Rex the wallaby has been found and returned to his home at a petting zoo in Williamstown, Gloucester County, the Lots of Love Farm announced shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday.
“WELL, IF THIS JUST DIDN’T BECOME THE BEST NIGHT EVER!” the operator of the petting zoo and animal sanctuary posted on Facebook.
“WITH THE HELP OF SOME REALLY COOL KIDS AND A REALLY COOL DAD. WE CAUGHT REX AT THE WALMART!! HE IS HOME SAFE AND SOUND! THANK YOU EVERYONE YOU’RE ALL AMAZING. HE MUST REALLY LIKE WALMART!!!LOL,” the post said.
The Walmart in question is located about a half-mile from Lots of Love Farm, where owner Ron Layden said the agreeable, 3-year-old wallaby had been last seen late Monday afternoon, around feeding time. The animal was secure inside a barn on the property.
“Next thing I know, I was getting phone calls saying, ‘We saw a wallaby in the Walmart parking lot,’” said Layden earlier on Tuesday.
Layden — whose farm includes goats, sheep, peacocks, a camel, “a zebra-donkey mix, [and] a bunch of cows” — said that while he has dealt with the occasional loose animal before, this was his farm’s first wallaby escape.
The escape of the 3-foot, gray-haired marsupial sparked a search that — perhaps not surprisingly — captured the imagination of those in the area..
As word of the wallaby’s escape spread Monday night, messages of concern and support had flooded into the farm’s Facebook page. Some suggested using a drone or scent-tracking dog to help locate the missing animal. At least one offered to form a search party.
Alleged sightings, meanwhile, were shared with growing regularity.
“I just saw a video of him hopping around Williamstown Walmart,” one person posted to Facebook on Tuesday morning.
This sighting seemed to be confirmed in a video posted online. In it, an animal matching Rex’s description could be seen hopping casually around an onlooker’s vehicle in a well-lit parking lot.
“It’s a [expletive] kangaroo!” the amazed onlooker yells in the video.
Another tip — which Layden unsuccessfully investigated — had Rex spotted at a retirement community not far from the farm, which is located at 1828 Corkery Lane in Williamstown.
By later Tuesday, however, there was evidence that Rex — so named because of his purported resemblance to a T-Rex — might’ve wandered even further from home.
“Someone mentioned they just saw him in Sicklerville off of Walnut Street,” read a Facebook message posted Tuesday, of a town some three miles from Williamstown. “[P]rayers you find him!”
A 2,000-pound “sibling” bell, typically displayed at the National Liberty Museum atFourth and Chestnut, and produced by the same London-based foundry as the original, will be temporarily moved to the Cherry Street Pier as part of the city’s annual New Year’s on the Pier celebration Wednesday night.
Getting it there, however, will be no easy task.
“We’ve done a couple months of prep,” said Alaine K. Arnott, president and CEO of the National Liberty Museum, of the logistics of moving a one-ton piece of history for an outside event. “It’s the rental of a forklift, it’s getting a truck big enough to house it, it’s figuring out which route to take it through the City of Philadelphia.”
The bell — which features a replica of the original bell’s famed crack, as well as the functionality its sibling lacks — will be on hand for a pair of ticketed New Year’s Eve events on the pier.
The New Year’s Eve Kids Countdown — which includes music, crafts, and giveaways — runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the pier, with tickets on sale now for $27 per person. (Children 2 years old and younger are admitted free). Tickets for the pier’s 21-and-older event, which runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., are $32 and include a Champagne toast, cash bar, and optimal views of the fireworks.
The festivities will be anchored by a pair of fireworks displays, part of Visit PA New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Waterfront. The first display is set to begin at 6 p.m., and the other at midnight.
(A third fireworks show will take place at midnight on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, part of a free concert by headliner LL Cool J, with additional performances by DJ Jazzy Jeff, Adam Blackstone, Dorothy, and Technician The DJ.)
“I think it is a fantastic symbol and representative of our country,” Arnott said of the bell. “It inherently reminds people that liberty is something we’ve got to protect or it will vanish.”
“It’s also really fun” she added, “when you actually get to ring it.”
This year’s New Year’s Eve events mark the official launch of the city’s much-anticipated Semiquincentennial celebration honoring the nation’s 250th birthday — and if Arnott has her way, the sibling bell could feature prominently into the yearlong slate of events.
“Once we do it [for New Year’s Eve], we’re really hoping to kick it off with MLB, with FIFA,” Arnott said of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and the FIFA World Cup, both of which will be hosted next year in Philadelphia.
