NW Philly This Week: October 1 to 7

ByAlex Aberle

Your guide to Northwest Philadelphia for the week of Thursday, October 1 through Wednesday, October 7.

October arrived and apparently decided to put everything on the same Saturday. On October 3 you can watch British regulars march on the Chew House lawn in Germantown, hold a stein out at arm’s length on Ridge Avenue until your shoulder gives out, throw clay on Allens Lane, and get into a shouting match with a movie on Venice Island. Four festivals, four neighborhoods, one day. We have a plan for that below, because you cannot do all four well and anyone who tells you otherwise has not tried.

The quieter headline is that Chestnut Hill is lit up for four nights starting Friday. The Conservancy’s Night of Lights turns the 8000 through 8700 blocks of Germantown Avenue into a free outdoor exhibition about 250 years of this place, with video projected into storefront windows, historic buildings floodlit, live music and storytellers on the sidewalk, and a passport you can get stamped as you walk. It runs Friday through Monday and then it is gone, so this is genuinely your only week for it.

And then the rest of the week falls off a cliff, which we are telling you rather than pretending otherwise. Monday through Wednesday is library programming, brewery trivia and one very good art talk at Woodmere. If you have been meaning to use your library card, this is the week. (Three different branches are running something for teens, which is more than usual and worth knowing if you have one in the house.)

Saturday is four festivals deep. Here is how to pick.

The Revolutionary Germantown Festival is the one we would send a visitor to. Cliveden, 6401 Germantown Ave, 10am to 4pm, free, rain or shine. This is the annual commemoration of the Battle of Germantown on the ground where it happened, and it is not a lecture. Living history interpreters turn out as British and Continental soldiers, and in between there is candle dipping, paper making, basketweaving and a working blacksmith, plus tours of the Chew House itself. It also does something most historical festivals do not bother with: alongside the commemoration of the 1777 dead, there is a commemoration of people lost to gun violence now. Food and artisan vendors run all day. Bring kids, bring a folding chair, bring an appetite.

Roxtoberfest is the biggest footprint. Fourteenth year, Ridge Avenue between Lyceum and Leverington, noon to 6pm, free to walk in and pay as you go for everything else. Over 100 vendors, three music stages (Emmanuel Ohemeng III, Perpetual Motion, The Band Joe, and an Oktoberfest brass band), stein-holding competitions for adults and a root beer version for kids, live pumpkin carving by John Zeggert from noon to 4, a Kids Zone to 5, historical tours of Leverington Cemetery, the Art on the Ridge marketplace, and a Community Wellness Village. The PAWrade pet costume contest is at 3pm in Pocket Park, and it is the single most charming thing on this list. There is also a scarecrow walk from Leverington up to Hermitage.

The Mt. Airy Arts Festival is the one that got away from us last week, and it is free. Fourth year, Allens Lane Art Center, 601 W Allens Lane, 11am to 4pm. Art-making stations where you can actually try painting, printmaking and ceramics rather than watch somebody else do it, live performances on an outdoor stage, an art market of local makers selling handmade work, food vendors, and the Joined Hands Artists Collective show up in the gallery. It draws around 3,000 people and it is the most hands-on of the four, so if you have a kid who wants to make something instead of look at something, go here. Allens Lane has been doing this for 73 years on a shoestring, which is worth a donation at the gate if you have one in you.

Out & About in MNYK is Manayunk’s National Coming Out Day celebration and it runs twelve hours. It opens at 9am with the Out & About 5K Queer Run from Historic Main Street, free and open to everyone, led by Queer Run with Philadelphia Runner and Hoka. Then Gay Street and Art Alley take over: Drag Storytime with Brittany Lynn at 11, an open-air Philly Drag Mafia show with DJ Da Boo Boo at 1, and a karaoke dance party from 2 until about 6, all free. It finishes with Rocky Horror, shadowcast by Transylvanian Nipple Productions at Venice Island Performing Arts Center, two shows at 6pm and 9pm, $20 plus fees, costumes and heckling expected. Roughly ten Main Street restaurants and bars are running tie-ins.

