By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Another traditional Chester County event has begun.
This weekend, the sophomore staging of a new special event will be held in Kennett Square.
The 2023 Kennett Summerfest (100 South Broad Street, Kennett Square, kennettcollaborative.org) will be held on June 11 from 3-7 p.m.
Kennett Summerfest, a wine and spirits festival that made its debut in 2022, celebrates exceptional local wineries and distilleries and brings together wine, cheese, art, and live music in a sophisticated festival atmosphere paired with the opportunity to enjoy the “Kennett Blooms: Floral Flash” installations.
The second annual Kennett Summerfest, a wine and spirits festival, celebrates exceptional local wineries and distilleries and brings together wine, cheese, and live music in a sophisticated festival atmosphere paired with the opportunity to enjoy the Kennett Blooms: Floral Flash installations.
With its moderate climate and rolling hills, in addition to microclimates with good elevation, soil composition and drainage, Pennsylvania continues to come into its own as a serious place for refined and elegant wines. Local Chester County wines have been receiving national accolades for years, and as the vines that local vintners have been patiently tending for decades now come of age, wine enthusiasts both here and further afield are enjoying the (fermented) fruits of their hard work and perseverance.
The second annual Kennett Summerfest will give ticket holders the unique opportunity to taste wines from some of the best local and regional wineries, cheese samples from local cheesemakers, as well as spirits from local distilleries and locally crafted botanical mocktails for designated drivers. Live music, wine-centric vendors, food trucks, and a curated pop-up al fresco gallery of local artists all combine to create a Sunday afternoon to savor.
“Kennett Blooms: Floral Flash” features seven large-scale installations in locations throughout Kennett Square from June 10at 5 p.m. June 12. The event is celebrating the multi-sensory beauty of flowers and the creative talents of local floral designers.
The list of confirmed wineries and distilleries for the 2023 festival includes Chaddsford Winery, Casa Carmen, Dressler Estate, The Inn at Grace Winery, Harvest Ridge Winery, Paradocx Vineyards and Philadelphia Mead Company.
Live music will be performed by Tuk + The Big Brass Ones.
Tickets are $75 with $20 tickets available for designated driver. Regular Admission tickets include a Summerfest tasting mug with unlimited 1 oz. samples of wine + select mixed drinks from local and regional wineries & distilleries, while enjoying the festival atmosphere with live music and other vendors.
Greek Festival at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Every year, Wilmington is home to a pair of huge ethnic food festivals — the Greek Festival at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (808 North Broom Street, Wilmington, 302-654-4446, www.holytrinitywilmington.org) and St. Anthony’s Italian Festival (St. Anthony of Padua Church, 901 North DuPont Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-421-2790, www.stanthonysfestival.com).
The 2023 Greek Festival at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (808 North Broom Street, Wilmington, 302-654-4446, www.holytrinitywilmington.org) opened Monday and runs through June 10.
The list of main dish items at Holy Trinity has a wide variety of meat and vegetable items. Chicken Oreganato is Grecian-style chicken roasted with a mixture of lemon, oil and oregano, while souvlaki is grilled pork tenderloin marinated with special herbs.
Gyros are pita sandwiches featuring a spice-infused ground beef-and-lamb mixture that is grilled, sliced fresh and served with tzatziki (cucumber and yogurt sauce), tomatoes, onions and olives.
Pastitsio is a macaroni dish with braised ground lamb and beef that is topped with béchamel sauce and baked. A similar entrée is moussaka, which features layers of eggplant, potato, ground lamb and beef, which is then baked and topped with a light béchamel sauce.
Greek Salad, which is always a favorite, includes lettuce, feta cheese, tomatoes, Greek olives, oregano, salt, onion, cucumbers tossed in a light olive oil dressing.
Other selections that can either be a main meal or a side dish are tyropita, which is a Greek-style cheese pie in a crispy phyllo crust; spanakopita, which is a tyropita that has spinach added; and Dolmades, which are rice and meat wrapped in grape leaves.
For dessert, it’s impossible to go wrong with any of the traditional Greek pastries. The most well-known Greek dessert is baklava, which is made with multiple layers of thin buttered phyllo dough cooked with walnuts, spices and honey syrup. Kataifi features shredded wheat with chopped nuts and honey syrup.
