The British Invasion at Iron Hill will go down on Saturday, January 24th from 1 to 5 PM,.

They'll be serving a traditional British-inspired menu with English-style beers on tap.

King of the Hill Exclusive: Winston Churchill on tap exclusively for members. 

Join the Conversation: #BritishInvasion2015. 

The Bistro On Bridge has 21 rotating drafts. Here's what ON TAP now...

HIGHEST RATED:
Founders Backwoods Bastard  (Beer Advocate Rating of 96)
Victory Hop Ranch IPA  (Beer Advocate Rating of 94)
Evil Twin Femme Fatale Yuzu (Beer Advocate Rating of 92)

ALSO:
Ballast Point Victory at Sea
Nogne – O Winter Ale
The Bruery 7 Swans-A-Swimming
Stillwater Autumnal
Clown Shoes Extremely Angry Beast
Allagash Brewing Company Fluxus
Jack’s Fireside Hard Cider
Ballast Point Grunion Pale Ale
4 Hands Chocolate Milk Stout
Mikkeller Red/White Christmas
Ninkasi Dawn of the Red
Carton of Milk Stout Nitro
Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper
Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper
Yuengling Lager
Carton Gilded Lilly
Evil Twin Femme Fatale Noir
Dogfish Head Beer Thousand

This Friday at 9 PM at The Polish Club (328 High Street) party with Tony Cadaver as he plays all your favorites in punk, glam, new wave, ska, hardcore and metal! 

Also since its Elvis' birthday on the 8th he will be spinning some classics from the king as well as tracks from the one and only John Barlow who died a year ago this week.

It's 21+ only and it's FREE! You can RSVP HERE

Phoenixville Dish reports:
As Phoenixville says goodbye to the authentic Mexican cuisine at Hacienda La Michoacana, they’re preparing for some Latin flare to spice up their lives. Buho’s Latin Fusion & Bar will be calling Bridge Street home in the very near future. After Buho’s Mexican Restaurant in Exton celebrated their three year anniversary, it’s no surprise to us that they’re spreading their wings into other parts of Chester County. 

The SIPS After Dark Lounge Event promises a night of libations, light fare (see menu below), and the soothing sounds of Dave Blanko from The Thrifty Discount DJs. 

There will be extensive selection of liquor with mix and match flights on selected scotch, bourbon, rum, tequila, cognac, etc. 

Weather permitting, the outside patio will be open for cigar smoking by the fire pit.

RSVP HERE

Celebrate nineteen years of Sly Fox this Friday (starting at 11:30) with an extensive list of rare beers, flights and chef's special pairings, and the release of their 19th Anniversary Ale!

This Saturday, December 6th marks the date of Phoenixville's beloved Firebird Festival, a celebration that represents the borough's namesake - the Phoenix. Now in its 11th year, the festival held at Friendship Field (at the corner of Franklin and Fillmore) seeks to foster a collaboration of local artistic and creative talent, and to enhance the cultural life of Phoenixville. A recent short film that details the year-long process can be viewed HERE.   

This year, the Firebird Festival met its crowd-funding campaign goal of $5,000 on Indiegogo; A true triumph given the fact that 9 of the 10 previous years were not given financial support. The funding will go towards insurance, portable restrooms, a stage and sound system for performers, compensation for performers, and construction materials, just to name a few. It should also be mentioned that festival is run entirely by volunteers, from the designing of the Phoenix, to the construction, through the running of the actual festival. This year’s Phoenix is over 30 feet tall and features a moving head.

Henrik Stubbe Teglbjaerg, festival organizer, says, "The festival is an excuse for our community to come together and celebrate life and our creativity. The real festival is all the preparation, where so many pitch in to make it work, and we get to stretch our imagination. I grew up in Denmark where we have all this tradition and how you're supposed to do things, but here (in America) there's this blank slate where anything is possible and you can come up with a crazy idea and run with it." Teglbjaerg’s "crazy" idea of the Firebird Festival has gained a healthy momentum since its inception and peaked in 2012 with a record attendance of over 16,000 people, which is nearly the entire population of the town.

In a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Alan J. Heavens writes, "Of all the reemerging boroughs in the Philadelphia area, Phoenixville may be the coolest, and not just because the Colonial Theatre remains 'healthfully' air conditioned. Where else do thousands gather every December, snow or not, to celebrate the rise from the ashes of this former industrial powerhouse by burning a giant wooden phoenix?"

The year, in celebration of the event, there will be over 100 performers from 3 PM to 7 PM in various venues and on the sidewalks of Bridge Street downtown Phoenixville. Food Vendors will be set up from 3 pm till 10 pm: Uncle B's BBQ Shack, GiGi & Big R Soul / Caribbean Food Truck, Just Jackie's Food Truck, Undrgrnd Donuts, Pbons Fresh Phood, The Cow and the Curd, The Sunflower Truck Stop, and others. At 7:30, an impromptu parade of performers, dancers, etc will make its way from Bridge Street over the Gay Street Bridge and up to Friendship Field. There will be three shuttle buses running from Bridge Street to the Firebird site. A map of the parade route and shuttle bus route can be found HERE. Finally, the lighting of the Phoenix will commence around 8:15 PM.

