Track Star: U.S. Olympian Wilma Rudolph seized the moment in Rome, racing to gold medals in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and the 4×100-meter relay; she set world records. When she returned to her hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee, she refused to take part in a segregated victory parade, spurring the city to hold its first integrated public event. As a child, she was afflicted with polio, leaving her left leg paralyzed. A photo of 20-year-old Rudolph in action (seen here) is on display in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
The wit William Shakespeare said, “joy’s soul lies in the doing.” So, listen to the enduring wisdom of The Bard. Go on, be happy; go out and enjoy July! Here are some low-cost or free entertaining neighborhood options to help you.
Hop on the ‘Neighborhood Jawnts Tour Series,’ and celebrate history.
Free Neighborhood Tours All Summer
Through October 2026, weekends. Philly has an expression, “That’s my jawn,” meaning my favorite thing or person. Now there is the word jawnt, referring to my favorite place. Check out Neighborhood Jawnts, a citywide tour series highlighting local communities, businesses, food, culture, and community traditions, Philly style. From Africantown to Chinatown, celebrate hashtag #America250 by exploring 20 neighborhoods.
Free; pre-registration is required. Tours will be weekly: Fridays: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays: 10 a.m. EST to 1 p.m. EST and 2 p.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST, and Sundays: 10 a.m. EST to 1 p.m. EST and 2 p.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. July tours will be in Chinatown (July 10 to 12), Germantown (July 17 to 19), Chestnut Hill-Mt. Airy (July 24 to 26), and the 9th Street Market in South Philly (July 31 to August 2). Tours will begin and end at the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St., on Independence Mall. https://heyor.ca/wrNKCU or https://www.phlvisitorcenter.com/neighborhood-jawnts-tour-series or https://www.eventbrite.com/o/121168619345
The Germantown Historical Society is home to two art galleries. Photo courtesy of the Germantown Historical Society.
Two Exhibits To Open At Renovated Visitor Center
Thursday, July 9, 2026. Check out two exhibits in the newly renovated Visitor Center inside the Germantown Historical Society’s building, featuring Deeply Rooted, Ever Changing: 300 Years in Germantown and a rotating exhibit, Rebellion and Remembrance in Freedom’s Backyard. Deeply Rooted, a permanent show, will examine 300 years of Germantown’s history, highlighting its founding, the abolitionist movement, the Industrial Revolution, and the Civil Rights Movement. See rare artifacts, decorative arts, advertisements, posters, and household items. Rebellion and Remembrance will be on view through Wednesday, December 1, 2027, and will chronicle the American Revolution and how wartime events helped mold the neighborhood’s identity. It will showcase Revolutionary-era artifacts and documents while exploring Germantown’s legacy as “Freedom’s Backyard.” The exhibit will highlight America’s 250th anniversary. Germantown is the place of Revolutionary War battles, and where the first American protest against slavery was written. It is one of the few still-standing houses on the Underground Railroad.
On Wednesday, July 8, from 10 a.m. EST to 11 a.m. EST, the center will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, one day before the facility and exhibits open to the public. The facility will be central to Historic Germantown’s 20 historic houses, museums, and cultural institutions. Participating in the kickoff will be: Historic Germantown Executive Director Tuomi Forrest, Philadelphia City Councilperson Cindy Bass, Pennsylvania State Representatives Christopher Rabb and Andre Carroll, and other community leaders. Guided tours will follow. The $100,000 renovation will create a larger space and a modern community hub. It will contain two exhibition galleries and a gift shop.
Free; Tuesdays to Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. EST. The Historic Germantown Visitor Center, 5501 Germantown Ave. Email: https://historicgermantownpa.org/ or Historic Germantown.
Artist Carolyn Harper’s hand-sewn large-format quilts. Photo courtesy of the InLiquid Gallery.
