What To Do: Busy event schedule for ‘last’ weekend of Summer

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

Hard as it is to believe, we’ve arrived at Labor Day Weekend — the weekend when summer unofficially draws to a close. The official end of summer arrives later in the month but for some, summer is already over because the new school year has already begun.

One thing that will never change about the Labor Day Weekend is the longevity of the annual events staged on the last holiday weekend of the summer. Many of the area’s annual Labor Day Weekend events have been held continuously for 40 years or longer.

The Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show (Routes 100 and 401, Bucktown, 610-458-3344, www.ludwigshorseshow.com) is in elevated status near the top of the list of the Chester County’s longest-running annual Labor Day Weekend events.

The show, which is held at Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds, has passed its diamond anniversary. The 2023 edition of the show, which is the 80th annual staging of the event, will be held September 2-4 at its long-time site in the northern part of Chester County.

The three-day event will feature a variety of fun activities. Families can enjoy rides, vendors, face-painting, hayrides, live music, games, food concessions and children’s games. There will also be a large number of booths with representatives of groups that are involved in the preservation of open space.

The very first Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show was staged in 1943 as a small show to raise money for local scout troops. It featured just 88 horses. Now, it is a very large show with over 400 horses competing for three days in both hunter and jumper classes.

The featured equestrian event is the Lexus Jumper Mini-Prix competition. Other competitions will feature dressage, cones and cross country — and more than $3,000 in prize money.

The horse show features a number of special events including a country fair, a carriage parade, pie-eating contests, a costumed pet parade, Creepy Crawlers Big & Small, a “Mounted Parade of Hounds,” the Thorncroft Mainstreamers, hayrides, an antique tractor show, Silkie’s Farm Alpacas, “Pioneer Games” and amusement rides.

The show will run from 8 a.m.-dusk each day. Tickets are $10 a carload.

There is a festival in northern Delaware that sailed past the century mark more than a decade ago.

It’s the Arden Town Fair (The Village of Arden, 2126 The Highway, Arden, Delaware, 302-475-3126, www.ardenclub.org) which is celebrating its 115th anniversary this year. It will be held September 2 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The well-attended holiday event has many popular features such as delicious homemade baked goods, the Library Gild’s used book sale, more than 120 vendors of handmade crafts and jewelry, children’s games and rides and the antiques and collectibles market with more than 50 dealers.

Other attractions at the fair are the food court, pony rides, the dunk booth, booths selling plants from the Gardeners Gild, dance demonstrations, the popular Beer Garden with continuous live entertainment and the Holistic Expo at the Buzz Ware Village Center.

The Fair’s lineup of live music in the Shady Grove this year includes Diamond State Concert Band, June Bugs, BoosKay (Sharon Bousquet Band), Sug Daniels & Sam Nobles, XTra Alltra, Howard Hues, Revolution Heroes and Montana Wildaxe.

Having been around for more than a half-century, Duryea Day has one of Boyertown’s most popular annual events. This year, Duryea Day (Boyertown Community Park, Second and Madison streets, Boyertown, 610-367-2090, www.boyertownmuseum.org) is celebrating its 56th year with another top-flight “Antique and Classic Car Show.”

The one-day event, which is hosted by the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, serves as a showcase for antique and classic cars and trucks of all types. This year, it will be held on September 2 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the scenic park in downtown Boyertown.

Duryea Day was created as a tribute to local automobile pioneer Charles Duryea, who started building automobiles in Reading more than a century ago. Duryea was making automobiles long before most people in the area had even seen a car.

A Labor Day Weekend tradition, the “Antique and Classic Car Show” draws exhibitors from all over the Mid-Atlantic region with an amazing array of collector cars, antique trucks, hot rods, vintage motorcycles, custom cars and special interest vehicles.

Visitors have the opportunity to get up-close looks at a number of automobiles they probably have never seen before — cars made by long-defunct companies such as Franklin, Winton and Peerless. There will also be displays of timeless classics like the Ford “Model T.”

The auto show will feature awards in the following categories – Antique Pre-War Car, Antique Post-War Car, Antique Commercial Truck, Street Machine, Antique Pickup Truck, Street Rod, Antique Motorcycle and Antique Sports Car.

In addition to the car show, Duryea Day also features live entertainment, food and beverage vendors, a 50/50 drawing, a “car corral” and an auto flea market. There will also be a variety of entertainment and special activities for children.

Admission to Boyertown Park for Duryea Day is $7 for adults and $3 for children (ages 6-12). Visitors to Duryea Day can take advantage of complimentary admission to the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. A special trolley will make continuous loops between the park and the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles until 4 p.m.

