Christmas in Philly

Holiday Greetings from Philly.

There's no article to tell you about, just one of my pictures which ran in the Center City Weekly Press. The ones to the right were not used. To see the one that made my cut, click here and turn to page 2.

Philly got hit with an actual snowstorm this past weekend--the first real one since I've lived here and I wanted to try to capture a rare, snow-covered holiday season in the City of Brotherly Love.

The picture has received lots of positive feedback including the following comment from Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Photographer Tom Gralish:

"Great Santa shot Kerry! You certainty captured the feel of rowhouse life. Usually you only see Santa photos of him in malls, in front of fireplace or on the roof of a suburban tract home."

That's what I was going for. Growing up in Boston, this is what Christmas was. Snow piled up along the sidewalk. a string of Christmas lights wrapped around a railing or dangling in front of a house...and Santa making his way down a mixture of slush, and salt and asphalt.

And here in Philly, in rowhome life, it's the same. Christmas in the city is like nowhere else...

...and I love it.

Bernard Hopkins get win over Enrique Ornelas

On Wednesday, Dec 2, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins fought Enrique Ornelas at the Liacouras Center in Philly.

Hopkins won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

You can read my short write up for Examiner.com here.

(Photos: Kerry O'Connor)

Bluecoat American Dry Gin declares war against English dry gins at Whiskey Festival

On Thursday, November 12, I covered the 2009 Philadelphia Whiskey Festival at the Union League in Philly.

There's so much more to it than just whiskey. There's food from the Palm and Capital Grille, cigars from Holt's Cigar Company (they had complimentary San Cristobal Monumentos which were excellent...although I'm still an Arturo Fuente Hemingway fan) and every kind of booze you can imagine.

I ended up doing a story for the Weekly Press on Bluecoat American Dry Gin, which is distilled in Northeast Philly by Philadelphia Distilling. They're trying to make a name for themselves in a market flooded with London dry gins.

To read the story in the Weekly Press, click here.

(Photo of festival by D.G. Ullman)

Watch this video to see how Bluecoat American Dry Gin is made.

Washington Square woman raises money and awareness for breast cancer research and treatment

Once again, I covered the Pink Tie Ball--a major fundraiser for the Susan G, Komen Race for the Cure affiliate here in Philly.

At the ball, I was introduced to Joanne Calabria, the VP of public affairs for CBS 3 television who has done some remarkable things to fight breast cancer. So, I wrote a story about her.

The story appeared in the Center City Weekly Press. To read it, click here.

Indpendence Seaport Museum gives tattoo collectors the chance to get inked on historic warship

From October 16 thru the 18, the Independence Seaport Museum in Philly gave tattoo collectors the chance to get traditional,
American sailor tattoos onboard the Olympia, a Navy warship built in 1892.

The event was held in conjunction with a great exhibit at the museum that highlights the history of tattoos and the American sailor.

I walked away tattoo-less, but with a great appreciation for the history behind the art.

To read my stories about the festival, use these links to the Center City Weekly Press & the Spirit. The story will also appear in the upcoming edition of Tattoo Artist Magazine.

(Photos of Sailor Jerry traditional sailor tattoos by Kerry O'Connor)

Bernard Hopkins to fight in Philly December 2. Proceeds Benefit 3 Local Charities

Yesterday, I covered the Bernard Hopkins/Enrique Ornelas press conference at the Liacouras Center in Philly. They'll be fighting there December 2. It's Hopkins' first fight here in Philly--his home--in 6 years. You can read about it at Philadephia Boxing Examiner. Click here.

It was great to see some familiar pug-scribes, like Bernard Fernandes. The first story I had published in Philly was about the Blue Horizon, the fabled boxing venue. After it came out, I was at the "Blue" covering fights and there, a few seats down from me was Bernie whose stuff I've read, but never met. I gave him a copy ans asked him to give it a read sometime and to let me know what he thought. He started reading right then and there. After what seemed like an eternity, he looked down press row and gave me a thumbs up.

(Photo by Kerry O'Connor)

Here's some footage I took of Hopkins at the press conference talking about Philly boxers needing a way to show off their talent.

A gift from Smokin' Joe Frazier

Jon Marks, a sportswriter I know through the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association--wrote a piece about Joe Frazier packing a wallop...with his mouth.

Check it out here.

I don't know about his mouth, but I'm very familiar with the wallop that his giant hands can deliver. He slugged me in the gut right before this picture was taken in 2003 when I interviewed him for the first time.

You can read the story on the Philadelphia Boxing Examiner site here.

I still love to tell people that I took a punch from a man who beat Ali.

Racing against depression at Philadelphia Park

On Monday, September 7, I covered the Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park.

To read the short Q&A piece which appeared in the Center City Weekly Press, click here.

To read the feature story (this is the way I wanted to do the story) that appeared on page 5 of the North Brevard Beacon in Florida, click here. This story also ran in The Bloodhorse, a racing magazine, but the magazine is not available online so I can't link to it.

It was the kind of assignment I like, checking something out and seeing what story I could find.

While enjoying a beer and tearing up my losing ticket after the first race, my story found me when Charlie Gillespie approached me in the owners' & media section.

Gillespie, a retired art teacher, was saved from his Clinical Depression by getting involved with a little race horse named Bunker Hill, who was racing in the million-dollar-purse Pennsylvania Derby later in the day.

(Photo by A. N. Torres)

Watch Bunker Hill run in the 2009 Pennsylvania Derby Race! Click here.

Beauty to be found outside and inside at Bartram's Garden thanks to Davinci Art Alliance

I've always wanted to see Bartram's Garden in Southwest Philly. Covering this art exhibit by the Da Vinci Art Alliance was a great reason. To read my story, which appeared in the Center City Weekly Press, click here.

(Photo by Kerry O'Connor)

Philadelphia gains Michael Vick, loses integrity

The piece I wrote about Michael Vick coming to play football for the Philadelphia Eagles appeared in the Center City Weekly Press here in Philly. To read it, click here.

Update: Michael Vick spoke to students of the Nueva Esperanza charter school in Philly on September 9. Only 1 in 5 students at the school speak enough English to understand what he said.