How to actually do this. Cliveden and Allens Lane are the easy pair: five minutes apart, both free, both wrapping by four. Add Ridge Avenue after that and you have a full and entirely walkable-ish day. Manayunk is the one to commit to rather than squeeze, because its best bits (the 5K, the drag show, Rocky Horror) are at opposite ends of the clock. If you want a maximalist version: Cliveden at 10, Allens Lane at noon, Roxtoberfest at 2, and Venice Island at 9pm. You will be tired and you will have earned it.

And if you would rather not do a festival at all, Saturday evening has an alternative worth knowing about. iMPeRFeCT Gallery on the 5500 block of Germantown Ave opens HOW DO YOU FEEL from 6 to 9pm, with work by more than 100 artists across painting, sculpture, pottery, mosaics and photography. The show runs through November 7, so the reception is the only dated part, and openings at iMPeRFeCT are reliably more interesting than openings anywhere else on the Avenue.

Service information for Saturday

Roxtoberfest. Ridge Avenue closes between Leverington Avenue and Lyceum Avenue. Exact closure hours and tow zone times were not obtainable (the Roxborough Development Corporation’s own closure notice is not loading), so if you park on Ridge Friday night, move your car. Designated parking is at 465 Leverington Ave and 514 Dupont St. Regional Rail to Ivy Ridge, Manayunk or Wissahickon stations; buses 9, 27, 32, 35, 38 and 65. Several SEPTA bus routes changed in August, so check your route rather than assuming.

Out & About. No street closure, tow zone or detour information has been published anywhere we could find, despite a 5K start on Main Street and an open-air stage on Gay Street. MDC points to roughly 700 parking spaces across the district and to manayunk.com/getting-here. Treat Main Street as unpredictable from mid-morning.

Mt. Airy Arts Festival. No closures. Allens Lane is residential and street parking fills early, so the Allen Lane regional rail station is genuinely the better call.

Night of Lights. No closures. Germantown Avenue stays open, which means the 8000 through 8700 blocks will be busy with people looking up. Park off the Avenue and walk.

Thursday, October 1

  • FOW Thursday Volunteer Service Day, Wissahickon Valley Park, Wigard Avenue Trailhead, 726 Wigard Ave, 9am to 12pm. Trail work, invasive removal and litter pickup with FOW staff, tools and gloves provided. Free, registration required (miller@fow.org), cancelled in steady rain.
  • Sprouts, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagys Mill Rd, 9:30 to 11am. Outdoor sensory walks, art and stories for 18 months to 3 years with a caregiver. $20 members, $25 non-members, registration required and space is limited.
  • Native Planters, Schuylkill Center, 8480 Hagys Mill Rd, 10am to 12pm. Volunteer gardening in the courtyard and entrance gardens, tools supplied, bring water and clothes you can ruin. Free, registration recommended so they can reach you about weather.
  • Music with Ms. Molly!, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 10:30am. Rhythm and song for ages 0 to 5, with new instruments this season. Free, sponsored by the Friends of the library.
  • Baby and Toddler Storytime, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 10:30am. Mr. Nate leads stories, movement and songs for ages 0 to 3. Free. Large groups should call ahead at 215-685-9293.
  • Basic Digital Literacy Workshops, Dwight Evans Library of West Oak Lane, 2000 E Washington Ln, 2:30 to 4pm. Cloud storage and smart devices, taught in the computer lab by the city’s Office of Information and Technology. Free, walk-ins welcome, registration suggested at 215-685-2843.
  • Build It Club, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 3 to 4:30pm. LEGO, Magna Tiles, Bionicles and wooden blocks, free play with instruction books out. Free, pre-school and up because of small parts.
  • LEAP: Crafternoon, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 3:30pm. A different craft every week, drop in, school age and teens. Free.
  • Manga Drawing Class, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 3:30pm. Drop-in drawing instruction for teens and tweens. Free.
  • Girl Dinner, Manayunk Brewery, 4120 Main St, 4pm. A martini, a Caesar, and your choice of pasta or truffle fries. $25, ticketed.
  • Bingo, The Rook, 4001 Cresson St, 7 to 9pm. Weekly, free, and the Cresson Street room is small enough that you will know who won.
  • Trivia Night, Wissahickon Brewing Company, 3705 W School House Ln, 7pm. Weekly quiz with food truck pizza on site. Two listings disagree on whether it starts at 7 or 7:30, so call ahead if you want to be there for question one.
  • Oktoberfest BINGO, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company, 8221 Germantown Ave, 7 to 9pm. Week one of their four-week Oktoberfest run, with the Festbier in proper Roemer glasses. 20% off if you turn up in German attire, which is either an incentive or a dare.
  • “These Shining Lives”, The Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Ave, 7:30pm. Melanie Marnich’s drama about four women at a 1920s radium dial factory who realize the work is killing them and decide to fight. Directed by Jane Toczek. Thursday is the cheap night, $20 online plus a $1.50 fee, $30 at the door.
  • Mouths of Babes with Michelle Malone, The Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Ave, 7:30 to 9:30pm. Folk and Americana duo, tickets on Humanitix.
  • King Falcon, Shark Earrings and Calling From Pluto, The Grape, 105 Grape St, 8:30pm. Rock triple bill at the room that used to be the Grape Room and is now, simply, The Grape.

