Is the summer already over? Penn is preparing for a big student move-in, which means that Spruce street will be closed again between 34th and 40th Streets on certain days starting Sunday, Aug 17. Watch out for traffic detours and bus re-routing during street closure times (see below). Also, you will have to walk your bike on closed Spruce Street segments.

Here are more details from the Penn Division of Public Safety:

“To facilitate new student move-in, closures of Spruce Street will take place on the following dates, times and locations:

Sunday, August 17th: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Spruce Street between 34th and 40th Streets
Thursday, August 21st: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Spruce Street between 34th and 38th Streets
Friday, August 22nd: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Spruce Street between 34th and 38th Streets
Saturday, August 23rd: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Spruce Street between 38th and 40th Streets

UPPD  will be on location to assist with traffic flow.

• Emergency vehicles and hospital patient transport vehicles will be permitted access.

• Access will be provided to the Ryan Vet Hospital: Access will be provided for non-emergency cases by way of 40th and Spruce Streets, emergency cases will be permitted access at 38th and Spruce Streets.

• No taxi cabs will be permitted access.

• Vendors will be permitted access to enter the street prior to the street closure.

• Bikes will need to be walked on Spruce Street while the streets are closed to traffic.

• Septa Routes 40 and 42 will be re-routed.

• HUP, Morgue and Wistar deliveries will be allowed to enter Spruce Street at 34th Street.

• Garage 14 will be open and accessible throughout move-in.”

Elissa Sklaroff with the Clark Park photo collage.

West Philly residents Elissa Sklaroff and James Klasen, whose Clark Park photography project was featured in a June post, are inviting everyone to check out their photo collage in the park on Saturday, Aug 16. Elissa and Jim were documenting events in the park and capturing images of diverse Clark Park visitors of all ages – people who “bring the magical park to life.” Since the beginning of the summer, they have been sharing their photos with the park community and with their “models” by creating a “photo garden” – from nearly a thousand photos taken over the course of the summer, they selected and posted the most representative ones in clusters on the kiosks around the park.

“Feedback has been positive, including lovely comments posted by some who have stopped to look,” Elissa wrote us in an email.

Now, as Elissa and Jim are nearing the final stages of their Clark Park photo project, they have created a collage with an idea to capture the project and the park in a more complete way. All the decorative materials used in the collage were made from recycled materials: “green” shopping bags, soda cans, etc.

The collage will be displayed in the park on Saturday and from 2-4 p.m., Elissa and Jim will be giving prints out to anyone in the park whose picture they used. Additional copies or posters will be available to the public later by request, at either Elissa’s email address (elissa.sklaroff [at] gmail.com) or Jim’s (klasen.james [at] gmail.com).

It should be very festive, writes Elissa, as it is an Uhuru flea market day as well. Many of the vendors have agreed to display printed copies of the collage at their tables and even on food trucks! Elissa and Jim want those in the photos to be happily surprised to see themselves in many locations.

When a friend asked Elissa, “Why are the pictures so close together?” she replied, “Because as humans we are all close together and these photos show how the diversity in Clark Park emphasizes our commonality. This is what we hope we are saying to everyone.”

“We thank everyone with whom we connected during this project”.

(Photos by Elissa Sklaroff and James Klasen)

Photo from WePAC’s Facebook page.

West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC), a non-profit organization that re-opens public school libraries closed for lack of funding and staffs them with volunteers, is moving to a new location and holding a big moving sale at their current location in Powelton Village at 3603 Hamilton Street. The two-day sale began on Thursday and everything must go before their moving day this Sunday.

Lots of items are offered for free or at low-cost, including chairs, office chairs, desks, a vacuum, a portable freestanding AC, metal cabinets, freestanding metal drawers, vases, a trunk, computer monitors, computer accessories for scrap, a working laser printer, a large JB Van Scriven conference table, a coffee maker, and more.

Today’s sale started at 9 a.m. and will go on until 5 p.m. so stop by at the corner of 36th and Hamilton to check it out. Please bring a donation for the free items. All proceeds will go to WePAC’s mission.

If you have questions, send a text to 917-865-2652 or go here.

The new WePAC location starting this Sunday is at 5070 Parkside.

Here’s a reminder of what’s happening today around the hoods. And guess what? All of these events are free!

Night Market on Lancaster Ave @ 35th, 6 – 10 p.m. Update: West Philadelphia Orchestra will perform at the Night Market starting at 8 p.m.

Street Movies! at Malcolm X. Park (52nd and Pine), 7:45 p.m.

The Awesome Fest concludes at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore) with the screening of Skanks. 9 p.m.

Also, the Clark Park Farmers’ Market is from 3 – 7 p.m.

