CSI comes to The Franklin Institute

CSI: The Experience is now at The Franklin Institute until January 2!

By Nichole Baldino

CSI: The Experience is a traveling exhibit narrated by characters of the hit TV series using interactive and hands-on exhibits to bring to life the scientific fundamentals and principles used in solving crimes. Children and adults alike can learn about the advanced technology and techniques used in situations on the show while using real equipment and viewing multi-media presentations and life-like exhibits.

“You will sample the following science fields and understand their role in cracking crimes: DNA identification, Toxicology, Forensic anthropology, Forensic entomology, Forensic pathology, Forensic art, Firearm and tool mark identification, Information technology, Latent prints, Blood splatter analysis.”

Use your new forensic skills acquired throughout the exhibit to solve the crime mysteries and answer the who, what, where, when, why and how.

Tickets can be purchased at the museum, located at 222 North 20th Street, online, or via phone (1-877-TFI-TIXS).

Day time tickets include museum admission, 9:30am – 5:00pm and are $25.50 and $18.50 for adults and children, respectively. Evening tickets are sold for Friday and Saturday only, 5:00pm – 8:30pm, and do not include museum admission. These tickets can be purchased by adults for $10.00 and children for $6.00. As always, members get the experience for free!

The Franklin Institute is a hands-on science museum dedicated to keeping the mission of Benjamin Franklin alive. He was committed to educating the community about the sciences and the museum strives to continue this. Come in and take part in this educational experience!

Escape the Rain and take your Kids to the Garden State Discovery Museum!

By Laura Robb

With this month of August now becoming “the rainiest month” many parents are looking for ways to keep their kids occupied, and out of the house.

Located in Cherry Hill New Jersey, The Garden State Discovery Museum, is a sanctuary for children of all ages. Whether you have a crawling baby or an eight year old, every child will find something to play with.

This is not your average museum. Here, children are expected to touch and play with everything that is in front of them. At the Garden State Discovery Museum, each exhibit is set up to allow kids to use their imagination and pretend to be whomever they choose.

Enter the Silver Diner, a life-size diner where kids can serve the parents for a change! They can pretend to cook and serve their “guests” in whichever fashion they like. Kids can challenge their own creativity by creating dishes that can be as traditional or untraditional as they want. Never worry about the clean up, all the food is plastic!

After your “meal” head on down to the news station, the Action News Desk to be exact. Here your child can be a reporter, a camera man, or predict the weather. Answer phones, and update the world about what is going on. The camera is actually real, and will broadcast your children across the museum.

Next you can work out and be the professional athlete in you. Go “Get Fit” in this exhibit fully equipped with golfing, basketball, and even The Flyers mini rink! This promotes healthy lifestyles for children and parents.

If adventure is what you want, go see the turtles and reptiles! Here in this exhibit there are ten different turtles, along with Chinese Water Dragons, Australian Bearded Dragons, millipedes, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, snakes, and Tarantulas.

All this fun  is perfect for yet another rainy day, or even a sunny one. Fees for entry are only 10.95 a person, 12 months and up.

The hours are 9:30- 5:30 with plenty of free parking available.

The address is 2040 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill NJ, 08003. For more information please call 856-424-1233.

Come Enjoy the World as it Once Was, at the Williamstown Farmer Market!

 

 

 By Laura Robb

 

Don’t have the time to travel to Lancaster County this summer? Like many of our Philadelphia locals, time and money has restricted us from taking our families on as many excursions as we would like.

If you want to see how the world once was, try to travel down the Atlantic City Expressway to Williamstown, home to the Stoltzfus Farmers Market, located on the Black horse pike.

Nicknamed the Amish Market, due to the large amount of Amish that work the stands, you have the privilege to try some of the freshest foods you can get. First stop must be for the pretzels, where several young women make hundreds of different pretzels each hour, and where the line can stretch halfway down the market.

In the center of the market, is the candy shop, where nearly every candy you know of, and some you never have, are sold at a discounted price, and always served with a smile.

The market has tons of fresh meats butchered on premise. For the health conscious people, this is the place to buy your meats! The meats are free range, and have no hormones, and it is so fresh, there is simply no better tasting foods out there.

The butcher offers fresh cuts of steaks, ground beef, ribs, bacon and more and all at a competitive price. This is a go to place if you happen to be planning any barbeques in the near future.

If you do not really want to cook, there is a prepared foods section, ranging from a large variety of salads to pot roast, baby back ribs, and Mac-and-cheese. You can purchase already cooked foods and just take it home and reheat it.

The bakery, along with everything else is simply delightful. Fresh brownies pies and danishes will bring out the sweet tooth in any one.

Go past the market, and you will find tons of shops, not ran by Amish folk, ranging from and incredible irish wares store, to wicker furniture, to a puppy shop. You can purchase books clothing or even get a massage!

