Hot tickets

- Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd and Skillet are in concert at 7:30 tonight at the Stabler Arena, 124 Goodman Drive, Bethlehem. Tickets are $37.50. Call (610) 758-6611.

- The Sovereign Center, 700 Penn St., Reading, hosts Winter Jam 2010 with headliners Third Day and Newsboys at 7 tonight. Tickets are $10. Martina McBride and Trace Adkins are featured at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $49.75 and $59.75. Call (800) 745-3000.

- The British Invasion not only plays the songs of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, etc., but also the groups considered the "American Response to the British Invasion" that were around during 1965-69. The concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville, concludes with a performance of side two of "Abbey Road." Tickets are $20, $24 at the door available. Call (610) 917-1228.

Blue heaven

Blue Mountain Ski Resort, 1660 Blue Mountain Drive, near Danielsville, hosts its the Blue Winter Festival on Saturday and Sunday. Highlights include dog sledding, ice carving, snow sports vendors, musical entertainment, and snow sports demonstrations. Get more information at (877) 754-2583.

Tasty week

- Bethlehem Restaurant Week is Sunday through Feb. 6. Get a multi-course lunch and dinner for one fixed price at participating restaurants. Contacting the restaurant directly with reservations is recommended. Parking will be free courtesy of the Bethlehem Parking Authority. Get the complete list of restaurants at www.bethlehemrestaurantweek.com.

- Souper Bowl 2010 means a variety of soups from area eateries from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Banana Factory, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, free to children 8 and under. Call (610) 332-1300 or visit www.artsquest.org.

Kids in mind

Winter Weekends for Families are at the Brandywine River Museum, Saturday through Feb. 28. Receive a free family guide and a museum discovery game sheet. Enjoy an interactive museum journey using the audio tours (rent one for $3, get a second one free) designed for children 6-12. The museum is on Route 1, Chadds Ford. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and admission is $10, $6 for seniors 65+, students and children 6-12. Call (610) 388-2700.

Buster being Buster

At 2 p.m. Sunday, the Theatre Organ Society of the Delaware Valley presents "Steamboat Bill Jr.," starring Buster Keaton, at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville. Featuring Wayne Zimmerman on the Rodgers Trio Deluxe Theatre Organ, this event is a fund raiser for the TOSDV Organ Restoration projects. Tickets are $10, $5 for children under 12. Call (215) 780-0831 or visit www.tosdv.org.

Writer-inspired

From 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, the Black Bass Hotel, 3774 River Road (Route 32), Lumberville, will host "Burns Night," celebrating the life and poetry of Scottish poet Robert Burns. The evening will begin with the "entrance of the haggis," a Scottish meat dish that Burns wrote about in "Address to the Haggis," followed by bagpipe music. After a wine reception, the communal table will be filled with neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), smoked salmon and roast beef and pudding, as well as raspberry crannichan and cheese and biscuits for dessert. Along with wine, whiskey and port will also be served. Tickets are $100, and Highland dress is optional. Call (215) 297-9260.

January = Judaism

A family-friendly afternoon of music, Israeli dancing, Judaic craft projects, parenting workshops, study sessions and kosher snacks is set for 1:30 to 4:45 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Shir Ami, 101 Richboro Road, Newtown. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's Kehillah of Bucks County is the sponsor of this inaugural event, which will feature a concert by "Silly Joe" Consiglio. Cost is $10, or a maximum of $18 per family. Call Shelley at (215) 579-9300 or e-mail rrappaport@jfgp.org.

February = chocolate

Chocolate Covered February in Hershey features events for all ages, all month long. New this year is "The Great Hershey Quest," in which guests try to visit as many spots in town on their passports as possible to

enter to win "The Ultimate Chocolate Getaway." Other highlights include the Chocolate Dinner Extraordinaire at the Hotel Hershey and special packages at the Hershey Lodge. The complete schedule can be found at www.hersheypa.com.

Before Chocolate Covered February begins, however, ZooAmerica, near Hersheypark, offers a free Community Weekend 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There will be animal encounters and animal art demonstrations. Call (717) 534-3900.

B-boy style

The Williams Center at Lafayette College, Hamilton and High streets, Easton, presents the hip-hop dance troupe Rennie Harris Puremovement at 8 p.m. Feb. 3. Tickets are $22. Call (610) 330-5009.

How many candles?

Sesame Place, 100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, throws a birthday party for Ernie at noon Saturday. The Dine with Me event includes lunch buffet, desserts, character appearances and party favors. Cost is $17 for adults, $14 for children 2-11. Call (866) GO-4-ELMO for reservations.

Next big composer?

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem presents the Family Concert "Young Composers Then and Now," with works written by Mozart and Bach when they were younger than 25. Then new choral works by regional young composers will be performed. It starts at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. Tickets are $17, $6 for students up to age 22. Call (888) 743-3100 or visit www.bach.org.

Affirmative action

Outsider Folk Art and African American Coalition of Reading galleries will collaborate on an art show in honor of Black History Month called "Believe, Achieve, Succeed." The show comprises contemporary mixed media works of more than 100 local, regional and national artists to be displayed Feb. 1-March 26 on the first floor of the Exide Building, 645 Penn St., Reading. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Call (610) 939-1737 or (610) 898-7684.

Museum lovers and day trippers here are a couple places for you to check out.