“How cool would it be to do this for some of those events?”
New Year’s Day is still more than a week away, but already, everything’s coming up Philly in 2026.
In the latest sign that the city is poised for a banner year, the Wall Street Journal has named Philadelphia the world’s top place to visit in ‘26 — echoing what various national and international publications have been saying for weeks.
The primary draw, of course, is the nation’s 250th birthday celebration, which is expected to bring an endless stream of tourists — not to mention contribute to as much as $2.5 billion to the city and region in additional tourism dollars, by one estimate.
The city’s sports calendar in the coming year ain’t looking too bad, either.
Most notably, the FIFA World Cup arrives next summer with a much-anticipated slate of games in June and July. (France and Brazil are among the teams that’ll take part in six matches slated for Lincoln Financial Field.)
And in July, Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game festivities will take place at Citizens Bank Park — in the same year the Phillies rank among the betting favorites to win a third World Series title, no less — while Xfinity Mobile Arena will be hosting first- and second-round games for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Oh, and the PGA Championship returns to the Philadelphia area, May 11-17 at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square.
The Wall Street Journal’s recognition marks the latest in a spate of hype for Philadelphia in the coming year. Last month, Travel + Leisure named the city one of its top places to travel in ’26, as did the BBC.
Joining Philadelphia in the Journal’s top five destinations for ‘26 were Basque Country, Spain; Okavango Delta, Botswana; Yunnan, China; and Guadalupe Valley, Mexico.
Tulsa, Okla. — which in June will celebrate the 100th birthday of the country’s favorite lonely highway with its annual Route 66 Road Fest — was the only other American city to make the Journal’s top 10.
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Philadelphia Mummers Parade, that colorful, boisterous procession that has come to define New Year’s Day in the city.
The festivities kick off at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, as more than 10,000 performers take to the streets for a daylong celebration USA Today readers recently hailed as the nation’s best holiday parade.
From parking to road closures to how to go about watching, here’s everything you need to know ahead of time.
Kasey McCullough kisses her son Finn, 5, after his appearance with Bill McIntyre’s Shooting Stars during their performance in the Fancy Brigade Finale at the Convention Center Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, part of the Philadelphia Mummers New Year’s Day parade. Their theme is “Legends of the Secret Scrolls.” Finn’s dad, Jim McCullough also performed, his 40th year with the Mummers. They are from Washington Twp.Washington Township, N.J.
Mummers Parade route
The mile-and-a-half route begins at City Hall, before heading south down Broad Street to Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia.
How to watch the 2026 Mummers Parade
Watch the Mummers Parade in person
The parade is free to attend. Those hoping for a more intimate experience, however, have a few options:
Reserved bleacher seats located near the judging stand just west of City Hall are available for $25 at visitphilly.com.
Additionally, tickets to the Fancy Brigade Finale — held at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. inside the Convention Center — range from $28 to $43. Tickets are available at visitphilly.com or during business hours at the Independence Visitor Center.
Watch the Mummers Parade from home
The parade will be broadcast from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on:
Cable/Satellite: On Channel 2 (MeTV2) or Channel 69 (WFMZ). Available on Comcast, Fios, DirecTV, Dish Network, Service Electric, Astound, and Blue Ridge Cable.
Mobile: On the WFMZ+ Streaming app, available through your Apple or Android devices.
Members of the Saints wench brigade step to the judges’ stand during the 124th Mummers Parade on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.
What is the Mummers Parade?
In short, it’s the longest continuously running folk parade in the country. Some 10,000 elaborately dressed performers take part in the celebration each year, part of dozens of groups spread across several divisions.
Fancies: Painted faces and elaboratecostumes.
Comics: Satirical comedy skits aimed at public figures, institutions, and current events.
Wench Brigades: Known for traditional Mummers costumes, including dresses, bloomers, and bonnets.
Fancy Brigades: Theatrical performances. (The Fancy Brigade Finale takes place on New Year’s Day with a pair of ticketed performances at the Convention Center at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.)
String Bands: Marching musicians playing an assortment of string and reed instruments.
