By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Longwood Gardens
You can enjoy a two-for-one treat if you visit Longwood Gardens (1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) on August 17.
The featured attraction will be a concert by Kennett Symphony of Chester County at 7:30 p.m. in Longwood’s Open Air Theater. Visitors to the site will also be able to check out Longwood’s amazing horticultural attractions and enjoy the new, improved fountain display.
The Kennett Symphony of Chester County (https://kennettsymphony.org) will present “Symphony Under the Stars: America The Beautiful” concert.
Under the baton of Conductor and Music Director Michael Hall, the Kennett Symphony will perform a variety of classics with an American theme.
The program for Saturday night’s performance is: WILLIAMS – The Cowboys Overture; BARBER – Violin Concerto, Movement I; COPLAND – Rodeo; BERNSTEIN – Candide; BOYER – Rolling River (Sketches on Shenandoah); GERSHWIN – Rhapsody in Blue; and DRAGON – America The Beautiful.
Ticket prices are $45 in advance and $50 on the day of the concert. Ticket price includes the concert, access to visit Longwood Gardens during the day on the day of the concert and free parking.
In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved indoors at Unionville High School Auditorium (750 Unionville Road, Kennett Square). The decision on whether to move the concert will be made no later than 4 p.m. on August 18.
The Festival of Fountains at Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgens.org), which is running now through September 30, is always one of the area’s prime summertime attractions,
With fountains that jet as high as 175 feet, gardens filled with colorful summer blooms, shade-friendly trees, exotic day- and night-blooming waterlilies, and live music outdoors, Longwood Gardens has something for everyone
The fountain project took two years and $90 million in renovations. The fountain features more than 1,300 jets and streams, a similar number of LEDs, a variety of flame features and a wide array of plants from around the world.
In addition to the Main Fountain Garden, Longwood is also home to a collection of other fountain gardens, including the enchanting Italian Water Garden and Open Air Theatre fountains, which also perform daily.
The ultra-popular Festival of Fountains features the gardens in their summer splendor. Flowering annuals and perennials abound, as well as the breathtaking Waterlily Display that showcases aquatic plants from all over the world.
Admission to Longwood Gardens is $23 for adults, $20 for seniors and $12 for youth (ages 5-18).
The annual air show at the New Garden Flying Field in Toughkenamon just keeps getting better year after year. The lively show, which has been staged continuously for more than 40 years, has become one of Chester County’s oldest and best traditional events.
The 2019 Festival of Flight Air & Car Show (New Garden Flying Field, off Route 1, Toughkenamon, 610-268-2619, http://www.newgardenflyingfield.com) is scheduled for August 17 and 18 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.
Performances will feature Kevin Russo SNJ-6 Aerobatics, Parachute Team, Warbird Flight (SNJs, T6s), USCG MH-65D Dauphin Search & Rescue Demonstration, Mark Murphy P-51 Mustang Demo, US Navy Flybys,, CH-47 Chinook Takeoff, and Warbird Flight (P-51 Mustang & FG-1D Corsair Tail Chase).
Other attractions at this weekend’s show at the New Garden Airport include America’s Sweethearts, demonstrations by RC modelers, souvenir stands, airplane rides, a pancake breakfast, an antique and classic car show and food and beverage concessions.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for children (ages 6-12) and $40 for family pass.
The West Chester Railroad (Market Street Station, West Chester, 610-430-2233, www.westchesterrr.net) is running its special “Summer Picnic Special” trains every Sunday now through September 22.
The round-trip train ride travels to the village of Glen Mills and back and lasts for 90 minutes. During the brief layover in Glen Mills, riders can explore the historic Pennsylvania Railroad station and have a snack in the railroad’s picnic grove along the Chester Creek.
Riders can order a boxed lunch when they purchase their tickets online. Sandwich choices are ham and cheese hoagies, turkey and cheese hoagies, and PB&J. All lunches, which are made fresh, come with chips, fruit, drink and cookies.
