Philly Chit Chat

After a rain delay of a week, Chestnut Hill will held its 28thAnnual Fall for the Arts Festival on Sunday, October 14, 2012.

Chestnut Hill was recently named one
of 10 best neighborhoods in USA by the National Planning Commission,
after being nominated by the City of Philadelphia Planning Commission.  It
was named one of
2010’s Distinctive Destinations in the nation by the National Trust for
Historic Preservation and 2012 Best Main Street Shopping by Philadelphia Magazine.

NEXT WEEK There will be wizardry and wonder in the air as Chestnut
Hill once again transforms itself into Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley for Harry Potter Weekend, while Chestnut Hill College hosts the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Quidditch Cup Tournament.

On October 26-27, the Chestnut Hill neighborhood will play host to a weekend’s worth of spellbinding events that will keep children and adults, and wizards and muggles, entertained.

All weekend long, shops and restaurants will magically change into
places right off J.K. Rowling’s pages. Visit the Leaky Cauldron, Madam
Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheeezes, Hogwarts Greenhouse
and many more.

The complimentary Knight Bus Trolley in Chestnut Hill will help you
stroll the avenue to catch magic shows, costume contests, movie
screenings, shopping and more.

Last year’s Harry Potter Weekend was sensational, and we can not wait for its return.

Friday, October 26

Dumbledore will open the festivities on Friday evening at 6 p.m. at
the Top of the Hill Fountain Plaza with a parade of Quidditch teams.
Later that evening, adult wizards and muggles can join the Harry Potter
pub crawl and (new!!) “The Hunt for the Horcrux” scavenger hunt.
Meanwhile, the younger set can enjoy the Diagon Alley Straw Maze at
Woodmere Art Museum, then jump on their broomsticks and fly to the
Chestnut Hill Hotel at 7 p.m. for a showing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. For a nominal fee, others can brave the darkness on a scary Ghost tour leaving from the Chestnut Hill Hotel, 6:30-8 p.m.

Saturday, October 27

On Saturday, cheer on your favorite Quidditch team at the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Cup
at Chestnut Hill College from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on the softball field.
Free and open to the public, the tournament showcases 16 college
Quidditch teams from the Philadelphia area and beyond and will feature
two Quidditch pitches with games played simultaneously for spectators to
view. The best three teams will compete for the Cup in the final
bracket of the tournament.

Sunday, October 28

Quidditch 101, coached by Chestnut Hill College Quidditch players,
will be offered on Sunday on the estate lawn at SugarLoaf at 11 a.m.
Trick-or-treating and a costume parade in Chestnut Hill will follow
later in the afternoon. Meanwhile, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. the stables at
Northwestern Equestrian Center will be open to the public for their
annual Halloween costume parade, open house and arena games. Meet
Tenebrus, a Thestral from Hogwarts, and more.

How to Get There

Taking public transportation to Chestnut Hill is encouraged for
wizards and muggles alike. On Saturday, October 27, the complementary
Hogwarts Express Shuttle will be making stops at the Chestnut Hill West
Station all day, with stops at Chestnut Hill College and the Top of the
Hill. More info soon.

Check out a cool video preview of the Quidditch Tournament, below.

Harry Potter Weekend 2012
When: October 26-28
Where: Throughout Chestnut Hill
Cost: Free; some activities carry nominal fees
Please visit www.chestnuthillpa.com
for more information. 

(Thanks to Chestnut Hill for having PhillyChitChat shoot their event and to photographer Mike Hirata – I was off shooting a few Design Philadelphia Events which you can read about on Philadelphia Magazine)

Ladies don’t always lunch, many times they serve on charitable boards and committees. The Do Gooders I would call them.  
This year Laurel House celebrates its 10th year of the ‘Breaking the
Silence’ luncheon and fashion show on November 8, 2012. The luncheon
will be held at Overbrook Country Club. 

This year’s theme is ‘Women
supporting Women’ and recognition of the committee’s 10- year commitment
to raising awareness about domestic violence and funds through this
popular event. The founder of the Women’s Committee, Tiffany Jones, will
be the keynote speaker.  A fashion show will be presented by Maureen
Doran and SKIRT of BrynMawr and will feature designer Diane Von
Furstenberg clothing and accessories.  Laurel House is a non-profit
agency based in Norristown. It provides supportive services for victims
of domestic violence and their children.