Friday, October 2

  • CURE de Repos turns ten, 8439 Germantown Ave, 10am to 8pm. All-day anniversary party at the skin care spa: giveaways, complimentary skin analyses, a raffle, food, and music and dancing into the evening. Free.
  • Infant and Toddler Playgroup, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 10:30am. Toys, books and music, with time to actually talk to another adult. Free.
  • Fall First Friday for Kids and Families, the Pumpkin Cottage at Morris Arboretum, 100 E Northwestern Ave, 11am. A read-aloud of I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton, then make a spider to take home. Free with general admission, no registration.
  • $5 Fridays, Attic Brewing, 137 Berkley St, 3 to 6pm. Discounted pours in the beer garden. (Attic genuinely skips weeks, so this is worth noting as one of the weeks it is on.)
  • Crochet Club, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 3:30pm. Supplies provided, or bring your own if you are particular. Free.
  • DIY Bag Charms for Teens, Dwight Evans Library, 2000 E Washington Ln, 3:30 to 4:30pm. Beaded, rope and letter charms. Free. Runs most Fridays this month with a charm swap at the final session, so starting today is the right move.
  • LEAP Game Day, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 3:30pm. Board games and video games to close out the LEAP week. Free.
  • Oktoberfest at Wissahickon, Wissahickon Brewing Company, 3705 W School House Ln, 4pm. German biers, traditional tunes, soft pretzels and food trucks. Free to walk in.
  • Night of Lights, opening night, Germantown Ave, 8000 through 8700 blocks, 6:30 to 9pm. Free. Family activities and giveaways from 6:30, the “Flip the Switch” ceremony at 7:00, then six projected video exhibitions in storefront windows, illuminated historic buildings, live music and storytellers. Pick up the Night of Lights Passport for the map and the raffle.
  • “These Shining Lives”, The Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Ave, 7:30pm. $26 online, $30 at the door, $25 for seniors 65+, $15 students and industry.
  • Friday Night Quizzo, Manayunk Brewery, 4120 Main St, 8:30pm. Weekly prizes plus drink and food specials. Free.
  • Shubh Saran with Snooze and Countdown From Ten, The Grape, 105 Grape St, 8:30pm.
  • DJ Earth Walker, The Grape, 105 Grape St, 11:15pm. If you are still out, you are in the right place.

Saturday, October 3

Four festivals and twenty-odd other things. The section above has the festival strategy; this is everything, roughly in time order. Morning is the parks and the markets, midday is the festivals, and the evening splits between a gallery opening in Germantown, Pretzel Park, a garden benefit on Wayne Ave and Rocky Horror on Venice Island.

