What To Do: June means Strawberry Festival time

No reason to stay home with so many fun events in the area

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

You know that summer is knocking on the door when the weekend for the annual Brandywine Health Foundation’s Strawberry Festival arrives. This weekend, the 45^th Annual Strawberry Festival will take place on the grounds of the Brandywine Hospital (201 Reeceville Road, Coatesville, 610-380-9080, www.brandywinestrawberryfestival.com).

The free event, which is running now through June 5, features amusement rides, live entertainment, an arts-and-crafts show, a variety of food vendors, a run and a family fun walk, jugglers, children’s games and, of course, strawberry shortcake.

The list of attractions also includes “Strawberryland,” an international food fair, a “Craft, Artist and Business Vendor Fair,” a used book sale, the “Strawberriest Kid Contest” and raffle drawings.

“Strawberryland” features a wide array of activities for young kids, including a Moon Bounce, an inflatable obstacle course, inflatable slides, carnival games and the “Strawberry Train.”This area is recommended for kids 7 and younger and features an all-inclusive price of $10 a day.

Other popular attractions at the festival include Monster Truck rides, pony rides, zip line rides, laser tag, a free throw shootout, mechanical bull rides and performances by Jonathan the Juggler, magician Chris Capehart and “Hoopster, the 8-foot-tall Stilt-walking Ref,”

The entertainment schedule features Exit Strategy, Minerva Vision and Brandi “Briz” Grove with DJ Dre Money on June 3; The Lukens Band, Roi Lush, 74/75 Band, Jamall Anthony with DJ Dre Money and the Life Gamblers Band and Chowderhead on June 4; and DJ Dre Money and Kindred Cross on June 5.

The festival also features a spectacular fireworks display on June 3 at 9:45 p.m.

This weekend, it’s also time for the annual Strawberry Festival at Linvilla Orchards (137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com). The festival will be held Saturday June 4 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Linvilla’s grounds in Media.

The festive event will feature children’s entertainment, hayrides, pony rides, face painting, costumed characters, children’s games and contests, live music, ice cream sundaes, giant strawberry shortcake and strawberry treats. It will be “Prince & Princess Day” so kids are encouraged to come dressed up.

Other special attractions will be demonstrations of how to make strawberry jam, a hula hoop contest, a photo booth, the Delaware Valley’s largest Strawberry Shortcake, special appearances by Strawberry Dog, Little Yellow One-Eyed Dude and Bouncing Tiger and live music — Strawberry Jammin’ with Judi and Makin’ Music.

The Brandywine Valley has a large number of museums and tourist sites that provide residents and tourists ideal opportunities to spend leisure time — and you can sweeten the pot if you take advantage of the 2016 Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport.

The cost is $45 for an individual pass and $95 for a family pass (for up to five family members). The Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport is good for one-time admission to Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley’s top attractions now through September 5.

A family pass, which includes one-day admission to each of 11 sites, can bring a savings of over $200 for the holders — especially since many of the participating institutions have regular admission fees in double figures.

The list of locations covered by the Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport includes Longwood Gardens, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Brandywine River Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Hagley Museum and Library, Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, Nemours Mansion & Gardens, Read House and Garden, Mt. Cuba Center, Rockwood Museum and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

For more information, call (800) 489-6664 or visit www.visitwilmingtonde.com/bmga/.

For a fun and educational day for you and your children, consider a visit to the Brandywine River Museum (Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-2700, http://www.brandywinemuseum.org) on June 5 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

On the first Sunday of each month, the museum joins with PNC to present a special event for children called “PNC Arts Alive First Sundays for Families.”

Participants are invited to join in a salute to creativity with art-making activities and enjoy performances by the renowned Give and Take Jugglers at noon and Philadelphia’s premier contemporary dance company, BalletX.

A “Pop Up” dance performance by BalletX is scheduled for 1 p.m. As a special attraction, the Give and Take Jugglers will attempt to cross the Brandywine River on a long wire at 1:30 p.m.

