International House Philadelphia (IHP), which has been serving scholars and the Philadelphia community for more than 100 years, is holding a couple of special events this month.

IHP’s Open House will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 3 – 7 p.m. Community members are invited to tour the House, including its residential facilities, conference center and theater, and learn more about the services and programming offered there. You can also meet staff and some of the current residents from all over the world. You can explore IHP’s history by attending a historical exhibit on Tuesday. Last but no least, learn more about language courses offered at IHP, meet the teachers, and even sign up for some classes. Admission is free, but if you’re planning to attend this event, please RSVP. You can read more about the Open House and RSVP here.

On Friday, Oct. 31, IHP is throwing a Night of the Philly Dead: Brews and Brains party. It is a new, annual event and IHP staff hope that you will join them at their inaugural celebration of the undead’s favorite day of the year. There will be a zombie themed dance-party paying homage to the cult-classic movies, scary-good catering provided by TV Chef Barbie Marshall, craft beer, and themed cocktails, all included in your cost of admission ($50). Costumes are encouraged and there will be a competition. 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. For more information and tickets, go to this page.

There will be many more fantastic events this Fall at IHP, including some great film screenings, exhibits, and cultural events. For more info, click here.

The City is off for Columbus Day today, which means administrative offices and courts are closed. Public schools and libraries are also closed. Post offices are closed, too, and there will be no mail delivery. Some banks are closed, too.

There will be no trash and recycling collection today. Monday collections will be picked up on Tuesday and collections for the remainder of the week will be delayed one day.

SEPTA will operate on a regular weekday schedule today.

Plan Philly yesterday got in touch with City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who said she will not introduce an ordinance to “spot zone” the vacant parcel across from Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore.

Blackwell told Plan Philly’s Jared Brey that she is reluctant to push for special zoning for this project out of fear that other developers, including those involved in the row over the property at 40th and Pine, will line up at her door asking for ordinances. Blackwell said she supported the project, but advised the developers to go through the zoning process, which will include a public hearing.

We reported last week that the property owner, Clarkmore LLC, was pressing Blackwell for a special ordinance that would allow them to forgo the zoning process. Clarkmore currently can build a “by right” 92-unit project that includes little parking and no retail. It wants the ordinance for a bigger 132-unit building that includes parking and ground-level retail and would require zoning variances.

For a recent history of the property and the process that led to the current proposal, see this collection of posts.

There’s a lot to this story. Go to Plan Philly for more details.

Good news for local late-night public transportation users. SEPTA is extending again its pilot “Night Owl” weekend subway service on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines, this time indefinitely. The service was introduced in June, prompted by the changing city, and initially it was planned to try it until Labor Day and evaluate it. Then it was extended until November and now SEPTA says that the service is so popular that it’s staying for an indefinite time.

Here’s some stats from SEPTA regarding the popularity of this service:

– An average of 15,000 riders each weekend have boarded trains between midnight and 5:00 a.m. since June 15. That’s 6,000 riders more than those who previously used overnight bus service.

– Weekend overnight train service has been most popular during holiday weekends (24,430 riders on July 4; 17,192 passengers over Labor Day weekend).

According to SEPTA, passenger safety was also evaluated during the pilot. Issues have been minimal, due to an increased police presence on overnight trains.

There’s a great opportunity this weekend to learn more about artists living and working in the area. The 15th annual guided and self-guided Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST) west of Broad St, including West Philly, of course, are happening on Saturday and Sunday (Oct 11-12). So don’t be shy and stop by to say hello and maybe stay for some special events and presentations. There are a number of individual artists and group artist spaces involved in the Studio Tours here in West Philly neighborhoods. Here’s what a neighbor and artist, Marabelle Hincher, wrote us:

The Anatomy of Peace. Marabelle Hincher.

“I hope a lot of people will take the tour; there’s a lot of great talent in West Philly and many art studios worth visiting.”

Marabelle is opening her studio at 5023 Catharine St. this weekend to present a fantasy collage, “Strange Anatomy,” which is a 33 image mashup of antique anatomical art combined with botanical and zoological elements (science lovers should also appreciate it!).

Here’s a list of other participating studios and artists:

UPDATE: There will be an Open House at The Cedar Works at 4919 Pentridge St on Sat & Sun Noon-6 p.m.

The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street
Presenting Sanctuary, a site-specific sound art and video installation and series of performances. Oct 11 & Oct 12, Noon-10 p.m.

Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania
118 South 36th Street

40th Street Artist-in-Residence Program
4007 Chestnut St., 1st floor and 4013 Chestnut St.

Johanna Inman
40th Street Artist-in-Residence Program
4007 Chestnut Street, 1st floor and 4012 Chestnut St.

Tremain Smith
Tremain Smith Studio
520 South 59th Street

Jacques-Jean Tiziou
4919 Pentridge Street The Cedar Works, Sat&Sun Noon-6 p.m.

Heather Ujiie
University City Artist League
4226 Spruce Street

University City Arts League
4226 Spruce Street

Lorna Williams
40th Street AIR Space
4007 Chestnut St.

More information is available on the POST website.

Neighbors are invited to the Walnut Hill Community Day celebration on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The celebration will take place on the 4700 block of Walnut Street in front of the old West Philly High School building. This is a great opportunity to meet other neighbors, get some valuable information about the neighborhood and its organizations, and to have fun!

The event will include a lot of family friendly activities: pony rides, face painting, moon bounce, and more. Also, there will be food and drinks, raffles, a farm stand and live entertainment.

The event is organized by the Walnut Hill Community Association (WHCA). The organization was found in 1961 by a group of neighbors, led by Charles Campbell, Sr., who “were concerned about the deterioration of their neighborhood.” WHCA, which is a volunteer organization, encourages neighbors to participate in community events and in other activities that help improve and strengthen the community. New volunteers are always welcome, too. Visit this page for more information on how you can help.