Mitchell & Ness held their Holiday Party on Friday December 19th at their flagship store located in Center City. Guests enjoyed lite bites, specialty drinks and a mind blowing 50 percent off everything in the store. Entertainment was provided by DJ Dilemma, and he did a great job mixing old school with modern vibes, as guests enjoyed dancing with their packages at their feet. I spotted a few boldfaced names in the crowd including former cruiserweight Simon ‘One Punch’ Carr, rapper Chill Moody, rapper Trinidad James, actor Luis Da Silva Jr, Philadelphia Union players Sébastien Le Toux and Ford Gaitley, Nicolaus Valentino of Live Nation, Jen Abrams, Jonathan Yuska (head of Mitchell and Ness) and Brittney Barkley — wife of Eagles player Matt Barkley. (They just announced they’re having a baby in the spring, congrats!) Happy Holidays!! See you next year. HughE

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On Friday night at Stratus Lounge at the Hotel Monaco Holly Kinser celebrated her 50th birthday and marked 25 years as a lobbyist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Many notable political figures, including former Pennsylvania Governor and Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, Mayor Michael Nutter and two 2015 mayoral hopefuls, Anthony Williams and Doug Oliver, were on hand to celebrate with her, as well as friends in the hospitality field like Angela Val, Mickey Rowley.

Longtime friends Mia McDonald, Nina Tinari and Peter Longstreth also turned out to help the beautiful, vivacious blonde celebrate her milestones. In lieu of gifts they were asked to make a donation to the Philadelphia Children’s First Fund for the School District of Philadelphia or the Arden Theatre Company.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Friends, supporters and patrons of the arts gathered at the Curtis Institute of Music on Saturday night for the screening of Maestro, an intimate, unprecedented glimpse into the life of a renowned conductor and a vibrant, contemporary portrait of the world of classical music. For two years a film crew followed Grammy award-winning conductor and Curtis alum Paavo Jarvi, violinists Joshua Bell and Hilary Hahn, as well as an array of other musicians to show the importance of classical music and music education.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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The 21st Annual Hair O’ the Dog gala took place Saturday night, January 17th, at the Crystal Tea Room in the John Wanamaker Building. Hair O’ the Dog was started in 1995 by friends and business partners Dan Cronin and Robert Molinaro (of Chorus Communications) as a small party of friends and has grown into a must-attend 1,000-strong charitable event.

This year, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Philadelphia chapter of UNICO, which provides clothing to the homeless. Often described as an adult prom, the glamorous event attracts guests who really dress in their gala best, from black tie to gowns, cocktail dresses to your best dark suit.

I’ve gone to about five Hair O’ the Dogs, and this was by far the best: The crowd was beautiful, the event was well-organized, and the space was perfect. I’ve never seen the Crystal Tea Room used so well.

The lounge outside of the ballroom was dubbed Ibiza, and there guests could lounge on sofas, hang at cocktail tables, be entertained by feathered dancers, and dance to the tunes of DJ Montone, all while enjoying gourmet hors d’oeuvres and a light buffet.

The main ballroom was dubbed “Sin City,” a Vegas-inspired area with reserved tables, an extensive silent auction of sports memorabilia, and rotating musical acts — The Rockets, DJ Dan Cronin, Maxim Model, DJ Paola Shea of CBS’s Big Brother and, at midnight, Natalie Guercio of VH1’s Mob Wives debuted her new song, “Throttle” — with a light buffet served all night.

The final room was the super exclusive Miami bottle service room; entertainment included DJ Bizz, Mr. Robot, lighted dancers, and the Jewelz dancers. The standout of the night was definitely the dresses. I’m running a few of my favorites, which ones do you like?

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

The post Hair O’ the Dog 2015 appeared first on Philadelphia Magazine.

Philadelphia’s annual white-tie gala to celebrate the Academy of Music’s birthday — it’s 158th! — took place Saturday night at Academy of Music and the Hyatt at the Bellevue. Nearly 1,400 people attended the grand celebration which raises money to restore and maintain the Grand Old Lady of Locust Street.

The evening began with the chairman’s pre-concert reception held at the Academy of Music. Guests dined on Jose Garces catering of lamb chops and crab and eggplant sliders, and enjoyed an open bar. The MRB Jazz Project entertained guests as they mingled and posed for the society photographers on hand to capture society’s most celebrated and time-honored traditions, where men were dressed in white tails and women in ball gowns, white gloves and a few even wearing tiaras.

The concert began a little past 7:30 p.m., as Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Al Pacino took the stage. Pacino joked throughout his piece that he wasn’t sure what he was going to do on stage; it reflected the audience’s likely thoughts when it was first announced Pacino would be the special guest after decades of musical guests like Sting, Billy Joel, and, last year, Jill Scott.

