TThe first day of Spring is rapidly approaching and so are a handful of awesome new events. Join us for an exciting batch of concerts, like the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Keswick Theater dining across the county and countless adventure experiences this week only in Montgomery County!

Special Events


people playing violin inside dim room

PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

March 21
Keswick Theatre

Arts Montco and the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board are proud to present musicians of the world-famous Philadelphia Orchestra at the historic Keswick Theatre on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 7:00 PM for a community concert showcasing Montco’s vibrant arts scene and providing funding for arts education in Montgomery County public schools. The 90-minute program will feature a chamber ensemble under the baton of Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Conductor Kensho Watanabe and will include selections by Grieg, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky.

ARTZ PHILADELPHIA AT WOODMERE

April 26
Woodmere Art Museum

Special programs for visitors with dementia and their care partners, friends, and family.

FREE, PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED

ARTZ Philadelphia and Woodmere Art Museum offer informal, interactive programs for visitors living with dementia. The programs are facilitated by ARTZ Philadelphia director Dr. Susan Shifrin, an art historian, independent curator and art accessibility advocate. Learn more about ARTZ Philadelphia at htttps://artzphilly.org.

Pre-registration for ARTZ programs is required to ensure an intimate, comfortable experience that is enjoyable for all. Programs are limited to six to eight visitors plus their care partners. Contact Dr. Shifrin at Shifrin@artzphilly.orOpens a New Window.g or 610-721-1606 to learn more about ARTZ Philadelphia or to pre-register for the program. Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

LOCALLY GROWN SHOWCASE

March 23
Indian Creek Foundation, Souderton

This year's Locally Grown Showcase will feature artisan food vendors, local farms, wine & spirits, handmade items, service groups, non-profits, and more. The event will also have a live Instant Pot demo during the showcase at 1:00 pm by local food blogger Nancylynn of Confessions of a Fit Foodie. It's a free event for the whole family! There will be face painting, a henna tattoo artist, and a photo booth.

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Montco Makers

Beer, Wine & Spirits Events

water goblets and highball glasses on the tables

MARCH COCKTAIL CLASS

March 20
Gypsy Blu

Join us the third Wednesday of the month to shake up some cocktails and have a chance to get your concoction featured as our drink of the month! This month we will be featuring: Boardroom Spirits. We will teach our guests 2-3 cocktails per class and give you the opportunity to learn about the spirits. Once you are a master bartender, we will give you a mystery ingredient to create your own cocktail. 

We will have light appetizers available during the class, if you would like dinner, we suggest making a reservation prior to the class. 

Classes begin at 6:30 PM at Gypsy Blu in Ambler. Limited spots are available. Questions? Call our Events Manager at 215.601.2747.

SECRET VALLEY EXPEDITION MIMOSA BRUNCH

March 24
Colebrookdale Railroad

Board one of our meticulously restored century-old rail cars for a two-hour expedition into one of the most scenic and historic regions in the northeast. Once the province of pioneers and patriots, the Colebrookdale is your ticket to a verdant land lost in time.

Brunch is provided by the Jukebox Cafe and includes fruit cup, scrambled eggs, seasoned potatoes, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and mimosa (must be 21) or orange juice, coffee, tea, and water.

Adventure Montco

Energizing Events

three person wearing ski gear riding cable car

SPRING MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES

Schwenksville

Spring Mountain Adventures is Montco's ultimate winter sports destination. Hit the slopes for skiing, snowboarding or snowtubing. The Mountain offers eight trails and slopes for skiers of all skill levels.

Patriot Trails

Historic Events

HEX SIGNS: SACRED & CELESTIAL SYMBOLISM IN PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH BARN STARS

March 1 - November 3
Bryn Athyn Historic District
 

Explores themes of sacred and celestial imagery in the traditional arts of the Pennsylvania Dutch, with special emphasis on the decorated barns of Southeastern Pennsylvania. This exhibition, which features actual examples of barn stars, decorated objects, and related images, is guest curated  by Patrick Donmoyer, director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University. Donmoyer is the author of Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (2013). The Heritage Center and Glencairn Museum will collaborate on a full exhibition catalog for the Glencairn exhibition. 

PIONEERING AMERICAN AVIATION: HAROLD PITCAIRN & THE BRYN ATHYN FLYING FIELD

March 21
Cairnwood Estate

Born at Cairnwood in 1897, Harold founded Pitcairn Aviation (later to become Eastern Airlines) and the Pitcairn Aircraft Company, which manufactured efficient airmail biplanes and autogyros. He was awarded the Collier Trophy for development of the autogyro and awarded the trophy by President Herbert Hoover on on the lawn of the White House. Join us for an illustrated talk exploring Harold’s entrepreneurial innovations in aviation.

SYNAGOGUES OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA

March 21​
Historical Society of Montgomery County

Making History Greater Series Presentation: “Synagogues of Greater Philadelphia”

Presented by: Ira Poliakoff

Ira Poliakoff is a retired small business owner who grew up in Rockville Centre, Long Island. He served as a youth director at the Oceanside Jewish Center and Queensboro Hill Jewish Center. He is the author of Synagogues of Long Island and, soon to be published, Synagogues of Philadelphia. Ira lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, with his wife and remains an active member of Temple Beth Hillel–Beth El.

Arts Montco

Special Events

acrobat taking stunts

FAMILY CIRCUS FESTIVAL

March 24​
Woodmere Art Museum

Noon–2:00 pm
Artmaking and Book Fun: Readings of circus stories and books by Jerry Pinkney will inspire young artists to create puppets of their favorite characters.
Philadelphia School of Circus Arts Mime artists and stilt walkers will roam through Woodmere’s galleries and fascinate the entire family.

