Regional event highlights include Devon Horse Show, Thy Geekdom Con pop culture convention [Events roundup] (2023)

The following events are planned for the week ahead throughout the region:

• The Devon Horse Show & Country Fair, North America’s longest-running and largest outdoor multi-breed equestrian competition, runs Thursday through June 4 at 23 Dorset Road, Devon. Prior to the pandemic, the Devon Horse Show had been held annually since 1896. In 1919, the Devon Country Fair was established as the philanthropic arm of the organization to raise money for Bryn Mawr Hospital, while providing the community with fun-filled family activities. The Horse Show is ongoing throughout the day and evening and is held rain or shine. Gates open daily at approximately 8 a.m. and close at approximately 10 p.m.The Country Fair area opens about 9 a.m. for many food booths and shopping, and the midway opens at 10 a.m. The final Sunday, the show ends at approximately 3:30 p.m. and is immediately followed by a plant sale. For ticket options, a rundown of special events and more information, visit devonhorseshow.net.

• Thy Geekdom Con, greater Philadelphia’s anime, gaming and pop culture convention, comes to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks from Friday through Sunday. Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The event features anime, artists, comics, cosplay, crafters, panels, table-top games and video game tournaments. Advance tickets are $40 for a weekend pass, or $20 for Friday, $30 for Saturday and $25 for Sunday. Tickets will cost $5 more at the door. For more information including a full schedule of events, see thygeekdomcon.com.

• The Reading Public Museum’s newest exhibition, “The Robot Zoo,” featuring eight robotic animals and over a dozen interactive activities, opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 4. Visitors will witness the amazing abilities of animals, such as the chameleon’s color-changing powers, the squid’s propulsion mechanisms and the fly’s ability to walk on ceilings. Larger-than-life animated robots showcase a range of creatures, including a chameleon, rhinoceros, giant squid, platypus, house-fly, grasshopper, bat and giraffe. The giraffe’s head and neck alone stretch 9 feet tall, while the giant squid boasts 18-foot tentacles, and the house-fly flaunts a 10-foot wingspread. The exhibition features impressive machinery incorporated into each animals’ body, contributing to the lifelike movements of the animatronic creatures. The museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for ages 18-64, $6 for children/seniors/college students (w/ID), and free to members and children 3 and younger. On Sunday, the museum also hosts Dogs & Brews, a dog-friendly beer festival. Tickets cost $45 for one or $80 for two. For more information, see readingpublicmuseum.org.

• Renowned Latin megastar Anuel AA brings his “Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren” Tour to Santander Arena, Reading, on Friday at 8 p.m. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer released his debut album, “Real Hasta la Muerte,” in 2018 to critical and commercial success. A month later, he released the song “China,” a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna and J Balvin, which was a global success. He has since released the hit song “Me Gusta” with Shakira, and his second album, “Emmanuel.” His third studio album, the 16-track “Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren,” was released in November 2021. For tickets and more information, see santander-arena.com.

• California-based trio Eslabon Armado, whose name translates as “linked chain,” plays the Santander Performing Arts Center, Reading, on Friday at 8 p.m. Illustrated by their interlocking vocal harmonies and woven acoustic guitars and basses, the group’s style re-frames the regional Mexican music of ranchera with the language of sierreña music, the “music of the mountain ranges.” While the rhythms and melodies are similar to those found in norteño, the (mostly) guitars-and-vocals-only approach creates a similar feeling to that of campfire music played by wandering campesino minstrels. Their 2022 album, “Nostalgia,” was the first Top 10 charting regional Mexican album ever to place on the all-genre Top 200. For tickets and more information, see santander-arena.com.