But Pacino didn’t disappoint, as fans of his movies were excited to hear his dialogue, often punctuated by laughs from the audience. And he did entertain as he did a monologue from Shakespeare’s Richard III while the orchestra played William Walton’s Preludio dalla colonna sonora. Then Pacino recited an e.e. cummings poem as the orchestra performed Copland’s Clarinet Concerto in the background. Pacino was a unique choice for a headliner, and was a complete success, delighting the audience.

After the concert, guests took part in the annual promenade up Broad Street to the Hyatt at the Bellevue for the Ball. Along the way guests were entertained by the Delaware County Christian Academy Choir (2013 More 101 FM Choir competition winners!), The Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble on Broad Street and The Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School Choir at the Bellevue. The 158th Anniversary Concert and Ball co-chairmen were Linda Fynes Siegfried and Joseph F. Coradino. The Young Friends co-chairs were Christie Honigman and Brian Lipstein.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Indochino, the pioneer in online custom menswear is now venturing out with brick-and-mortar stores. Headquartered in Vancouver, Indochino opened its third showroom in the USA earlier this month in Philadelphia at 1606 Chestnut Street.

Two years ago they held a very successful pop-up store on Walnut Street, and were excited to return to the Philadelphia market. Last week they held their grand opening party and many of Philly’s stylish men came by to explore beautifully curated collections, hear about custom tuxedos and how to color-coordinate suits and accessories.

Guests enjoyed local craft beer from Saint Benjamin Brewing Company and delectable cuisine from Rachel’s Pantry (vegan catering). The gift bags were fun, too, and included a patriotic pocket square, a handkerchief, a coupon for 20 percent off a first purchase, and a package of beef jerky.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Last week at the Rittenhouse Hotel Garrett Snider and The Garrett Getlin Snider Foundation hosted a benefit to raise awareness for The Vetri Foundation For Children’s Eatiquette program. On hand to explain how the Eatiquette program works was Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin, co-founders of the Vetri Foundation, who told us that the program is one of its newest methods of bringing healthy choices to the school lunchroom. It’s an effort to make kids lunches less an assembly line and more a relaxed eating atmosphere with healthy choices. The program also teaches kids healthy ways to prepare dishes from locally sourced ingredients. Guests were treated to dishes that you might find at the program, as well as specialty drinks that are not on the menu at the school.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

The post Garrett Snider Benefit for Marc Vetri Foundation’s Eatiquette appeared first on Philadelphia Magazine.

Nearly 4,000 people came out to enjoy “A Night to Remember at the 2015 Philadelphia Auto Show’s Black Tie Tailgate” on Friday, January 31st. Guests got a first look at nearly 700 vehicles from more than 40 car manufacturers in a 700,000 square-foot space at the Pennsylvania Convention Center while dining on Garces Catering delights and desserts and dancing to the sounds of Jellyroll. Returning again this year was the very popular Camp Jeep where an indoor off-road driving test takes place in a 25,000-square foot exhibit that gives auto show attendees a chance to experience the off-road capabilities of Jeep vehicles without leaving the show floor.

The event raises money for the division of neonatology at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia through the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation. Since 1986 the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia and its Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation have donated $5.8 million to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Auto Show opened on Saturday, January 31st, and runs through Sunday, February 8th. On Saturdays and Sundays, the show opens at 9 a.m. and on weekdays, at noon. Chairs for the gala were Mr. and Mrs. Donald Franks, William W. Fox, M.D. and Laurie Kilpatrick, Ph.D.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Art lovers braved the chilly weather Saturday night and celebrated the opening of “A Carnevale of Philadelphie” at  E-Moderne Gallerie in Old City. It was warm and cozy inside as guests celebrated artwork which sometimes reflected the theme of the night: Mardi Gras.

Wine and cheese were served, as the nearly 200 guests perused the art on the wall and chatted with E-Modern owner Edward Fong and artists Inna Race and Vasil Anastasov. Inna Race’s interest in art began as a small child and flourished into a career into adulthood. The exhibition at E-Modern reflects the influence of great artists on her work as she tried to capture their essence in her exhibition, “Masterpieces Reborn project” which includes a piece I love: Chagall’s Midsummer’s Night Dream, which Inna then recreated in her own inspired art work. Vasil Anastasov specializes in Japanese-inspired artwork, and hopes his work helps his subjects transport themselves through time and to the places that he captures on his canvas. “A Carnevale of Philadelphie”  runs through March 1 at E-Moderne Gallerie at 116 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Friday night the much-anticipated Opera Philadelphia production of Theodore Morrison and John Cox’s Oscar opened at the Academy of Music. Opera fans were out in force, fashionably dressed, with a few men wearing tuxedos.

