A Cup Of Java Helps New Kimmel Center

Bucks County Coffee Company and The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts have formed a partnership that will
support the activities and operations of Philadelphia's stunning new cultural landmark.

Beginning immediately, a portion of every purchase of Bucks County Coffee's special Kimmel Center Blend will be donated to The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. One dollar of every pound of Kimmel Center Blend coffee sold and 50-cents of every cup will support the mission to bring the best performing artists from the region and around the world to the stages of The Kimmel Center and The Academy of Music.

"The Kimmel Center will celebrate the first day of summer — and the longest day of the year — by staying open all day and all night and Bucks County Coffee is going to help us do it," said The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts President and CEO Janice Price. "Yes, we will be drinking coffee to stay awake all night! But more importantly, gifts like this allow us to fulfill our mission of making The Kimmel Center open to everyone. Our weekend festivals in July will feature folk, pop, Latin, jazz, classical and gospel music. We have hip hop, flamenco and modern dance performances, plus dance parties under our glass roof every Wednesday night in July and August. We'll be showing silent movies with a live orchestra. There will be free performances in Commonwealth Plaza every weekend in July. And this Friday night, at the Summer Solstice, all the performers we are showcasing are local artists, including many members of our wonderful resident companies."

"The Kimmel Center is such a marvelous and important cultural and civic addition to our region," said Bucks County Coffee Co. President Rodger Owen. "We are pleased to be a part of the excitement and to have the opportunity to spread the word about The Kimmel Center's many performances and activities to all our customers throughout Philadelphia and the entire Mid-Atlantic region. We're looking forward to a long-lasting partnership."

Bucks County Coffee's Kimmel Center Blend is served in all Kimmel Center venues including Cadence restaurant, the K Lounge and PECO Cafe. It will be offered in Bucks County Coffee stores and locations at various times throughout the year.

Headline acts during The Kimmel Center's first summer season include The Neville Brothers, Judy Collins and Harry Belafonte (Americana Fest, July 5-7); Noche Flamenca, Big 3 Palladium Orchestra, Los Hombres Calientes and 40 Years of Bossa Nova, Misia, Los Fakires and Albita (Fiesta Latina, July 12-14); The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Buckwheat Zydeco, John McCutcheon, Natalie MacMaster, D/2, Peter Nero and the Philly POPS (Family Fun Fest, July 19-21); and Rennie Harris, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Count Basie Band, Regina Carter and Philip Bailey, Mavis Staples and Take 6 (Hip Hop, Jazz & Soul, July 26-28). There will also be silent movies of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd with live music by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, plus a return engagement by Jerry Blavat with a lineup of Geator Gold favorites.

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center, manages The Academy of Music, and serves as home to nine Resident Companies. These companies include Kimmel Center Presents, a program that offers a rich diversity of choices to complement presentations by the other companies. Activities of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts also include arts-in-education programming provided by the Merck Arts Education Center and free entertainment throughout the year featuring a wide range of local and regional artists.