Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 

Week of November 6, 2023, FunTimes Magazine Culture + Entertainment column

Let’s “dress it up to the nines” this week. November, the ninth month, gets its name from the Latin novem, or nine. With this in mind, here are nine fall festivities to dig into. Shakespeare reimagined, journalism awards, museum freebies for the military for Veterans Day, restaurant week discounts, and more, all fill the calendar of free or (mostly) low-cost autumn activities in the Philadelphia area. Enjoy, but please take precautions, especially when in groups and indoors, with the current new COVID variants.

Do not lick the computer screen

Thursday, November 9 to Saturday, November 18, 2023. Foods of the Diaspora are some of the world’s best. The inaugural Philadelphia African Restaurant Week (ARW) will celebrate the cuisine and delicacies created by restaurants from the chefs of the Diaspora – African, African American, and Caribbean. Many of the meals are discounted. The week, which supports restaurants, cafes, and bars in the Philadelphia area, ends with a popup market on November 18th. The partners for African Restaurant Week 2023 include the African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA), PhilaAfricatown, African and Caribbean Business Council (ACBC), and Philadelphia Juneteenth Family Inc. For details and a list of participating restaurants: E-mail: [email protected], africanrestaurantweek.com, or 646-643-6261. 

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Honoring excellence in journalism & activism

Saturday, November 11, 2023. Meet and mingle with some of the best and brightest professional communicators at the 2023 Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists Awards Gala. See the news presenters that keep you informed and enlightened. Awards for reporting, media management, and community activism will be presented to six journalists and activists: Reporter-host-podcaster-professor Ernest Owens (Journalist of the Year); visionary founder & chief curator Steven CW Taylor of Ubuntu Fine Art (Visual Journalist of the Year Award); WURD Radio’s Troy Wilmore and Tiffany Bacon (Impact Awards); literary advocate Jeannine Cook of Harriett’s, Ida’s, and Josephine’s Bookstores (Community Service Award), and CBS3’s newscaster Natasha Brown (Lifetime Achievement Award). Enjoy ​hors d’oeuvres,​ ​an open cocktail bar,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​chance​ ​to​ ​ ​celebrate​ ​with​ ​the honorees.​ Proceeds benefit the trade organization’s professional journalism workshops and community programs. Tickets are only sold in advance: $ 175, $50 for students, and $125 for the organization’s members, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST. Museum of the American Revolution, 101 South 3rd St. eventbrite.com.

Veterans Day welcome at the museum 

Weekend of November 10 -12, 2023. November 11th is Veterans Day, and the Museum of the American Revolution is rolling out the welcome wagon for United States veterans, retired, and those on active duty. For three days, the museum will offer free admission to the military and Blue Star Families, a support network for military families. The freebie is courtesy of Comcast NBCUniversal. Visitors can see the new Pension Project of videos of veterans reading the military pensions of American Revolutionary War soldiers from the 1700s. They will be enlightened by the “Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia” Revolutionary War-era exhibit and heroic exploits of Black Civil War soldiers who captured an enemy flag at the 1864 Battle of Crater between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of Potomac. Free for the military, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. Third St., 215-253-6731 or amrevmuseum.org. 

Get out your ceramic pots…

Wednesday, November 15, 2023. The late activist Alice Hawthorne, who fought for communities of color in South Philly, would have loved all of the neighborhood activities in the facilities that are now named after her. Check out this one: if you’re into pottery, and like the word ‘free,’ then head down to Hawthorne Cultural Center for a paint-your-own-pottery workshop organized by EBIAH Pottery. Ornaments, pots, and more are available there to paint if you don’t have your items. For all ages, from beginners to the experienced. Free but sign up first, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST. Hawthorne Cultural Center, 12th and Carpenter Streets. E-mail: [email protected] or 215-685-1848.

Women’s mixer to share the wealth of knowledge 

Thursday, November 16, 2023. Sip & Shop + Panel Discussion, with Grant BLVD and WOMEN'S WAY, focuses on the wealth experience of women in Philadelphia -- meaning what women want and need for themselves, their families, and communities to succeed. Mingle in the Grant BLVD shop, learn more about WOMEN'S WAY, and hear from the panelists: Tracey Wallington, GWI Program Participant; Ivy Johnson, GWI Program Participant; Kelly Sheard, director of the WOMEN’S WAY Gender Wealth Institute; Kimberly McGlonn, Ph.D., CEO, and Founder of Grant Blvd & Blk Ivy Thrift. WOMEN'S WAY nonprofit is dedicated to advancing gender and racial equity through convening, grantmaking, research, and education. Grant Blvd is a Black woman-owned sustainable clothing brand in Philadelphia. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST. Grant BLVD, 140 S. 34th St. Free but register (space is limited). 215-985-3322 or womensway.org.

Macbeth in Stride: Chelsea Lee Williams, Stacey Sargeant, Ximone Rose, and Whitney White. Photo by Teresa Wood

Shakespeare rocks

Through Sunday, November 19, 2023. For a modern twist on the 1600’s classic, go see the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s Macbeth In Stride. The high-powered rock musical, with a mix of gospel, R&B, and pop, has been described as Lady Macbeth meets Tina Turner. It presents a reimagined feminine view from an ambitious Black woman and Lady MacBeth’s perspective. Directed by Taibi Magar and Tyler Dobrowsky, the goal of the 90-minute play starring actor-writer Whitney White is to make Shakespeare accessible to the masses. It also has an audience participation component. Times vary. $25 to $75. Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. 215-985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org. 

Kids hold the strings at guitar lessons

Through Friday, May 2024. Some of the most crucial hours are after school when kids too often are unsupervised or idle. That’s why Afterschool Guitar, organized by West Park Cultural Center, is the perfect activity. Youngsters, ages 9 to teens, can learn a new instrument; expand guitar skills; build confidence as well, and improve hand-eye coordination, multitasking, and problem-solving skills. Instructor and musician Richard Tucker leads the class that accommodates beginners to the advanced. Instruments are supplied. Free, Mondays, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST. John C. Anderson Cultural Center, 5301 Overbrook Ave., 215-473-7810 or westparkcultural.org.