The production is a co-commission with the Santa Fe Opera; it opened at the Santa Fe Opera in 2013 under the stage direction of Kevin Newbury and conductor Evan Rogister, who are back for the Philly run. Countertenor David Daniels plays the title role. He does an amazing job conveying the emotions of Oscar Wilde during turbulent times, as well as his love for bad boy Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie), who is played by Australian dancer-actor Reed Lupla. Lupla has been acting for a while, but this is his first opera. Although he didn’t speak, Lupla made a huge impression with movements and dancing. It’s a very emotional, timeless piece about love and the choices we make.

During intermission there was a supporters reception in the ballroom, where champagne and dessert were served. After the show, everyone headed across the street to Varalli Restaurant for a cast party.

The East Coast premiere of Oscar at The Academy of Music runs from February 11th to 15th.  Information at  www.operaphila.org.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Simon’s Fund was established in 2005 in memory of Simon Sudman, son of Phyllis and Darren Sudman, who died of a heart defect called Long QT Syndrome. Simon was one of thousands of kids — ranging from babies to high school athletes — to die of sudden cardiac arrest in 2005.

In Simon’s memory, the family started an organization that provides free heart screenings to children in the Philadelphia area, sponsors medical research projects, hosts awareness events, works with major medical institutions and promotes legislation.

Nearly 500 people turned out for the 5th Annual Simon’s Soiree at the Sheraton Valley Forge Hotel. The evening began with a cocktail party, and a silent auction. Then the guests entered the ballroom for an awards program, dinner and dancing to The Nerds.

Additional funds were raised in a live auction featuring auctioneer Josh Katz. Emcee for the evening was Michael Barkann. The 2015 Protect Your Heart Award Honorees were Frank Marchilinski MD and Allan Chaney, whose promising basketball career was ended by a heart defect. Melissa Fair, who had attended a Simon’s Fund heart screening for students where it was discovered she had a Partial Anomolous Pulmonary Venous Return and Atrial Septal Defect, was also there. She had open-heart surgery on January 24, 2008, exactly two years after Simon died. The Simon’s Fund screening saved her life.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

The post Simon’s Soiree to Benefit Simon’s Fund appeared first on Philadelphia Magazine.

From left: Sandy Mullen, Open Table, Nick Elmi, Laurel, Stacey Lyons, GM at Ela, author/chef Jeremy Nolen, executive chef of Brauhaus Schmitz, Jason Cichonski, Ela and Gaslight.

Philadelphia magazine and Foobooz hosted another successful Philly Cooks (more photos from the event here) on Wednesday, February 18th. Guests at the annual event enjoyed delicious bites and spirits throughout the night with more than 40 participating restaurants, live music by East Coast Entertainment, beer, wine and a VIP Infiniti Lounge where Luke Palladino served saba-glazed braised beef shanks. As for spirits, imbibing took place at the Crown Royal Corral, where guests enjoyed banjo music by Greg Wright and specialty drinks from the whiskey company, and the Foobooz Speakeasy, which was located in the center of the ballroom at the Marriott Downtown Hotel, where guests enjoyed drinks from Franky Bradley’s, The Olde Bar and The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

The post Philly Cooks: The Ultimate Philly Eating Experience appeared first on Philadelphia Magazine.

The Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art annual black-tie Winter Gala lived up to its name Saturday evening thanks to blanket of freshly fallen snow. Young professionals endured Uber surcharges and wait times, and slow roads in the name of charity, but were rewarded with beautiful art, music and culture in the magnificent setting of the Museum’s Great Stair Hall.

Guests were also invited to enjoy the new showing of Ink and Gold: Art of the Kano, the first exhibition in the United States to explore the artistic excellence of the Kano, one of Japan’s most influential schools of painting. The Young Friends event was co-chaired by Elizabeth Lampen Kim and Jacqueline Cassidy who took to the stage after the performance of the Japanese drum group Kyo Daiko to express their thanks to the supporters of the art museum. The mission of the Young Friends is to support Museum acquisitions and education as well as to fund educational field trips that bring more than 750 elementary school students to the Museum for literacy-based gallery lessons.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Wednesday, the warmly dressed, well-heeled crowd turned up at at Century 21 department store on East Market to help celebrate the launch of LXR&Co (the go-to experts in luxury vintage that Shoppist told us about last month.) The boutique will be located permanently inside the Century 21 store at 8th and Market Streets.

Frederick Mannella, CEO and Founder, LXR&Co told me he was a collector of everything high-end vintage, and thought maybe there were other people of like minds who wanted to own vintage Louis Vuitton, Hermés, Gucci and Bvlgari bags and Rolex watches. He first started an online marketplace in 2011, then in 2012 opened a brick-and-mortar store near his hometown in Montreal, which was followed by a pop-up store in Beverly Hills, California, and then a shop in SoHo. Last year he opened a 3,000-square-foot shop at Century 21 in New York called C21 Edition, and now here he is in the hot retail city of Philadelphia at the newly opened Century 21 store.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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More than 1,000 attendees gathered for Philly Cooks on Wednesday, February 18th at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Guests had a wonderful evening tasting dishes from 40 of Philly’s top restaurants. Guests also enjoyed delicious drinks made by craft bartenders, a Foobooz speakeasy, The Crown Royal Regal Lounge, live music, open bars, desserts, Stella Artois on tap, the Infiniti Lounge and so much more. Philly Cooks continues to grow bigger and better each year!

