Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

When Philadelphia throws a birthday party, everyone catches the spirit—especially leading up to and during Fourth of July weekend. In addition to the many free events that are part of the city’s annual Sunoco Welcome America! celebration, the region is jamming with dozens of events and festivals that celebrate our nation’s heritage. Here’s a look at a few more activities taking place during America’s birthday party:

In Historic Philadelphia:

• Catch up on the latest up-and-coming artists during First Friday in Old City when galleries and shops throw open their doors for some twilight gallery hopping. July 3. Front to

Philly is known for its great music and legendary artists, and summer 2008 will showcase the great sounds of the city. From a super-sized outdoor jazz festival to a Fourth of July concert that’s the stuff of “Legend,” this summer promises to be music to the ears. Here are some of the great music celebrations worth listening to:

• West Oak Lane Jazz & Arts Festival (June 20-22): In only five years, this outdoor music festival has grown from a small neighborhood celebration to a massive jazz festival. Thousands of music lovers from around the world will gather to celebrate music,

School is out, but kids can Go 4^th & Learn during Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day festival celebrating America’s birthday in America’s birthplace, Saturday, June 28 through Sunday, July 6, 2008. The fun, two-hour programs weave together interactive games, musical performances, storytelling and cultural activities, and each child who participates will receive a gift bag with a book and other goodies. Here’s the schedule:

• World Cafe Live – Budding musicians can learn the art of scatting from the Please Touch Museum’s Scat Cat. Kids will also try out different musical instruments and play with interactive puppets. Saturday, June 28,

Some of Hollywood’s biggest hits will be shown inside, outside and all around the town when Philly @ the Movies returns as part of the nine-day Sunoco Welcome America! Fourth of July festival, June 28 through July 6, 2008. The series of free flicks—two of which were filmed in the city—kicks off on Saturday, June 28 and continues through Saturday, July 5. Cinema fans can bring a lawn chair or blanket, pack some popcorn and enjoy the films. Rain or shine, the show goes on. Here’s the schedule:

• Rocky – Fans can take a run up the steps Rocky made

Aspiring artists can join local police officers to make their mark on Philadelphia during a giant Cops & Kids paint-in, Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 3:00-5:00 p.m. The event is part of Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day Fourth of July festival, running June 28 through July 6.

Budding Picassos can demonstrate their artistic talents as they work with Philadelphia muralist Cesar Viveros to create a colorful mural that depicts police officers and youngsters standing around a young boy whose face expresses the hope of a community. Anyone can drop by and join in the fun. Cops & Kids will take place

The nation’s birthplace is still the best place to celebrate America’s birthday. Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day marathon of Independence Day events, kicks off on Saturday, June 28 and continues through Sunday, July 6, 2008. In between, each day is jam-packed with films, food, dancing, a parade, patriotic ceremonies and free concerts featuring John Legend on Friday, July 4 and Boyz II Men on Saturday, July 5, with fireworks following both concerts. To make the festival even more special this year, the re-enactors who portray Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross will be married in a real wedding ceremony on July

Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross are getting married, and it’s happening in Philadelphia. In reality, Ralph Archbold, the city’s nationally recognized Ben Franklin re-enactor, fell in love with Linda Wilde, who often portrays Betsy Ross, and they decided to get married. The couple will exchange vows in a public ceremony on Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. in front of Independence Hall before the POPS on Independence concert, one of the Sunoco Welcome America! Fourth of July festival’s most popular traditions. Mayor Michael A. Nutter will officiate the ceremony, and the Grammy Award-winning Peter Nero and the Philly Pops

He’s hot, he’s a hit-maker, and he’s headlining the Sunoco Welcome America! Sunoco Sweet Sounds of Liberty Concert & Fireworks extravaganza on July 4, 2008. John Legend, the University of Pennsylvania graduate and five-time Grammy Award winner, will cap off the Southwest July 4th Parade with a free concert on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, enthralling thousands of fans with his smooth, neo-soul R&B.

