Let Ben entertain you...

By Diane Villano
Times Staff Writer

On Dec. 28, 1732, the first known advertisement for the first issue of Poor Richard’s Almanack by Richard Saunders (Benjamin Franklin), for the year 1733, appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette.
It promised "many pleasant and witty verses, jests and sayings . . . new fashions, games for kisses . . . men and melons . . . breakfast in bed, &c."
The coming weeks and months promise much, much more as Philadelphia and the world celebrate Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday.
And according to Kathy DeLuca, executive director of the Friends of Franklin Inc., the don’t-miss event of the entire celebration is the Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World exhibit at the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., Independence Mall.
At 10 a.m. on Jan. 17, today’s Franklins — scientists, entrepreneurs, firefighters, postal workers and civic leaders — will gather for Ben’s official birthday celebration. The party at the National Constitution Center will feature a birthday cake topped with candles that will be lighted by 300 representatives who embody facets of Franklin in the 21st century.
Space is limited and tickets are required.
The Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World exhibit is the centerpiece of Philadelphia’s celebration. The hands-on exhibit features more than 250 artifacts, including the Declaration of Independence and Franklin’s own copy of the U.S. Constitution, as well as 40 interactive devices.
The Franklin Institute, at 222 N. 20th St., founded to honor Franklin and to advance the usefulness of his inventions, is one of five local cultural institutions that formed a consortium to celebrate Philadelphia’s favorite founding father.
The American Philosophical Society, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the University of Pennsylvania also make up the consortium, with programming scheduled throughout 2006.
Franklin...He’s Electric, at the Franklin Institute, is one of many exhibits that explore the man’s scientific genius — from meteorology and music to electricity, optics and aquatics. Also featured are Franklin’s lightning rod, a reproduction of his bifocals and glass armonica.
The Princess and the Patriot: Ekaterina Dashkova, Benjamin Franklin and Enlightenment will include portraits, memoirs, letters and decorative arts on display at the American Philosophical Society.
In Pursuit of Genius: Jean-Antoine Houdon and the Sculpted Benjamin Franklin assembles Houdon’s famous sculpture in various media, as well as Franklin sculptures by other French artists, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from May 13 through July 30.
Penn in the Age of Franklin: 1740-1790 is a University of Pennsylvania exhibit that examines the university’s founding and early development during Franklin’s life.
At the Library Company of Philadelphia, visitors can explore Franklin and the Book, an exhibition about Franklin as printer, publisher and author.
Franklin’s wife, Deborah Read Franklin, first spied him walking up Market Street shortly after his arrival in Philadelphia, looking disheveled and carrying two loaves of bread under his arms.
You can stroll along the same streets as Ben on one of several walking tours in the city.
Walking in Ben Franklin’s Footsteps is a self-guided tour through the city’s Historic District.
The Constitutional Walking Tour: Franklin Firsts and Facts is a self-guided tour of 33 sites throughout the Historic District. It originates at the Independence Visitor Center at Sixth and Market streets.
Franklin’s Fabulous Friends, Family and Foes Tour is a guided tour of the Christ Church Burial Ground, at Fifth and Arch streets. Toss a penny on Franklin’s grave for luck.
Yet another tribute is the Early to Bed, Early to Rise Tour. Ben was fond of ginseng, rice and tea. Follow chef Joseph Poon as he explores a fortune cookie factory, herbal medicine shop, grocery store and fish market. Breakfast is included in the chef’s tours.
Another free choice is Ben Franklin’s Ghost, at the PECO Energy Liberty Center across from Independence Hall.
Portrayed by Philadelphia’s most high-profile Ben — Ralph Archbold — Franklin appears as a holographic image in this exhibit developed by Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center and Lights of Liberty Inc., producers of the Lights of Liberty show. Visitors can ask Ben hundreds of questions in a real-time exchange called a "synthetic interview."
You can also learn about Franklin’s friendships with Colonial religious organizations.
Franklin and Friends is an exhibition of his letters to some of the era’s leading Quakers, maps, artifacts and manuscripts in the Sharpless Gallery at Haverford College’s Magill Library.
Benjamin Franklin and Religious Liberty is a free exhibition at the National Museum of American Jewish History. It explores Franklin’s relationship with the Jewish community and illustrates his role in forging a pluralistic America. Franklin had pledged five pounds — worth about $800 in today’s dollars — in support of a synagogue for "the people of the Hebrew society in the city of Philadelphia."
In conjunction with the exhibit, the museum will feature a free performance of a theatrical storyteller exploring the Jewish community in 18th-century Philadelphia and Franklin’s legacy of pluralism.
The Curtis Institute of Music will host a free Tribute to Benjamin Franklin on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. in its Field Concert Hall at 1726 Locust St. Cecilia Gniewek Brauer will perform on the armonica, also known as a glass harmonica, which Franklin invented in 1761.
Many composers, including Mozart, Beethoven and Richard Strauss, wrote for it, but rumors that it caused various ailments were instrumental in it vanishing by the mid-1800s.
Also, Curtis students will perform songs about Franklin — Poor Richard Songs by Ross Lee Finney and Ben Franklin Sez by Norman Luboff. Archbold will also make an appearance at the concert.
Tickets are not required, but seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
You can get a taste of Ben all over town, as restaurants have named drinks and dishes after the birthday boy.
Café Rustica, Gourmet Pizza Restaurant & Bar, is offering a cranberry-apple "Ben-tini" during happy hour. Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse is offering a "Franklin Royale" champagne and cranberry juice cocktail, and the Franklin Fountain has on tap "Dr. Franklin’s Fizz," a tonic of pressed mulberries, sweetened soda water and a tincture of Madeira.
You can sup on "Poor Richard’s Lunch" at the Irish Pub, and for dessert grab a "Franklin Minted," a combination of milk chocolate mousse with a green apple and mint center, at the Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel.
Celebrations of Ben’s tercentenary aren’t limited to the city.
The Lancaster Historical Society will host The Common Wealth: Benjamin Franklin and the Building of Community. The free exhibit focuses on Franklin’s impact in shaping the image of Pennsylvania and America through a grassroots approach to community. For more information, call 717-392-4633.
The Hollis branch of Queens Borough Public Library, in Hollis, N.Y., will present a Benjamin Franklin and China exhibit through June. There you can discover how Franklin used Confucius’ moral philosophy and borrowed from Chinese technologies.
Across the pond, in London, England, just steps from Trafalgar Square, there will be a gala opening of the circa 1730 Benjamin Franklin House at 36 Craven St. on Jan. 17. Franklin lived behind its doors for nearly 17 years — between 1757 and 1775. The Historical Experience presents his London years, in a "museum-as-theatre" approach. For more information, visit www.BenjaminFranklinHouse.org
If a trip to London is out of the question, you can get a feel for Franklin’s time there in two books by Robert Lee Hall: Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case and Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Christmas Murder, both by the University of Pennsylvania Press.
There is a plethora of Ben reads available, including Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World, a companion book to the exhibition of the same name, and the first extensively illustrated book documenting Franklin’s life and work.
Franklin is also the theme for One Book, One Philadelphia, a joint project of the Office of the Mayor and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Its mission is to promote reading and literacy, encourage library usage and promote community by inviting folks from the Philadelphia region to read and discuss the same books.
With volumes of works to choose from, the committee couldn’t select just one book. It chose three: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, by Benjamin Franklin; Ben and Me, by Robert Lawson; and Franklin: The Essential Founding Father, by James Srodes.
In celebration of the Philadelphia icon, WHYY-TV will premiere About Benjamin on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 9 p.m.
The original half-hour documentary explores the man behind his countless achievements. Sixteen historians, artists, curators, authors and architects share what they know on topics ranging from Franklin’s music and artistic inventions to his penchant for fine foods and spirits, and to the nagging bladder stone that took him to his grave.
"Rather than another history of Franklin — which has been thoroughly documented — we wanted to get at who this man was, how he became great, and how this region helps tell his story," said Kenneth Finkel, executive director of WHYY’s Arts & Culture Service. ••
For more information on everything Ben, visit www.benfranklin300.org
Reporter Diane Villano can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com

