[Today’s history, music, moving and more arrive with August]

[Pub & Kitchen soon to replace Chaucer’s Tabard Inn]

Today’s history, music, moving and more arrive with August

by Ruth R. Russell

History was always one of my favorite subjects. I enjoyed learning about ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, the European countries, the Near and Far East, Latin America and, of course, the USA. The events were fascinating but so were the leaders of the various time periods. (I was fortunate to have teachers who breathed life into headline-making men and women.) This is one of the reasons the National Constitution Center (NCC) is such a popular place. Exploring a document as important as the U. S. Constitution could be deadly dull. Instead, it is a lively adventure for kids and adults. For instance, right now the NCC, at 525 Arch St., is presenting ‘Sizzling Summer Celebrations’ on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to the end of August. Visitors make crafts, play games from different time periods and learn how people lived. This coming month the emphasis will be on presidential campaigns and kids will be able to make their own posters and buttons, design presidential seals and stop in the Presidential Pitching Cage and practice throwing out the first pitch as US president. These activities are free with museum admission. Also, still featured are the moving drama, Independence Rising, the popular exhibit, ‘The Story of We the People,’ and Signers’ Hall. Your pre-teens will be surprised to find themselves as tall or nearly as tall as these patriots. To learn more, call 215-409-6600 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.

Tribute to Billy Joel

Outdoor concerts are still going strong at Pennypack Park Music Festival, in Northeast Philadelphia. 52nd Street will present ‘A Tribute to Billy Joel,’ sponsored by the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union, on Wednesday, August 6. Music begins at 7 p.m. and runs to 9:30 (unless specified), and admission is free. Be sure to bring a folding chair or blanket to sit upon. Sponsors include the Fairmount Park Commission, Philadelphia Recreation Department, Comcast, PECO, Sen. Mike Stack and Commerce Bank. New sponsors are always welcome, and fundraising for the series is ongoing. For location and directions, visit www.pennypackpark.com

Summer Sorcery

If you are a lover of magic as I am, and have kids or grandkids, you have a perfect excuse to see a magician in action at the Keswick Theatre, Easton Rd. and Keswick Ave., on Tuesday, August 5, at 10:30 a.m. or 1:15 p.m. This is the 2008 edition of the Summer Sorcery Magic Show, and tickets to individual shows are just $7.50 but there are also special prices for grandparents with kids and group rates. To learn more, call 215-572-7650 or visit www.keswicktheatre.com.

At Please Touch

First Wednesdays will conclude at Please Touch Museum, 210 N. 21st St., on August 6. Sponsored by Target, these “late play dates” have been running from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, with an admission fee of just $2, to give families extra time to enjoy the museum exhibits and programs at a reduced price. Also, the Please Touch Playhouse is presenting The Moving Show, under the auspices of the Virginia & Harvey Kimmel Arts-Education Fund, weekdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., weekends at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., until September 1. The play stars Pinky, a puppet actor who shares his concerns about moving because Please Touch will move this fall to Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. For more information, call 215-963-0667 or you can visit www.pleasetouchmuseum.org.

Films for free

‘Make It a Film Night’ continues as South Street Headhouse District and Society Hill Dance Academy show Castaway on Wednesday, August 6, and Mutiny on the Bounty (with Marlon Brando) on Wednesday, August 13. Dance lessons are at 6:15, the film at 7. Bring your own chair. To find out what’s next, visit www.southstreet.com. ‘Screenings Under the Stars’ at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing includes The Mummy Returns on Thursday, July 31, and Along Came Polly on Thursday, August 7. Movies start at dusk after family activities beforehand. For a schedule, visit www.pennslandingcorp.com.

Princess & Racer

Dodge Caravan Peanut Butter & Jams will welcome Princess Katie & Racer Steve to World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., on Saturday, August 2. The show starts at 11:30 a.m.; doors open at 11. These New York City kiddie rockers bring pop, country, rock and dance music to youngsters with “a message that hasn’t lost its cool.” Admission is charged. To learn more, call 215-222-1400 or you can visit www.worldcafelive.com.

