Historical reenactors’ Super Bowl | Morning Newsletter

Happy Monday, Philly! Welcome to the start of a new week.

As we near the pinnacle of Semiquincentennial celebrations on July 4, historical reenactors recall the long months of arduous work it took to perfect their roles.

And Eagles training camp is almost here! Before football season kicks off, The Inquirer took a look at some of the newbies joining the Birds’ roster.

Plus, The Inquirer sat down with Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday, and more news of the day.

— Sam Stewart (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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The lead-up to the nation’s Semiquincentennial is historical reenactors’ Super Bowl run.

A cast of Ben Franklins, John Adamses, and Betsy Rosses — actors who have spent months and uprooted their lives to learn about and live as colonial America’s key characters — will be at the front lines of the 250th birthday celebrations. They will become de facto historians, guides, entertainers, and ushers to an expected crush of tourists, all while anchoring how the country’s earliest days are memorialized and whose stories get to be told.

The set of actors is part of Historic Philadelphia’s Once Upon a Nation program. This year is expected to be one of its biggest ever, with the most actors, plays, scripts, and events.

“Speaking in 18th-century tongue continuously, I am nervous about that. I want to portray it real,” one reenactor said.

Dana Munro and Maggie Prosser have the full story.

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Whether they’re a 2026 draft choice, a veteran addition, or a rookie free-agent hopeful, we’re telling you more about each player’s potential role this season.

The first player we’ll take a look at is 38-year-old quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton has the most NFL experience on the 2026 Eagles — that’s unless Brandon Graham returns. The veteran quarterback is going into his 16th NFL season.

Fun fact: Dalton has zero career playoff wins and has thrown just one touchdown pass in the postseason.

The Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner has more.

Big Night is a food movie, an Italian American movie, and on top of all of that, it’s a Jersey Shore movie. Actor Tony Shalhoub took a look back at his time making the iconic film.

This local university will create the first endowed editor position at its student newspaper thanks to a million-dollar gift.

A) Penn State University

B) Drexel University

C) La Salle University

D) Temple University

Think you know? Check your answer.

📰 Reading: An Inquirer interview with Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday. He talked about a recent Supreme Court ruling on the work of DA Larry Krasner’s Conviction Integrity Unit.

🛒 Trying: The “store of the future” unveiled by Walmart in Warminster. Some shoppers say they love the improvements.

🏀 Analyzing: The divide between Pennsylvania’s public and private high school sports. For years, there’s been tension — but a new law could change things.

🏡 Admiring: How a man bought his dream Shore house. He lives in California, but having spent his childhood in Wildwood, he wanted a place his family could gather and revive old traditions.

Hint: TV news program host and liberal political commentator.

CHARMED WALDO

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Meg Fagan, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Bam Margera. The “Jackass” star has been mired in legal issues, in and out of rehab, for years. Now, his family says he seems to be “out of the darkness.”

🐣 And one last cool thing: Residents in Collingswood have spent years fighting for backyard chickens. Now, there’s hope they might win.

Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Bobby Reed, who describes his found family in the City of Brotherly Love:

When I moved to Philadelphia in the fall of 2009 I did not know a single person (other than my former partner). I did not have a job, didn’t know what a Wawa was, and could not yet justify throwing snowballs at Santa Claus (who was drunk). I hit the pavement and got a few odd jobs, one of which was tutoring a family’s kids.

My moment was when I was invited to this family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Because I had to work during the holiday and couldn’t afford a flight, I couldn’t get home to Colorado to see my biological family.

But the entire meal made me feel like I was at home. They told me stories about the Eagles and Phillies, what Philadelphia was like when they grew up in the ’80s, how the city has changed, and how the parents met and fell in love.

From that night forward, I knew I had a group of folks that I could lean on. I had a Philadelphia family that would help me through thick and thin, the way Philly families do. I walked around the city the next day with a sense that I belonged here.

I wasn’t that different from the people here. I had simply grown up in a different state, but still held the same values and had the same fight and fire for those values.

I’ve lived here now for almost 17 years and I’m proud to say that I’m from Philadelphia, the most underrated city in America.

👋 That’s all from me, folks. Have a good rest of your day!

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