June 25, 2020

Philadelphia Theatre Company Takes Round 3 of Play Brawl Online

June 25, 2020/ Philadelphia Theatre Company/ Guest User

Philadelphia Theatre Company presents Play Brawl, the inventive fundraiser (originally scheduled for March 13th) that puts the region’s leaders front and center from their homes. In the vein of The Voice, PTC’s Play Brawl returns as a virtual event on Wednesday, July 1, as local community leaders live out their acting dreams, and a panel of “Ringside Refs” give post-performance feedback. The Ringside Refs include actors Graham Stevens, Juwan Crawley, and Sandy Rustin, who starred in PTC’s 2016 production of the new musical Found. Instead of standard speeches and silent auctions, the competitors will act their hearts out while viewers vote for the winning performance through tax-free donations.

June 22, 2020

Philadelphia Zoo Announces Reopening Date, Tickets Go on Sale This Week!

June 22, 2020/ Philadelphia Zoo/ Guest User

Philadelphia Zoo is set to reopen to the public on Thursday, July 9th. “We are thrilled to welcome our members and guests back to the Zoo,” says Vikram H. Dewan, the Zoo’s President and CEO. “On the first visit back, guests will find that some of the procedures look a bit different, but with more than 1300 rare and endangered animals in our care, and many visitors onsite, the enhanced procedures will help with maintaining a delightful, clean and safe experience,” says Dewan.

June 11, 2020

Parks On Tap Returns For Fifth Year With New Summer-Long Location in Philadelphia

June 11, 2020/ Parks on Tap/ Guest User

Parks on Tap is back for its fifth season of supporting Philadelphia’s parks. The traveling outdoor beer garden that gives back will adapt to social distancing rules for the new season by implementing a stationary beer garden in several fixed locations. The first summer-long location will open on Friday, June 12th outside on the grounds of the Fairmount Horticulture Center Arboretum (100 N. Horticultural Drive). It will feature fresh food, beers on tap, wine and non-alcoholic beverages set in an outdoor environment with comfortable chairs and clean restrooms. During the global pandemic, the program will be more important than ever as residents look for hyper-local outdoor options with ample room for social distancing. In order to keep patrons and employees safe, look for a number of new safety measures that will also include additional cleaning measures, ability for contact tracing, and other measures as prescribed by the City of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania.

June 10, 2020

Top Spots For Outdoor Dining in Philadelphia Starting June 12th

June 10, 2020/ Guest User

Aversa PR presents 18 top spots around Philadelphia for outdoor dining starting on June 12th. Locations include patios, decks, backyards, sidewalk seating, closed off sidewalks and other unique arrangements to ensure safety, health and social distancing. From the largest outdoor dining spot in the region at Morgan's Pier, to the charms of the outdoor patio at Positano Coast in Old City, to the shaded cafe of Pistolas Del Sur on East Passyunk, to Center City sidewalk views of Tradesman's and BRU in Midtown Village, to the beer garden vibes of Germantown Garden in Northern Liberties, the list below includes places across the city in the most notable food neighborhoods.

May 27, 2020

Stove And Tap, Al Pastor, and The Bercy Announces Outdoor Dining Starting June 5th

May 27, 2020/ Stove and Tap/ Guest User

Stove and Co. Restaurant Group announces the launch and expansion plans for outdoor dining for four large scale restaurants in the Philadelphia suburbs. Starting Friday, June 5, 2020, Stove and Tap Malvern, Stove and Tap Lansdale, The Bercy in Downtown Ardmore and Al Pastor in Exton will begin outdoor dining for happy hour at 4:00pm. For owner Justin Weathers and Joseph Monnich, the news today by Governor Tom Wolf couldn't have been more welcome. The duo behind some of the Suburb's and Main Line's most celebrated restaurants were some of the hardest hit when COVID19 shut down Montgomery and surrounding counties earlier this year - hot on the heels of the grand opening of their Stove and Tap Malvern location and during the construction of their yet-to-open Stove and Tap location in West Chester. Now the duo have a path to recovery and moving forward with this news, combined with the launch of legal cocktails-to-go last week.

May 27, 2020

Harper's Garden And Morgan's Pier Opens Reservations In Anticipation Of Outdoor Dining

May 27, 2020/ Morgan's Pier/ Guest User

Two of Philadelphia's most celebrated outdoor restaurants will be the first in the region to take reservations for outdoor dining. In anticipation of news allowing outdoor dining in Philadelphia from the state of Pennsylvania, FCM Hospitality announces that Harper's Garden and Morgan's Pier will return this summer and open for seating on Friday, June 5th. Both restaurants have opened up reservations for that day and beyond, which coincides with when Philadelphia county will enter the yellow phase of the state's reopening plans. Harper's Garden will also update the layout and nearly double in size for outdoor seating in preparation for social distancing protocols that will be put into place. Morgan's Pier will also increase the footprint of outdoor dining and add side-walk seating on Columbus Boulevard.

