Ben Around Philly

Bonnie Tyler has a new album out, called "The Best Is Yet To Come". With over 100 million records sold and hits like, “It’s A Heartache,” “Holding Out For a Hero,” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” multi-Grammy Award winning artist Bonnie Tyler calls in (all the way from Portugal) to talk with Kristen about the new album, “The Best Is Yet To Come”. Hear the album’s first single, “When the Lights Go Down” in its entirety, plus clips and stories from other tracks. She talks TikTok, fan covers (like the awesome “Total Eclipse of the Heart” parody by the Marsh family in the UK), Footloose, International Women’s Day and more. Find "The Best Is Yet To Come" on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music or anywhere you get your tunes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Jeff Smedsrud, a healthcare advocate and colon cancer survivor, shares his story as well as ways he has helped raise funds and awareness for various colon cancer organizations. In an effort to expand awareness, Jeff shares reasons why we should encourage younger folks to get tested sooner than later. Learn more about his story and colon cancer awareness with Jeff's resource guide at HealthCareInsider.com. Get Your Rear in Gear Philadelphia is not holding their typical 5k walk/run this spring but will be participating in the 2021 National Tour de Tush (May 1st-31st 2021), a Ride to End Colon Cancer. Sign up to be on Get Your Rear In Gear’s team, and all of the fundraising Team Philly raises STAYS in our region to support Get Your Rear in Gear - Philadelphia colon cancer awareness efforts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse opened in the city’s East Fairmount Park in 1899 and has been offering free family fun for 121 years. The non profit organization just received a $1 million grant by Governor Tom Wolf and PA's RACP for its Preserving Play Campaign. Frances Hoover, Executive Director of Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse talks about the grant and the upcoming play season. Come out to Smith on March 27th for their annual Play-A-Palooza to celebrate the beginning of the Spring/Summer play season!     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beyond the Bell Tours has a Badass Women’s History Tour that's a perfect way to celebrate International Women’s Day March 8th and Women’s History Month in March. Rebecca Fisher, Co-Founder and tour guide for Beyond The Bell Tours joins Kristen on BEN Around Philly to talk about the company's uniquely truthful city tours. Beyond the Bell Tours is Philadelphia’s number one rated tour company. They're committed to putting people back into people’s history. They create inclusive historical walking tours of Philadelphia highlighting marginalized communities, peoples, and histories. The Badass Women's History Tour challenges locals and tourists alike to think more critically about the story of Philadelphia and the ways in which women are left out of the primary narrative of the city. Private tours are now available at https://www.beyondthebelltours.com/tours/badass-womens-history-tour. The tour costs $200 for up to 5 people, and $40 per additional person (up to 9 people total).     See omnystudio.com/listener

Buffalo Bill’s House (the house used when filming the movie Silence of the Lambs) was recently purchased. The new owner has plans to rent the property out to guests. The Queen Anne Victorian style home is located in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania. It’s a suburb of Pittsburgh, and only a day trip from Philadelphia. The house is 121 years old, sleeps 10 people, sits on almost 2 acres and features an in-ground pool, grill, secluded pond and lots more. Chris Rowan, an avid horror fan purchased the house and he is adding a number of very cool touches to enhance the guest experience. Trust us, any Silence of the Lambs fan will want to visit as soon as possible. Silence of the Lambs consistently ranks as one of the best movies of all time, and is the 3rd film ever to win all 5 of the top Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Listen as Chris gives a description of his plans to make this fictional serial killer’s house a destination for anyone. Rent Buffalo B