Historic Downtown Oxford (www.downtownoxfordpa.org/downtown-events/2022/9/2/8th-annual-car-show) is starting the holiday weekend in style by presenting its Ninth Annual Car Show on September 1.

The show, which runs from 3-8 p.m. on South Third Street, features all types of autos including hot rods, vintage cars, supercharged vehicles, tuners and classic autos.

The following message was posted on the event’s website – “We can guarantee you’ll be charmed by the old, taken back by the new, and have a great time.”

The Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival (Salem County Fair Grounds, Route 40, Woodstown, New Jersey, 302-321-6466, www.delawarevalleybluegrass.org) has also been on the Labor Day Weekend schedule for a long, long time.

This weekend, the highly popular annual music event, which runs from September 1-3, will celebrate its 51st anniversary. The festival will feature three days of old-time music – the kind of music that takes you back to a bygone era and makes you feel good.

The event was first held on Labor Day Weekend in 1972 in Glasgow, Delaware and was known as the Delaware Bluegrass Festival. It remained in Delaware through 1989 and moved to its current location in 1990.

Live music at this year’s festival will start on September 1 with Authentic Unlimited, Savoy Family Cajun Band, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Riders In The Sky, Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, and Dailey & Vincent.

The lineup for September 2 features A.J. Lee & Blue Summit, Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, Lonesome Ace Stringband, Lonesome River Band, Rhonda Vincent and Dan Tyminski.

On September 3, live music will be provided by Rock Hearts Bluegrass, Rachel Eddy, Full Cord Bluegrass, Feinberg Brothers and Larry Sparks.

Ticket prices start at $60.

Another really, really old annual event in the area is the Labor Day Volksfest at the Cannstatter Volksfest Verein (9130 Academy Road, Philadelphia, http://cannstatter.org/).

Held every year since 1873, the Cannstatter Volksfest is the nation’s oldest German festival and one of Philadelphia’s longest-running Labor Day Weekend events.

The 151st annual staging of the festival, which is running from September 2-4, features tasty German food items such as Weisswurst, Bratwurst, Leberkaese, Heisser Leberkäse, Kartoffel-Salat, Schnitzel, Maultaschen, Spätzle, Pflaumenkuchen, Zwetschgenkuchen and, of course, Frankfurters.

One of the most popular sites at the fair will be the biergarten which will have an attractive variety of great-tasting German beer on tap.

The Volksfest is a family-oriented event that has amusement rides, games and an array of activities for every age group. There will be German music and dancing, souvenir booths, German traditional singing and vendors with German clothing.

The Volksfest will have live music each day with a roster of acts that includes GTV Almrausch Schuplattlers, Altweibermühle (Old Ladies Mill), Don Bitterlich, Die Heimatklaenge and MountainXpress.

Admission is $10 for one day, $15 for two-day pass, and $20 for three-day pass. Children under 12 will be admitted free.

The 57th Annual Polish Festival the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa (654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, 215-345-0600, www.czestochowa.us) is being held from September 2-4 and again on September 9 and 10.

Visitors to the festival will be able to feast on such Polish delicacies as kielbasa, pierogies, placki, holubki and chruschicki. There will also be several beer booths on the grounds.

The festival will feature rides, games, a “Polish Wedding & Dozynki,” “Medieval & WWII Polish Living History Groups” and a full slate of Polish music and polka bands.

Admission to the festival is $15 per person.

When it comes to festivals in North America, the Allentown Fair (17th and Chew Street, Allentown, www.allentownfairpa.org) is without a doubt one of the oldest – if not the oldest. It’s an event that has been drawing large crowds ever since ’52 – that’s 1852.

The popular Allentown Fair was first staged in October 1852 when the Lehigh County Agricultural Society held its first fair. The huge annual fair in Allentown is still one of the state’s premier late-summer attractions.

Now known as “The Great Allentown Fair”, the 2022 edition runs from August 30 until September . It will be the fair’s 171st anniversary this year.

The Allentown Fair is a fun-filled event that spans generations and appeals to people of all ages. The multi-day event at the Allentown Fairgrounds features thousands of farm, garden and home exhibits and competitions along with thrill rides, amusement games, variety acts, international food and some of the top entertainers currently on tour.

The Grandstand Stage’s 2023 schedule features Nelly – Sept. 1; Yung Gravy – Sept. 2; Keith Urban – Sept. 3; and J & J Demolition Derby – Sept. 4.

