Sunday Stories: Shipp Surprise, Mad River Closes, Chick Fil A Pivots

May 17, 2020 by HughE Dillon Leave a comment

COVID19 Day ten thousand, at least it feels that way when it’s cloudy, 68F, and nearly Memorial Day. OH AND of course socially distancing for so long. Sure I go out. I go to the beach more than I normally would in the month of May, but I’ve never had so much time on my hands, and have been so depressed as well. I’m sure we are all in the same boat, wondering when it is safe to hug again. But here’s some good news….

NBC10’s weather gal **Brittney Shipp**, was surprised with a baby shower spearheaded by her bff, and co-worker, NBC10’s Jacqueline London. Under the premise of doing a NBC10 Promo Shoot, Jackie & **Anzio Williams**, Vice President of News WCAU – NBCUniversal Media, were able to surprise Brittney while coordinating with her husband **Jontue Long** to celebrate the socially distant pop up party. Guests included **Melissa Magee,** 6ABC, **Violeta Yas,** Telemundo, **Annemarie Oswald** and **Melanie Magill** as well as a few very happy friends.

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The Sad Reality of Business Due to COVID-19 virus. Killing people and businesses. This write up is from FB friend Jerry Erhlich (we’re actually friends offline too) The owners of Mad River Bar & Grill have announced that the ol’ Riv in Manayunk PA won’t be making it thru this mess of COVID -19 (everyone knows this is the start of these business announcements of places we grew up with of had great times at but it is real and life must go on). There will be so many rumors out there about business in a small town like Manayunk but the biggest truth of all is that the nightlife scene and your favorite restaurants in Manayunk will never be the same again. So, after 11 fun filled years and numerous floods, it took a virus to tame the Mad River Restaurant Bar & Grill / Nightclub along the Schuylkill River. You will be missed like so many other GREAT places in Manayunk. (Confirmed by Jamie Powell, General Manager of Mad River) h/t @jerry_erhlich

A post shared by Philly ChitChat (@phillychitchat) on May 17, 2020 at 11:23am PDT

The Sad Reality of Business Due to COVID-19 virus. Killing people and businesses. Mad River in Manayunk announces it’s closing for good.

When I first drove by the Chick Fil A in Mantua last week, I thought it was a Covid19 testing place, but then I realized they really prepared for the onslaught of business. They’ve set up three lines of cars, dispatched workers to take orders from the cars waiting in line, then collected the money at the window, and then workers deliver the food to the cars waiting at the exit.

Friday night I enjoyed Feast Well Foods Sunday Gravy, Taluttos’s Raviolis and meatballs. So good. It’s by Feast Your Eyes Catering, they have pivoted during this time and created delicious meals for Take Out or Delivery.

Saturday Mike and I headed to the beach for a breeze. I stopped by Atlantic City to grab some shots for my column in CBSPhilly. Check them out here.

Philadelphia

Philly Gossip: Do we ever get tired of Meek & Nicki Minaj, Congrats to Zac Lashway & Syma Chowdhry

February 10, 2016 by HughE Dillon

Good Wednesday Morning. Finally a little snow has fallen on our fair City, after one of the more nebulous forecasts in while. I don’t know in the past they used to just say it was going to snow, and then it did. I don’t know when it became such a huge drama, as it seems to be now.

Anyway this light dusting is not enough to even bring a crisco oiled
cardboard box to the Art Museum Steps, or you’d really have a Rocky
Steps ride. But it is pretty to look at. Let’s get into some Philly Gossip

Last week several local media outlets wrote about my sightings of Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill about town. Then it was picked up by the NY Mag, so that was exciting for me as that’s the bible of what is hot in Manhattan. This week Nicki & Meek didn’t disappoint. Seems she’s in Brooklyn during the week shooting the TV show about her life, then the weekends she heads to Philly, and by weekend you know I mean Thursday to Monday. Friday I wrote that singer Monica (l) was in town, Thursday, at Macy’s for Black History Month and did a meet and greet. Well that evening she and her husband, Shannon Brown, who plays for the Miami Heat, had dinner with Nicki and Meek at Del Frisco’s.

Earlier Thursday Meek Mill made an appearance at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School. The media was less than kind with his appearance there, wondering if he was trying to leverage a lighter sentence for a probation violation, which was being heard the following day. First of all Meek has been visiting schools in the Philly area for the past 2 months. This one just happened to have a press release attached to it. Most of his appearances went unnoticed except for the few that were noted on his SM page. Meek’s tour of high schools is a lesson in mistakes made, and getting your life back on track. Every year I photograph the Boys’ Latin Fundraiser at Neiman Marcus, and am very proud of the schooling the kids get. They have a very high percentage rate of graduates , who go on to college.

