What To Do: Insects get their due at Tyler Arboretum

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

People often tend to squash or swat away insects when they encounter them — but that’s not always a good thing. There are many insects who deserve respect and need your love.

This weekend, bug lovers will join with the staff at Tyler Arboretum (515 Painter Road, Media, 610-566-9134, www.tylerarboretum.org) for a special event focusing on insects.

On August 25, Tyler Arboretum, which is one of the oldest and largest arboreta in the northeastern United States, will host the “Bugs and Butterflies” from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The arboretum will have butterfly experts available to provide information on creating a butterfly-friendly habitat in home gardens — an environment featuring all the butterflies’ favorite plants.

Visitors will be able to learn all about butterflies that are native to our area — how they transform from egg to caterpillar, then to chrysalis, and finally to butterfly.

In Tyler Arboretum’s Butterfly House, visitors will be treated to looks at a wide array of native butterflies, including Spicebush Swallowtails, Eastern Tailed Blues, Great Spangled Fritillaries, and, of course, Monarchs.

Tyler Arboretum, a non-profit public garden, encompasses 650 acres of renowned plant collections, heritage and champion trees and historic buildings — along with 17 miles of hiking trails through woodlands, wetlands and meadows.

Kids of all ages can participate in games and make-and-take crafts throughout the day.

Visitors will be able to learn about bees from Church Lane Apiary.

Admission to the festival is included with general admission tickets, which are $15 for adults (ages 16-64), $13 for seniors (65 and older) and $9 for youths (ages 3-15) and military. Children (under 3) are admitted free.

On August 24, there will also be a Butterfly Festival at Colonial Gardens (745 Schuylkill Rd, Phoenixville, 610-948-9755, www.colonialgardenspa.com).

The festive and colorful event, which will be held in the Garden from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., will feature a “Butterfly Release” of more than 200 butterflies with releases scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Visitors to the annual event will be able to learn about Monarch butterflies and how to create their own way station to protect the fragile insects. There will be educational seminars about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Other activities will be food booths, a craft festival, guest speakers, children’s activities, games and an assortment of vendors.

Admission is free and, as an added attraction, everything in the store will be 20% off.

The West Chester Railroad (Market Street Station, West Chester, 610-430-2233, www.westchesterrr.net) is running a special event on August 25 called “Soldiers and Trains.”

Passengers can ride the rail line’s vintage train to Glen Mills. There, they can observe reenactors showcasing soldiers in uniform from different time periods of history.

Another attraction will be to take a closer look at the different types of guns and equipment and get a glimpse of how weapons of war evolved.

The fun and informative trip is approximately 2 hours in length. Trains depart West Chester are noon and 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for children (ages 2-12). Children (under 2) can ride for free.

There will be a lot of model trains and a lot of toys on display and for sale when Greenberg’s Train & Toy Show visits the area for a two-day stop at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (100 Station Avenue, Oaks , www.greenbergshows.com).

The show, which is scheduled August 24 and 25 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days, will have a wide variety of toys for sale — space toys, Thomas the Tank Engine items, dolls, collectible bears, Barbie, Matchbox, action figures, die-cast models, wrestling stars, Pokemon figures and much more. And, there will be an amazing array of toy trains.

The event will feature a number of operating train displays, including  Allegheny Western Lines HO Scale Layout, Reading Co. Technical & Historical Society HO Scale Layout, Philadelphia N-Trak  N Scale Layout, Royersford Modular Model Railroaders HO Scale Layout, East Penn Traction Club N Scale Layout, Northeast Corridor Historical Society HO Scale Layout and Atlantic Division TCA O Gauge Layout

This weekend’s show will also offer free clinics on a wide variety of topics, including track work, using accessories and using a digital command control. There will be a large number of dealers with toys, trains, accessories and hobby publications. Other features include hourly door prizes.

Tickets for adults are $10 for Saturday and $9 for Sunday. Children (12 and under) are admitted free.

Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, www.chaddsford.com) is hosting its “Mexican Fiesta Weekend” on August 24 and 25.

The winery will be offering Sangria Slushies, Sangria Wine Popsicles and Carafes of Sangria. Also featured will be two specialty wine cocktails — The Spicy Margarita and a Sangria Cocktail. Other features are chips, salsa and queso along with $2 off bottles of Sangria.

Dos Gringos and Mama Mia food trucks will be onsite cooking up flavorful Mexican fare, including tacos, burritos and quesadillas.