Exhibits at a glance

o Benjamin Franklin: In
Search of a Better World
Where: The National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.
When: Through April 30.
How Much: Prices range from $14 for adults to $8.50 for groups.
More Info: 215-409-6700

o Benjamin Franklin and
Religious Liberty
Where: National Museum of American Jewish History, 55 N. Fifth St.
When: Noon to 3 p.m. Fridays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays and occasional weekdays through May 31.

o In Pursuit of Genius
Where: Philadelphia Museum of Art
When: May 13 through July 30.
More Info: 215-763-8100

o Benjamin Franklin: Writer and Printer
Where: The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.
When: May 16 through Dec 1.
More Info: 215-546-3181 or www.libraryco.org

o Franklin and Friends
Where: Sharpless Gallery in Haverford College’s Magill Library, 370 Lancaster Ave.
When: Through Jan 31.
More Info: 610-896-1161 or www.haverford.edu/library/special

o Franklin...He’s Electric
Where: Franklin Insititue, 222 North 20th St. Permanent exhibit.
More Info: 215-448-1200 or http://sln.fi.edu/Ben300

o Penn in the Age of Franklin
Where: University of Pennsylvania Library, 3420 Walnut St.
When: Jan 17 through May 31.
More Info: 215-898-7555 or http://sceti.library.upenn.edu/franklin

o The Princess and the
Patriot
Where: American Philosophical Society, 104 S. Fifth St.
When: Feb 17 through December.

Walking tours at a glance
o Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Where: Starts at Joseph Poon’s restaurant 1010 Cherry St.
More Info: 215-782-2258 or www.josephpoon.com

o The Constitutional Walking Tour
Where: Self-guided tour of 33 sites in historic district.
More Info: 215-525-1776 or www.theconstitutional.com

o Franklin: fabulous Friends, family and foes
Where: Guided tour of Christ Church Burial Ground, Fifth and Arch streets.
More Info: 215-922-1695 or www.oldchristchurch.org

o Walking in Ben Franklin’s footsteps
Where: Self-guided tour through historic district.
More Info: www.gophila.com/ben