JUNE EVENTS

 

June 1

• America’s 250th: The History of Black Caterers in Philadelphia, 2 pm, in person at Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, free, hosted by the Free Library of Philadelphia. Chef Shayla Felton Dorsey on the history of Black caterers while preparing pepper pot soup—samples while supplies last.

• Separation of Powers and the Rule of Law, 6:30 pm, in person at the National Constitution Center, free. Judges Bernice Donald, Robert Kugler, and Thomas Griffith discuss separation of powers, federalism, and the rule of law; pre‑program guided tour of the “Governing the Nation” gallery; presented in partnership with the Article III Coalition.

June 2

• True Crime on Trial, 6 pm, in person at Taste & Sea Restaurant (1810 Wilmington Pike, Glen Mills), $20, hosted by Chester County History Center. Historians present evidence from a controversial case; the audience reaches a verdict before the real outcome is revealed; food/drinks not included.

June 3

• Read the Revolution Speaker Series with Francis D. Cogliano and Peter S. Onuf, 6:30 pm, in person at the Museum of the American Revolution (Liberty Hall.) Lecture and discussion to launch Thomas Jefferson Survives: American Independence in His Time and Ours; live Q&A. Onsite extras: view exhibit "The Declaration’s Journey" 5:15–6 pm, cash‑bar refreshments, and signed books.

June 4

• Corinthian Gardens: William Still, 6 pm, in person at Corinthian Gardens (2050 Brown St., Fairmount), free. Learn about William Still, the “father of the Underground Railroad”. Rain date June 5, 6 pm.

• Arts on Center Stage: Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, 6 pm; in person at Dilworth Park, Greenfield Lawn. Free orchestral performance; seating is limited—bring a blanket or chair.

June 5

• Toll the Bell: A Cry for Peace, 12:15–2:30 pm; in person at Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut St.) and city‑wide activation; free, hosted by Penn Live Arts. National Gun Violence Awareness Day event with bell ringing/sound‑making at 45+ locations, paired with an interfaith vigil (12:15 pm), a reflective walk to Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral (12:55 pm), and a reception (1:15–2:30 pm); collaboration with Penn’s Office of the Chaplain, Interfaith Philadelphia, and partners; a call to action highlighting progress and ongoing work to reduce gun violence.

• Book Launch — Portrait of a Citizen, 5:30 pm, in person at Founders Hall of Girard College, free, hosted by The Rosenbach with Girard College. Launch of Alexander Lawrence Ames’ book, Portrait of a Citizen: Stephen Girard, Mariner, Merchant, Banker, and Philanthropist of the Early American Republic with reception, remarks, book signing, and after‑hours gallery access; registration encouraged.

• Bailar en FDR! Salsa Class and Social Dance — PRIDE edition, 7-11 pm, in person at FDR Park (Gateway Plaza, Broad St. & Pattison Ave.), free; RSVP requested; donations appreciated; hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy with DJ Valentin Flores and Dance Philly. All‑levels lesson 7–8 pm, social dance 8–11 pm; outdoors; wear rainbow colors.

June 6

• Wissahickon Trail Classic, 8:30 am, in-person at Wissahickon Valley Park (start/ finish: W. Northwestern Ave.), $70 basic; $95 with Friends of the Wissahickon membership; $50 family-friendly nature hike. 10K trail race or 1‑mile hike; registration required; prices increase after April 19. More info: fow.org/wissahickontrailclassic.

• Community Paddle Boating at FDR Park, 10 am–2 pm, in person at FDR Park Boathouse, free; RSVP appreciated; hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy with Independence Seaport Museum. Pedal heron‑shaped boats on Edgewood Lake; kid‑friendly binoculars provided; participants must fit life jackets (30+ lbs).

June 8

• The Ideas at the Heart of the Declaration and the Constitution, 6:30 pm, in person at the National Constitution Center, free; registration required. David Blight, Robert P. George, and Annette Gordon‑Reed examine the Declaration and Constitution’s core principles (equality, liberty, pursuit of happiness, consent) and how their meanings have been debated over time; pre‑program guided tour of the “America’s Founding” gallery for in‑person attendees; presented with the Organization of American Historians and the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute.

June 10

• The Original Wheeze Kids: The Story About the 1966 Philadelphia Phillies, 6 pm, free, hosted by the Social Science and History Department at Free Library of Philadelphia, Heim Center Room 131/132. Local baseball statistician Mike Walsh (Society for American Baseball Research) revisits the 1966 Phillies—nicknamed the “Wheeze Kids”—covering front-office shakeups after the ’64 collapse, the epic July 16, 1966 Phillies–Giants extra-innings game, and the roster “unbuilding” that followed.

• Growth in Color Workshop with Santiago Galeas, 6 pm, in-person at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, 1020 South Street. $30. Hands‑on botanical printmaking with acrylic washes and hand‑cut silhouettes exploring resilience, growth, and “roots and wings.”

June 13

• TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures, 9 am, in person at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Marian Anderson Hall), ticketed. 15+ new TED Talks with global thinkers; immersive experiences and performances; pop‑up programming in the Public Square and on the PEW Spotlight Stage; hands‑on activations and small‑group Discovery Sessions (signup required); curated food; day concludes with a two‑hour celebration with food, drinks, and live music. 

