Planning a movie marathon this holiday season? We asked Bryn Mawr Film Instituteâs staff to compile 20 of the most iconic films itâs screened since its founding two decades ago. Also this week,we delve into how Allen Iverson helped popularize a TGI Fridays on City Avenue, plus several new eateries, including a burger joint in Ardmore, are on their way.
The Bryn Mawr Film Institute marked its 20th anniversary this year.
The Bryn Mawr Film Institute has screened countless films since the beloved institution opened its doors two decades ago. But what are the most memorable?
The Inquirerâs Denali Sagner recently asked its staff to compile a list of what they believe are the 20 most iconic films BMFI has screened.
Among them are cinematic classics like The Sound of Music and Casablanca, modern hits like Barbie, as well as movies with local ties such as Silver Linings Playbook and Rocky (you didnât expect it to not make the list, right?).
Last month, a TGI Fridays on the Lower Merion-Philadelphia border launched a new membership program inspired in part by Allen Iverson. The Sixers legend frequently hung out at the restaurant on City Avenue, which became known as âClub Fridays.â The Inquirerâs Alex Coffey revisits how the chain became an NBA hangout and how its manager is paying homage through the new offer.
A police chase that ended in Lower Merion this fall led law enforcement officials to arrest a crew that allegedly attempted to rob five armored vehicles throughout the region this summer. The Inquirerâs David Gambacorta delves into how an anonymous tip, jokes, Cash App, and a car theft probe helped police and the FBI capture the suspects. You can also catch a video of Gambacorta discussing the story here.
Chabad of Penn Wynne held a menorah lighting Sunday at the Penn Wynne Library to mark the first night of Hanukkah. The event was held on the same day that an attack during a Hanukkah celebration in Australia left at least 15 people dead, something that struck especially close to home for Rabbi Mendy Levin. An Australian native, Levin knew one of the rabbis killed, but like many others, turned out to celebrate the Jewish holiday. Local religious and elected leaders have called for resilience, a theme on display Sunday night as the celebration used flares to light the menorah after the oil had frozen. (Fox29)
Malik Syd Rashied, 55, of Philadelphia, who was involved in multiple carjacking attempts at Bryn Mawr College and Bryn Mawr Square shopping center earlier this year, has been sentenced to seven to 16 years in a state correctional institution after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including robbery of a motor vehicle and assault. (The Times Herald)
City Ave District is being recognized with a Main Street designation through Gov. Josh Shapiroâs Main Street Matters program. The designation will allow the district, which straddles Bala Cynwyd and Philadelphia, to apply for state funding and technical assistance as it implements its five-year strategy.
Bala Cynwyd on City Avenue is expected to welcome several new tenants next summer. The shopping center will add two fast-casual restaurants, salad-focused Chopt, and Lebanese concept NAYA, which offers pitas, shawarma, and build-your-own bowls, as well as Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop, which caters to men.
đŤ Schools Briefing
The Lower Merion School District is mourning the death of longtime physical education teacher Julie Bucher, who died last week. Ms. Bucher taught at Gladwyne Elementary from 1998 to 2024, before retiring at the start of this school year. She âknew every studentâs nameâ and âcared deeply about their well-being,â Principal Veronica Ellers said in a message to the community.
Earlier this month, Lower Merion High School senior Nick Mazzeo took home first place in the New Balance RunningLane National Cross Country Championshipâs overall competition, becoming the only athlete at the school or in the Central League to capture the honor.
Black Rock Middle School was recently recognized among the Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schoolsâ âSchools to Watchâ for the 2025-26 academic year. The program selects schools based on a number of factors, including academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structures and processes.
Reminder for families: The district will be closed for winter break starting Wednesday. Classes will resume Jan. 5. See the districtâs full calendar here.
đ˝ď¸ On our Plate
Love & Honey Fried Chicken opened at 1111 W. Lancaster Ave. in Bryn Mawr last week. Known for its fried chicken, tenders, and sandwiches, the new location is owned by franchisees Bill Kirkland and Sharon Purser. Itâs open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. There will be a grand opening event on Jan. 17.
A new burger joint is opening soon in Ardmore. Bikini Burger is taking over 44 Rittenhouse Place, though an official opening date hasnât been announced yet.
With an Ardmore location on the horizon, internet-popular PopUp Bagels held a one-day pop-up at Di Bruno Bros. recently. The Inquirerâs Julie Zeglen tried them out, noting they were warm, fresh, and easy to rip and dip.
đ¤ Dogs in a Pile: Tickets are going fast for the New Jersey bandâs four-night stint at Ardmore Music Hall. Dogs in a Pile blends funk, jazz, rock and roll, and psychedelia. â° Thursday, Dec. 18-Sunday, Dec. 21, times vary đľ $39.85-$71.42 đ Ardmore Music Hall
⨠Winter Solstice Celebration and Cookie Exchange: Celebrate the changing of the seasons at Linwood Park, which will be lined with luminaries. There will also be a cookie exchange. â° Saturday, Dec. 20, 4-6 p.m. đľ Free đ Linwood Park
âĄď¸ Cirque du Chanukah: Celebrate Hanukkah by watching an acrobatic performance and enjoying dinner at this all-ages event. â° Saturday, Dec. 20, 5:45-8:30 p.m. đľ $10-$60 đ Kaiserman JCC
đ Christmas Crafts: Make a one-of-a-kind gingerbread house during this workshop. â° Sunday, Dec. 21, 4-5:30 p.m. đľ $37.10 đ The Candy Lab
đ Laughter and Lo Mein: Enjoy a meal and a movie during this longtime tradition. There will be a family-friendly movie option (Happy Feet) as well as a dark comedy for adults (Bad Shabbos). â° Wednesday, Dec. 24, 3-6 p.m. đľ $10-$18 đ Kaiserman JCC
Part of a planned five-residence project, this newly built Narberth twin spans four levels. The main floor has a family room, dining room, and kitchen with a quartz island, high-end appliances, light and white wood cabinets, and a walk-in pantry. Its four bedrooms are spread across the second and third floors, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a double-sink vanity. It also has a finished lower level with a half bathroom, as well as a covered front porch. Its twin, which spans the same size, is also for sale.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirerâs high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Itâs a big week for a short stretch along Route 1, where two new businesses are opening. Food hall Wonder is hosting its grand opening today, and less than a mile down the road, Middletown Township has welcomed its first full-service hotel. Also this week, Nether Providence Township police are searching for the person who left a large amount of cash in aSouth Providence Road mailbox, plus Swarthmore College is mourning the death of a beloved former professor.
Eddie Jefferson is the operations leader at Wonder’s newest location, which opens today at the Promenade at Granite Run.
Good news for parents of chronically picky eaters: Wonder, the fast-growing food hall chain, opens at the Promenade at Granite Run today.
It will offer a wide-ranging array of foods from over a dozen restaurant brands, including Bobby Flay Steak, Detroit Brick Pizza Co., comfort food spot Bellies, and Burger Baby.
âI have children who never really could settle on the same food. So it was like, âOh this makes sense,ââ said Eddie Jefferson, the locationâs operations leader.
The new Hilton Garden Inn opened Tuesday in Middletown Township.
Middletown Townshipâs first full-service hotel opened this week at the former Franklin Mint site.
The long-planned 107-roomHilton Garden Innopens at a fortuitous time for the region, with a swell of tourists expected in 2026 for FIFA World Cup matches, semiquincentennial celebrations, the MLB All-Star Game, and the PGA Championship, The Inquirerâs Denali Sagner reports.
The new hotel also provides an additional option for local visitors, including those coming in for events at one of the countyâs 12 colleges and universities or visiting major corporations like Wawa, which has its campus just a short drive down the road.
