Meet Me at McGillin’s

A happy coincidence – New Year’s Eve this year will coincide with the 150th anniversary of McGillin’s Olde Ale House – and that translates into a fun, affordable celebration this year.

To start the party – and their anniversary year – off right, the good folks at McGillin’s are serving up open a limited quantity of its very own beer, McGillin’s 1860 IPA. They’re also resolved to serve 150 brands of beer in the new year, so stop in between the comics and the string bands to make a dent or two in that number.

Can’t make it this week? Well, the celebrating will be going on all year, so check out their site and follow ‘em on Twitter or Facebook.

Music on the Mall – Free this Thursday

Music on the Mall, the city’s free summer concert series, which runs the first Thursday of each month, concludes this week with a special presentation of World Music on August 6. The event will feature the stylings of Paprika, a Brazilian-influenced girl group, from 6 to 7 pm and Casplash, a Carribean band, from 7 to 8. So put on your boogie shoes and come on out to Independence Mall.

And save this date – on September 3, the series will close out the season with a “Battle of the School Bands” right before the first bell rings. Find more info here.

It’s Our B-Day Party – And You’re All Invited

When most people think of Philadelphia, they think of history. The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, 1776 and the Fourth of July, right? Well, it’s that time of year again, and Philly is dressed up in red, white and blue for the holiday. So much to do….and all for so little money!

Most of the events come under the “Sunoco Welcome America” Banner.” The “Welcome America” festivities have gone on for a number of years now, and people keep coming back for more, because each year the party gets bigger and better. I’ll be covering some of the events in posts later on, but I want to focus on the showstopper event right now – that’s the Party on the Parkway held on the Fourth beginning at noon.

Okay, deep breath, ’cause there’s a lot to cover. On the Parkway there will be three stages – the Kids’ Stage (noon-6:45), the Multi-Cultural Stage (noon-7:15), and the Sound of Philadelphia stage (3-6). The names are pretty self-explanatory and the concert schedules can be found here. Let me just say that there will be a diversity of good music up and down the Parkway (and, of course, good food and other fun activities too!).

The evening closes with the largest free concert in the country – just fitting for the national birthday party. This year’s headliner at the “Life, Liberty and You” concert is pop-rock sensation Sheryl Crow, she of “All I Wanna Do” and “If It Makes You Happy” fame. And to top off the celebration, the Philly skyline will be set ablaze in sparkles, thanks to one of the best fireworks displays in the country.

Fast Five for Free Friday

Hey you guys!

Since we’re now headed into the summer and good weather, I know you’ll want to be out and about more. How can you do that and keep a reign on your cash flow?

Well, let me present the OnTheCheap solution for this common dilemma – the Fast Five For Free Friday. (See, Mrs. Ackerman, I wasn’t sleeping through that lesson on alliteration!) Every Friday I’ll shoot off a quick list of things you can do that weekend for free…so just check back when you have some time on your hands, m’kay?

Without further ado, here’s the first list of Five For Free.  And according to the Weather Channel, all signals point to a beautiful weekend. Go enjoy – without busting the budget.

*Speaking of Peace: A Festival of the Arts – What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding? Find out through the photo essays, storytelling and music at this festival, presented by the Frazer Mennonite Church
in Frazer, PA. Tomorrow, 1-7 pm. Call 610-644-3397 or check the web site for details.

* Ruby’s Walk Across America – Reality star Ruby Gettinger’s anti-obesity walk kicks off in Philly (just in time for swimsuit season, eh?).  Meet Ruby and the other walkers at Lloyd Hall, One Boathouse Row, from 8 am to 2 pm.

* Lincoln High School Glory Days – Ah, nostalgia! Apparently Lincoln High School is scheduled for demolition – but not before one last blow-out celebration. Flea markets, music, tours, games and memorabilia will mark the goodbyes from 8 am to 2 pm tomorrow. 3201 Ryan Avenue; 215-335-5653.

* ARTspiration! – Billed as a free community arts festival for the whole family, this event will be held at the Fleisher Art Memorial from 10-4 on Sunday. Check out the arts and crafts, book sale, bake sale and free performances at the nation’s oldest tuition-free art school. Tip: don’t miss the “Play With Your Food” booth.

* And, for those headed to the shore – the Boardwalk Spring Family Fun Fest will be going on all weekend in Ocean City. Face painters, bands, pony rides and a juried art show are some of the featured attractions on the boards from 9-6. Call 609-457-1151 for info.

Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Day 11 – Philadelphia City Pass

Give mom the city – without having to gift wrap – with the City Pass.

Wouldn’t you love to wrap up the best Philly has to offer for mom this Mother’s Day? Well, this year give her the National Constitution Center, The Philadelphia Zoo and Adventure Aquarium – without the hassle of wrapping. Easy to do, with the CityPass,your ticket to the best the city has to offer.

