Also, Valley Day, Swingin’ Summer, Symphony at Longwood and more
By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times
The Chester County Old Fiddlers’ Picnic on Aug. 9 is celebrating its 86th anniversary.
When it comes to longevity, there are few annual events in the area that come even close to the Chester County Old Fiddlers’ Picnic (Hibernia County Park, off Route 340, Wagontown, 610-383-2812, http://dsf.chesco.org/ccparks).
The 2014 edition of the event is scheduled for August 9 and there still might be a few participants who have been around longer than the event. This year, the Picnic is celebrating its 86th anniversary. The festival will run from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Hibernia County Park on Saturday with Open Stage registration beginning at 9:15 a.m.
Remington Riders, the Old Fiddlers House Band, will kick things off with a performance from 10-11 a.m. After the house band’s set, a constantly changing lineup of individuals and groups will take the stage and perform for the audience. Solo acts are allotted 10 minutes on stage while groups get as much as 20 minutes to perform.
The primary source of live entertainment will be the sounds emanating from the stage but there will also be plenty of other musical offerings throughout the park — especially Fiddlers’ Field. In the wooded areas near the stage, there will be impromptu jams taking place throughout the day. Musicians of all ages are invited to stroll along the lane and join in with other musicians to make fresh, live music of their own.
The festival features a full slate of fun activities including square dancing, country line dancing, wagon rides and kids’ activities. Guided tours of Hibernia Mansion, the 19th century Ironmasters’ home will be available at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. A donation of $3 per person is requested for the tour.
There will also be a large number of vendors with crafts, beverages and food items such as BBQ, sandwiches, ice cream, fries, funnel cakes, smoothies and more. Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged. Tents, canopies and alcohol are prohibited. There will be free admission but parking is $5 per car.
More outdoor music can be found for a few more weeks at the Shipyard Summer Concert Series (Dravo Plaza, Justison Street, Wilmington Riverfront, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-425-4890,www.riverfrontwilm.com).
This free concert series is held on Thursday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m. under the colored cranes at Dravo Plaza which is located on Justison Street next to the Shipyard Shops.
On August 14, visitors will be treated to a concert of Latin Jazz, Salsa and latin Swing by the Karen Rodriguez Latin Jazz Ensemble. On August 21, it will be time for reggae music performed by Jah Works.
The 2014 season finale is scheduled for August 28. Music that night will be provided by the Barbone Street Jazz Band, a regional band that has developed a strong following for its presentation of New Orleans jazz and Dixieland music.
When certain things get paired together, the result is unbeatable combination — things like fresh ripe peaches and homemade vanilla ice cream or a beautiful hiking trail and a fresh, crisp autumn day.
The Kennett Symphony of Chester County will present a show titled “Symphony Under the Stars” at 7 p.m. at Longwood Gardens’ Open Air Theatre on Aug. 9.
Whenever the Kennett Symphony of Chester County and Longwood Gardens team up to present an event, it’s one of those special things. When the KSCC performs a classical music concert under a starry sky at the scenic garden site, it is definitely one of the unbeatable combinations that make life better.
On August 9, the Kennett Symphony of Chester County will present a show titled “Symphony Under the Stars” at 7 p.m. at Longwood Gardens’ Open Air Theatre in Kennett Square (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.kennettsymphony.org).
The program will showcase compositions by six well-known composers — Rossini, Holst, Mozart, Puccini, Herbert and Beethoven — and be under the baton of Guest Conductor Markand Thakar, who is the Music Director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. It will feature Soprano Stephanie Scogna, who is the 2013 KSCC Vocal Competition Winner.
Gioachino Rossini’s “Italian in Algiers Overture” or “L’italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers)” is an opera in two acts that premiered in Venice in 1813 that is characterized by lofty melodies and high energy.
Gustav Holst’s “Saint Paul Suite (Opus 29, No. 2) was written in 1912 as a composition for string orchestra. One of Holst’s most well-known pieces, the suite has four movements — Vivace, Presto, Andante con moto and Allegro.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ‘s “Exsultate Jubilate” is a religious solo motet that he wrote in Milan in 1772 when he was there for the production of his opera “Lucio Silla.” The piece, which requires a high level of vocal skill, has three parts — Allegro: Recitative, Andante and Allegro.
Giacomo Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro (“Oh My Beloved Father”)” is an aria for soprano from his opera “Gianni Schicchi” — a through-composed opera that is set in Florence, Italy. It was as first performed at the premiere of “Gianni Schicchi” at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1918.
Victor Herbert’s “Art is Calling for Me (I Want to Be a Prima Donna)” is one of the songs from Herbert’s operetta “The Enchantress.” The two-act operetta had its premiere at the New York Theatre in 1911.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 2 in D major (Op. 36)” was written in 1802 during the time when his deafness was beginning to kick into high gear. “Symphony No. 2” is a symphony in four movements that had its premiere in Vienna in 1803 — with Beethoven as the conductor.
