🥧Your fall starter kit | Morning Newsletter

In today’s newsletter: We’re talking about what to do this fall with culture to marvel at and key storylines to follow when it comes to Philly sports and the political arena.

Dining: We’re ready for Latino Restaurant Week and Craig LaBan’s tour of the diversifying State College dining scene. 🔑

Sports: As always we’re gearing up for who to watch as you get into an exciting Eagles season and those Phillies.

Activities: We’ve got some of the best of the fests and Dan DeLuca’s live music picks and a must-see play all about Norristown. 🔑

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Ashley Hoffman (@_AshleyHoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Tour: September means back to school, and who would you want to tell you where to eat in State College except Craig LaBan? Now you can get Oaxacan tamales, Pakistani chicken charga and Korean-style kimchi and bulgogi over tater tots of all things. His story on State College’s growing dining scene is required reading. 🔑

Eat: It’s time for the fifth edition of the Latino Restaurant Week 2022, featuring deals for restaurants in Philly, suburbs, and even Camden. Get your pupusas, taquitos, and tostadas at Central American street food-centric El Merkury and get your ceviche and Argentine churrasco at Mixto. I love the paella here. We have a full guide to Latino Restaurant Week participating restaurants.

I’ll be getting a spot at Amanda Shulman’s buzzy Her Place Supper Club where the dishes look high-concept but the vibe is like a dinner party.

I had locked down for a long time, but boy did summer 2022 in Philly really deliver, from the Philadelphia Flower Festival (those crocheted flowers by Lace in the Moon!) to the Chinese Lantern Festival, (that bubble-blowing crab!) Luckily, these culture picks from our editors are energizing me about the new season.

Hear: Dan DeLuca has live music picks for you this week from Germantown-based spiritual jazz band Sun Ra Arkestra to provocateur of garage rock Ron Gallo. His concert picks are here.🔑

See: Town, Theatre Horizon’s three-act, community-based production about the past, present and future of Norristown starring 60 residents of the former factory town. Expect real talk you’d actually hear in the neighborhood only because this playwright did his homework.

Pick: New York magazine had a lot to say about the dinner party being over. But all you need to cultivate an ambiance is some candles, flowers and good food. Pick your own sunflowers and zinnias at the nearby Sunflower Festival in Dalton Farms, where you can also enjoy a wine or beer tasting with live music through Oct. 9.

Of course, autumn isn’t just a crunchy leaf-lined path to a wine tasting surrounded by sunflowers. There are major political stakes at play.

There’s just seven weeks to go now.

While there’s a lot of focus on the Senate race, the Pennsylvania governor’s race “could actually have the most direct impact on Pennsylvania — and even the country — of any on the ballot this fall,” write straight-talking Julia Terruso and Jonathan Tamari, your masters of the PA 2022 newsletter ceremonies.

It’s a race that has everyone holding their breath. Shapiro has won support from some Republicans who largely opposed Trump while Mastriano is speaking directly with his message to the MAGA world. One thing we can bank on? Evidently, Pennsylvania is gonna be Pennsylvania.

Follow these key storylines. 🔑

EJ Smith can tell you a thing or two about what the Eagles are facing Monday.

Phillies’ 28-year-old right-hander Zach Wheeler came out of the bullpen to bring the heat, and Scott Lauber writes that he could be a “Swiss Army knife.”

🥐🍑🥐🍑🥐🍑🥐🍑🥐🍑🥐🍑🥐🍑🥐🍑🥐🍑

What’s actually not on the menu at South Philly’s darling patisserie?

A) Chocolate chili morning bun

B) Kouign-amann with blackberry

C) Red plum Danish, spicy greens and smoked mozzarella croissant

D) Traditional croissant

Find out if you know the answer from the story featured this week.

ACETIC YON

Hint: 🌊+ 🌆, not just in Maryland

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer.

🎶 For today’s Sunday track, “unhappy am I with all the powers I possess, cause girl you’re the key to my happiness. And I can’t get next to you.”🎶

👋🏽 You’ll never convince me summer’s over until the pool’s closed and sunny music festivals are over. I’ll be at the Firefly Festival next weekend for a girls’ weekend so Felicia Gans Sobey will be with you next Sunday.