Wow-ee! At ten this morning, a brand new Ben Franklin sculpture (this one by James Peniston) was unveiled at 4th and Arch Streets, bringing the total number of sculptures of the founding father in Philadelphia up to 24,367.* To celebrate, we're going to be sure we do First Friday up right this month, starting with the very special reception to welcome the newest Ben in the city. "Keys to Community": The Ben Franklin Project set......

It's the first First Friday of 2006, and Healdlong Dance Theater is participating with some free performances. Among their offerings is Thrash - a performance piece that incorporates snippets of public address by George W. Bush and the affect Bushisms have on the human body. (Phillyist can relate; we're not dancers, but we've certainly experienced some visceral reactions listening to him ourselves.) And if free theater isn't enough to draw you out to Old City...there......