Nether Providence Township released its 2026 budget, which calls for real estate millage of 3.7206, up from 3.5950 mills this year. Mill rates are used to calculate property taxes by charging the rate for every $1,000 in the value of a property. Recycling costs next year will decrease slightly to $116 per unit. See the full 2026 budget here.
Nether Providence police are investigating âa significant amount of cashâ left in the mailbox of a home on the 300 block of South Providence Road earlier this month and are looking for the publicâs help in identifying the man that left it. One theory about the mysterious cash is that perhaps it was left because the home was reportedly once a psychiatristâs office.
Heads up for drivers: Road closures will continue on Forge Road between Stephen Drive and Paul Lane in Middletown Township through Dec. 24 as contractors do work related to the water main replacement. Closures are taking place weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Riddle Hospital in Media is among Pennsylvaniaâs 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report released last week.
Speaking of Riddle, the hospital has made strides toward reducing nighttime noises. Once considered the loudest hospital in the region, only 12% of patients from a recent federal survey said the area around their room was âsometimesâ or âneverâ quiet, a decrease from the 26% who said it was noisy the year prior. See how Riddle compares to other hospitals in the region for nighttime noise.
Santa will join Middletown Fire Company No. 1 at 11 a.m. on Saturday to visit township residents.
đŤ Schools Briefing
Springton Lake Middle School was recently recognized among Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schoolsâ âSchools to Watchâ for the 2025-26 academic year. This is the third time Springton Lake has been recognized since the program was launched during the 2006-07 school year. It recognizes schools based on a number of factors, including academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structures and processes.
In Wallingford-Swarthmore, there are fifth grade winter band and chorus concerts today, a school board meeting Monday at 7 p.m., and winter classroom parties on Tuesday. WSSD begins its winter break on Wednesday. See the districtâs full calendar here.
In Rose Tree Media, winter parties kick off tomorrow and continue Monday, when there are also winter concerts. There are early dismissals Tuesday, and no afternoon kindergarten. RTMSDâs winter break begins Wednesday. See the districtâs full calendar here.
đ˝ď¸ On our Plate
For those in search of Christmas Eve reservations, Fava Ristorante Italiano and Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar, both in Glen Mills, will be open. Prefer to dine in? White Dog CafĂŠ, also in Glen Mills, is offering a âChristmas at Homeâ package with options for beef tenderloin, glazed ham, and beef lasagna. (Main Line Today)
đLenora: A One-Woman Christmas Carol: Kate Brennan puts a modern twist on A Christmas Carol with this show centered on a woman who gets trapped in her apartment on Christmas Eve and ends up assessing how technology and devices both connect and disconnect us. â° Thursday, Dec. 18, 12:30 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. đľ $21 đPark Avenue Community Center, Swarthmore
đ Hello, Dolly!: PCS Theater will put its spin on the hit musical. â° Friday, Dec. 19-Sunday, Jan. 4, times vary đľ $28.50-$30.50 đPCS Theater, Swarthmore
đŞ Teen Activity Days: Teens 13 to 18 can decorate holiday cookies at this monthâs event. â° Saturday, Dec. 20, 1-3 p.m. đľ Free đRocky Run YMCA, Media
đŤ Winter Solstice: Celebrate the darkest day of the year with luminary lights, poetry readings, and carolers. â° Saturday, Dec. 20, 5:30-8 p.m. đľ Free đPlum and State Streets, Media
đď¸Lights Out: A Very Valli Holiday: This tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons features classic hits and festive tunes, as well as audience participation. â° Saturday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m. đľ $41 đThe Media Theatre
The family room has a stone accent wall with a fireplace, exposed wood beams, and a staircase leading to a loft.
Located in Spring Oak Estates, this four-bedroom home feels light and bright thanks to a number of vaulted ceilings and skylights. The first floor features a two-story foyer, a living room with vaulted ceilings and a marble fireplace, a dining room, a kitchen with granite countertops, and a family room with exposed wood beams, vaulted ceilings, and a fireplace within a stone accent wall. It also has a spiral staircase leading to a loft. The primary suite, also with skylights, is on the first floor, while three additional bedrooms are upstairs. The home has a finished walk-out basement, a deck, and a fenced yard.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirerâs high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
We have news about the Phillies fortifying their bullpen and the Flyers losing a key player for the season, but letâs start todayâs Sports Daily with something completely different.
Billy Gordon was a basketball fanatic who connected with John Chaney when the Hall of Fame coach was at Cheyney State. Gordon had a deep love for the sport, and from 1986 to 2024 he recorded thousands of college basketball, NBA, and WNBA games on VHS tapes in his home.
After Gordon died in May, his uncle, Ron Hall, marveled at the collection in Gordonâs Cobbs Creek bedroom. âThe magnitude of what was here really hit me,â Hall said. âI was in disbelief that he had accumulated so much. That he had taken the time to collect so many things.â
The question is what to do with the VHS collection now. Hall wants to find a buyer who will share the passion his nephew had for decades. Someone who will honor his hobby and preserve it. Alex Coffey has the story.
Brad Keller gives manager Rob Thomson another proven veteran arm in the Phillies bullpen.
As recently as Tuesday, Phillies president Dave Dombrowski sounded like a man who didnât feel much of a sense of urgency with regard to his bullpen.
It was encouraging, then, when news leaked Wednesday that the Phillies were closing in on a two-year, $22 million contract for former Cubs setup man Brad Keller. Set aside the question of who Keller is and whether Rob Thomson can count on a repeat of the veteran rightyâs breakout 2025 campaign. The mere fact that the Phillies saw a pressing enough need to spend this sort of money on another reliever is commendable.
Flyers right wing Tyson Foerster leaves the ice after being injured on Dec. 1.
Wednesday brought a sobering blow to the Flyers, as the team announced that winger Tyson Foerster will miss the next five months after arm surgery, which will likely rule him out for the rest of the season.
The 23-year-old, who was leading the team with 10 goals at the time of his injury on Dec. 1, was initially expected to avoid surgery and miss two to three months of action.
In a positive for the Flyers, Rasmus Ristolainen came out of his first game action since March unscathed. The hulking defenseman said he felt good Tuesday night in his 19-plus minutes of action, while his physicality caught the eye of coach Rick Tocchet.
Jordan Davis has stabilized the Eagles’ defensive line, especially with Jalen Carter out.
Jordan Davis, who turns 26 next month, is having his best season with the Eagles. The defensive tackleâs weight loss and body change â Davis fell in love with Peloton workouts and lost 26 pounds in the offseason â has been well documented, but Davis also has found his voice as a positive force in the locker room.
âIâve always been happy-go-lucky, always been jovial,â he says. âItâs just now everyone is seeing it because Iâm so confident in the person I am.â
Also on the Eagles beat as they prepare to face the 4-10 Commanders:
Jalen Hurts is on the upswing, but the Eagles quarterback has faced a fair share of criticism this season. Hurts says he has not noticed at all.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who was out with an illness, liked what he saw from his team as he watched it play two games without him.
In the midst of an All-Star-caliber season, Tyrese Maxey missed two games this weekend because of an illness. He watched the Sixersâ win over the Pacers and loss against the Hawks from home, posting enthusiastically on social media from his couch. Maxey returned to practice Wednesday and said he was pleased with the teamâs performance during his absence.
âWhen I said [before the season that] I wanted stuff to look the same,â Maxey said, âI just wanted us to go out there and compete every single night. I donât want it to look like, âOh, this guyâs out. That guyâs out. So weâre just going to lay down, and the other teamâs going to beat us.â
âI think weâve kind of created that standard and done a good job of it. Itâs kind of coming to light, and now weâve got to keep doing it.â
Sports snapshot
Tyreek Chappell is a redshirt senior cornerback for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Dallas Goedert, A.J. Brown and the Eagles have suffered their share of frustrations in 2025, but there’s also been plenty of joy.