Additionally, the lunches are packed in a special reusable lunch bag emblazoned with the WCRR logo. Tickets for the train rides are $15 for adults, $13 for children ages 2-12 and free for kids under two.
Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, www.chaddsford.com) will present “Summer Food Truck Throw Down ” on August 17 and 18.
The special weekend activity, which will run from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday, will showcase a diverse group of food trucks.
The food truck roster for August 17 includes Dos Gringos, Dump-n-Roll, Haute Wheels, Mama Mia, Natalie’s Fine Foods, Phyllodelphia Food Truck, The Happy Pita, The Plum Pit, The Sweetest Rose Cupcakes, Pizzeria Pronto, and Gemelli Gelato.
The food truck line-up for August 18 includes Dos Gringos, Dump-n-Roll, Haute Wheels, Mama Mia, Natalie’s Fine Foods, Phyllodelphia Food Truck, The Happy Pita, The Plum Pit, The Sweetest Rose Cupcakes, Pizzeria Pronto, and Gemelli Gelato.
Live music will be provided on Saturday by MK and COL from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and Legacy from 3:30-6:30 p.m. and on Sunday by Little Red Rooster from 2:30-5:30 p.m.
This event is rain or shine. No outside alcohol permitted. Children are permitted and welcome on Winery grounds only when accompanied and supervised by an adult (over 21+).
There are quite a few other good options locally to hear live music performed in an outdoor setting.
The Eagleview Summer Concerts on the Square at Eagleview Town Center (Wharton Boulevard, Exton, www.ineagleview.com) will present Trapper Schoepp and GA-20 on August 20, and Ben Arnold on August 27.
If you’re in the mood for a lot of music this weekend, then you should head north — to Old Pool Farm in Schwenksville to check out the 2019 Philadelphia Folk Festival (Old Pool Farm, Schwenksville, 800-556-FOLK, www.pfs.org).
This Philadelphia Folk Festival is a music festival that is on a plateau all its own. Now in its 58th year, the festival continues to evolve with the times and, at the same time, maintain its traditional vibe. There is no other festival in the country quite like the Philadelphia Folk Festival.
The 40th Street Summer Series, which is co-produced by University City District, the University of Pennsylvania, and The Rotunda, has returned to the area behind the Walnut Street Library (40th and Poplar streets, Philadelphia, www.universitycity.org/40th-street-summer-series) with free monthly concerts.
The event on August 17 will take place on the green behind the library between Walnut and Poplar streets. The entertainment will begin at 6 p.m. with other activities kicking off at 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Saturday’s entertainment will be provided by Gwendolyn Bye Dancefusion, a professional modern dance repertory company and dance school, Magdaliz and Her Latin Ensemble CRISOL, an ensemble that has been performing in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas since 1997 and is dedicated to the interpretation of a variety of folk and traditional music genres from all over Latin America and the Caribbean.
Another opportunity for outdoor music can be found for a few more weeks at the Shipyard Summer Concert Series (Dravo Plaza, Justison Street, Wilmington Riverfront, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-425-4890, www.riverfrontwilm.com).
This free concert series is held on Thursday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m. under the colored cranes at Dravo Plaza which is located on Justison Street next to the Shipyard Shops.
The remainder of the 2019 schedule features Sean Reilly on August 22 and Spokey Speaky on August 29.
On August 16, the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (201 South Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia,www.delawareriverwaterfront.com) will be the site of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s series of free jazz concerts continues at Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing.
“Smooth Jazz Summer Nights Series,” which is the longest-running free event produced by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, is back for its 23rd season at the Great Plaza.
Every Friday in August, there will be performances by nationally renowned jazz and blues talent. Attendees are requested to arrive by 7 p.m. because the concerts start promptly at 7:30 p.m.
The series line-up includes Jessy J on August 16, Michael Manson’s “George Duke Tribute” on August 23, and Damien Escobar on August 30.