This market is only open Thursday 9 -5 friday 9-8 and Saturdays 8-4, so get there early to get the full experience of this exquisite market!

For directions and more information, please go to www.williamstownfarmersmarket.com

Local Hidden Gem Offers Great Menu, in a Great Atmosphere

By Laura Robb

Next time you decide to dine out with a loved one or meet a friend for happy hour drinks, there is a restaurant you may have never heard of and should try.

Max’s Seafood Cafe, located in Gloucester City New Jersey, is a small privately owned restaurant that will impress you from start to finish, and you might go home with a little piece of history along with your leftovers.

This restaurant was once a shoe store, then turned into Leisingers Saloon in 1912, where it operated as a soft drink shop during the prohibition era.

In 1937, it was passed down in the family, and renamed “Max’s Cafe”. The restaurant operated under this name for 65 years, when it finally closed its doors in 1998.

In 2001, the building was bought and completely refurbished, except for the bar. The building showcases dark wood, and gives off an old world charm.

Along the walls of the restaurant, you will find original documents and pictures of the saloon, framed for everyone to see. The dining room is dimly lit, so please remember to bring your glasses.

 Travel downstairs, and you find a beautiful private dining area that can accommodate up to 25 people. A large long table is placed next to a delicate fireplace, and over looks an elegant wine cellar that holds about 2000 different wines.

With a beautiful restaurant, this restaurants menu will not disappoint. Max’s is infamous for their different styles of mussels; red, white, spicy red and Thai. Walking past the tables, you will notice that nearly every party is enjoying at least one large bowl of the Prince Edward Island Mussels. Also, the kitchen offers a daily selection of raw bar delights, with different clams and oysters on the menu.

After appetizers, the entrees are just as enjoyable. The seafood Jambalaya will leave you begging for more. The cedar planked Salmon is another crowd favorite, with a pecan crusted salmon fresh grilled asparagus and a delicious sweet potato and a side of cranberry chutney.

This is a restaurant that you cannot skip dessert at. The fresh made-from-scratch key lime pie with a pistachio crust will probably be the best you have ever had. They also offer different delicious creme brulee` options, with fresh fruits inside the custard.

Top all of the delicious food with a delightful bottle of wine, or a delicious craft beer. There really is a drink here for everyone.

Monday through friday, from 3-6 there are amazing happy hour specials, each day offering various drinks and appetizers at a discounted price.

This is a little hidden gem located just minutes from the Walt Whitman bridge. This restaurant is sure to please anyone’s palate, after just one visit this will be ranked among you favorite places to go.

For more information, please go to www.maxsseafoodcafe.com

A Mosaic Masterpiece on Philadelphia’s South Street

By MARIA MURRAY

In the deluge of urban shops that make up South Street is Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, a folk art environment, gallery space, and nonprofit organization that showcases the work of mosaicist Isaiah Zagar. From outside the gates of this public installation, you can see partially into a carefully constructed mosaic labyrinth. Yet, the outsider’s view of this glass garden – which stretches down a half of a city block – does not speak to the magnitude of Zagar’s intricate mosaic sculpture. Every inch of both the indoor gallery and outdoor mosaic sculpture is covered, with bicycle wheels, glass bottles, different sized mirrors, Zagar’s hand-made tiles, and sculptures hailing from Latin America and Asia.

$5 gets you admission into the garden, where visitors can walk through at their leisure.  A now permanent art institution, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens originated in a vacant lot near Zagar’s studio in 1994. Though the previously vacant lot’s owner attempted to sell the land in 2002, the community backed Zagar’s art, which helped to incorporate it as a nonprofit organization. With Zagar’s artwork permanently preserved, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens makes art more accessible to the South Street community, prompting “civic engagement, community beautification, and artistic collaboration.”

PMG’s artistic collaboration extends to its public programs, which include film screenings, artists-in-residencies, concerts, and gallery openings. Every other Sunday, the Garden is home to a variety of themed, hands-on workshops for families. From noon until 4 pm, “Family Jams” can include book arts projects, poetry workshops, paper mosaics, and tile pin-making. Workshops and activities are free with admission.

If you head down to South Street this Saturday, PMG is hosting ART/GAGE: Celebrate Philly Creativity, the Garden’s fourth annual summer festival. With over 30 art and food vendors, and performances and demonstrations from local organizations, the festival is expected to double in attendance from last year. For ticket prices, visit http://www.phillymagicgardens.org/news/news.

Local Farms Featured in South Jersey’s Restaurants

• 
• What: NJ Farm to Fork Week
• When: July 17-July 23
• Where: Restaurants across South New Jersey
• List of Participating Restaurants: www.sjhotchefs.com
• Reservations: www.opentable.com

 By Laura Robb

 There is no doubt that the economy has effected our local businesses. So many privately owned restaurants and bars have searched for new ways to reach the public and get them to patronize their establishment when they choose to go out.