May 19, 2020

Stay Philly Strong and Philly Smart

May 19, 2020/ Kory Aversa

Stay Philly Strong, Aversa PR, South Street

Hello Friends,

Last year, my calendar was packed for this week:

Monday - lunch on East Passyunk
Tuesday - rolling the dice at Parx Casino
Wednesday - sips at Uptown Beer Garden
Thursday - curtains up at Bristol Riverside Theatre
Friday - waterfront views at Morgan's Pier
Saturday - going "wild" at Philadelphia Zoo
Sunday - flying trapeze at Philadelphia School of Circus Arts

Today, instead, I put on my slippers, made coffee and went upstairs - by myself. I turned on the computer and started my day alone where I have been for eight weeks. Normally this time of year, I would be outside under blue skies with tens of thousands of people. This week, I will talk to my dog when he isn't taking a nap.

While I can't wait for life to return to normal, this is the time to be smart, be healthy, be supportive and be Philly Strong. In fact, it is the time to get even strong together as we enter the start of summer during these unprecedented times.

Small businesses like mine have lost tens of thousands of dollars. Retailers and restaurants have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tourist attractions have lost millions of dollars. Millions of jobs have been lost. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost.

If we rush out there and don't do it in a safe and healthy way, all the sacrifices we have made this year (big and small) will be in vain. We also risk a second wave that could have us back home alone again before fall and the holidays.

Please join me in in pledging to stay Phillly Strong and Philly Smart - and support efforts to open up Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in a healthy, safe and smart way.

Support our clients who are open and are in process of re-opening. Wear your masks, learn about social distancing, and don't give up now. We made it this far - and no matter how hard it was, it is not the time to loosen up now as better days are ahead.

Best,

Kory Aversa
Aversa PR & Events
CEO/Founder

May 19, 2020

Philadelphia Restaurants Announce Cocktails to Go After State of PA Passes New Law

May 19, 2020/ Kory Aversa

Philadelphia and Main Line restaurants applaud the vote today in the Pennsylvania senate that will allow the sale of to-go cocktails in the state of Pennsylvania. As they wait for Governor Tom Wolf to sign the legislation, the following ten restaurants in the city of Philadelphia and out on the Main Line announce their first menus for to-go cocktail service that will start the minute his pen hits the paper and it is legal.

May 14, 2020

Philadelphia Zoo Launches Limited Edition Shirts for Spring Back Fund

May 14, 2020/ Philadelphia Zoo/ Kory Aversa

Philadelphia Zoo wants to update your stay-at-home workday and home-school fashion with a colorful and eye-catching new collection of apparel that will fund the Zoo's Spring Back Fund. Show your support for Philadelphia Zoo on those Zoom and Skype calls while you social distance with a new limited edition t-shirt and hoodie line that will support the vital operations of Philadelphia Zoo. While the Zoo remains closed to the public, the new Spring Back Apparel Collection will support operations during this global crisis. Philadelphia Zoo partnered with local t-shirt company Printfly and website DSGNtree.com on the unique shirts that feature original Philly-centric designs with a fun Zoo twist. Shirts can be purchased at https://dsgntree.com/philadelphia-zoo. Join the Spring Back Campaign and help support America's first Zoo.

May 12, 2020

Restaurateur Calls on State of PA to Save Restaurants Through Outdoor Dining

May 12, 2020/ Kory Aversa

With the stay at home order just extended to June 4th for Philadelphia and neighboring suburban counties, one local hospitality group and restaurateur is leading the charge to encourage state and city officials to explore new options to save the restaurant industry. Avram Hornik of FCM Hospitality, owners of Morgan’s Pier, Harper’s Garden, Rosy’s Taco Bar, Craft Hall, Rosy’s Taco Bar, Concourse Dance Bar, The Dolphin (as well as lead hospitality partner on Parks on Tap and Trails on Tap), poses the question about when is the right time to permit outdoor dining and how can outdoor dining options be expanded to help save the ailing restaurant industry. While indoor dining restaurants need to use caution and balance how to maintain sufficient patron density while not losing money, outdoor dining options could be the saving grace for one of the hardest hit industries since the start of the COVID19 crisis. With golf courses (and associated hospitality amenities) and construction industries allowed to reopen, plus dozens of counties in PA entering the yellow phase, why wait for restaurants if there is a safe action plan and guidelines that could jump start the economy?