What To Do: Honoring the legacy of Dr. King

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

This is the weekend that America pays tribute to Civil Rights pioneer Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Weekend will be celebrated from January 18-20 at the Eastern State Penitentiary (2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-236-3300, www.easternstate.org) from 11 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

Visitors will be able to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy by attending one of the “Voices of Liberation: Dr. King’s Legacy of Writing and Speaking in Confinement” presentations.

This program explores the profound impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s writing and speaking, especially his transformative “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

Visitors will engage in discussions and activities that analyze how Dr. King and other civil rights leaders used the written and spoken word to inspire action and challenge oppression. This program will highlight the enduring power of communication as a tool for resistance and change, even under the most restrictive conditions.

This includes Eastern State’s newest exhibit “Making Headlines,” focused on the history of journalism at the penitentiary. Through discussion, readings, reflections and hands-on activities, visitors will examine how words shaped the Civil Rights Movement and continue to resonate in today’s struggles for equality.

Special programming on Monday will also include a musical performance by the Black Breath Collective.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama on April 12, 1963, for demonstrating without a permit. During his 11 days in jail there, he wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to a letter published by Alabama clergymen that criticized King’s use of jail time to demonstrate civil injustice.

In the letter, written with a contraband pencil in the margins of a newspaper, Dr. King explains why he chose to use prisons as a tool in his civil rights movement. The letter became a manifesto for civil disobedience, stating, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and marked an important turning point in the civil rights movement.

The words of Frederick Douglass, Angela Y. Davis, Malcolm X, and Ida B. Wells will illuminate Dr. King’s place within a long lineage of leaders in the struggle for racial equality. Each passage centers around a specific theme and encourages reflection and group discussion. Seating is limited and is first-come, first-served.

From noon-2 p.m., there will be family programming designed with children and their caregivers in mind. Educators will host story times featuring children’s books written by and about civil rights movement leaders. There will also be specially designed hands-on activities.

The event is free for children under 12 and $17 for all others.

Other special Martin Luther King, Jr. events in Philadelphia this weekend are “Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend Celebration” at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, “Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend at the Museum” at the Museum of the American Revolution, and “Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Festival” at Woodmere Art Museum.

One of the most interesting Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations is happening right here in Chester County.

This weekend, Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) starts its new year with one of its annual special events – “Winter Wonder.”

Longwood’s list of holiday weekend events also includes a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on January 20 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in the East Conservatory.

In recognition of the day’s significance, Longwood Gardens celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a variety of fun and inspiring family activities.

Guests of all ages can pick up an activity card and explore the Conservatory while learning about Dr. King’s life, values, and mission to help spread kindness and fairness for all.

“Winter Wonder,” which runs now through March 23, celebrates the beauty of winter. It’s all about outdoor spacious, indoor oasis, and the power of story.

Outside, visitors can find a sense of peace and tranquility as they walk past textural grasses, seed heads and the dramatic silhouettes of trees that stretch up into the sky.

Inside, they can bask in a world of warmth that features an overhead garden of hanging baskets adorned with such vibrant beauties as jasmine, cape-primrose, and lipstick-plant.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a paradise of flowers and foliage, bursting with color — all in a beautiful indoor winter wonderland with a tropical twist.

Inside Longwood’s Conservatory, visitors can check out nearly 300 blooming orchids on display in the site’s Orchid House. There will also be rare blue poppies blooming in March but for only about 10 to 15 days.

Another popular attraction this year is Longwood Gardens’ “Science Saturdays” series.

The first installment is scheduled for January 18. The series will kick off with “Longwood’s Legacy of Sustainability: Past, Present, and Reimagined.”

Other events in the series are “Reimagining a Landscape Under Glass: Mediterranean Seasonal Plants” on February 28 and “Fire for Flora: Controlled Burns in Meadow Management” on March 8.

Activity Stations are: “East Conservatory Entrance” (where participants pick up an activity card); “I Have A  Dream” in the
Patio of Oranges; “Culture: Plants & Food” in the Ballroom; and “Culture: Music” in the Ballroom.

Also on January 20, Longwood will serve as a collection site for the Cradles to Crayons Martin Luther King Jr. Day clothing drive, in support of their mission to help children living in poverty throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.

The gardens are open from Wednesdays through Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until March 28. Hours change in the spring.

As always, admission by “Timed Ticket” — tickets issued for specific dates and times. Timed ticketing limits the number of people in the Gardens at any given time and allows guests to enjoy minimal lines and a better viewing experience.