Contrary to much of the commentary and punditry, the Eagles are nearing the end of a very good season. Saquon Barkley isnât going to break rushing records this season, and the passing game hasnât equaled its pedigree, and the defense wonât finish ranked No. 1, but none of that matters. What matters is who they beat, who they lost to, and where they stand.
Theyâve beaten the Rams, Packers, and Buccaneers, all playoff teams. The Eaglesâ results through 15 weeks present a team that can become just the eighth franchise to win consecutive Lombardi Trophies, Marcus Hayes writes.
Join us before kickoff
Gameday Central: Eagles at Commanders
Live from Northwest Stadium:Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will preview the Eagles game against the Washington Commanders at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Tune in to Gameday Central.
What youâre saying about Adolis GarcĂa
We asked: What are your thoughts on the Philliesâ new outfielder? Among your responses:
Meh. We need Bader. This guy ainât Bader. â Tony R.
Iâll give him a chance, but it looks like replacing a guy on the downside of his career with a guy on the downside of his career, albeit a better fielder. â Joel G.
Another right fielder that doesnât hit consistently. Go for the gusto and not bandaids. â Tom G.
I was hoping for a more powerful right-handed hitter, but they are probably in great demand and maybe beyond Mr. Middletonâs present budget. Adolis Garcia has had some really good years in the past so letâs hope for the best. I am really disappointed thus far to see that we have not re-signed Bader. â Everett S.
Donât quite understand why the Phillies donât think that power hitting outfielders are a priority, since they really only have 2 power hitters in their lineup. â Bill M.
Yawn. â Doug R.
Nick Castellanos, left, and Adolis GarcĂa
At $10 million, he may be a better bet than the late blooming Max Kepler or the moping Nick Castellanos. With Justin Crawford slated to start in center, looks like the Phillies are no longer interested in Harrison Bader, who is looking for a rich multi-year deal. I like the move, if Adolis return to form, the Phillies may be the âbash brothersâ of 2026! â Bob C.
… Meanwhile, back at the farm, Harrison Bader remains unsigned. The best center fielder weâve had since the flyinâ Hawaiian. The good news is Jordan Romano is now a member of the Angels. Robbed the bank of $2 million. What great agents these players have. â Ronald R.
In spite of all of the modern metrics Iâm still a strong believer in batting average being a huge indicator of a playerâs offensive success and .227 is very concerning. So… if Crawford isnât expected to hit as well as he did in the minors and Marsh not yet proven to be a .300 hitter I would say that the outfield offensive production is going to be weak. â Bob A.
We compiled todayâs newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Alex Coffey, Devin Jackson, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Gustav Elvin, Dylan Johnson, and Sean McKeown.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thank you for reading Sports Daily. Bella will bring you the newsletter on Friday. â Jim
Tourists arriving in Philadelphia next year may find it easier and far more inviting to stroll through what is now a tucked-away stretch of Old City.
On Wednesday, the city launched construction on what officials call the Commerce Connector, a pedestrian path designed to guide visitors from the Independence Visitor Center to Carpenters Hall along a brickâlined walkway adorned with seating and ornamental plantings, while bypassing a congested area.
The city has allocated $2.7 million toward the project.
The project is spearheaded by the nonprofit Independence Historical Trust in collaboration with the city; Old City Green, a neighborhood beautification group; and Old City District, a business support organization.
Bill Marrazzo, chair of Independence Historical Trust, called the connector âan important step forward.â
âThe Commerce Connector enhances the visitor journey between some of Philadelphiaâs most treasured sites while also improving everyday walkability for residents and workers,â he said in a statement.
A rendering of a new connector pathway planned in Old City.
The bigger picture
The connector is part of a larger effort by the city and nonprofits, led by Independence Historical Trust, to craft a broader vision for the cityâs historical area. Some will be complete by the Semiquincentennial, and others might not.
That vision, which could take $100 million to implement, calls for more walkable and bike-friendly streets, new plazas, additional green spaces, and easier navigation to cultivate a sense of cohesiveness they say is lacking.
The Historical Philadelphia Vision Framework plan aims to create ways for people to âwayfindâ easy-to-follow, less car-centric routes through Independence National Historical Park, Old City, and other historic or local neighborhoods.
The current redo of Market Street in Old City, now under construction, is part of that. It will include a new Tamanend Plaza at Second and Market Streets, and a âroad dietâ to accommodate bike lanes. Workers were busy Thursday putting down blocks for the new plaza.
Work is also underway by the National Park Service at the Declaration House at Seventh and Market Streets, where Thomas Jefferson stayed while he wrote the famed document, and at the Benjamin Franklin Museum off Chestnut Street, both part of Independence National Historical Park. Also, the 25,000-square-foot, Greek Revival-style First Bank of the United States is undergoing $27 million in work, timed to reopen as a new park attraction for the Semiquincentennial.
Whatâs the route?
The roughly 2,000-foot-long Commerce Street foot path will lead travelers from the edge of the visitor centerâs lawn at Fifth Street, east across Market Street, and onto Commerce Street, now an unmarked alley that runs parallel to Market Street. From there, they will continue east before turning right onto another alley, which leads to Market Street.
A 2024 view of Commerce Street, an alley that starts on Fifth Street, midway between Arch and Market Streets. Commerce Street would become a way to connect Independence Visitor Center with Carpenters Hall under a plan led by Independence Historical Trust.
After crossing Market, they will cut through Franklin Court, cross Chestnut Street, and arrive at Carpenters Hall.
Once at the hall, visitors can branch out into the wider Independence National Historical Park and other notable areas.
Officials emphasize that the connector will deliver a mostly trafficâfree passage to Carpenters Hall in time for an anticipated surge in tourism tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Carpenters Hall was the site of the first Continental Congress in 1774.
A rendering of a new connector walking path being built in Old City.Commerce Connector pedestrian route through Old City.
Other enhancements
Officials say existing paving, benches, lighting, and plantings are all in poor condition.
The redesigned corridor will get new furnishings, better lighting for security, ornamental trees and bushes, and other enhancements to make it more inviting. It would include a âgathering areaâ and new entrances.
To slow traffic for pedestrians, a speed bump mid-block on Fifth Street would connect Independence Visitor Center and the alley. Another mid-block bump on Fourth Street would help pedestrians cross Market Street to Franklin Court.
Fourth Street would get a bike lane.
New signs would note area history.
The path would also help connect people to Christ Church Burial Ground, Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy Park, and the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center.
Construction is expected to be complete before July Fourth, ahead of the nationâs Semiquincentennial.
Carpenters Hall.
âThe Commerce Connector reflects our commitment to making Old City safer and easier to navigate for everyone,â said City Councilmember Mark Squilla, who helped secure funding.
Job Itzkowitz, executive director of Old City District, said the connector âstrengthens the backbone of Old City by transforming an underused passageway into a vibrant, welcoming public spaceâ that will make it easier for residents and tourists to move between iconic city sites.
Old City Green launched the early planning efforts for the corridor and will continue to help maintain the path.
âBy introducing new plantings, shade, and thoughtfully designed landscape elements, weâre creating a greener and more accessible environment for everyone who walks through this historic neighborhood,â said Joe Schiavo, vice president of Old City Green.
Adem Bona got Johni Broomeâs attention from across the 76ersâ locker room, subtly interrupting a conversation ahead of their Nov. 30 game against the Atlanta Hawks.
