Mt. Airy Porchfest, Mexican Independence Day Festival, ‘Shared Vision: Portraits’ and more in this week’s ‘Things To Do’

This weekend, New Hope will conclude its First Friday Summer Series with a block party and fireworks display. In Delaware, veteran journalist Don Lemon will be at the Wilmington Public Library to discuss his second book, “I Once Was Lost.” Festivals all over the city include Chestnut Hill’s Fall For the Arts, Vetfest and Mexican Independence Day. Mt. Airy’s Porch Fest is also among many highlighting local musicians. The Wailers are heading to South Jersey, and so is the legendary Tom Jones, who is making a stop in Atlantic City on his current U.S. tour.

New Jersey | Delaware | Special Events | Arts & Culture | Food & Drink | Outdoors | Music

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New Jersey

Tom Jones

• Where: Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J.
• When: 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15
• How much: $129 and up

Tom Jones, the Welsh icon who found a new fanbase as a judge on “The Voice UK,” is heading to South Jersey on his U.S. tour. Jones, now 84, has shown off his still impressive chops doing “impromptu” duets with a bevy of co-hosts, including LeAnn Rimes and Jennifer Hudson. He’s sure to sing standards like “She’s a Lady,” “What’s New Pussycat” and “It’s So Unusual,” along with more recent fare from his 40 studio albums.

The Wailers

• Where: Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, N.J.
• When: 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13
• How much: $39.50 – $59.50

Bob Marley was indisputably a “legend” (also the title of his top-selling compilation album released posthumously). But without The Wailers, he may have never achieved that status. They continued touring after his untimely death in 1981, developing their own devoted fan base along the way. Most recently, they’ve collaborated with several of Bob’s children and dancehall artists Shaggy and Farruko. Their current album,“Evolution,” was produced by Emilio Esteban Jr. of Miami Sound Machine fame. The Wailers check into South Jersey this weekend.

Delaware

Book Talk With Don Lemon

• Where: Wilmington Public Library, 10 E. 10th St., Wilmington, Delaware
• When: 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13
• How much: Free

Veteran journalist Don Lemon has rebounded after his 17-year career with CNN, developing his own YouTube channel and writing his second book. He’ll be discussing “I Once Was Lost” at a book tour stop in Delaware. The book is his meditation on faith and how he came to embrace it while struggling to reconcile religion with his identity as a gay man.

Special Events

Free Speech: Our Right, Our Responsibility

• Where: National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.
• When: Opening Friday, Sept. 13.; museum hours are Thursday – Monday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• How much: $6 – $12; free for children under 5

Free speech is a cornerstone of our democracy, even as we find ourselves often struggling to define what it means. The National Liberty Museum explores the origins of free speech and its applications today in a year-long series. “Free Speech: Our Right, Our Responsibility,” the first of three exhibits, opens Friday with a schedule of special related events to come.

New Hope Summer Series and Fireworks Show

• Where: Stockton Ave. between Bridge and Ferry Streets, New Hope, Pa.
• When: Friday, Sept. 13, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• How much: Free, pay as you go

The final First Friday for New Hope’s Summer Series is here. The seasonal block party includes music, vendors, food and the all-important cocktail garden, concluding with a fireworks display.

Vetfest 2024

• Where: Greencastle, 400 Chesterfield Pkwy, Malvern, Pa.
• When: Saturday, Sept. 14, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• How much: Free

Vetfest 2024 focuses on veterans by not just providing a place for them to gather, but to amplify their businesses. The annual festival includes food trucks, breweries and vendors, all of which have a veteran connection. Performers from Operation Encore, an organization of musicians who’ve served, and community organizations geared to veterans will also be onsite.

Mt. Airy Porchfest

• Where: Multiple locations, from Cresheim Valley to Johnson Street and from Wissahickon Avenue to Stenton Avenue
• When: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14
• How much: Free

Mt. Airy will have its porch fest this weekend for the third straight year. Local musicians partner with residents who provide a porch (and outlets and bathroom access) to perform their shows. The boundaries for the fest are Cresheim Valley to Johnson Street and Wissahickon to Stenton avenues.

Chestnut Hill Fall for the Arts Festival

• Where: 8000 – 8600 Germantown Ave.
• When: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15
• How much: Free, pay as you go

Chestnut Hill’s seasonal showcase takes up several blocks of temporarily car-free Germantown Avenue with an array of food, apparel, art, jewelry and other vendors. If you attended the summertime event, you know that retailers and restaurants along the avenue also sometimes offer specials and discounts. Live music will be part of the experience, which is pet- and kid-friendly.

