PRESS CONTACT: Cari Feiler Bender, Relief Communications, LLC (610) 416-1216, [email protected]
FAMILY FUN OPENS AT HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA, INC. 20th Anniversary Season Starts Where History Began
PHILADELPHIA, April 30, 2014 – Summer is just around the corner, bringing Historic Philadelphia, Inc.’s 20th Anniversary Season to life with fun activities for the whole family from Memorial Day Weekend and through Labor Day, and beyond. It’s all part of the immersive living history programs that Historic Philadelphia, Inc. (HPI) produces each year. New highlights for 2014 include the Colonial for a Day costume rental program for kids and a Colonial drinking tour with Benjamin Franklin. Returning favorites include a daily flag-raising with Betsy Ross, the award-winning Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches where guests hear our nation’s history right where it happened, continuing one-of-a-kind walking tours, and showings of the Liberty 360 3D Show.
This spring, Historic Philadelphia, Inc. debuts a new program, Colonial for a Day, where children (ages 4-12, sizes 5-14) can don Colonial-period attire and immerse themselves in their Historic Philadelphia visit. Rental provides dresses and colorful sashes for girls, and shirts and haversacks for boys. Families can rent these costumes at the Historic Philadelphia Center, 6th and Chestnut Streets, and receive a Colonial Map to help guide them on their visit. Also new this summer, drink a toast with Dr. Benjamin Franklin as he joins part of the Tippler’s Tour where guests can hear stories and talk with the Founding Father. Tippler’s Tour: Ben’s Kites & Flights is the first of four seasonal Colonial drinking tours that run weekly from May through December.
“Historic Philadelphia, Inc. continues to expand its programs with the new costume rental program for children, allowing them to step into the history pages with our one-of-a-kind experiences,” said Amy Needle, President and CEO of Historic Philadelphia, Inc.
HPI is a non-profit organization overseeing four entities under one umbrella. Once Upon A Nation features immersive walking tours, History Makers, and Storytelling Benches throughout the Historic District and at Valley
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Forge in partnership with the National Park Service. Franklin Square is a family-friendly play place with Philadelphia-themed Mini Golf, the Parx Liberty Carousel, SquareBurger, and The Pavilion in Franklin Square, hosting birthday parties and special events. The Liberty 360 3D Show, an inspiring journey led by Benjamin Franklin, is a year-round indoor attraction shown in the PECO Theater. The Betsy Ross House takes visitors into the life and stories of America’s most famous flagmaker, with interactive and changing exhibitions. In the 2013 season, HPI’s four attractions saw a total of over 1.4 million visitors.
HPI’s highly educational Full Day Field Trip Experience, now in its second season, once again sold out due to popular demand and will reach an audience of more than 6,500 upper elementary students in 2013-2014 school year. With generous support from the philanthropic community and corporate contributors through Pennsylvania’s Education Improvement Tax Credit, HPI is especially proud to have provided educational history programs for more than 2,700 students in underserved school communities at no cost to those students or their schools. For information on school field trips or other education programming, call 215-629-5801 x240.
Below are some of the highlights of the 2014 summer season with Historic Philadelphia, Inc. For operating schedule and pricing for all tours and attractions, download the Historic Philadelphia, Inc. 2014 Season Fact Sheet from the online press room here (http://tinyurl.com/HPIpress).
May • Thursday, May 15: An Evening in Franklin Square presented by Parx Casino – A magic night of fun, dancing, and fundraising in Philadelphia’s prettiest setting (tickets required). • Thursday, May 22: Tippler’s Tour begins for the season – Past and present meet on Historic Philadelphia, Inc.’s weekly authentic Colonial pub crawl, featuring four different seasonal offerings. Visitors join a Colonial host to hear stories and drinking traditions with fun and lighthearted songs and toasts of the era. With drinks and snacks at each of three modern day watering holes and one historic tavern, the “tippler” guide shares some of Benjamin Franklin’s most fun phrases for someone who is drunk, including “nimptopsical” and “tipsicum grave.” Hear tales about how taverns were used as recruiting stations (getting people inebriated sometimes helped convince them) and how news of the day was discussed in the taverns. • Friday, May 23: Independence After Hours Tour begins for the season – an evening walking tour visiting some of the landmarks of Philadelphia’s Historic District and immersing the visitor with Colonial characters who bring history to life right in the place where it happened, with dinner at City Tavern and a visit inside Independence Hall at night. • Saturday, May 24: Opening Day of Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches – ten one-of-a-kind award-winning Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches are scattered all over Philadelphia’s Historic District, telling riveting stories of our nation’s history in the places where they actually happened.