The fair’s list of daily entertainment attractions also includes Magic on the Farm, Scott Wagstaff Puppetry and Ventriloquism, Dialed Action BMX Stunt Show, FLIPPENOUT Trampoline Show, Glenn Miller—The BIG One Man Band, The Flying Wallendas, “Robinson’s Pig Paddling Porkers,” “Squawk! The Amazing Bird Show,” Moodonna, and “4-H Barnyard Zoo.”

As always, amusement games and rides are one of the fair’s main attractions. This year, the Great Allentown Fair will again feature thrilling rides and games of skill and chance presented by Powers Great American Midways.

There will also be a wide array of agricultural competitions and exhibits each day at the fair. Tickets are $10 for adults with children under 12 admitted free.

Another popular event just outside the Philadelphia Metro area is the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (Mount Hope Estate and Winery grounds, Route 72, Cornwall, www.parenfaire.com).

This year’s 44th annual staging of the event, which bills itself as “the most wondrous event in all the Knowne World”, is running now through October 29. 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.

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 $32.95. For children (age 5-11) single-day tickets are available at the gate and online for $16.95.

The 45th Annual Long’s Park Art & Craft Festival runs from September 1-3 at Long’s Park in downtown Lancaster. The 35th Annual Heart of Lancaster County Arts and Crafts Show is scheduled to take place on September 2 and 3 at Root’s Market.

More than 200 fine artists and artisans representing 30 states were selected through a juried process for inclusion in this year’s show at scenic Long’s Park, an 80-acre park in the center of Lancaster. All proceeds benefit the free Long’s Park summer entertainment series.

A large contingent of artisans will be selling their wares and demonstrating their crafts each day at Long’s Park. The show will feature an array of categories, including drawing, glass, paper, musical instruments, ceramics, leather, printmaking, wearable fiber, mixed media, precious jewelry, painting, metal, decorative fiber, photography, sculpture, toys and wood.

The “Susquehanna Style Bistro” at Long’s Park will offer guests a tasty selection of food from some of the region’s finest restaurants and caterers. The selection of salads, pastas, sandwiches, seafood and desserts will be complemented by a selection of fine wines, craft beers and special mimosas.

The festival will also present live entertainment all three days.

Festival hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $15.

The Heart of Lancaster Arts and Craft Show is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year — and its 11th anniversary as a two-day event. This year’s show will feature a roster of more than 200 artists and fine craftsmen from all around the East.

This juried event features a wide variety of traditional, primitive, and contemporary art and crafts. Importantly, all the items on display at this show are hand-crafted by the artists. The event also offers an array of crafts demonstrations.

There will be vendors with a wide variety of food and beverage items at the event, which is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.

One of the nicest attractions offered by the Heart of Lancaster Arts and Craft Show is free admission for all.

On September 2 and 3, Fort Mifflin (Fort Mifflin and Hog Island roads, Philadelphia, 215-685-4167, www.fortmifflin.us) is hosting an event called “Private Yankee Doodle Weekend with the 4^thCT Regiment.”

Private Joseph Plumb Martin served at Fort Mifflin during the 1777 siege and later wrote about his experience in a memoir published under the title Private Yankee Doodle.

Participants can explore daily life in the garrison with the 4th CT Regiment and try their hand at some of the tasks of improving the Fort’s defenses including the construction of a scale model of a chevaux de frise, underwater obstacles that were a feat of 18th century military engineering.

Visitors will also be able to see original examples in the exhibit space and then observe construction under the direction of the 4th CT Regiment.

Guests will also have the opportunity to meet Joseph Plumb Martin himself (as interpreted by the site’s Mike Kalichak) as he reflects on his adventures in his country’s service as he prepares to write his memoir, years after the war.

The event gets underway at 10 a.m. each day with the special program scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

There will also be guided tours, musket and camp life demonstrations.

Tickets are $12 adults, $10 seniors and $8 children.

The Delaware River waterfront hosts a number of cultural celebrations this summer during the PECO Multicultural Series.

This weekend, it’s Brazil’s turn to be in the spotlight along the Delaware River.

Brazilian Day will run on September 3 from 1-7 p.m. on the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing.

The event, which is part of PECO’s annual multicultural series at Penn’s Landing, will feature native food, cultural exhibits and live entertainment.

Featured artists are Project Capoeira including Capoeira and Samba, Batala Philly and Acaraje Drums play Samba Reggae and DJ Pesadelo round out the entertainment.

The event at Penn’s Landing is part of the Brazilian Day Philadelphia Series which occurs in September to celebrate Brazilian Independence Day. The Series celebrates, promotes, and shares Brazilian arts and culture in the Greater Philadelphia region while fostering intercultural exchange and uniting the Brazilian community.

