OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE
Fearless dancers show their skills in “Invisible River.” Credit: Spencer Vidich
‘Invisible River’
SaturdayandSunday
West Fairmount Park
1233 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Free-$25,267-467-0657
www.invisibleriver.org
This annual performance, begun last year as a mix of performing arts and environmental advocacy, features dance, music, theater and sculpture over a 2.5-mile stretch of the Schuylkill. You can experience it either from the shore or in a variety of different boats, but for the latter you’ve got to book in advance.
ART
Nadia Hironaka and Matthew Suib: ‘Mirrors, Marks and Loops’
ThroughJuly 26
Locks Gallery
600 S. Washington Sq.
Free,215-629-1000
www.locksgallery.com
This exhibition, the most recent in a series of collaborations between multimedia artists Hironaka and Suib, features a group of very different pieces. The concepts behind them are tough to sum up, but one consistent theme is the notion of truth residing in multiple places at once — the viewer is meant to become aware of the distorting effects of his own gaze.
Ella Kolanowska: ‘States of Mind’
ThroughAug. 2
Bazemore Gallery
4339 Main St., Manayunk
Free,215-482-1119
www.thebazemoregallery.com
Philly-based Polish artist Ella Kolanowska is also a clothing designer, and her pattern-based art reflects it: Her paintings reproduce the appearance of woven fabric. Her method of applying color in a pointillist-like style, with tiny dots, has a funny effect on the eyes, almost like TV static — an appropriate illusion for an artist concerned with “states of mind.”
DRINK
Victory Brewing Company Weekend
FridaythroughSunday
Memphis Taproom
2331 E. Cumberland St.
No cover,215-425-4460
www.memphistaproom.com
If you’re a fan of Victory beers you really oughta stop by the Memphis Taproom this weekend, ’cause they’ll be pouring a very nice selection, including the only remaining keg of UNITY, a Kolsch-style brew crafted in collaboration with a few local bars, debuted in April and spelled in all caps because BEER.
DANCE
Contemporary ballerina Chloe Felesina is part of “Sunset 0639 Hours.” Credit: Alexander Iziliaev.
‘Sunset 0639 Hours’
ThroughSunday
Wilma Theater
265 S. Broad St.
$25-$40,215-546-7824
www.balletx.org
Local contemporary dance company BalletX presents its summer offering, a world premiere ballet by co-artistic director Matthew Neenan. It tells the near-forgotten story of Edwin Musick, an early aviator and a pioneer of transoceanic flight who became a celebrity in the 1930s for his exploits testing new aircraft and scoping out flight routes for Pan Am.
FESTIVALS
Hispanic Fiesta
SaturdayandSunday
Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing
101 S. Columbus Blvd.
Free,215-922-2386
www.delawareriverwaterfront.
Drawing more than 30,000 people over two days to its trans-national celebration of Latino culture, this annual event is of the most popular at Penn’s Landing. Nearly every country across the Latino world, incorporating a wildly diverse array of cultures and arts, are represented, with music, dance, foods and crafts galore.
BlobFest
FridaythroughSunday
The Colonial Theater
227 Bridge St.
$6-$10,610-917-0223
www.thecolonialtheatre.com
A campy local tradition now in its 15th gooey year, this event commemorates the 1958 horror classic “The Blob,” filmed in Phoenixville. Friday’sevent is sold out, but there’s stillSaturday’sstreet fair, which includes an appearance by comedian Joel Hodgson of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” plus a series of double features pairing “The Blob” with other awesome sci-fi gems.
FOOD
Marisa McClellan
Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine St.
Free,215-567-4341
www.freelibrary.org
Whether you’re storing food for the inevitable zombie apocalypse or you just like canning things as a hobby, you may enjoy this appearance by Marisa McClellan, author of the blog “Food in Jars.” Her new book of recipes, “Preserving by the Pint,” includes such delicious sounding entries as Blueberry Maple Jam, Mustardy Rhubarb Chutney, Sorrel Pesto and Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles.
THEATER
‘Herringbone’
ThursdaythroughJuly 27
First Baptist Church
1636 Sansom St.
$22-$25,267-997-3312
www.flashpointtheatre.org
Inspired by the family history of artistic director Thom Weaver, this original production from Flashpoint Theater Company stars intrepid actor Ben Dibble, taking on 10 different characters to tell the eccentric story of vaudevillian George Herringbone, who gets his big break with a little supernatural help — help which might not turn out to be so helpful in the end.
MUSIC
Two Arts, One Story
Thursday, 8 p.m.
Philadelphia Art Alliance
251 S.18th St., Philadelphia
$15,215-545-4302
www.philartalliance.org
Philadelphia Art Alliance presents an evening of visual and “sonic” art, with live painting by Axel Mathieu-Mahias, whose most recent work has focused on smoky, dream-like female nudes, and live jazz music from the Zack Mama Motherhood Band, led by Mathieu-Mahais’s brother, the 23-year-old French wiz kid percussionist Zack Mama, whose music is hoppin’ old school bebop style. It’ll be cool, man.
Twin Forks
Friday, 7 p.m.
North Star Bar
2639 Poplar St.
$15,877-987-6487
www.ticketfly.com
Remember Dashboard Confessional? Don’t lie to us. Twin Forks is a side project of Dashboard frontman Chris Carrabba, aiming for a folk/Americana vibe instead of the, erm, confessional emo balladry he’s best known for. Mandolinist/vocalist Suzie Zeldin provides a nice vocal counterpoint to Carrabba’s trademark impassioned shouts, producing a sound that’s not exactly folk but a sort of “emo as folk” style.
SPOKEN WORD
The Soundtrack Series
Friday, 8 p.m.
The Tin Angel
20 S. Second St.
$15,215-928-0978
www.soundtrackseries.com
This NYC-based podcast and live storytelling series focuses on the powerful link we have with the music we love. Whether the tales are tragic or funny or weird or inspirational, they all revolve around music. Host Dana Rossi will share duties with Philadelphia’s Eric Thomas for installment featuring stories from Hillary Rea, Liz Filios, Gregg Gethard, Mary Webster and T.J. Hurley.