There is usually a special theme each year for the annual Bayard Taylor Memorial Library Home & Garden Day Tour (various locations in southern Chester County, 610-444-2702, www.bayardtaylor.org). In recent years, some of the themes have been gardens and historical authenticity.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Library’s Home & Garden Day Tour with the theme of “Chadds Ford and Beyond.” The tour includes a mix of old houses and new ones, grand properties and cozy ones. Participants will be able to check out a farmhouse built in 1844, a Brandywine Country estate, collections from around the world and a man-cave complete with flashing lights.

Amateur gardeners can see how the homeowners have overcome landscaping challenges (including deer) and created flourishing gardens and yards. Gardens range from large, lush professionally maintained to pocket sized patches of brilliant flowers.

Inside the houses, visitors will be exposed to the owners’ marvelously distinctive approaches to design — from classic and formal to modern and eclectic.

Visitors also get to watch the area’s finest plein air artists in some of the gardens and to sample food and beverages donated by local restaurants and merchants. Photography and the wearing of high-heeled shows are not permitted. Tickets for the tour are $40.

There will also be another plein air activity this weekend,

The Plein Air Art Show & Sale at Historic Sugartown will be held June 3-5 at Historic Sugartown’s William Garrett House (260 Spring Road, Malvern, 610–640–2667, http://historicsugartown.org/).

Historic Sugartown has partnered with The Philadelphia Watercolor Society to host a Plein Air Art Show & Sale, which will showcase the work of 25 artists from the Philadelphia Watercolor Society in Historic Sugartown’s c. 1805 William Garrett House.

Visitors will have the unique opportunity to meet artists of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and watch their painting process close up. To paint “En Plein Air” is to paint in the open air or outdoors. As visitors will see, outdoor painting adds different dimensions in terms of color, shadows and especially time.

The show will begin with a free artists’ reception June 3 from 6-9 p.m. The Art Show & Sale will continue on June 4 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and June 5 from 1-4 p.m. The show will continue to be on view during Historic Sugartown’s regular weekend hours and by appointment through June 26.

In recent weeks, many people turned to indoor weekend activities to escape the cool, rainy weather that blanketed the area for what seemed like months. Now, indoor events seem like good options to escape the weather because of the high heat and humidity.

This weekend, collectors of comics, toys, gaming or non-sport trading cards will be making their annual pilgrimage to Philadelphia to attend the (air-conditioned) Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, 215-418-4700, www.wizardworld.com).

One of the country’s top pop culture conventions, the annual event, which is running now through June 5, is the largest event of its type on the East Coast and is expected to draw a crowd of over 25,000 fans.

Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con will feature movies, comics, toys, video gaming, television, anime, manga, horror, sports, original art, collectibles, contests and movie screenings — along with more than 150 celebrities who will be greeting fans and autographing items and industry professionals representing the best in today’s pop culture.

The movie “Back to the Future” will be showcased with guest appearances by Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson (Marty’s mother in the trilogy). The show will also feature the “‘BacktotheFuture.com DeLorean Time Machine.”

Fox and Thompson join a select group of participating celebrities including Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead,” Boondock Saints), Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints, “Dexter”), Billy Martin (Lead Guitarist/Keyboardist – Good Charlotte, Artist – “TMNT New Animated Adventures”), James Remar (The Warriors, “Dexter”) and Jason David Frank (“Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers”). 

Some of the other special guests are William Shatner, David Duchovny, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, John Cena, Evan Peters, Stephen Amell, and Christian Kane.

Other special attractions include comics-themed panels, portfolio reviews, costume contests and “Kids Day” on Sunday with an array of panels and events designed especially for children. Children and adult attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite villain, superhero or pop culture personality for the chance to win special prizes in daily costume contests.

The show also will host hundreds of exhibitors who will be displaying and selling action figures, Anime, movie posters, trading cards, clothing, memorabilia, original artwork and comics.

Tickets are $45 on Friday and Sunday and $55 on Saturday. Show hours are Friday, June 3, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, June 4, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, June 5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

One way to stay cool while being fed and entertained is to attend a performance of “Arsenic and Old Lace” at the Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.nctstage.org).