One hour away is the Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, right there in Wilmington. It’s a very enjoyable one-day visit. Its collection includes “Howard Pyle & American Illustration,” “American Art, 19th Century-Present” and “British Pre-Raphaelites” with special exhibit throughout the year. Check them at http://www.delart.org or call at (302) 571-9590 or (866) 232-3714. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
On a nice day visitors can also enjoy the Copeland Sculpture Garden. Tours of the collection and special exhibits are held on weekends.
If you are spending the day, you can grab a snack at delART Café were light fare is available for purchase.
Admission to the museum is: $12 for adults; $10 for seniors (60 and over); $6 for students with valid ID: $6 for youths 7-18; free for children under 6. And, $25 for families (up to 2 adults and 4 youth.


The Murtogh D. Guinness (yes, from the Guiness brewing company family) collection of historic mechanical musical instruments and automata programmed media, ranging from player piano rolls to pinned cylinders is THE highlight at the Morris Museum in Mooristown, N.J. Not everything is on view, however, this exhibit is a delight. And demonstrations are offered at 2 p.m. Wednesday to Sundays. The museum is at 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, N.J. Check them at http://www.morrismuseum.org or call (973) 971-3700. Pack a lunch for this trip. The museum is about 1 hour and 40 minutes away from Lansdale. There is an admission fee of $10 for adults; $7 for children; $7 for seniors; free for children under 3.

What to do this weekend:

Music town

"Black, Blue & True: To the Tune of Inspiration" is a photographic look at some of Cape May, N.J.'s influential African-American musicians, and the jazz and blues artists who influenced them. It opens Saturday in the Carriage House Gallery of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May. The gallery will be open weekends through March 26, then daily through April 18; hours vary. An opening reception will be held at 4 p.m. Jan. 18 and a panel discussion with some of the musicians featured in the exhibit is set for 4 p.m. Feb. 21. Admission is $2, $1 for children 3-12, or free with any Physick Estate tour. Call (800) 275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

Game of science

Opening Saturday at the Whitaker Science Center, 222 Market St., Harrisburg, are the exhibits "Carnival of Health" and "Tech City." "Carnival of Health" is a 2,200-square-foot permanent exhibit that promotes health and wellness in a carnival-like atmosphere. Shoot hoops while learning about nutrition in a special version of Pop-a-Shot called "Feed Gorgo." There's also a variation of Whac-a-Mole that promotes hygiene, where you whack germs instead of moles. There's a 16-foot climbing wall, a "React-o-Meter," "See Your Future," and more. On display through March 7, "Tech City" lets kids become engineering experts with 12 activity stations to invent, design, create, build and test if your creations actually work. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays. Admission is $13.75, $11.75 for children 3-12, students and seniors 55+. Call (717) 214-ARTS or visit www.whitakercenter.org.

State spotlight

The State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, presents the musical "Hairspray" at 8 tonight. Tickets are $50 and $55. Comedy "queen of mean" Lisa Lampanelli takes the stage at 8 p.m. Friday. This show is for mature audiences. Tickets are $36.75. The annual Elvis Birthday Bash concert features Scot Bruce as the young heartbreaker and Mike Albert as the seasoned Vegas-style Elvis at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $36 and $41. Call (800) 999-STATE or visit www.statetheater.org.

Automania in Allentown

Automania returns to the Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds, 302 N. 17th St., Allentown. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Get more information at (717) 215-0700.

Wine, cheese, chocolate

Chaddsford Winery, 632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, pairs regional cheeses with their wines at tasting events Saturday, Jan. 23 and 30. Then the winery showcases wine and chocolate pairings every Saturday and Sunday in February. Both of these events will be conducted as sit-down tastings by the winery's staff of wine educators. Cheeses featured for the January pairings will include: Birchrunville Blue and Calkins Creamery camembert-like Noble, plus a colby from Conebella Farm and a goats' milk cheese from Shellbark Hollow. Pairing events will be held at 2 and 4 p.m. Admission is $20 per person and reservations are required. Chocolates for the February tastings will be sourced from é'clat Chocolates in West Chester, and will be held every Saturday and Sunday of the month at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m. Admission is $25 per person and reservations are required. Call (610) 388-6221.

Quartet concert

The Tri-State Jazz Society presents Ed Wise and his New Orleans Jazz Band "Lite" performing the music of Sidney Bechet's Big 4 and Django Reinhardt's American Quartet. The concert is 2 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Brooklawn, N.J. American Legion Post, 11 Railroad Ave., Brooklawn. Admission is $20, $10 for students. Call (610) 268-5930, e-mail info@tristatejazz.org or visit www.tristatejazz.org.

Toon academia

Pittsburgh's new cartoon museum, the ToonSeum, offers a January lecture series with art

ists and authors. Editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers kicks off the series at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Rogers' cartoons appear regularly in three major metropolitan newspapers, Newsweek and USA Today. His new book is called "No Cartoon Left Behind." On Jan. 23, author Nevin Martell talks about his quest to get the story behind the reclusive and mercurial creator of "Calvin and Hobbes," Bill Watterson. The ToonSeum is at 945 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh. Admission is $4, $3 for students. Call (412) 232-0199 or visit www.toonseum.org.

Save the date

Jan. 21 at Allentown Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown, the flute and piccolo are highlighted in a Musical Treasure Chest program for families and children at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Tickets are $6. This concert is in the Rodale Community Room. On the mainstage at 7 p.m., it's Mandragora Tango, a collective of tango musicians from Minneapolis dedicated to preserving the musical forms of tango and translating them for today's listeners and dancers. Tickets are $20. Call (610) 432-6715 or visit www.allentownsymphony.org.