Loukoumades , the Greek version of doughnuts, are deep-fried and dipped in honey with a dash of cinnamon. Galaktoboureko is a custard dessert baked between carefully placed pastry sheets and covered in syrup. Karidopita is a moist walnut cake with spices and syrup.
Greek cuisine also includes a variety of mouth-watering cookies including kourabiedes (butter cookie served with confectioner’s sugar), paximadia (zwieback-type cookie that is baked then sliced and toasted in the oven), koulourakia (butter cookie that is twisted, basted with egg yolk and baked.)
Greek American groups from the Delaware Valley will play popular Greek songs and standards and there will be performances of traditional Greek folk dances. The festival also features an outdoor taverna – a bistro-style site for dancing and drinking.
Other attractions are Greek grocery stores and sales booths with items such as Greek music, icons, custom-made jewelry, leather goods and fabric. There will also be a variety of children’s activities.
The St. Anthony’s Italian Festival, which opens on June 11 and runs through June 18, features cafes, carnival rides, live Italian music and amusement games.
This festival is more than just a carnival with rides and food. It also is an educational experience with a focus each year on a different cultural region in Italy.
Over the past several years, the festival has focused on the art, architecture, food, and traditions of various regions.
It will celebrate all that makes Italy and the Italian lifestyle the envy of much of the world. There will be culinary highlights from various regions at the cafes and vendor locations, handcrafted Italian home decor items and Italian classical and contemporary music at concerts in the church and on the festival’s entertainment stages.
The St. Anthony’s Festival has become famous for its array of tasty Italian food.
Visitors will be able to enjoy such taste treats as spezzato, pizza, sausage and peppers, panzarotti, porkette, clams and spaghetti, pasta fagioli, pizza frita, meatball sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, calamari rings, spaghetti dinners and fresh espresso and cappuccino.
There is a $5 admission fee for all visitors ages 14-61. Seniors (age 61 and older) and children (age 13 and under who are accompanied by a parent or guardian 18 or older) will be admitted free.
The Delaware River waterfront hosts a number of cultural celebrations this summer during the PECO Multicultural Series. This weekend, the focus is on the culture of the Islamic world.
On June 10, the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (201 South Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, www.delawareriverwaterfront.com) will be the site of the Islamic Heritage Festival.
The event, which is part of PECO’s annual multicultural series at Penn’s Landing, will feature a colorful parade and live performances featuring the Islamic culture.
The Islamic Heritage Festival, which runs from 2-8 p.m., is free and open to the public.
ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, — “Assalamu Alaikum” (“peace be with you” in Arabic).
On June 11, the Annual Odunde Festival (215-732-8510, http://odeundefestival.org) will be held from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. in the vicinity of 23rd and South streets in downtown Philadelphia.
Odunde Festival
Odunde attracts close to 500,000 people each year, covers 12 city blocks and is one of the largest African American street festivals in the country.
The festival’s authentic African marketplace features vendors from around the world selling merchandise from many African nations, the Caribbean and Brazil.
The free event, whose concept originates from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, celebrates the coming of another year. One of the highlights each year is a colorful procession from 23rd and South streets to the Schuylkill River where an offering of fruit and flowers is made to Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of the river.
There will be continuous live music throughout the day along with also be traditional African dance performances. Chrisette Michele will perform at 7 p.m. on the South Stage.
If you’re looking for a great fun, family event this weekend, a good place to look is Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (5105 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, Delaware, 800-448-3883, www.winterthur.org).
On June 10 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., the historic site, which is located on Route 52 in northern Delaware just south of the Pennsylvania state line, hosts its annual Enchanted Summer Day — the day when Winterthur’s Enchanted Woods celebrates its anniversary.
Enchanted Summer Day features crafts displays, live entertainers and food concessions. There will be an array of family activities, including storytelling, face painting, kids’ games and strolling entertainment.
Hoop chasing, ring toss, and the Game of Graces will be played on the lawn north of Enchanted Woods.
There will be live musical entertainment by Silly Joe, storytelling by Terry Colonna, performances by the Newark Ukesters, and the Give & Take Jugglers.
Enchanted Woods is a unique children’s garden at Winterthur — a three-acre area where the “fairy folk” have created a magical garden for children of all ages. The site, which is situated under a canopy of majestic oak trees, features attractions such as the Tulip Tree House, Green Man’s Lair, the Troll Bridge and the Faerie Cottage.