Mummers Parade performers
Fancy Division
Golden Sunrise
Wench Brigade Division
Froggy Carr
Pirates
Americans
Cara Liom
MGK
O’Malley
Oregon
Saints
Riverfront
Bryson
Comic Division
Mother Club: Landi Comics NYA
Philadelphia Pranking Authority
Mayfair Mummers
Barrels Brigade
The Jacks
Mother Club: Rich Porco’s Murray Comic Club
Holy Rollers NYB
Vaudevillains NYB
Trama NYB
Wild Rovers NYB
Mollywoppers NYB
Merry Makers NYB
Misfits NYB
Fitzwater NYB
Funny Bonez NYB
Top Hat NYB
Fiasco NYB
Golden Slipper NYB
B. Love Strutters
Madhatters NYB
Tankie’s Angels NYB
The Leftovers NYB
Finnegan NYB
Mother Club: Goodtimers NYA
SouthSide Shooters NYA
Jokers Wild NYB
Hog Island NYA
Pinelands Mummers NYB
Happy Tappers NYB
Two Street Stompers NYB
Gormley NYB
Jesters NYB
Lobster Club NYB
South Philly Strutters NYB
Jolly Jolly Comics NYB
String Band Division
Duffy String Band
Durning String Band
Quaker City String Band
Fralinger String Band
Uptown String Band
Avalon String Band
South Philadelphia String Band
Aqua String Band
Greater Kensington String Band
Woodland String Band
Polish American String Band
Ferko String Band
Hegeman String Band
Jersey String Band
Members of Froggy Carr chant as they strut to Market Street during the 124th Philadelphia Mummers Parade on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.
Mummers Parade-day hacks
Navigating the heavily attended event can require a bit of planning, with entire Reddit threads devoted to parade-day tips — including the best places to park and how to access elusive public restrooms throughout the day.
A few things to keep in mind: The parade is accessible through SEPTA Regional Rail, bus, subway, and trolley lines. And though parking is free because of the holiday, it’s expected to be scarce.
While the heart of the action takes place near City Hall and Dilworth Park, performance areas will also be located along the parade route — at Broad Street at Sansom, Pine, and Carpenter Streets.
Starting at 11 a.m., meanwhile, parade attendees can gather at the staging area for the string bands to watch the performers prepare. (The staging areas are located at Market Street between 17th and 21st Streets and JFK Boulevard between 17th and 20th Streets.)
Also good to remember? Dress warm, bring a lawn chair (they’re permitted), and pace yourself — it has the potential to be a very long day.
Ferko String Band tenor sax players Renee Duffy of Deptford (left) and Tom Garrity of Berlin take a break from the parade as they ride in the bands truck on South Broad Street during the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.
Mummers Parade road closures and parking restrictions
Friday, Dec. 26, 2025
No parking from 6 p.m. on Dec. 26 through 6 p.m. on Jan. 2, on the east curb lane of 15th Street from JFK Boulevard to South Penn Square.
Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025
No parking from 6 p.m. on Dec. 27 through 7 a.m. on Jan. 2, on the west side of 15th Street from Arch Street to Ranstead Street. Street and sidewalk vendors will also not be permitted to park in this area.
Monday, Dec. 29, 2025
15th Street will be closed to southbound traffic at JFK Boulevard. Closure begins at 8 a.m. on Dec. 29 and runs through 7 a.m. Jan. 2.
Market Street eastbound will be closed to traffic at 16th Street from 8 a.m. on Dec. 29 through 7 a.m. on Jan. 2.
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025
No parking on the following streets from 4 a.m. on Dec. 30 through 6 p.m. on Jan. 1:
Market Street from 15th Street to 21st Street (both sides)
JFK Boulevard from Juniper Street to 20th Street (both sides)
15th Street will be closed to southbound traffic at JFK Boulevard. Closure begins at 7 a.m. on Dec. 30 and runs through 7 a.m. Jan. 2.
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025
Market Street will be closed to vehicle traffic from 15th Street to 21st Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 31. Market Street will reopen at 3 p.m. and traffic will be permitted to travel eastbound on Market Street to 15th Street and continue southbound on 15th Street.
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026
The following streets will be closed to vehicle traffic beginning at 3 a.m. on Jan. 1 through the parade’s conclusion:
15th Street from Arch Street to Chestnut Street
Market Street from 15th Street to 21st Street
These streets will be closed to vehicle traffic beginning at 6 a.m. on Jan. 1 through the conclusion of the parade:
Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 16th Street to 20th Street
North Broad Street from Cherry Street to JFK Boulevard
16th Street from Chestnut Street to Race Street
17th Street from Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Ludlow Street
18th Street from Ludlow Street to Race Street
19th Street from Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Chestnut Street
1500 block of Ranstead Street
1300 block of Carpenter Street
1000 block of South 13th Street
Chestnut Street from 15th Street to 18th Street (north side)
Cherry Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
Arch Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
Washington Avenue from 12th Street to 18th Street
Broad Street will be closed to vehicle traffic from South Penn Square to Washington Avenue on Thursday, Jan. 1, beginning at 7 a.m. through the conclusion of the parade.
