Have you run out of ideas yet on how to entertain your kids this summer? Here’s a suggestion for you, something your little ones should enjoy. Penn Museum (3260 South Street) is offering  Summer Wonder programs for children and families on Wednesday mornings (10:30-11:30 a.m.) through August 10.

The programs feature music, dancing and other fun activities by a variety of international performers and presenters. Some of the highlights are belly dancing for the whole family, listening to world music and the folk music of yesteryear, journeying to Uganda, and discovering science through experiments.

Here’s a full list of programs (check our “Happenings” section for more details on each program):

• July 13: Colonial Music of Pennsylvania
• July 20: Eda Ne Kakati (From the Past to the Present)
• July 27: Habiba Dance Ensemble
• August 3: Project Capoeira
• August 10: Piccirillio Sciencetellers presents Dragons and Dreams

Admission to the programs is free with museum admission donation ($10 for adults; $7 for senior citizens (65 and above); $6 children (6 to 17) and full-time students with ID; free to Members, PennCard holders, and children 5 and younger). Pre-registration for groups of 10 or more is required. Registration for individuals and families is suggested. To pre-register email: grouptickets [at] museum.upenn.edu or call: 215-746-6774.

Muggles of all sorts will gather this week at the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library (125 S. 52nd St.) for a Harry Potter movie extravaganza.

You can see the first seven movies in the series beginning Tuesday, July 12 at 1 p.m. with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2 hours, 32 minutes). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2 hours and 41 minutes) will follow at 4 p.m.

This is a great way to beat that afternoon heat this week and catch up before the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, hits theaters on July 15. Call the library’s children’s department at 215-685-7424 for more information.

Other films and times:

• Wednesday, July 13

1 p.m. – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2 hours, 22 minutes).
4 p.m. – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2 hours, 37 minutes).

• Thursday, July 14

1 p.m. – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2 hours, 19 minutes).

• Friday, July 15

1 p.m. – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2 hours, 33 minutes)

• Saturday, July 16

1 p.m. – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I (2 hours, 26 minutes)
 

West Philly’s own GiGi and Big R’s Caribbean Soul Food truck came up big in Philly’s first ever Vendy Awards yesterday, taking home top honors.

A panel of five judges, including Mayor Michael Nutter, voted to award Gigi and Big R’s the Vendy Cup as top truck. The competition featured a cook-off among the eight finalists.

Thomas Bacon, aka Gigi, told the Philadelphia Inquirer:

“It’s been a long hard day, but it’s been a beautiful day. The Vendy Cup is a trophy that I can drink cool beer out of – after standing over a deep fryer, frying chicken, cooking cabbage and greens, and serving the customers.”

You can get a taste of their stuff, which includes pretty damn good soul food platters, at their usual spot at 38th and Spruce. West Philly truck Cucina Zapata, a fixture on the Drexel campus, won the People’s Choice Award after voting by about 500 attendees.

Here’s a video from CBS Philly:

From Linda Lee:

Ziggy is a very friendly indoor-outdoor cat, mostly grey, with white markings, missing from the 4200 block of Osage.  If you have seen him (or can capture him), please contact his owner (sarah.e.lopez [at] gmail.com) and also email me back (lml3 [at] verizon.net). I don’t think he’s wearing a collar.  Possible that he’s been picked up by someone, or may be trapped inside a building/basement, or injured. -LL

If you have been around Philly for a while you have probably seen Suzanne Francis’ work. But even if you have been here only a short spell you have most definitely seen the subject of her work. Francis, who lives in the West Philly neighborhood of Parkside, has a wonderful eye for architecture and landscapes that define Philadelphia and she captures them on handmade prints.

Francis will be at VIX Emporium (5009 Baltimore Ave.) tonight from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to talk about her work and how she makes it. One of the great things about her stuff is that she makes it affordable, so you can take a piece home tonight as well. Tonight’s event will include light refreshments and Francis will bring along some of her tools to provide folks a glimpse into how she produces such memorable pieces.

If you can’t make it tonight, stop by VIX anytime to check out her stuff.

Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut Street 3rd Floor) presents a special Storyville screening of short films about Arab and Muslim communities in the U.S. tonight at 7 p.m. The films Arab American Road Movie (2005, 14 min), Tales from Arab Detroit (1995, 45 min), I, Too, Sing America and 9-11 Moments (2002) are produced by Detroit-based filmmaker Joan Mandell who will be at the screening in person.

Tickets are $5 for general public, free for Scribe members, Muslim Voices participants and Al Bustan Seeds of Culture staff, students and members.

Mandell will also present a workshop on oral history tomorrow, July 9, at 11 a.m. You can register online here or by calling 215-222-4201. Tickets for this event are $20 for general public, $10 for Scribe members and free for Muslim Voices participants.

To read more about both events click here.