evil Genius and Cape May Brewing on January 24 from 4-8 p.m. and  Hauser Estate Winery and Dock Street on January 25 from 1-5 p.m.

Other activities on January 23 include “Happy Hour and Brewer Talk” from Brian O’Reilly of Slyfox from 5-7 p.m. and “Beer Quizzo with Pat Gallen” from 8-10 p.m. “Beer Quizzo” prizes include drink tickets, ice skating tickets, Winterfest swag and a special Spruce Street Harbor Park party.

Live music will be performed by Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Five on January 24 from 8-10 p.m. On January 25 at 1 p.m., there will be a “Homebrew Demonstration” presented by George Hummel of Home Sweet Homebrew.

Open seven days a week, the Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest is an immersive winter-themed experience with a popular bar and restaurant called The Lodge, winter beer garden-style landscaping, a brand-new light show, and a retail shopping experience from Art Star Gallery & Boutique.

The outdoor rink’s hours are 1-10:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 1 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. on Sundays. Skating admission prices are $13 and include skate rental.

Music and beer will also be featured at a special family event on January 18 at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) — “Funky Brunch & Market,” a new flea market and craft fair series at the Ardmore venue.

In addition to arts-and-crafts vendors, the event will feature a brunch menu, drink specials, kids’ activities and live music featuring Butchy Sochorow (vocalist and lead guitarist for Splintered Sunlight) and Aaron Deming.

Funky Brunch & Market is open to all ages with parent or guardian. Admission is free. Doors open at 11 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. The event is being sponsored by Sweet Tree Artisan Roasters, Studio 1200 and The Mud Room.

Racing and motorsports fans — start your engines.

Now though January 25, put your cars in gear and head to the 29th Annual Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show at Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (100 Station Road, Oaks, 609-888-3618, www.aarn.com).

The huge annual event will feature close to 300,000 square feet of exhibition space devoted to auto racing, street rods and everything else related to motorsports. There will be hundreds of exhibits, a full schedule of informative seminars and personal appearances by a wide array of racing legends.

There will be more than 200 motorsports vehicles of all types on exhibit. A number of area speedways will have displays at the show and offer a great opportunity for fans to meet some of their standout performers and pick up a schedule of events for the 2013 season.

More than 600 exhibit booths offering 400-plus racing dealers, hardcore manufacturers of racing equipment and more will be part of the huge show, which is billed as the biggest and best of its type in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.

Show attendees will have the opportunity to meet and collect autographs from well known figures in motorsports, including NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano. There will be free NASCAR-sponsored seminars that will cover a variety of helpful subjects for race car drivers, owners, pit crew members and fans.

Another annual fan favorite at the annual show is the BPG Racing Ms. Motorsports Pageant, which is scheduled for Saturday evening.

Show hours are 2-9 p.m. on January 23, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on January 24 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on January 25. Tickets for adults are $14 daily or $30 for three-day pass. Tickets for children (ages 6-12) are $5 daily or $10 for three-day pass.

Whether you’re a handyman, a home improvement fanatic or just a tinkerer who likes working on small projects around the house, you should check out the 34th Annual Philadelphia Home Show. The event is running now through January 25 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (12th and Arch streets, Philadelphia, 215- 418-2003, www.phillyhomeshow.com).

The well-attended annual show features a large number of exhibits representing the home renovation and decorating industry. Showcased products and services include roofing, windows, flooring, decking, landscaping, spas, contractors, designers, water, swimming pools, doors, gutters security systems, cabinetry, entertainment systems, appliances, furniture, vacuums and more.

This year’s event will feature celebrity appearances by James Young of DIY’S “I Hate My Kitchen,” The Fabulous Beekman Boys and Jeff Devlin of  DIY’S “I Hate My Bath” and HGTV’S “Spice Up My Kitchen.”

The show’s hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on January 23 and 24 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on January 25. Tickets are $13 for adults and $3 for children (ages 6-12).

The weather may be cold and unfriendly this weekend but there will be a warm and friendly vibe on January 24 when the West Chester Area Community Chorus presents its annual Winter Concert at West Chester East High School (450 Ellis Lane, West Chester, www.westchesterchorus.com).

The chorus of more than 125 members, which is now in its 18^th year, will perform an all-ages show featuring a variety of musical styles, including Broadway tunes, pop music, folk music, classical music and spirituals. The show is scheduled to get underway at 3 p.m.

Finally, if you’re looking for something to do this weekend that’s a bit out of the ordinary, you can celebrate the birthday of a long-time friend — the beer can.

The “official” birthday of the beer can is January 24, 1935. That’s the day cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale first went on sale in Richmond, Virginia.

Field House Sports Bar & Beer Hall (1150 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, 215-629-1520, www.fieldhousephilly.com) will have a “Happy 80^th Birthday to the Beer Can” celebration on January 24 from 2-11 p.m. Featured at the event will be a cornhole tournament and, presumably, lots of beer cans.