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Events
For most people, fishing can be a fun pastime, potential bonding activity and a nice getaway from your everyday life. For Mark Sabaj Perez, the thrill of finding a fish is worth flying halfway around the world. The Drexel scientist has made it his job to seek out strange fish, and he has a special thing for catfish — you know, those hideous bottom dwellers that look like moldy sandpaper with eyes. His most recent adventure brought him to the far reaches of Mongolia, where he and his team of scientists faced hailstorms, faulty transportation and icy rivers in search of the rare Amur catfish. Aside from his fishy discoveries, Perez brought back many a tale about the highs and lows of foreign fieldwork. Whether you call yourself an ichthyologist or you're just now realizing that that big word probably means “fish scientist,” Perez's lecture is sure to be a perfect blend of entertainment and education.
Tonight, 6 p.m., free, National Mechanics, 22 S. Third St., 215-701-4883, ansp.org.
Spring is one of the best seasons to enjoy the outdoors with your four-legged best friend. In addition to the usual park visits and river runs, consider these upcoming events where you can give back a little of the slobbery love your furry pal has given you.
The 15th annual Fur Ball, sponsored by The Morris Animal Refuge, will be held at the Arts Ballroom this year, and will feature a five-hour open bar, hors d’oeuvres, carving station, DJ and jazz trio. All proceeds from ticket sales, silent auction and raffle prizes directly benefit the Morris Animal Refuge and their mission to raise awareness for abandoned pets.
Sat., March 31, 7 p.m., $99–$139, Arts Ballroom, 1324 Locust St., 215-554-6808, phillyfurball.com, morrisanimalrefuge.org.
So what if you love football and spooning with your dog? Support the PSPCA Humane Law Enforcement Division while attending a Philadelphia Soul game. Choose from nine charity games at the Wells Fargo Center and your ticket will include upgraded seats, autographs and a pass to meet and greet with the players.
Select dates April 1–July 22, $35, Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St., 215-336-3600, wellsfargocenterphilly.org, philadelphiasoul.com.
Not only do our pets love us unconditionally, they also keep us in shape. Get active with your pet at the 10th annual 5k Red Cross Walk and Run to Save Lives. The event raises money for disaster victims and participants are encouraged to bring their dog along.
Walk and Run: Sat., April 21, 7 a.m., Red Cross Walk and Run, Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, 4231 N. Concourse Drive, 215-405-8888, redcrosswalkandrun.org.
The following day, test your frisbee skills at Pawsome Doubles, the disc golf tournament to benefit the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
Pawsome Doubles: Sun., April 22, 1 p.m., Sedgley Woods Disc Golf Course, 33rd and Oxford streets, 215-238-9901, phillypaws.org.
(courtney.sexton@citypaper.net) (@NoRelation2Anne)
The 1920s-themed Mütter Ball is a must for everyone who has ever thanked their lucky stars for electroshock therapy. Differing from previous years’ Victorian and 1970s themes, the fourth annual Ball celebrates medical advances made in the 1920s, such as the birth of radiology and the evolution of the X-ray. The festivities, besides a bar stocked with era-appropriate drinks, include a guided tour around the medical marvels of the Mütter. Following dinner and a password-protected speakeasy is the Cat’s Meow Dance Party, featuring a performance by Jill Tracy, an offbeat musician who shares the Museum's fascination with the abnormal. The only tickets still available are for the Dance Party, so haste is recommended.
Sat., March 31, 8:30 p.m., $85-$150, Mütter Museum, 19 S. 22nd St., 215-399-2336, mutterball.com.
(abigail@citypaper.net)
Photo by Michael Garlington
You probably remember her best from the ’90s, but since her days as a fashion-challenged teen on Blossom, Mayim Bialik has bloomed in every way possible. This weekend, the PhD-wielding author and mother of two will be the keynote speaker at the National Museum of American Jewish History’s celebration of the bat mitzvah ceremony’s 90th anniversary.
City Paper: OK, so I have to ask this first. Blossom must follow you everywhere. Can you ever escape it, and do you want to?
Mayim Bialik: It does, but no, not at all! I think it’s normal for a lot of women my age to want to get away from things they did [early in their careers]. But Blossom was great. It was the first show of its kind to feature a girl the way that it did, so I think it is something to be proud of.
CP: You didn’t really take any of the traditional paths that a lot of child stars do. What was the driving force behind pursing a higher education?
MB: I come from an immigrant background; three of my four grandparents came to America from their native countries, so I was raised with the ethic that you go to college. It’s just what you do if you have the opportunity, and it was something I wanted to do no matter what I had done in my teen years.
CP: Why did you choose neuroscience?
MB: I actually fell in love with biology while being tutored on the set of Blossom, and that initial interest in the coursework just took off. For my graduate work, I focused on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the specific hormones related to human attachment.
An elevator pitch is when you’ve got about five minutes (the length of an elevator ride, get it?) to explain your great idea to someone else, maybe an investor or an employer. It’s a useful skill for high-stress work environments. If you feel like you could use some practice, the Young Architect Forum is hosting Elevator Pitch tonight. Five young designers have five minutes to pitch an idea to the jury, who will share feedback and decide the best pitch.
The jury is a group of established local designers and project managers, including Fishtank PHL LLC founder Louis Chang, architect Julie E. Hoffman and Sean Flannigan, senior art director at Netplus.
The event is free and open to the public, although registration is required. Email yafphilly@gmail.com to sign up, or follow the event at the hashtag #EPitch.
Thu., March 22 6-9 p.m., free, Garden State Tile, 2401 Walnut St., thedesignatedsketcher.com.
