The Philadelphia Antiques Show kicked off the 41st show, 2002 Americana Theme, at a Preview Party on Friday, April 5th at the Philadelphia Armory. The Philadelphia Antiques Show is recognized as one of the finest American Antiques and decorative arts show in the country. Fifty-six of the nation's leading dealers gathered to showcase their finest Americana. This year's loan exhibition, This Glorious House Stenton, featureed fabulous furniture and artifacts from James Logan's 1730 country home. Stenton, which is maintained by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a pristine example of a Quaker plantation. Included in the loan exhibition are pieces of furniture original to Stenton that have never been seen publicly.

The Sofitel Hotel hosted a scotch whiskey tasting on Thursday, April 4th in their swanky bar, La Bourse. Several liquor companies were there, each with five to eight different kinds of scotch from different areas of the land of the kilt. Midway through, a bagpipe player piped his way through the bar, prompting the pourers to add an extra splash to our glasses. The Old Boys club was present, but so too, were some new inductees to the 80-proof club – a few young women made the scene lively and even chomped down on cigars at the bar with the old guard. Catch the next tastings every thursday in April - the 11th, 18th, and 25th.

Local jazz educator and mentor George Allen, radio personality David Dye, rapper Eve, jazz guitar legend Pat Martino, and rap artist and producer Jeff "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes were honored at the Philadelphia Chapter's 2nd Annual Heroes Awards on April 22nd for their contributions to the local music community. Soul singer Patti LaBelle was also presented with the first MusiCares Heart Award for her contributions in the fields of health and human services. Over 250 members of the creative community attended the event at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, which featured several tribute performances. After thePhiladelphia All-Star High School Jazz Band opened the program with their upbeat jams, artists performed some of LaBelle's biggest hits.

The American Heart Association held one of Phildelphia's largest charity balls at the Convention Center Marriott on Saturday, March 9th. More than one thousand people attended, and along with generous corporate sponsors, managed to raise more than $500,000 for the AHA. Enchantment Under the Sea was the theme, as evidenced by the sighting of mermaids weaving in and out of the crowd. The live auction featured hot-and-heavy bidding and the auctioneer's spotters had a hard time keeping their eyes on all bidders. One item, a luxury cruise aboard a Silverseas ship contributed a sizable amount to the AHA's fund.

Over one thousand young Philadelphia area professionals stormed the annual Red Cross Red Ball, one of the year's best Young Friends parties, on March 2nd at the Union League. This fete is done on a grand scale – from the 30 or so restaurants that provide the food, to the band, CTO, an eleven member sound system. There was the usual dancing and cavorting, but with an especially keyed up level of interesting tension since about three-quarters of the guests were attractive, single and had been enjoying the open bars and Lucy's Hatshop shots.