Events for the family

2007 Summer Sail

Tall Ships, submarines, military vessels from the coast guard & navy & more. Public tours & educational programs. Closes 6/27. Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd.; 215-922-2386.

» READ MORE: www.pennslandingcorp.com

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*FREE* 3rd Annual Teen Idol Search for the Greatest 'God Bless America' Patriotic singing competition. Audition registration deadline is 6/20. Teen Idol Hotline: 215-733-0900 x245. teenidol@lightsofliberty.org. PECO Energy Liberty Center, 6th & Chestnut Sts.; 215-542-3789. www.lightsofliberty.org. 6/22-6/23.

*FREE* Arnold Healthy Sandwich Challenge Taste-Off Three semi-finalists' sandwiches will be judged by the Philadelphia Fire Department Fitness Trainer Richard Davison & nutritionist Christine Palumbo. Philadelphia Fire Department, 601 South St. 6/26 10:30 am.

City Harvest Tour by Trolley City Harvest program links incarcerated men & women from the Philadelphia Prison System with community gardeners & local food cupboards. White Dog Cafe, 3420 Sansom St.; 215-386-9224. www.whitedog.com. $45 includes muffins & coffee; trolley; 3-course lunch, tax & tip. 6/23 8:30 am.

*FREE* Irish American Festival Part of the PECO multicultural series presented by Independence Blue Cross. Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd.; 215-922-2386. www.pennslandingcorp.com. 6/23-6/24 noon-8 pm.

*FREE* Sunoco Welcome America!: Dreamland Amusements Carnival Carnival games, refreshments & live entertainment. Fairmount Park, 4231 N. Concourse Dr.; 215-685-0060. www.phila.gov/fairpark. 6/28. noon-11 pm.

*FREE* Sunoco Welcome America!: Summer in Love Concert Series 4th of July celebration concert series featuring Sonoma Sound, Downtown Harvest, Agent Moosehead & more. Love Park, John F. Kennedy Blvd.; 215-636-1666. 6/28. noon-2 pm.

*FREE* West Oak Lane Jazz & Arts Festival 3 days of concerts on outdoor stages, art displays, crafts & more. Ogontz Avenue, Ogontz Ave.; 215-636-1666. 6/22-6/23 8:30 am. 6/24 9 am.

*FREE*

Celtic Celebration

Live Irish music, traditional dance, food & merchandise. Call 215-788-8948. Bristol Lions Park, Mill & Radcliffe Streets, Bristol; 215-788-3828. bristollions.org. 6/24 1-8 pm.

*FREE* Community Music Festival Features performances by Ceili Rain, Simon Apple, the Romano Sisters & others. Also features a classic car show, children's activities, handmade quilt raffle, food & more. Proceeds benefit Quakertown Food Pantry. St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 837 Old Bethlehem Rd., Quakertown; 215-536-5789. 6/23. 10 am-7 pm.

*FREE* Phoenixville Street Music Series Series of outdoor concerts, magic shows, sketches, ballloon art & other entertainment. Main Street Phoenixville, Main Street, Phoenixville; 484-880-1530. www.mainstreetphoenixville.org. 6/22 6-9:15 pm.

Summer Sizzle Food, storytelling, pony rides, face painting & more. Elmwood Park Zoo, 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown; 610-277-3825. www.elmwoodparkzoo.org. $20; $10 children. 6/22 5:30-9 pm.

Delaware Bay Lighthouse Adventure

Hop on the Cape May Whale Watcher for a 7-hr. voyage to view a number of historic lighthouses & enjoy a cold luncheon. Miss Chris Marina, 3rd Ave., Cape May; 609-884-3351.

» READ MORE: www.misschrismarina.com

. $99. 6/23 10 am.

DUB Magazine's 2006 Custom Auto Show & Concert Atlantic City Convention Center, 2001 Kirkman Blvd., Atlantic City; 609-646-1640. www.accenter.com. 6/24 noon-6 pm.

