I Scream, You Scream…Ice Cream Festival 7/3-7/5

My family looks forward to this one all year….starting at noon today, the eleventh annual Super Scooper Ice Cream Festival will be held at Penn’s Landing.  For a mere $5, you get a spoon and access to all the ice cream and water ice you could possibly want, served up by over 20 different companies including Breyers, Good Humor, Ben & Jerry’s, Starbucks and Turkey Hill. Heck, Mr. Softee even shows up for this one!

And while you’re snacking on your summertime favorite, you’ll be helping lick leukemia. All net proceeds from the event will benefit the Children’s Hospital Oncolology Division and the Joshua Kahan Fund, which aims to raise awareness and funds for pediatric leukemia research.

The event isn’t just a fundraiser, or a cheap way to fill up on great ice cream. It’s also held to honor the spirit of Josh Kahan, a little boy who lost his five-month battle with AML leukemia in September 1997.  Joshua’s short life proved it takes more than courage or spirit to lick leukemia…it takes research to battle this disease, and research takes money. So why not get in on the sweetest way to make the dream of licking leukemia come true?

Hope to see you there….just remember, don’t toss your spoon!

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.

Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Day 3 – HotPrints on Facebook

Picture This: Photo Albums Straight from Facebook’s HotPrints – Only $2.99 (Or Get One For Free!)

Here’s a great Mother’s Day gift based on the latest in social networking. Most kids are pros at putting their pictures up on Facebook (much to the regret of some former American Idol contestants). Now they can use those pics to creat a personalized photo album for Mom….and it will be be printed and mailed to her for the user friendly price of just $2.99 an album (plus a mere .79 for shipping).  That price seems to work with almost everyone’s allowance.

It all comes together thanks to the HotPrints application on Facebook.  HotPrints allows users to create 16-page personalized, high-quality photo albums using photos from their Facebook collections. Make it a collection of your “growing up” years, a bunch of photos from your last vacation, or a montage of family and friends. Then your photos are put in albums that are printed on high-quality paper and delivered  by mail.(And I’m told the delivery is speedy quick – 3 to 5 days – so this may be the choice for you last minute shoppers.)

The HotPrints application offers family themed albums, so kids can document and present their family photos or a recent family holiday to their mother in a customizable album layout, and they can change every page to suit their own design. Captions are taken straight from the Facebook album and added to each picture. Each book picks up the tags from the chosen Facebook photos automatically adding the names under each photo. Added bonus: when you publish a HotBook, you will also receive a free PDF version to digitally share with friends and family, even if you do not order the physical print version.  Can you beat that?

Well, yeah. In honor of Mother’s Day, HotPrints is offering 10,000 free print albums. Just go to the application site and use the code MD09. But hurry – quantities are limited, and when they’re gone, they’re gone (though $2.99 is a small price to pay to celebrate memories with mom).

You’re still here?  Go!

Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Day 2-Omoma Coffee

Brew up a cup of love for mom. Or win a pound for the two of you to share!

Remember the old Beverly Hillbillies TV show, where oil was referred to as “black gold”? Well, most of the moms I know would agree – coffee is the true black gold of our day. Serve your mom a mug of freshly brewed, delicious coffee this Mother’s Day, and you’ll open her eyes to your gratitude and affection.

For an affordable way to treat your mom to her favorite beverage, try a gift set from OMOMA Coffee. Gift sets range in price from a mere $14.99 to $74.99, and all include their delicious 100% Arabica gourmet estate OMOMA coffee, an OMOMA mug, absolutely yummy biscotti and a personalized gift message.  Or, if mom has enough mugs, order a pound of their medium (American), dark (French) or Espresso roast, sold in individual serving packet, by the pot or by the pound.

And, specially for PhillyOnTheCheap readers, OMOMA is offering two special ways for you to share their coffee with mom this Mother’s Day. First, you can get 20% off your order on their site. Just enter coupon code 1239922423 during checkout, and a 20% discount will be applied to one order per customer. Note this code cannot be used with Google checkout, but can be combined with other OMOMA discount offers, including the free shipping for orders over $35. The code is good until May 15.

Now the giveaway – the good folks at OMOMA are giving away a pound of their coffee to one lucky reader. Just enter a comment on this blog post with a mom memory, and you’ll be entered to win the pound. The contest closes Friday, May 8.  Winner will be chosen by our handy dandy itemizer and announced on Mother’s Day.

So head on over to OMOMA – and perk your mom’s day right up!

PAWS/John DeBella Dog Walk April 26

Remember the good old days, when John DeBella was our favorite Zoomaster and every year we celebrated…well, anything…with the “Louie Louie” parade?  Remember Mark the Shark, Clay Heery (who?) and all those darn kazoos? Ah, good times.

But it seems the old Kingsmen tome has been replaced with “Who Let The Dogs Out?” as DeBella hosts his 7th annual John DeBella Dog Walk in Green Lane Park on Sunday, April 26 from 10 to 2. The zookeeper’s still hanging with the animals, but these are the four footed variety, so come on out and learn how to adopt cats and dogs from PAWS.

And if the parade is anything like last week’s Doo Dah extravaganza, you’re in for a good time. So grab your pup and head on down! More info here.

Doo Dah Parade

We’re heading 0ut to the Doo Dah Parade in Ocean City….the only good thing about tax day in my book. And our basset hound Sid will be making his debut.

If you’re bored and want some silliness…free!…then head down to OC. See ya there!

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.

Day Tripping On The Cheap

We had planned to make the rounds of yard sales on Saturday, but the rain sort of ruined our plans. So what to do with the kids on a rainy Saturday that’s educational, fun and (most important to my budget) cheap?

Well, never fear, the City of Brotherly Love came through again. First, our foursome (one 6 year old in pigtails, one 12 year old art lover, my dh and I) headed over to the historic district, where we visited the Betsy Ross House on Arch Street. This is a great bargain – $3 for adults, $2 for kids, which means we could flag down (hee) an educational museum experience for just one Alexander Hamilton ($10).

And we were doubly lucky on this particular trip. First, the guy selling us the tickets asked if we wanted the audio tour, which was being offered at the sale price of just a dollar that day (it’s usually two). So we snatched up the headphones, which saved us a lot of reading aloud. (Note to self: wait until the kids are old enough to read before taking them to museums. If that’s impossible, bring along a lot of Sucrets.)

Second, the museum was holding a special exhibit called Marching to the White House: Election Memorabilia from the Sublime to the Ridiculous which was free with admission. This was so neat – presidential campaign buttons (like “Nixon Now!” and “All the Way With JFK“) were displayed along with surprising posters (Elvis for president? Really?) and even Jimmy Carter toilet paper. The kids had a blast checking out the oddball items, while I tried to see which campaigns I could actually remember based on the memorabilia (I’ll admit to the Nixon – Humphrey race).

After finishing the tour, we were directed to the courtyard, where the famed seamstress and her husband are buried. Although we were too late to catch her Saturday, “Betsy Ross” also makes personal appearances out there and is quick to teach children her one-snip method of making five-pointed stars.

The campaign memorabilia will be on display through May. Betsy Ross makes the rounds daily, with a special story hour on Sunday mornings.