SUMMER CONCERTS BY CANDLELIGHT
This year’s annual Concerts by Candlelight series at historic Laurel Hill Mansion in East Fairmount Park begins 6:30 p.m., Sunday, June 26, with a performance by Lance Wiseman on the mansion’s wonderfully restored 1808 Broadwood forte piano. Afterwards, please join Lance and guests for a reception of light refreshments on the mansion’s porch overlooking the Schuylkill River.
Lance Wiseman will perform selections by Beethoven, Scarlatti, Bach, Corelli, Couperin and Pasquini. Lance Wiseman has an international reputation as an ambassador of the piano with performances throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
July 24 – The Wister Quartet (string quartet)
August 7 – La Fiocco (Renaissance instruments)
August 21 – Allen Krantz (classical guitar)
For more information about any single concert or the complete series, please contact Barbara Frankl, concerts@laurelhillmansion.org. Advance tickets can be purchased on line at Laurel Hill Mansion’s website.
PHILADELPHIA FERRIES
On Monday, June 6, 2016 the Oliver Evans Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archaeologists (OESIA) will host guest speaker Stephen Nepa, who will present an illustrated lecture about Philadelphia’s ferries. Long in use for leisure and commerce since colonial times, Nepa will talk about how they drove the economies, helped establish towns and cities, and allowed residents and visitors to navigate an ever-changing landscape.
Steve is a professor of history at Temple University and Moore College of Art and Design, and has written on many historic topics for The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.
The program will be held at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, located behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The cost of the program, which includes a catered picnic, is $25/person. To attend program only, the cost is $10 person. Program is open to the public, but pre-paid reservations are required by Tuesday, May 31. Free parking at the Circle at the FWWIC. For more information or to RSVP contact: Reese Davis at 610-692-4456 or OESIA at oliverevanssia@outlook.com
Illustration source Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Every Wednesday at noon, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts hosts Art-At-Lunch, a series of talks on American art and culture that’s free and open to the public. Bring your lunch or buy one at the on-site cafe and enjoy discussions and lectures with scholars and artists. Films, talks and workshops are also available free Sunday afternoons through April. PAFA is located at 118 North Broad Street.
FREE TOURS
The Fairmount Water Works, located near Boat House Row on the Schuylkill River, west of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, hosts free weekend tours and programs.
At 1 p.m., Saturdays, Fairmount Water Works – Inside and Out, explore the restored underground machine rooms and learn about the history and importance of this early engineering marvel.
At 2 p.m. on Sundays, a special hard hat tour, Milling Around, goes below to an unrestored part of the complex, the former Olympic-size pool and aquarium. Tours are free, but reservations are required for the hard hat tour. Go to Eventbrite to reserve tickets.
• • •
At the Kimmel Center, home to the Philadelphia Orchestra, one-hour tours of the building and theaters are offered daily at 1 p.m.
Tours depart from the first floor Information Desk and are limited to 20 persons. Visitors can register for the tour by 10 a.m., when the Center opens. Tour groups of 12 persons or more must reserve two weeks in advance. A new added tour feature, held on the first Saturday of every month, is a 15-minute organ demonstration in Verizon Hall. The Kimmel also offers a 90-minute Art & Architecture Tour at 10:30 a.m., Saturdays.
On a few select days each month, the nearby Academy of Music hosts one-hour tours at 11:30 a.m. Call 215-790-5886 in advance to get the schedule and make reservations. All tours are free.