âIâm coming, Bona!â Broome hollered in response.
It was time for the young Sixers to head to chapel, which has become a pregame ritual. Jared McCain, VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, and Hunter Sallis joined them, too.
Those teammates have swiftly forged a bond through serious activities, such as tapping into their faith, and sillier ones, such as intense NBA 2K video game matchups. And everyday ones, such as bus rides and shared meals.
Outside belief that the Sixers are old and washed up is primarily used as a dig at the oft-injured (and max-salaried) Joel Embiid and Paul George. But these youngsters are debunking that notion and injecting energy â and promise â into their teamâs 14-11 start.
âWeâre all just kids,â Edgecombe recently told The Inquirer. âJust enjoying the moment. Knowing that weâre in the NBA, what we worked for our whole life. âŚ
âItâs just a natural bond, for real. Itâs no forced relationship.â
This contingent of the roster is made up of rookies Edgecombe, Broome, and Sallis; second-year players Bona, McCain, and Edwards; and two-way newcomers Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow. There is also a trio of 25-year-old âtweenersâ in star point guard Tyrese Maxey â who noted before the season that he has tried to pick up video games in an effort to connect with his younger teammates â along with Trendon Watford and Quentin Grimes.
The Sixersâ front office more deliberately course-corrected to this roster-building direction in the middle of last seasonâs 24-58 flop, citing a need for more players who were athletic and consistently available. Bona, McCain, and Edwards received legitimate minutes as first-year players. Edgecombe, the third overall pick in last summerâs draft, is averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4 assists as an instant-impact rookie. Barlow is a starter and arguably the Sixersâ biggest surprise so far this season, and Walker is part of the rotation.
The bulk of this 2025-26 group initially linked at the Sixersâ facility for summer league practices. Conversations while sticking around for cold-tub and treatment sessions spilled over to their newly created group chat, a playerâs home, or a local restaurant. They went through the two-week summer league odyssey from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. Then to workouts in Los Angeles, which included a Disneyland trip organized by Maxey. Then back to Philly for informal pickup games.
Sixers guards VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey talk strategy during an NBA game.
By the time training camp began in late September, those Sixers had already spent nearly three months together. And while the rookies had nothing to compare this early NBA chemistry-building to, Walker, now in his fourth season, called it âa different type of bondingâ while likening it to a college-team environment.
âSometimes, in other situations, you want to hurry up and get off the court and just go home,â Walker said. âIâve been wanting to lag behind, because thereâs so many different personalities. ⌠For things to happen like that so quick, you donât feel like youâre just coming to a job every day.
âI actually wake up like, âDang, Iâve got to tell Johni this when I get thereâ [or] âIâve got to tell Justin this.ââ
Coach Nick Nurse grinned when this topic was broached following an early-season practice. He said he first noticed the âentertainingâ connection among those players while on the bus heading to gyms in the summer. He added that they embody this staffâs 12-months-a-year philosophy, and helped set the tone for the Sixersâ commitment to âdig ourselves out of a holeâ following that disastrous 2024-25 season.
These days, Nurse said, there is a row of chairs along the practice court where those players frequently sit after their work is done.
âI go up there once in a while,â Nurse said, âand I say, âWhat are you guys doing over here?â And theyâre like, âWeâre just hanging out, Coach.â And Iâm like, âAll right, keep hanging out.ââ
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey and forward Trendon Watford have a close friendship on and off the court.
Once those players finally leave the Sixersâ facility for the day, they regularly hop on their video-game headset.
Unsurprisingly, NBA 2K is their top choice. In âMy Playerâ mode, Broome has an âeliteâ 7-foot-4 big man who can shoot. Sallis plays with a point guard âtrying to run the show.â Edgecombe has a variety of players, allowing for maximum versatility.
â[Weâll] be on the game 24/7,â Edwards said. âWeâll be on FaceTime, in the group chat, trying to see who wants to play. Thatâs a big thing that I feel like we didnât have last year.â
When asked who is the best gamer of the bunch, most provided the politically correct answer. Yet when told that Edwards brushed it off, Walker quipped that âJustin should âno commentâ that question.â And while bringing his voice down to a whisper inside a mostly empty postgame locker room, Edgecombe eventually revealed, âI think Iâm the best, though, to be honest with you. You can say [it].â
Gaming is how those youngsters also roped Sixers veterans â aka âUncsâ â George and Andre Drummond into their group. The 32-year-old Drummond said being around those playersâ lingo â Edwards recently started calling him âMuddy,â an apparent reference from his New York City relatives â music tastes, and overall energy is âwhy I call myself a young man.â George, 35, added that being immersed in a virtual environment away from the facility or Xfinity Mobile Arena has encouraged them all to open up and bridge age gaps.
âThatâs where kind of the trust and the relationship has grown,â George said. â … We shoot the [expletive] on the game, but then it carries over the next day and weâre looking forward to seeing each other. We laugh about what happened the night prior, and who [stunk], and who was trash.
âItâs a fun way and I think, for us, [itâs] just kind of expressing ourselves outside of the grind of the season.â
Now, such connections fuel aspects of those playersâ game-day routines.
Bona is the unofficial leader of the chapel âsafe space,â which last season quickly added McCain. The invites then extended to Broome, Edwards, Edgecombe, and Sallis, who now file out of the locker room about an hour before any gameâs tipoff.
âEveryone checks on each of us,â Bona said, âLike, âYo, weâve got five minutes!â Itâs amazing. Itâs a really good bonding activity together.â
Added Broome: âObviously, Iâm a rookie, so things kind of get a little tough and frustrating sometimes. So it just kind of keeps me grounded, keeps me on the right path, in the right direction. Keeps me encouraged.â
Those relationships also are noticeable inside the postgame locker room. Following a Nov. 25 blowout loss to the Orlando Magic, for instance, Barlow, Walker, and Broome sat huddled in a corner, immediately dissecting how the game got so out of hand. And after Embiidâs 39-point outburst against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, he was enthusiastically chatting with McCain and Edgecombe before heading to treatment.
âIâm happier coming in here,â Embiid said later that night. â… You look at the guy next to you, you want to always joke around, talk to them, and hang out. Being on the road and just chill, that goes a long way.
âI love all these guys in this locker room.â
A fair amount of credit for such vibes can go to the âkids,â who quickly bonded with one another and then injected energy into the start of the Sixersâ season.
âI can go [down] the list of young guys,â Drummond said. âIt really just keeps our whole team spirit high.â
Each of the cityâs libraries, from Bustleton to Kingsessing, is a neighborhood hub stocked with books, movies, magazines, video games, and other media that anyone with a library card can access. This year, the Free Library circulated 7.6 million items and hosted 1.7 million people across its 54 branches.
So what were your neighbors reading this year?
We asked the library for the most borrowed fiction, nonfiction, and video games across the city. (The numbers donât include e-books or audiobooks because theyâre handled by a third party.) Can you sort the lists below from most to least popular?
Fiction
Rank
Which was the most popular?
Library Checkouts
Your Ranking
Drag to reorder this list
1
2
3
4
5
6
Liz Moore
The God of the Woods
Percival Everett
James
Alison Espach
The Wedding People
Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping
Emily Henry
Great Big Beautiful Life
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Big Jim Begins
Liz Moore
The God of the Woods
Percival Everett
James
Alison Espach
The Wedding People
Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping
Emily Henry
Great Big Beautiful Life
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Big Jim Begins
The most checked-out print book of the year across all Phillyâs library branches â in any genre â was Liz Mooreâs 2024 The God of the Woods, a propulsive thriller about a girl who goes missing from a summer camp in 1975, eerily mirroring the disappearance of her brother from the same place 14years earlier.