Enchanted Woods is located within the larger 60-acre garden at Winterthur, the former country estate of Henry Francis du Pont. Winterthur is famous for its world-class collection of over 85,000 American antiques.
Regular admission to Winterthur is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (62 and older) and students and $8 for children (ages 2-11).
The annual Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival will be held now through June 25 at the Wayne Art Center (413 Maplewood Avenue, Wayne, www.wayneart.org).
“En plein air” is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The practice goes back for centuries but was truly made into an art form by the French Impressionists.
The Wayne Art Center Annual Plein Air Festival Collectors’ Preview Party & Sale is scheduled for May 12 from 6-10 p.m. Fresh off the easel, more than 250 works adorn Wayne Art Center’s walls opening night, as patrons enjoy an evening of fine art, heavy hors d’oeuvres, open bar, and live music, while experiencing the artists’ individual interpretations of life and landscapes.
The 15th Annual Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival will feature 32 juried, nationally recognized and emerging artists who have come to Wayne to capture the cool atmosphere and ephemeral, lush greens of spring in the Delaware Valley.
As one of the premier plein air events in the country, Wayne offers the unique opportunity to showcase work created during the festival in spacious, light-filled and state-of-the-art galleries during an exhibition that hangs until June 25.
On June 10, 118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com) will host the Seventh Annual Wayne Music Festival (waynemusicfestival.com) with headliners Bonerama, Wheatus and Cosmic Guilt.
There will be four stages at Saturday’s event – 118 North Stage, CHOP Stage, West Avenue Stage and Lancaster Avenue Stage – with matinee and evening sets starting at 2 p.m.
Other acts on this year’s bill are John “Papa” Gros, Jessica Lea Mayfield, West Philadelphia Orchestra, Jamie McLean Band, Arthur Thomas & The Funkitorium, Sug Daniels, Mellow Fever, Flightschool, Wisher, Moustapha Noumbissi and Brian Seymour
The “All Ages” event, which offers free admission, will start at 1 p.m. and also feature food and drink vendors.
On June 9, Mt. Cuba Center (3120 Barley Mill Road, Hockessin, Delaware, mtcubacenter.org) will host The Ladybug Music Festival Garden Crawl.
The Ladybug Music Festival Garden Crawl brings performers from The Ladybug Festival — Delaware’s celebration of regional female musicians — to Mt. Cuba for a music-filled evening.
Visitors can enjoy food, drinks, and a variety of live performances as they “crawl” through the gardens.
There will be three concert locations with each hosting two sets of live music.
West Chester native Nicole Zell will headline the show at “Ponds” with Phyllis Chapell as the opener.
The “Main Lawn” will host Madhavi Devi and You Do You and the “Upper Lawn” will feature Caroline Hermance and Gretchen Emery Band.
The event, which runs from 5:30-9:30 p.m., is included with garden admission – Adults, $15; Children (ages 6-17), $8; Children (ages five and under), free.
For the last 15 years, Music at Snipes Farm (890 W Bridge St, Morrisville, musicatsnipesfarm.com) has hosted a special music event called “In & Out of the Garden We Go.”
This year’s event is scheduled for June 9 and 10.
Steal Your Face will headline Friday night. The bill will also feature Diamond Eye Jack, Friends of Jerry, Friends of the Devil, Justin Love,
Saturday co-headliners will be Johnny Lit’s Jury Duty and Jawn of the Dead. Also on the Saturday line-up will be Lovelight, Three Fourteen, Reality Check Experiment, OTC, and Bobby Beetcut.
Ticket prices start at $55.
From June 15-25, the Garden Bros Nuclear Circus will visit the area for a 25-performance run at Philadelphia Mills (1455 Franklin Mills Circle, Philadelphia, www.gardenbroscircus.com).
The 2022 tour features an all-new Garden Bros Circus show, which is billed as “The World’s Largest Circus Under The Biggest Big Top On Earth.”
This year’s show has blasted into the next generation of showbiz with breathtaking special effects, concert style sound and lighting and three rings bursting with excitement, laughter and memories that families will always cherish.
The very best performers from over more than 22 countries make up this action jammed, fast paced 100-minute performance in a theatrical European 5five-ring setting featuring the Crazy Cossacks Riderz, Human Slingshot, Wheel of Death, Human Cannonball, Motorcycles in the Sphere of Fear, Showgirls Hanging from their Hair, Olympic Gymnasts, the Funniest Clowns and Back Flipping Dogs as seen on America’s Got Talent.