Sarah DeLaurentis, Director of Development and Communications at Action Wellness returns to BEN Around Philly to talk about their Annual Glamsino Royale event, happening virtually this year. Action Wellness is one of Pennsylvania’s largest AIDS Service organizations, providing services to people living with HIV and AIDS and other chronic illnesses. Their Glamsino Royale event helps to fund raise for the organization in the coolest way. Join in the fun virtually for entertainment including performances, Bond-themed trivia game rounds, and a cocktail demonstration (martini of course… shaken, not stirred).  Glamsino Royale is THIS Thursday,  February 18th from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, from the comfort of your own home. Buy tickets here: https://www.actionwellness.org/join-us/special-events/glamsino-royale/, and save the date for their Dine IN For Life event coming up on April 29th.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greater Philadelphia Film office is holding their Set In Philadelphia competition and awarding a $5,000 prize to a female screenwriter with ties to this area. Entries are due March 1st! Sharon Pinkenson, Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office joins Kristen to give all of the details. Find more information on the competition at film.org, and help support the Greater Philadelphia Film Office through their GoFundMe at http://film.org/savephillyfilm/. #savephillyfilm     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristen Craven, Special Events and Marketing Manager for Special Olympics Pennsylvania gives the details on the Polar Pop, February 1st through 26th in support of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Freezin' for a reason! Join Special Olympics Pennsylvania and thousands of supporters across the state in taking this year's Polar Pop to benefit Special Olympics athletes in your community. To register or donate, please go to PAPolarPop.org. When posting, use #FreezinForAReason and #PAPolarPop to help spread the word! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Danielle Massi, Owner of  The Wellness Collective in Center City and a cervical cancer thriver joins Kristen to help raise awareness for cervical cancer and the importance of prevention screenings. The Wellness Collective offers a 70 day program to help facilitate change in people through science and aligned actions. Danielle offers a discount for the program to BEN FM listeners. Learn more at wellnessphl.com. Find past episodes of BEN Around Philly HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristen speaks with NBC10 Philadelphia’s Tracy Davidson about the Project Innovation Grant Challenge with NBC10 and Telemundo 62. The program dedicates $315,000 in grant funding to non profit organizations in our area. Free money, but you have to apply. Tell your organization, or an organization that you support. The application period is now open and will close on February 12th. Learn more, and apply HERE.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With New Year's Resolutions still going strong, Kristen speaks to Peg Bradford from Sewell, NJ for a little inspiration. Peg started a group on Facebook called Steps to Good Health. The group started small, and now has over 20,000 members.  It's a great place for anyone looking for a supportive community, positive vibes, inspiration, healthy recipes, exercise tips, and fun weight loss and fitness memes too. Find more information, and join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/STGH1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lonely Christmas by Wallis sums up the holidays during 2020 perfectly. A song about Christmas, in this strange new world brought on by the COVID 19 Pandemic. Kristen speaks with Wallis, a talented local 15 year-old from Montgomery County who wrote and performed the song. The video for the song has gone viral, with over 807,000 views since its premiere December 3rd. It was even shared by The Ellen Show! Lonely Christmas features the Shriver sisters, who are Wallis' younger sisters. Lots of talent in this family. Download the song on iTunes or Spotify, and watch the video HERE. Wallis can be found on Instagram and TikTok @I_Am_Wallis . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new season of the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship features a local contestant! Kristen speaks with 10 year old Cydney Cain from Prospect Park about her experience on the show, her favorite things to make, and what we can expect from the upcoming season premiere. Kids Baking Championship is hosted by Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman, and (new this season) will also feature the parents of contestants. Watch to find out if Cydney ‘takes the cake’ and wins $25,000, a spot in Food Network Magazine, and the title of Kids Baking Champion! Season premiere episode is Monday, December 28th at 9pm. Find more about the show HERE.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrating 31 years this year, the legendary music venue Chris’s Jazz Cafe is the longest running jazz venue in Philadelphia. Chris’ has managed to stay afloat through this pandemic until now, but they are asking for help from the community. Kristen speaks with the club’s owner Mark DeNinno about the GoFundMe they’ve launched to save the iconic Philly jazz club from closure. Find more on how to donate, and information on upcoming shows HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Dog Show happens in our area every year, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. It’s taped ahead of time, then airs on Thanksgiving day from noon to 2pm on NBC-10. This year, because of the COVID 19 pandemic, the show itself was closed to the public. We weren’t able to attend (and pet all of the dogs) this year, but we can still watch the show on TV! Hear as the National Dog Show’s Expert Analyst, David Frei gives the details on this year’s show, what it's like judging these types of shows virtually, who will be in the stands, and a bit of a tease about who won Best In Show 2020. We love the National Dog Show and David is the nicest man alive, and a such great friend to the station. We can’t wait to see David again, and return to the National Dog Show IN PERSON in 2021.  Don’t forget to tune in to NBC-10 from noon to 2pm (after the parade/before the football) for the National Dog Show 2020. Find more details at https://nds.nationaldog