âAn extraordinary storyteller, Philly would adore her transportive books even if she weren't an English professor at Temple,â said Kim Bravo, the Free Libraryâs adult materials selector.
Bravo said she was surprised that a few popular books, including Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, werenât also at the top of this yearâs list.
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Nonfiction
Rank
Which was the most popular?
Library Checkouts
Your Ranking
Drag to reorder this list
1
2
3
4
5
6
Tariq Trotter & Jasmine Martin
The Upcycled Self
Mel Robbins
The Let Them Theory
Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation
James Clear
Atomic Habits
Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance
John Green
Everything is Tuberculosis
Tariq Trotter & Jasmine Martin
The Upcycled Self
Mel Robbins
The Let Them Theory
Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation
James Clear
Atomic Habits
Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance
John Green
Everything is Tuberculosis
The most popular nonfiction book borrowed in Philly libraries this year was The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are by The Rootsâ Tariq âBlack Thoughtâ Trotter and Jasmine Martin.
The 2023 book traces Trotterâs life growing up in South Philly: âOur history leaks a particular radiation into the blood of those born within its city limits. Loyalty, fight, pride, honor,â he writes. The book was the libraryâs 2025 One Book, One Philadelphia selection.
The libraryâs adult nonfiction selector, Ai Leng Ng, said one surprising book that didnât make the list was Inner Excellence, by Jim Murphy, the self-help book that went viral after wide receiver A.J. Brown was seen reading it on the sidelines of an Eagles playoff game in January.
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Video Games
Rank
Which was the most popular?
Library Checkouts
Your Ranking
Drag to reorder this list
1
2
3
4
Nintendo
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
XBox Game Studios
Minecraft Legends
Sega
Sonic x Shadow Generations
Nintendo
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Nintendo
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
XBox Game Studios
Minecraft Legends
Sega
Sonic x Shadow Generations
Nintendo
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The most popular video game checked out this year was Nintendoâs 2023 Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a 2D adventure in the new, whimsical Flower Kingdom.
All the most checked-out video games were ones that could be played by gamers of all ages, said Kris Langlais, the libraryâs AV Selector. The top titles âalso have a nostalgic factor for our adult patrons.â
Langlais said that books set in the worlds of widely played video games, including the Five Nights at Freddyâs, Minecraft, and PokĂŠmon series, are also popular with patrons.
Thanks for playing! If you think you can hack it, head to our bonus round below and order the Dog Man graphic novel series from most to least popular.
Staff Contributors
Design and development: Charmaine Runes
Reporting and data: Zoe Greenberg
Editing: Sam Morris, Evan Weiss
Copy Editing: Brian Leighton
Bonus Round: Dog Man
The Dog Man graphic novel series is extraordinarily popular all over the country, including Philly. Here are five Dog Man books, each of which were checked out over 100 times across the local library system. Which was the hardest to get your hands on?
Rank
Which was the most popular?
Library Checkouts
Your Ranking
Drag to reorder this list
1
2
3
4
5
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Fetch 22
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Grime and Punishment
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Scarlet Shredder
Mo Willems
Dog Man: Mothering Heights
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Fetch 22
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Grime and Punishment
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties
Dave Pilkey
Dog Man: Scarlet Shredder
Mo Willems
Dog Man: Mothering Heights
The 14-part Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey features a part-man, part-dog hero.
âWeâre in the golden age of graphic novels for children. Most of the most heavily circulated childrenâs items this year were graphic novels, including graphic adaptations of popular fiction series like The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins, and Wings of Fire,â said Megan Jackson, the libraryâs middle grade selector.
As for Dog Man in particular, âDav Pilkey has been tapping into what kids want to read since Captain Underpants was first published in 1997â fast-paced, emotionally honest, hilarious stories that balance words and illustrations for multi-layered reading.â
In both West Philly and Northeast Philly, a Dog Man book was the top checked-out item across all genres.
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All year, when dinner goes exceptionally well, a big question pops into my mind: âIs this one of Philadelphiaâs Top 10 restaurants?â
Thatâs a lofty status to consider for any place, no doubt, but when you eat at nearly 400 restaurants a year as I do, it arises more frequently than you might expect. The quality of the cooking around here has simply gotten better than ever, in a vast range of styles and price points. So when I set out each year to define an elite group to represent that moment in Philly restaurant time, my mind is open to wherever the most magical dishes take me, to places old and new, where a kitchenâs creative touch pairs with genuine hospitality to elevate a mere dinner date into something truly special.
The process begins with the yearâs first-review meal bites, then truly kicks into gear during summer, when I begin circling back for revisits through at least two dozen promising candidates. Consistency and continuous growth matters.
Inevitably, an all-star lineup emerges that Iâm thrilled to present. And youâll see it when it lands next week.
But today I offer another list: Five special places that, for a variety of reasons, are still on the cusp of making the leap to the next level. This isnât an honorable-mention group so much as a future-cast of exciting places on the rise to watch, along with some standbys still worth celebrating. Iâd leap at a dinner invite to any one of them.
The hush puppies at Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckleâs bold move this year, from a West Philly market-cafe into a sprawling, art-filled space on North Broad Street, complete with an inventive bar and special-occasion prices, has given the chef duo of Omar Tate and Cybille St.Aude-Tate the room to fully realize their dynamic vision of an immersive destination celebrating the culture of the Black American diaspora. One moment youâre eating house-cured country ham over airy hush puppies, the next youâre devouring Haitian-spiced roast chicken or Mississippi Delta-style hot tamales â stuffed here with wagyu beef cheeks and oxtail. Yes, the $65 âMcDonaldâs Moneyâ burger is an audacious stack of truffled, gold-foiled caviar bling, but itâs also a wry Eddie Murphy reference and a juicy emblem of Honeysuckleâs potential. An anticipated shift from the original $95 prix fixe to an a la carte menu in 2026 shows Honeysuckle is still seeking the ideal format for its new home. An expected 15% dip in check average should fill more seats, while a revival of its ambitious âUNTITLED.â tasting menus assures this uniquely creative kitchen will still be pushing boundaries. 631 N. Broad St., 215-307-3316, honeysucklephl.com
Sesame madeleines with ras el hanout butter at Emmett
Emmett
Philly already has a vibrant Mediterranean dining scene, but Emmett, one of the yearâs best new restaurants, offers an original take, from warm sesame madeleines with smoked vadouvan butter to dumplings stuffed with cuminy sujuk sausage. Here youâll find sticky toffee pudding in Turkish coffee caramel and clever nods from chef Evan Snyder to his love of Jewish deli (wagyu tartare in horseradish-dusted rye tartlets? Yes!). With polished service and a thematically tuned drink program dusted with Levantine spice, this intimate Olde Kensington corner once occupied by Cadence feels like a special-occasion destination again. If Snyder continues refining his sometimes overly busy plates, Emmett can take the next step. 161 W. Girard Ave., 215-207-0161, emmettphilly.com
Assorted dishes including the Wood Fire Pulpo at Ama on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Philadelphia.