Railroad Days Special train rides, tours & interactive displays on the area's railroad history. Black River & Western Railroad, 105 John Ringo Rd., Ringoes; 908-782-6622. $12-$15; $10-$13 seniors; $6-$9 children. 6/23-6/24 10:45 am-5 pm.

Summer Vacation Family Fun Programs Fun & educational nature-themed activities. Palmyra Cove Nature Park, 1300 Rte. 73 N., Palmyra; 856-829-1900. www.palmyracove.org. $8. 6/25-6/26 10-11:30 am.

*FREE* White City Festival Gospel music, flamenco dancing, food tasting, children's area & more. J.O. Wilson Hamilton Neighborhood Center, 169 Wilfred Ave., Hamilton; 609-890-4028. 6/23-6/24 noon-7 pm.

Makin' Music Rockin' Rhythms

World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.; 215-222-1400;

» READ MORE: www.makinmusic.com

. $10; $7 children over 1; free for children under 1. 6/23 11:30 am.

Bugs & Friends

Program on bugs, spiders & other critters for young kids. Elmwood Park Zoo, 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown; 610-277-3825.

» READ MORE: www.elmwoodparkzoo.org

. $12. 6/22 10:30-11:45 am.

*FREE* Butterflies & Bugs Children's nature program. Green Lane Nature Center, 1492 Gravel Pike, Green Lane; 215-234-8497. 6/24 2 pm.

*FREE* Face to Face Day Kids can paint picture frames to take home. O'Doodles, 8335 Germantown Ave.; 215-247-7405. www.odoodles.com. 6/23 1-4 pm.

*FREE* SAJ & JAZ Performing Arts Camp Vocal, instrumental & dance lessons, theatrical workshops. Willingboro Township Kennedy Center, 429 J.F. Kennedy Way, Willingboro; 609-877-2070. 6/25-7/20 8 am-3 pm.

Camden Children's Garden

3 Riverside Dr., Camden; 856-365-8733.

» READ MORE: www.camdenchildrensgarden.org

. Butterfly house, maze, treehouse & more. Festival de Aibonito, Puerto Rico - Celebration includes Hispanic arts & crafts, games, Puerto Rican entertainment & much more. Included in admission. 6/23 11 am-4 pm. $5; $3 ages 3-11; free for children 2 & under. Daily 10 am-5 pm.

Insectarium 8046 Frankford Ave.; 215-335-9500. www.insectarium.com. Ongoing: Arachnid Alley - Exhibit about spiders; Cockroach Kitchen - Live cockroach exhibit; Insect Museum - Thousands of mounted & live specimens, interactive exhibits; Working Beehive - Live bee exhibit. $6; free for children under 2. Mon.-Sat. 10 am-4 pm.

The Please Touch Museum 210 N. 21st St.; 215-963-0667. www.pleasetouchmuseum.org. Arts & crafts, stories, theater, interactive exhibits, hands-on activities & more. Call for Nominations: 12th Annual Great Friend to Kids Awards - Please download the nomination form, fill out, & return the completed application to the museum by 6/29. Call the museum for more info. Dragons & Fairies: Exploring Vietnam Through Folktales - Hands-on, interactive learning exhibit. Closes 9/9. $9.95; free for children under 1. Daily 9 am-4:30 pm.

Sesame Place 100 Sesame Rd., Langhorne; 215-752-7070. www.sesameplace.com. Family amusement park where beloved Sesame Street characters come to life through parades, rides (including the roller coaster, Vapor Trail), live shows, play areas (Big Bird's Court, Elmo's World, etc.), meal times with furry friends (Breakfast with Cookie Monster, Lunch with Big Bird, etc.) & more. $44.50; $39.50 seniors; free for children under 2. Fri., Mon.-Thu. 10 am-5 pm; Sat.-Sun. 10 am-8 pm.

*FREE* Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse Intersection of 33rd & Oxford Sts. in E. Fairmount Park; 215-765-4325. www.smithplayhouse.org. Three-story "play mansion" for children 0-5 yrs. old & huge outdoor play park for children 0-10 featuring the Giant Wooden Slide, the giant net climber, the Apollo spinner climber, the Biggo Duo swing & much more. Tue.-Sun. 10 am-4 pm. Children must be accompanied by adult.

