Big Event

One of the lovable, charming things about Philadelphia is that we always do things in our own lovable, charming way. Boston, New York and Los Angeles have their gaudy, full-scale marathons, but here in Philadelphia, the big road race of the season is a half-marathon. There used to be a marathon here, too, but somehow it never took root. Probably because of our town's Quaker heritage, we Philadelphians have always eschewed excess (and 26 miles of running is excess; remember, it killed Pheidippides, the ancient Greek who inspired this madness)

How is a two-day concert on the Parkway gonna charge for tickets and keep people from just standing around watching free? We're still waiting for the city and concert promoter Live Nation to answer this one. But Monday morning, Jay-Z joined Mayor Nutter atop the Art Museum steps to announce what we reported Saturday at PhillyGossip.com and had in print Monday, that the Budweiser Made in America festival will take place Sept. 1 and 2. Tickets are $99 for a two-day pass and are on sale May 23 at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com.

The shad were running yesterday on the Delaware River near the New Hope-Lambertville bridge - which must mean it's almost time for the Lambertville Shad Fest. The big event is set for April 24-25.

The Pennsbury High School band was practicing for its big event: the first- anniversary celebration at EuroDisney. Above, Terri Flowers (right), captain of the honor guard and rifle line, leads during rehearsal. At right, Lisa Bentivogli plays cymbal. The 157 members of the marching and jazz bands were to leave yesterday to tour and perform in Paris through Tuesday. Through various fund-raising activities, each student raised $1,250 for housing and air fare.

Thousands gather to watch the lighting of the tree in the City Hall courtyard yesterday evening. Mayor and Midge Rendell were joined at the festivities by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, who exhorted the crowd to shout, "It's Disney magic!" after the characters flipped the switch to illuminate Market Street East. Crowds of children and parents lined Market as well to see the snowflake decorations light up for the first time this season and the parade following the big event.

After years of relative contentment as a backup singer for Patti LaBelle and other top pop names, Carla Benson decided to take some of the advice she kept giving her 13-year-old son. "I would say, 'Larry, you have to stretch, you have to work hard and be everything you can be,' " Benson said. "I guess Larry and I are growing up together. It was time. I just woke up one day and decided the time had come. I might always be a background singer, but I know I have to give this a chance to happen.

The big event kicking off the Goodwill Games last night was supposed to be the 50-meter men's freestyle swimming duel between world recordholder Tom Jager and friendly rival Matt Biondi. Jager and Biondi dueled, all right, Biondi winning (22.10 seconds to Jager's 22.31), much as he did in the Seoul Olympics two years ago. But Jager's world record of 21.81 wasn't threatened, and with the crowd in the King County Aquatics Center still getting settled in as the race was run, it didn't quite have that "big event" feel.

Like Cinderella, I had nothing to wear to the party. The invitation specified cocktail attire, of which I had none. And because the event was in celebration of my niece's bat mitzvah, I couldn't get by with just any dress. You might think I would have gone shopping. I should have. But I delayed. Blame an overtaxed schedule, a maxed-out budget, and, to be honest, a feeble hope that delaying would give me a chance to shed those extra few pounds. The date was rapidly approaching when salvation appeared, not in the form of a fairy godmother, but in an e-mail from Kenneth Cole announcing that a lovely dress I had coveted for months was 50 percent off online.

OCEAN CITY, N.J. - The air and the ocean are cold. Leaves have fallen from the trees. No one is lounging on the beach. Yet, in the dead of winter, it's been known to look a lot like summer here when throngs come out for this Jersey Shore resort's First Night, a family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration that has drawn tens of thousands of revelers in past years. By Monday afternoon, locals are hoping for traffic jams at bridge toll booths, lines out the door at a few restaurants, a couple of "no vacancy" signs posted at motels.

BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON, France - Cadel Evans' vision of repeating as Tour de France champion vanished under the sun-baked punishment of the Pyrenees mountains on Wednesday, while Bradley Wiggins of Britain took another step toward taking home the yellow jersey. French fan favorite Thomas Voeckler took a starring role into big climbs along the Spanish border, winning Stage 16 in a breakaway as Wiggins kept his big rivals a bay - or dusted them. "It's pretty much the Tour de France is over for me," Evans said.

Concert promoters and the city are still a long way from working out logistics for the Labor Day weekend Made in America music festival unveiled Monday, the first Parkway event ever to require paid admission. But with audiences limited to 50,000 people each day, the festival will be just one-tenth of the estimated size of past Parkway mega-events, like the Live 8 concert to help African nations and Elton John's July Fourth appearance for AIDS relief, both in 2005. "If you compare this to Wawa Welcome America, we have hundreds of thousands there for that event, so we have a bit of a track record there to guide all of the agencies - the police, L&I, the managing director's office, Public Property, and others - that would be participating in something like this," said Mayor Nutter's press secretary, Mark McDonald.

How is a two-day concert on the Parkway gonna charge for tickets and keep people from just standing around watching free? We're still waiting for the city and concert promoter Live Nation to answer this one. But Monday morning, Jay-Z joined Mayor Nutter atop the Art Museum steps to announce what we reported Saturday at PhillyGossip.com and had in print Monday, that the Budweiser Made in America festival will take place Sept. 1 and 2. Tickets are $99 for a two-day pass and are on sale May 23 at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com.

Drivers will encounter a few disruptions because of major events today and over the weekend. Today and tomorrow, part of Kelly Drive will be closed for the Dad Vail Regatta. This evening, the Phillies, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and any after-dinner Shore traffic might mean delays around the South Philadelphia sports complex. Sundaymorning, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will tie up streets and detour SEPTA buses as runners and walkers proceed from the Art Museum down the Parkway to Love Park, then on to Drexel University and back to the Art Museum, where Eakins Oval will still be off-limits in earlyafternoon.

Two colossal events will bring normal operations on parts of Broad Street to a halt this weekend. The juxtaposition of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts' street fair and the 32nd annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run will cause the city to shut down areas of Broad Street from 1 p.m. Friday to 2:30 a.m. Sunday. The close timing of the events - the run starts only 12 hours after the massive street fair is supposed to end - is compounded by a number of weeklong, citywide events, such as the Penn Relays, Equality Forum and Philly Tech Week.

The 2010 South Jersey Group 3 final was a turning point for girls' lacrosse players and programs. For Moorestown, it was the end of an era. For Shawnee goalie Alex Zaugra, it was the start of one. There is a confidence about the senior that wasn't there before her 20 saves that game. There's a new reputation to uphold, a legacy that seemed to grow with every stop she made in the Renegades' 7-6 win over Moorestown in last year's group championship game. And when the two teams meet again at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Shawnee - a rematch that stands as more a singular event than just one of 20 regular-season games - the biggest story line on the field remains the two girls standing in goal.

With an elevated runway nearly identical to Bryant Park's Salon tent, Northern Liberties' Crane Arts building was flush with goodie bags, paparazzi, and high energy at FBH Philadelphia Fashion Week, held Thursday through Saturday - one of two competing "fashion weeks" that showcase local designers. The runway resembled the New York style scene, yet the vibe was wholly Philadelphia: WURD 900 talk-radio host Al Butler mused over the future of Philadelphia fashion on the red carpet.

As Michael Woodard sang "America the Beautiful" during an interview one recent afternoon, he closed his eyes, the rich tone of his voice rising and falling as it filled the living room of his East Falls home. His singing seemed to emanate from a soul ripe with years of life experience, but as he ended the song, a dimpled smile surfaced, giggles wracked his chubby frame, and it was easy to remember that Michael is only 11 years old. It was his poise, however, and the caliber of his performance that landed him the honor of becoming the first Philadelphian to sing at tennis's premier American event, the U.S. Open.