“Arsenic and Old Lace” is a play by the American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. It opened in January 1941 and closed in June 1944, having played 1,444 performances.

The show is a farce — a black comedy about a family of homicidal maniacs.

The hero, Mortimer Brewster, is a drama critic who must deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn. His family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old men by poisoning them with a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsenic and other poisons.

Other key relatives are a brother who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt and digs locks for the Panama Canal in the cellar of the Brewster home (which then serve as graves for the aunts’ victims) and a murderous brother who has received plastic surgery performed by an alcoholic accomplice, Dr. Einstein to conceal his identity.

As always, the production at Candlelight features a stellar cast of actors — the busiest of which is Dave Polgar, who plays the role of Mortimer Brewster.

“I had seen the classic black-and-white move with Cary Grant and Peter Lorre about 10 years ago,” said Polgar, during a phone interview this week from his home in Media.

“I didn’t know it was a play. I knew it just as a movie. When I got involved with this show, I researched it and found out that it was a long-running Broadway show prior to the movie.

“What really appealed to me about this show was that it was a comedy and a farce. I love comedy — and farces especially. I worked for several years at Hedgerow Theater and there was always a summer farce at Hedgerow. My second show at Hedgerow was a summer farce — ‘Chase Me, Comrade.’

“I was a world-famous ballet dancer who defected from the Soviet Union. I did the whole show wearing ballet garb. One of the reasons I love comedy is that it’s such a great experience when you’re performing live and you hear the laughter.”

Now, Polgar is playing Mortimer, a zany character who is one of several that carry the show.

“I like that he is suave — and pig-headed,” said Polgar. “He’s a theater critic who doesn’t like the theater. He goes from a Type A who has everything under control and then loses control because of his aunts’ indisgressions.

“It’s physically challenging — but that’s what I love about farces. I’m the type of person who can’t sit still for five minutes so it’s a great role for me. And, he gets pulled in a lot of directions and that’s fun for me too.

“We have a great cast. They all are strong actors. We’ve gotten into a nice little groove with our timing. Audiences like this show because it’s not a comedy to the people on stage. And, they like it because it’s a really funny show.”

The show is running now through June 19. Tickets, which include a tasty buffet dinner, are $59 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12).

On June 4, The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) will present “Ladies of Laughter featuring Chris Rich and Robin Fox.”  No matter how hot it is outside the theater, there will be an abundance of cool comedy inside the theater.

“Ladies of Laughter” bills itself as “The Source for Funny Women.”

According to its website, “Ladies of Laughter (LOL) is all about providing funny women the opportunity to showcase their unique styles of humor. Our mission is to encourage and promote new and professional comediennes from all walks of life to share their humor with audiences.”

LOL produces a variety of comedy workshops for teens and adults and provides basic tools to help students develop a comedy routine based on their life experiences. Ladies of Laughter winners and select participants receive cash prizes, major publicity and paid bookings in night clubs, casinos, theaters, special events and colleges.

Chris Rich won the national Ladies of Laughter competition when it was first introduced at Caesar’s Atlantic City Casino back in 1999.  Since then she has appeared on Comedy Central and is favorite national headliner.

“I grew up in Northeast Philly,” said Rich, during a phone interview last week. “I went to La Salle for undergrad and Temple for grad school. I got my degree in English. I love writing. It was always there.

“I started out in the entertainment world as an actress and a singer. I was this so I always got cast as the ingénue. It was really boring. Everyone else had the funny lines.

“My family is funny. Comedy is my first language. Since I was getting no funny lines in theater, I decided to try stand-up. But, there aren’t many women in stand-up and I couldn’t get jobs on the road.”

Ladies of Laughter has been working to change that situation.

“I somehow fell into the Ladies of Laughter contest and ended up winning the whole thing,” said Rich. “That brought about a big change. It got me spot on Comedy Central and that got me a spot on ‘The View.’

“I have my own style. I like boom-boom-boom — five punch lines in a row. Audiences want a good hard laugh. It’s all stand-up — a lot about growing up in my neighborhood in Kensington. I have a hard time being serous on stage. I can’t let go of the jokes.”

Rich’s writing ability has also led her down another path.