Mexican Independence Day Festival

• Where: Independence Blue Cross RiverRink, 101 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
• When: 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15
• How much: Free

Celebrate Mexican culture, food and music at the Mexican Independence Day Festival, one of several annual cultural festivals that have previously taken place at Penn’s Landing. The event will move to the new park being built across I-95 when construction is complete. Until then, the festival has relocated to the skating rink. It includes the “Grito de Independencia” ceremony, commemorating the start of the Mexican independence movement in 1910. An afterparty at Cherry Street Pier will take place 6-8 p.m.

FallFest 2024

• Where: Shady Brook Farm, 931 Stony Hill Rd., Yardley, Pa.
• When: Friday, Sept. 13 – Wednesday, Oct. 30
• How much: $15 – $65

Once relegated to Charlie Brown specials and pie, pumpkins have become a symbol of the season. At Shady Brook Farms’ FallFest 2024, you can pick pumpkins and apples for your pies or decor, explore the hay maze, take a wagon ride or upgrade your Instagram feed in the sunflower field.

Devon Fall Classic

• Where: Devon Horse Show Grounds, 23 Dorset Road, Devon, Pa.
• When: Thursday, Sept. 12 – 15; gates open 8 a.m. each day
• How much: $8 – $375

The Devon Fall Classic, now in its 11th year, is the autumn version of the venerated annual horse show, with four days of equine competition. Though it’s more lowkey than the spring show, there’s a $25,000 purse for the grand prix competition and more than 30 vendors. The midway includes games and rides for the kids, and a wine garden should entice the 21-and-up crowd.

Arts & Culture

Poor Judge

• Where: The Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St.
• When: Through Tuesday, Sept. 22
• How much: $15 – $20

Take Aimee Mann, the enigmatic singer/songwriter and one-time ‘Til Tuesday frontwoman known for searing songs like “Voices Carry.” Combine that with the imagination of Pig Iron co-founder and artistic director Dito van Reigersberg and a troupe of actor/musicians and you have the elements of “Poor Judge,” billed as a “mixtape” of Mann’s catalog. Read WHYY’s Peter Crimmins’ interview with van Reigersberg here.

POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass There Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive

• Where: Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2nd St.
• When: Thursday, Sept. 12 – Sunday, Oct. 13
• How much: $32 – $52

“POTUS” will be settling into the Arden Theatre starting this week, but Joe Biden’s not coming. It’s the title of the satiric play that was described as “9-5” meets “Veep.” When seven women who work with the president have to get him out of a jam of his own making, comedic hijinks begin.

Alabama Story

• Where: Old Academy Players, 3544 Indian Queen Lane
• When: Friday, Sept. 13, Sunday, Sept. 29
• How much: $25

Amid the rise in book bans comes Alabama Story, which centers on the conflict that ensues over a children’s book about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit. Set in Montgomery in 1959 during the height of the burgeoning civil rights movement, the play is loosely based on a true story.

Lombardi

• Where: Stagecrafters Theater, 8130 Germantown Ave.
• When: Friday, Sept. 13 – Sunday, Sept. 29
• How much: $15 – $26

Famed football coach Vince Lombardi left his mark on the NFL with his success primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He had such an impact on the sport that the Super Bowl championship trophy is named after him. In “Lombardi”, his story is told with some fictional embellishment through the lens of a sportswriter trying to get some more insight into the legendary coach for an in-depth story.

18th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival

• Where: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St.
• When: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 and Sunday, Sept. 15
• How much: Free

A West Philadelphia tradition, the 18th Annual Black Women’s Art Festival features two days of performances by female artists including dancers, singers, poets, filmmakers and fine artists. Vendors will be on hand to share their work in various disciples as well.

Shared Vision: Portraits

• Where: African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch St.
• When: Saturday, Sept. 14 – Sunday, March 2; open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday
• How much: $10 – $14

Emmy-nominated actress CCH Pounder-Koné travels to Philly to open her exhibit “Shared Vision: Portraits,” curated from her collection of over 700 pieces of art dedicated to work from across the African diaspora. She’ll discuss it at a special opening event at 3 p.m. on Saturday, the exhibit’s opening day.

Root 2 Fruit Festival

• Where: One Art Community Center, 14-39 N. 52nd St.
• When: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14
• How much: Free

Tucked between storefronts on 52nd Street is the One Art Community Center, which offers a respite from the city grind. This Saturday, it opens its doors for the Root 2 Fruit Festival, a wellness event. Among the day’s offerings are free massages, live performances, mini-wellness sessions including reiki, meditation and yoga, and live music and dance performances.

