#BILLYPENNGRAM OF THE DAY
Bathroom break, in the dead of night
(Photo by @barbhmphilly)
There is an election in a few weeks, and some deadlines are coming fast
It’s not a presidential election year, but the future of the state Supreme Court, Philadelphia’s District Attorney race, and other important contests will be decided in the upcoming general election on Nov. 4. Residents who want to register, or vote by mail, need to act soon. Here’s how. Continue reading…
Philly’s volunteer center for the FIFA World Cup opens
Philly’s local host committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup unveiled its volunteer center in the East Market’s Fashion District mall on Wednesday.
Decorated with bright colors, trivia on the walls, TV screens, foosball tables and more, it will be the HQ and clubhouse for volunteers to gather before and between tournament assignments. Officials will select roughly 3,000 volunteers from 26,000 applications, starting today. Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Pennsylvania approves higher ACA health insurance premiums for 2026, with some price hikes as high as 38%. [WHYY]
• Philly’s PHL is among several U.S. airports refusing to display Kristi Noem’s DHS video blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, citing policies that prevent sharing political messages. [PhillyVoice]
• Philadelphia’s only rape crisis center will receive temporary funding through the District Attorney’s Office. [CBS3]
• The Mann Center in Fairmount Park has sold its naming rights to Highmark insurance. [WHYY]
• Curio’s latest production plays Dracula for laughs. [Billy Penn]
• Visit Philadelphia is spotlighting Hispanic Heritage Month with a new campaign titled “Indivisible” — inspired by the Pledge of Allegiance, in which the word “indivisible” remains the same in Spanish and English. [WHYY]
• The Philadelphia Art Museum rebrand has taken flak, with critics saying the new “PhAM” logo evokes a football club, athleisure, or “some kind of Cold War monstrosity.” [Hyperallergic]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Parker will attend the groundbreaking of House of Grace, Project HOME’s newest permanent supportive residence for people exiting homelessness, at 1315 W. Hunting Park Avenue. (10 a.m.)
ON THE CALENDAR
🍂 Autumn festival lineup
🎃 Halloween events across Philly, now through October
👻 Dia de los Muertos events
🏃🏽 Philly Runners Guide
Thursday, Oct. 16: Groove for Good
A dance party to help end domestic violence. Dancing, music, a good cause, tater tots, and private bowling lanes for your friend or partner who loves supporting domestic violence survivors but really doesn’t like dancing. At North Bowl at 900 N. 2nd Street. $30 tickets. (6 to 9 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 18: Treasure PHILLY! Frankford Walking Tour
Meet at the Historical Society of Frankford for this walking tour of some of the neighborhood’s historic churches. It’s a mile loop. Free admission, but registration requested by emailing events@thsof.org. (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 18: Streets Dept. Excursion: Northeast Kingsessing Murals
On this tour, Conrad Benner will lead you on a zig-zag through the northeast section of this neighborhood to see new and old mural artworks and learn more about each of them, their artists, their stories, and how they got made. $20 tickets. (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 18: Children’s Halloween Spectacular
The Philadelphia Orchestra hosts a magical musical adventure, with songs ranging from the playful mischief of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to the wonder of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, plus beloved favorites like Bach’s thunderous Toccata and Fugue, and music from A Night on Bald Mountain, The Firebird, Peer Gynt, and more. (11:30 a.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 18: Manayunk Fall Fest
A brand-new outdoor event in the heart of Manayunk, during a beautiful fall day on Main Street. Local vendors, artisans, treats, food trucks, games, a separate, ticketed $21.05 Mac n’ Cheese Crawl, and more. (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 18: East Falls Fest
At Ridge and Midvale. Kayaking, high-flying circus shows, Philly history pop-ups, pumpkin decorating, tacos, cookies, artisan market, beer from Wissahickon Brewery and more. (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 18: SuperGame Day at Cherry Street Pier
Browse a vibrant pop-up marketplace, show off your best cosplay, dance to live DJ sets, and catch a family-friendly movie. Free to attend. $15 entry for tournaments: Tekken 8, Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter 6, Marvel vs. Capcom: MVC2… (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Saturday to Sunday, Oct. 18-19: Philadelphia Open Studio Tours — West of Broad
View the directory of participating artists and the map online here. (12 to 6 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 18: Designer Bag Bingo
The Philoptochos of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral hosts this fun event with designer prizes. $35 ticket includes 10 games of bingo. (6 p.m.)
Sunday, Oct. 19: Dearly, Yet Oddly Departed
Join this entertaining walking tour in Laurel Hill East Cemetery to learn more about some of the cemetery’s most eccentric personalities and the peculiar ways in which they departed this earth. We’ll discover more about those cemetery residents that took an odd path to the great beyond. Tickets from $8.50 to $12. (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.)
Sunday, Oct. 19: Stray Cat Scurry
Stray Cat Relief’s 4th annual Walk-a-thon at FDR Park is a scurry through the park trails benefiting the cats in our rescue along with stray cats of South Philly. Post-walk vendor shop, water ice, pretzels, and festivities to 80s music! (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Tuesday, Oct. 21: WHYY’s The Pulse Presents: Reimagining Menopause
WHYY’s Maiken Scott and a panel of the region’s leading menopause experts discuss the newest science on symptom management and treatment options. Free registration. (5:30 p.m.)
Through Oct. 26: 34th Philadelphia Film Festival
The 34th annual festival lineup includes the Philadelphia premieres of Rian Johnson’s new “Knives Out” mystery, “Wake Up Dead Man” starring Daniel Craig, Glenn Close and Kerry Washington. Special event screenings include the final episode of HBO’s “Task” filmed in and around Philly, and Prime Video’s documentary, “Allen Iv3rson.” Other highly anticipated selections include “Bugonia” starring Emma Stone, Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On” and Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet.” The 10-day festival also includes panels, Q&As, parties, networking events and multiple independent films from Philly-based and international filmmakers.
Through Jan. 3, 2027: The Declaration’s Journey — a new exhibit
To mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, the Museum of the American Revolution launches a major 1.5 year long special exhibit exploring the history and global impact of the Declaration of Independence from 1776 to today.
The post Election deadlines; World Cup arrives on Market East; Skyrocketing insurance premiums | Morning Roundup appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY.
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