Work in progress at the Lea School playground. (Photo courtesy of West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools)

UPDATE (8/14/14): The Greening Lea project has reached its fundraising goal after a sizable donation from the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA), West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools reports. SHCA’s gift of $1,000 completed and even exceeded the $3,000 fundraising goal for Greening Lea’s August project several weeks early!

8/7/14: Here’s a great chance to make something good out of a bad situation. The Henry C. Lea School (47th and Locust) has a chance to get a great playground set from the recently shuttered Alexander Wilson School (46th and Woodland) and they need some help.

The new playground set was built at Wilson in November 2010 through a grant from The Hamels Foundation, the charitable organization of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. The plan is to move the playground set onto the Lea playground (near the existing structure there) at the corner of 47th and Spruce, roughly doubling the size of the school’s play area.

But the committee in charge of Greening Lea, the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools project to make the Lea School’s footprint greener and more kid-friendly, needs to raise $3,000 to help cover the costs of transplanting the playground structure. The grant will help cover costs for a new porous surface that will be built under the new and existing play structure to make it safe for kids. The new surface will also help with the Greening Lea plan to manage stormwater run-off. The current massive asphalt playground, if future plans play out, will be converted into an inviting tree-lined space.

But that’s still in the future. The goal now is to get the new playground structure in place. The work at the playground has already begun. Click here to donate. As usual, any amount will help.

Photo courtesy Scribe Video Center.

As part of the annual (17th!) outdoor film screening series Street Movies!, Scribe Video Center will present a great selection of independent films on Thursday, Aug. 14 at Malcolm X. Park (52nd and Pine). Malcolm X. Park is the only West Philly location where the films are being presented this summer, from August 2 until August 21 (although you can catch them in other neighborhoods).  This year, the program includes animation, shorts, and powerful documentaries celebrating cultural histories and exploring issues of community concern. The events also include live entertainment and a video emcee to complete a great night of movies under the stars.

Tomorrow’s screening starts at 7:45 p.m. All the films are free and family-friendly! Emcee: DJ C (WPEB 88.1 FM).

Here’s more information on the films to be shown at tomorrow’s event (from the Street Movies! at Malcolm X Park Facebook page):

“The Mill Creek Documentary: Past, Present, and Future by Joyce Eli Bevins
‘The Mill Creek; Past, Present and Future’ documentary is an urban preservation outreach project documenting the Mill Creek Community during the 20th Century to date through personal interviews. The goal of the film is to serve as an outlet and resource to preserve, inform, empower, heal, and inspire the Mill Creek community, its residents and surrounding communities. (USA, 2014, 4 min)

711 Sidney King School of Dance by the 711 Precious Places Group and Scribe Video Center
The Sydney King School of Dance was one of several neighborhood-based black dance schools founded in Philadelphia during the 1940s, 50s, and early 60s. Responding to the cultural needs of a vibrant post-war black middle class, these studios produced world-recognized dance professionals and fostered a lasting appreciate for the arts. Through interviews with King’s students, this video underscores the role the Sydney King School of Dance played in supporting its West Philadelphia community and shaping the direction of American dance and performance. (USA, 2010, 10 min)

Creation Story by Natasha Ngaiza
Clay animation weaves in and out of live action to reveal the intimate relationship between mother and daughter, hair and history. (USA, 2011, 9 min)

The Moorish Science Temple of America: Branches to Philadelphia, Rooted in Peace by Moorish Science Temple of America, Inc., Temple #11 and Scribe Video Center
The Moorish Science Temple of America highlights its one hundred years of existence as one of the first Islamic organizations in America, and its historical impact in Philadelphia. (USA, 2014, 16 min)

Them That Do: Juanita Hatton by Lori Waselchuk
Part of the Them That Do series, which features local Philadelphia block captains. This segment highlights Juanita, who is passionate about keeping her neighborhood clean. (USA, 2014, 5 min) Editor’s Note: Check out a series of posts connected to Waselchuk’s multimedia documentary project Them That Do.

Revival From the Roots: Part 1 by Media Mobilizing Project
Media Mobilizing Project presents the first installment of a three-video series, “Revival From the Roots: A Tour of Neighborhood Schools.” The series follows Jerry Jordan, President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and Helen Gym, parents and award-winning education advocate, as they hear firsthand from students, parents and teachers fighting to turn around public education from the bottom up. Part one of ‘Revival From the Roots’ features West Philadelphia, with visits to school communities at West Philadelphia High, Lea Elementary, Penn Alexander Elementary, Barry Elementary, and the now closed Alexander Wilson Elementary School. (USA, 2014, 8 min)”