“A friend said to me — you should really write a show about your family,” said Rich. “I wrote it and submitted it to a festival in New York. They accepted my play and now it’s going to be on Broadway in October. ‘Hope Street’ is the name of the show.”

The “Ladies of Laughter featuring Chris Rich and Robin Fox” show at Sellersville will start at 8 p.m. on June 4. Tickets are $25 and $39.50.

When the first Sunday in June arrives, downtown West Chester becomes a huge block party as the borough hosts Super Sunday. This year, the 24th Annual Super Sunday (610-692-7574,

http://www.west-chester.com) will be held on June 5 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sponsored by West Chester Parks & Recreation, Super Sunday is a giant street festival taking place in downtown West Chester on Gay Street between Matlack and Darlington.

The free event features approximately 100 crafts exhibitor booths, a variety of food vendors, amusement rides, jugglers, clowns, Fairman’s Skate Zone, an antique car display and children’s fun zone featuring a variety of moon bounces, a climbing wall, giant slide, and trampoline. 

Children’s entertainment includes TCL Clowns, a strolling act with balloon creations; Ryan Shiflet, a strolling juggler; and Dick Rainer, a veteran stilt walker.

Live entertainment will include performances on the Matlack & Gay Street Stage by Treewalker (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) and Venom Blues (1:30-3:30 p.m.) and on the Darlington & Gay Street Stage by Mark Derose (12:45-2:30 p.m.) and Tritones Xylophones (3-4:45 p.m.)

Parking in all Borough of West Chester garages is $5 for all day.

When the first Friday of the month comes around, it’s a good time to spend an evening in the heart of West Chester — a time when the borough hosts its version of First Friday (downtown West Chester, http://www.downtownwestchester.com). The First Friday event for this month will be held on June 3 from 5-9 p.m.

First Friday activities, which are held on the inaugural Friday each month, feature great shopping opportunities and delicious food offerings. Stores are open late and many of them feature free refreshments and shopping specials.

As an added attraction, there will be free on-street parking after 5 p.m. The remaining First Fridays in West Chester are scheduled for July 1, August 5, September 2, October 2 and November 4. The First Friday in December — December 2 — is the day for West Chester’s Old Fashioned Christmas Parade.

In other action Friday night in West Chester, Uptown! is hosting the comedy troupe Better than Bacon at Sprout Music Collective (130 East Prescott Alley, West Chester, 610-696-6006, http://sproutmusic.org/eventss).

Tickets are $10 and the show is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. On June 4, the venue will present Mi Marido es un Cornudo con Elba Escobar (Spanish Comedy) at 7 p.m. followed by the reggae band Bushy and the Lion’s Paw at 10 p.m.

Kennett Square will also celebrate First Friday with its Art Stroll (downtown Kennett Square, http://historickennettsquare.com) from 6-9 p.m. on June 3.

The event celebrates the local art scene with special activities in the galleries, shops and restaurants throughout town.  Many of the town’s businesses and galleries will stay open late for First Friday.

On June 3, the June Art Stroll will run from 6-9 p.m. in the center of town. Kennett Square’s Art Stroll is a monthly celebration of the local art scene as it is showcased in the galleries, shops and restaurants throughout town.  Residents and visitors alike are encouraged to wander along the tree-lined streets and browse the many businesses that stay open late.

There is another special activity taking place in Kennett Square on June 3.

The Garage Community and Youth Center (115 South Union Street, Kennett Square, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-garage-presents-beautiful-in-every-shade-tickets-25432063988) is hosting an event called “Beautiful in Every Shade.”

The Garage is offering this invitation — “Come join us for a night of discovering the true beauty that comes with every shade of human radiance — and stay after for a “Neon Dance Party.’ There will be free prizes and free food.”

Lancaster also has a lively First Friday celebration very month. This month’s edition of First Friday Lancaster (http://www.firstfridaylancaster.com/) will run from 5-9 p.m. on June 3 in downtown Lancaster.

The event will feature attractive exhibitions at art galleries, artisan studios and museums. There will also be live performances presented in a variety of genres — professional theater, symphony orchestra and performing groups.

