Wine Enthusiasts Fund Student Opportunities at PAFA

This past Saturday, I covered Bacchanal, a wine festival and auction that raises scholarship money for  Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) here in Philly.

There's something about PAFA events and auctions. When I covered the lighting of their Claes Oldenburg sculpture, my wife/photographer bid on a decorative shovel used in the groundbreaking of Lenfest Plaza, where the sculpture is.It's hanging in our guest bedroom. And when the music stopped at the end of Bacchanal, and the wine had been enjoyed, and the story for the Weekly Press had been flushed out, I found myself being handed a double magnum sized bottle of merlot (Columbia Vineyard) that I had to lug back to the car because the wife "just had to go home with something from the auction."

Good thing she didn't just have to go home with one of the bottles of wine or trips to Italy that went for tens of thousands of dollars.

Even better thing she didn't just have to go home with a guy who needed someone to take on a newly acquired trip to Italy.

My story for the Weekly Press focuses on an artist, Sasha Diehl, a PAFA student who receives some of that Bacchanal bucks. That scholarship money allows her to create with some of the best art instructors in the U.S.

To read the Weekly Press story, click here.

You can also learn more about Sasha's love of art, and see some of her work, and get an idea of what Bacchanal is all about by watching the videos below.

Global Abilities Helps Disabled in Developing Countries


Last Saturday, I spent some time with AJ Nanayakkara at the Global Abilities fundraiser at World cafe Live in Philly. He and his wife Kelly started Global Abilities to help those with disabilities in developing countries.

AJ Nanayakkara and his wife Kelly Fisher

AJ has been in a wheelchair for 17 years, the result of a spinal cord injury received when practicing karate flips with his martial arts partner. But AJ says he's fortunate to be living in America with his disability because of the resources available to help him and others live happy, productive lives.

Not the case, says AJ, in countries like Sri Lanka, where AJ lived till he was 10 years old. Sri Lanka is the first focus of Global Abilities.

I interviewed AJ for a piece that ran in the Weekly Press Wednesday. You can read it here.

Want to learn more about Global Abilities? Go to GlobalAbilities.org


Sri Lanka is so tiny it would hide in the frayed fold of a map. You'd mistake it for a cluster of dirt on a globe that squeaks when you spin it.

It's a little island off the southern tip of India and between 1983 (when AJ and his famikly left) and 2009 a brutal, bloody civil war left 70,000 dead and thousands of others with disabilities--the same people  who AJ and Kelly are now trying to help. It has a population of 21.3 million.

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Gets New Plaza & Claes Oldenburg Sculpture

Good to be back on assignment.

It's been a while since I worked on a story.

On Saturday, October 3, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia celebrated their new courtyard, Lenfest Plaza, and their new outdoor sculpture Paint Torch by Claes Oldenburg, which is a 50 foot paint brush standing on its end with its bristles pointing towards the sky.

There was sone slight rain, but it didn't dampen the spirits of the hundreds of art lovers who came to see the new plaza and the new sculpture.



Claes Oldenburg (right)

 
After the lighting there was a dinner at the Academy at which I got to interview Mr. Oldenburg.Each table had a blank canvas and various materials (crayons, markers, paint, feathers) to get the creative juices flowing at each table. The wife and I had blast with our table-mates, 2 PAFA Alum. You can see our masterpiece to the right.



Our Masterpiece

The wife also walked away with a new piece of art, a commemorative shovel from the groundbreaking of Lenfest Plaza designed by artist Jessica Sasha, that was being auctioned off.

Get down to PAFA. See Paint Torch...



and whatever other pieces will be displayed (on a temporary basis) at Lenfest Plaza.

In the meantime, you can read my Weekly Press Story here, or watch the video below.

(Photos by K. R. O'Connor & A.N. O'Connor)





Classic Wooden Boats Displayed at Independence Seaport Museum

This past weekend, I ventured down to the Independence Seaport Museum to see the boats from the Antique & Classic Boat Society.

Their local chapter was exhibiting some of their beautiful old mahogany motorboats at the museum for the first time.

Too bad it was so hot outside. A lot of people missed out on seeing some true pieces of Americana.

I covered the show for the Center City Weekly Press and you can read the story here.

You can also check out the video and see some pictures of the boats and learn about them--and the Antique & Classic Boat Society--from the members themselves.

Met a great guy (hey, you wear hawaiian shirts and surf you're great in my book) named Sean Null who makes wooden kayaks, canoes--and this is what got me--surfboards. He had a few boards on display. I'm a surfer, and had always wanted a wooden board. You can check out Sean's woodworking at WoodWaterCrafts.com. His stuff is for sale.

(Photos and video by K. O'Connor)

Bernard Hopkins Recognized by Philly Mayor Michael Nutter; B-Hop Takes Swipe at McNabb...again

On Wednesday, June 1, under a blazing hot noon-day sun, Philadelphia Mayor, Michael Nutter, recognized Philly's own Bernard "The "Executioner" Hopkins for beating Jean Pascal two weeks ago and bcoming the oldest boxer in history to win a world title.

