“A Gritty Resolution”
Photograph by Jeff Fusco It’s been close to six years since the Flyers unleashed Gritty into the world, and we thought we had seen every possible creative tribute to the beastly orange mascot. But then, in June, Northern Liberties composer Melissa Dunphy, who has seen her modern classical music performed at such esteemed venues as Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, debuted this dramatic five-minute choral work with words adapted from Helen Gym’s 2018 City Council resolution honoring our orange id. “I would die for Gritty,” Dunphy tells us. Catch a live performance of the song at melissadunphy.com.
Marian Anderson Hall
We always bristled at the name of the Kimmel Center’s main concert venue, in part because it reminded us we had to pay our phone bill but also because there was nothing at all “Philadelphia” about “Verizon Hall.” Now the room bears the name of the South Philly opera singer who famously performed an open-air Easter concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, became the first Black lead singer to grace the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, and went on to win all sorts of awards and honors. Much better.
The RoboLancers
That would be Central High’s robotics club, which returned from the FIRST robotics world championship in Houston in April as, ahem, world champions. Tens of thousands of cheering observers packed the arena to see the RoboLancers, decked out in lobster hats, demonstrate their crustacean-themed entry, Leonardo da Pinchy, and wow the judges. “It was through our strategy and brains that we were able to beat them,” club president Lily Sands said of the 600-strong competition field. Way to claw your way to the top!
Marshall Allen
Photograph by Colin Lenton The century-old saxophonist/bandleader was right-hand man to the legendary and legendarily out-there Germantown icon Sun Ra during his time on Earth. Since Ra departed for other dimensions, Allen has kept transmitting their brand of otherworldly wildness into the cosmos. Allen and his Arkestra are torchbearers for free, experimental, uncontainable jazz, and part of the reason nobody needs to say “Keep Philly weird.” Our weird is forever.
The Philly Phlushes
That Philly finally embarked on a pilot program for public restrooms, a.k.a. the Philly Phlush, was exciting enough back when they debuted last year. That the two pilot restrooms are still working and in good shape is even more exciting. Glamorous they’re not, but they admirably fulfill, their, uh, duty. That a third was set to arrive in Clark Park by July fills us with hope that Philly will finally become a world-class city … for doing your business.
Joey Bachmann
Still preening about your high school sports career? This Quakertown wrestler really has something to crow about. The 15-year-old student at Faith Christian Academy was ranked first in the nation in his 106-pound weight class last season by every single ranking service — and proved it by winning the gold medal at the state championship in Hershey in March. His budding career has already taken him to competitions in Mexico and Turkey. Now, what were you saying about riding the bench in the big playoff game?
Tyshawn Sorey
Photo-illustration by Leticia R. Albano Penn prof Sorey, who as a composer is a respected musical nonconformist, won the 2024 Pulitzer in Music for “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith),” his brooding, contemplative concerto for alto sax and orchestra. Sorey, a finalist for the award last year, blurs the lines between jazz and classical music, a breath of fresh air for a genre often perceived as buttoned-up — and a campus that’s been awash in controversy.
Quinta Brunson
When Brunson took the stage to accept the Emmy for lead actress in a series from legend Carol Burnett, she began her speech, “I don’t even know why I’m so emotional. I think, like, the Carol Burnett of it all.” It was humble and infinitely endearing and revealed what should be obvious to everyone now: When it comes to comedy, Brunson’s a deadly serious student of her craft. Which means this nod won’t be her last.
The Wilma Theater
Philly’s theater scene has been hot, thanks in part to the success of Pulitzer-winning (2022) and Tony-nominated (2023) playwright James Ijames (Fat Ham). Now the venerable Philly venue that staged several of his productions (and where Ijames was recently a co-artistic director) is a Tony winner. This spring, the Wilma snagged the Regional Theatre Tony, awarded annually to a regional theater that contributes to the national theater scene. This is the first such win for a Pennsylvania company — a long-overdue nod, if you ask us.
