Events

The Maya 2012: Lords of Time exhibit opened this weekend at the Penn Museum. Despite having been many times before, I’d never actually made it to an opening. Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa spoke about the importance of Maya culture and its influence on the rest of the world. He seemed to have a personal interest in how it is that the Maya theory that the world would end in 2012 became such an international phenomenon. He joked that we were all crazy for believing it, but that it was in fact a huge help to the country because the myth has drawn so many talented archaeologists.

Mark your calendars for 4-6pm on Wednesday, June 20th, to celebrate the grand opening of The Dirt Factory, University City’s new community composting facility. The Dirt Factory will transform University City food waste into high quality organic compost, by combining it with the fallen leaves that cover our streets and sidewalks every fall.

If you’re looking to take a stroll this weekend, head for 30th Street Station and the Porch public space that was created by the University City District last autumn. Thanks to the mild winter, it’s already become a hangout of choice for travelers as well as students and passersby. Along with funky, colorful café tables and chairs at which you can sit and savor a latte or iced tea from one of the eateries inside the station, the plaza has glorious views of the river and nearby historic buildings as well as first-class people-watching.

A Philadelphia Master Gardener Second Saturday workshop that will give you tips on community garden planning and how to organize your plot.

The opening and closing films for Philadelphia’s first festival solely dedicated to movies about music are ready to rock! WXPN announced that Big Easy Express will open the XPN Music Film Festival on Thursday, April 26. The film documents Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Old Crow Medicine Show and Mumford & Sons’ 2011 tour. Under African Skies is a documentary film that follows Paul Simon’s journey back to South Africa to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Graceland. It will close the festival on Sunday, April 29.

Philadelphia’s next great public space will be home to a variety of concerts, fitness programs, a weekly farmers’ market, street performances and much more.

Mark your calendars for the 2012 Mayor's Philly Spring Cleanup! We encourage everyone to step outside and clean up where you live, work, learn or play.

Not unified by any particular style, West Philly Abstraction presents eight artists—artists whose works have been exhibited internationally and are part of major museum collections—who make West Philly their home. Opening on Friday, March 9.

One of West Philadelphia's most unique and entertaining events, the annual Charles Dickens Birthday Party, is coming this Sunday, February 5. This year, the novelist's 200th birthday will be celebrated with music, dramatic readings, and tasty treats. Sponsored by Friends of Clark Park, in honor of the famous statue of Dickens that has graced the park since 1901, the party will commence at 2pm in Griffith Hall of the University of the Sciences.

Urban Farming is the topic of the timely documentary film by Tree Media, Urban Roots, which explores the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit, Michigan. The Westphal College at Drexel University will host the Philadelphia theatrical premiere of Urban Roots on Tuesday, February 7th at 7:30 PM in the Bossone Research Center (3140 Market St.).