Ticket prices start at $14.50.
Hope Lodge (553 South Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, 215-343-0965, http://www.ushistory.org/hope/) will be presenting a “Guided Mansion Tour” on June 11.
Hope Lodge was built between 1743 and 1748 by Samuel Morris, a prosperous Quaker entrepreneur. Morris acted as a farmer, shipowner, miller, iron master, shop owner, and owner of the mill now known as Mather Mill. Hope Lodge is an excellent example of early Georgian architecture, and it is possible that Edmund Woolley, architect of Independence Hall, offered advice in building. Samuel Morris owned the estate until his death in 1770.
Visitors can participate by watching a short film and then taking a tour. Guided tours of the mansion will depart at 1 and 2:30 p.m.
Tour admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (age 65+) and for youth ages 6-17, and free for children under 5. Hope Lodge is a Blue Star Museum which means that active-duty military personnel, including National Guard and Reserve and their families, are admitted free for regular tours from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Fort Mifflin (Fort Mifflin and Hog Island roads, Philadelphia, 215-685-4167, www.fortmifflin.us) is hosting an event on June 11 called “Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politic of the American Revolution.”
Participants are invited to meet author Eli Merritt and discover the intersection of historic and contemporary political divisions at this unique event in the atmosphere of a colonial tavern.
Merritt will discuss his newly published book “Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution.”
Merritt is a political historian at Vanderbilt University where he researches the ethics of democracy, the interface of demagogues and democracy, and the founding principles of the United States.
At Fort Mifflin, he will talk about the deep political divisions that almost tore the Union apart during the American Revolution. So fractious were the founders’ political fights that they feared the War of Independence might end in disunion and civil war.
The event will start at 7 p.m. and feature free admission.
On select Saturday and Sundays now through July 30, the Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, http://www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings – Summer Sips.”
The winery staff is matching the intense heat and bold flavors of the season with exciting, crushable combinations. From delicious textures to a diverse range of fruity, floral, and herbaceous flavors, they are keeping visitors fresh and cool with these carefully curated, summer-approved pairings.
The winery’s trained staff will guide guests through a pre-selected tasting of five widely diverse wines from across the winery’s portfolio alongside artisan cheeses and other accoutrements. During this intimate and educational 60-minute experience, they will discuss topics such as grape growing conditions at partner vineyards and the onsite winemaking process from production to aging and bottling.
The “Pairing Line Up” is Greeting Wine: 2021 Sparkling White, 2022 Vidal Blanc with Goat Rodeo Chevre, 2022 Cabernet Franc with Hudson Valley Camembert with Blueberry Basil Jam, Good Vibes Only with Eclat Chocolate’s Tahitian Vanilla Truffle and Niagara with Gemelli Gelato’s Pear Gelato.
Reserve Tastings are $35 per person and offered only on select Saturdays and Sundays. There are three seatings per day – noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Advanced reservations are required and are non-refundable.
Penns Wood Winery (124 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford, http://www.pennswoodsevents.com) will present “Live Music on the Lawn” every weekend in June.
The schedule for June 10 at Penns Wood Winery features Bill Hake from 2-5 p.m.
The schedule for June 11 features Allison Landon from 2-5 p.m.
Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-228-8200, www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org) will present “Pocket of Paradise Walking Tour” on June 10 starting at 11 a.m.
Guests are invited to join a walking tour that covers both the history of the area, as well as the more recent past as it has been experienced firsthand by neighborhood residents.
Highlights include this history of original settlers, the rise, and fall of Dobson Mills, as well as the second phase of the industrial revolution that included household names such as Pep Boys, Tastykake, and Penn Reels.
Tours will be led by Hidden City, area residents, and the Friends of Laurel Hill. The tour is from 11-1 p.m., beginning at Laurel Hill Cemetery.
The event is free, and RSVPs are requested.
“Second Friday in Lititz” (lititzpa.com/events/calendar/) is scheduled for June 9.
Downtown Lititz is the place to be on the second Friday of every month, all year long, from 5-9 p.m.
There will be an abundance of energy and enthusiasm of this small town as Lititz comes to life.
During Second Fridays, local merchants stay open late. You can extend your visit and take your time while visiting downtown shops, restaurants, and galleries.