Another interesting event in Lancaster — “Living History at Wheatland — Johnson Republicanism Has Failed!” — will take place on June 4 at Wheatland (1120 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, 717-392-4633, http://lancasterhistory.org/visit/wheatland).

Occurring on the first Saturday of the month from March through October, the Living History at Wheatland program consists of a series of interactive and engaging glimpses into the life and times of President James Buchanan and his family.

Actors bring to life the people who lived here and the history of the site.  These historical figures interact with one another and with their audience. The theme changes from month to month.

Visit Wheatland on June 4th, 2016 and you will be transported back in time to the spring of 1867 to become a member of the Lancaster Democratic Committee. You and your fellow Committee members are calling on Mr. Buchanan for his advice about issues facing Pennsylvania such as Negro suffrage, President Johnson’s failure to manage the radical Republicans’ agenda in Washington, and a recent Negro riot in Lancaster.

Buchanan was born April 23, 1791 in Franklin County Pennsylvania and grew up in the Borough of Mercersburg. After graduating from Dickinson College he arrived in Lancaster at age 18 to pursue a career as an attorney at law.

Tour Guides in period clothing bring history to life as you walk through Wheatland, beloved home of our nation’s 15th President. Wheatland is located on LancasterHistory.org’s Campus of History which is located just west of the City of Lancaster at the intersection of Marietta and North President Avenues. There is ample off-street parking available.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for students (ages 11-17) and free for children (10 and under).

Other activities on June 4 will be the “African-American Heritage Walking Tours.”

Tours, which depart from the Lancaster City Visitor Center at (38 Penn Square, Lancaster), are available at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The tour is a safe and easy walk that takes between 60 and 90 minutes. Comfortable walking shoes recommended.

The tours visit sites such as black businesses on Penn Square; site of Elite Hotel; Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site; Trinity Lutheran Church; Lancaster County Courthouse; Hamilton Club; Saint James Episcopal Church; site of the Lancaster Train Station; Shreiner-Concord Cemetery; Fulton Hall/Old Jail; and Central Market.

You still have a few days left to catch one of the area’s top festival events — the Devon Horse Show (Lancaster Avenue, Devon, 610-688-2554, www.devonhorseshow.org).

This year’s 120th Annual Devon Horse Show and Country Fair is running now through June 5.

More than just another annual equestrian event, it is a family event that spans generations and traditionally marks the start of summer.

More than 3,000 horses are entered in the Devon Horse Show in over 30 divisions and more than 200 classes with prize money totaling over a quarter of a million dollars. The equestrian competition reaches its peak the final few days with the Devon Grand Prix and the Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake.

The Country Fair has food concessions, a garden café, sales booths featuring antiques, toys, hand-crafted items, Devon Horse Show souvenirs and over 30 other shops with jewelry, art, clothes and equestrian-related items. And, there is the Midway with its huge ferris wheel, old-time carousel and wide array of amusement rides and games.

Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children (under 12) and seniors (over 65).

Much of the world’s tastiest cuisine comes from Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Turkey and especially Greece. Two of the area’s top Greek festivals are on the schedule for the next week.

The Grecian Food Festival at St. Sophia Church Grecian Festival (900 South Trooper Road, Jeffersonville, 610-650-8960, www.stsophiavf.org) is running now through June 5. Then, the 2016 Greek Festival at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (808 North Broom Street, Wilmington, 302-654-4446, www.holytrinitywilmington.org) opens on June 7 and runs through June 11.

The free, family-oriented festivals both feature amusement rides and games but they are side attractions. Without question, the main attraction is the food. It’s a no-brainer.

The list of main dish items at St. Sofia’s festival has a wide variety of meat and vegetable items. Chicken Oreganato is Grecian-style chicken roasted with a mixture of lemon, oil and oregano, while souvlaki is grilled pork tenderloin marinated with special herbs.

Gyros are pita sandwiches featuring a spice-infused ground beef-and-lamb mixture that is grilled, sliced fresh and served with tzatziki (cucumber and yogurt sauce), tomatoes, onions and olives.