AmĂĄ
Frankie Ramirez turned out some of the most memorable and beautiful dishes of the year â squash blossom tlayudas, lamb neck barbacoa â from the live fires of his chef-owner debut, a stylish, modern Mexican newcomer in Fishtown. The chefâs growth since his previous post at LMNO has been stunning, with food that is both personal and daring, like the milpa salad laced with huitlacoche and grasshoppers. The majestic grilled whole octopus that arrives beside a dish of gingery black coconut rice mixed with smoky bits of octopus head is simply a showstopper. This restaurant is large, and itâs not yet as complete as it can be, but with a little more time to hone its service and beverage program, AmĂĄ stands tobecome the upscale Mexican restaurant Philadelphians brag about most. 101 W. Oxford St., 215-933-0707, amaphl.com
Lamb with purgatorio beans and peperoni cruschi at Andiario in West Chester
Andiario
Every meal at this gem in downtown West Chester is an inspirational experience of handcraft, restraint, and intimate hospitality, as chef Anthony Andiarioâs team cooks weekly-changing four-course menus that spontaneously channel the best of Pennsylvaniaâs seasonal bounty through a rustic Italian lens. My revisit this fall lived up to that standard, with toothy, hand-rolled rigatoni in ânduja-sparked roasted pepper sauce and a succulent strip steak roasted over the live fire hearth. Add in outgoing service, a cushy dining room, and exceptional wines chosen by the chefâs wife and partner, Maria Van Schaijik, and dinner at Andiario is still a delight. It hasnât regressed at all â it was a resident on my Top 10 list the past two years â but competition this year for an ever-evolving group was simply tighter than ever. 106 W. Gay St., West Chester, 484-887-0919, andiario.com
The green salad at Meetinghouse
Meetinghouse
While many Philadelphia chefs are now ratcheting up their gastro ambitions and tasting menus to reach for Michelin stars, Drew DiTomo is focused on polishing the simple, affordable neighborhood bar â an essential source of sustenance and down-to-earth character for this cityâs food soul. Meetinghouse is just that kind of place, where the candlelit vibes are warm and cozy, the drink program is impressively focused and quirky, and the âless is moreâ aesthetic is deliberate in revived retro dishes that are as good as they can be, from a roast beef sandwich and baked clams to turkey cutlets, broiled cod, and a destination-worthy green salad. Thursdays are baked cheeseburger nights! 2331 E. Cumberland St., no phone, meetinghousebeer.com
Last year, Jordan Davis often was not in the room.
Reporters typically are inside the Eagles locker room three days per week for 45 minutes during the regular season, but Davis typically would be anywhere else in the building but at his locker stall. Who could blame him? He was a third-year defensive tackle whose playing time had been cut, who wasnât in good enough shape.
Vic Fangioâs defense was ascending, but Davis, the 13th overall pick in 2022, mostly was an afterthought. The Eagles had Jalen Carter and Milton Williams leading the way in the interior, a group of edge rushers that got after opposing quarterbacks, revelations at linebacker in Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun, and two rookies in the secondary, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who made an immediate impact.
Then there was Davis, who basically was just one of the guys, a rotational defensive tackle who wasnât overly interested in talking about the ups and downs and all that comes with not living up to your perceived potential.
This year? Itâs hard to miss Davis. He is often the loudest voice in the room, bouncing around and joking with his teammates. He holds court in front of cameras at his locker. He is one of the faces and voices of a defense that hasnât allowed a touchdown in 20 consecutive drives.
Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis (right) walks onto the field before facing the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 10.
âI had to make sure that everything around me was good,â Davis said Wednesday. âHad to make sure my body was right, I was living right, before I could really speak my voice. Iâve been this way since I got here, but now I think everybody is kind of just rallying behind me because theyâve seen the work thatâs been put in, theyâve seen the work thatâs being put in daily, and they see the consistency.
âItâs one thing to just hear it from a voice. But itâs another thing when heâs really believing, when heâs really living it, and heâs making decisions, making progress in terms of the way he wants to live his life.â
This Davis, the one the public gets to see more, has always been there, Davis said.
âIâve always been happy-go-lucky, always been jovial,â he said. âItâs just now everyone is seeing it because Iâm so confident in the person I am.â
âHeâs able to be himselfâ
Baun can see the changes in Davis, and he recognizes where it has come from because he saw the same thing with his own path last year. Baun was at a crossroads when the Eagles signed him to a one-year deal. Was he an edge rusher? Was he a linebacker? Would he be a special teamer and backup?
Fangio thought heâd work best as an off-ball linebacker â and was right â but it wasnât until Baun got into a groove that the then-27-year-old on a young defense felt comfortable being a leader.
âI think it happens to anyone, even not playing a sport,â Baun said. âAs soon as you start feeling more confident in yourself â for him, whether it was playing better or losing weight and then playing better â then you start adding stuff to your plate. But you have to take care of yourself and do what you need to do first. Then you can be a leader.â
Zack Baun and Jordan Davis have found their voices as leaders on the Eagles defense.
Defensive tackle Byron Young said he began to notice a change in Davis toward the end of last year when he started to lose weight. Davis struggled for large stretches of the 2024 season. After Week 14, he played more than 18 snaps in a game just once, in Week 18, when the Eagles were playing their backups. Davisâ work on himself had already started, and his confidence, Young said, âwas obvious.â
Despite his limited workload, Davis produced. He had three pressures and a sack in the NFC championship game, then another sack in the Super Bowl.
Davis then showed up for training camp with a new body, a new level of confidence, and a bigger voice.
âHe always has so much more energy,â Young said. âHeâs able to be himself out there because heâs not worried about being tired all the time. Heâs been a lot more vocal, a lot more of himself, and thatâs something thatâs good to see. You want to see guys being confident and being themselves.â
Davis usually is joking around in the locker room, but he knows when to turn it off and get serious, Young said. Other times, he might need a gentle reminder from defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.
Davisâ energy has a domino effect, Young said.
âIt feeds into everybody else because everybody else feels how confident he is in himself and how confident he is in everyone else,â Young said. âThen you see how much fun he has when heâs out there playing, it makes everyone have fun. I think itâs something that has helped our defense a lot this year.â
âReflection comes at the endâ
Rewind to the start of training camp. Williams left in free agency for a big payday, and the Eagles didnât do much in the way of backfilling. Now imagine Carter missing games in the homestretch of the season. Back then, scary hypothetical. Now, with Carter recovering from procedures on his shoulders, the emergence of Davis and Moro Ojomo has the defensive line barely missing Carterâs presence.
Nolan Smith sacked Kenny Pickett on Sunday, but he was one-on-one partially because of the bodies Davis occupied in the middle of the line. A week earlier vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, Davis tallied a career-high six pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. It was the first game that Davis registered more than four pressures in a game, and heâs already at 23 pressures on the season, eight more than he had in all of 2024.
Jordan Davis returns a field goal block for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sept. 21.
âI think heâs definitely taken a step,â Baun said. âHeâs confident in himself and he knows the plays he can make, what heâs good at, what heâs not good at, and heâs taking advantage.â
Davis took a more intentional approach with him into the 2025 season, he said.
âThis year,â Davis said, âI was like, âAll right, Iâm the oldest guy in the room. I got to do something different. I want to do something different so I can be different, so I can lead different.â This was just the year to do it, and hopefully there are many more years to come.â
The Eagles picked up Davisâ fifth-year option in the offseason, keeping him under team control through the 2026 season. Davis has spent the 2025 season making that decision look like the right one, and probably earning himself a lot of money on his next deal in the process.
Heâs played in all 14 games and has six pass deflections, 4½ sacks, 59 tackles (seven for loss), and six quarterback hits. He has played 62% of the defensive snaps after only playing 37% last season. All of those numbers are career-highs. Davis has a legitimate Pro Bowl case.
Has he stopped at all to ruminate in all thatâs happened over the past year?
âReflection comes at the end,â Davis said. âFor right now, just keep chugging. Keep trucking.â
When the time to reflect comes, youâll know where to find him. He wonât be hiding.
Billy Gordon was surrounded by the tapes. They were the first thing he saw in the morning, and the last thing he saw at night. His bedroom, in the basement of his grandmotherâs Cobbs Creek home, was not big; maybe 190 square feet, if that.