Live entertainment will be provided by HLB both days – from 3:30-6:30 p.m. on August 24 and 2:30-5:30 p.m. on August 25.

The free event, which will be held rain or shine, will run from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday.

No outside alcohol permitted. Children are permitted and welcome on Winery grounds only when accompanied and supervised by an adult (over 21+).

There are two other interesting food events slated for this weekend.

The Eighth Annual Delaware Burger Battle will be held on August 25 at the Rockford Tower (2000 Lookout Drive, Wilmington, Delaware, www.deburgerbattle.com).

Every year since 2012, Delaware’s most competitive chefs have gathered their grills to battle it out for burger supremacy at the Delaware Burger Battle. In six years, more than 20,000 burgers have been served.

The battle has welcomed more than 50 competing restaurants, 5000 guests, thousands of beers and has raised more than $50,000 for charity

Once you enter the arena, you’re free to go from booth to booth sampling burgers from all the participating restaurants. Most people can’t complete the circuit.

Tickets also includes adult beverages and soft drinks.

This is a rain or shine event, as well as all ages. Free parking is available nearby, and shuttles are provided.

Tickets are $50 for adults, $30 for designated drivers and teens and $10 for children (ages 5-12).

One of the most popular late-summer events in southeastern Pennsylvania will take place this weekend in Lancaster.

The 20th Annual New Holland Summer Fest (New Holland Community Park, 400 East Jackson Street, New Holland, 717-669-1400, http://nhsummerfest.org) will be held August 23 and 24 and will feature the “Pennsylvania State Championship BBQ Cook-Off.”

New Holland Summer Fest is a National KCBS Certified Barbecue competition. Each year 72 teams from around the country descend upon New Holland Community Park for a weekend of competition and fun.

The Grand Champion automatically receives an entry to the American Royal Contest in Kansas City, Missouri.

The barbecue competition is a major drawing card, but the event also has all that you would expect from a country fair — food vendors, children’s activities and souvenir concession stands.

For the kids, there will be face painting, “Tag-Along,” a clown teaching how to make animal balloons and “Kid’s Q” where they can learn how to barbecue.

Also, on August 23, there will be a concert by Stupack Gallagher.

The family-oriented event and the Friday evening concert are free and open to the public. All proceeds from the weekend’s activities benefit Garden Spot Fire Rescue Co. and the New Holland Community Park.

On August 24, the Seventh Annual Lancaster Craft Beerfest (Lancaster Square and Binns Park, Lancaster, http://lancastercraftbeerfest.com/) is returning to the central district of Lancaster.

The festive beer garden features a site where visitors can drink, eat, and listen to music all in one place. The festival provides craft beer drinkers with an amazing selection of unique beers, so they can discover new favorites and revisit old favorites.

This year, there will be two sessions – Session One from noon-3 p.m. and Session Two from 4-7 p.m.

More than 60 breweries will be participating in this year’s Beerfest including 2SP Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Brewing, Straub Brewery, Lancaster Brewers, Oliver Brewing Company, Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, Voodoo Brewery, Funk Brewing, and Stoudt’s Brewing Company.

Live music will be performed by Andy Mowatt’s Frequency Movement, Kluster Phunk and Big Boy Brass.

Tickets are $45 with designated driver tickets available for $12.

Another beer festival will be held in the area this weekend – in Bucks County at Fonthill Castle (130 East Swamp Road, Doylestown, 215-348-6114, www.mercermuseum.org).

Fonthill Castle will host its fifth annual end-of summer Beer Fest on August 24 from 2-5 p.m.

The brew-oriented event will feature quality drafts from more than 35 local and regional breweries in the beautiful outdoor setting of Fonthill Castle.

Guests at Saturday’s festival will also be able to enjoy music, dine on light fare provided by T.H.E. catering, and receive a commemorative beer tasting glass.

General admission tickets, which are $60, include unlimited beer tastings.  All guests must be 21 years of age or older and have a valid ID to attend.

When it comes to festivals in North America, the Allentown Fair (17th and Chew Street, Allentown, 610-433-7541, www.allentownfairpa.org) is without a doubt one of the oldest – if not the oldest. It’s an event that has been drawing large crowds ever since ’52 – that’s 1852.

The popular Allentown Fair was first staged in October 1852 when the Lehigh County Agricultural Society held its first fair. The huge annual fair in Allentown is still one of the state’s premier late-summer attractions.