  • Bird Walk Along the Wissahickon, Part 3, with Troy Bynum, meeting at Houston Playground, 900 Grakyn Ln, 9 to 11am. Third of four guided walks on which birds use the park’s habitats and when. Moderate, with rocky and possibly wet trails, so closed-toed shoes. Registration required (miller@fow.org). Binoculars can be reserved at tbynum6834@gmail.com. Free street parking on Grakyn Lane and Sequoia Road.
  • FOW Saturday Volunteer Service Day, Thomas Mill Red Covered Bridge, 8901 Forbidden Dr, 9am to 12pm. Long-handled tool work and litter pickup, prepping the site for a planting. All skill levels. Free, registration required (miller@fow.org).
  • Out and About 5K Queer Run, starting from Historic Main Street, Manayunk, 9am. Free and open to everyone, led by Queer Run with Philadelphia Runner and Hoka.
  • Chestnut Hill Farmers Market, Germantown Ave at Mermaid Lane in front of The Mermaid Inn, 9am to 12pm. One of the longest-running markets in the city, every Saturday, year round. Free to browse, expensive to browse well.
  • Revolutionary Germantown Festival, Cliveden, 6401 Germantown Ave, 10am to 4pm. Free, rain or shine. See above.
  • Pretzel Park Farmers Market, Kids Day, Pretzel Park, 4300 Silverwood St, 10am to 2pm. Food and craft vendors plus Story Time with Miss Beth at 11am, activities and a scavenger hunt with prizes. Free, rain or shine.
  • Big Truck Sale, Hilltop Books, 84 Bethlehem Pike, 10am to 4pm. Sixth year of the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library’s vintage-truck book sale: a loaded truck bed plus ten tables, carts and shelves. $1 paperbacks and kids’ books, $2 hardbacks, $3 oversized. (Note it is at Hilltop Books, not at the library, whatever you may have read elsewhere.)
  • SAT Prep Workshop: Math I, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 10am. Week one of an eight-week Saturday series from Tarrina Tutors, covering algebra and linear equations. Free, which is remarkable for SAT prep.
  • Experience the Unexpected, the Pumpkin Cottage at Morris Arboretum, 100 E Northwestern Ave, 10am to 12pm. Make wands and potions out of leaves, seeds and sticks. Free with general admission. Also Sunday.
  • Tea and Tour with Alison’s Tea Room, Wyck Historic House and Garden, 6026 Germantown Ave, 10am. Tea service paired with a tour of the house and the rose garden. Registration required; the cost is not posted, so ask when you book.
  • Deaf and Signing Community Gathering, Lovett Memorial Library, 6945 Germantown Ave, 10:30am to 12:30pm. First-Saturday gathering for deaf, hard-of-hearing, CODA, SODA and hearing allies, with signed stories and ASL rhymes for children. Free, ASL interpreter provided.
  • Building Fairy Houses, ages 5 and up, Morris Arboretum, 100 E Northwestern Ave, 10:30am. Build indoors from clay and natural materials, then decorate outside in the Whimsical Woods. $35 members, $40 non-members, registration required, and one registration covers one adult plus one child.
  • Drag Storytime with Brittany Lynn, Gay St and Art Alley, Manayunk, 11am. Free.
  • Mt. Airy Arts Festival, Allens Lane Art Center, 601 W Allens Lane, 11am to 4pm. Free. Fourth annual. Art-making stations (painting, printmaking, ceramics), live performances on the outdoor stage, an art market of local makers, food vendors, and the Joined Hands Artists Collective exhibition in the gallery. See above.
  • Fall Yoga at Grumblethorpe, 5267 Germantown Ave, 11am to 12pm. Free, family-friendly outdoor yoga from Black Girls with Green Thumbs in the Grumblethorpe garden, no registration. Also October 10 and 17. (Found via the Germantown Info Hub; we could not reach a second listing, so bring a mat and some flexibility about the schedule as well as the poses.)
  • Roxtoberfest, Ridge Ave between Lyceum and Leverington, 12 to 6pm. Free entry. See above, and see the service note for the road closure.
  • Jeantel Landscaping Annual Car Show, Maplewood Mall, Germantown, 12 to 4pm. Music, food, giveaways and a yard full of cars on one of the prettiest little pedestrian streets in the city. Free, no registration. (Also Germantown Info Hub only.)
  • Open-air drag show, Philly Drag Mafia with DJ Da Boo Boo, Gay St, Manayunk, 1pm. Free.
  • Film Classics of the Silent Era: “The Crowd” (1928), Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 1 to 3pm. Second in local historian Andrew Gilmore’s four-film series on the late silent era. King Vidor’s film follows a couple through an indifferent city and it has aged alarmingly well. Free.
  • Karaoke dance party, Gay St, Manayunk, 2pm to roughly 6pm. Free.
  • PAWrade pet costume contest, Pocket Park at Roxtoberfest, Ridge Ave, 3pm. Free to watch. Clear your afternoon.
  • World Music Ensemble Jaffna in Pretzel Park, Pretzel Park, 4300 Silverwood St, 5 to 7pm. Outdoor set including the park’s own drum circle. Free. (The exact spot in the park and the rain plan are not published, so if the sky looks wrong, check before you go.)
  • Rooted in Germantown, a benefit for Hansberry Garden, Hansberry Garden and Nature Center, 5150 Wayne Ave, 5 to 8pm. An evening in the garden with local performers, raffle baskets, food and drink. Ticketed through givebutter.com/rooted-in-germantown; the price is not posted on the page.
  • Rocky Horror Picture Show, shadowcast, Venice Island Performing Arts Center, Manayunk, 6pm and 9pm. Transylvanian Nipple Productions. $20 plus fees, costumes and audience participation encouraged.
  • “HOW DO YOU FEEL” opening reception, iMPeRFeCT Gallery, 5539 Germantown Ave, 6 to 9pm. More than 100 artists, in paintings, sculpture, pottery, mosaics and photography. The show itself runs through November 7.
  • Night of Lights, Germantown Ave, 8000 through 8700 blocks, 7 to 9pm. Free.
  • “These Shining Lives”, The Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Ave, 7:30pm.
  • The Humbleman Band with Rev Chris and Les Garcons Crasseux, The Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Ave, 8 to 10:30pm. Tickets on Humanitix.
  • Deceits with Computer Kill, The Grape, 105 Grape St, 8:30pm.
  • Dear Diary: Emo and Pop Punk Night, The Grape, 105 Grape St, 10pm. You know whether this is for you.

