Sunday Special - Historic Philadelphia Opens for 29th Season on May 22

        

PHILADELPHIA, May 1, 2014 – Summer is just around the corner, bringing Historic Philadelphia, Inc.’s 20^th Anniversary Season to life with fun activities for the whole family from Memorial Day Weekend and through Labor Day, and beyond.  It’s all part of the immersive living history programs that Historic Philadelphia, Inc. (HPI) produces each year. New highlights for 2014 include the Colonial for a Day costume rental program for kids and a Colonial drinking tour with Benjamin Franklin.  Returning favorites include a daily flag-raising with Betsy Ross, the award-winning Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches where guests hear our nation’s history right where it happened, continuing one-of-a-kind walking tours, and showings of the Liberty 360 3D Show.

 Highlights of the season will include the following:

May 

·        Thursday, May 15: An Evening in Franklin Square presented by Parx Casino – A magic night of fun, dancing, and fundraising in Philadelphia’s prettiest setting (tickets required).
·        Thursday, May 22: Tippler’s Tour begins for the season – Past and present meet on Historic Philadelphia, Inc.’s weekly authentic Colonial pub crawl, featuring four different seasonal offerings.  Visitors join a Colonial host to hear stories and drinking traditions with fun and lighthearted songs and toasts of the era.  With drinks and snacks at each of three modern day watering holes and one historic tavern, the “tippler” guide shares some of Benjamin Franklin’s most fun phrases for someone who is drunk, including “nimptopsical” and “tipsicum grave.”  Hear tales about how taverns were used as recruiting stations (getting people inebriated sometimes helped convince them) and how news of the day was discussed in the taverns.  
·        Friday, May 23: Independence After Hours Tour begins for the season – an evening walking tour visiting some of the landmarks of Philadelphia’s Historic District and immersing the visitor with Colonial characters who bring history to life right in the place where it happened, with dinner at City Tavern and a visit inside Independence Hall at night. 
·        Saturday, May 24: Opening Day of Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches – ten one-of-a-kind award-winning Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches are scattered all over Philadelphia’s Historic District, telling riveting stories of our nation’s history in the places where they actually happened.

June

·       June 8-14: Betsy Ross House Flag Day Festival – Flag Festival 2014 kicks-off at the start of National Flag Week on June 8 and continues through Stars & Stripes Saturday on June 14.  Festivities begin with Betsy raising the flag over the House, continues with a daylong scavenger hunt for kids, and concludes with a flag retirement ceremony.  Other highlights of the week include visits from Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, crafts for kids, a flag retirement ceremony, and the chance for young visitors to drill with the Continental Army.  The celebration culminates on Flag Day, Saturday, June 14 with a day full of family-friendly entertainment and activity in the House’s courtyard. The seventh annual Stars & Stripes

Saturday is the highlight of the new Stripes & Stars Festival, a celebration of both Flag Day and the birthday of the U.S. Army, which features events on Independence Mall, at the National Constitution Center, and the Betsy Ross House.

July

·        July 4^th Weekend (July 3-5): Historic Philadelphia is the place to be to celebrate the Declaration of Independence and all aspects of our country’s birth.
·        Thursday, July 31: Franklin Square’s 8^th Birthday Party – wish the Square happy birthday with cake and Ben Franklin himself.

September

• Monday, September 1, Labor Day: Last chance to see the Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches in Historic Philadelphia, along with an assortment of free programs that end for the season such as the Military Muster and Declaration Readings.

October

• Fall in Franklin Square – fall is always a special time in Franklin Square, with corn stalk and pumpkin decorations and the popular Pumpkin Patch and Trick or Treat Trail events. Also Spooky Mini Golf is more seasonal family fun in Franklin Square, Fridays and Saturdays from October 3 – 31.

November – December

·        Thursday, November 13 – Wednesday, December 31: Franklin Square’s Electrical Spectacle – a nightly, holiday light show, and other events which include Visits with Santa and conclude with the very popular Kids’ New Year’s Eve Countdown (December 31) with a Square Drop and a view of the 6 pm fireworks over the Delaware River.

 

We  will be featuring more about Historic Philadelphia in future posts.

Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.