Up and down the streets, musicians, dancers, artists, and entertainers bring even more magic to the sidewalks, patios, and stores.
Free parking is available on the streets and in the lots behind the Main Street boutiques.
This weekend, there will be an Auburn Heights Mansion Tour at Auburn Heights Preserve (3000 Creek Road, Yorklyn, Delaware, 302-239-2385, http://auburnheights.org).
On June 9, the event, which gets underway at 1 p.m., focuses on the stately mansion, which is one of the best examples of a Queen Anne style Victorian mansion in Delaware.
The mansion is the former home of the Marshall family whose legacy of industry and innovation filled the home with the antiques and furnishings there today. Visitors will get to explore two floors of Auburn Heights with a small group.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Parking is available in the event lot on Creek Road across from the mansion.
On June 15, the site, which features the Marshall Steam Museum and the Auburn Heights Mansion, is hosting another Mansion Tour at 1 p.m.
The Brandywine Valley has quite a few museums and tourist sites that provide residents and tourists ideal opportunities to spend leisure time — and you can maximize your effort if you take advantage of the 2023 Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport.
The cost is $49 for an individual pass and $99 for a family pass (for up to five family members).
The Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport is good for one-time admission to Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley’s top attractions now through October 31.
A family pass, which includes one-day admission to each of 12 sites, can bring a savings of over $200 for the holders — especially since many of the participating institutions have regular admission fees in double figures.
The list of locations covered by the Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport includes Longwood Gardens, Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, Brandywine River Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Delaware History Museum, Hagley Museum and Library, Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, Nemours Mansion & Gardens, Read House and Garden, Mt. Cuba Center, Rockwood Museum and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.
For more information, call (800) 489-6664 or visit www.visitwilmingtonde.com/bmga/.
The newest exhibition at the Brandywine Museum of Art (1 Hoffman Mill Road, Chadds Ford, brandywine.org), “Andrew Wyeth: Home Places,” opened a few weeks ago and will run through July 13.
This exhibition is a presentation of nearly 50 paintings and drawings of local buildings that inspired Wyeth time and again over seven decades of his career.
The artworks in this exhibition are drawn exclusively from the nearly 7,000-object Andrew and Betsy Wyeth Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, now managed by the Brandywine. Many of these pieces have never before been exhibited, offering a first glimpse at a significant treasure trove that will shed new light on the collaborative creative process of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth.
“Andrew Wyeth: Home Places” shares the story of a remarkable immersive and intensive artistic practice that ranged across the full array of media Andrew Wyeth practiced. Over the course of a long and diverse career of many chapters, Wyeth repeatedly depicted a small group of historic houses in the vicinity of his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
In these weathered buildings others might have overlooked or even scorned in the face of gentrification and commercial development of the region, Wyeth found layers of emotion and association. These structures—both venerable and vulnerable in a changing Brandywine Valley—served as a means of pursuing his abiding attention to that which lies beneath the surface of things.
Through living in this landscape his whole life, he engaged in an artistic practice of uncommon focus over an extended timescale, coming to know deeply the evocative buildings in a radius of just a few square miles and rendering them in an astonishing variety of compositions, handlings and approaches. As Wyeth said, “You can be in a place for years and years and not see something, and then when it dawns, all sorts of nuggets of richness start popping all over the place. You’ve gotten below the obvious.”
Among the previously unexhibited works on view are the charming early oil “The Miller’s Son,” painted when Wyeth was just 17 years old, and the stunning watercolor “Noah’s Ark Study” made at age 87—both depicting the same property, Brinton’s Mill.
That the Wyeths came to own and restore this property for use as their primary residence is among the many contributions of Betsy James Wyeth, whose distinct role in stewarding historic properties in Pennsylvania and Maine, which informed her husband’s painting practice, is a key context of this exhibition.
The Museum just posted this on its website — Please note: During the month of June there will be several gallery closures as we prepare for our next exhibition, “Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature.” During this time, we will be offering half-price admission.
Museum admission is $18 adults, $15 seniors (65+), $6 children (ages 6-18) and students with ID and free for children (ages five and under).
Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org) is inviting visitors to enjoy the beauty of late spring.
The “Festival of Fountains” opened for the season on May 11 and will run until September 24.
Longwood Gardens’ Open Air Theatre and Italian Water Garden fountains sprang to life, as did the Square Fountain, Round Fountain (Flower Garden Walk), Sylvan Fountain (Peirce’s Park), and Children’s Corner fountains.
