Penn Museum is bringing back its family-friendly “Summer Wonder” series, with the first program this Wednesday, July 3, when families with children are invited to celebrate the Native American culture and learn traditional Native American dance with the Native Nations Dance Theater.

The “Summer Wonder” programs will run weekly on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. through August 21, 2013 and will feature a great lineup of performances and demonstrations, including stories about ancient Greek mythology, a marionette theater, an exploration of medieval music and instruments, contemporary and ancient African and African American tales, songs and games, and more.

All “Summer Wonder” programs are free with Penn Museum admission. For more information and the full program schedule, please visit Penn Museum’s website and also check our Events Calendar for upcoming programs.

Have you ever dreamed of fixing an old boat and sailing it around the world? A group of young people led by hacker/anarchist/sailor Moxie Marlinspike did just that: they traveled to Florida, bought a junked boat, fixed it up and sailed it around the Bahamas, capturing their experience on a camcorder bought and later returned to Best Buy. This ultimate adventure movie, titled Hold Fast, is screening Thursday night (June 27), beginning at 7 p.m., at Cedar Works (4919 Pentridge St.) and everyone is invited, including families with children.

The film screening is a fundraiser for West Philly-based group AIDS Policy Project comprised of longtime activists pushing for a cure for AIDS for everyone who needs one. At Thursday’s event, the group members will be selling delicious snacks, raffling off boat trips and other nautical stuff, and “telling stories of maritime calamity and fun,” according to Executive Director and West Philly neighbor Kate Krauss. If you like, you can bring your maritime disaster story to share. If you bring your kids they can play on a big, fenced-in patio and still watch the movie through the glass wall.

Tickets are $10 to $20 on a sliding scale and can be purchased online or at the door. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the AIDS Policy Project website.

So here’s something to do tonight if you’re short of cash, nostalgic or just into 1980s movies. A movie from the 80s will be screened outdoors at Drexel Park (32nd and Powelton) every Thursday (except July 4) from tonight until August 15.

Screening tonight.

Tonight you can catch Poindexter, Booger and the gang in the 1984 John Landis classic Revenge of the Nerds. Apparently there will be 1980s seat cushions available free while supplies last. We’re not sure if they are actually from the 1980s or they are day-glo colors or what, but they’re free.

The screenings start at dusk.

Future films include:

June 27 – Adventures in Babysitting
July 11 – Spaceballs
July 18 – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
July 25 – Die Hard
August 1 – Batman
August 8 – A Nightmare on Elm Street 3
August 15 – The NeverEnding Story

Credit: Brightnoon Pictures, LLC

When Yao Nunoo first arrived in the United States from Ghana 16 years ago, the then 22-year-old African was building his life as a struggling immigrant artist.

He was a nomad in a strange land, passing through city after city before settling in West Philly in 2002. For 11 years, the now 37-year-old screenwriter/actor has thrived in his “home away from home,” blending into the motley crew of arts and culture alive west of the University of Pennsylvania. With a handful of small productions, a full-length feature, and acting credits under his belt, Nunoo has forged a name for himself in the community—one further elevated by his recent African Film Development Awards’ (AFDA) “Best African Actor in Diaspora” nomination for his role as Ghanaian National Police Inspector Boniface Koomsin in the Ghana-based thriller, The Destiny of Lesser Animals.

“It’s wonderful and flattering to be nominated,” said Nunoo. The AFDA take place June 29 in Tanzania. “The idea behind the African Film Consortium coming up with the AFDA is about contributions to the medium in Africa or about Africa that supports African development and progress. That focus makes the recognition doubly awesome.” Continue Reading

P.M. @ Penn Museum, the popular summer outdoor concert series that brings great live music performances and laid back atmosphere to the museum lawns every Wednesday night, from 5 to 8 p.m., is returning June 19. This year, the concerts, which cost only $5 and also include admission to the museum galleries, will run through mid-September and feature a colorful blend of global music performances – from gentle Latin folk to raucous Turkish fusion, to rhythmic Afro-Cuban jazz. American-influenced music will be also well represented, with bluegrass, swing, and good, old-fashioned rock n’ roll performances. See the full line-up here and check out the Events Calendar for upcoming concerts.

The P.M. @ Penn Museum series is specifically aimed at those who want to unwind after a long day at work. This summer the museum’s outdoor Stoner Courtyard will offer a relaxed outdoor locale for the concerts and the Pepper Mill Cafe’s garden bar will serve drinks and light fare. Please note that in case of rain concerts move inside.

This Wednesday, Bill Koutsouros’ internationally acclaimed ensemble, Animus, kicks off the series, offering an exciting fusion of ancient and modern music with traditional elements of Greek, rock, Middle Eastern, blues, Indian, jazz, and African music. On June 26, P.M. @ Penn Museum is hosting Philadelphia-based, multi-ethnic group Barakka, which specializes in Turkish folk-rock with a mix of eastern and western instrumentation.

Animus will kick off the P.M. @ Penn Museum concert series on Wednesday, June 19. (Photos courtesy Penn Museum)

Organizers of Make Music Philly, the inaugural free citywide music festival taking place June 21, have announced its first confirmed events and West Philly Local has the skinny on what’s going on in our neck of the woods.

So far, the following local venues are participating in the all-day music jubilee:

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South Street
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Sheena Grier (pop, R&B, soul)

XPN Free at Noon, 3025 Walnut Street
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.: Southside Johnny & The Poor Fools (rock)

World Café Life, 3025 Walnut Street
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: September Call-Up (indie-folk, indie-rock)
4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.: Cult Choir (experimental, indie-folk, soul)
5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.: Keepin’ the Family (bluegrass, folk, indie-folk)
6 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.: This Way to the Egress (cabaret, gypsy, roots)

University of Pennsylvania, Music Building, 201 S. 34^th Street
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Wesley Skold (world, Bossa Nova)
3 p.m.-3:45 p.m.: Classical Revolution Family (classical, other)
3:45 p.m.-4:15 p.m.: Matt Chylak (singer-songwriter)
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: The Chairman Dances (indie-rock, art rock)

The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street
8 p.m.: JACK Quartet (classical, experimental, other)

The Porch at 30^th Street Station, 2955 Market Street
7:50 am – 8:30 am: Scot Sax (singer-songwriter)
8:15 a.m.: Kyo Daiko (Japanese drum group)

People interested in checking out the different Make Music Philly events can search either a listing of city venues or a city map on the festival’s continually-updated website. There’s also still time for artists and venues to register as an official MMP event before it unveils next Friday.

As West Philly Local first reported in April, Make Music Philly is the city’s first entrance into Make Music Day, a global do-it-yourself music celebration that began in France in 1982 and made its way to the states in 2006. The June 21 festival will take place across Philly from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

–Annamarya Scaccia