🎨 Museums’ big moment | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to the last week of the year, Philly.

Philadelphia museums’ dynamic programming for the United States’ 250th birthday kicks off on Jan. 1. We have the rundown on the arts events to add to your 2026 calendar.

And at a South Jersey high school, students are harvesting 1,000 pounds of mushrooms annually while getting a civics lesson. Read on for these stories and more of the day’s news.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Artsy parties for the 250th

When you offer to host the entire country’s birthday party, you’d better plan a good one.

Ahead of the country’s Semiquincentennial, Philly cultural institutions are doing their part with a slew of programs to reflect on U.S. history. Among the big arts initiatives coming to the city in 2026:

🎨 The Philadelphia Art Museum and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will aim to tell the story of American creativity in an exhibit featuring works from Phillies owner John Middleton’s collection.

🎨 The African American Museum in Philadelphia — itself born out of the 1976 Bicentennial — will premiere the extension of its “Audacious Freedom” exhibit, a study of Black Philadelphians from 1776 to 1876.

🎨 Mural Arts is working on several public projects, including a tribute to Questlove and a refurbished mural in honor of the late Gloria Casarez.

Columnist Elizabeth Wellington has the full slate.

In other 250th news: The Schuylkill River Trail and the city’s transit shelters are slated for upgrades thanks to state grants, including some earmarked for Philadelphia’s Semiquincentennial preparation.

(And on the subject of the trail: A segment that had been closed since October because of a sinkhole was repaired and reopened just in time for Christmas Eve.)

Mycology lessons

Students at Rancocas Valley Regional High School are learning how to cultivate mushrooms alongside the business of supply and demand.

Now in its third year, the classroom project produces more than 1,000 pounds of mushroom varieties annually. Most of the fungi are sold to South Jersey restaurants, and the profits are reinvested into the Mount Holly school’s environmental science and biology programs.

It’s real science, teacher Michael Green says. But the hands-on education is fun for students, too. It also provides a service to their community, with some of the harvest donated to a free lunch program.

Notable quote: “My goal is just to get the mushrooms out,” Green told The Inquirer. “The goal is to get mushrooms into people’s hands.”

Education reporter Melanie Burney has the story.

What you should know today

• While the city is on pace to record its fewest killings in 60 years, hundreds in recent years still remain unresolved. The 2024 murder of a young woman in Frankford offers a window into how a case can stall even when a detective puts dozens of hours into an investigation.
• Family members of the victims of Philadelphia’s largest mass murder met on the 25th anniversary to commemorate their loved ones.
• One person died after two helicopters collided and crashed Sunday in Atlantic County, according to authorities.
• Atlantic City community members and leaders gathered last week to condemn recent “aggressive” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the resort town.
• Some Delaware County residents could be given bottled water after a “significant” amount of gasoline leaked at a petroleum tank farm.
• A Montgomery County school board moved last week to fire an elementary school principal who was recorded making antisemitic remarks.
• City residents were unable to request street plowing online this weekend when Philly 311’s portal was down.
• A new building will bring 46 apartments to Germantown Avenue, along with density and commercial space.
• As a Philadelphia teen, her school’s leaders lifted her up. Now, Dr. Sonia Lewis is giving back to Bodine High School in a major way.

Quote of the day

Urban designer Daniel Rodriguez is what’s known as a super commuter — he travels by plane, train, and bus to make his commute to and from Philadelphia and Atlanta, several times per month. He plans to become a content creator full time to encourage viewers to travel without owning a vehicle.

🧠 Trivia time

Philadelphia’s homeownership rate fell during the pandemic as rates grew nationally and in other big cities. About what percentage of city residents own their own home?

A) 52%

B) 64%

C) 75%

D) 88%

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re…

🎆 Noting: Where to watch New Year’s Eve fireworks along the Delaware River, and what’s open and closed on New Year’s Day.

🎭 Remembering: Seven shows we loved on Philly stages in 2025.

🏘️ Comparing: Homes for sale for $390,000 in Lower Merion, Northeast Philly, and Camden County.

🛍️ Remembering: The local businesses that didn’t survive 2025.

🏛️ Considering: The Inquirer editorial board’s review of President Donald Trump’s first year back in the White House.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: Borough in Lancaster County

HEAT RAP

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

Cheers to Marilyn Wimp Paolino, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Martin Guitars. The world-renowned company first moved to Nazareth in 1839 and has crafted 2.5 million guitars.

Photo of the day

About two dozen people gathered in Germantown this weekend to celebrate Kwanzaa by lighting candles and tending the flame of unity.

📬 Your ‘only in Philly’ story

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 Deb Olsen, who describes a memorable New Year’s Eve:

My friends and I loved going down to Old City to have dinner on New Year’s Eve and then to Penn’s Landing to watch the fireworks every year in the ’80s.

One year we were a little late getting to Penn’s Landing and the crowds were thick — and drunk. There were so many people, we were stuck on the upper parapet and couldn’t get down to the water, which was the prime viewing spot. The crush was so heavy we were forced up against the wall of the Seaport Museum. It felt like a Who concert scenario.

I noticed an elevator door and wondered if it was working. I pushed the button and it opened. It was empty. We all looked at each other and piled in. Down we went, hoping we would be able to get out once we got to the lower level. When the doors opened, we were down at the river level where the crowds were not as dense. With a sigh of relief, we made our way to the water’s edge just in time for the countdown.

The fireworks were amazing; the Ben Franklin Bridge was lit up with a sparkling waterfall display. Colorful boats motored up and down the Delaware. Music was coordinated with the fireworks, and everybody sang along. It was a delight and a night to remember. Philly is the place to be at the New Year.

Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. I’ll be back to bring you more news tomorrow morning.

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