Barnes & Noble

301 Main St., Exton; 610-524-0103.

» READ MORE: www.bn.com

. W.E.B. Griffin & William Butterworth IV:

The Double Agents

. 6/28 7 pm.

Barnes & Noble - Rittenhouse Square 1805 Walnut St.; 215-665-0716. www.bn.com. Sunshine O'Donnell: Open Me. 6/25 7 pm. Deirdre David:Fanny Kemble: A Performed Life. 6/27 7 pm. Brenda Janowitz: Scot on the Rocks. 6/28 7 pm.

Giovanni's Room 345 S. 12th St.; 215-923-2960. www.giovannisroom.com. Randall Kenan: The Fire This Time. 6/28 5:30 pm.

National Constitution Center 525 Arch St.; 215-409-6600. www.constitutioncenter.org. Robert Dallek: Nixon & Kissinger - Partners in Power. 6/26 6:30-8 pm.

Robin's Bookstore 108 S. 13th St.; 215-735-9600. www.robinsbookstore.com. Library Company's Print Department staff: Center City Philadelphia in the 19th Century. 6/27 6 pm. David Kittrell: Noah's A.R.C.. 6/28 6 pm.

Big Blue Marble Bookstore

551 Carpenter Ln.; 215-844-1870.

» READ MORE: www.bigbluemarblebooks.com

. Poetry Aloud & Alive - A favorite neighborhood poetry session. 6/22 7:15 pm.

Great Valley Shopping Center 81 Lancaster Ave., Malvern; 610-644-1628. GreenFeast - Vegetarian buffet at Su Tao Cafe with guest lecturer Nick Cooney. Call Green Party of Delaware County at 610-543-8427 for info. $12 advance; $15 day of event includes meal & lecture. 6/23 1 pm.

Harvest Book Outlet 9 E. State St., Media; 610-566-3191. www.harvestbooks.com. Laurie Pollack - Poets & Prophets presents a reading by Laurie Pollack. Donation suggested: $2. 6/26 7 pm.

Inn at Chester Springs 815 N. Pottstown Pike, Exton; 610-363-1206. Exton Region Chamber of Commerce Luncheon - Guest speaker is Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett. Reservations recommended: 610-363-7746. $37 before Jun. 22, 2007, $42 after. Registration, networking, buffet: 11 am; program: noon-1:30 pm. 6/27 11:30 am-1:30 pm.

MilkBoy Coffee 2 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore; 610-645-5269. www.milkboycoffee.com. Open Mic - Musicians, poets & spoken word artists share their works with the crowd. 6/26 7-10 pm.

National Constitution Center 525 Arch St.; 215-409-6600. www.constitutioncenter.org. Robert Dallek: Nixon & Kissinger - Partners in Power. 6/26 6:30-8 pm. Land of Lincoln With Andrew Ferguson - Reporter & editor Andrew Ferguson to discuss his new book, 'Land of Lincoln.' 6/28 6:30 pm.

Robin's Bookstore 108 S. 13th St.; 215-735-9600. www.robinsbookstore.com. Grace Bauer & Dan McGuire - Poetry reading & open mic. 6/26 7 pm.

Rohm & Haas Technical Center Spring House 727 Norristown Rd., Spring House; 215-641-7000. Professor A. Truman Schwartz: Chemistry as a Liberal Art - Lecture on chemistry education, science literacy & the liberal arts. Registration required: 215-641-7850. 6/25 9 am.

Steel City Coffeehouse 203 Bridge St., Phoenixville; 610-933-4043. www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com. Mad Poets Society Poetry Series. 6/24 1 pm.

Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center Second & Cooper Sts., Camden; 856-964-8300. www.waltwhitmancenter.org. Step Up To The Mic - Bernard Collins hosts this poetry reading event. $5. 6/26 8 pm.

William Way Community Center 1315 Spruce St.; 215-732-2220. www.waygay.org. Queer Writers Collective. 6/23 4 pm.