Later this month, area fans of country music will have the opportunity to hear many top-flight country acts perform live at a three-day, open-air festival.
Citadel Country Spirit USA (Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds. 5 Nantmeal Road, Glenmoore, countryspiritusa.com) will run from August 23-25 and feature a huge array of country stars including Little Big Town, Lee Brice, Brothers Osborne and Clare Dunn.
There will be two very different but equally attractive ethnic festivals this weekend at Penn’s Landing (Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-922-2FUN, www.delawareriverevents.com). Both of the free festivals deal with Indians — but not the Native American kind.
West Indian or East Indian — both will be featured this weekend
33rd Annual Caribbean Festival
Penn’s Landing will host the 25th annual Festival of India on August 17 and the 33rd Annual Caribbean Festival on August 18.
The Festival of India, which is sponsored by the Council of Indian Organizations of Greater Philadelphia, is a festive event that features a day full of food, music, dancing and crafts.
The event, which runs from 1-6 p.m., will host a variety of vendors who will be selling a wide array of traditional Indian arts and crafts including clothes, jewelry, music, and other cultural items. Traditional Mahandi work (artistic design) will be available to be done on both hands and feet. Mahandi or hands painting is an old Indian custom still have been practiced by most of the Indian women.
A wide selection of food items from both North and South India will be available for purchase, including such taste treats as tandoori chicken, tikka masala, kolkata rasgulla, gujarati dohkla, chennai idli, korma and an array of Indian breads including chapatti, poori and nan. The festival will run from 1-6 p.m.
Penn’s Landing will host the annual Caribbean Festival (https://phillycaribbeanfestival.com) on August 18.
Sunday’s festival, which is free and open to the public, is a celebration of the culture of 15 Caribbean Islands. The event, which runs from noon-8 p.m., features live island entertainment including drumming, dancing and music.
As always, the festival will have cultural booths where people can get information about the islands of the Caribbean. There will also be a marketplace with vendors selling Caribbean arts and crafts, fashion items and souvenirs.
Island cuisine will be well represented with a number of vendors offering Caribbean delicacies such as Jamaican jerk-chicken and hard-dough bread, escovitched fish and festival cakes, codfish fritters, Jamaican Patties, curried goat and rice & peas.
In addition to an event focusing on West Indians, there is also a festival this weekend honoring the Indians of North America.
This weekend, the American Swedish Historical Museum (1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-389-1776, www.americanswedish.org) is presenting a special event on August 17 – the museum’s annual Crayfish Party.
The Crayfish Party, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., provides participants an opportunity to get a taste of Swedish summer.
Diners at the Crayfish Party will be able to enjoy a buffet of crayfish or Swedish meatballs, along with crisp bread, cheese, potatoes, cheese pie, and glass of akvavit all outside under the museum’s beautiful lighted and decorated tent.
Tickets for the Crayfish Party are $60.
On August 17, the Museum of the American Revolution (101 South Third Street, Philadelphia, 215-253-6731, www.amrevmuseum.org) will host a Fife & Drum Party starting at noon.
At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., the Philadelphia Jazz Project will present a contemporary interpretation of a fife and drum performance featuring an ensemble of five flautists, a tuba player and three percussionists.
This concert will explore the historic military roots of this music, while also observing the African and Afro Caribbean elements that continued to develop into the 20th century. It will feature music by Philadelphia music pioneer Francis Johnson along with an interpretation of Yankee Doodle Dandy and other compositions.
The event is included with museum admission, which is $21 for adults and $13 for youth.
The Morris Arboretum (100 East Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-247-5777, www.morrisarboretum.org) has an educational special event on its calendar this weekend. On August 18, the historic site will host its annual Grist Mill Demonstration Day at Bloomfield Farm from 1-4 p.m.