Art Exhibit Reflects On A Nation’s Evolution
Thursday, July 9, 2026. Check out InLiquid’s multimedia exhibition, Future/Past/Present, at a gallery reception. It will feature works by seven Philadelphia-area artists: Randall Cleaver, Bill Colbert, Carolyn Harper, Candace Karch, James Labold, Carole Loeffler, and Benjamin B. Olshin. The creatives employ discarded materials in a multimedia exhibition exploring “how history, identity, and power shape America’s past, present, and future.”
The showcase of sculpture, photography, textiles, paintings, and installations is part of The Clay Studio’s Radical Americana, a citywide Semiquincentennial arts initiative to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The exhibit will examine erased histories and incarceration, taking a rare look at the lives of Black Americans, from the 1800s to the 1950s. The promotional material notes: “Together, the works underscore the interconnectedness of past, present, and future, reminding audiences that the decisions made today will help define what comes next.”
Free but pre-register; 6 p.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST. InLiquid Gallery, 1400 N. American St. Email: Info@inliquid.org, 215-235-3405 or https://www.inliquid.org/
‘Celebrate Mantua’ will be a community event for family fun. Photo courtesy of Celebrate Mantua.
From Protest To Performance Showcase
Saturday, July 11, 2026. ‘Celebrate Mantua Festival’ proves that good can come out bad. Celebrate Mantua is the direct result of the performing arts community organization DANCE IQUAIL!’s “Art Thrives and the Black Lives” rally in 2020 — a protest and performance march in West Philly held after the murder of George Floyd. It brought the community together in a march from the Community Education Center to Miles Mack Playground in a powerful showcase of drill teams, dancers and local performers. Honor the United State’s 250 anniversary with the festival’s theme “250 Black Moves.” Dive into the rich history of the Black movement through dance, rhythm, activism, and advocacy.
Performances will spotlight the creativity and contributions of Black artists. The all-day event will feature a community resource fair, the Morning Workshop Series focusing on wellness, modern Dance, hip-hop, ballet, tap dance, and Zumba. Check out The Kids Fun Zone with inflatables, face painting and a concert of acclaimed dance companies including DANCE IQUAIL!, Philadanco, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet and Native Nations Dance Theater.
According to the promotional material: “What began as a moment of collective protest and expression has since evolved into an annual celebration that continues to center Black creativity, community resilience and cultural legacy.”
Free, 11 a.m. EST to 10 p.m. EST. Miles Mack Playground, 3601 Aspen St., West Philadelphia. www.danceiquail.org.
Financial Boot Camp To Help Build Wealth Early
Saturday, July 11, 2026. The goal is that when today’s kids become adults, they do not say, “I wish I learned that when I was younger.” Camari Ellis knows this. That is why he started Buy the Hood Youth Financial Literacy Camp. Ellis, a Philadelphia financial educator and tax professional, is giving African-American kids (ages 5 and older) lessons in money management. Youngsters will get tips on all aspects of financial literacy: investing, entrepreneurship, taxes, ownership, budgeting, and wealth building. This crucial knowledge will “create opportunities that last for generations,” Ellis says.
Ellis runs Buy the Hood, a Philly-area financial-education organization helping communities to recognize and leverage economic opportunities through education and ownership. It addresses that gap by teaching financial literacy, connecting students with real-life financial concepts.
Free but pre-register. 9 a.m. EST to noon. The 6th Man Center, 4250 Wissahickon Ave. www.bthcamp.com
Teammates MLB & Phillies Connect With Community
Major League Baseball (MLB) and Phillies Charities, Inc. recently launched the 2026 All-Star Legacy initiative. The project aims to ensure the 2026 MLB All-Star Week at Citizens Bank Field in South Philly (July 11th to 14th) will have an impact on Philadelphia neighborhoods. Through MLB Together MLBTogether.com, MLB and Phillies Charities, Inc. will invest more than $5 million in projects in underserved communities. The effort will increase access to youth baseball and softball, support for military veterans, as well as educational, recreation, and nutritional resources.