 Earlier this month I attended the invitation stuffing party, which was held at Tammy Reid’s home, where the ladies of the committee address, stuff and stamp the invitations to be sent to people who might want to attend this important event.

Tiffany Green, Michelle Karalis, Lisa Brandt,  co-chair Natasha Bolis, Tammy Reid, and co-chair Alicia Payne

 

Kristy Sevag, Sheila Norton, Jen McGowan, Krissa Wischer, Ann Marie De Cain

Nancy Scarlato, Lenka Holgren, Julia Fleischner, Michelle Hamilton, Victoria Kreiter and Shari Noteware

Tammy Reid’s house is adorable. It was all decorated for Halloween and I
had one too many twix bars. She has pumpkin containers everywhere
filled with the delicious treats. She also had a lovely spread of brunch
items and fruit for the gals and is a most hospitable hostess.  Laurel House is very dear to hear so if you’re available come out to support the cause, enjoy lunch, meet a lovely ladies and see a fun fashion show. Tickets Here

Every Wednesday at Chickie’s and Pete’s in
South Philly the Great Sports Debate tapes a show for Comcast Sports at 7 p.m. This week you can be a part of the season
premiere.

look who else is joining the GSD Team! @JulieDorenbos, @SusieCelek & Bruiser with a new segment, Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’! Each week Bruiser and the gals will visit a different athlete and report back on stories of their off field lives.

This week they started with their loved one. Here’s Julie (she’s also been on the Kendra show for the past 3 years) with husband Philadelphia Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos.

Kyle Scott of CrossingBroad.com

just tweeted he’ll be on the new show too

When Bruiser’s not on TV or researching stories for his new segment. He can be found at Skin Palette getting his spray tan on. Although I have seen him in Rittenhouse Square a few times a day, or hanging out curbside at Rouge.  Follow him on Twitter: Bruiser
‏@SirBruiserStark
 Check out The Great Sports Debate every Thursday On Comcast Sportsnet
 10/17/12 – 7 pm – The NEW Great Sports Debate: Fall 2012 season premiere

BUY YOUR TICKETS FOR THE UPCOMING

Scott Schuman better known as The Sartorialist and girlfriend Garance Doré, came to Philly on Saturday first for a meet and greet with a few of Philly’s influencers at Cook on 20th Street. The event hosted by Emily Goulet, Philadelphia Magazine lifestyle editor included a delicious lunch with tea sandwiches (I’m a sucker for tea sandwiches) and then Scott participated in a Q&A with one of his subjects that traveled down from NYC. At the end of today’s PhillyChitChat I’ll give you a link as soon as my PhillyMag column goes live mid-morning so you can read more about the affair.

 After that event Scott Schuman and Garance Doré headed to The Barnes Foundation to have a meet and greet with nearly 300 of his Philadelphia area fans.

No doubt a few of the folks wanted Scott to drop his Sharpie & whip
out his camera; it wouldn’t have been a bad thing cause several
people were Sasha Fierce. (ie see Sasha Fierce in the background.)

Example: Rakia Reynolds  has always followed the beat of a different drum, and now Philly benefitting as she brings lots of fashion into vogue in Philly. She has a fashion showroom, reps a lot of fashion designers, she’s helped bring Fashion Night Out to Philly, and now she was instrumental in getting The Sartorialist.  here. It’s such a joy to see her career blossom. She is one to watch.  Mother, wife and business women.

Tom Biggs came down from Connecticut to spend the weekend with his equally fashionable girlfriend Sarah Moses who attends Drexel.

Arthur (in white) came from Atlantic City on behalf of his girlfriend who had to work. He’s carrying a print that she recently bought from Scott Schuman’s collection.

 He had to wait nearly 2.5 hrs to get it signed.
Scott told me he wanted to spend a few minutes with each of his readers,
which was nice, but the line moved at a snails pace.

Check out my Philly Magazine Column today about 11AM for the deets on my lunch with The Sartorialist. I loved chatting with him, he’s very generous in his advice and the Q&A was very informative. I wore my typical black outfit so Scott didn’t whip out his camera on my behalf, he did sign my book though.