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Cider Sparkles at Fairmount Park’s 3rd Annual CiderFest in Philadelphia, PA
Event signage hangs from fence posts at Cedar Grove. Photos, story by Sharon Kozden “It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.” – Diana Gabaldon It really was a day such as described in the above quote … uncannily so if you happened to be attending the third annual CiderFest at the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park. Having written about and photographed the inaugural event in 2017, I had missed 2018’s iteration but was glad to be back spending my Saturday afternoon between the hours of noon and 5 p.m. surrounded by folks ranging in interest level…
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CiderFest Rules Fairmount Park’s Historic Houses in Philadelphia
Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “The older I get, the more I become an apple pie, sparkling cider kind of guy.” – Scott Foley What was Fairmount Park Conservancy thinking on the perfect autumnal afternoon in late September when introducing CiderFest, featuring cider samples from over 20 Pennsylvania cideries, self-guided tours of the six historic houses at Fairmount Park, free house-to-house transportation, live music and pay-as-you-go food trucks? I’d say they had their thinking caps spot-on with the aforementioned perfect confab of fall delights. Proceeds from the event benefitted the “ongoing stewardship, maintenance and promotion of the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park.” That alone was more than enough for this itsy bitsy spider to drink from the…
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An Apple a Day Doesn’t Keep the Judges Away: Best In Pomme at Manayunk’s StrEAT Food Festival
Chowing in the StrEAT (sorry, not sorry to Bruce Springsteen’s “Racing in the Street”). Kicking off Restaurant Week is the Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits.” – Henry David Thoreau Autumn and apples “pear” well together. What can I say about this pun but that I’m fruity? Separating fall from those crisp, pomaceous and antioxidant-laden fruits would be akin to depriving myself of post-meal desserts. So when I was pegged (along with Explore-Philly team member Dana Prophet and Dana’s friend Amy) to spend two hours judging the best apple-themed desserts at Manayunk’s StrEAT Food Festival on the evening of September 14th, I was all in. Arriving at a…
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Brews for Every Taste Bud at the Pottstown Firkin Fest
Story and photos by Elizabeth Coffey Nothing can chase away the blues like a cold, frosty beer in hand and a relaxing stroll through one of Pennsylvania’s prettiest parks. The Pottstown Firkin Fest brings together these two elements seamlessly with live music and fantastic food at Pottstown’s Manatawny Park. For those beer connoisseurs who don’t like braving the crowds or long lines of other beer festivals, the Pottstown Firkin Fest is a more intimate setting to sip on specialty beers throughout the area. Talk barley, brewing methods, and more with experienced beer makers and distributors like the Lancaster Brewing Company, The Other Farm Brewing Company, Conshohocken Brewing Company, Evil Genius…
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Bust out the Sweaters! Sip, Savor and Stroll at Mt. Airy’s Street Fare this Thursday
Story, photos by Jordan Price Head out to Mount Airy’s Street Fare, an epic foodie festival taking over Germantown Avenue from 6:00-10:30 p.m. is a good way to kick off the beginning of the fall season this Thursday on Sept. 17th! Taking place between Sedgwick Street and Mt. Airy Avenue, this annual event brings some of the city’s best gourmet food vendors onto the street, as well as Mt. Airy‘s own local restaurants offering their dishes in an open-air environment. You’ll be able to enjoy craft beer and cocktails as well as live music from Philly favorites Bethlehem & Sad Patrick, School of Rock, and Hennessey Bonfire. There’s also a Family Area so…
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Tacos, Pizza and Cupcakes – Oh My! The Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival Rocked the Yunk
By Jill Beckel This year’s sixth biannual Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival on Sunday, April 12, featured delicious food, live performances and entertainment. Held in the spring and the fall, this festival of food highlights neighborhood eateries and food trucks. A beautiful, sunny spring day brought out an estimated 40,000 people (!) to Main Street, Manayunk (and starting last year, they finally shut down Main Street for it). Despite the crowded lines, that didn’t stop most people from lining up for their food truck favorites. It was a perfect mix of kids, dogs, ‘Yunkers and people from all over the Philadelphia area. Everyone came hungry and eager to try out an assortment of…