You may enter the Gardens up to 30 minutes prior and 30 minutes after your designated time. Make every effort to arrive at your designated reservation time. Earlier or later arrivals may not be accommodated.

Admission to Longwood Gardens is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors (ages 62 and older) and college students, $18 for active military and veterans and $13 for youth (ages 5-18).

Astra Lumina Philadelphia is an enchanted night walk at the Abington Art Center (515 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, https://astralumina.com/philadelphia) invites the audience to discover the wonder of visiting stars – to set off across mysterious grounds to discover a celestial pathway of lustrous light, cosmic visions, and astral song.

Created by the visionary minds at Moment Factory, Astra Lumina Philadelphia is the 24th experience in the Lumina Night Walk series.

Located on a historic 27-acre campus, Abington Art Center is a beautiful setting for the enchanting Astra Lumina.  The campus has been transformed to create a magical journey.

Participants wander along specially designed pathways that weave through the forest landscape, and immerse themselves in the wonder of Astra Lumina.

Highlights of the tour — Stroll along an enchanted one-mile night walk guiding visitors of all ages on a journey to discover the wonder of visiting stars, experience nature come alive through nine cosmic installations, marvel at the stars falling to your feet from 20 feet above, and immerse yourself in a field of thousands of pixel lights.

This weekend, there will be an event in Philadelphia that is perfect for all automobile enthusiasts.

Now through January 20, the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia is presenting the 2025 Philadelphia Auto Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (12th and Arch streets, Philadelphia, www.phillyautoshow.com).

The automotive industry’s latest creations are on display at the Pennsylvania Convention Center during the annual Philadelphia Auto Show, running for 10 days. Showgoers get an up-close look at hundreds of classic, luxury and exotic cars — and even have the opportunity to climb behind the wheel of some.

Spanning more than a half-million square feet, the 2025 Philadelphia Auto Show display floor will include several new features as well as time-honored fan favorites. This year marks the 123rd edition of the event.

Guests will again be invited to check out the latest and greatest developments from some of today’s leading vehicle manufacturers in “The Showroom,” which will be in Halls A, B and C of the PA Convention Center.

Custom Alley will showcase a wide array of tricked-out rides, bikes and the latest in after-market excitement.

Ticket prices range from $12-$20.

Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings – Winter Showcase” on select Saturdays and Sundays in January.

Guests will join the CFW Crew for an intimate and educational 60-minute experience in the Barrel Room. The trained staff will guide them through a pre-selected tasting of five widely diverse and award-winning wines from across our portfolio. The selections will be paired alongside seasonal local cheeses and other accoutrements to enhance your tasting experience.

The staff will also discuss topics such as grape growing conditions at our partner vineyards and the onsite winemaking process from production to aging and bottling.

The following is the 2025 Pairing Line Up – Greeting Wine: Sparkling White; 2023 Presage: Epilogue with Savory Fig & Thyme Buckwheat Crackers, Noblette Brie Cheese, and Honey;  2021 Merlot with Cowboy Coffee Cheese from Goat Rodeo; Spiced Apple with Pumpkin Pie Dome from Éclat; and Warm Holiday Spirit with Negative Cookie from Oso Sweet Bakery.

The “Wine, Cheese & Honey Pairings at Penns Woods” at Penns Wood Winery (124 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford, 610-459-0808, http://www.pennswoodswinery.com) provide a nice way for visitors to enjoy a winter weekend day.

Penns Woods Winery is joining forces with local cheese makers and local honey artisans to present exclusive pairings of wine, cheese and honey. The tastings will feature four premium Penns Woods wines, each paired with various cheeses and honey from local farms.

The palate-pleasing tastings will be held every weekend in January from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets cost $40 per person and reservations are required.

Harvest Ridge Winery (1140 Newark Road, Toughkenamon, www.harvestridgewinery.com) will present a “Chocolate Truffle Pairing” on January 19.

Saturday’s event will pair different types of truffles with a crafted selection of Harvest Ridge wines.

The winery is teaming up with Neuchatel Swiss Chocolate to create this sweet pairing

Tickets for the event, which starts at 1 p.m., are $25.

You can get rid of your Christmas tree in a sustainable and extremely adorable way by gifting it to a goat.

The Philly Goat Project’s annual Christmas Tree-Cycle festival/fundraiser (www.phillygoatproject.org) returns with a special event where you can donate your tree to local goats to enjoy. The family-friendly events will run from noon-2 p.m. all three days on January 18.

The event on Saturday will be held at Laurel Hill West Cemetery (225 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd). The event features free s’mores, hot cocoa and all the goat cuddles you want.