But he found enough space for the thousands of basketball games heâd recorded from 1986 to 2024, all on VHS. Each tape came with a neatly written label, noting the name of the event, the teams who played, each teamâs record, and the final score.
They were carefully placed into black crates, organized by year, and stacked on top of one another, creating a technicolor tapestry around his bed. It was an unconventional hobby, but Gordon loved it.
His family wasnât surprised. Gordon, who worked as a baggage handler at Philadelphia International Airport, was a diehard sports fan with an encyclopedic mind. He could remember statistics about any athlete, no matter how obscure.
Billy Gordon made meticulous notations on the tapes he stored neatly for five decades inside his Cobbs Creek home.
So, it only made sense that heâd spend his free time collecting archival footage of everything from Super Bowl XXXIII to his alma mater, Cheyney, to Pepperdine vs. Loyola Marymount in 1987.
âHe didnât miss very much,â said Gordonâs uncle, Ron Hall.
Hall and Gordon lived together in Cobbs Creek for about 15 years. Neither had a traditional work schedule. Hall was a union carpenter who traveled for jobs; Gordon picked up night shifts at the airport.
But in the moments they did overlap, theyâd watch games, often with pizza and chicken wings. This tradition continued through the winter of 2024, when Gordon was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. The illness quickly worsened, and he was moved to a nursing home in King of Prussia.
As he lay in his hospital bed, hooked to a respirator, Hall sat beside him. They cheered on whatever local team was playing that day: the Eagles, Phillies, or 76ers.
âJust to let him know that people love him,â his uncle said.
Gordon died earlier this year, in May, at age 66. He was buried in his blue-and-white Cheyney track suit.To Hall, it was like a losing a brother. It took him months to even step into that basement bedroom.
Once he did, he was stunned. He always knew that his nephew had a VHS collection, but didnât realize the full extent of it until then.
âThe magnitude of what was here really hit me,â he said. âI was in disbelief that he had accumulated so much. That he had taken the time to collect so many things.â
âA love for the gameâ
Gordon was born and raised in a sports-loving household. His grandmother, Vernese,was an avid Phillies fan. Hall was too, and would bring his nephew to different ballparks.
After graduating from John Bartram High School in the 1970s, Gordon went on to Cheyney, where he studied industrial arts. It was there that his love for sports information really blossomed.
The young college student had the fortune of overlapping with John Chaney, who was coaching Cheyneyâs menâs basketball team.
Billy Gordon followed John Chaney’s career closely after their personal interactions during Chaney’s time at Gordon’s alma mater.
The Wolves were nothing short of dominant. Chaney led them to a 225-59 record from 1972 to 1982, with eight tournament appearances and one NCAA Division II championship.
Gordon was not athletically inclined, certainly not enough to play on Chaneyâs team. But he liked to hang out around the gym and developed a rapport with the players and coaches.
He also showed an attention to detail to which Chaney gravitated.
âHe had such a love for the game, and knew the game so well, that he could point something out to this player, that player,â Hall said. â[He] really was just being an asset to the coaching staff.â
Chaney invited Gordon to work at his summer camp, which he ran with Sonny Hill throughout the Philadelphia area.The zealous sports fan couldnât believe his luck. Heâd help with drills, but he also took pride in the little things: packing lunches, inflating basketballs, and setting up exercise equipment.
The coaches of the Chaney-Hill summer camp. Gordon is pictured second from the right, with the basketball between his ankles
On rainy days, when the kids couldnât play outside, Gordon would pop one of his tapes into the VCR.
âOld Temple games,â said his friend, Mia Harris. âJust so the kids could learn.â
She said that Gordon worked with Chaney and Hill from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. The camp was the highlight of his summer; an opportunity to get to know the legends of the Philadelphia basketball scene.
âThey made him feel like a part of the team, even though he wasnât a player,â Harris said. âHe even wore a whistle. That tickled me.â
It was around this time that Gordon started building his VHS collection. He began taping bigger events â the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, Super Bowl XXII â but basketball was always the bedrock.
He captured the dominance of Michael Jordan, the fearlessness of Kobe Bryant, and every March Madness Cinderella story since the mid-1980s. He chronicled the NBA Finals, the WNBA Finals, and a slew of conference college basketball games.
The sheer number of tapes and labels was dizzying (Hall estimated that his nephew had 40 crates). But upon closer inspection, a trend emerged.
Chaney was hired as head coach of Temple in 1982, a job he kept until 2006. Among the stacks were pockets of his time there: Mark Maconâs first game for the Owls in 1987; the teamâs first loss of that historic season, to UNLV, on Jan. 24, 1988.
Gordon recorded years of Temple vs. Illinois, Temple vs. Duquesne, Temple vs. Penn State. There even was a sit-down interview with Chaney, from the late 1980s.
These tapes stuck out. Gordon didnât personally know any of the NBA greats he filmed. He didnât know the WNBA stars, either. But he did know John Chaney, long before he became a national figure. And he never forgot him.
Finding a new home
A few months after Gordon died, Hall began to sort through his nephewâs things. It was an emotionally taxing process.
The retired carpenter donated Gordonâs winter coats and appliances to a local menâs shelter in Southwest Philadelphia. He gave his summer gear to a nonprofit that sends gently used clothing to Liberia.
Billy Gordon’s crates, filled with various tapes of NCAA, NBA, and WNBA games from 1986 to 2024, are awaiting what his family believes is the right price and the right home.
Gordonâs sneaker collection went to Hallâs son, Gamal Jones, and his food was delivered to charity.
The only thing left was the thousand-tape-elephant-in-the-room. Jones looked at his father.
âWhat do you want to do?â he asked.
âI have no idea,â Hall responded.
Jones listed Gordonâs tape collection on Facebook Marketplace, for the modest sum of $123. The response exceeded the familyâs expectations.
They received almost a dozen messages, from NBA superfans, collectors, and archivists. Some offered to travel to Cobbs Creek to assess the collection in person.
Hall recognizes that his nephewâs trove is worth more than $123. But he says this isnât about the money.
He wants to find a buyer who will share the same passion that Billy Gordon had for 38 years. Someone who will honor his hobby and preserve it.
âHe probably would want it to go to somebody that was as enthusiastic about it as he was,â Hall said. âThat could really appreciate the time, the energy, that he put in to collect all these.â
There are few facades more iconic in Bryn Mawr than the marquee of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute (BMFI), an enduring Main Line institution and watering hole for cinephiles from across the region.
BMFI has turned 20, marking two decades of the nonprofit community theater founded by Juliet Goodfriend in 2005. In the early 2000s, Goodfriend found herself dismayed when a historic movie theater in neighboring Ardmore was converted into a short-lived gym. To protect Bryn Mawrâs historic Seville Theatre from the same fate, Goodfriend rallied a team of local stakeholders around the theater. In December 2004, BMFI purchased the Seville, and in March 2005, the film institute opened its doors. Today, BMFI screens new and historic films, hosts lectures, teaches courses for children and adults, and celebrates the art of the film.
âIt means a lot ⌠to see what this place has become through the generous support and engagement of the community,â said Andrew J. Douglas, deputy director of the film institute who has worked at BMFI since it first opened.
To celebrate BMFIâs 20th anniversary, its staff compiled a list of 20 of the most iconic films the theater has screened, from Philly-based flicks to beloved musicals:
âBlue Velvetâ
If thereâs an iconic filmmaker with a Philadelphia connection, itâs the late David Lynch, said Jacob Mazer, BMFIâs director of programs and education.
Blue Velvet is Lynchâs 1986 mystery thriller. It follows college student Jeffrey Beaumont after he discovers a severed ear in a vacant lot in his suburban hometown and is drawn into a dark world of crime.