The Longwood Gardens Open Air Theatre is completely open to the elements, and inclement weather is a possibility. For this performance, a rain date is scheduled for August 10 at the same time with the concert ticket stub permitting readmission to the gardens and the performance.
Tickets for the performance are $35 in advance and $40 at the door for adults and $5 for students. The tickets include all-day admission to the gardens, a post-concert illuminated fountain show and free parking.
“Swingin’ Summer” will be presented by the Downingtown Main Street Association on August 9 from 5-10 p.m. (Pocket Park, Wallace Avenue near Lancaster Avenue, 610-269-1523,www.downingtownmainstreet.com). The free family event is a street festival featuring food and craft vendors and live musical entertainment.
On August 9, it will be time for the 10th Annual Valley Day. The event, which is presented by Valley Township, will be held on the grounds of the Highlands Corporate Center (Airport Road, Valley Township, 610-384-5751, www.valleytownship.org). It features a wide array of family activities including petting zoo, rock climbing, a free health fair, face painting, displays of fire company equipment, mobile game station, pony rides and live entertainment.
The crazy weather this spring has delayed the peach crop but only by a few weeks. That means that it is time for peach festivals.
This weekend, free peach festivals are on the calendars of both Linvilla Orchards (137 W. Knowlton Road, Media, 610- 876-7116, www.linvilla.com) and Peddler’s Village (Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska , 215-794-4000 , www.peddlersvillage.com).
At Linvilla on August 9 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., “Jammin’ with Judi” will teach visitors how to make homemade jam and give them pointers about how to preserve fresh picked fruit. Judi will have samples and answers to visitors’ questions.
Other activities include live music performed by Makin’ Music, “Story Time” with David Elliot, “Scratch Art Activity,” a hula hoop contest and fruit monster bean toss. “The Voice” contest and appearances by a trio of costumed characters — Backpack Girl, Bouncing Tiger and Traveling Train.
Peddler’s Village’s 2014 Peach Festival, which will be held August 9 and 10, will feature a sidewalk art show as well as live music, a stilt walker and the always-entertaining pie-eating contests. As usual, there will be peaches served in all sorts of tasty variations.
Live music will be performed by Galena Brass Band, Rendition, Roni James, Daisy Jug Band, Cross Keys Connection and Lenny G & the Soulsenders on August 9 and by The Overtones, The Mango Men Band and Mike Brill.
There will be two special events this weekend at the Hans Herr House (1719 Hans Herr House, 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street, 717-464-4438, www.hansherr.org).
On August 9 from noon-2 p.m., the historic site in Lancaster County is presenting an event called “Native American Corn Husk Crafts.” This class is open to adults and children over 12. Tickets cost $25, and can be reserved by visiting hansherr.org or by calling (717) 464-4438.
Visitors to the 1719 Hans Herr House will be able to learn how to make traditional Native American items out of corn husks. Uhma Ruth Py from the Lenape tribe will teach students to make a corn husk doll, a traditional toy for Native children. Corn husks will also be used to fashion a bowl and mat.
Later the same day, the Hans Herr House is hosting a “Music in the Orchard” event. The concert, which runs from 6-8 p.m., will feature the music of the Ryan Kauffman Jazz Trio and Main Street Mystics. Kauffman is a veteran jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone, flue and soprano saxophone.
The Old Time Plow Boys Club present their annual “Old Time Plow Days” this weekend in Kutztown, featuring vintage farm equipment.
Another event which taps into Pennsylvania’s past will take place on August 9 and 10 when the Old Time Plow Boys Club presents its annual event known as “Old Time Plow Days” (Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, 22 Luckenbill Road, Kutztown, 610-683-6408, www.oldtimeplowboys.com).
The Club has many historical machines that it displays and operates so that visitors can see how farming and harvesting was done years ago. At this weekend’s event, the Club is featuring Farmall equipment.
This weekend’s event, which is the Old Time Plow Boys Club’s 25th Anniversary Show,
Features tractor pulls, a parade, wagon rides, children’s games and pedal pulls, homemade food and entertainment both days.
The festival part of the event on August 9 will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and then the Crazy Hearts Band will perform from 5-8 p.m. Sunday’s activities will start with the “Breakfast Drive” to the Airport Diner at 8 a.m. and then regular events will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Many of the outdoor festivals that are staged in this area during the summertime have a long history and an old-time vibe. Visitors are taken back in time — frequently to the time of their childhoods.
At trip to the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival (Henry Antes Plantation, Colonial Road, Upper Frederick Township, 215-234-8953, www.goschenhoppen.org) is a trip way back in time — back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Goschenhoppen Folk Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend, offering a trip back into traditional Pennsylvania Dutch food and crafts.
The popular annual festival, which is scheduled for August 8 and 9, is also a long-running event that is closing in on its 50th anniversary. The Goschenhoppen Historians presented the inaugural Goschenhoppen Folk Festival in East Greenville 49 years ago and it has steadily evolved into a cherished summer tradition in eastern Pennsylvania.