Sunday, October 4

  • Discover the Wissahickon: Hella Pachella Hike, meeting at Pachella Field, 6839 Henry Ave, 9am to 12pm. A longer hike down the Yellow Trail through the southern half of the park with four trail ambassadors. Moderately difficult, with steep elevation changes; sturdy shoes and socks, and a composting toilet at Kitchen’s Lane roughly halfway. Registration required (miller@fow.org). On-site parking, or the 27 bus. Service animals welcome.
  • “Bizarre Bugs, Toads, and Butt-Breathers” with Doug Wechsler, Hilltop Books, 84 Bethlehem Pike, 10am. Free. The children’s author and photographer reads from The Hidden Life of a Toad, Bizarre Bugs, and Blowholes, Book Gills, and Butt-Breathers, all of it about wildlife in the Wissahickon watershed, with a Q and A after. A Night of Lights family program with Hilltop Books and the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library, and it lands at the same address as the book sale below, which is efficient of them.
  • Experience the Unexpected, the Pumpkin Cottage at Morris Arboretum, 100 E Northwestern Ave, 10am to 12pm. Free with general admission.
  • Big Truck Sale, day two, Hilltop Books, 84 Bethlehem Pike, 10am to 4pm. From 1pm it is $5 for a full bag, which is the correct time to arrive if you have no shelf discipline.
  • Sunday Family Art and Storytelling, Smith Hall at Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave, 11am to 12pm. Ages 3 to 5 with an adult look closely at one artwork, read a picture book about it, then make something. Free, register online.
  • Morning Yoga, Wissahickon Brewing Company, 3705 W School House Ln, 11am. A Sunday flow at the brewery, followed by breakfast and football. Free.
  • Eagles vs Rams, kickoff 1pm on FOX. Three good rooms for it: Attic Brewing, 137 Berkley St, 1 to 4:40pm with food and drink specials, raffles and a DJ. Manayunk Brewery, 4120 Main St, $10 food specials and discounted drinks. Chestnut Hill Brewing, 8221 Germantown Ave, 1 to 4:30pm.
  • “These Shining Lives,” closing matinee, The Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Ave, 2pm. Last performance of the run.
  • Kenn Kweder “press conference” with a live set from The Tranks, The Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Ave, 3 to 5:30pm. Ticketed on Humanitix. Kweder has been a Philadelphia institution for about fifty years and this is the kind of room he is best in.
  • Hammerslagen Tournament, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company, 8221 Germantown Ave, 5 to 7pm. Competitive nail driving, Oktoberfest edition. Harder than it looks.
  • Sound Minds: An Evening of Jazz and Mind Reading, Malelani Cafe, 6734 Germantown Ave, 7pm. Exactly what it says. $25 to $35, ticketed.
  • Night of Lights, Germantown Ave, 7 to 9pm. Free.

