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Catchin’ the beat: It was all drums earlier this month at the Red, White, & Blue To-Do block party at the African Museum in Philadelphia on Arch Street. 

Photo by Aidan Gallo, FunTimes

FunTimes Magazine: ‘Culture & Entertainment’ column, week of July 14, 2025

“July whispers the thrill of freedom and the taste of summer adventures, urging us to explore and enjoy.”  – Unknown

July’s golden rays have been called “a symphony of light.” Let your light shine in the glow of your summer journey during the hottest month with this budget-friendly selection of engaging events. Shine on!

Jazzing Up The Islands

Saturday, July 19, 2025. Check out BIGUINE, part of the “Free Community Movie Screening” hosted by the Caribbean Community in Philadelphia Film Society. Enjoy a romantic musical story and the adventure of two pioneering musicians set in the French-speaking Caribbean Island of Martinique. It focuses on the music that emerged from enslavement, which inspired the genre of jazz that sprang up in France. The film is about community and celebrates Caribbean culture. Guy Deslauriers directs a screenplay by Patrick Chamoiseau. Micheline Mona and Max Télèphe round out the cast. The movie is in French/Creole, with English subtitles. The screening is in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Francophone, Italian, and Germanic Studies. Free, 3 p.m. EST. Philadelphia Film Society East, 125 S. 2nd St., Old City. 215-488-3278 or https://filmadelphia.org/movies/biguine/

Go West For Your Jazz Fix

Saturday, July 19, 2025. If you want to know just how big the Pretty Big Band is, then hop over to The Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival in West Powelton this Saturday. Enjoy a day of live jazz, cuisine from local food trucks, shopping, and plain old family fun in West Philly. Think Philly-style street fair. Vibe to performances by headlining singer-pianist V. Shayne Frederick, Ursula Rucker, Nazir Ebo, Chris Oatts, and the Pretty Big Band. The event is organized by HopePHL The Producer’s Guild of Philadelphia, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, community members, the Office of Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Hughes, and Nu Millennium Media Productions. Free entry, noon to 7 p.m. EST.  Saunders Park Greene, 39th Street and Powelton Avenue. https://www.universitycity.org/event/lancaster-avenue-jazz-arts-festival/

 or https://www.hopephl.org/lancaster-avenue-jazz-festival.html

Enjoy A Fiesta Of Fun

Saturday, July 19, 2025. Check out Esperanza Arts Center presents Arte en las Calles – Fiesta de Verano: Timbalona featuring live music by Timbalona and Blaze Born (AMLA Rock Band) in partnership with Artcinia. Party hardy with the best of Latin food, merchant fair, dancing, and fun activities. The event will be hosted by Anjoli Santiago and Rumba 106.1’s Jose Urdaneta. Partners and sponsors are Artcinia, AARP{, Marz Auto, and Pan American Academy. Free, 4 p.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST. Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required. Marz Auto Central, 5th and Annsbury streets (Marz Auto is near the SEPTA Bus Line 47; free parking at the Rite Aid nearby. 215-324-0746 or https://patch.com or https://www.esperanzaartscenter.us

Novel Is A Poetic ‘Philly Love Letter ‘

Poet LindoYes’ new graphic novel PawnShop is worth checking out. The author’s real name is Lindo Jones, who has many novel ideas that turn into community projects like placing poetic public-service messages in old bubblegum machines to promote mental health awareness. Lindo will sign his Afro-futurist offering that takes, well, a novel look at Black resistance, identity, and culture. Lindo creates an ideal world, a re-imagined Philadelphia with universal healthcare and emotional equity regulated by two government entities, Emojis and Cupids. The novel is illustrated by Philadelphia poet-artist Jovan McKoy and colored by artist Jaz Malone. The promotional material sums up the power of this novel: “PawnShop is a Philly-inspired and Philly-made love letter to the potential of a better world and the complex relationships we will still have to navigate no matter what utopia we potentially create.” Free entry, noon to 2 p.m. EST. Multiverse Philly, 8026 Germantown Ave. Email:
hello@multiversephilly.com, 215-896-1073, or  https://www.multiversephilly.com/ or https://www.multiversephilly.com/events/pawnshop

Author Covers Protest History 

Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Emmy Award-winning writer and activist Gloria J. Browne-Marshall takes a deep dive into the evolution of protests in the U.S. and the unheralded heroes of social movements in her seventh book, A Protest History of the United States. One goal is to give us clues about challenges confronting the current world. Enjoy a conversation and book-signing session with Browne-Marshall, an authoritative voice, educator, activist, playwright, and social-justice attorney as she discusses this history through primary sources, memoir, law, and interviews spanning 500 years of protests and protesters. It covers material from the colonial times up to today’s era of climate change. Browne-Marshall is a professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College. She tried cases for the Southern Poverty Law Center), Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc. She was a senior law clerk to Judge Herbert Hutton of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required, free admission, 6 p.m. EST. Parkway Central Library/ Skyline Room (4th Floor), 1901 Vine St. 893-825-5357 or https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/15294 

Photo by BeauMonde Originals courtesy of The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation: https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com 

Work Out On The Waterfront

Through the summer. Hatha. Relax with yoga and mat Pilates classes at Race Street Pier. It’s all part of Wellness on the Waterfront presented by Independence Blue Cross’ health-and-wellness program. Enjoy scenic views and a refreshing workout by the waterfront. No stretching your budget here; Led by a professional instructor, it’s free all summer; pre-register, Mondays and Thursdays, 6 p.m. EST, Sundays at 10 a.m. EST. Race Street Pier, Race Street, and N. Columbus Blvd. https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com or https://threequeensyoga.union.site/events/three-queens-yoga-wellness-on-the-waterfront-race-street-pier 

Celebrating Liberian Freedom

Saturday-Sunday, July 26-27 2025. Celebrate the anniversary of Liberia’s independence from the United States and the adoption of its constitution established on July 26, 1847. Do it in style at the Liberian Independence Weekend (PHL) ~( 4 Da Culture Cookout – After Party). Get ready for a day of culture, cuisine, community connection, and live music. Kick off the day with a chill 4 Da Culture Cookout. Cookout: Noon to 6 p.m. EST. 1500 N 33rd St. After Party: 10 p.m. EST to 3:30 a.m. EST, pre-register; individual tickets: $23.18 (early bird) to $44.52; must be at least 21. Victorian Philly, 4809 Germantown Ave. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/liberian-independence-weekend-phl-4-da

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