Now known as “The Great Allentown Fair”, the 2019 edition opens on August 27 and runs through September 2. It will be the fair’s 167th anniversary this year.

The Allentown Fair is a fun-filled event that spans generations and appeals to people of all ages. The multi-day event at the Allentown Fairgrounds features thousands of farm, garden and home exhibits and competitions along with thrill rides, amusement games, variety acts, international food and some of the top entertainers currently on tour.

The Grandstand Stage’s 2019 schedule features Live and Rush on August 27, Impractical Jokers on August 28, Brooks & Dunn on August 29; Miranda Lambert on August 30; Why Didn’t We? on August 31; Hall & Oates on September 1; Demolition Derby on September 2.

The fair’s list of daily entertainment attractions also includes Zuzu Acrobats, The Uptown Band, Harvest Patio, “Bruno Blaszak Royal Bengal Tigers Show,” DialedAction Sports, “Texas Tommy’s Wild West Revue,” “World of Wonders,” Moodonna,  “Robinson’s Pig Paddling Porkers,” “Lil’ Farm Hands,” and “4-H Petting Zoo.”

As always, amusement games and rides are one of the fair’s main attractions. This year, the Great Allentown Fair will again feature thrilling rides and games of skill and chance presented by Powers Great American Midways.

There will also be a wide array of agricultural competitions and exhibits each day at the fair. Tickets are $8 for adults with children under 12 admitted free.

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (Mount Hope Estate and Winery grounds, Route 72, Cornwall, 717-665-7021, www.parenfaire.com) is in full swing right now.

This year’s 39th annual staging of the event, which bills itself as “the most wondrous event in all the Knowne World”, is running now through October 27. The festive annual event features authentic Elizabethan food and drink, traditional crafts from the guildsmen of yore and old-time games of skill — and a cast of hundreds of colorfully costumed re-enactors.

Each week, the Faire presents a themed weekend. On August 17 and 18, it will be time for Celtic Weekend.” Guests can share in the Celtic pride of pipers, Highland Games, Celtic wares, foods, music, dancing, and lots of “bonnie lasses and kilt clad boyos.”

Every summer, the Faire, which takes place at Mount Hope Estate and Winery’s authentic 35-acre recreation of a 16th-century village in Olde England, features a new story from a different year of England’s past. This year’s Faire will take you back in time to the year 1558.

More than 70 shows are scheduled throughout each day on the Faire’s numerous stages.

Without a doubt, the most popular attraction is the Jousting Arena. Visitors to the Faire flock to Bosworth Field whenever it’s time for the Ultimate Joust. Peasants lead cheers for their favorite knights while musicians pound out a heart-thumping beat. The Master of the List announces the combatants and soon an encounter of royal proportions ensues.

The Faire offers a wide variety of activities for visitors, including listening to bagpipe music, checking out handsome Lords in their colorful silks, watching a jester’s acrobatics, learning how to juggle, being the recipient of a gypsy woman’s flirtations and watching the march of Beefeater Guards.

Guildsmen’s Way is the area that features a large variety of merchants and artisans, including jewelers, candle makers, potters, herbalists, leather smiths, clothiers, and pewter makers — all offering for sale and demonstrating their ancient wares.

And, there are more than 20 Royal Kitchens located around the faire with menus featuring a wide variety of food and beverage.

Single-day tickets are available at the gate for $31.95 but can be purchased in advance online for $27.95. For children (age 5-11) single-day tickets are available at the gate and online for $12.95. Season Passes are also available at $125 for adult and $45 for children.

On August 25, the annual Ukrainian Folk Festival at the Tryzub Ukrainian American Sport Center (County Line and Lower State roads, Horsham, 215-343-5412, www.tryzub.org) will celebrate its 28th anniversary from noon-8 p.m.

The event is billed as “A resplendent outdoor summer concert marking Ukraine’s independence, the unity of her people, their struggle for freedom and dignity and Ukraine’s entry into the family of advanced democratic nations.”

The artists (dance troupes, musicians, singers and ensembles that have performed in previous years) have created a dynamic and integrated collaborative program. The artistic unity underscores the theme — “United Ukraine — United with Us.”

Recent events in Ukraine such as the twilight struggle against unlawful Russian aggression have forged a unified Ukrainian national identity — both in Ukraine and in the Diaspora.

America’s support of Ukraine’s commitment to a self-determined democratic future — to life, liberty, freedom and justice — has created permanent bonds of friendship between the two nations. This year’s festival honors these special relationships and developments.

