Photo by Kyle Cassidy

Shakespeare in Clark Park returns this week for its 12th season with five performances of Coriolanus, a timeless political tragedy of manipulation and revenge. This year, SCP will roll with an all-female cast led by Barrymore Award winner Charlotte Northeast as the title character. The professional cast of women warriors will appear alongside a Chorus of 50 Philadelphians who will become the riotous citizens of Rome. The production is directed by SCP Artistic Director Kittson O’Neill (Interact Theatre Company).

“It’s easy to see Coriolanus, a blunt war hero, as an indictment of “Macho” culture, but there is so much more to this story,” O’Neill, who is pulling double-duty as the director of the show, said in a statement. “By moving our production to a matriarchy I think audiences will more readily see themselves in our hero: we can all be inflexible, we all have deep prejudices and we don’t always get the glory we have rightly earned.”  Continue Reading

Rendering of the 30th Street Station Plaza redesign concept.

At a public Open House held earlier this month at 30th Street Station, Amtrak presented its design concept for Station Plaza, one of the more visible projects of the widely publicized 30th Street Station District Plan.

Information boards were available at the Open House to help the public better understand the vision of the District Plan and Station Plaza design concepts. The public had an opportunity to fill out a station plaza survey. Those who didn’t attend the Open House but want to provide their feedback on the project can do so through an online survey.

But here’s what you need to do first: Learn about the station plaza concept. Click HERE to view the eight information boards that were on display at the July 12, 2017 Open House.  Continue Reading

A group of local non-profits and Reading Terminal Market are teaming up to bring more fresh and healthy food to Parkside residents this summer. The first-ever Parkside Fresh Food Fest kicked off on Viola Street between 41st St and Belmont Ave on July 6 and will be held on select Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m. throughout this summer. The festival brings fresh food to residents (via a food share program) and also includes cooking demonstrations from Reading Terminal, live entertainment and activities for families.

The next event in the series will take place this Thursday, July 20, and the remaining four events are scheduled on the following dates: Aug. 10, 24 and Sept. 14, 21.

The food share program was created after gauging residents’ interest in a potential subsidized Community Supported Agriculture service for East Parkside. Each food share includes fresh fruit, vegetables, locally-sourced eggs and/or dairy, and an assortment of other grocery items from Reading Terminal. Participation in the food share program requires a subscription (four-event subscription is $35), and some limited single shares ($10) will be available at each event. Information on each item in the food share package will be included along with a recipe card.

The series seeks to use food as the foundation to build community and utilize common public space. Attendees can also participate in organized art activities, bicycle safety workshops from the Indego Bike Share, and a Philadelphia Free Library Book Nook for children. Activities will vary each week and may include live music performances and a movie night.

The program is supported by the Knight Foundation.

More information about the fest can be found here. To subscribe to Parkside Market Food Share, click here and type the password “viola”.

Photo by Yoni Kroll.

UPDATE (7/19/2017): According to additional witness reports, the religious group that showed up in Clark Park on Saturday is called Christian Interviews. The group is based in Philadelphia and is led by “Pastor Aden”. Read this article about how the same group disrupted “I Heart UD Day” at the University of Delaware.

An unidentified religious group disrupted the biannual Clark Park Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, holding signs and shouting anti-gay, anti-Muslim and other slurs, according to witnesses. In an approach reminiscent of Westboro Baptist Church, even children held signs.

“[The group] had some Westboro-style signs that listed many different things that would send just about any person to hell,” said West Philadelphia resident Suzy Subways. “One man [in his] 30s was the most aggressive, and he was wearing a shirt that said, in huge letters, ‘YOU WHORE’ with a giant pointing finger, and a hat that said ‘Repent, you HO!’ A small child was sobbing in their midst and none of them comforted him.”  Continue Reading

Construction of a new restaurant, the Trolley Car Station, began last month at 40th and Baltimore. To celebrate the beginning of this major University City construction, which is part of the Trolley Portal Gardens project, the public is invited to enjoy free water ice from the Trolley Car Ice Cream Shoppe.

The event will be held on Wednesday, July 19, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 40th and Baltimore.

The construction of the new two-story 125-seat restaurant (see rendering below), is expected to be completed in Spring 2018. The company that owns the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy will operate the restaurant.

                              Click to enlarge

One of the biggest local events of the year, the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival, will return on Saturday, July 15 from noon to 7 p.m. to Saunders Park Greene at 39th and Powelton. The 11th edition of the festival, which has grown from a few hundred attendees to more than 3,000, will feature the “New Wave of Jazz.” Philadelphia saxophonist Jaleel Shaw will be headlining the event.

This year, the FREE festival offers a family-friendly event showcasing the best of Philadelphia: a mix of up and coming young artists who are shaping the future of jazz, a diverse gathering of people, a view of the city and a chance to enjoy a neighborhood that is rich in arts and culture.

Artisans and vendors along with a variety of specialty food trucks will be on site. Activities such as a moon bounce, face painting, community resources and digital pop-up computer lab will be available for everyone’s enjoyment. Free parking is available one block away at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s lot at Powelton Avenue and State Street.  Continue Reading