A local program in New Jersey called SJ Hot Chefs, offer several special dining weeks throughout the year. This groups mission is to get the word out about Southern New Jersey’s  independently owned restaurants, and prove that you may not have to travel outside of your  own neighborhood or even cross the bridge to get a first class dining experience.

This upcoming week,  many South Jersey restaurants are participating in Farm to Fork Week, a week of specially designed menus featuring food and produce from our local farms. This week starting July 17, customers can choose to dine at one of the 33 participating restaurants at an incredible rate.

All of the restaurants are offering four course meals featuring our local meats/fish and produce at a fixed rate of 35 dollars. Several restaurants, such as the authentic Mexican restaurant, “La Esperanza,” are even offering their menu at only 25 dollars.

This week running until July 23, restaurant goers’ can experience a wonderful dinner featuring local produce at its seasons peak. New Jersey is famous for its tomatoes, peaches, strawberries and blueberries, so these items are featured on many of the restaurants menus.

Restaurants that may be pricey on an average day such as “The Chophouse” in Gibbsboro, are giving the public an opportunity to “dine on a dime,” giving us a chance to eat at a nice restaurant with freshly prepared foods, for the cost comparable to your local Applebees. 

New Jersey has way more to offer than all of those ‘Jersey shows, such as great dining and great local foods. For a small fee you too can enjoy a romantic evening, or a family fun night out without breaking the bank.

Storm the “Bastille”!

Philadelphia seems to love it’s quirky traditions – on Saturday, July 16 join Philly in storming the Eastern State Penitentiary for it’s Bastille Day celebrations!

By Nichole Baldino

Bastille Day is the French National Holiday commemorating the beginning of a new type of government. On July 14, 1789 the French revolutionaries stormed the prison (or the Bastille) where the monarchs sent those who disobeyed their orders, releasing the captured prisoners. It helped the French to gain a feeling of independence. This day is celebrated annually in France and throughout the world. Philadelphia does it’s part celebrating as hundreds of “revolutionaries” (natives, tourists and professionals alike) storm the “Bastille”, or in this case the Eastern State Penitentiary, dragging Marie Antoinette with them straight to the guillotine on July 16!

The Penitentiary has a line up of French inspired events and activities all weekend, with a huge reenactment commencing at 5:30pm on Saturday. Starting at 2:00pm on Saturday, come dressed in your revolutionary-best for the pet and bicycle parade, followed by a French fashion show, musical performances, and Can-Can dancers! At 5:30, 2,000 Butterscotch Krimpets will be thrown from the towers to capture Antoinette as she cries “Let them eat Tastykake!” (Get it? ha ha ha)

Throughout the day explore the “Bastille” ($12 admission)  and visit tents hosted by local owners featuring everything from face painting to flowers to tips on French cheeses.

Be sure to reserve a table at a Fairmount area restaurant for after the celebrations, as French cuisine specials will carry on into the evening and even the next day. Don’t miss this unique city tradition weekend, where you can start out with a “Fairmount French Fling Bar Crawl” on Thursday night and end it with a French “champagne brunch” Sunday morning!

Fourth Annual Philadelphia Film Festival

By Laura Robb

This week, the city of Philadelphia will be hosting its Fourth Annual Independent Film Festival. This five-day festival will start Wednesday June 22, and end Sunday June 26.

This festival will bring thousands of people from all around the country to view the over fifty films at the five different venues.

On Wednesday evening, the Media Bureau in Philadelphia will feature the opening film, a documentary called Guns and Weed: The Road to Freedom. This hour and a half documentary will feature two current hot topics in American culture and Politics, the right to bear arms and the war on drugs.

Starting on Thursday, the festival will begin full force at all five of the venues;  The Media Bureau, The Franklin Institute (the Franklin Theatre and Imax Theatre), Cafe Treece, The Raven Lounge, and the Random Tea Room.  

The Raven Lounge will exclusively be holding comedies, while the other venues will be mixing it up with genres ranging from documentaries, drama, horror and comedy.

For local moviegoers’, this local film festival can bring some films that range vastly from the typical summer films you will find at your local theatre.

This eclectic event will be sure to open eyes to the world around us with the documentaries, laugh at the hilarious indie comedies, cringe at the newest thriller/horror movies, all at a very competitive price.

Each screening is only $8.00, which is less than the normal theatres. At the Franklin Institute, each individual screening will cost $10.00, just two more dollars more than the other venues. If you want to make a day of it, $25.00 will get you a day pass to all the screenings at every venue. If film is really an interest, $100.00 will get you an all access pass, for every event at every venue for all five days.