The libraries are closed Sundays, so the gap there is correct rather than an oversight.

Monday, October 5

  • Neighborhood Community Action Center: L and I and Quality of Life, Joseph E. Coleman NW Regional Library, 68 W Chelten Ave, 1 to 4pm. One-on-one consultations with Licenses and Inspections staff, first Monday of the month. Free, drop in, no registration.
  • LEAP: Mindful Monday, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 4pm. Mindfulness and wellness activities for kids and teens. Free.
  • Magic the Gathering at the Library, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 5pm. Free.
  • Touch a (Fire) Truck!, Coleman NW Regional Library, 68 W Chelten Ave, 5pm. Fire Prevention Week: meet Philadelphia firefighters and climb on a real engine. Free, and the best thing happening Monday if you are under eight.
  • Neighborhood Action Center 8 community meeting, Coleman NW Regional Library, 68 W Chelten Ave, 5:30 to 6:45pm. Representatives from the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the Philadelphia Police Department take questions about neighborhood concerns. Free. More information at 267-496-3596 or NCACDistrict8@phila.gov. This is the one to go to if you have been complaining to your neighbors about parking.
  • Friends of Roxborough Library monthly meeting, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 5:30pm. They vote on what the branch sponsors and how it gets funded. Free, and this is where you go if you have opinions.
  • Twisted Trivia, Twisted Gingers Brewing, 4317 Fleming St, 6:30pm. New prizes weekly. Free.
  • Quizzo, The Rook, 4001 Cresson St, 7 to 8:30pm. Free, with prizes.
  • Night of Lights, final night, Germantown Ave, 8000 through 8700 blocks, 7 to 9pm. Free. Last of the four.

One caution on the Coleman library. Its own location page currently says the branch is “temporarily closed,” while also listing the Monday and Tuesday programs above, and the Tuesday jobs session notes that it takes place outside the building. The events look real and currently dated, but call 1-833-825-5357 before you drive over, especially for the fire truck.