• Second Saturday Guided Hike: Tree Tour, 10 am, in person in West Fairmount Park, free; registration required; hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy. 1–2 mile tree ID hike—learn to spot sweetgums, tulip poplars, and oaks by leaves, branches, and bark; explore the “body language” of trees.

• Revolutionary Saturdays, 11 am–3 pm, in-person at the American Philosophical Society (APS) Museum – Philosophical Hall (104 S. 5th Street), free. Drop‑in, family‑friendly activities inspired by “These Truths: The Declarations of Independence.”

• Voices of Laurel Hill Mansion: Premier Performances, shows at 3 pm and 7 pm, $25, in person at Laurel Hill Mansion (East Fairmount Park), presented by Women for Greater Philadelphia. Living‑history production animating five former residents—Rebecca Warner Rawle, Samuel Shoemaker, Esther de Berdt Reed, Chevalier de la Luzerne, and William Rawle—patriots and loyalists whose intertwined stories illuminate the Revolution.

• RUSTIN: Day of Film, 6 pm, in person at Chester County History Center, West Chester, PA. 90‑minute block of short films curated by West Chester Film Festival, followed by a panel honoring Bayard Rustin and celebrating African American and LGBTQ+ stories.

June 14

• Parkside and Centennial District Walking Tour, 10 am, in person starting at School of the Future (4021 Parkside Ave.), free; registration required; hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy. Two‑mile walk on Parkside’s history, its 1876 Centennial roots, and Victorian architecture.

June 15

• The Constitution and the Courts at the 250th, 9 am, in person at the National Constitution Center; free, registration required. Panel 1: Interpreting the Constitution in the Founding Era — Akhil Reed Amar; Christopher Bonner; Gerald F. Leonard. Panel 2: The Constitution and the Courts — Kevin Arlyck; Marin K. Levy; Maeva Marcus.

June 16

• The Underground Railroad Along the Mason–Dixon Line, 6 pm, virtual, free, registration required, hosted by Keystone Trails Association with LancasterHistory’s Stevens & Smith Center. Randy Harris traces the movement’s origins and routes through Philadelphia and farming communities west along the Mason–Dixon Line—how this boundary became a charged divide between bondage and freedom.

• Park after Dark: Moonwalk + Stargazing, 8 pm, in-person in West Fairmount Park (Belmont Mansion Drive & Army Road), hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy. 1.5‑mile moonlit hike on the historic Trolley Trail; telescope viewing and sky tour.

June 18

• Jane Colden’s Botanic Manuscript: The Legacy of America’s First Woman Botanist, 12 pm, in person at the American Philosophical Society's (APS) Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street, free; registration required. Lunch at the Library with Fenella Greig Heckscher on Colden’s 300+ plant descriptions, her vivid field notes — including pointed corrections of Linnaeus — and the new APS Press edition, richly illustrated with her handwriting, leaf sketches, and contemporary flower photography.

• Conceived in Crisis: Pennsylvania 1776, 6:30 pm, in person at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street. On the 1776 Provincial Conference at Carpenters’ Hall—independence, militia mobilization, and the path to the state constitution and the Declaration.

June 20

• Disney’s Lion King In Concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra, 8 pm (doors 6 pm), in person at TD Pavilion at the Mann Music Center, $44–$118. Hans Zimmer’s Oscar‑winning score performed live to the 1994 film; conducted by Damon Gupton; all ages. 

June 21

• Father’s Day BBQ, seatings at 11 am and 1 pm, in person at Philadelphia Zoo, $89. Zoo admission, BBQ buffet, lawn games, Home Depot toolkit craft for kids, family photo keepsake, and Uncle Charlie’s French Toast Whiskey tasting; includes one raffle ticket for prizes; assigned seating—reserve together to sit together.

• Bayard Rustin’s West Chester: A Walking Tour, 12 pm, in person starting at Chester County History Center, $16. 75‑minute, 1.25‑mile outdoor route to sites from Rustin’s youth and the 1966 March for Fair Housing.

June 24

• Slice of History: “These Truths: The Declarations of Independence” Quizzo, 5:30–8:30 pm, in-person at American Philosophical Society (APS) Museum – Philosophical Hall (104 S. 5th Street), free, registration required. After‑hours exhibition viewing followed by trivia with pizza and snacks, themed to “These Truths.”

June 28

• Yoga in the Park: Story Flow with Yogi Den, 10 am, in-person in East Fairmount Park (Boxers’ Trail Gateway, 33rd & W. Dauphin Sts.), free, hosted by Fairmount Park Conservancy. All‑levels “story flow” session blending movement and storytelling; outdoors.

 

JULY EVENTS

 

July 1-4

• Archiving Independence Drop-In Experience, July 1–3: 12pm–4pm; July 4, 10am - 2pm; free, in person at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP). Explore the "Paths to Independence" exhibition of rare Revolutionary-era documents, try hands-on activities, create your own broadside, and add your voice to the Semiquincentennial time capsule. Part of Red, White, and Blue To Do; no registration required. 

July 11

• Revolutionary Saturdays, 11 am–3 pm, in person at American Philosophical Society (APS) Museum – Philosophical Hall (104 S. 5th St.), free. Drop‑in, family‑friendly hands‑on activities inspired by “These Truths: The Declarations of Independence”.