For Catholics the world over, Annunciation Day marks the moment when an angel told the Virgin Mary she was immaculately preggers, boosting her popularity and household-name status for years to come. The holiday is celebrated in a variety of ways around the world, but the Swedes do it up in a way we can all enjoy: wolfing down waffles. Legend has it that the tradition came to be because the Swedish phrase “var fru dagen” (“day of our lady”) sounds a lot like "Vaffeldagen," or “Waffle Day.” Despite the tradition's religious insignificance, it's a lucky linguistic flub for waffle-lovers everywhere. Standing in solidarity with our sweet-toothed Swedes, the American Swedish Historical Museum offers locals a day of religious waffle-eating. One ticket gets you waffles, toppings and a Swedish cup o' joe.
March 25, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., $10, American Swedish Historical Museum, 1900 Pattison Ave., 215-389-1776, americanswedish.org.
Each week, Nina Willbach puts together a rundown of book-centric events. This week: A Pynchon marathon, poetry on fire and DAN SAVAGE!
Thursday, March 15
Calling All Literary Cool Cats
Nazi psychiatrists prescribing LSD to California housewives and international conspiracies involving rival postal companies: Welcome to The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon's 1966 novella of paranoid psychedelic fantasies that's become a staple of American postmodern literature. A cult classic, the book continues to inspire readers with its vast array of cultural tidbits from Beatlemania to the California Gold Rush. At one point in the story, protagonist Oedipa Maas asks “Shall I project a world?” Tonight, the Kelly Writers House answers the call with an interactive reading of the book, complete with live rock 'n' roll and snacks inspired by Pynchon's story. The book will be read from start to finish, with participants taking turns reading aloud. In order to fully enter the '60s swing, come dressed in your favorite mod boots and faux fur.
4 p.m., free, Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk, writing.upenn.edu/wh/.
✚ Cooking Lesson with Chef Jacquie by Nina Willbach
Between the boozing and the parading, people don't often think of St. Paddy's Day as the time to learn a new skill, but if I told you that South Philly's own Chef Jacquie was offering a free cooking class featuring Irish cuisine, you might be forced to reconsider. She'll dish out some foody folklore and reveal the secret to her famous “Erin Go Brah” soup — a delicious blend of hearty Irish potatoes, bacon and cabbage.
Sat., March 17, noon, free, Williams Sonoma at the Bellevue, 200 S. Broad St., 610-506-6120, taste4travel.net.
By now the Music Issue may have you all fired up to start reviving your slumbering musical genius. The Philadelphia Folksong Society is there to help you out with the Cabin Fever Fest. Fest sounds omniously like sitting and consuming, but put that thought out of your mind. Tomorrow's event won't be the same without you voice and/or instrument.
One workshop I can personally endorse is Gather Round, led by Kathleen Sullivan and Connie Koppe (of Enchanté, famed for their French cabaret renderings.) The title accurately represents the activity, it is simple, empowering and delightful to hear ones own voice as part of an instant harmonic whole. Best of all, if you like this workshop the leaders can hook you up with the monthly gathering.
Slo Mo is back from India where he studied their style of steel guitar, so count on stretching your ears with him. Sharon Katz is hosting a session called Funky and Fun featuring group singing, rhythm and movement from her South African home. Kenny Ulansey (pictured) will empower you to improv world music style and Stephe Ferraro (Boris Garcia) will get you entrained as he traces the history of the drum circle.
Were you among the festivarians who put HogMaw on the main stage last year? Come be part of their bluegrass and beyond experience. What ever you do, if you've got an instrument bring it. If not, be ready to sing and shout and drum with hands and feet. There is promise of a life changing day for all involved, and we've only divulged half of the first half!
Sat., March 3, noon-9:30 p.m., $38, Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Drive,215-247-1300, pfs.org.
Each week, Nina Willbach puts together a rundown of book-centric events. This week: Jews and Booze, black ballerinas and ain't no Houellebecq Girl. [Sorry for that. —ed.]
- Activism
- Arts
- Arts Events
- Books
- Dance
- First Person Fest
- Last Chance
- Museum
- On the Fringe
- Philly Artists
- The Curator
- Theater
- Visual Art
- Arts News
- Artist Profile
- Arts Preview
- Street Art
- Been There, Done That
- Big Ups
- Comedy
- LOL With It
- Stand-up
- Critical Mass
- DVD
- Events
- Friday Fill-in
- Ice Cubes
- In Memoriam
- Interview
- Just Do It
- Just Opened
- Kaleidoscopic
- LGBTQ
- Art Phag
- Mailbag
- Movies
- Film Fest
- Movie Review
- On set
- Scenester
- screening
- trailer!
- Music
- 10 Track Mind
- Album
- Album Review
- Concert Review
- DJs
- Local Support
- Now Hear This
- One Track Mind
- Philly Bands
- Show
- Somebody Else Was There
- Song
- The Showdown
- concert photos
- jazz
- DJ Nights Blogged
- Night Watch
- Now See This
- Poetic License
- Printed Matter
- Radio
- Shopping
- Coveted
- Fashion
- What We Heart
- TV
- 24
- Idol Hands
- Mad Men
- ProjRun
- True Blood
- Useless Lost Recaps
- Couch Potato
- Shore Trash
- Turned ONN
- TopMod
- Video Games
- Free Online Game
- PSP
- PlayStation 2
- The 1-Upper
- Wii
- Web Junk
- CAGE MATCH
- Free Online Toy
- Weekend Omnibus
- Win
