🍓 Farmers markets we love | Things to Do

Earth Day is coming up so I’ve been trying to get a bit more grounded, whether that’s pruning leaves and planting new seeds, or simply spending more time outdoors. One of the best parts of the season is the return of farmers markets, and luckily this region is rich with options. Do you have a favorite farmers market? Let me know!

This week’s lineup:

— Rosa Cartagena (@_RosaCartagena, Email me at [email protected])

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Farmers markets are in full swing in and around Philadelphia and that means there are delicious treats and baskets of goodies ripe for the picking. Try hand-rolled pretzels in Lancaster County, raw honey in Haddon Heights, or fresh pasta in Bryn Mawr at one of these great farmers markets nearby.

🐰 Sunday best: If you’re still looking for Easter brunch spots (we don’t judge procrastinators!), we’ve got you covered. You can find fine dining, a river cruise, and buffet options with our handy list.

🌸 Walk freely: You may have noticed already, but Open Streets has taken over Rittenhouse Square this month with road closures every Sunday. The popular program makes space for performances, outdoor dining, and shopping.

🩰 Long-running legend: The celebrated Irish dance show Riverdance returns to Philly this weekend for a three-day run at the Miller Theater. The 30th anniversary tour features new elements with projections and flamenco.

🖼️ Work of art: Lucy Dacus found inspiration for her new album at the Barnes Foundation. For just today and tomorrow, the Barnes is returning some of that love by displaying the album cover oil painting of Dacus.

🎂 Life lessons: Birthday Candles, now running at People’s Light, captures snapshots of a woman’s life on her birthdays, from 17 to 101. Read our review of the charming existential ride of a play.

🎥 Cathartic: This weekend kicks off the Philadelphia Film Society’s SpringFest with a ton of cutting-edge watch options, including short films focused on Philadelphia stories. One short that will screen on Tuesday is Fox Chase Boy, a film based on Philly native Gerad Argeros’ one-man show about abuse he experienced from a priest in Philly. It’s also disarmingly funny.

😈 Jersey devil core: A new bluegrass-infused play called The Devil & Daisy Dirt follows a Pine Barrens waitress who meets the mythical Jersey Devil (an eight-foot-tall puppet). It’s funny and kooky and definitely not for kids.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Spring Fest at Bartram’s Garden, Earth Day at Awbury Arboretum, Northeast Philly Beer Festival

This week’s season finale of Abbott Elementary brought the lovable crew to the Please Touch Museum. It was only the second time that the show filmed here in Philly and about 340 local actors (kids and adults) participated as extras — plus Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata made a brief cameo! I went behind the scenes with the museum to break down how they transformed the space to accommodate the film crew, with heartwarming results.

🖌️ Repping Philly: New York’s Museum of Modern Art recently replaced Andy Warhol’s cow wallpaper work in its lobby with a large, colorfully geometric artwork by Philadelphia artist Odili Donald Odita. It’s absolutely worth a short trip north to witness.

🛋️ Spoilers: One of the season’s buzziest shows, Severance, actually spotlights furniture from a small dealer based right here in Philly.

📺 For the laughs: After wrapping up Abbott Elementary’s fourth season, showrunner and star Quinta Brunson returns to host Saturday Night Live on May 3. Here’s what we know so far.

​💿 Sounds from space: Marshall Allen, the relentless icon who led the ethereal, out-of-this-world Sun Ra Arkestra for decades, is nearly 101 years old. Naturally, he just released his debut album.

🔊 Fall plans: The XPoNential Music Festival doesn’t land in Camden until September but we’re already looking forward to it with acts including Sharon Van Etten, New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Courtney Barnett, and more. See the full lineup.

Pop music critic Dan DeLuca and classical music critic Peter Dobrin break down the best upcoming shows.

🎤 Thursday: Mary J. Blige swung through Atlantic City last month at the start of her “For My Fans” tour. She arrives in Philly at the Wells Fargo center on Thursday. R&B singers Ne-Yo and Mario open.

🎷 Saturday: Penn prof Tyshawn Sorey, who won the 2024 Pulitzer for music for “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith)” is playing two nights at Solar Myth on South Broad street, teaming with octogenarian avant garde sax player Roscoe Mitchell on Friday and Saturday night. Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie, the former leader of the Microphones and producer extraordinaire of Bala Cynwyd-raised songwriter Mirah, plays Union Transfer Saturday.

🎸 Monday: The Los Angeles teenage punk rock band The Linda Lindas first came to fame when a video of a performance of their song “Racist, Sexist Boy” at the L.A. Public Library in 2021 went viral. Since then, they’ve grown up considerably — and released a song called “Growing Up,” that’s not a Bruce Springsteen cover. The band is supporting its new No Obligation, at Union Transfer on Monday with Pinkshift opening.

🪕 Wednesday: Mandolinist/singer-songwriter Chris Thile joins the Philadelphia Orchestra in a work from his own hand: Attention! — an autobiographical narrative song cycle that includes experiences like the time he “attempted to impress a Starbucks executive and met Carrie Fisher as a result,” according to an orchestra blurb. It lands at Marian Anderson Hall.

Read more music picks.