Weekend event picks: Sneaker convention, Ukrainian Folk Festival & more

Did you miss the opportunities the weekend allowed? Worry no more, good times are back.

For the past five weeks, The Oval (2451 Benjamin Franklin Parkway) has been bringing family-friendly entertainment to the Parkway. Like all good things, this one's summer fling has come to a close, with the final weekend of programming. Expect live bluegrass tunes on Thursday, Aug. 20, a Back to the '80s night on Friday, Aug. 21, quizzo on Saturday, Aug. 22, and art with Mural Arts on Sunday, Aug. 23. Park hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The beer garden is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Charitable shoe, eyewear and accessories brand TOMS Shoes will hold a trunk show at Nich Boutiqe (161 Market St., Collegeville) where shoppers will be able to peep (and buy) new wears and sip champagne from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21.

Host Kevin Allison and area storytellers will share their shocking true stories during "Risk! Live" at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.). Both a podcast and live show, the program delves into guests' deepest, oft-unshared business. Doors are at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21.

From cocoon to glorious butterfly, see the insect in all of its life stages at the Tyler Arboretum's (515 Painter Road, Media) Butterfly Festival on Saturday, Aug. 22. Other buggy characters — like bees and various insect species — will be examined throughout the day, too. The fest runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The sneaker-obsessed community gets their day in the sun down the Shore. From noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, convention-goers can buy, trade and sell sneaks at the Jus Nice Sneaker Convention at the Wildwoods Convention Center (5401 Boardwalk, Wildwood, N.J.).

Breweries, wineries and distilleries in Phoenixville open their doors between noon and 11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22 to inform visitors and give them some tasty goodies to quench their thirst as they travel from location to location. Selected tasting areas are The Barrel (222 Bridge St., Phoenixville), Bluebird Distilling (100 Bridge St., Phoenixville), Black Walnut Winery (3000 Lincoln Highway, Sadsburyville), Iron Hill Brewery (130 E. Bridge St., Phoenixville) and Stable 12 Brewing Company (368 Bridge St., Phoenixville).

Extend your stay in Wildwood — the Shore town's restaurant week begins on Sunday, Aug. 23. Twenty-nine restaurants, like Westy's Irish Pub (101 E. Walnut Ave.), Neil's Steak and Seafood Restaurant (222 E. Schellenger Ave.), and Boathouse Restaurant (506 W. Rio Grande Ave.), will serve four-course meals for a thrifty $30 until Friday, Aug. 28.

Picks from the Inquirer's Michael Harrington

Coolest motorcycle? For many, it's a Harley. For others, Kawasaki can't be beat. The 1952 Vincent Black Lightning may have retired the title, if only because of the great Richard Thompson song. But the products of the Indian Motorcycle Company surely have a stake in the competition. The exhibit "Indian Nation: The Indian Motorcycle and America" tells the company's story, from its founding by bicycle racer George Hendee and machinist Carl Oscar Hedstrom, after Hendee took notice the Swedish immigrant's motorized bicycle (or "moto-cycle") in 1899. Examples on display include Harrisburg-area racer Bob Markey's original 1940 Scout, a 1903 Indian — possibly the earliest original example of the iconic logo — a custom 1928 101 Series Scout, and an 1944 Indian Military Chief with sidecar. The show finishes its run this weekend at the American Swedish Historical Museum (1900 Pattison Ave.) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21 and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23.

Actress and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph hosts the concert HIV/AIDS benefit Divas Simply Singing, featuring performances by Kelly Price, Faith Evans, Melba Moore, Angela Winbush, Meli'sa Morgan, Monifah, Candace Benson, Alyson Williams, Carol Riddick, and more at the Dell Music Center (2400 Strawberry Mansion Dr.) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22.

In the early 1920s, British expeditions made the first recorded attempts to conquer the highest mountain in the world. The 1924 attempt was the subject of a silent documentary, "The Epic of Everest," shot by Capt. John Noel with some of the most advanced equipment available, including a telephoto lens. After two of the climbers, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, disappeared after they were sighted just 800 feet from the summit (possibly descending from a successful climb), Noel's film became a sensation. (Mallory's body was not recovered for 75 years, and Irvine's has yet to be found.) The documentary, newly restored with a score by Simon Fisher Turner, is a window into a long-vanished era of adventure, with spectacular images of life and landscapes in Tibet (the only route open to explorers at the time). The film screens at International House (3701 Chestnut St.) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22.

As history informs us, culture prevails over conflict — the sculptor's chisel outlasts the soldier's sword. So despite current travails, the 24th Ukrainian Folk Festival displays the strength of a nation, its folk art, music, and dance. The event, featuring performances by Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Iskra Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, violinist Innesa Tymochko Dekajlo, the Vox Ethnika Band, and Prometheus Ukrainian Male Chorus of Philadelphia, goes on at the Ukrainian American Sport Center (Lower State and County Line Roads, Horsham) from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23.

For more Things to Do, check out our calendar for the most up-to-date happenings.