Better yet, buy one of these ticket booklets – at $58 a book – for each of you, then share the next few days together exploring six of the most popular Philadelphia attractions, including the Franklin and the Academy of Natural Sciences. You’ll both have wonderful memories of your “staycation,” – and you’ll be saving a whopping 45% off the price of these tickets sold separately.  Passes are valid for nine days, and you’ll see savings if you just check out three of the attractions – but in a city this great, why stop at three?

So make Philly the City of Motherly Love this year by sharing it with the CityPass.

25th Philadelphia International Children’s Festival May 1-2

Q- Where can you find the Give & Take Jugglers, a hungry hungry caterpillar and some giants you can hang with?

A- Well, this weekend you can find all of them – and more! – at the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts at the 25th annual Philadelphia International Children’s Festival.

The festival, sponsored by the nonprofit arts education initiative Project Synergy, will feature a variety of indoor productions, including Hangin’ With The Giants, The Lost World and Eric Carle favorites. Admission is $10 a production, or you can get a birthday pass – three productions for $25 and a bonus free T-shirt.  And, best of all, the outdoor activities are free! Call 215-898-3900 or check the web site for details.

Free outdoors are arts and crafts projects for children provided by Project Synergy, a nonprofit arts education initiative. The Give & Take Jugglers, back by popular demand, will perform with Clowns Without Borders. On Saturday, the Clay Studio will give free lessons on creating monoprints with clay.

Indoor performances include Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular, in which dancers trace 30 years of hip-hop. Storyteller and author Antonio Sacre will entertain. Audiences can learn the history of blues music in a stage performance of Blues Journey, the children’s book by Walter Dean Myers, adapted by Jerome Hairston.

Cathy & Marcy, folk banjo artists and two-time Grammy winners, and hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon will perform and collaborate in a banjo-meets-hip-hop performance.

Other indoor productions are The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites, The Lost World, Hangin’ With the Giants, and more. Low-cost, kid-friendly catered cuisine from the Hinge Cafe will be available.

We’ve Got A Winner – Havertown Family is Circus-Bound

Thanks to all of you who entered our great Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus tickets giveaway, which was sponsored by our good friends at MomCentral.com.  Our handy dandy random itemizer has spoken, and Marc and Jennifer Sanders of Havertown will be taking their family to the circus on May 13.

And we hear double congrats are in order, as Marc, Jennifer and daughter Zofi just welcomed baby Toren Elliot to the clan last week. Congrats to the entire family, and thanks to everyone who shared their circus memories here. 

See ya under the big top!

Get The Truth: Saturday is Record Store Day

The big Kahuna at Cities On The Cheap shared this one…

“The 18th is the third Saturday in April, which means it’s Record Store Day. And if you’re passionate about music (and your indie record store), you won’t want to miss it.

On Record Store Day, hundreds of independently owned record stores throw a rockin’ party. The specifics vary from store to store, but there’ll often be live performances, artist meet-and-greets and other festivities, as well as vinyl & CD releases of works made especially for the day.

Check with your local indie record store to find out details of the Record Store Day celebration near you. Click here for a list of participating stores.”

Now, I for one had no idea there was such an animal as Record Store Day. (Does Hallmark make a card for that?) But anyway, in my youth I sold records (remember those?) and printed Ticketron tix (before the days of that monster, TicketMaster) at the Listening Booth in the Deptford Mall. Remember our motto…”Get the truth at your Listening Booth”?

But I digress.  Go celebrate this Saturday….the locator indicates there are plenty of indies willing to party it up in our area!

Free Music Festival Tomorrow

Forget “American Idol.” If you really want to catch tomorrow’s stars today, you can do it right here in Philly – on the cheap.

The Annual All Philadelphia High School Music Festival will be presented on Thursday, April 16, at The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts Verizon Hall at 7:30 pm. The Festival, which features the all-city band, orchestra and choir, is a free event sponsored by the School District of Philadelphia and the Office of Teaching and Learning. Get ticket information by calling 215-400-5974.

Ya think Anthony Fedorov got his start this way?

Spring Into The PECO Multicultural Series

Okay, so maybe you’re not into bowling. Maybe, just maybe, you want something a bit more cultural. Hey, different strokes, ya know?

Well, check out the Great Plaza in Penn’s Landing for an assorted schedule of free events including twelve different multicultural festivals. The annual PECO Multicultural Series will begin on Sunday, May 17, 2009 with the Israel Independence Day Festival and continue right to September 20, 2009 when the Russian Mosaic Festival will close the season.

The Israel Independence Day Festival is new this year, being celebrated on Sunday, May 17 from 2 to 5. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the festival celebrates the 61th anniversary of Israel’s statehood and the 100th birthday of Tel Aviv.  The celebration will feature a concert by Israeli star Rami Kleinstein and a variety of food, programs and activities.  That’s a festival rich on cultural – but still free!

The festival is part of the PECO Multicultural series at Penn’s Landing, which continues to celebrate the diverse cultures which make Philadelphia unique city. For more information, check it out here.

Admission is FREE for all PECO Multicultural Series events.  KYW Newsradio, Fox 29, and The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News are proud media partners for this series.