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On Saturday, February 28th, the 2nd Annual Cheers for CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) was held at the Valley Forge Casino. This year the event was moved from the dance club to the ballroom to accommodate the 700 guests on hand. Philadelphia Event Planners gave that cavernous ballroom a night club atmosphere with reserved tables for 10, high tops and a communal table that ran the length of the dance floor; lining the walls were semi-private cabanas with their own servers.

The dance floor’s LED spelled out Cheers for CHOP, and to kick off the night the 1990s rap group Salt-N-Pepa (with DJ Spinderella) got the groove going by singing some of their biggest hits. DJ Bizz kept the party going by spinning till midnight, as guests enjoyed a banquet of food and dessert as well as specialty cocktails.

This year’s event raised $675,000 for CHOP’s Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy program — one of the first programs in the country to recognize the therapeutic value of play for hospitalized children. The evening’s special guest was 19-year-old CHOP patient Tom Gillin — who became Internet-famous last year with the Jay Z-inspired “Bald So Hard,” which he performed with Mike Mahoney.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

The post Cheers for CHOP Featuring Salt-N-Pepa appeared first on Philadelphia Magazine.

The 2015 Philadelphia Flower Show opened on Friday, February 27, 2015, with a black-tie gala. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and a cocktail party under a marquee of beautiful flowers while surrounded by Caribbean pirates, playful rats, princesses, and chickens in the barnyard. This year’s theme is “Celebrate the Movies,” and as you may have guessed, there’s a large contingent of displays inspired by Disney movies as well as Hollywood classics. After the cocktail hour, dinner took place among the floral displays. As dinner ended at 10 p.m., guests joined the afterparty where DJ Montone and DJ Jason Weiss kicked off dance party which continued well after midnight. The Flower Show runs through March 8, with a schedule full of special events, celebrity appearances, and lots and lots of beautiful flowers and shopping.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

The post Philadelphia Flower Show Black-Tie Gala and Afterparty appeared first on Philadelphia Magazine.

Last week at the Rittenhouse Hotel Garrett Snider and The Garrett Getlin Snider Foundation hosted a benefit to raise awareness for The Vetri Foundation For Children’s Eatiquette program. On hand to explain how the Eatiquette program works was Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin, co-founders of the Vetri Foundation, who told us that the program is one of its newest methods of bringing healthy choices to the school lunchroom. It’s an effort to make kids lunches less an assembly line and more a relaxed eating atmosphere with healthy choices. The program also teaches kids healthy ways to prepare dishes from locally sourced ingredients. Guests were treated to dishes that you might find at the program, as well as specialty drinks that are not on the menu at the school.

For best results, view gallery in full-screen mode.

HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

The post Garrett Snider Benefit for Marc Vetri Foundation’s Eatiquette appeared first on Philadelphia Magazine.

On Friday night, Philadelphia hosted its 3rd Annual United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Mayor’s Masked Ball at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The UNCF provides scholarships for 60,000 students attending 900 colleges and universities. It also provides financial assistance to 38 higher-education schools in its network, all of which are historically black colleges and universities. The Masked Award (Mankind Assisting Students Kindle Educational Dreams) honorees this year were Craig L. Adams of PECO, who was the co-chair of the inaugural gala, Joseph M. Casey, SEPTA General Manager, and former school superintendent Dr. Constance Clayton. There were several notables in the audience, including legendary singer Billy Paul, Tuskegee Airman Pierce Ramsey, Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller, First Lady of Philadelphia Lisa Nutter, Mayor Michael Nutter, Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO, UNCF, and Stephanie Humphrey, QVC host and mistress of ceremonies for the evening’s ceremony.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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Last Wednesday, Historic Philadelphia Inc honored Governor Ed Rendell, Gerry Lenfest, Karen Butler, the William Penn Foundation and PECO. The evening convened at the Historic Philadelphia Center at Sixth and Chestnut streets, at 5:30 p.m. Following cocktails, guests moved to Independence Hall, where they experienced a scene from Historic Philadelphia’s Independence After Hours tour with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams arguing about who should write the Declaration of Independence. From there, guests headed to City Tavern to enjoy Chef Walter Staib’s authentic Revolutionary-era recipes. Historic Philadelphia, Inc. will be hosting its seventh annual “An Evening in Franklin Square” presented by Parx Casino on Thursday, May 14th.

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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.

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