The 2026 All-Star Legacy Projects will align with the 96th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard. One notable project will bolster the Philadelphia Stars – Negro League Memorial Park Sculpture Tribute at 44th Street and Parkside Avenue; that is where the Stars once played in the segregated Black pro league, from 1933 to 1952. The donation will spruce up the Negro League Memorial Park. MLB and the Phillies are partnering with the Business Association of West Parkside for the upgrade.
Philadelphia artist Miguel Horen will create four seven-foot statues of Philadelphia Stars and other Negro Leaguers. Horn will have a hand in making a 150-foot-long, 10-foot-high 3D silhouette screen wall of a cheering crowd that will frame the player statues.
Organizers of the installation will invite local neighbors and baseball youth to serve as models for the silhouette wall. https://www.mlb.com/mlb-together
Mosaic Portrait Exhibit Honors Sports Figures
Through October 30, 2026. Ed Bolden, the baseball entrepreneur who built the Hilldale Daisies into champions and founded the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro Leagues, is there. Effa Manley, the Philadelphia-born Negro League executive and only female executive inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is there, too. To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the city’s arts and culture office, Creative Philadelphia, is hosting the Founders of Philadelphia Sports art exhibit. Created by Philadelphia artist Jonathan Mandell, the show features mosaic portraits of seven influential figures whose contributions shaped Philly’s sports history. The art will be part of a collection at the Museum of Sports, which is scheduled to open in Center City Philadelphia this year.
Free, weekdays: 10 a.m. EST to 4 p.m. EST. Philadelphia City Hall (art showcases on 1st floor, southwest corner), Broad and Market streets. 215-686-8446 or https://www.creativephl.org/exhibition/founders-of-philadelphia-sports
Where is your ‘Philly Love Story’? Is it at Race Street Pier along the Delaware River like this couple? Photo by J. Miczek courtesy of Visit Philadelphia.
Write On At ‘Philly LOVE Stories’ Installation
Through Saturday, August 1, 2026. If you think Philadelphia is the best city ever, here is a chance to tell the world. Yes, tell the whole wide world about your love affair with Philly. Write a note about a moment, place or person that made you fall in love at the Philly Love Stories pop-up installation. Share your story by leaving a handwritten “love note.” The installation is part of Visit Philadelphia’s civic-pride campaign and complements its popular Philly LOVE Stories video series of real stories of human connection in the City of Brotherly Love. The two-year-old series, which is designed for social media, has featured more than 2 dozen stories and garnered nearly 1 million views across platforms. So, go on, head out to the installation, and write down your love story.
Free. Mondays to Saturdays: 9:30 a.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST; Sundays: noon to 6 p.m. EST. The Shops at Liberty Place, 1625 Chestnut St. (ground-floor rotunda). https://www.visitphilly.com/features/philly-love-stories/
Photo courtesy of World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Youth Diplomats Shine At World Cup ‘Côte d’Ivoire Community Day’
World Affairs Youth Diplomats attended the Côte d’Ivoire Community Day at Philadelphia Union’s Subaru Park in Chester, PA, on June 14. The Youth Diplomats joined the team on the field for an open practice. Fans were in attendance to cheer on the Côte d’Ivoire team, les Éléphants, in the practice session before its opening 2026 World Cup match. Côte d’Ivoire later went on to defeat Ecuador, 1-0, at a nearby venue, Philadelphia Stadium in South Philly. Youth Diplomats interviewed fans about their favorite soccer or Pennsylvania traditions. Youth Diplomats are high school students who volunteer at events, from international sporting events to historic anniversaries, representing Philadelphia. Students train for the role by learning about cultural diplomacy, civic engagement, and Philadelphia’s history, before welcoming high-level visitors to the Philadelphia area. The program is operated by the World Affairs Council, the longest-running international nonprofit, connecting Philadelphia to the world through professional development, education, travel programs, diplomacy, and civic engagement.
High school students can sign up for the volunteer program here: https://wacphila.org/youth-programming/high-school-programs/2026youth-diplomats/
