West Philadelphia Orchestra will kick off Summer Nights Concert Series at Penn Museum on Wednesday, June 15 (Photo courtesy of Penn Museum).

It’s hard to imagine summer in the city without outdoor music. A popular outdoor concert series, Summer Nights at the Penn Museum, kicks off on Wednesday, June 15, with a performance by well-known brass band West Philadelphia Orchestra. We’re excited to let you know about a special admission deal for West Philly residents. Those who will print out and bring this post to the museum on June 15 (or show it on your cell phone), will be able attend the concert for only $5 (regular admission is $10). Please note that this offer is only valid for the first concert in the series, which will take place every Wednesday through Sept. 2.

Concerts take place outside in Penn Museum’s Stoner Courtyard garden from 5 to 8 p.m., and the ticket also includes admission to most of the museum’s galleries. Concerts take place rain or shine, moving inside in inclement weather. For more information, click here.

And here’s some more information about West Philadelphia Orchestra:

WPO draws inspiration from Serbian, Romani, and Hungarian musical traditions, as well as New Orleans brass street bands. Original compositions include lighthearted titles such as “Truck on Fire” and “Super Lunch,” both sung in English, while the track “Busta Woo-Ha” is a WPO mashup of a traditional Klezmer melody, “Dem Rebens Tanz,” with a Busta Rhymes / Galt MacDermot sample. Be prepared to sing along!

The building at 4529 Baltimore Avenue that used to host Tony’s “Just For Men” Barber Shop has recently been listed for sale for $415,000. The 1,760 square feet property includes a ground-floor commercial space, a partially finished basement, and two apartments (a large two-bedroom with a deck and a studio on the ground floor behind the commercial space). It is zoned CMX-2 (Commercial/Commercial Mixed-Use).

The property was for sale in 2013, shortly after the original business owner, Tony Rodriguez’s, passing. Then it was listed for $285,000 but was taken off the market a month later. It appears that Rodriguez’s family kept the business running for a few more years.

The property is listed by MPN Realty, a company that often handles properties in this section of Baltimore Ave.

LoopNet.com, which is also listing the property, provides the following description of Baltimore Avenue:

“The face of Baltimore Avenue has changed dramatically in the last year alone from unstable mom and pop businesses to more professional successful operations. In the last year alone, The Nesting House, Jinxed, Renata’ s Kitchen (formerly Café Renata) and Loco Pez have opened or are in the process of opening businesses in Spruce Hill.”

The sidewalk along 49th Street where the Bar(n) hopes to put outdoor seating (photo by West Philly Local).

Residents mostly supported a proposal for outdoor seating at the Bar(n) at 49th and Catharine Streets during a sometimes heated Wednesday evening meeting of the Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) zoning committee.

About 30 people were on hand to hear the Bar(n)’s manager, Tim Blair, describe a plan that would enclose a portion of the sidewalk along 49th Street with planters to create an outdoor seating area that seats about 30 at five or six tables. The area would only be accessible from inside the bar, would be geared mostly toward food service and would close by 10 p.m. nightly.

“More of a place for someone to sit down and have a nice meal,” he said. “It’s not a party spot.”

Wednesday’s meeting will help determine whether the Bar(n)’s application to the city is approved.  Continue Reading

The Bar(n) is proposing to set up outdoor seating along the 49th Street sidewalk, shown here (Photo by West Philly Local)

Residents are invited tonight to a community meeting, which will discuss outdoor seating for The Bar(n), a bar at 4901 Catharine St.

The meeting will take place at the Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore (Baltimore side entrance), beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The Bar(n) owner is requesting a permit for outdoor seating along the 49th Street sidewalk. At the meeting, you can meet the manager of the bar, see the seating plan and learn about their hours of outdoor service. The meeting is an opportunity to voice your opinion on this issue.

The Bar(n) opened in January 2015 in the former Third World Lounge space at the corner of 49th and Catharine. The bar reopened with a new concept thanks to a partnership among the restaurateurs who are also running Rx The Farmacy at 45th and Spruce and the building owner Noel Karasanyi.

Click to enlarge

West Philly’s first Porchfest took place on Saturday, June 4, and this Saturday (June 11), a West Philly neighborhood Porch Hop organized by the 48th Street Neighbors community group returns. This event is a great opportunity to meet and hang out with your neighbors, new and old. Everyone is invited to drop by host porches (see the list below) for a drink, a snack, and some good conversation.

This year’s event will also include a sale, which will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. The Hop starts at 4 p.m. and will go on until approximately 8 p.m.

The following porches have signed up for the event (see map below):

Sale: 902 S. 48th St., 817 S. 48th St., 802 S. 48th, 812 S. 48th St., 816 S. 48th, 827 S. 48th., 4915, 4917, and 4919 Cedar Ave., 4721 Springfield Ave., 4806 Trinity Pl.

Hop: 902 S. 48th St., 4811 Trinity Pl. (Flea Market), 4820 Windsor Ave., 4917, 4919, 4932 Cedar Ave., 4721 Springfield Ave., 4806 trinity Pl., 4800 Springfield Ave.

Sale porches are marked in red; Hop porches are marked in blue. Some porches are both, but ask when you get there.

We’re very sad to report that Cheryl Roebuck, a veteran music teacher, Garden Court community activist, and wife of State Rep. Jim Roebuck, passed away last week.

Mrs. Roebuck has worked for the School District of Philadelphia for over thirty years. She has also been active in her West Philadelphia community for over twenty years. She has served as the secretary of the University City Arts League and was a board member of the Garden Court Community Association.

Funeral services for Mrs. Roebuck will be held on Friday, June 10, at Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 N. Broad Street. Visitation with the family will be from 10:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m.; service starts at 12:00 p.m.