Saturdays

Terry McFadden, 14, doesn't spend his Saturday mornings in bed or in front of the television. He spends it shooting hoops. Or singing. Or, perhaps, making a ceramic candy dish for his grandfather. Every Saturday at 9 a.m. for the last three years, McFadden, who is mildly retarded, has made the four-block trek from his house to the Houseman Recreation Center at Godfrey and Summerdale Avenues to take part in its recreation program for the handicapped. "This is great for him; he's always anxious to come here," said his grandfather, John McFadden, who picked him up a few minutes before noon one recent Saturday.

The death of Saturdays as a day of leisure, especially for women - as reported in a recent study - has many people in my fortysomething age group talking. Conducted by the NPD Group, an international market research firm, the study analyzed daily activities of men and women in the 1990s, presumably for the purpose of selling more take-out dinners to the frantic masses. The findings? Saturdays have become as rushed as weekdays, only more physically taxing. Not surprisingly, women bear the brunt of the load.

Here is of list of some of the outdoor farmer's markets in the area that will operate in somewhat sheltered locations this winter: Suburban Station Farmer's Market: Noon to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, 16th Street Concourse between Market and JFK near the 16th Street elevator. Rittenhouse Farmer's Market: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, 18th and Walnut Streets. Chestnut Hill Growers' Market: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on second and fourth Saturdays January through April.

Tomorrow is the planned rollout of Ken Shin Asian Diner (301 Spring Garden St., 215-925-8887), at Third and Spring Garden Streets, across from Northern Liberties' Finnigan's Wake. Restaurateur Kenny Poon, partnered with his brother Shin, envisions it as a casual but stylish BYO on the order of Pei Wei. Menu runs the gamut of familiar Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese cuisines and dishes are priced at $10 and under. It's open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.   What's new Owners of Old City's Amici Noi have redone the place, renaming it Bocca (236 Market St., 215-625-6610)

NJ Transit announced yesterday that it would revise some of its South Jersey bus routes, beginning Nov. 2. New timetables are available on buses and in major terminals. The No. 403, between Philadelphia, Lindenwold and Erial, and the No. 459, between Camden County College and Echelon Mall, will be combined into a single route on Saturdays only. The Saturday line will be numbered 403 and will operate every 40 minutes between Philadelphia, Lindenwold and Echelon Mall with a leg to Camden County College every 80 minutes.

A cutback in federal spending is forcing local post offices to curtail their window hours, according to a spokeswoman with the Philadelphia Division of the U.S. Postal Service. "We must cut retail hours by 10 percent for the next 20 months," said Margaret Y. King, the manager of communications. The move affects almost 50 post office branches in Philadelphia, including about a dozen located in the Northeast. The changes went into effect Feb. 13. In almost all cases, the Postal Service is reducing hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Soon it'll be time to break out the heavy sweaters, leaf rakes and hot toddies. So it might be a good idea to enjoy the little summer weather that's left by hanging out at some of the Shore's bayside alfresco spots. The following are some all-time favorites. The Flying Cloud Cafe is in historic Gardner's Basin, 800 N. New Hampshire Ave., Atlantic City. Phone: 609-345-8222. This dockside cafe, with an outdoor deck overlooking the bay, features a view of Trump's Castle Casino Resort, Harrah's Casino/Hotel and numerous seafaring vessels.

What does a garden center do after the growing season? Well, Snipes Farm & Nursery in Morrisville opens the grounds and holds "Land of the Scarecrows" for children of all ages throughout the month of October. In addition to the scarecrows in the orchard, there are games and activities for the youngsters, including photo-portraits with cutout figures. The Land of the Scarecrows is open weekdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fall attraction, which has been running for 13 years, draws between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors each October, according to a Snipes representative.

Hillside Farms' buffalo farm store is open from 4 to 7 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, 750 Cowpath Road, Telford, 215-723-8499, www.hillsidefarms.biz . Rising Sun Inn, open 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. brunch Saturday and Sunday, 898 Allentown Road, Franconia, 215-721-6350, www.risingsuninn.net . Yards Brewing Company's tasting room is open noon to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and...