âWhen we look at this arc of [Lynchâs] career, itâs really the film where he finds his way,â Mazer said.
Lynch began his filmmaking career in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and regularly discussed basing his landmark debut Eraserhead on the city in the 1970s. When Lynch returned to Philly for a retrospective of his work at PAFA in 2014, he visited BMFI for a screening of his films and a Q&A session with the audience. Blue Velvet was the first film BMFI played to commemorate Lynch after his death in January.
âThe Philadelphia Storyâ
Thereâs a lot of local love for The Philadelphia Story, George Cukorâs 1940 romantic comedy set on the Main Line and based on the life of socialite Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, said Gina Izzo, BMFIâs communications director.
Plus, Izzo added, âItâs funny. It holds up.â
âLawrence of Arabiaâ
The annual summer screening of David Leanâs 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia is the oldest-running BMFI tradition. Itâs a movie that is just ânot done justice on a small screen,â said Mazer.
âThe Sound of Musicâ
Each December, lovers of The Sound of Music descend on BMFI for what Izzo describes as an âinteractive screeningâ of the 1965 musical directed by Robert Wise. Over the course of three hours and many songs, The Sound of Music tells the World War II-era story of Maria (Julie Andrews), a young woman who becomes a governess for the von Trapps, an aristocratic Austrian family.
At the annual Christmastime screening at BMFI, moviegoers sing along from their seats and, each year, wear increasingly elaborate costumes. Last year, there were nuns, goats, and âbrown paper packages tied up with stringsâ (a la the song âMy Favorite Thingsâ). The showings sell out months in advance.
As Izzo put it, âItâs sort of our Rocky Horror Picture Show equivalent.â
âHarold and Maudeâ
Hal Ashbyâs Harold and Maude has been a mainstay at the Seville Theatre since it was released in 1971. It was the last movie shown on the Sevilleâs single screen before the theater was twinned (split into two screening rooms) in the 1980s.
âHarold and Maude just comes back again and again and again” in the theaterâs history, said Mazer. âItâs one of the quintessential cult movies.â
A view from one of the projection booths inside the Bryn Mawr Film Institute in Bryn Mawr on March 8, 2018.
âCasablancaâ
Michael Curtizâs 1942 romantic-drama Casablanca is âone of the great examples of the difference [between] seeing a movie in a theater with other people versus by yourself at home,â said Douglas.
BMFI screens Casablanca every summer, and Douglas teaches an annual lecture on the film. When he watches Casablanca at BMFI, Douglas says he regularly hears people sniffling at sad moments or guffawing at funny ones, a stark comparison to the muted reactions one often has from the comfort of their own couch.
âYouâre reminded how funny it is, youâre reminded how moving it is, and youâre reminded, in a sense, how human it is,â he said.
âThe Grand Budapest Hotelâ
Why include Wes Andersonâs 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel? Put simply, people just love Wes Anderson, Izzo said.
â2001: A Space Odysseyâ
Stanley Kubrickâs 2001: A Space Odyssey was the first film shown at the theater after it developed the capacity to screen 70 mm film. Mazer called the 1968 movie an âiconic filmâ in cinematic history.
âSilver Linings Playbookâ
In a way, Silver Linings Playbook is a âmodern-day Philadelphia Story,â said Douglas. The 2012 film, directed by David O. Russell, follows Pat Solitano Jr. (Bradley Cooper), recently released from a psychiatric hospital who works to win back his estranged wife, and Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a young widow also struggling with mental illness, as she prepares for an upcoming dance competition.
Philadelphiaâs favorite rom-com is an homage to Delco, Eagles fans, and the Montgomery County-born-and-raised Cooper. Itâs a âlocal guy makes goodâ story, Douglas said, referring to Cooper. Itâs also the highest grossing main attraction in BMFI history.
âFor our community, it was an enormously meaningful movieâ” Douglas said.
âLa La Landâ
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known as Pasek and Paul, are a composing and songwriting duo responsible for the lyrics in La La Land, the acclaimed 2016 musical directed by Damien Chazelle.
Pasek is âBryn Mawrâs son,â Izzo said. The composer graduated from Friends Central, the Wynnewood Quaker school, and is a longtime supporter of BMFI. When Pasek and Paul won an Oscar for the movie, everybody at home âhad a little piece,â said Izzo.
âBarbieâ
Greta Gerwigâs 2023 Barbie felt like the âbig wave back after the pandemic,â Izzo said. People dressed in pink and flocked to the movies after months of isolation and uncertainty.
Parasite, Bong Joon Hoâs 2019 South Korean Oscar winner, was the third-longest running main attraction in BMFI history with a 16-week run.
âWe were proud to show that one,â Izzo said. âIt was very popular here.â
âRockyâ
Rocky, the 1976 film directed by John G. Avildsen about boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), may seem like an obvious addition to any Philly-area iconic movies list. But the local history behind the movie is deeper than meets the eye, Mazer said.
Rocky was one of the first to be filmed with the Steadicam, a revolutionary invention of Garrett Brown, a Haverford High School graduate and prolific Philadelphia inventor. The Steadicam, created by Brown in 1975, is a camera stabilizing device that revolutionized the movie industry, allowing filmmakers to shoot scenes without having to mount cameras onto cranes or dollies.
In testing out his new invention, Brown shot various scenes around Philadelphia, including one of his future wife running up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. That scene would later become an iconic motif of Rocky, shot by Brown.
âItâs this place where film history and Philadelphia history really connect,â Mazer said.
Brown is a friend of BMFI and has given numerous lectures at the theater, including for the 40th anniversary of Rocky.
âSupermanâ
James Gunnâs 2025 Superman is another story of a local hero. David Cornswet, who played Superman, was raised in Lower Merion and graduated from the Shipley School, a Bryn Mawr private school. Cornswet hosted a friends and family debut of Superman at BMFI.
âBrooklynâ
Brooklyn, John Crowleyâs 2015 period drama, stars Saoirse Ronan as Ellis Lace, a young Irish immigrant to New York City. The movie was immensely popular at BMFI, said Izzo.
âOn the Waterfrontâ
Elia Kazanâs 1954 crime drama On the Waterfront helped revolutionize BMFIâs educational programming. The film was the first of the theaterâs one-night seminars, during which moviegoers listen to a short lecture, sit for a screening, and then stay for a discussion. Now, theyâre a popular part of the theaterâs educational menu.
âRBGâ
RBG, Julie Cohen and Betsy Westâs 2018 documentary about late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was the highest-grossing documentary screening in BMFI history. Itâs also in the top 20 of the highest-grossing screenings in the theaterâs history (including movies and documentaries).
National Theatre Live: âThe Audienceâ
Though movies are at the core of BMFIâs work, the theater has expanded its repertoire to include cinematic presentations of ballet, theater, opera, and behind-the-scenes tours of art museums, all filmed and fit for the movie screen. BMFIâs most popular alternative program to date was a screening of The Audience, a 2013 play starring Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. BMFI sold out 13 showings of the show.
Izzo and Douglas said the screenings help transport locals to places that can be difficult to get to â New York Cityâs Broadway, Londonâs West End, or European museums.
âEven at current prices, itâs still a tremendous bargain for access to the arts,â said Douglas.
âMetropolitanâ
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Whit Stillmanâs 1990 movie Metropolitan, the director visited BMFI in 2022 for a screening of the film and Q&A with the audience. Metropolitan follows the Sally Fowler Rat Pack, a group of young Manhattan socialites in the throes of debutante season.
Stillmanâs visit to BMFI âwas the beginning of a really nice friendship,â Mazer said.
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