Tuesday, October 6

  • Sprouts, Schuylkill Center, 8480 Hagys Mill Rd, 9:30 to 11am. Outdoor nature class for 18 months to 3 years with a caregiver. $20 members, $25 non-members, pre-registration required.
  • Forest Friends Story Hour, Wissahickon Environmental Center (the Tree House), 300 W Northwestern Ave, 11am to 12pm. A story, a short walk in the park, and a nature craft, for ages 2 to 6 with a grown-up. Registration required through Eventbrite. The Tree House runs some of the best cheap programming in the park and it is the hardest calendar in Northwest Philly to actually find, so take it when you see it.
  • Baby Storytime, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 11:15am. Mr. Rich leads stories, songs, rhymes and dances for infants and toddlers, then free play with the climbing structure. Free, siblings welcome.
  • Neighborhood Community Action Center: Work SuccessPhilly, Coleman NW Regional Library, 68 W Chelten Ave, 1 to 3pm. One-on-one time with an Office of Human Resources professional about job openings and hiring processes. Free. Note this one happens outside the building.
  • Social Services at the Library, Dwight Evans Library, 2000 E Washington Ln, 2 to 5pm. Open office hours with a social worker to connect you to community and government agencies. Free.
  • Lovett Film Club, “Dracula” (1931), Lovett Memorial Library, 6945 Germantown Ave, 4 to 6pm. The Spanish-language Dracula, shot at night on the same sets as the Lugosi version with a different cast, lost to obscurity until the 1970s, and a genuinely better-made film. English subtitles, aimed at adults and older teens. Free.
  • Voter Registration Information Sessions, Dwight Evans Library, 2000 E Washington Ln, 4 to 5:30pm. Registration, status checks, polling places and mail-in voting, including voting rights after incarceration and re-entry resources. Free, 18 and over. Repeats October 13, 20 and 27.
  • College Scholarships 101, Coleman NW Regional Library, 68 W Chelten Ave, 4:30 to 6:30pm. The Alexander Advantage on finding and actually winning scholarships. Free, and they encourage students and parents to come together.
  • Yarntastic Philly, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 5 to 6:30pm. Bring your own yarn and whatever you are in the middle of. Not a class, all ages and all skill levels. Free.
  • Jazz Jam Sessions, Manayunk Brewery, 4120 Main St, 7pm. Free.

Wednesday, October 7

  • Burger and Brew, Manayunk Brewery, 4120 Main St, from 12pm. A six-ounce burger and a twelve-ounce beer, every Wednesday.
  • Wednesday Pizza Deal, Twisted Gingers Brewing, 4317 Fleming St, all day. 15% off pizzas with a drink.
  • Illustrated Art Talk with Laura Polucha and Bill Valerio, Maguire Hall at Woodmere Art Museum, Germantown Ave, 6pm. On the history of illustration in Philadelphia, which is a bigger story than most people realize. $20 members, $30 non-members, ticket required, and a light supper follows.

Open all week

  • ArBOOretum, Morris Arboretum and Gardens, 100 E Northwestern Ave, daily 10am to 5pm through October 31. Included with admission ($22 adults, $20 seniors, $12 ages 3 to 17, under 2 free). This year’s 19th Annual Scarecrow Walk has more than fifty community-built scarecrows on the theme “a trip through the 70s, any 70s,” which has produced 1770s, 1970s and 2070s entries. Visitor voting runs through October 18, with a $300 grand prize. The Pumpkin Cottage is the photo everybody takes.
  • Garden Highlights Tour, Morris Arboretum, meeting at the Welcome Center, weekdays 10:30am and weekends 1pm through November 25. Free with admission, weather permitting.
  • “In Community,” Joined Hands Artists Collective, Allens Lane Art Center, 601 W Allens Lane, through October 10. Eleven artists. Saturday’s festival is the easiest day to catch it, and after next weekend it is gone.
  • Cliveden house tours, 6401 Germantown Ave, Thursday through Sunday 12 to 4pm, on the hour, last tour at 3pm. The “Looking Glass” installation and the “Procuring Liberty in the Emerging Nation” exhibit are both up through November 22 and are included with a tour. (Saturday’s tours fold into the festival.)
  • Chestnut Hill Brewing Oktoberfest, 8221 Germantown Ave, through October 18. Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30am to 10pm, Sunday 11:30am to 8pm. The CH Festbier at 6.2% in Roemer glasses, a decorated beer garden, and food from CHBC, Liberty Kitchen, ChickoTako and Southern Flames. 20% off in traditional German attire.
  • Night of Lights, Germantown Ave between the 8000 and 8700 blocks, Friday October 2 through Monday October 5 only. Free.

Know about something we missed? Send it to hello@nwphilly.com and we will get it in next week. We would rather hear about your block’s thing than not, and the small stuff is usually the best stuff. (Still looking for anyone who can tell us what the Tree House is running on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, and whether Malelani’s open mics are still on, because neither one publishes dates anywhere we can reach.)

One housekeeping note. Everything here was checked against the venue’s own listing this week, but hours move, bands cancel and rain happens. Confirm with the venue before you drive over.

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