Happy Friday and cheers to the weekend. What a great day to have a great day. This weekend I hope that you find at least one activity that you enjoy. Find ways to do something that fills your cup. With that being said its been a long week and a long weekend ahead for me.
Meeting Governor Shapiro Friday Recap
One of the highlights of the week was attending the James Forten Exhibit and meeting Governor Shapiro. The private meeting went so well and when the time is right I can’t wait to share the information with you. There are some plans around mental health and wellness coming and I am just glad to be at the table. One of the things that is important to me is getting more and more people access to the health that they need. If you have the ability to have access don’t it for granted. Even if you think you are okay and never went to therapy I encourage everyone to utilize it at least once in their life. You may need it for a short season or more. Thank you to the entire staff of Governor Shapiro for the invitation. You can catch the blog here.
Mardi Gras has come to Philly
Let the good times roll. Craftsman Row Saloon, at 112 S. 8th Street, announces the opening of Philadelphia’s only Mardi Gras Pop-up Bar Experience starting today through Fat Tuesday, on Tuesday, February 21st. The sites, sounds and tastes of The Big Easy come to Philly with a special limited-time pop-up – now celebrating its third year. The delicious over-the-top King of Bourbon Street Milkshake, shimmering gold, green and purple King Cake Fries and the Dirty Rice, are back. They are joined with the debut of their Who Dat Chicken- king cake, fried chicken breast, honey butter, hot sauce, powdered sugar. The Masquerade Mac & Cheese- 4-cheese blend, cinnamon, brown and powdered sugar, toasted breadcrumbs, hot sauce drizzle.
The bar will be pouring the tasty and festive Bourbon Street inspired specialty cocktails they are known for. Cocktails will boast all the NOLA feels and come with beads and other souvenirs and keepsakes. The award-winning Christmas pop-up decorations from December have been entirely replaced. The thousands of glittery beads, feathers, masquerade masks and other decor to transport you to Mardi Gras. Decor includes a giant gold, green and purple masquerade mask above the dining room. Plus there are mini vignettes paying homage to some of New Orleans’ most famous streets and destinations. The floor to ceiling transformation continues both inside the dining room and outside in the Craftsman Row Saloon. It’s illuminated with the colors of Mardi Gras on the entire building. For music, listen for a mix of Mardi Gras and New Orleans classics and staples, festive jazz and even some Mummers’ favorite tunes.
Blogs you May Have Missed-Friday Recap
We have been hitting it pretty hard with content both on the blog as well as video content across all social media platforms. Here is what you missed.
Monday Motivation: Resetting with No Guilt
Golden Girls Murder Mystery Dinner
Mid-Week (Wednesday) Check In: February 1, 2023
Black History: James Forten Exhibit and Governor Shapiro Visit
1812 Productions presents Broads
Thanks for your continued support.
Conversations with Toi Friday Podcast Drop
We are back with an all new episode. With that being said we have Josh Campbell, Artistic Director of Education and Engagement of World Cafe Live. Josh is an award-winning teaching artist, arts administrator, and creative. He has worked for arts and arts education organizations in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Over the course of his career, he has worked with various populations including students in grades K-12. As well as English Language Learners, and the creative aging community in a variety of settings including libraries, shelters, virtual rooms, and juvenile justice facilities.
More on Josh Campbell
As a facilitator he has developed workshops focusing on the intersection of creativity, leadership, equity, vulnerability, and black artmaking traditions. As an artist, he works in the choreopoem tradition, blending spoken word, movement, multimedia, and musicality of the late 90s to create spaces that reimagine the possibilities of freedom and liberation. Currently, he is a member of Jouska Playworks, a Philadelphia playwriting collective focused on amplified stories of the African American diaspora. A Baltimore native, he is a graduate of the University of the Arts and Baltimore School for the Arts where he studied classical music and the tuba.
World Cafe Live is a nonprofit independent venue dedicated to live music, education, and community, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), the first art school and museum in the United States, are pleased to announce this new series, called Multitudes which features world premiere works from some of Philadelphia’s top performers commissioned by World Cafe Live, all inspired by PAFA’s current exhibition, Making American Artists. The performances will take place through four curated evenings that take place at both World Cafe Live and PAFA.
So as you can see between today’s Friday Check in and Wednesday’s check in I have been busy. Continue to have a great Friday and weekend.