They held this little ceremony, funnily enough, right next to the Rocky Statue outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Rocky is a made-up character, a leg-breaker for a bookie who gets a second chance at a boxing career and makes good. People in this town love him.

Hopkins' real life mirrors Rocky's. Hopkins went to jail for robbing people, discovered boxing behind bars and decided to spend his life behind the ropes and made good. People in this town hate him.

The crowd to witness this pat-on-the-back by Nutter was sparse. It should have been packed.

Don't ever believe the hype you hear about Philly lovin' the blue-collar underdog who gets a second chance. They only love it on film...and dare I say, when the neck in the blue collar is white.

Since the Weekly Press came out today, you may or may not see more about this in next week's edition.

I hope someday this town erects a Hopkins statue.


Here's some footage of Nutter and Hopkins from the ceremony.

Also, you'll find below an isolated clip of Hopkins cutting into former Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb to close his remearks today.

81st Radnor Hunt Races

On Saturday, May 21, the 81st Annual Radnor Hunt Races were held in Malvern, Pa.

This is one of the events I always look forward to covering. Thundering horses leaping over fences and jumps. Crowds cheering like crazy. Old men writing down odds on white boards and taking bets.

It's like the racing scene in the Quiet Man.

Just a short piece in the Weekly Press. Click here to read it. For some reason, they chopped off the ending. Ah, editors...whattayagonnado? This will make sense if you read the story:

The first horse my wife picked one...
...as did the second.

Proving that you should listen to your wife over a screaming man on the sidewalk.

Maybe I'll see you--wearing a big hat or some pastel colored shorts--at next year's Radnor Hunt Races.

Race Street Pier, Philly's Newest Park Opens

This was a fun one.

Last Wednesday, May 11, Philly got a new park on the waterfront, the Race Street Pier

Amen.

The Philly waterfront has been in need of something like this for decades. The park is beautiful and poeple are already enjoying it.

I got a sneak-peek of the new park at a fundraiser held there for arts programming on the waterfront. Great food, hooch, entertainment...

...and the breeze of a clear and warm night blowing through the blades of green grass and the limbs of the trees and over a running Delaware River.

You can read the story I wrote for the Weekly Press.

You can also check out the video. You'll notice that the intro does not take place in the ol' Pen & Lens study. I had to do this one on the fly and this greenhouse was the quietest place I could find and  make deadline.

(Pictures and video by A.N. O'Connor and Kerry O'Connor Music by 61 North)

Home Runs for Heart; Big Swings for a Big Cause

The American Heart Association here in Philly holds a fundraiser every year called the Richie Ashburn Home Runs for Heart. It's a great event: you get to hit at home plate and shag fly balls in the outfield at Citizens Bank Park.

A few weeks before the actual event, they hold a Media Day and lucky guys like me get to spend a few hours at the ballpark basically doing what those who participate in Home Runs for Heart will be doing.

It rained last Tuesday for Media Day, but we got to hit in the Phillies' batting cages.

You can read the story I wrote for the Weekly Press about Home Runs for Heart here.

(Video by K. O'Connor & D.G. Ullman)

Con Murphy's Irish Pub in Philly

Recently, I wrote about Con Murphy's Irish Pub in Philly. The story ran in the March issue of the Irish Edition, but considering their website still features stories from January, I can't post a link to it. So if you just watched the video forget what I said about links.

You'll find the whole story below in this posting.

Con Murphy's ain't a bad little joint. In fact, being little is what makes it good. I'm a regular at Tir Na Nog, the huge Irish bar just down the Ben Franklin Parkway from Con Murphy's (I swear by a Guinness poured by Danielle or Chavonne, and listening to Christine's brogue makes even chit chat seem weighty) but the cozy atmosphere of Con Murphy's is just what you need on a dreary rainy day when you plan on drinking and not talking to a soul...

... and end up talking to the guy next to you for an hour.

Con Murphy’s Gaining Foothold in Irish Bar Scene

You probably know it well.

Tir Na Nog, a 6,500 square-foot Irish bar right across the street from Love Park in Philadelphia has been around since 2002.

It’s giant, with seating for 320 people just at the tables. It’s popular. It’s named after the Irish mythical land of Eternal Youth. It has a stained-glassed window portraying Oisin, his guide Niamh and the magical horse that they rode upon to Tir Na Nog.

But walk just a few blocks away, down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Windsor Hotel, and you’ll find another Irish establishment just as worthy of losing a few hours in—if not 300 years like our pal Oisin—and it’s also named after an Irish legend.

Sort of.

“Con Murphy was a well-known rogue back in Limerick,” said Liam Kelly, co-owner of Con Murphy’s Irish Pub. “He was a real character and when he talked in the pub, people listened to his stories. We decided to name the bar after him.”

Established in 2010 by Kelly and his business partner Maurice Collins (both originally from Limerick) Con Murphy’s has quietly gained a reputation as a go-to pub for a good pint of Guinness, a delicious meal and the cozy company of strangers with stories to tell, just like its namesake.

Did I say strangers?

As the artwork above the door says “No strangers here, only friends who haven’t met yet.”

It’s true. You couldn’t remain strangers with someone if you wanted to. There’s not enough room for that.