To get the crowd in the mood, Philly’s own Russell Thompkins, Jr. and The New Stylisticss will lead off with the silky harmonies that defined the Philadelphia Sound. And after John Legend plays

The calendar might say it is July 5, but in Philadelphia the Independence Day celebration continues all weekend with even more Sunoco Welcome America!, a nine-day festival celebrating America’s birthday. The action moves to the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing where Boyz II Men, Philly’s own hometown music heroes and one of the most successful male singing groups of all time, take to the Pearle Vision Stage for the Waterfront Concert & Fireworks spectacular.

The free, family-friendly concert will kick off on Saturday, July 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Great Plaza located on Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street. The

This year’s Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day festival celebrating America’s birthday, will feature not one but two spectacular, themed fireworks displays by the internationally acclaimed Zambelli Fireworks Internationale on July 4 and 5, 2008. The Independence Day show will mark the world premiere of a new patriotic anthem by Philadelphia’s legendary Patti LaBelle.

On Friday, July 4, following a day of patriotic ceremonies, a parade and a free concert by John Legend, the skies over the Philadelphia Museum of Art will glow with a colorful pyrotechnics show. Themed The Melting Pot, USA, the display will be set to musical selections

Some things just belong together—like picnics, the Philly POPS and Independence Day. They all come together on Thursday, July 3, 2008 during the POPS on Independence concert, a newer tradition that has become a Sunoco Welcome America! fan favorite. The nine-day Fourth of July festival celebrates America’s birthday in America’s birthplace, June 28 through July 6, 2008.

It doesn’t get much better than rolling out a blanket, breaking open a picnic basket and settling in for an evening of alfresco entertainment with Peter Nero & the Philly POPS performing in the shadows of Independence Hall. Under the direction of the

The best place to celebrate America’s birthday is the place where it all started 232 years ago—at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. On Friday, July 4, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., Mayor Michael A. Nutter will lead the city’s Independence Day Ceremony, a commemorative event that pays tribute to the 18^th-century leaders who founded the United States, as well as up-and-coming 21^st-century leaders. The ceremony is one of many events that make up Sunoco Welcome America!’s nine-day Fourth of July festival, June 28 through July 6, 2008.

Set on an attractive new stage in front of Independence Hall, the

Cue the 76 trombones. It’s time for the Southwest Airlines July 4^th Parade, an entertaining tribute to Philadelphia that displays how this “City of Firsts” lives, works, plays and celebrates. The parade, which will lead into a free concert by John Legend and a spectacular fireworks display, is a highlight of Sunoco Welcome America!, Philadelphia’s nine-day celebration of America’s birthday, June 28 through July 6, 2008. Stepping off at 6:00 p.m. from Logan Circle at 18^th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and reaching the television viewing area at 7:00 p.m., the one-and-a-half-hour parade will feature star-spangled entertainment

After Fourth of July’s commemorative ceremonies on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, revelers can make their way over to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 2:00 p.m. for Party on the Parkway, one of many events that make up Sunoco Welcome America!’s nine-day festival celebrating America’s birthday, June 28 through July 6, 2008.

Throughout the afternoon, visitors can bring lawn chairs, blankets and snacks and settle in for a few hours of family fun. Kids can spend hours testing their gaming skills at dozens of free, G-rated computer games. And local radio stations will be on site providing entertainment and activities for

Some of the city’s best chefs are bringing their culinary talents to the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street, for A Taste of Philadelphia, an opportunity to feast on fine cuisine at fast food prices. The event, a joint production of Sunoco Welcome America! and the Penn’s Landing Corporation, will take place on July 5, 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m., and July 6, 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., as part of Philadelphia’s nine-day Fourth of July festival.

For two days, hungry gourmands can throw caloric caution to the winds and sample upscale entrees from some of the city’s finest restaurants