Vehicle traffic will not be permitted to cross Broad Street during the parade.
Additional Parking Restrictions
No parking from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1 (on both sides of street unless otherwise noted):
Broad Street from Cherry Street to Ellsworth Street
Juniper Street from JFK Boulevard to East Penn Square
South/East Penn Square from 15th Street to Juniper Street
Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 16th Street to 20th Street
Logan Circle (north side)
16th Street from Chestnut Street to Race Street
17th Street from Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Ludlow Street
18th Street from Ludlow Street to Race Street
19th Street from Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Chestnut Street
1500 block of Ranstead Street
1300 block of Carpenter Street
1000 block of South 13th Street
Chestnut Street from 15th Street to 18th Street (north side)
Cherry Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
Arch Street from 15th Street to 17th Street
Washington Avenue from 12th Street to 18th Street
SEPTA detours
SEPTA hasn’t updated their schedule for the parade yet, but bus detours, alerts, and information can be found on SEPTA’s website.
Inspired by traditions brought to Philly by Swedish, Finnish, Irish, German, English, and African immigrants, the annual event has grown to feature thousands of costumed performers competing in a colorful, unique, and family-friendly daylong affair.
Despite past funding issues and occasional controversy, the Mummers Parade today stands as one of the city’s quintessential events, celebrated by locals and embraced by Philly royalty; former Eagle Jason Kelce memorably donned a traditional Mummers outfit for the team’s Super Bowl parade in 2018, and actor Kevin Bacon, along with brother Michael, has helped fundraise for the event.
The upcoming season of the Emmy Award-winning reality series, The Traitors, will have a decidedly Philly flair when it debuts next month.
In a trailer released this week by Peacock, Donna Kelce and Johnny Weir were revealed to be among the 23 contestants vying for up to $250,000 in prize money.
Kelce, the mother of former Eagles standout Jason Kelce and mother-in-law to local super-podcaster Kylie Kelce, has been a Philly fixture for years.
Weir, a former Olympic figure skater and skating commentator, is a Coatesville native.
The show pits Kelce and Weir against a cast that also includes comedian Michael Rapaport, former Bachelor Colton Underwood, and Olympic figure skater Tara Lipinski — as well as a slew of reality show alums.
If you’re new to The Traitor, it’s a reality show set in a Scottish castle that features heavy doses of deception and deceit. Billed as a kind of murder mystery, it follows a group of protagonists — called “faithfuls” — who compete for prize money while simultaneously attempting to suss out the secret “traitors” among them, who are also vying for the cash.
The U.S. series, hosted by Alan Cumming, is set to kick off its fourth season.
It’s been an eventful past two years for Donna Kelce, who earned roles in a pair of Christmas movies, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story and the Philly-based Christmas on Call, both last year. She is also set to become the mother-in-law to arguably the world’s most prominent musician when her son, Travis Kelce, marries Taylor Swift. The couple became engaged in August.
Season 4 of “The Traitors” debuts with the first three episodes on Jan. 8 on Peacock. Two more episodes will be available on Jan. 15, followed by single weekly releases through Feb. 26.
It had all the markings of a good, old-fashioned bit of porch piracy.
The man appeared one recent morning in front of a Nether Providence home. He looked to be between 20 and 30 years old, around 5 feet 8, and balding. He wore a black puffer jacket.
For a long while, he paced back and forth in front of the home in the 300 block of South Providence Road.
Then, he opened the mailbox, fiddled with something inside, and walked away.
When the homeowner, who witnessed the incident, went to investigate, however, she was struck by what she found. Inside her mailbox was what Nether Providence police are calling “a significant amount of cash.”
In a season more closely associated with pinched parcels and pilfered packages, police in this Delco township are trying to get to the bottom of something far more novel: An individual apparently passing out a large sum of money through a mailbox.
So far, authorities have been left stumped; a spokesperson for the Nether Providence police on Thursday called the incident an “open investigation” but declined to comment beyond a brief news release issued earlier in the week on the matter, which occurred shortly before 11 a.m. on Dec. 6.
One theory is that the delivery could have been a simple mix-up: According to the homeowner who discovered the cash, the property once housed a psychiatrist’s office, and she suspected the money could’ve been left by a former patient unaware that the previous owner was no longer there.
Police are asking that anyone with information about the curious delivery — or the individual behind it — contact them at 610-892-2875.
“NPPD is urging anyone with information to come forward as detectives work to determine the circumstances surrounding the cash drop-off and identify the individual involved,” according to the department news release.