The festival, which is one of the most popular late-summer ethnic festivals in the area, starts at noon with children’s activities, vendor areas with Ukrainian crafts, food booths and live music.

The live entertainment at the festival includes performances by Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Iskra Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, violinist Innesa Tymochko Dekajlo, Korinya Ukrainain Folk Band and Vox Ethnika Orchestra.

From 4:30-8 p.m., it will be time for “Zabava,” which is billed as a “Public Social Dance.” The “Zabava” at this year’s 28th annual staging of the festival, will feature the Vox Ethnika Orchestra performing a variety of eastern European dance music, including traditional, modern, ballroom and Polka.

Another interesting attraction will be live reenactments from Ukrainian History by  Kuban Kozaks Association and Banner of Jasna Gora.

There also will be vendors selling a wide variety of mouth-watering Ukrainian foods such as pyrohy (pierogies), holuptsi (stuffed cabbage) and kowbasa (kielbasa). Other items available for purchase include baked goods, picnic fare and cold beverages.

If you purchase online, print out ticket and bring it with you for entry.

Підтвердження покупця буде перевірене нашим списком при вступі (Confirmation of purchaser will be verified by our list at entry).

Admission to the festival at the gate is $15 for adults, $10 for students and free for children (under 13

On August 28, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, 800-448-3883, www.winterthur.org) is hosting a special event called “Music Along the Bank.”

At “Music Along the Bank,” guests can enjoy the sounds of music along the bank of Clenny Run Stream. Visitors to Winterthur are invited to bring picnics, family, friends, and lawn chairs or blankets and then sit back and listed to some of the area’s  finest regional musicians.

The program on August 28 will feature Allison Dietz, an Americana artist from Baltimore, Maryland. Dietz released her debut album, “Pretty Lies,” in 2016.

Hagley Museum and Library (Buck Road East entrance via Route 100, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org) is presenting a special “Cannon Firing Demonstration” on August 25 at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. in the Machine Shop area.

The family-oriented event is fun, loud, exciting and educational.

Cannon firings in the Hagley Powder Yards demonstrate how black powder was made and used.

The demonstrations, which take place next to the Millwright Shop, are included with site admission tickets — Adults: $15; Seniors (age 62 and up): $11; Students $11; Children 6-14: $6.

As an added attraction, an in-depth, hands-on tour focused on gunpowder production, which ends with an explosive finish, is available on Hagley’s Sights, Sounds and Smells Walking Tour.

There will be three other dates for cannon firings at Hagley this year — September 29, October 27, and November 11.

Another special event this Saturday at Hagley is “Science Saturday: Rocking Roller Coasters.”

Participants can rock and roll with acceleration, physics, and lots of loops as they create a miniature roller coaster. Visitors of all ages are invited to discover solutions to science and engineering challenges.

Activities are included in admission and free to members. This is a drop-in activity and guests can join the fun at any time from 1-4 p.m.

On August 24, Fort Mifflin (Fort Mifflin and Hog Island roads, Philadelphia, 215-685-4167, www.fortmifflin.us) will host a special event – “Making History – Heritage Skills Craft Fair.”

The event, which starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m., will Explore the skills of daily life of centuries past.

Visitors can meet craftsmen demonstrating blacksmithing, wood carving, spinning and weaving, open hearth cooking, basket making and more.

Guests will also be able to try their own hand at several seasonal “chores” like candle-making or make a popular toy to take home.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and $8 for veterans and children (ages 5-12).

If you’re into anime, then you should definitely take a short drive to northern Delaware on August 24 for Anime Day at the Art Studio (310 Kiamensi Road, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-995-7661, http://nccde.org/1253/Anime-Day).

Anime Day at the Art Studio is a family-friendly, bento box-sized, anime and manga convention – a nd it’s free.

Guests will be able to meet local manga artists, learn about anime and participate in workshops.

Featured attractions include vendors, anime screenings, cosplay and more.

Some of the highlights of the event, which runs from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., will be the opportunity to play Pokemon TCG  and to participate in colorful “Cosplay Contests.” Because this is a family friendly event, no nudity or overly revealing cosplays.

There will be “Anime Screenings” presented by the Delaware Anime Society (DAS).

The DAS will screen the following Anime videos (all of which are PG-13) — 11 a.m.-noon, “My Hero Academia”; noon-1 p.m., “Fruits Basket”; 1-3 p.m., “Spirited Away”; and 3-4 p.m., “Trigun.”