The season of renewal and growth has started. Millions of tiny geophytes begin the season, blanketing Longwood’s vistas with sweeps of spring-has-sprung color.
Dancing fountains, performances under the stars, and beautiful gardens make the Festival of Fountains at Longwood Gardens magical. The spectacular celebration of music, light, water, and nature includes distinctive garden experiences indoors and out.
Iconic Illuminated Fountain Performances dance, soar, and delight in the Main Fountain Garden Thursday–Saturday evenings. New Illuminated Fountain Performances for 2023 include “Put Me In, Coach,” featuring a variety of sports-related tunes; “Rachmaninov: Power and Passion”; “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift; “Starman” by David Bowie; “To Infinity and Beyond” highlighting beloved songs from animated movie favorites; and “Where the Heart Is” a showcase of coming-home hits by the likes of Bon Jovi and Ed Sheeran. Illuminated Fountain Performances are free with Gardens admission.
Before the fountain performances, guests can sit under the stars and enjoy live music and refreshing brews and pub fare in Longwood’s Beer Garden. Guests can enjoy a variety of selections from Victory Brewing Company, including the Longwood Seasons series brewed with ingredients grown at Longwood. Regional artists perform live instrumental music, including Hawaiian-Inspired Steel Guitar from Slowey & The Boats, Jazz Age Blues from Drew Nugent & The Midnight Society, Traditional Cuban Son by Conjunto Philadelphia.
Select Fridays throughout Festival of Fountains bring extra family fun during Longwood’s “Festive Friday” theme nights. During these special evenings, enjoy themed fountain performances, concessions, entertainment, and more. Plus, every festive Friday brings the rare opportunity to climb to the top of the Chimes Tower for a stunning view of Longwood’s 62-bell carillon and the surrounding landscape.
The next Festive Friday on June 30 will have the theme – “Make Some Noise” — where keyboards will be set up around the gardens for guests to play from 5-8 pm.
Paying homage to the City of Brotherly, “It’s a Philly Thing” on July 14 highlights Longwood’s own collaboration with Victory Brewing Company and live music from Polkadelphia. “To Infinity and Beyond” on August 4 is sure to be an evening of fun for both the young and the young at heart when performers from the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts takeover the Pumphouse Plaza from 6–8 pm.
And, on September 15, the “I’m a Believer” theme for Festive Friday brings family-friendly magic with The Give and Take Jugglers in the Pumphouse Plaza from 5:30–7:30 pm. Included with Gardens Admission, visit Longwoodgardens.org for more information.
As the season unfolds, flowering trees delightfully punctuate the landscape, radiant tulips stretch toward the sun, and the delicious fragrance of wisteria floats along the breeze.
Visitors can also enjoy special exhibits at the Orchid House.
Admission to Longwood Gardens is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and college students, $18 for active military and $13 for youth.
Historic Odessa (Main Street, Odessa, Delaware, 302-378-4119, www.historicodessa.org) is both a scenic and an historic site in Delaware.
The Historic Odessa Foundation is excited to be the northern Delaware venue for an exhibition of selected works by the beloved Delaware artist Jack Lewis (1912-2012). The exhibition entitled “Everyday Lives, Everyday People: The Work of Jack Lewis” is running now through July 2 in the Historic Odessa Visitors Center Art Gallery.
The selection of paintings by Jack Lewis comes from the Nancy and Russell Suniewick Collection on loan from the Rehoboth Art League. In 2021, the Suniewicks, long-time friends of Lewis, and the executive producers of “If You Lived Here, You Would Be Home Now: A Film About Jack Lewis and Bridgeville, DE,” donated an outstanding collection of 52 paintings and various documents of the late artist to the Rehoboth Art League.
The works from the Nancy and Russell Suniewick Collection date from the 1930s to 1980s, and include portraits, domestic and foreign scenes, and an important early self-portrait.
Odessa is one of Delaware’s most historic sites.
Known in the 18th-century as Cantwell’s Bridge, Odessa played a vital role in commercial life along the Delaware River as a busy grain shipping port.
Today, visitors can stroll along tree-lined streets and admire examples of 18th- and 19th-century architecture in one of the best-preserved towns in Delaware. They can also tour a remarkable collection of antiques and Americana preserved in period room settings and quaint exhibits.