Andrea Helfrich, host of the Philadelphia Flyers (and Gritty's best pal) gives all the details on Winter on Broad Street: A Holiday Light Spectacular at the Wells Fargo Center. The fun begins on Black Friday, November 27th and runs all the way through January 3rd. Enjoy an outdoor winter wonderland of lights and holiday gift shopping opportunities with exclusive Philadelphia Philadelphia sports merchandise. There are also reindeer games to play, including corn-hole, giant Jenga, Connect Four, Tic Tac Toe and even an Olympic sized curling court. Give curling a try with up to 8 players, for $10 for 20 minutes of play. Visitors can make and take a complimentary ornament craft, or write a letter in the Santa letter writing workshop. Santa Gritty can be found in the Toy Village, available for photos  with up to 6 people. A portion of the proceeds benefit Flyers Charities. Check the calendar for special dates like Bark in the Dark (when you can take your dogs), and for fun entertainment options in Tinsel Town Squa

Bob Trate, Director of Marketing for the Colonial Theater gives the details on the launch of the theatre’s first GoFundMe campaign. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters and entertainment venues all over the world. The historic Colonial Theatre in downtown Pheonixville was no exception to these shutdowns, but reopened in early July, and has been able to stay open with donations and limited ticket sales. A GoFundMe campaign for the theatre has been set up, offering some incredible donation incentives. They include the opportunity to be named the first-ever Grand Marshall of Blobfest, free popcorn for a year, the chance to shoot your own Cell Phone PSA and have it run at the Colonial, as well as the privilege of curating classic films at the theatre for an entire month. To donate, and for more details on the Colonial Theatre GoFundMe, check here: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/the-colonial-theatre-covid-campaign. For more on the theatre, movies showing, Blobfest and more, check out: thecolonia

Rob Saxon, Director of External Affairs at MANNA returns to BEN Around Philly today for Pie Day in Philadelphia! MANNA is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year, and has served over 17 million meals to date in our community. Learn more about this incredible organization, and please support them by purchasing a pie (or 2, 3, 4…) in their biggest fundraiser of the year - Pie In The Sky.  MANNA is currently selling six different delicious flavors of pie (Aberdeen Apple Pie, American Airlines Sky Pie, Berry Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Sweet Potato Pie) just in time for Thanksgiving. The proceeds help to provide nourishment to people in the area battling life threatening illness. You’re more than likely going to be eating pie at Thanksgiving this year, so why not do some good while you’re at it?  Purchase your MANNA pies before November 20th at https://mannapies.org/.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Woodring and Johnny Ortiz speak with Kristen about an event that they host every year to benefit Child Life Services at CHOP. Tune in for the PacMan Fever 24 Hour Extra Life Game Day Stream event. The games begin Saturday, November 7th at noon, and go for 24 hours straight. This year, the event is centered around Pac-Man games in honor of the series’ 40th Anniversary. The streaming event will include all of the classic arcade titles, the Pac-Man World trilogy, and modern versions of Pac-Man such as Pac-Man 256 and Pac-Man Tournament Edition.  Watch from anywhere and donate at pacmanfever.xyz.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Veteran's Day is this Wednesday, November 11th. Jaime Hynoski, Community Relations and Event Management Specialist at Weis Markets speaks with Kristen about the fundraising campaign Weis Markets launched to support Paralyzed Veterans of America’s “Mission: ABLE Program”. In its fourth year, the program has raised nearly $550,000 for PVA. While grocery shopping, customers can opt to add a $1, $3, $5, or $10 voucher at checkout or simply round up their order to the next dollar (which helps with the coin shortage too).  Find more information in store, or at https://www.weismarkets.com/PVA. You can also support this effort by donating online.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.