There is a suggested donation of $20 per Christmas tree which helps support community programs. And you don’t need a tree to join in the fun.

“Museum Day at the John James Audubon Center” will be held on January 18 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove (1201 Pawlings Road, Audubon, pa.audubon.org).

The event at the bird center in Montgomery County is a special day

dedicated to birds and the natural world.

The day features free admission to the attraction, bird ambassador pop ups, all-ages nature drawing workshops, arts and crafts for the kids and access to the interactive “Birds of America” digital art library.

Also included will be bird-centric games and self-guided tours of naturalist John James Audubon’s historic house — complete with artifacts, original paintings and new exhibits.

The Philadelphia Comic-Con, which is scheduled to run from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on January 19 at the Clarion Hotel Conference Center (76 Industrial Highway, Essington, 856-217-5737, www.philadelphiacomic-con.com), features comic books, trading cards and other collectibles — both modern and vintage.

The event, which has an admission fee of $4, also features a number of special autograph guests.

The popular collectibles event, which is the area’s longest running comic convention, will host dealers from all over the Northeast with sales booths featuring Gold & Silver Age comics, action figures, non-sport cards (including Topps “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens”).

Also featured will be Japanese Manga, gaming cards such as Pokemon and Magic the Gathering, original artwork and all the latest issues of today’s popular comic book series.

The roster of top-flight vendors includes veteran dealers and relative newcomers. As an added attraction, there will be hourly door prizes beginning at 11 a.m. with $100 in show cash to be given away.

Sesame Place (100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, www.sesameplace.com) may be closed for park rides and activities but there’s still furry fun to be had.

This weekend’s special event will be “Super Grover’s Everyday Heroes Dine” on January 18 and 19.

Guests will be able to join Super Grover, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Cookie Monster for a scrumptious buffet meal and some extraordinary festivities for the entire family to relish.

There will be a special meet and greet with a surprise furry friend on your way into Super Grover’s Everyday Heroes Dine.

Other upcoming special dining events are Ernie’s Birthday Bash Dine on January 25 and 26, Elmo’s Rockin’ Birthday Dine on February 1 and 2 and My Fuzzy Valentine Dine on February 8 and 9.

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (8601 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, www.fws.gov/refuge/John_Heinz) will present “Birds Walk” with Debbie Beer this weekend.

The event is scheduled to run from 9-11 a.m. on January 19.

Participants will take an educational walk with one of the site’s knowledgeable volunteers.

They’ll be able to discover the 300+ species of birds that use the Refuge during their migration routes – each week guarantees different species.

The walk will meet at the Visitor Center and be at a relaxed paced on flat surfaces.

The “Winter Wonder Farm Festival” will be held every Friday in Janaury at Rose Bride farm (1314 North Limekiln Pike, Maple Glen, www.rosebridgefarmsanctuary.com).

The Farm invites visitors to join the staff every weekend this winter for a variety of festive activities and cozy experiences on the site.

Activities Include:
– Baby cuddle areas to snuggle with adorable animals
– An outdoor fire lounge to relax and unwind
– Candle making to create your own custom-scented candles in heated barn

– Succulent & orchid planting to bring a bit of greenery home in the heated barn
– heated Kitten Kafe, where guests can enjoy hot organic tea, coffee, and cocoa while spending time with playful kittens in heated barn.

There are sessions each Friday at 4 and 6:30 p.m.

Founded more than 50 years ago, Choo Choo Barn — Traintown U.S.A. (Route 741 East, 226 Gap Rd, Strasburg, 717-687-7911, www.choochoobarn.com) presents a 1,700-square-foot train layout featuring over 150 hand-built animated figures and vehicles and 22 operating trains.

The majority of trains that are running in the display, which is open until 20, are “O Gauge” trains but there are also some HO Gauge trains as well as one N Gauge train.

Several of the original pieces and animations are still on the display today, including the ski slope, ski lodge and ice skaters, Dutch Haven, the Willows, the two-lane moving highway (in front of Dutch Haven), the farm with the tobacco barn, the Strasburg Fire House, the church beside Dutch Haven and a few other houses.

The layout features a special Christmas display now through mid-January. The homes and businesses along the tracks have been decked out with holiday trim.

And there are 55 hidden Santas — one for each year the site has been open — located around the display for visitors to find.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3 and under) at Choo Choo Barn — Traintown U.S.A.

The 2025 Winter in Franklin Square holiday festival (200 North Sixth Street, Philadelphia, http://www.historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/holidays-in-franklin-square/) opens its season this weekend and it will run until February 25.