Since 2014, the Brazilian Day Philadelphia Series includes a flag ceremony, Capoeira performances and classes, and a variety of other arts and cultural events for the public to enjoy.

Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, www.chaddsford.com) is celebrating the holiday weekend with a Labor Day Soiréeon  on September 2 and 3.

Featured Menu Offerings are ’19 Timing is Everything samples, Lavender French 75 with ’22 Sparkling White and Frosé Slushie .

The participating Food Trucks are Common Good Pizza and The Jawnery while the participating vendors will be Candle Studio 1422, Lindsey’s Garden and The Wagon Reel

The “Live Music Schedule” features Acoustic Keys on Saturday from 2-5 p.m. and Chris Peace on Saturday from 2-5 p.m.

Admission is free with only walk-in seating available.

Penns Woods Winery (124 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford, http://www.pennswoodswinery.com) is presenting a summer music series.

The winery will open at 11 a.m. each day and have matinee performances of live music.

There will be music by Greg Jones on September 1 from 5-7 p.m., Paul Wilkinson on September 2 from 2-5 p.m. and Brad Rau on September 3 from 2-5 p.m.

A popular event in Delaware this weekend is “Steamin’ Days” at Auburn Heights Preserve (3000 Creek Road, Yorklyn, Delaware, 302-239-2385, http://auburnheights.org) on September 4.

“Steamin’ Days,” which is held on the first Sunday of the month through November, focuses on steam power.

During “Steamin’ Days at Auburn Heights,” the site is bustling with activity. Visitors are encouraged to climb into an antique automobile or board one of the trains and experience what it was like to travel at the turn of the 20th century. They can also tour the magnificent 1897 mansion that was home to three generations of the Marshall family.

Also included is entry to the Marshall Steam Museum, which features the world’s largest operating collection of Stanley steam cars along with a 1930s working Lionel electric train display, a hands-on engine display, kids’ activities and exhibits and the Museum Gift Shop.

Activities run from 12:30-4:30 p.m. each time.

Admission is $12 (13 and older) and $8 (age 12 and under).

The Official Historic Philadelphia Walking Tour is scheduled for August 26 and September 2 starting at the Philadelphia Visitor Center (599 Market Street, Philadelphia, www.phlvisitorcenter.com).

The Official Historic Philadelphia Walking Tour will feature a Historic Philadelphia History Maker transporting visitors back in time on a loop through America’s most historic square mile. All History Makers portray real people from America’s past and deliver an authentic experience rich with historical content and first-person narrative. The tour will last about 45 minutes.

Highlights of the tour will stop outside of President’s House, Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, and Franklin Court. The tour guide, portraying a real person from Philadelphia’s Colonial era, will rotate among three History Makers.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for children.

The West Chester Railroad (www.westchesterrr.net) is running its “Summer Picnic Specials” every Sunday now through September 18. There will be one excursion each day at noon.

Passengers can enjoy a 90-minute round trip train ride from West Chester to Glen Mills and return on a warm summer afternoon. Riders are invited to pack a lunch to have during excursion’s stop at the Glen Mills train station picnic grove.

Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for children (2-12) and free for children (under two).

Schuylkill Banks Riverboat Tour (www.schuylkillbanks.org/events/riverboat-tours-1) presents “Secrets of the Schuylkill” now through October.

The boat ride is a one-hour family-friendly tour of Philly’s second biggest river featuring sights such as Bartram’s Garden and Fairmount Water Works. 

Riders can discover the Hidden River on a fun and educational riverboat tour while seeing spectacular views of Philadelphia.

They can also learn about the past, present, and future of the tidal Schuylkill River and its impact on Philadelphia on a one-hour Secrets of the Schuylkill tour which costs $25 for adults and $15 for children (age 12 and under).  

Tours depart from the Walnut Street Dock, under the Walnut Street Bridge, east bank of the Schuylkill River. 

Now through September 3, “Please Touch Museum (4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, www.pleasetouchmuseum.org) is hosting “Big League Fun.”

“Big League Fun” allows visitors to explore the exciting world of Major League Baseball in a new traveling exhibit.”

An event that appeals to all ages, “Big League Fun” focuses on the science and math involved in baseball, and includes training simulations, sports trivia, and more.

According to the museum’s website, “In this exhibit, visitors can:

Create their own play-by-plays using real game clips and sound effects in the Announcer’s Booth

Test their pitching, swinging, and catching skills and get tips

Review tips for proper pitching, take the mound, and pitch into the strike zone — or be the umpire and make the call!