Market of the Macabre

• Where: Laurel Hill Cemetery East, 3822 Ridge Ave.
• When: Noon – 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14
• How much: $5 in advance, $10 at the door

If you’re looking for a gift for someone who appreciates oddities and bizarre artifacts, you’ve found the right place in the Market of the Macabre, held at a cemetery, no less. More than 80 local and regional vendors will be on hand to showcase their wares, which include jewelry, apparel and antiques.

Brightness in Black

• Where: Kimmel Center, 300 S Broad St.
• When: Noon – 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14
• How much: Free

StoryCorps wants African Americans to tell their stories. Their Brightness In Black initiative is hosting an event to encourage them to do so. WHYY’s own Cherri Gregg is the host and artists Chill Moody, Kai Davis and Seraiah Nicole will perform. A panel, “The Brighter Side of Black” with author/scholar/Uncle Bobbie’s owner Marc Lamont Hill, filmmaker Jos Duncan Asé, Harriet’s Bookshop owner Jeannine Cook and Gregory Walker of The Brothers’ Network, will anchor the event.

Bala Avenue Art Walk

• Where: Bala Ave. between Montgomery Ave. and Cynwyd Road
• When: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15
• How much: Free, pay as you go

More than 30 craft vendors will be at the Bala Avenue Art Walk to boost awareness about the area and bring neighbors together. Food trucks, pop-up art galleries and interactive art demonstrations are planned along with live music performances.

Food/Drink

Night markets

• Where: Navy Yard (Crescent Park)  Xfinity Live!
• When: 4 – 8 p.m. and 5 – 9 p.m.Thursday, Sept. 12
• How much: Free, pay as you go

Night markets started in Asia but have been adopted by the rest of the world as a way to share food and embrace community. On Thursday night, there are two markets happening relatively close to each other. The Navy Yard’s Night Festival includes food trucks, games and music. At Xfinity Live!, expect pretty much the same thing, but with more vendors and kid’s activities at its inaugural Night Market. Dogs are welcome as long as they’re well-behaved and leashed.

Vendemmia Wine Festival

• Where: Girard Park, 2101 W. Shunk St.
• When: 2 – 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14
• How much: Single ticket $50, table for 10, $500

South Philly’s Vendemmia Wine Festival is an annual tradition that celebrates the food and wine culture of the area’s Italian residents. As local and regional winemakers compete for the top prize, attendees enjoy the variety of red and white wine entries. It’s a bring-your-own food fest, with ticket proceeds funding up to 20 annual scholarships for students on their way to high school and college.

Dine Latino Restaurant Week

• Where: Multiple venues
• When: Sunday, Sept. 15 – Saturday, Sept. 21
• How much: Various prices

Just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month starting on Sunday, participating Latin-owned restaurants kick off Dine Latino Restaurant Week. The purchase of two entrees comes with one free dessert or appetizer throughout the week.

Outdoors

Philly Fall Nature Fest

• Where: John Heinz Nature Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd.
• When: Saturday, Sept. 14, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• How much: Free

Celebrate the changing of the seasons at the Philly Fall Nature Fest. The event includes fishing, birding, guided nature walks, food, music and a meet-and-greet with live animals from the Philadelphia Metro Wildlife Center and the Elmwood Park Zoo.

Music

An Evening with PJ Harvey

• Where: The Met Philadelphia, 858 N. Broad St.
• When: Friday, Sept. 13, 8 p.m.
• How much: $64 and up

British singer/songwriter PJ Harvey promises an enchanted evening of music at the Philly stop on her 2024 tour. She’s in the U.S. through October when it concludes in Los Angeles. Harvey’s most recent release “I Inside the Old Year Dying” came out in 2023.

Ladies R&B Kickback Concert

• Where: Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.
• When: 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13
• How much: $75 and up

Tell me what you want … a nice night out with some stalwarts of ‘90s R&B. At the Ladies R&B Kickback Concert, Dru Hill, Shai, Case, Ginuwine and more are bringing their power vocals, dance moves and a catalog of hits that include songs that made the ‘90s so memorable, including Dru Hill’s “Beauty,” Case’s “Touch Me, Tease Me,” Ginuwine’s “Pony” and Shai, “If I Ever Fall In Love.” Ladies, enjoy!

Twenty One Pilots: The Clancy World Tour

• Where: Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St.
• When: 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14
• How much: $79 and up

Twenty One Pilots heads to Philly in support of their latest project, “Clancy,” the final concept album in a series. The alt-rock duo formed as a band in Columbus, Ohio, but survived the departure of two members. Their seventh and latest visual album is one of multiple they’ve recorded in the last decade with interconnecting themes.