Spring

Spring, the sweet Spring, is the year's pleasant king; Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring, Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing: Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! The palm and may make country houses gay, Lambs frisk and play, the shepherds pipe all day, And we hear aye birds tune this merry lay: The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet, Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit, In every street these tunes our ears do greet: Spring, the sweet Spring!

Lee and Helen Faye Plowden of South Carolina stop to smell the roses (and everything else) at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which runs through next Sunday at the Civic Center.

What goes up also comes down as the spray from Swann Memorial Fountain competes with the real thing. The fountain, on Logan Circle, was turned on yesterday for the first time this season.

Spring arrived so suddenly you might have missed its coming if you had the 24-hour flu. Almost overnight the world has gone from a monochromatic brown to a palette of delicate greens and pinks, vivid yellow and purples. In the course of just a few hours on Sunday, daffodils changed from tight buds into full blossoms. The warm sunshine and gentle wind offered perfect enticements to plunk down on a patch of grass and watch the transformation. No need for time-lapse photography; things were moving too quickly.

Ah, spring! What a pleasant surprise. Along the gritty, parking-lot fringes of Arch Street yesterday morn, the daffodils waved on their stems, aching to break the seal on their blossoms. Sport coats got left behind at the office at noon: It was the 60s again, full sun, strolling weather, long lunch. At the Reading Terminal Market, the farmers at the Esh Egg stand had dyed and swirled the standard fare, sprucing up dull shells for Easter. In the morning rush, un-hiberating neighbors hollered greetings.

When the Philadelphia Flower Show comes to the Civic Center, can spring be far behind? Exactly a week after the show, which ends Sunday, comes the calendar start of spring.

Josh Long, 14, of Holland, Bucks County, digs the boards set up in the fountain at the Philadelphia Museum of Art yesterday, a gloriously sunny first day of spring. The season started officially at 3:26 p.m., so think of today as the first FULL day of spring.

Along the Wissahickon, a favorite haunt of nature lovers, spring arrives in many ways. Warmer days and greener trees have walkers and joggers hurrying to the trail. And spruce-up efforts pick up. Yesterday's high of 58 was but a breath of spring, however. Colder weather approaches.

Springtime means warmth, sunshine and joy. Right? In books, maybe. But in real life, the fact that spring has sprung means you'll probably have to bundle up on Monday only to search frantically for a short-sleeved shirt on Tuesday. Schizophrenic at worst, confusing at best, spring weather is a prime time for the common cold. Just when you become acclimated to warm evenings, a flannel-pajama night comes along, forcing your body to abruptly switch gears and leaving it susceptible to cold-carrying viruses.

At Villanova University, yesterday's gorgeous weather provided the perfect backdrop for some post-finals R&R.

Saturday Rolling on the river Saturday is Delaware River Day at Penn's Landing, marking the start of summer, traditionally when hundreds of boaters put their vessels in the water. Free River Day events are planned noon to 6 p.m. at the landing's marina behind Independence Seaport Museum on Columbus Boulevard near Walnut Street. There will be free tours of the McFarland, one of four oceangoing hopper dredges owned by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Delaware River Day Tug Fest, from 2 to 3 p.m., will be off the South Quay at the marina, and it will include the McAllister Tug, the Moran Tug, the K-Sea Tug, and the Tug Jupiter (2009 winner for "best decorated")

This summer's vintage-inspired looks are prolific with pleats. And although we parted ways with the folded fashion staple back in the ‘80s, we shouldn't be surprised they're returning. After all, as women's wardrobes return to dressier, yet simple flapper-style silhouettes, it was only a matter of time before contemporary designers found ways to fold pleats — accordion, box, knife, and organ — into our wardrobes again. "They can make anyone look sophisticated and ladylike," said Candice Caprice, owner of Per Lei Boutique in Media, who could cite pieces with pleats from nearly every designer this spring, from Trina Turke to Diane von Furstenberg.

