PHILADELPHIA -- Get your blankets and picnic baskets ready for Morris Arboretum’s annual outdoor summer concert series.  This year, all concerts will be held on Friday nights, outdoors in Morris Arboretum’s beautiful Azalea Meadow.
 
July 20, 2012, 7pm - Brazilian Jazz Party with Arpeggio
Locally renowned jazz band Arpeggio will be playing the lively sounds of Northern Brazil.  Dance, sway or just sit back and listen to this enjoyable blend of calypso, samba and bossa nova.
 
July 27, 2012, 7pm - Swing ‘n Bop with The Tony “Stickman” Wyatt Quintet
The 1940’s & 50’s were the most memorable years in American jazz.  Tony Wyatt, one of Philly’s great drummers, is bringing his band to the Arboretum to celebrate the era of swinging and bopping.
 
July’s Jazz it Up concerts are presented by WRTI 90.1FM, with free beer tastings compliments of Iron Hill Brewery in Chestnut Hill from 6 to 7pm.
 
The fun continues in August with our XPN Kids Corner series.
 
August 3, 2012, 6:30pm- The Plants
The Plants “Monster Under My Bed” from their album Sprouting Out was voted by XPN listeners as the #1 Song of 2011.  Come hear it performed live by this local band whose enthusiasm and fabulous music will win over children and parents alike.
 
August 10, 2012, 6:30pm -The Suzi Shelton Band
Suzi is bringing her band all the way from Brooklyn to perform hits from her award-winning albums, including her new release “Tomboy in a Princess Dress.”  Suzi and her band have appeared at venues all over New York, as well as nationally in Chicago, Boston and at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
 
August’s XPN Kids Corner Concerts are presented by WXPN 88.5FM. Prior to the concerts from 5:30-6:30pm, kids may explore the Maya world with Penn Museum staffers.  Learn about the Maya number system, construct a Maya temple and take home a “Maya Explorer Certificate.”  Adults will also enjoy learning facts about these ancient people.
 
Due to the Arboretum’s limited parking, all of the summer concerts will be charged on a per car basis instead of an individual admission fee. Member cars: $20 (a single member in the car constitutes a member car) and non-member cars: $40.  Car pooling is encouraged, and for members to introduce new friends to the Morris Arboretum.
 

So, grab your lawn chairs, pack your picnics, or buy a dinner from Compton Café at the Arboretum with light fare and BBQ on site (must be pre-ordered at 610-247-4353).  For more concert information and updates, visit: www.morrisarboretum.org or call 215-247-5777.
 
The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is located at 100 East Northwestern Avenue in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia.  The 92-acre horticulture display garden features a spectacular collection of mature trees in a beautiful and colorful landscape. The Arboretum includes numerous picturesque spots such as a formal rose garden, historic water features, a swan pond, and the only Fernery in North America. A new permanent nationally award winning exhibit, Out on a Limb – a Tree Adventure adds to Morris Arboretum’s allure by transporting visitors 50 feet up into the treetops on a canopy walk that requires no climbing.  Out on a Limb was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Exhibition Design by the American Association of Museums and a Gold Medal for Design Excellence from the American Institute of Architects. The Morris Arboretum’s new Horticulture Center Complex has received Platinum Level LEED® Certification, the highest sustainability rating of the U.S. Green Building Council. The Morris Arboretum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.morrisarboretum.org.