Happy Birthday, Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins

Last Friday was Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins' birthday. The ol' pug turned 45 and he's still dominating the boxing ring, taking on guys half his age.

I wrote a quick piece about the first time I met Hopkins. It appeared on the Philly Boxing Examiner site. To read it, click here.

(Photos by Kerry O'Connor)

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.