Here is staff writer Sam Carchidi's key to Game 3:   Since the team that has scored first is 1-7 (honest) in the Flyers' eight playoff games this spring, falling into a 1-0 hole seems like a good idea.

About this time in April, in most years, chefs and foragers are in the throes of morel madness, a celebration of the elusive and delicate dimpled-cone fungus that is the coveted prince of spring wild mushrooms. But this is not most years. The morel has been having a near-M.I.A. moment, thanks to the double whammy of a mild, snow-free winter and the unseasonable early warmth that have both deprived the earth of needed moisture and accelerated the growth of perennial plants (such as mayapple)

There's no better time than spring for a production of Spring Awakening. Media Theatre, no doubt, hopes its regional entry will produce a major bloom among the area's "Guilty Ones," as the show's ardent followers call themselves. And the discovery of new, youthful passions — their suppression and release, dangers and pleasures — are what this musical is all about. Adapted from German playwright Frank Wedekind's 1891 drama by lyricist Steven Sater and singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening, at its best, powers through its rock score, an intoxicating adrenaline-and-hormone cocktail destroying children's bodies and innocence along the way. Wedekind's original, which follows a group of boys and girls through the last half of their school year, stared down suicide, incest, hypocrisy, sadism, masochism, nihilism, homosexuality, abortion, and rape, and under the stewardship of director Michael Mayer and choreographer Bill T. Jones, only the story's central rape didn't make it to Broadway.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State's Silas Redd, one of the best returning running backs in the Big Ten, says he really likes what he's seeing from his new backup, converted wide receiver Bill Belton. "He's one of the most fluent runners I've ever seen," said Redd, who rushed for 1,241 yards last season. "I think it was a great switch to move him to running back because he's more comfortable there. You can see it in his practice habits and the way he plays. He's going to be a great back, and I'm excited for him. " Belton, who played quarterback at Winslow Township High and wide receiver last season as a Penn State freshman, rushed for 50 yards on seven carries in Saturday's Blue-White Game and scored a touchdown on a nifty 7-yard run. Coach Bill O'Brien likes the move he made to get Belton, who played Wildcat quarterback in two games last season, into the backfield.

BalletX looked like a new company when its Spring Series opened Thursday night at the Wilma Theater. In many ways it was. Founded in 2005 by Matthew Neenan and Christine Cox, the contemporary ballet company has performed regularly ever since, but not frequently enough to sustain a dedicated roster of dancers. Instead, it relies mostly on freelancers and guest artists, with just a few returning each season. I hadn't seen the troupe recently, so it was a pleasant surprise to find so many dynamic, gutsy, high-energy dancers on stage.

SOPHOMORE running back Kenny Harper scored two touchdowns - one for each team - as Cherry beat White, 17-10, in Temple's annual spring scrimmage before an announced crowd of 2,500 at Lincoln Financial Field. For White, Harper was the top rusher with 48 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Junior quarterback Clinton "Juice" Granger went 14-for-20 for 125 yards. Redshirt freshman wideout Robbie Anderson was the receiving leader with three catches for 43 yards. For Cherry, sophomore Jalen Fitzpatrick had 40 yards on five carries.

Volunteers in the fifth annual Philly Spring Cleanup swept streets and helped clean parks Saturday, encouraging residents to "Keep Up the Sweep Up. " The Streets Department helped start the cleaning initiative with a morning celebration at the Kingsessing Recreation Center and park in Southwest Philadelphia. Steve Smith, facilities supervisor for the park, said volunteers collected more than 60 bags of trash in his area alone. Smith, 51, said the work began about 8 a.m. and lasted until just after noon.

Perhaps it was a good thing that the announced crowd was only 2,500 at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday. That's because, for the most part, Temple's spring-practice-concluding Cherry and White scrimmage failed to live up to the buildup. But there's always a silver lining. "When you can walk into that locker room and you haven't had any major injuries, you feel like, wow," Temple coach Steve Addazio said after the Cherry squad's 17-10 victory. "We had 15 days [including]