Community Events
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Night of Lights
Friday, October 6, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Chestnut Hill Conservancy is hosting its much-loved Night of Lights streetscape exhibition on Friday, October 6 – Saturday, October 14.
The nine-evening run, spotlighting architecture, archives, and local history along Germantown Avenue between Willow Grove Avenue and Bethlehem Pike, kicks off with a Flip the Switch ceremony starting at 6:45 PM – 7 PM held in the outdoor open space on East Hartwell next to Foliage Plant Boutique (8139 Germantown Avenue).
Following the opening ceremony, kickoff festivities will include storytellers at each themed projection window, music from various local acts, including MilkBoy co-founder Tommy Joyner’s Pep Rally, and entertainment from Maplewood Music Studios (including performances by Maplewood Music Studios teachers Rich Rudin, Larry Cohen, John “Jocko” MacNelly, and Ralph Salerno), an “Ask the Archivists” table, and more family-friendly interactive activities, all concluding at 9 PM. After opening night, the exhibition continues nightly from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.
Night of Lights will transform Chestnut Hill’s main street, Germantown Avenue, into a vibrant nightly streetscape exhibition of local histories and illuminated architecture, projecting archival images from the Conservancy’s and other archives through eight storefront windows. Colorful lights will highlight often overlooked architectural features of neighboring historic buildings.
Attendees will receive “Pastports”, exhibition guides with an event map and schedule of experiences, that can be stamped at eight themed slideshows comprising historical images and educational content, which will be projected through storefront windows on Germantown Ave. Attendees who turn in a fully stamped Pastport after the exhibition ends will be entered into a prize raffle. Nine winners, one for each night, will receive a Chestnut Hill raffle bag with gifts from local businesses including Chestnut Hill Business District, Baker Street Bread Company, El Quetzel, Garden State Tile, Matine’s Cafe, McNally’s Tavern, Moondance Farm Studios, Zipf’s Candies, and more. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 16.
Night of Lights guided walking tours will also be available for the first time. These tours will be ticketed, led by local historians, architects, and experts, and are will be held on Tuesday, October 10 and Thursday, October 12 only. Space is limited.