Phils Pitching Staff
There’s a lot of baseball left to play this season, but we’re ready to award Best Sports Revolution to the Phillies pitching staff, led by coaches Caleb Cotham and Brian Kaplan. The brain trust’s secret sauce has kept stars Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola at peak performance while elevating promising slingers Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez, Jeff Hoffman, José Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering into the stratosphere. At press time, Phils’ pitchers stand heads and shoulders (and elbows) above the rest of the league. (Take a look at other Phillies winners throughout Best of Philly’s 50 years here.)
Kobe the Husky
The next time you’re scolding your pup for digging up your yard, think twice. That’s exactly how four-year-old Kobe saved Germantown. Owner Chanell Bell had had a gas leak in her house, so when Kobe went to work in her front yard and refused to desist, she tested the air, then called the gas company, which found leaks there and in two neighboring pipes. The heroic husky was celebrated the world over, with articles everywhere from People to the Washington Post to the Guardian, not to mention TV appearances and a kids book by Bell celebrating his feat. “It’s amazing to know Kobe saved our block,” she says.
The Preston & Steve Show
Radio shows come. And radio shows go. But WMMR’s hilarious morning program has had us laughing our asses off for close to 20 years — and more before that at its previous home on Y100. Sometimes you just need a silly escape from all the doom and gloom, and this is exactly what Preston & Steve provides. Fart jokes and all.
Michelle Lombardi
When Lombardi, an ICU nurse at Phoenixville Hospital, learned that one of her patients — an unhoused man who’d been living with his dog in his car — would be hospitalized for a lengthy stay, she volunteered to take in his pup for the duration, and cared for it until the owner was back on his feet and in an apartment of his own. Her above-and-beyond earned her an award from the Daisy Foundation, a nationwide org honoring extraordinary nurses — and the everlasting gratitude of the man and his beast.
The Broad Street Ministry Menders
When the weather turned cold last winter, John, who lived on the street in Philly, realized that his overcoat lacked any buttons. So he turned to the Broad Street Ministry, where for the past 12 years, a crew of volunteers has replaced buttons, resewn zippers, mended linings and pockets, and otherwise served the sewing needs of the city’s unhoused. Their reward is the gratitude of those they serve, whose possessions may be old but are treasured. As volunteer seamstress Helen Cunningham told the Inquirer, “We try to be the people of yes.”
Adam Crognale
This Phillies batboy is a standout in a slew of ways. What game-watchers notice most is how quickly he rushes to retrieve discarded Phils weaponry and gloves. The 25-year-old Cherry Hill native has been on the job in the dugout since 2020, cleaning cleats, admiring bat spikes, and thrilling to the roar of the crowd. He’s also a survivor of childhood lymphoma and has been cancer-free for almost a decade. The guy Tom McCarthy and John Kruk have called “the fastest batboy in the league” is looking toward this season’s Red October and — fingers crossed! — maybe more.
Zoey Smith
Michael Smith was a basketball player as a kid, but he taught himself the game of golf when his daughter Zoey showed an interest in the game as a four-year-old. When Michael died unexpectedly in 2019, Zoey abruptly quit golfing — it just wasn’t the same without him. But the athletic director at her high school, the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber, coaxed her to pick up her clubs again, and last fall, she became the only player on its spanking-new girls golf team. How’d that work out? Pretty darned well: The sophomore won the Public League individual championship despite being the youngest competitor there. Fore!
Martha King
Martha King was a legacy on the Penn State Mont Alto woodsmen team, for which her dad, Rob King, once competed. He went on to open a tree service in Chadds Ford; she went on to become the team MVP and go to work for him and then, last summer, become the first lumberjill (yes, it’s a real thing) ever to win three U.S. titles in the Stihl Timbersports U.S. Women’s Championship. Chopping wood has taken the 35-year-old around the world — not to mention built up some awesome biceps. “Every day at work is a training session,” she says.