2:00 pm
The Little Circus Performance:  Aerial, trapeze, juggling, and tightwire artists from the Little Circus provide an interactive and fun-loving performance. Children can meet with the performers and learn some circus arts after the performance.

IN CONVERSATION: JERRY PINKNEY AND LORENE CARY

March 23​
Woodmere Art Museum

Lecturers: Jerry Pinkney, artist and Caldecott Medal recipient; and Lorene Cary, author, founder of Art Sanctuary and director of SafeKidsStories.com

$15 ($10 members)

Artist Jerry Pinkney will share a conversation with Lorene Cary, educator, activist, and author of The Price of a Child (1995), Black Ice (1991), and If Sons, Then Heirs (2011), among others. Pinkney and Cary, who both grew up in Philadelphia, will discuss their work and their careers.

WE ARE ALL HOMELESS

March 9 - April 27
Saint Miriam Parish and Friary

Saint Miriam will be the next home for the WE ARE ALL HOMELESS project. The exhibit will feature a cross-section of the works from Willie Baronet on two levels of the parish. We will also tie into this exhibit our Lenten experience for 2019. We will sink more deeply into how we live a life of service and care for the marginalized and the lost and the lonely. We will try to deepen our own will, too, as we seek the homeless, the food insecure, and the forgotten. From the opening of the exhibit on March 9th to its closing celebration on April 27th, we will become homeless.

The WE ARE ALL HOMELESS project began in 1993 due to the awkwardness its founder, Artist, and professor, Willie Baronet, felt when he pulled up to an intersection and encountered a person holding a sign, asking for help. Willie has since purchased more than 1,300 homeless signs over the past 24 years, and he uses this collection to create installations to raise awareness about homelessness. Like many of us, he wrestled with whether or not he was doing good by giving them money or to simply ignore them or avoid their steely gaze. Mostly he admitted the internal struggle with his moral obligation, and how his own choices contributed in conscious or unconscious ways to poverty. Willie struggled with the unfairness of the lives people are born into, the physical, mental, and psychological handicaps. In his struggle, he avoided eye contact with those on the street, unwilling to really see them, and in doing so – like most of us – avoided seeing parts of himself. That changed once he began asking these people if they would sell their signs! Willie's relationship to the homeless has been powerfully and permanently altered and now, so has the world.

MOVIE NIGHT: BEETLEJUICE HOSTED BY ANNIE CHRIST

March 21
The Underground

Join us for another fun movie night featuring Beetlejuice and a Tim Burton Costume Contest hosted by Lansdale's own Annie Christ. Doors open at 7pm. There are a few ticketing options available starting at general admission to general admission plus a beer and taco bar! General Admission - $5.00 General Admission + Beer - $10.00 General Admission + Beer + Taco Bar - $15.00

Arts Montco

On the Stage

Theater hall

PROOF

March 15 - March 30​
The Village Players of Hatboro

Catherine has inherited her late father’s mathematical brilliance, but she is haunted by the fear that she might also share his debilitating mental illness. She has spent years caring for her now-deceased father, and upon his death, she feels left alone to pick up the pieces of her life without him. Caught between a new-found connection with Hal, one of her father’s former students, and the reappearance of her sister, Claire, Catherine finds both her world and her mind growing increasingly unstable. Then Hal discovers a groundbreaking proof among the 103 notebooks Catherine’s father left behind, and Catherine is forced to further question how much of her father’s genius or madness will she inherit. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, David Auburn’s Proof is a passionate, intelligent story about fathers and daughters, the nature of genius, and the power of love.

THE FEW

March 14 - April 7
Theatre Horizon

Regional Premiere

A surprisingly funny story of seething tensions and missed connections, from the author of The Whale.

In the days before the Internet, a small town editor plays matchmaker by publishing a newspaper that runs personal ads, uniting the truck drivers who traverse America’s lonely roads. When her own lost lover resurfaces, long-simmering tensions expose carefully guarded secrets, by turns hilarious, exhilarating, and poignant. Meanwhile Matthew, an eager young writer, compels his jaded mentors to consider whether recommitting to the human race is worth all the trouble.

SAME TIME NEXT YEAR

March 19 - April 14 ​
Act II Playhouse, Ltd.

by Bernard Slade

The beloved Broadway romantic comedy. George and Doris - married to other people - meet for an annual tryst for 24 years. Starring Tony Braithwaite and Tracie Higgins.

"Genuinely funny and genuinely romantic" -The New York Post

COMEDY CLUB PRESENTS: JOEY KOLA

March 22
Valley Forge Casino Resort

DETAILS

The Vault | 8pm (Doors open at 7pm)

Montco Weddings

Marriage in Montco

woman holding bouquet of flowers

PHILADELPHIA'S BIG CITY WEDDING SHOWCASE

March 24
​Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

Ticket Includes:

  • Our Signature Gift Bag for each bride
  • A chance to Meet and Mingle with the best local wedding experts
  • Indulge in fabulous food, wedding cakes, & bubbly
  • Collect brilliant planning advice- with a live appearance from “The Wedding Coaches”!
  • Score front row access to the hottest designer fashions
  • A fun time for your friends, your mom, and fiancé!
  • And, our personal favorites… the awesome prizes! Truly the best! 

Arts Guide Spring SummerCrave Winter 2019