Fun at Eakins Oval Courtesy of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
FunTimes Magazine Culture + Entertainment column, week of August 19, 2024
“Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you got to make yourself.”
– Alice Walker, American writer-social activist & first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
August is fading but not if you can help it! Seize the last drop of summer before it ends. To inspire you, check out these engaging low-cost or free festivities focusing on art, music, films, food, and topical book discussions. And please don’t forget: When event-going, take precautions, especially when among groups and indoors, with the risk of COVID-19 variants.
A Book Talks About Health Inequities
Thursday, August 22, 2024. The struggle for healthcare equities, advocacy, and access in communities of color is real. Take a deep dive with WHYY Radio’s Studio 2 co-host Cherri Gregg in a WHYY/Free Library of Philadelphia conversation with Dr. Ala Stanford, who sheds light on many of these issues. Dr. Stanford will discuss her new memoir, Take Care of Them Like My Own. The pediatric surgeon started the Black Doctors Consortium during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to administer critical services to overlooked Black and Brown communities. By traveling around Philadelphia in a van with medical supplies as well as setting up health-clinic pop-ups, Dr. Stanford and volunteers attracted headlines through the grassroots initiative. Their efforts were successful in delivering free COVID-19 vaccines and tests promptly to underserved city neighborhoods of color. In 2022, during her ascent to national prominence, President Joe Biden appointed her to lead regional operations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She later founded the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity in Philadelphia. Host Gregg will discuss Dr. Stanford’s memoir focusing on the physician-turned-community activist’s upbringing in North Philly and experiences in healthcare fighting for racial justice and equity. Free but a donation is appreciated; 5:30 p.m. EST to 6:30 p.m. EST. Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St. 215-351-1200 or dbilder@whyy.org or whyy.org.
Arpeggio Ensemble
Jazz Is It Up At Jenice’s
Friday, August 23, 2024. Chill out to the soulful sounds of live jazz by the popular Arpeggio Ensemble at Jenice’s in Philadelphia’s Lawncrest section. Jazz devotees, or casual jazzers, will enjoy a night of original compositions and standards by bandleader Warren Oree, guitarist Frank Butrey, Percussionist Doug Edwards, Saxophonists Ron Bass and Michael Clay, and drummer Tracy Smith. $20 per person; 6 pm EST to 9 p.m. EST Jenice’s Event & Conference Center, 301 E. Godfrey Ave., 215-421-3688 or https://jeniceeventcenter.com or https://cli.re/78897-jazz-at-jenices.
Mad Beatz Philly
Check Out The Mad Beatz Philly & A Movie
Friday, August 23, 2024. Mad Beatz Philly will “tear it up” on The Ben Franklin Parkway with its fierce brand of drumlining. From music move on to movies, and enjoy an outdoor screening under the stars of Luca (2021) at Movie Night. Luca is a Walt Disney Pictures’-animated coming-of-age tale. It’s set in the Italian Riviera featuring a young sea monster boy who conveniently transforms into a human while on land. Mad Beatz Philly will perform from noon to 3 p.m. EST. Movie Night: 8 p.m. EST to 10 p.m. EST. The Oval, Eakins Oval, 24th Street, and The Benjamin Franklin Parkway. phila.gov orparkwaycouncil.org.
It’s SNACK TIME At The Oval
Saturday, August 24, 2024. The event promo poster is as groovy as the 1970s. But Now + Then Marketplace is very much happening in 2024 at The Oval on The Parkway, which will close out its summer activities this weekend. At one of the biggest family bargains in town, enjoy free live music, and games including a mini golf course thanks to Libertee grounds, and 50 local vendors of makers and artisans. Shop until it’s time for music. Get lost in a live performance by recording artists SNACKTIME, Philly’s premier soul-funk-alternative band. Relax in a beer garden and pop-up restaurant; check out the clever public art installation, “The Weight of Our Living,” a concrete circle with small, rounded stones embedded in the ground at Maja Park nearby. Most activities are free (mini golf is $5 for adults, free for kids); from 3 p.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST. The Oval, Eakins Oval, 24th Street, and The Benjamin Franklin Parkway. phila.govor parkwaycouncil.org.
Child’s Play
Sunday, August 25, 2024. Educational studies show that when children are healthy in mind, body, and spirit, they learn better. This is exactly what the Museum Minis program addresses at the Please Touch Museum. Check out the one-hour toddlers’ play group that connects parents and families enriching their kids’ cognitive and social-emotional skills through music, story-telling, art, and play. The theme of the session is “All About Me.” In which kids, ages 1.5 to 3.5, will learn through effective play-based experiences. Independence Blue Cross, Independence Blue Cross Foundation, and Keystone First are the Please Touch Museum’s partners. Free but pre-registration is required. $20; 9 a.m. EST to 4:30 p.m. EST. Please Touch Museum/ Memorial Hall, 4231 Avenue of the Republic. 215-581-3181 or PleaseTouchMuseum.org.
The City Stands Tall For An Art Show Of Support…
Through Friday, October 4, 2024. Artists usually find a way to create no matter what. The art community in Philadelphia is strong and understands the undeniable power of arts and culture. With that in mind, City Hall opened a new platform of expression after the abrupt and mysterious June closing of the University of Arts in Center City. The school was a community fixture and nearly a century old. Creative Philadelphia and the Office of City Councilmember Rue Landau have teamed up to create a new opportunity for former University of the Arts students and faculty members who were waylaid by the school’s closing. They can participate in an open artist call for an exhibit, “Transcending Uncertainty: Art Endures at Home in Philadelphia.” According to promotional material, the exhibit is a show of support and unity for the University of Arts community highlighting “the UArts’ diverse artistic expressions,” to encourage them “to continue their artistic journeys in Philadelphia.” The exhibit will be selected by local curator and artist, Lauren Rinaldi, Arts and Culture Liaison for Councilmember Landau. Artists can submit up to three pieces. No fee to apply; the deadline isOctober 4, 2024. 215-686-3420,PhlCouncil.com/RueLandau orcreativephl.org.
Get Your Hands On These Pennies
Saturday, August 31, 2024 & Sunday, September 1, 2024. Talk about stretching a penny. Here’s a chance to land your memento by getting iconic Philadelphia landmarks in the shape of pressed copper-color pennies. Art Star and Karith Gingrow, an artist at Nimble Craft, teamed up to create these pre-pressed pennies as part of the Pressed Penny Mini Print Project. $5 each. 11 a.m. EST to 4 p.m. EST. Art Star Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St. 484-479-4626 or nimblecraftpa.com or artsarcraftbazaar.com.