Katherine Gilmore Richardson
The newly minted majority leader hit the ground running by fighting to end financial mismanagement in the Office of Homeless Services. At-large member KGR got a resolution passed to provide an ombudsperson at OHS to advocate for some of the most at-risk and powerless Philadelphians. Exactly the sort of leadership and make-stuff-happen energy we like to see.
Scott Laughton
Last year, when the NHL announced that it was outlawing Pride practice jerseys and rainbow stick tape, longtime Flyer Scott Laughton was the first player to call bullshit. He announced that he’d use the tape anyway and dared the league to do something about it. The league quickly and rightly reversed course. The veteran center has been a leader in this arena off the ice as well, from supporting the You Can Play campaign to donating to related causes to raising the rainbow flag outside the Wells Fargo Center. Lots to be proud of.
Adam Blackstone
Blackstone has been the maestro behind some of TV’s biggest musical moments, in recent years directing ceremonies for the Oscars, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the NBA All-Star Game. And the musician’s musician is starting to get more mainstream recognition for his pursuits, which include directing Super Bowl halftime and pregame shows over the last several years (including that 2023 Rihanna banger). And this year, he received two Grammy noms in the jazz category. All recognition long overdue.
Deputy Sheriff Justice
In April, the Inquirer uncovered hundreds of problematic checks written by Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s office. But one of those purchases was just too bizarre to be believed: $9,000 for a mascot — ironically named “Deputy Sheriff Justice.” That’s right: The city office charged with conducting sheriff’s sales and transporting prisoners to court decided it needed a mascot — and that the public should foot the bill. Just like the checks in the notorious row office, it appears the jokes there also write themselves.
Dawn Staley
Photograph by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos/Getty Images Oh look, another Best of Philly for North Philly native and former Temple coach Staley. This year she led her South Carolina Gamecocks to their third national championship (besting Caitlin Clark’s Iowa team, no less) and notched a perfect 38-0 season in the process. Plus, she’s been refreshingly outspoken about the rights of trans athletes at a time when other high-profile coaches prefer to sidestep the question.
Commissioner Kevin Bethel
Knock on wood, but it appears that the appointment of this decorated veteran officer has been astute thus far. The department’s recent dealings with the Penn encampment could have gone really badly, as they did at other universities across the country. Bethel’s patience was unique and, for once, kept the department out of the headlines instead of creating them. Progress? Fingers crossed.
City Funding of University City Townhome Redevelopment
When, in 2021, the owners of the University City Townhomes complex declined to renew the property’s Section 8 contract, 70-some tenants’ housing was suddenly at risk. After years of consternation marked by protests and an encampment, the demolition began in March. And in June, Mayor Cherelle Parker pledged $14 million in her first city budget toward Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s plan to redevelop part of the property as affordable housing. A promising first step, though one we’d have loved to see sooner.
Kelly Frank
The CBS News Philadelphia general manager and president changed the game when she eliminated the station’s iconic, crime-obsessed Eyewitness News brand and replaced it with a more holistic, community-driven approach to local television news coverage. So far, the results have paid off. The station recently won seven Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards, including the coveted Overall Excellence.
Saquon Barkley
We were gutted when Mount Airy native D’Andre Swift left the Eagles in free agency. Not surprising, given how Howie Roseman values running backs. So imagine our shock when Roseman yoinked former Nittany Lion Barkley from the Giants and signed him to a big contract. We’ll still miss our Swift, but Barkley grew up in the Lehigh Valley, which offsets the whole former G-man thing.
Megan Boni
We admit that there are things about TikTok that still confound us. For instance, how a young woman from the Main Line can post a 19-second video of herself singing “I’m looking for a man in finance,” caption it “Did I just write the song of the summer?” and then have that become the actual song of the summer. It all happened to Boni, a.k.a. Girl on Couch, who tells us she’s signed a music deal with Universal. Modern living!