Exploring Asia

A family gallery tour (for parents and youngsters ages 6-10) will take place on Sunday, August 3, at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th Street and the Parkway. Families will be led on a guided tour, called Asian Adventure, and discover works of art from that part of the world. ‘Sameday walkup’ tickets, obtained at the Visitors Service Desk, are needed and space is limited. Also that day is Early Bird Read and Look (for ages 3-5), with the theme of To Market! To Market! at 10:15 a.m. For more information about family programs, call 215-235-7469 or visit www.philamuseum.org.

Email news for CitiLife columsn to Ruth R. Russell at ruth@phillyrecord.com.

Pub & Kitchen soon to replace Chaucer’s Tabard Inn

by Len Lear

Some things in life have always been a mystery to me, like why so many people seem to care about the personal lives of no-talent celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, why so many people go to see atrocious movies filled with nothing but violence and special effects, and why so many people sit outdoors eating food at downtown restaurants, even though their lungs are being assaulted by the choking exhaust from passing cars and buses.

I mention the latter point because for many years we would see lots of people eating at tables outside of Chaucer’s Tabard Inn, 1946 Lombard St., despite the horrific pollution from an endless parade of buses and other vehicles down both 20th and Lombard Streets. On the other hand, we did have a soft spot in our hearts for Chaucer’s because for 13 years we had a sweet, beautiful West Highland Terrier named Chaucer in our home.

He was named, as was the restaurant, for Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400), author of The Canterbury Tales, which caused countless high school juniors to have to repeat their 11th grade English courses in summer school. (Chaucer was also the first author ever to achieve success writing in English; prior to Chaucer, every Western European writer to achieve fame wrote in Latin or Greek.)

In any event, Chaucer’s Tabard Inn recently closed, is now undergoing renovation and will reopen some time in September (the exact date is not known yet) as Pub & Kitchen. Entrepreneur-owner Dan Clark insists the new restaurant will offer a wide selection of wine, beer and cocktails and classic pub fare, all at affordable prices. (Glasses of wine, for example, will be between $6 and $9, and the highest entree price will be $24.)

“We want to be inexpensive enough,” he explained, “so that our guests will join us as often as possible, and we will serve a late-night menu until 1 a.m.” Managing partner Ed Hackett will be recognized by many foodies from his previous stints with Daniel Stern, Stephen Starr and Neil Stein, and chef Jonathan McDonald, who was named “Chef of the Year” in 2007 by Philadelphia magazine, has cooked in local kitchens like Gilt, Snackbar, Brasserie Perrier and Marigold Kitchen.

According to McDonald, some of the menu offerings will be: fresh east and west coast oysters, a selection of which will rotate daily; a beer-battered filet of hake with house-made fries and lemon aioli; roasted striped bass with apple potato cakes and a cider broth; bangers and mash with mustard green beans; and a domestic cheese plate served with house-made condiments such as Guinness caramel.

Pub & Kitchen will serve dinner only, seven days a week. For more information, visit www.thepubandkitchen.com.

A local harvest

During the week from August 4 to 10 at World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., executive chef Matthew Babbage will be offering a menu using all local ingredients. For example, tomatoes and sweet corn will be coming in from New Jersey; mixed greens from Lancaster County; sharp cheddar cheese from Winfield, Pennsylvania, with no additives or preservatives and aged 60 days; Amish dairy cream; fresh pasta made daily in South Philadelphia; brown eggs from Crawford County and blueberry cobbler from Hammonton, New Jersey. For more information, call 215-222-1400 or visit www.worldcafelive.com.

Marigold blooms for $30

Marigold Kitchen, a BYOB at 501 S. 45th St. in University City, which has pretty much received unanimous critical raves over the years, has a new executive chef, Erin O’Shea. She has replaced Michael Solomonov, who left to open Zahav, the Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant that opened recently in the Society Hill Towers, across the street from the Ritz movie theaters.

In an attempt to convince admirers of Solomonov that the food quality has not diminished, Erin is extending the University City Dining Days menu, which ends this week for other participating area restaurants, to August 10. Until then you can get a complete three-course meal for $30 and bring your own wine or beer. To learn more,, call 215-222-3699 or visit www.marigoldkitchenbyob.com.