Historic SpringfieldMills at Morris Arboretum is restored and stone-grinding corn for meal and flour. Visitors can explore revolutionary technology, local history and a beautiful setting along the Wissahickon Creek.
Participants will be able to watch one-ton millstones grind corn kernels and observe 160-year-old machinery transport and sift the ground corn to produce meal. Additionally, guided tours will be available.
The event is included in garden admission, which is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for youth (ages 3-17) and free for children under three. Mill Only Admission $5 for ages three and older.
The focus will be on beads at a special event this weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (100 Station Avenue, Oaks, 610-323-3263, www.beadfest.com). Now through August 18, the expo hall near Valley Forge National Park is hosting Bead Fest — an event that claims to be the largest bead and jewelry show on the East Coast.
The ambitious annual event, which is billed as a bead and jewelry extravaganza, will feature hands-on jewelry making classes, informative seminars, beading competitions and a large vendors’ area where visitors can purchase everything from beading supplies to hand-crafted jewelry.
Bead Fest will have close to 150 booths and a wide array of workshops which will be presented by experts in the bead and jewelry fields.
A number of special techniques will be demonstrated, including wire knitting, design, wire and beads, bead crocheting, wire weaving, bead stitching, lampworking, metal clay, chain maille, wire and metal, kiln fusing, metalsmithing, bead stringing and wire wrapping.
Tickets for Bead Fest — $10 for one day or $15 for a weekend pass — are available only at the door.
On August 17 and 18, the Museum of Indian Culture (2825 Fish Hatchery Road, Allentown, 610-797-2121, http://museumofindianculture.org) is hosting the 39th Annual Roasting Ears of Corn Festival.
The 2019 event, which is Eastern Pennsylvania’s oldest American Indian festival, is a showcase for American Indian drumming, singing, dancing and food.
Visitors can watch demonstrations of Native American cooking, flintknapping and arrow making, experience throwing a tomahawk or see what it’s like using an atlatl (spear thrower). There will be a special crafts area for kids where they can make sand art pictures and weave dreamcatchers.
The festival features a wide array of Native American entertainment. This year’s featured performer is Bill Miller.
Other live music and dance performances include “Youngblood Singers,” “Black Bull Moose Singers,” Aztec Fire Dancing by the Salinas Family from Mexico City, champion hoop dancer Katrina Fisher, and American Indian dancers, singers and performers from all over Canada and the U.S.
Featured dancers will include head man Patrick Brooks from Tuscarora Nation and Emelie Jeffries from Occaneechi-Saponi Nation.
Festival attendees will be able to shop at the Marketplace for Native American jewelry, fine arts, and clothing. There will also be food vendors with Indian burgers, frybread, buffalo stew, Indian tacos and fire-roasted corn.
Tickets for the festival are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors (age 62 and older) and youth (age 8-17) and free for children (age seven and under).
For an annual event with a completely different vibe, head west to Lancaster County this weekend.
The Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association’s annual Thresherman’s Reunion, which is billed as “The Most Complete Steam & Gas Show in the East,” has become a cherished tradition in Pennsylvania Dutch country. It is not only a “complete show,” it is an old show — one of the oldest continually running events in the state.
This year’s Thresherman’s Reunion, which is being held August 16 and 17 at the Rough and Tumble site (4977 Lincoln Highway East, Kinzers, 717-442-4249, www.roughandtumble.org), is the 70th annual staging of the event.
The daily schedule starts with breakfast at 7 a.m. at the R&T Multi-Purpose. The day’s activities include a sawmill in operation, a “Pageant of Threshing”, a shingle mill in operation, a “Parade of Power” and threshing machine demonstrations.
There will also be displays featuring steam traction engines, antique tractors, threshing machines, Hit & Miss Gas engines, two steam railroads, shingle mill, large gas engines, model engines, saw mill, barker fan, stone crusher, antique cars, stationary bailers, antique wagons and the “Stationary Steam Engine Museum”.