Pastitsio is a macaroni dish with braised ground lamb and beef that is topped with béchamel sauce and baked. A similar entrée is mousaka, which features layers of eggplant, potato, ground lamb and beef, which is then baked and topped with a light béchamel sauce.

Saganaki is a dish with seared vlahotiri cheese that is flamed with brandy and lemon and served fresh. Greek Salad, which is always a favorite, includes lettuce, feta cheese, tomatoes, Greek olives, oregano, salt, onion, cucumbers tossed in a light olive oil dressing.

Other selections that can either be a main meal or a side dish are tyropita, which is a Greek-style cheese pie in a crispy phyllo crust; spanakopita, which is a tyropita that has spinach added; and Dolmades, which are rice and meat wrapped in grape leaves.

The menu at St. Sophia’s also includes a fried calamari dish with fresh lemon, and patates tiganitres, which are deep-fried potatoes that have been lightly seasoned with Greek herbs and spices and topped with feta cheese.

For dessert, it’s impossible to go wrong with any of the traditional Greek pastries. The most well-known Greek dessert is baklava, which is made with multiple layers of thin buttered phyllo dough cooked with walnuts, spices and honey syrup. Kataifi features shredded wheat with chopped nuts and honey syrup.

Loukoumades , the Greek version of doughnuts, are deep-fried and dipped in honey with a dash of cinnamon. Floyeres is a baked dessert prepared with thin layers of buttered pastry sheets, almonds, spices, and honey syrup. Galaktoboureko is a custard dessert baked between carefully placed pastry sheets and covered in syrup.

Karidopita is a moist walnut cake with spices and syrup. Kok, which is the Greek version of Boston cream pie, is a chocolate-covered cake that is filled with custard. Diples are crunchy treats featuring crisp folds of thin rolled pastry dough that are deep fried and topped with syrup, cinnamon and nuts.

Greek cuisine also includes a variety of mouth-watering cookies including melomakarona (oval cookie dipped in honey and rolled in nuts), kourabiedes (butter cookie served with confectioner’s sugar), paximadia (zwieback-type cookie that is baked then sliced and toasted in the oven), koulourakia (butter cookie that is twisted, basted with egg yolk and baked.)

The menu for the festival in Wilmington also features mousaka, pastitsio, tyropita, gyros, Greek salad, souvlaki, spanakopita and dolmades along with arni (baked lamb), chicken and orzo, keftedes (meatballs in tomato sauce), Greek-style string beans, plaki (baked fish) and Greek rice pudding.

Greek Festivals also feature a lot of live music.

Greek-American groups from the Delaware Valley will play popular Greek songs and standards at both festivals. There also will be performances of traditional Greek folk dances. The festivals will also offer tavernas, which are bistro-style sites for dancing and drinking.

Other attractions at the free festivals are Greek grocery stores and sales booths with items such as Greek music, icons, custom-made jewelry, leather goods and fabric. There will also be a variety of children’s activities.

From June 3-5, the Mid Atlantic Air Museum (11 Museum Drive, Reading, 610-372-7333, www.maam.org) is hosting its 26^th Annual World War II Weekend.

The museum and its grounds will come alive with an event that features a huge air show with more than 80 vintage military aircraft, 200 restored military vehicles, 1,700 re-enactors and a wide array of artifacts. There will also be a variety of family-oriented activities.

The long list of special activities includes presentations by many of the event’s special guests, ground displays, a two-hour, 30-vehicle “Liberation of Reading” convoy, a “Military Collectors’ Flea Market”, battle reenactments and live entertainment featuring Theresa Eaman, the Ultimate Abbott & Costello Tribute Show, dancers Heidi Rosenau and Joe McGlynn, America’s Sweethearts, Frank Cubillo, Martin Sisters Band and Spirit of the Open Airwaves.

There will be air shows between 1-4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. There will be an amazing number of vintage military airplanes featured at this weekend’s – both as static displays and as aerial attractions.