Historic Odessa is open to the public from March through December, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The site is also open Monday by reservation. General Admission: Adults, $10; Groups, Seniors, Students, $8; and Children under six are free.
Nemours Estate (1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware, nemoursestate.org) has come alive with its magnificent gardens.
Originally constructed in 1910, Nemours Mansion is one of Delaware’s grandest buildings and includes the largest formal French garden in North America.
Nemours Estate comprises an exquisite, 77-room Mansion, the largest formal French gardens in North America, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows and lawns.
Nemours was the estate of Alfred I. duPont. Alfred Irénée du Pont was an American industrialist, financier, philanthropist and a member of the influential Du Pont family.
He named the estate Nemours, after the French town that his great-great-grandfather represented in the French Estates General. While looking to the past and his ancestors for inspiration, duPont also ensured that his new home was thoroughly modern by incorporating the latest technology and many of his own inventions.
The Gardens are one of the estate’s prime attractions.
The two elk at the top of the Vista are the work of French sculptor Prosper Lecourtier (1855–1924), a specialist in animal figures. Lined with Japanese cryptomeria, pink flowering horse chestnuts and pin oaks, the Long Walk extends from the Mansion to the Reflecting Pool.
The 157 jets at the center of the one-acre pool shoot water 12 feet into the air; when they are turned off, the entire “Long Walk” is reflected in the pool. The pool, five and a half feet deep in its deepest section, holds 800,000 gallons of water and takes three days to fill. The Art Nouveau-style, classical mythology-based “Four Seasons” around the pool are by French-born American sculptor Henri Crenier (1873–1948).
The entrance is located on the campus of Nemours Children’s Health, follow signs for Nemours Estate.
Admission to Nemours is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for children.
The Delaware Art Museum (2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware, delart.org) currently is featuring three exhibitions.
“Our Red Planet: Anna Bogatin Ott” is running now through July 16.
Ukrainian-born abstract painter, sculptor, and digital artist Anna Bogatin Ott captures the sublime in nature and the complexity of human existence. This exhibition showcases her most recent work, informed by NASA images from Mars and her meditations on the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
“My Life, My Voice: Occupying Spaces (La vida de uno y el lugar que ocupamos)” is running now through September 24.
Cesar Viveros is transforming DelArt’s Orientation Hall with a painted mural and a series of seven screen prints, commissioned by the Museum to accompany the exhibition Estampas de la Raza: Contemporary Prints from the Romo Collection. Born in Mexico, Viveros is a renowned muralist, painter, screen-printer, clay and papier-mâché sculptor in the Philadelphia area, and a leader in the region’s Latino community and art world.
Viveros’ mural represents a bodega or tienda de la esquina—a typical corner store which serves as a daily point of encounter in Latino neighborhoods. His posters are based on conversations with members of the Hispanic American Association of Delaware and Los Abuelos, a senior group from the Latin American Community Center.
“Revision: David Meyer” is also running now through September 24.
Sculptor David Meyer uses various materials—flour, dirt, steel, or glass—to form objects that elevate our senses. For this large-scale installation, Meyer creates shapes derived from distorted photographic images. It is the moment of recognition that Meyer elicits in his sculptures.
Admission to the Delaware Museum of Art is $14 for adults, $7 for college students and $6 for youth.
Hagley Museum and Library (Route 141, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org), a 230-acre historical village on the site of the original du Pont Company gunpowder mills in northern Delaware, has opened a new attraction – “Nation of Inventors.”
“Nation of Inventors” celebrates the American spirit of ingenuity by taking visitors on a journey from the early years of the patent system, in the 1790s, through the “golden age” of American invention, in the late 1800s. The exhibit features more than 120 patent models from Hagley’s unique collection highlighting the diverse stories of inventors from all walks of life.
Patent models are scaled representations of inventions and were part of the patent application process for nearly 100 years. “Nation of Inventors” showcases patent models representing innovations in a variety of industries from transportation and manufacturing to food preservation and medical devices.
In the exhibition, visitors will enjoy engaging experiences around every corner, testing their knowledge of innovation and hearing personal accounts from inventors.
The patent models in “Nation of Inventors” were created between 1833 and 1886. “Nation of Inventors” not only features patent models submitted by inventors from the United States, but also models from inventors in England, France, Ireland, Russia, and Spain, demonstrating an international interest in America’s intellectual property system.