• Raymond the Amish Comic makes his debut at SoulJoel’s Comedy Club at Sunnybrook, Pottstown, on Friday at 8 p.m. Raymond has been performing stand-up for more than 30 years. Don’t expect an hour of farming jokes. It’s an R-rated therapy session. He’s currently writing a book about the adventures of his career that includes stories about Sam Kinison, George Carlin and a show in the Poconos that was interrupted by a bear in the woods. He was a regular guest on the WZZO Morning show with the Bearman and Keith on 95.1FM in the Lehigh Valley for over a quarter of a century. He’s been on the “Miserable Men Show” on Howard 101 and Opie and Anthony on Sirius Satellite, as well as their comedy radio channel. On Saturday, Benji Brown headlines SoulJoel’s with shows at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Brown joined Martin Lawrence’s arena tour in 2018, which went to every major city around the country. After the completion of the tour in 2021, Martin proclaimed Brown as one of the most talented stand-ups he’s ever seen. For tickets and more information, see souljoels.com.

• The Concert Under the Stars series at the Upper Merion Township Building Park presents a free concert by Boat House Row — A Yacht Rock Experience on Friday at 7 p.m. Boat House Row is a six-piece band that performs the music of Hall & Oates, Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers, Toto and many more. Friday’s show is rain or shine and all ages, with children 12 and younger admitted free. Gates open at 6. There will be a beer garden with local craft brews and cocktails (no outside alcoholic beverages will be permitted) and food trucks. Blankets and chairs are allowed in designated areas — low beach chairs in the front, tall camping chairs in the back. For more information, see concertsunderthestarskop.com.

• The West Chester Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Jonathan Ragonese, will present its debut concert, featuring the music of Count Basie, on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester. Ragonese is a New York City-based saxophonist who has performed and recorded with the likes of Steve Wilson, David Liebman, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Tim Warfield, Tin Can Buddha and Steve Rudolph. As a composer, his works have been commissioned and premiered by The New York Film Festival, saxophonist Steve Wilson, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Harrisburg Symphony, the The Righteous Girls, Bucknell University, West Chester University and the Harrisburg Youth Symphony. He said he chose to feature Basie on opening night because Bob Curnow (WCU ’63) recently gifted the school his catalog of published works from his company, Sierra Music Publishing, which includes some of the original arrangements for the Count Basie band by Benny Carter, Billy Byers and others. Tickets cost $35 in advance at uptownwestchester.org or $40 at the door.

• Steel River Playhouse, Pottstown, will stage the musical “Into the Woods” starting Friday and running through June 11. With a book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the show intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales while following a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child but can’t due to a witch’s curse as they set off on a journey to break the curse. The main characters include Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella. The show is under the direction of Deborah Stimson-Snow, with music direction by Julie Eurillo. This weekend’s show times are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. For tickets and more information, see steelriver-playhouse.org.

• Ardmore Music Hall presents Breakwater with openers The Funboys on Friday at 8 p.m. and Echoes — The American Pink Floyd on Saturday at 8 p.m. Breakwater is a funk band from Philadelphia. Their 1980 album “Splashdown” is regarded as a classic of the genre and features the song “Release the Beast,” which was sampled in “Robot Rock” by Daft Punk. The concert is a benefit for Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nonprofit organization that supports some of the most vulnerable residents in Lower Merion Township. Echoes will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” LP. For tickets and more information, see ardmoremusichall.com.

• Flavorfest will be held Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mount Hope Estate & Winery, on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, near Lancaster. Twenty-seven wineries will provide samples and sales of many of their varietals. Eight distilleries will be on hand to sample and sell their craft spirits. With the general admission adult ticket, guests will receive a official Flavorfest tasting glass. A variety of food booths will serve lunch and snack items throughout the grounds. For beer and cider lovers, Swashbuckler Brewing Company will serve Swashbuckler Beers and Lancaster County Ciders. Signature cocktails by Mount Hope Estate’s Spirits Distilling Co. will also be available. Date specific admission tickets are available on the event website, parenfaire.com, in advance only. They cost $21.95 for adults, $6.95 for ages 12-20 and free for ages 11 and younger.

• The West Reading Wine Walk, with the theme “Under the Boardwalk,” will be held Wednesday, May 31, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the 400 through 700 blocks of Penn Avenue. The self-guided walking tour features 15 stops to sample wine. Check-in is from 5 to 7 p.m. at Winedown, 622 Penn Ave. Tickets cost $15 at eventbrite.com.