The 2013 Goschenhoppen Folk Festival, which has been honored as one of the premier noncommercial folk festivals in the country, will be staged on August 8 from noon-8 p.m. and August 9 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Henry Antes Plantation. Admission is a $12 donation for adults ($18 for a two-day pass) and a $3 donation for children (ages 6-15).
The festival, which is held each year in the oldest existing Pennsylvania German community in the United States, maintains a strictly traditional atmosphere. There are no amusement games or rides, no commemorative t-shirts or beer mugs, no modern snacks, no ATM machines and no Wi-Fi.
The theme for this weekend’s festival is “Am butze, immer am butze.” Translated from Pennsylvania German, it means “cleaning, always cleaning.”
The 2014 edition of the festival will feature over 400 craftsmen presenting live demonstrations of more than 150 skills of the 18th and 19th centuries. Dressed in authentic costumes of the periods (many of which are loaned from the Historians’ extensive wardrobe), the participating artisans use authentic tools in recreating traditional home skills, trades, pastimes, foods and folk music. The Historians also display the area’s largest collection of traditional foods, crafts, trades, music and folk itinerants.
Old-fashioned foods and Pennsylvania Dutch meals are available for purchase at the festival — everything from full dinners to chow-chow and from red-beet eggs to faschnachts (doughnuts served with molasses). The list of tasty beverages for sale includes raspberry shrub, lemonade and birch beer.
Also on August 9 and 10, the Academy of Natural Sciences (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 215- 299-1000, www.ansp.org) is presenting an event that is definitely not on the bucket list of anyone with entomophobia.
It goes without saying that the Academy’s Seventh Annual “Bug Fest” would bring more pain than pleasure to those affected by entomophobia, which is the fear of insects.
The theme of this year’s event is “Beauty and the Bug” with a focus on how insects have inspired works of art and culture. Visitors will discover how insects with their intricate coloring and unique adaptations are works of art on their own.
More than 300 live insects representing 60 different species will be on display along with a large and impressive sampling of specimens from the Academy’s world-renowned Entomology Collection — a collection that features more than four million insects.
Paint-dipped roaches, maggots and wax worms will demonstrate their master of art talents by moving across paper in their distinctive insect ways to create unique watercolors.
Visitor in the mood for a snack and willing to be adventurous will be introduced to a variety of tasty and unusual food items when Chef Lucio Palazzo of Taqueria Feliz in Philadelphia and other chefs demonstrate how to make tasty treats with bugs as ingredients. One of the always-popular samples is the chocolate chirp cookie which is made with baked-in crickets.
Some insects do bad things. There are those who spread diseases such as West Nile Virus. And, some insects — like the emerald ash borer — damage plants. Entomologists from the Academy and the American Entomological Society will be on hand to answer questions about these topics and also to give walking tours outside the museum in search of bugs.
“Bug Fest,” which is free with museum admission, will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days. Museum admission is $15.95 for adults and $13.95 for children (ages 3-12).
If you’re looking for something very different to add to your weekend activities, consider the “Full Moon Tour” at the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania (465
Speedwell Forge Road, Lititz, 717-626-4617, http://wolfsanctuarypa.org).
The Sanctuary offers this tour once a month on the closest Saturday to the full moon. This month, the date is August 9 and the full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon. This is an event in which participants are invited to create their own experiences.
Instead of following a tour guide from pack to pack at a regulated pace that fits within a 45-minute time line, you get to go at your own pace from pack to pack talking to a tour guide who is stationed at each pack. You can listen to what they have to say about the wolves when stopping at a station or you can ask questions.
With this tour, you move at your own pace. If you get tired, you can go over and sit next to a roaring bond fire (weather permitting) and just relax. Visitors are requested to bring a blanket, a flashlight, a chair and maybe some hot dogs and marshmallows. The tour starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and no reservations are required.
The annual New Hope Car Show(New Hope-Solebury High School, Bridge Street, New Hope, 215-862-5665, www.newhopeautoshow.com) is really two separate automobile shows. So, if you want to see all of the cars, you’ll need to come both days this weekend because there is a different show each day. This year’s show celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang.
The show, which is being held August 9 and 10, features a different lineup of automobile categories on display each day. Both days will feature “Senior Cars”, all of which were national prize winners from 1985 on back.
The line-up for August 9 includes seven classes of domestic makes classified by decade from the “Cars of the Twenties to the “Cars of the Eighties.” Some of the other featured categories are antique trucks, high performance production cars, professional specialty cars, antique autos, fire engines, vintage racing cars and Woodies.
Sunday’s lineup features antique motorcycles, foreign exotic cars (Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pantera, Maserati, DeTomaso), classic cars recognized by the Classic Car Club of America, historically preserved originals, foreign racing cars and production models (through 1985) of Chrysler, Plymouth, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and all makes and models of General Motors.
Because the show is conducted on school grounds, consumption of alcoholic beverages and the use of tobacco products in any form are strictly prohibited at all times.