“Nation of Inventors” includes patent models from well-known inventors and companies like Ball (Mason Jars), Jim Beam, Bissell, Corliss, Steinway, and Westinghouse. The exhibit presents important topics and timely themes including women inventors, Black inventors, immigrant inventors, improvements in urban living, and the ways Americans learn about and understand progress and change.
“Nation of Inventors” is located on the first two floors of Hagley’s Visitor Center. Visitors can plan to spend about 30 minutes on their self-guided tour of the exhibition.
Admission to Hagley Museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students and $6 for children (ages 6-14).
A sweet place to enjoy flowers in bloom is Tyler Arboretum (515 Painter Road, Media, 610-566-9134, www.tylerarboretum.org).
The arboretum’s schedule for this weekend features the “Bluebird Nesting Box Tour” at 1 p.m. on June 11.
For more than 50 years, volunteers at Tyler Arboretum have been monitoring the nesting activities of the Eastern Bluebird. This is a family-friendly tour to share this tradition.
Admission to Tyler Arboretum is $18 for adults (ages 18-64), $15 for Seniors (65+) and $10 for children (ages 3-17) and Military with valid ID.
There are many other sites where nature’s spring glory is on display.
Chanticleer (786 Church Street, Wayne, www.chanticleergarden.org), which just opened its 2023 season, is one of them.
The Chanticleer estate dates from the early 20th-century, when land along the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was developed for summer homes to escape the heat of Philadelphia. Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife Christine chose the Wayne-St. David’s area to build their country retreat. The family’s pharmaceutical firm eventually became part of Merck & Company in the 1920s.
The garden has evolved greatly since the death of the owner in 1990. As the home of the Rosengartens, Chanticleer was beautiful and green with impressive trees and lawns. Most of the floral and garden development you see today has occurred since 1990 — designed by Chanticleer staff and consultants.
There are seven horticulturists, each responsible for the design, planting, and maintenance of an area. The areas are continually evolving, each with its own feel, yet joined together as one complete unit.
The Teacup Garden and Chanticleer Terraces feature seasonal plants and bold-textured tropical and subtropical plants.
The Tennis Court, Ruin, Gravel Garden, and Pond Garden focus on hardy perennials, both woody and herbaceous.
Asian Woods and Bell’s Woodland are shady areas. The Serpentine celebrates the beauty of agricultural crops.
Admission to Chanticleer is $12 for adults and free for pre-teen children (12 years and under).
Andalusia Historic House, Gardens and Arboretum (1237 State Road, Andalusia, www.andalusia house.org) opened its gates for the 2023 season at the beginning of April.
Located on a wooded promontory overlooking the Delaware River, Andalusia has been a stately presence on this stretch of water, just north of Philadelphia, for more than 200 years. The ancestral home of the Biddle family, Andalusia is also a natural paradise of native woodlands and spectacular gardens that have evolved over time.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966, the Big House is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States.
Its surrounding gardens delight the senses all through the year, from the tumbling, brightly colored leaves of fall to the floral extravaganza of spring and the abundance and scent of summer.
Self-Guided Garden Tours will be available Mondays through Wednesdays from April 4-November 2 (excluding holidays) at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. Picnics are allowed on the grounds (with have a “carry-in, carry-out” policy).
Access to the Big House is not included with this tour, which is $20 per person. There is no charge for children 12 and under.
Big House Tours with Garden Access will be available Mondays through Wednesdays from April 4-November 2 (excluding holidays) at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person. There is no charge for children 12 and under.
Wonderspaces at the Fashion District (27 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.wonderspaces.com) is an experiential, interactive arts venue.
Building on the success of annual pop-up shows in San Diego, and its first permanent location in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wonderspaces opened a 24,000 square foot gallery space in Philly a year ago.
Wonderspaces features 14 art installations that all play with the idea of perspective. The artwork ranges from award-winning virtual reality short film about a dinner party-turned-alien abduction, to a room where visitors digitally paint the walls with the movement of their bodies.
New artworks are rotated in every few months, creating an ever-evolving, year-round show.
Tickets are for entry at a specific date and time. Visitors are welcome to stay as long as they please during operating hours. The average time spent experiencing the show is 90 minutes.
A few installations contain flashing lights, images, and patterns that may trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. All visitors must sign a waiver prior to being admitted into the space. Adult supervision is required for visitors under 16.