June • June 8-14: Betsy Ross House Flag Day Festival – Flag Festival 2014 kicks-off at the start of National Flag Week on June 8 and continues through Stars & Stripes Saturday on June 14. Festivities begin with Betsy raising the flag over the House, continues with a daylong scavenger hunt for kids, and concludes with a flag retirement ceremony. Other highlights of the week include visits from Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, crafts for kids, a flag retirement ceremony, and the chance for young visitors to drill with the Continental Army. The celebration culminates on Flag Day, Saturday, June 14 with a day full of family-friendly entertainment and activity in the House’s courtyard. The seventh annual Stars & Stripes
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Saturday is the highlight of the new Stripes & Stars Festival, a celebration of both Flag Day and the birthday of the U.S. Army, which features events on Independence Mall, at the National Constitution Center, and the Betsy Ross House.
July • July 4th Weekend (July 3-5): Historic Philadelphia is the place to be to celebrate the Declaration of Independence and all aspects of our country’s birth. • Thursday, July 31: Franklin Square’s 8th Birthday Party – wish the Square happy birthday with cake and Ben Franklin himself.
September • Monday, September 1, Labor Day: Last chance to see the Once Upon A Nation Storytelling Benches in Historic Philadelphia, along with an assortment of free programs that end for the season such as the Military Muster and Declaration Readings.
October • Fall in Franklin Square – fall is always a special time in Franklin Square, with corn stalk and pumpkin decorations and the popular Pumpkin Patch and Trick or Treat Trail events. Also Spooky Mini Golf is more seasonal family fun in Franklin Square, Fridays and Saturdays from October 3 – 31.
November – December • Thursday, November 13 – Wednesday, December 31: Franklin Square’s Electrical Spectacle – a nightly, holiday light show, and other events which include Visits with Santa and conclude with the very popular Kids’ New Year’s Eve Countdown (December 31) with a Square Drop and a view of the 6 pm fireworks over the Delaware River.
Pick up a copy of the Historic Philadelphia Gazette to start the day for the latest listings of happenings. Copies are available at the Historic Philadelphia Center or Independence Visitor Center.
Historic Philadelphia, Inc. is led by President and CEO Amy Needle and Board Chair William H. Haines, IV, in partnership with the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Independence National Historical Park, Visit Philadelphia™, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and Valley Forge National Historical Park. HPI is funded by: The Lenfest Foundation and H.F. Lenfest, PECO, Parx Casino, William Penn Foundation, The ACE Group, Lincoln Financial Group Foundation, ARAMARK, Board of Directors of City Trusts, William J. Avery, Brett’s Pony, Cash Is King Racing Stable, Team Smarty and the Chapman Family, Kathy and Peter Linneman, PNC Bank, Commonwealth Financing Authority: Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program, Wawa, The McLean Contributionship, Google, Juhi and Neil Shah, The Coby Foundation, Ltd., Mathew Kraut, Connelly Foundation, Teva Pharmaceuticals, The HBE Foundation, Wells Fargo, Blank Rome LLP, The Philadelphia Activities Fund, City Tavern, Religious Society of Free Quakers, Jolley Bruce Christman, William H. Haines, IV, Edward G. Rendell, Econsult Solutions, Inc., The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, Valley Forge Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Friends of Valley Forge, and DNB First.
Historic Philadelphia, Inc.’s programs include the Betsy Ross House, Once Upon A Nation storytelling and immersive walking tours, Franklin Square, and Liberty 360 3D Show in the PECO Theater. For all Historic Philadelphia, Inc. event information, call 215-629-4026, 877-462-1776, or visit www.historicphiladelphia.org to buy tickets online. Tickets available in person at the Historic Philadelphia Center, 6th & Chestnut Streets. Follow HPI at twitter.com/HistoricPhilly and twitter.com/FranklinSqr, on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/HistoricPhila or http://on.fb.me/FranklinSquare, or on Instagram instagram.com/historicphilly. ###
EDITOR’S NOTE: High-resolution photographs are available for media usage at: http://tinyurl.com/HPIphoto. Email [email protected] for login information.
(To view or download the entire Historic Philadelphia, Inc. electronic press kit, go to http://tinyurl.com/HPIpress).