So, you want to go dancing and you're in a new city. You might want to know: Where can I wear my bell-bottoms and shake my lapels? Or maybe you're not into clubbing, so you're wondering: Where can I go instead? Here's a quick trip to some of Philly's top nightlife offerings. The club formerly known as The Bank spun alternative and industrial dance for a mostly newly-21 crowd until it closed in May. It reopens this month with a new name and look, and organizers are billing it "the next most legendary club in Philadelphia" - second to The Bank, of course.

BANGKOK - Buddhist monks led prayers as tens of thousands gathered Saturday in Bangkok to mark the second anniversary of deadly clashes between soldiers and "Red Shirt" protesters. The scene Saturday was a sharp contrast with two years earlier, when Thailand was at war with itself and troops moved in to crush a nine-week antigovernment protest that left more than 90 people dead and 2,000 injured. It was the country's worst political violence in decades. Many speakers addressed the crowd Saturday to demand justice.

Thousands of people are expected to converge on Franklin Square Park, at 6th and Race streets in Center City, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday for the sixth-annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Festival. Highlights include a children's fair and other kids' activities, music and artistic performances. Various cultural and other organizations will host information booths. May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. — Julie Shaw

The Radnor Hunt races are scheduled for Saturday at the race course, which is about 45 minutes from Philadelphia at 826 Providence Rd., Willistown Township, Malvern. There are six races, starting about 1:30 p.m., with about a half-hour between races. The course is roughly a mile around, and the horses run clockwise around the circuit two or three laps, depending on the race. Here are the races: Milfern Cup: 23/8 miles over brush fences. Purse $25,000. Vita C. Thompson Memorial Steeplechase: 23/8 miles over brush fences.

For those worried about an apocalypse supposedly predicted by the Maya calendar and coming at the end of the year 2012, there's very good news at a spectacular exhibition that opens in the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology this weekend. That notion of the world's end is firmly debunked in "Maya 2012: Lords of Time. " So those stressed about what might happen come late December can exhale, thanks to the scholars involved in this fascinating study of the Maya culture - and their calendar.

Running Events Olympic Development Men's 10k Racewalk                           7 a.m. Masters Men's 10k Racewalk                                  7 a.m. Junior Men's 10k Racewalk                                     7 a.m. High School Boys' 10k Racewalk                                  7 a.m. ...

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - With their first pick as a playoff opponent in the 2012 NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers select the Chicago Bulls. The Sixers looked long and hard at their two possible matchups in the first round - the Miami Heat and Chicago - and seemed to plan covertly to do whatever necessary to make sure that's how things played out. While coach Doug Collins watched somewhat passively from the bench and most of his players sat...

WASHINGTON - Saturday postal delivery could continue for at least two years. And the closing of post offices in smaller communities might not happen as quickly as advertised. The Senate on Wednesday approved legislation that would slow the Postal Service's effort to make such changes. By a 62-37 vote, it sent a bipartisan message that, though the system is ailing, it's not good politics, especially in an election year, to take a scythe to popular parts of the Postal Service. All area senators voted for the legislation, except Robert Menendez (D., N.J.)

Saturday is the next date to dump those old prescription drugs. In October, more than 188 tons of medications were collected across the country as part of the fourth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. The aim is twofold: Protect the water supply, and keep unwanted and expired medicines away from abusers. Collections will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at thousands of sites across the country, including more than 100 in the Philadelphia area.

SAN DIEGO - His left wrist hurt immediately Thursday when Carlos Ruiz withstood Will Venable's crashing into him in the sixth inning. The Phillies catcher batted two more times and struck out in both chances. It was hard to grip a bat. "That's true, but I don't make excuses," Ruiz said. "But it was definitely sore, and it was more sore this morning when I woke up. " So Ruiz did not play Friday and could very well sit Saturday, too. Manager Charlie Manuel inserted backup catcher Brian Schneider into the lineup to rest Ruiz's sore left wrist.

For seven years, it was a hot spot of teenage American pop culture. From 1957 until 1964, Dick Clark hosted American Bandstand at the West Philadelphia studios of WFIL-TV, where thousands of teens dreamed of appearing on the hit show. But few actually got the chance to dance inside the nondescript building in the shadow of the Market-Frankford El at 46th and Market Streets. If you were one of those teens who yearned for your Bandstand moment, here's your chance.