Some of the vintage aircraft featured at this year’s WWII Weekend are Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, Lockheed P2-V7 Neptune, Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Fifi”, Supermarine Spitfire MK XVIII, 1940 Fairchild 24R, a Stinson 10/L9, and North American SNJ-“Texan.”

Video link for WWII Weekend — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DY04yE2daJA.

Tickets are $26 for adults and $10 for children (ages 6-12).

The Marshall Steam Museum at Auburn Heights Preserve (3000 Creek Road, Yorklyn, Delaware, 302-239-2385, http://auburnheights.org) is presents an event called “Steamin’ Day Birthday Bash at Auburn Heights” on June 5.

The site, which features the Marshall Steam Museum and the Auburn Heights Mansion, focuses on steam power when it presents “Steamin’ Days,” which run from 12:30-4:30 p.m. each time. Combo Tickets, which cover all rides and building tours, are $19 (13 and older) and $16 (age 12 and under). “Mansion Only” tickets are $12 and “Ride Only” tickets are $11.

The “Birthday Cars” are a 1916 Rauch & Lang electric car called “Lang” and a 1916 Stanley Touring Model 725.

Exclusively during this special birthday-themed “Steamin’ Day,” visitors can sign the giant birthday card, enjoy a special photo-op (complete with props) with the museum’s two birthday cars, make their own vintage-inspired “operator’s” licenses to take home — and enjoy birthday cake.

Special attractions include fresh steam-popped popcorn from a vintage popper, a “Firing Up” demonstration using a Stanley steam car, tours of the antique-furnished Auburn Heights Mansion (which was built in 1897), rides on the Auburn Valley Railroad and in select antique automobiles from the Marshall Collection.

Also included is entry to the Marshall Steam Museum, which features the world’s largest operating collection of Stanley steam cars along with a 1930s working Lionel electric train display, a hands-on engine display, kids activities and exhibits.

An interesting and educational look at America’s past with a special focus can be had in downtown Philadelphia.

Visitors to the old, historical district in Philadelphia on June 4 will be able to check out Fete Day 2015 at Elfreth’s Alley, which is located off Second Street (215-574-0560, http://www.elfrethsalley.org).

From noon-5 p.m., the oldest residential street in America will be hosting a traditional festival with colonial flavor. The popular annual festival will feature Colonial crafts, music, storytelling, refreshments, scavenger hunts and a wide array of hands-on games.

Historic Tours of the 32 historic residences on Elfreth’s Alley will be offered between noon and 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for students and $60 for families.

The First Annual Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Festival is scheduled for June 5 at The Navy Yard Marine Parade Grounds (4747 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, http://www.coffeeandteafestival.com/phillyiced).

The first of its kind in the mid-Atlantic region and in the Philadelphia area, this “all things coffee and tea” festival will be served on ice — iced tea, iced coffee, cold brewing, ready-to-drink, tea/coffee infused frozen products and more.

Visitors can join exhibitors as they pour tastings of their finest iced beverages and offer introductions to new and award-winning products.

The Marine Parade Grounds will also feature some of the most delectable sweet and savory foods from some of Philly’s finest food trucks to compliment the spectacular collection of iced drinks.

The event will take place outdoors, under tents, rain or shine. Tickets are $20 per person and include admission to the event, a souvenir tasting cup, freedom to attend festival seminars, and enjoy tastings from various exhibitors. Children 12 and under are admitted into the event for free but require a ticket that can be obtained for free on the ticketing page.

Everyone who purchases a ticket has guaranteed entry into the event. If the event sells out, tickets will not be available at the door. For the safety of everyone at the festival and preservation of the parade grounds, pets are not allowed.

On June 5, the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing (201 South Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, www.delawareriverwaterfront.com) will be the site of the Irish American Festival.

The event, which is part of PECO’s annual multicultural series at Penn’s Landing, will feature all things Irish — tasty traditional Irish food offerings such as Shepherd’s Pie, bangers and mash, and scones.

The festival will present an array of Irish entertainment including pipers, Celtic bands and traditional step dancers. There will also be a variety of outdoor shops featuring authentic and traditional Irish goods.

The Irish American Festival, which runs from 1-8 p.m., is free and open to the public.