Hero Thrill Show Set in Philadelphia
Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 12:00am
Philadelphia is honoring its own this Saturday. The annual Philadelphia Hero Thrill Show will provide thrills and chills, as families can enjoy fun activities including an old-fashioned carnival, motorcycle stunts, fire demonstrations, appearances by local sport stars, amusements, martial arts, basketball activities and much more. The 2012 Hero Thrill Show is designed to raise money for the education of the children of deceased police and fire personnel killed in the line of duty in Philadelphia.
The show’s Grand Marshal Thomas Schomberg, sculptor and creator of the Rocky statue, will lead a motorcycle procession during the spectacular kick-off program by entering the performance area with police personnel. It is part of a grand entrance featuring dignitaries, the Police Patrol Highway Motorcycle Drill Team and the Police Strike Force Bicycle Stunt Team. Fire Commissioner Ayers and Police Commissioner Ramsey will lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the National Anthem, and remarks by sculptor Schomberg and law enforcement representatives.
The Thrill Show, now celebrating its 58th year, features both the traditional and the new. In addition, this fall fund-raiser will present displays of crime fighting equipment by the Aviation Unit, Bomb Squad, the Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Explorers, the Marine Unit, Firearms Instructors, Police Academy, S.W.A.T and U.S. Home Security.
Families can enjoy activities such as Mixed Martial Arts (Jui-Jitsu) and Sambo demonstrations courtesy of Matrix Fights, an old-fashioned carnival with amusements, games, dunk tanks, face-painting for the kids and professional sports team mascots and cheerleaders. Also scheduled to appear are local sports team players and personalities.
Tickets are $10 for single purchase, $25 for families. They are available at local police or fire stations, or online at www.herothrillshow.org
Learn about the national music of France and the Germanys at the October installment of free music lectures in Gloucester County by Paul M. Somers, sponsored by the Bay-Atlantic Symphony.
This is the second of a four-part series exploring the national music of various counties in Europe, Russia and the Americas.
The lecture will take place on Tuesday, October 2, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Monroe Township Library, 713 Marsha Ave., Williamstown.
The series will continue in November with an exploration of the national music of Italy and Spain in Novmeber, and of North and South America in December.
The October lectures for Cape May, Cumberland, and Atlantic Counties will continue the series of the effect of history on music during the last two centuries with an exploration of music under the tyranny of Metternich. The lectures will take place on Tuesday, October 9, from 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Ocean City Public Library, Room 110, 1735 Simpson Ave., Ocean City; Monday, October 15, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Vineland Public Library, 1058 E. Landis Ave., Vineland; and Thursday, October 18, from 6-7:30 p.m., at the Margate Public Library, 8100 Atlantic Ave., Margate.
That series continues in November with an exploration of the American experience after the Revolution and the musical influence of Billings, Moravians, shape-notes, minstrelsy, Fry, Gottschalk, Indianism, New Englanders and Herbert. The December lectures will be an exploration of music between the 20th century wars, from Irving Berlin to the Beatles and beyond.
Subsequent lectures this season for all locations will explore The Golden Thread – an unbroken line of connections from medieval chant to Gershwin, how composers work, and folk literature in composed music, along with a question-and-answer session in April and a Fresh Ears® experience in May.
For further information, call the Bay-Atlantic Symphony at 856-451-1169 or Somers at Maurice River Music at 856-506-0580. For the Gloucester County series, you can also call the Monroe Township Library in Williamstown at 856-629-1212; for the Cape May County series, you can also call the Ocean City Public Library at 609-399-2434; for the Cumberland County series, you can also call the Vineland Public Library at 856-794-4244; and for the Atlantic County series, you can also call the Margate Public Library at 609-822-4700.
A weekend full of high-speed, pulse-pounding action featuring powerboats reaching speeds up to 140 MPH will take place during the New Jersey Governor’s Cup Hydrofest on Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7. This exciting, family-friendly event will be held on Sunset Lake in Wildwood Crest, located at Rambler Road and New Jersey Avenue.
The Wildwoods’ Hydrofest is one of the shore’s most exciting events of the year, featuring hydroplane and flat-bottom race boats in a series of high-speed races along the bay at Sunset Lake, a one-mile oval course, with boats reaching a gut-wrenching 80 to 140 MPH. Each race is comprised of four laps, presenting a challenge of driving skill and timing for the racers and their sleek, high powered vessels.
The Wildwoods’ Hydrofest is sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association and the Canadian Boating Federation. This year’s event will feature more than 70 powerboat teams from both the United States and Canada competing for national and international honors.
The stakes are even higher at Hydrofest as the event is home to the New Jersey Governor’s Cup and this year’s Eastern Divisional Championships – two prestigious titles all powerboat racing teams strive to hold.
High-speed powerboat races begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Wildwoods’ Hydrofest will also offer a six-block marketplace featuring powerboat racing merchandise, craft vendors and food vendors from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on both days. The event is FREE for spectators.
Special pit passes for Hydrofest are available for $10 and allow pass-holders access to the pit area to meet the racers and to get an up-close look at the powerboats.
For additional information about the Wildwoods New Jersey Governor’s Cup Hydrofest, visit www.WildwoodsHydrofest.com or call 609-886-8156.
Seven member wineries of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail are looking forward to celebrating their 10th Annual Harvest Festival with wine, music, and traditional grape stomping. The Harvest Festival celebration takes place on two weekends, September 29 & 30 and October 6 & 7, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Experience the sights and smells of harvest as the wineries of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail celebrate the harvest of the 2012 vintage. Each member winery will be offering their own unique blend of harvest festival activities: concerts, special tastings, delicious foods such as BBQ, gourmet pizza and artisan cheeses, and lawn games like bocce and horseshoes. (Details for each of the seven venues appear below, as well as athttp://www.bvwinetrail.com/events/event.php?e=439.)
A new addition to the Harvest Festival activities this year will be traditional grape stomping! To take part, sign up at your winery of choice on the day of the stomp. Stomping spaces are limited to the first 24 people at each winery. Those taking part in the grape stomp can help us kick-off our Breast Cancer Awareness “Think Pink, Drink Pink” month by providing an optional donation to our local breast cancer charities: Living Beyond Breast Cancer & the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.
Purchase a Harvest Festival Passport ($20) at any member winery or in our online store to enjoy tastings at all member wineries and receive a commemorative wine glass. Passports are valid for Harvest Festival weekends only.