Thanksgiving Day, Theater, Music, Family Events & Art: The Weekend Listings - November 27-30, 2008

Dear Philly1.com Members & Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! While the economic forecast isn't great, hopefully we can all find many other things to be thankful about this year and take solace that better days are ahead for all of us. While you celebrate Thanksgiving with your friends and family please take a moment to remember in your thoughts and prayers the brave Americans serving abroad in the Armed Forces, Peace Corps and Foreign Services who will not be able to spend this Thanksgiving at home with their friends and families.

Featured Member Events

We're really excited that folks are continuing to take advantage of the calendar feature on the site. There are some great events planned. Please take a moment to review what your fellow Philly1.com community members have in store for us at http://www.philly1.com/events.

and now ... the listings

Thursday, November 27, 2008

6ABC / IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade

The oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade in the country is in Philadelphia! This year's special guests include Rachael Ray, Mario from Dancing with the Stars, Justin Guarini from American Idol, Maxine Nightingale, Miss America and several Olympians. Some of this year's balloons include: Kermit the Frog, Elmo, Frosty the Snowman and Hello Kitty. One of this year's special floats is The Chronicles of Narnia, a new exhibition at The Franklin. The parade also thrills with an entourage of popular characters from Sesame Street and Disney in floats and giant balloons. And Santa himself arrives in grand fashion, ushering Philadelphia into the holiday season. This year’s parade promises to be nothing short of a visual and celebratory feast. So bundle up, grab the kids and head out for an early holiday treat! You can warm up in the Campbell’s Winter Wonderland Expo Tent with some hot cocoa and look out for special guests and giveaways. It all starts at 8:30am at Eakins Oval on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. For more information visit http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/feature?section=resources/lifestyle_com....

Friday, November 28, 2008

King Khan, BBQ Show, Vivian Girls, Love City, Jacuzzi Boys @ Johnny Brenda's

As Pitchfork writes, "There's a reason Atlanta upstarts Black Lips cited Montreal's King Khan's other band, the BBQ Show, as recent favorites, and it's not just their shared affinity for Nuggets box sets and Eric Burdon. Both bands are more than just revivalists, but pranksters too, from their tongue-in-cheek lyrics, unpredictable live shows, impenetrable self-mythologizing press, and "live" albums (yeah, ok, you got me). Buying into the act isn't just a question of suspending disbelief and taking their hand for a magic carpet ride; it's being willing to smile after the shock of the hand buzzer." You can catch them at Johnny Brenda's (1201 N. Frankford Ave) with Jacuzzi Boys, Vivian Girls and Love City at 8pm. For more information visit http://www.johnnybrendas.com.

Thanksgiving: An American Celebration @ NCC (Friday - Sunday)

The history of Thanksgiving is an interesting tale, and American presidents have played an important role in the celebration. Visitors learn which president started the holiday and why, who saved it from never being celebrated, and more. Families can also learn more about the history of the presidency as they tour the Center’s latest exhibition, Headed to the White House. Friday's presentation starts at 12 noon at the National Constitution Center (525 Arch Street). For more information visit http://www.constitutioncenter.org.

Wizard of Oz @ The Kimmel (Friday - Sunday)

There truly is no place like home as the greatest family musical of all time, the wonderful WIZARD OF OZ, twists is way into Philadelphia! The entire family will be captivated as they travel down the Yellow Brick Road and beyond with Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in this lavish production, featuring breathtaking special effects, dazzling choreography and classic songs. A spectacular celebration of the iconic 1939 MGM film, THE WIZARD OF OZ will blow you away from the moment the tornado touches down and transports you to a dazzling art deco Oz, complete with munchkins and flying monkeys at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets and showtimes visit http://www.kimmelcenter.org.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Nutcracker 1776 @ The Merriam (Friday & Saturday)


Follow two children captivated by the holiday excitement of colonial Philadelphia at a turning point in American history. Join in the festivities as families make merry at a holiday party with the Founding Fathers, local revelers and a band of sailors. Saturday's performance begins at 3pm. For more information about this Rock School for Dance Education production at The Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St) visit http://www.therockschool.org/nutcracker.

Sesame Place Holiday Party

On this special operating day, guests can enjoy rides, character appearances and Elmo’s World Live! Shows and dining with the characters. Passport members are free and they can also bring a friend for free. The regular cost per person is $9.95. The day kicks off at 10am at Sesame Place (100 Sesame Road, Langhorn, PA, 19047). For more information visit http://sesameplace.com/sesame/pa/eventdetail_nov_holiday_party.aspx.

Mural Tour by Trolley - M.A.P.'s Final Tours of The Season!

Join the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program for a two hour tour of the ''City of Murals'' aboard an historic trolley. On the tour, see some of the over 2,800 murals that make up the world's largest outdoor art gallery. Each tour explores how murals are made and the inspiring stories about how they have transformed communities. Saturday's and Sunday's tours start at 12:30pm and depart from the Independence Visitor Center (1 N. Independence Mall West). The tour season ends this weekend so if you have not already taken a tour, or, if you have family in town and want to show off some of the great murals we have, then it would be a good time to partake. For more information visit http://www.muralarts.org.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Wool as Art - Contemporary Felts by Mehmet Girgic @ Gallery 51 (Last Day)

Pomegranate - Mehmet Girgic
Turkey, 20th Century
4'3" x 5'10"

This exhibition showcases the very graphic new work by Turkey's premier feltmaker, internationally recognized wool-master, Mehmet Girgic. Mr. Girgic uses unspun, naturally-dyed wool for his art felts, created and rolled entirely by hand, in the ancient, traditional manner - with no machines or chemical intervention. Sunday marks the final day of the exhibition at Gallery 51 (51 N. 2nd St). For more information visit http://www.gallery51.net.


Christmas Village in Philadelphia @ Dilworth Plaza

The German American Marketing group and the City of Philadelphia present the Christmas Village in Philadelphia. More than 50 vendors will form a medieval village selling European food, sweets and drinks, international seasonal holiday gifts, ornaments and high quality arts and crafts. Santa’s House will offer children of all ages a chance to sit on Santa’s lap and give him their wish list. Children can drop their letters to Santa in the Special Delivery mailbox at Santa’s House in Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall (1400 JFK Blvd). For more information visit http://www.philachristmas.com

El Guincho, Lemonade and Magnet City Kids @ The Barbary

As R5 Productions writes, "Spanish artist El Guincho (real name: Pablo Díaz-Reixa) makes music from Spanish chanting, thudding tribal rhythms, ghostly harmonies, and the bits and pieces of a thousand as-yet-unwritten pop songs. It's a combination that won't be appearing in any pop how-to guides any time soon. The impressive and probably unwittingly fashionable source material -- Afrobeat, dub, Tropicália, and early rock'n'roll -- and the irresistibility of these songs can only briefly obscure the fact that no one else is really making music quite like this. His debut album, Alegranza! has already been compared extensively to Panda Bear's Person Pitch, and the two records do share a hazy, sampladelic love-in feel (hypnotic, interlocking sample loops; delirious, auto-harmonizing pop song choruses). Rather than stretch out on endless expanses of sound, El Guincho's music is all about sharp and sudden peaks and valleys -- the idea isn't to tune in and drop out, but to revel in being surrounded by something larger than yourself, swept along on the rapids of rhythm." You can catch El Guincho along with Lemonade and Magnet City Kids At The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave). For more information visit http://www.r5productions.com.

That's about it. Have a great Thanksgiving and remember to send us your events for inclusion in the listings to listings@philly1.com. Thanks!

Be well,
Brian & Harry
Co-Directors
Philly1.com, your place in the city
http://www.philly1.com

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