It will be open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.

The Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show will be open from 4-8 p.m. daily and 4-9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Visitors are invited to experience the magic of the holidays and celebrate traditions new and old at the Franklin Square Holiday Festival.

Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s electrifying genius, the free Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show presented by PECO is the key to holiday fun in Franklin Square.

Attendees can marvel at more than 50,000 lights as they shimmer, dance, and illuminate the Square to a soundtrack of holiday classics, some of which are performed by The Philly POPS in two alternating shows every 30 minutes. Every evening, one lucky audience member will be selected to “ignite” the 4:30 p.m. show.

A popular annual Philly holiday tradition can be found at the Rothman Orthopaedics Institute Ice Rink at Dilworth Park (1 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, http://ccdparks.org/dilworth-park).

Back in November, some of Philadelphia’s favorite winter traditions return to Dilworth Park. Visitors of all ages can enjoy a dramatic seasonal transformation as fountains are replaced by the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Ice Rink and reindeer topiaries take up winter residence on the Greenfield Lawn.

In addition, a full lineup of free entertainment is featured, including the Deck the Hall Light Show, the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Cabin.

Dilworth Park’s winter season began in November with the opening of the Wintergarden on the Greenfield Lawn and the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink and Cabin.

The Rothman Institute Ice Rink at Dilworth Park is an unparalleled entertainment experience on Philadelphia’s center stage in a wonderfully urban and unique setting. Open seven days a week, the rink offers wintery fun for all ages, with a full slate of programs.

Winter has arrived and the Blue Cross RiverRink (Delaware Avenue at Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-925-RINK, www.riverrink.com) has come back to life.

Unlike most of the suburban ice rinks, RiverRink features public skating. Ice skating is the only use of the ice. This winter, RiverRink takes the ice-skating experience on the Delaware River waterfront to another level by once again transforming the annual rink into a bona fide winter wonderland.

For 29 seasons, Winterfest has been Philadelphia’s favorite Winter tradition on the Delaware River Waterfront, inviting visitors for a chance to indulge in flights of fancy under thousands of sparkling lights in a winter wonderland with spectacular views of the Delaware River. Cozy up in comforting warming cabins, firepit stations, boardwalk rides and games for the young and young-at-heart, delicious food and hot beverages, the signature holiday tree, and, of course, ice skating on our NHL-sized rink. Winterfest is a top destination for anyone looking to rekindle family traditions.

The Winterfest site is free to enter and open to the public. Amenities such as ice skating and cabin and firepit experiences can be reserved in advance. Winterfest is open seven days a week including holidays through March.

Grim Philly’s “Dark Philly History Tour” (www.grimphilly.com) will be held every evening throughout the winter.

Participants can walk with tour guides from the grounds of America’s first White House, Congress, and Liberty Bell to homes and sites of Hamilton, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and more than 10 other Founding-Fathers.

The surprising dirt of espionage, murder, sexual license and blackmail highlight the secrets of 1776 with a ghost story or two along the way.

This tour is highly researched. And your guide is a historian.

Ticket prices start at $38.

“TreeTrails Adventures Trevose” (301 West Bristol Pike, Trevose, treetrails.com/trevose-pa) is an adventure park full of fun challenges for outdoor adventurers of all ages.

Participants can experience the rush of TreeTrails Adventures as they swing through the trees of the new adventure park. They will be able to discover the excitement of climbing and zip lining above the forest floor with family, friends, co-workers, or teammates.

The park, which is based at Phoenix Sport Club in Bucks County, offers two ways to experience climbing – TreeTrails Adventure Park and KidTrails Park. Young explorers can enjoy miniaturized courses in the adjacent KidTrails Park.

General Park Admission prices are: Main Park Adult Tickets (Ages 12+), $59; Main Park Youth Tickets (Ages 7–11), $51; KidTrails Tickets (Ages 4–7), $12.

The Islamic Center of Delaware County (2502 Township Line Road, Havertown, icdcmasjid.org) is hosting a “Winter Pitha Festival” on January 18.

Traditional Bengali pitha are milk-cooked rice dumplings stuffed with coconut and palm jaggery. Bengal are known for their fondness of fresh naturally sweet palm jaggery, which only hits the market in the winter.

Everyone is invited to the “Winter Pitha Festival,” which starts at 4 p.m. in the second-floor sports and activities area at the masjid.

Featured activities include “badminton, gym, gathering and snacks.”

This is a family event which is free and open to the public.

As-salamu alaykum.