Philadelphia

BASTILLE DAY AT EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY – PIXS & VIDEO with The Bearded Ladies

July 16, 2012 by HughE Dillon 3 Comments
Saturday marked a new era for the  Eastern State Penitentiary 
Bastille Day Celebration. New for 2012, The Bearded Ladies collaborated with Eastern State to
create an original show for the Bastille Day Celebration. Some new
additions to the event include confetti cannons, stilt walkers, a
cardboard horse, and a catwalk so long that it divides the whole of
Fairmount Avenue.
 
Note to self: Get there earlier next time. If the invite says starts at 4:30PM, even if you live a block away get there at 3:30PM.

Buy a $35 ticket and get a stage side ticket too. You get a gift bag too I hear.
The Bearded Ladies troupe is hysterical. go see them every chance you get.
Waving Tony Bruno, 97.5 The Fanatic, Jennifer Schloder and Tony Luke, Cheese steak king
people come from all over to participate in the annual event. The local restaurants & bars have menus celebrating the day. Have you been to Fairmount lately, there are a lot of new restaurants: Fare, Hickory Lane, Lemon Hill and a whole bunch I haven’t tried yet. Check out Open Table to see what’s here.

 Napoleon and Edith Piaf.  The Bearded Ladies completely re-wrote the script for the ESP Bastille Day. It was hysterical and very entertaining. 

Marie Antoinette – (Terry Berch McNally of London Grill & Paris Wine Bar & event founder) and her court

 Let them eat Tasktykakes. Did you know that Marie & gang had been saying that for years, and the Tastykake company would never send them any as ESP requested. So they would throw twinkies and still say Tastykake giving them all that free promo despite their stinginess. Well I found out and complained on my blog about it, & tweeted it about 3 years ago, and then Tastykakes sent 300 packages. Yes only 300. This year they sent 3000. THANK YOU TASTYKAKE!!!

I love how people brought nets and took off their hats to catch the TASTYKAKES
 Eastern State Penitentiary wants you to know that they are open daily and give tours. For Info go here.

The peasants
Edif Piaf and Marie Antoinette being lead to the gallows
Pardoned
ohhh I forgot the reign of terror. You’ll just have to go next year to see that segment.

Gabe Canuso, Janet and Stephen Mullin

 Maria Papadakis and her fiance Brendan Kent joined Mike Toub (Happy Birthday Mike & it’s our 18th anniversary too. Scary. BTW we met in college.) and I for the days festivities.
 Kisses
Jennie Hatton, Profile PR, Scott Baver and his Terry Baver

 Zander, Photographer with Christopher Gabello

This year festivities will included a host of French fare from co-owner Chef Michael McNally,
beer from Yards and Kronenbourg, the perennial favorite Marie
Antoinette cocktail which was served after the historical reenactment of the events of the
French Revolution starring London Grill/Paris Wine Bar co-owner Terry Berch McNally as Marie Antoinette.  

“This year, with the opening of Paris Wine Bar, we’ll be throwing our wildest and grandest Bastille Day Block Party yet,” says Berch McNally, and they did.
 
Terry McNally and family at London Grill
Anne Callahan, and Charles Croce, CEO of the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent. .

See you next year…. it’s not to be missed. Also Stop by my advertiser Hand and Stone and say PhillyChitChat sent you for an upgrade on your $49.99 massage. They’re at 1425 Locust Street