Con Murphy’s weighs in at around 2, 500 square feet and seats about 100 people. The floor plan consists of a bar and limited seating on the first floor and a bar and tables for dining on the second floor mezzanine, like the Plough & the Stars in Old City, but smaller.

That’s the way Kelly likes it.

“Both Maurice and I were involved with Tir Na Nog,” said Kelly this past February, sitting at a table in the front window of Con Murphy’s while the International flags whipped around outside on the Parkway. “Maurice was an owner. I worked there. It’s a great place, but really big. When Maurice and the other partners sold it, Maurice and I went into business together and wanted to create something smaller, more casual and more intimate.”

It’s the intimacy of Con Murphy’s that makes it authentically Irish. The small floor plan is reminiscent of the types of pubs found in every small town in Ireland from Killaloe to Cavan, the kind that are obviously just the living room and parlor of a one-time residence.

And the similarities don’t stop there.

“We have a lot of traditional items on our menu,” said Kelly. “We do an Irish breakfast with the usual…sausages, rashers, eggs, black and white pudding, beans and tomatoes. And our lunch and dinner menus have Shepherd’s Pie and Guinness Beef Stew.”

Not only that, Con Murphy’s often features live Irish music, such as the Bogside Rogues, Slainte and the Birmingham Six.

“We squeeze the bands onto the landing of the stairs, between the first floor and the mezzanine,” said Kelly with a laugh. “It’s great because people on both floors can hear the music and see the band. We have live music all the time, but we always have traditional Irish music every Sunday.”

Even though Con Murphy’s is gaining a following amongst Philadelphia’s Irish, don’t be surprised if the friend you haven’t met yet sitting next to you at the bar is a long, long way from home.

Kelly and Collins picked the location for the pub because of its location to the brand new Philadelphia Convention Center and are counting on conventioneers popping in on their way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum and the brand new Barnes Museum slated to open next year.

“It’s a great location,” said Kelly. “The new Convention Center expansion puts their front door right on Broad Street. Cherry Street, which is right across the street from The Convention Center, is going to be turned into a pedestrian walkway. Conventioneers will be able to walk right down Cherry to the Ben Franklin Parkway.”

And Cherry Street leads right to Con Murphy’s.

So what about those members of the National Association of Something or Other and the art aficionados who may not be interested in Shepherd’s Pie or rashers?

“We have them covered,” said Kelly. We make a cheese steak that’s so good, even locals come here and order it. That says something.”

Plus, Irish pubs will always be popular, even among the non-Irish. We (Irish) have a reputation for being good drinkers and good company while drinking. We’re not going to ruin that.”

On the wall at Con Murphy’s, along the stairs from the first floor to the mezzanine, is a mural with pictures of race horses, rugby players, and dogs racing. One can’t help but notice that they’re all betting sports.

An homage to the namesake himself, like Tir Na Nogs’ stained glassed window?

“Kind of,” said Kelly. “They’re all Irish things in the mural, but yes, they’re all things that Con would’ve taken bets on. I’m telling you he was a character.”

One Beer Lasts 17 Years

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Pen & Lens!

Once again, the Center City Weekly Press has published my story of my favorite St. Patrick's Day of all time, the one on which I had my first beer with my Pop back home in Boston many years ago. It was a Miller High Life.

In honor of that, I serve the "Champagne of Bottled Beer" at a St. Paddy's Day supper every year.

To read the story, click here.

The video shows some random good times being had over the years. Looks like the High Life, and a few other brands here and there, have been a part of them.

Red Ball Keeps Red Cross in the Black

On Saturday, March 6, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Red Cross held their annual fundraiser, the Red Ball at the Please Touch Museum.

Always a fun venue for an event like this. You get to watch grown men and women in tuxes and dresses--in this case mostly red dresses--trying to crawl around and enjoy all the exhibits at the Museum.

Did I menion it's a children's museum?

It was a good night for the Red Cross. They raised $285,000.

And, they had 1,134 attendees, which was one attendee too many if you ask me. Some guy in front of me in line to ride the carousel kept elbowing me repeatedly.

Jerk.

You can see some of the pictures and video below, and you can read my short piece on the event at the Weekly Press here.

(Photos and video by Kerry O'Connor & A.N. O'Connor)

"Valentine To The Market" Gets Lots of Love For Reading Terminal Market

On Saturday, I covered the "Valentine To The Market" fundraiser for Reading Terminal Market...at Reading Terminal Market.

The open bars did not want for action, live music from latin swing to reggae could be found at different locations, and 25 of the historic marketplace's food vendors gave attendees plenty to burn off on the dance floor.

To read the story I wrote for the Weekly Press, click here.
(Photos and video by K.O'Connor & A.N. O'Connor)

Shane The Humane

On Monday, January 31, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association held their 107th Annual Awards Dinner.

As a member, I was asked to present Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino with our humanitarian award.

You can read my piece about Shane's charitable endeavors in the Center City Weekly Press by clicking here.

(Photo by Joe Vallee philly2philly.com)

You can also see some footage of my exclusive interview with the Flyin' Hawaiian before the dinner in the video below. There's also a video of Shane's acceptance of the award (Video by take 3 productions)