The fun continues as Mike Naessens of Bierstube Tsingtau celebrates Germany’s Oktoberfest! Plump Your Kin will be held on October 5th through the 8th. Featuring a family feast based on pumpkin/squash recipes and some of the finest Pumpkin beers available, including: Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin, Harpoon UFO Pumpkin, Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin, Weyerbacher Pumpkin, Evil Twin Trick or Treat Pumpkin, Manayunk Brewing Pumpkin, Saranac Seasonal Pumpkin Spring House 7 Gate Pumpkin Ale and more!

Bierstube is located at 206 Market St. Visit them on the web at www.mybierstube.com and be sure to follow them on Twitter @MyBierstube.

Plans for September 30? How about supporting a good cause while enjoying the day outdoors on the parkway?

Run 5k or get a team together to walk a shorter distance with The Four Seasons Hotel and actively support childhood cancer research. Teams participating in the walk can create banners and wear customized shirts in honor of a loved one. In 14 years, The Four Season Parkway Run has raised over $4 million dollars, for CHOP’s Cancer Research Center.

Before the race begins, there will be music, entertainment, and more. You can sign up at the event. Registration begins at 7 a.m., with a starting time at 8:30 a.m. The walk follows the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Art Museum and back.  While, the 5K, begins at the intersection 19th and Ben Franklin Parkway, loops around Logan Circle, follows the Parkway onto Martin Luther King Drive, then doubles back onto the Parkway towards finish line.  More information is available on the website (use this link – (http://giving.chop.edu/site/PageNavigator/Events/Parkway_Run/parkway_run_index.html)

DesignPhiladelphia, partnered with The University of the Arts, will be showcasing their talented students for all of Philadelphia to enjoy! From October 10-14 there will be over 400 designers participating in over 100 events taking place all over the city! The goal of this event is to build the artists’ relationships with the community and to expose the great works of Philadelphia’s young and talented artists.

So check out the future of art with exhibits including anything and everything from canvas paintings and drawings to architecture and interior design! DesignPhiladelphia will also include workshops, lectures, pop-up shops, competitions, and more.

For more information and for times and locations of each event check out their website: www.designphiladelphia.org

A mere twenty-minute drive from Philadelphia will take you to the historically rich and charming town of Swedesboro, NJ. With a population of just over 2,500 people, this Gloucester County suburb is also within driving distance of other notable NJ towns such as Cherry Hill and Moorestown.

Originally founded in 1902, Swedesboro is a small town with a metropolitan feel. A stroll through Swedesboro’s downtown area will introduce you to a quaint array of boutique shops, music, and year-round events. The town’s diverse variety of eateries, from unique cafés to high-end restaurants, makes this town a must-visit for any food lover.

The newest addition to Swedesboro’s dining scene is Tavro 13, set to open in October.  Tavro 13 is located on 306 King’s Highway, the previous site of the Old Swedesboro Inn. After visiting one of the four Swedesboro locations listed on the National Registry, stop by the town’s newest restaurant for upscale American cuisine, prepared by highly acclaimed chef, Terrence Feury. Tavro 13 is sure to continue Swedesboro’s tradition of providing great entertainment and food to residents and visitors alike.

For more information about Swedesboro and all that the town has to offer, visit http://www.historicswedesboro.com/. For more information about Tavro 13, visit http://tavro13.com/.

Autumn is in the air and there is no better place to celebrate this beautiful season than Linvilla Orchards! Stop by Pumpkinland, where family and friends can become a part of harvest time traditions.

Enjoy a hayride during the day to see the colorful, changing leaves on the orchard trees. Or take a hayride at night and stay warm toasting marshmallows by a crackling bonfire. There are also rides to the Witches House where there are no scares and the hayride is not haunted. It’s special treat perfect for your little ones to enjoy this Halloween.

Don’t leave before visiting the Garden Center to stock up on all the essentials of the season. Your porch will be the most festive in the neighborhood with beautiful mums, straw bales, jack-o-lanterns, and corn shocks.

For a full list of Pumpkinland events, hayrides and times, visit www.linvilla.com.

What is everyone woofing about? Pet Valu is opening THREE new stores in Branchburg, New Jersey, Bristow, Virginia, and Damascus, Maryland! All on Saturday, September 29th. And tails are wagging all over the area in anticipation.

Pet Valu is THE place for all of your furry friends’ supplies. The stores’ festivities begin at 9 a.m.  Pet parents are invited to bring along their animals for refreshments, raffle prices, and discounts on store items. Get your tails there early! The first 100 customers to make a purchase will receive a complimentary gift bag.

Of course the stars of the day will be the pets. Animal rescue groups will be at the store with dogs and cats in need of a loving home. Maybe you’ll even lend a paw and think about adopting a new family member.

Pet Valu is a specialty retailer that sells high quality pet supplies at reasonable prices. With more than 400 stores in the U.S. and Canada, the company sells premium pet foods, toys, and accessories. The stores are known for their personable service. All employees are animal lovers and they take a personal interest in every customer they serve. For more information, check out their website.

Johnny Appleseed roamed the burgeoning United States planting apple orchards as he went. The roots of his trees spread across the continent as pioneers settled the frontier. Linvilla Orchards celebrates this great American tradition with the Apple Festival and Pie Eating Contest, hosted by Makin’ Music on September 22^ndand 23^rd.

Enjoy acre after acre of beautiful orchards as you pick as many apples as you can carry to bake pies or make candy apples! With 25 varieties available at different times throughout the season, there’s always a reason to come back and taste the unique flavors of different apples. You can also buy award winning baked goods, made fresh and ready for you to take home. Or enjoy some other goodies from the market including sweet cider and delectable apple butter.

Bite into the fun, and register for the pie-eating contest! With 3 different age brackets everyone can compete for prizes and glory. Come early and come hungry, registration starts at 11am. For more information, check out Linvilla Orchards Website.

As Germany prepares to begin their celebrated Oktoberfest, Mike Naessens, owner of Bierstube Tsingtau joins in the tradition with some uniquely fun and deliciously creative events. The Pig Peppers and Pils will kick of the festival beginning on Friday, September 21^st. The event will serve pork, spicy peppers and pilsners served three different ways. A pork slider in a Lotus Leaf Bun, BBQ pork sandwich and pork spare ribs. The Pils are available in Beer boots that come with a complimentary lanyard.

The next event will be the Marzen Needs Women event running September 23^rd to the 28^th. The event will consist of a “Browniefest” featuring brownies and chocolate fondues, along with mixed drinks and beers that the ladies seem to love!

As if that’s not enough fun, September 28^th-30^th Bierstube will be preparing suckling pigs as well as Peking Duck and serving a platter with two gourmet meals to enjoy at once at the Duckling Pig event! The Peking Duck and pig reflect the mixed history of our first German Tavern location in the German port of Tsingtau, China.

Stay tuned for more events from Bierstube’s Oktoberfest! For more information, check out Bierstube’s site.

You guessed it. Benny Lai from Vietnam Restaurant will be making an appearance at the Chinatown Night Market on Thursday, October 4th.  Benny will be making Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls served over Rice Vermicelli and his famous Tofu Banh Mi from his Fu Wah Market in University City. Look for Vietnam’s tent on the corner of 10th and Spring Streets and stop by and say hello if you go!