Daily tickets for the Reunion are $10 for adults and $5 for children (ages 6-12).
Full Moon Tour
If you find yourself being affected by a full moon, you should consider attending a “Full Moon Tour” at the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania (465 Speedwell Forge Road, Lititz, 717-626-4617, http://wolfsanctuarypa.org).
The Sanctuary offers this tour once a month on the closest Saturday to the full moon. This month, the date is August 17 and the full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon. This is an event in which participants are invited to create their own experiences.
Instead of following a tour guide from pack to pack at a regulated pace that fits within a 45-minute time line, you get to go at your own pace from pack to pack. There is also the option of talking to a tour guide who is stationed at each pack. You can listen to what they have to say about the wolves when stopping at a station or you can ask questions.
With this tour, you move at whatever speed you find comfortable. If you get tired, you can go over and sit next to a roaring bond fire (weather permitting) and just relax. Visitors are requested to bring a blanket, a flashlight, a chair and maybe some hot dogs and marshmallows.
The tour starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, and no reservations are required. The next “Full Moon Tour” this year will be Sturgeon Moon on August 17.
On August 17 and 18, the small town of Mount Gretna comes to life with the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show (Route 117 and Pennsylvania Avenue, Mount Gretna, www.mtgretnaarts.com).
The annual event features art, music, and food — all displayed on the historic grounds of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua.
Live entertainment will be provided by Lucille, Don Johnson, The Jayplayers, Humble Gathering, The Carmitchell Sisters, Nicole and Andy Roberts, Mountain Road Band, and Roberts, Galbraith, Briody, Vollmer. There will also be strolling performers.
Tickets for the highly acclaimed art show are $12 for adults and free for children ages 11 and under.
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
Another popular event just a few miles from Mount Gretna is the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (Mount Hope Estate and Winery grounds, Route 72, Cornwall, 717-665-7021, www.parenfaire.com).
This year’s 39th annual staging of the event, which bills itself as “the most wondrous event in all the Knowne World”, is running now through October 27. The festive annual event features authentic Elizabethan food and drink, traditional crafts from the guildsmen of yore and old-time games of skill — and a cast of hundreds of colorfully costumed re-enactors.
Each week, the Faire presents a themed weekend. On August 17 and 18, it will be time for Celtic Weekend.” Guests can share in the Celtic pride of pipers, Highland Games, Celtic wares, foods, music, dancing, and lots of “bonnie lasses and kilt clad boyos.”
Every summer, the Faire, which takes place at Mount Hope Estate and Winery’s authentic 35-acre recreation of a 16th-century village in Olde England, features a new story from a different year of England’s past. This year’s Faire will take you back in time to the year 1558.
More than 70 shows are scheduled throughout each day on the Faire’s numerous stages.
Without a doubt, the most popular attraction is the Jousting Arena. Visitors to the Faire flock to Bosworth Field whenever it’s time for the Ultimate Joust. Peasants lead cheers for their favorite knights while musicians pound out a heart-thumping beat. The Master of the List announces the combatants and soon an encounter of royal proportions ensues.
The Faire offers a wide variety of activities for visitors, including listening to bagpipe music, checking out handsome Lords in their colorful silks, watching a jester’s acrobatics, learning how to juggle, being the recipient of a gypsy woman’s flirtations and watching the march of Beefeater Guards.
Guildsmen’s Way is the area that features a large variety of merchants and artisans, including jewelers, candle makers, potters, herbalists, leather smiths, clothiers, and pewter makers — all offering for sale and demonstrating their ancient wares.
And, there are more than 20 Royal Kitchens located around the faire with menus featuring a wide variety of food and beverage.
Single-day tickets are available at the gate for $31.95 but can be purchased in advance online for $27.95. For children (age 5-11) single-day tickets are available at the gate and online for $12.95. Season Passes are also available at $125 for adult and $45 for children.
This is a great rundown for what’s happening! Bravo/Brava Denny!