This is a great way to spend a Philadelphia summer evening, for all who choose to stay in town this week. This out of the box event will surely be interesting for film experts as well as amateurs.

For more information, including schedules and box office sales, go to:

http://www.philadelphiaindependentfilmfestival.com/box-office

The African American Museum in Philadelphia Celebrates its 35th Anniversary

The African American Museum in Philadelphia will host its 35th Anniversary Celebration June 18th and 19th with a 35 hour party.

By MARIA MURRAY

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is celebrating its 35th birthday with an unprecedented 35 hour marathon celebration. Beginning at 8am on Saturday, June 18th and continuing through 7pm on Sunday, June 19th, AAMP will host a “35 hour blockbuster of continuous activities” entitled “The Juneteenth Jam.” Some activities include historic reenactments, family fitness activities, musical performances, tours, book signings, family workshops, snack socials, live media broadcasts, and film screenings.

AAMP President and CEO Romona Riscoe Benson places great importance on the Anniversary’s theme: Honoring Our Legacy, Embracing Our Promise. Developed from the spirit of Sankofa, which connotes taking from the past what is good into the present, AAMP’s overarching theme aims to commemorate the past 34 years and toast to a promising future.

The Juneteenth Jam will continue AAMP’s 35th birthday celebration, which has seen a variety of other programs so far this year. Still ongoing is a weekly evening program called RAAMP It Up Wednesdays, which features live music from 5-8pm every Wednesday. RAAMP It Up will continue up through September 28th.

Below is a full list of activities for the Juneteenth Jam:

SATURDAY
8a – 9a                   Prayer/Coffee
9a – 11a                 Family Fitness Activities
11a – 12p               Welcome /Opening
11a – 1p                 Virtual Fitness Activities
12p – 3p                 Philadelphia’s Largest Line Dance
12p – 2p                 Mural Arts Mural Painting Activity
12p – 1:30p            African American Historic Walking Tour
12p – 5p                 Roaming Historic Reenactors
1p – 3p                   Chess Lessons
2p – 4p                   Face Painting/Balloon Art
3p – 4:30p              African American Historic Walking Tour
4p – 6p                   Live Theatrical Presentation
4p – 7p                   Senior Bingo
5p – 7p                   Snack Social
8p – 12a                 Fourth Wall Arts Salon
9:30p – 11:30p       Stargazing, with famed astronomer Derrick Pitts

SUNDAY
12a – 2a                 Midnight Snack Social (Lobby)
12a – 3a                 Game Tournament
3a – 8a                   Film Screenings
6a – 8a                   Snack Social
8a                          Morning Libation/Praise
9a                          Prayer/Coffee/Juneteenth Address
10a – 12p              Family Fitness Activities
12p – 1:30p           African American Historic Walking Tour
12p – 5p                Roaming Historic Reenactors
2p – 4p                  Take Home Crafts for Dad, Carla Wiley
4p – 6p                  African American Mural Tour
5p – 6p                  Snack Social
5p – 7p                  Live Theatrical Presentation

Two Fun and Free Concerts

DEK : By Laura Robb

This past Saturday, the Philadelphia area held two large free events, one in the Northern Liberties area of Philadelphia, the other in New Jersey’s Camden.

Philadelphia’s popular country station WXTU held its 27th anniversary show at the Camden waterfront’s Susquehanna Bank Center.  Performers included American Idols Casey James with Jason Aldean as the headliner.

WXTU throws this massive party each and every year to celebrate its birthday. They make this event free to all, planning ticket runs to raffle off tickets.

They hold the ticket runs all over the The Pennsylvania and New Jersey listening areas where listeners come out by the hundreds to win a coveted pair of these tickets.

Many people of all ages come every year hours before the concert ever starts for the annual country-style tailgate. The parking lots quickly filled up  with cars, pickup trucks, grills, and beer where people celebrated the unofficial start of summer country concerts.

“We come to this show every year, and always get here by 9 AM,” forty-year-old mother of two Beth Wilson said.

Wilson, her husband and a large group of their friends all come to this concert to start off their summer. They all come for the party, and look forward to it all year.

Across the River in Philly, The Piazza at Schmidt’s hosted the  seasons second Summer Block Party show hosted by Radio 104.5.  This alternative rock station hosts several concerts for their listeners free of charge. 

This years first lineup was with the talented Company of Thieves and She Wants Revenge. Just the day prior, Company of Thieves played another free show, live on the radio.

A few thousand people showed up to the Philadelphia event experiencing the beautiful Piazza, in the charming neighborhood of Northern Liberties.

Both events were a great time for anyone who attended. Summer is a time where people love to celebrate life, and there is no better way than to do that with a concert, not to mention a free one!

Check out 104.5′s website to view a lineup of the other Block Parties this summer.