Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show

This weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center will be the Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show. At the show, visitors will be able to visit booths of various travel vendors and learn about possible vacation ideas. You'll even be able to book trips right at the show through deals that are available only this weekend. Various seminars will also be given by various travel experts including Arthur Frommer, of the famous Frommer's travel guides.

There will also be opportunities to win various prizes, including free trips. For the children, there will be an area with a moon bounce, face painting, hair wrapping and arts & crafts.

For you die-hard Eagles fans, former Eagle linebacker Dhani Jones will also be making an appearance and will be available for autographs on the first day of the show.

If you're interested, the show will be open to the public for a fee of $10 at the door. On Saturday, January 22 they will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, January 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show: 'Springtime in Paris'

While it might be frigid outside and your lawn may be covered in a few inches of snow these days, Spring is fast approaching to the relief of many Pennsylvanians. For the week of March 6 to March 13 the Pennsylvania Convention Center will be featuring the world famous 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show.

This year's theme is "Springtime in Paris" and through the exhibitions on display visitors will feel as though they've been transported to the romantic feel of Paris, France. There will be acres of gardens, cafes, parks and floral displays on show for you to visit, as well as a 33 foot high reproduction of the Eiffel Tower.
For anyone who has been to Paris in the past, this will be a chance for you to feel like a slight refresher from your previous trip there. For anyone who hasn't experienced France, this will be a nice way to get an experience on what it would be like there if you ever decide to hop a flight to Paris.

There will be a wide variety of plants and products for sale for anyone with an interest in botany in any form, from beginners to advanced horticulturalists. There will even be culinary demonstrations available by some of France's most notable chefs as well as a wine and spirits garden with free tastings.

Tickets are available directly at www.theflowershow.com and the price for an adult is $25/day. Students can get in for $20/day and children have a $15/day admission charge.

2012 Mummers Parade: Submissions due soon!

 With the recently completed, exciting 2011 Mummers Parade on New Year's Day this year, it's easy to forget about the upcoming 2012 Mummers Parade. However, the deadline to submit an application to participate in the 2012 iteration is coming up fast on Monday, January 24 at 4 p.m. If you have any interest in marching down Broad Street on the first day of the year next year, make sure you get your submissions in ASAP.

You can place your submissions to

Leo Dignam
City Parade Director
Department of Recreation
Program Division
1515 Arch Street, 10th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102-1587

You can also submit an application via fax to the city's Department of Parks & Recreation office at 215-683-3593. If you do this though, you must also follow up by sending in your letter via regular mail as well, so you might as well just send in your application via U.S. mail.