Nicki and Meek had dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy ironically near the Justice Center, on Saturday night. Nicki even posed with a few servers. Later that evening she returned to her hotel and Meek Mill headed to Recess Lounge where all hell broke out with LeSean McCoy.

Shady at Recess in 2011, standing on a table at about the same spot where he allegedly threw a punch Saturday night.

Meek was not involved. Now some people in the internet world were wondering why he was there and not on house arrest. The house arrest doesn’t start until March. Hopefully we’ll have more Nicki and Meek out and about until then. I have a feeling Meek’s house is going to be a hotel in Center City, but not the one Nicki is staying at currently.

Congrats to Syma Chowdhry who is headed to Detroit 7ABC and starts on Feb 22

She did this cute video to inform her friends and fans.

Philly’s cute meter just dropped a bit as hottie anchor/reporter Zac Lashway is leaving WPHL 17’s Eye Opener, and heading to warm up a Minnesota news station. He hasn’t reported where he’s landed. The 27 yr old NY native came to us via a CBS affiliate in Great Falls, Mont. so he’s used to the tundra. Good luck buddy. Follow Zac on twitter @ZachLashway

Congrats to Ray Martin and his 9th Annual Peachie Martin/Joyce Sarocy Memorial Basketball Game
which raised $12,000 this year at their annual basketball game, and after party at Xfinity Live. Participating in last weekends game was CBS’ Survivor Gervase Peterson, Natalie Egenolf, Sports Radio WIP, Mo’Nae Davis and Ray Martin.

Monday I headed to Snap Kitchen in Old City for their ribbon cutting which was done by Mike Jerrick, Fox 29 with an assist by Philadelphia City Rep Sheila Hess.

Afterwards I headed over to the Fox 29 studios to catch up with my friends there. I hadn’t been in for awhile, these days I usually send my photos in or send in story ideas. Time constraints keep me off the air as well as lack of celebrities in Philly. But every week you do see my work on the show whether you know it or not. In fact I told told Mike Jerrick and one of the producers that I’d be seeing Foxy Brown’s Pam Grier later that day to shoot a promo for Dining Out For Life. They said ask her if she’d like to be on the next day.

And the next day she appeared. Tuesday she talked about her autobiography, My Life in Three Acts and

DINING OUT FOR LIFE

As I mentioned earlier after my stop at Snap Kitchen on Monday morning, I headed to Fox 29 Studios, then to Hotel Monaco at Noon. The nice folks from “15 Minutes” Inc. and ActionAids set up a few shots for me for PhillyChitChat as well as the wireservice I shoot for. Love this shot of

The Dining Out For Life Spokespeople Pam Grier, Ted Allen, Daisy Martinez and Mondo Guerra
Pam told me that she’ll be Dining Out on April 14 at a restaurant in Denver, where she lives, at a participating restaurant with her mom.

Dining Out For Life,
hosted by longtime partner Subaru, started over 26 years ago in
Philadelphia and is magnificent in its simplicity: On this special day,
dine at one of the 3,000 participating restaurants in cities across
North America, which donate a generous portion of the day’s proceeds to
fund HIV/AIDS services in your city. Philadelphia beneficiary ActionAIDS will hold Dining Out For Life this year onThursday, April 14th. More event info at www.diningoutforlife.com/Philadelphia.

Monday night I headed toYangming Restaurant

New Year’s Celebration. I’ve been going the last 4 years and it’s always a good time.

Thanks to Michelle Leonard for hosting another spectacular dinner party again this year. L-R: Eric Sales, EMS PR, Kristen Johanson, CBSPhilly, Michael Wei, owner of YangMing Michelle Leonard, Realtor and kneeling, and author Doreen McGettigan, who’s new book, The Stranger in My Recliner (a true story), was just released in January.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING

What are you doing Thursday. Academies rED Fest is having a networking, fundraiser at Saxbys headquarters in Center City. Don’t complain you don’t have anything to do, come out and meet some fun people. I’ll be there, so wear something red and festive. Tickets are reasonable $35 or 2/$50. There’s food, drink and all you can drink coffee. TICKETS & INFO

This photo popped up yesterday in my timeline. It’s P’unk Burger one year anniversary this week. Then last night I got this in my email.
FREE MILKSHAKES

P’unk Burger (1823 East Passyunk) celebrates its one year birthday this Friday, February 12, 2016 by partnering with Sweet Box Cupcakes on a special Red Velvet Raspberry Spodee Cake Shake. Shakes will be FREE (with NO purchase required) from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Shakes will also be for sale during the balance of Valentine’s Weekend.