Teglbjaerg says, "Every year has been different with different challenges and opportunities. The good will toward the festival remains a constant. New people get involved, as the awareness of the festival grows. Where we are heading into the future with the festival, I don't know. My main objective is the community, not the festival, so where do we want to go? We humans can be incredible generous when there is a good will. It is heartwarming to experience such an out pour of contributions in so many different ways. As a community, we can be proud of ourselves. Thank you to all of you."

For additional photos and info, please visit the festival Facebook page HERE

(Please support the performers by tipping them!)

Bridge Street performers & festivities: 
Kingsessing Morris Men, fire spinners, jugglers and musicians    

Phoenix Village Art Center (207 Bridge Street):
3 – 7 PM - Open bluegrass jam facilitated by Raven Hill     

Retold Tales Booksellers (116 E. Bridge Street):
3 - 4:30 PM - Ziggy Isaacs, jazz guitarist
Story telling by Julie Winkler

Eco Community Center (252  Bridge Street):
3 – 7 PM - Open Drum circle (BYOD)
3:30 - 4 PM - Dagmar Hoell telling the adapted Lenni Lenape story " Rainbow Crow"

Mindful Body and Soul (321 Bridge Street):
3 - 5:30 PM - Belly dancing

Taste Winery (236 Bridge Street):
3:30 – 5 PM - Andrew Smith, originals & covers 
5:30 – 7 PM - Jessica Forget, indie-style covers

The Humane Society (12 S. Main Street):
3 - 5 PM - Eileen Tipping, eclectic fusion of Jazz, Blues, Folk, Country and Rock

Steel City (203 Bridge Street):
3:30 - 5:30 PM - Tres Compadres, modern flamenco ensemble       

Phoenix Karate Center (224 Bridge Street):
3:30 – 5:30 PM - Stephen Dijoseph, multi-instrumentalist / composer / producer 
5:30 - 7 PM - Ebsquash, blues-style originals and covers 

Modhouse Vintage (32 Gay Street):
3:30 - 5 PM - Joy Ike, celebrated pianist / singer / songwriter featured on NPR’s All Things Considered

The Wallace Brothers Band will bring their self-described psychedelic-country music to the Pickering Creek Inn on the evening of Saturday November 22nd. The Philadelphia Weekly says, "With a sound that falls somewhere in the murky alt-country camp, The Wallace Brothers Band certainly knows how to keep a crowd entertained. Their past showcases have had enough sweet harmonizing, guitar twanging and whiskey shots to make even the staunchest flannel-wearing hillbilly proud."

Two twin brothers, Zachary and Colby Wallace and their Vietnamese cohort, Khoa 'Lucky' Pham, are not who you might expect to be writing and performing songs about sleeping in a car, being broke and happy, love so strong it hurts, traveling the world, and spending the night in the pen, but the band sure enough does live the life they sing about. Their wanderlust and love of all forms of music can be heard in their music and lyrics. Formed in 2007 through serendipitous circumstances, The Wallace Brothers Band performs roughly 200 shows per year and are equally as capable crooning in bar rooms as they are headlining festivals. Both, Zachary and Colby are songwriters and play the guitar and drums, respectively. Accompanied by their honorary brother, Pham on the pedal steel guitar, along with rotating bassists, Mike Hlatkey and Paul Wilkinson.  
 
The band has had the honor of working with and/or sharing the stage with David Bromberg, Rusted Root, Ricky Skaggs, Robert Hunter and Tom Constantine of The Grateful Dead, MOE., Mickey Melchiando and Claude Coleman of WEEN, Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, Leon Rhodes of The Ernest Tubb Texas Troubadours, Railroad Earth, Cabinet, Frog Holler, Junior Brown, and many more.

This week, Sips Bistro and Bar announced the hiring of their new Executive Chef, Chris Siropaides, who has worked with Top Chef winners Kevin Spraga and Nicolas Elmi, and Chopped champion Jeremy Duclut.

Siropaides graduated from the Culinary Institute of America then went to work for George Perrier, ne of the biggest names in the restaurant world. He was hired at Brasserie Perrier, where he worked under Chef Scarduzio, then transferred to Georges’ where he quickly was promoted to sous chef by Top Chef winner, Kevin Spraga (the executive chef at the time). The last three years of Siropaides' ten-year stint at Georges' was as the executive chef. 
     
Siropaides' countless mentors throughout the years have taught him that hard work and dedication is the key to success. He is excited to begin the next chapter of his career at Sips, where he intends to pass on the knowledge given to him by his mentors, but also to incorporate his unique style of cooking.  
 
Sips owner Fabien Chaigneau says "You can expect a brand new, creative, and inspired menu items coming over the next few weeks." Sips was recently nominated by Philly Hot List for Best French, Brunch, and Happy Hour Restaurant. 

Siropaides is also experienced in private events and catering. Call Sips at  (484) 924-9721 for details.