It’s hard to imagine West Philly without the Peoplehood Parade. And this year is no exception – the fall tradition of marching with giant puppets along West Philly streets followed by a celebration in Clark Park will return this Saturday (Oct. 21).

Peoplehood Parade map (click to enlarge)

The 18th annual Peoplehood Parade, hosted by West Philly’s Spiral Q theater and arts organization, will kick off at 1 p.m. outside of the Paul Robeson House (4951 Walnut St). The event celebrates diversity in the city and is also a creative way to express your civic concerns. The event is kid friendly, so bring your children to march with you.

Besides the giant puppets, Peoplehood includes flags, costumes and banners. Everyone is invited to bring their own artwork or carry Spiral Q puppets. The parade is followed by participatory performances and art-making activities in the Clark Park “bowl” around 2 p.m.

Check out the Spiral Q website for more information or if you want to volunteer.

The Philly Wheel Community, a group made up of “sisters and sibs” from the neighborhood, is hosting a Secret Cafe Dinner Extravaganza in West Philly on Saturday, Oct. 28. The proceeds from this event will go to support members of the In Sacred Balance Wheel, a year-long program in feminist earth-based practice for women and non-binary individuals. A portion of the proceeds will go to “The Adalah Initiative,” which supports women and girls from Muslim-majority countries while seeking to end gender-based violence, and “Sacred Justice”, a new project that seeks to build dialogue between LGBTQ individuals of diverse faith backgrounds.

Here’s how the Secret Cafe Dinner works: While the location of the dinner has been revealed – it will be at Children’s Community School, 1212 S. 47th St. – the menu will be a surprise. Tickets are prix fixe. You can purchase a meat or vegan option, and all meals are gluten free. Drinks are a la carte, and the bar will be available throughout the night as a separate space to lounge.  Continue Reading

Here’s a reminder that the annual Halloween Tot Parade will be held in Spruce Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 31. As always, the parade will begin at 45th and Baltimore and end on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue (“Little Osage”). The parade is a great opportunity for families with young children to showcase their Halloween costumes (many parents are into it just as much as kids and some folks get really creative – check out photos from previous parades).

Gathering will begin at 4 p.m. outside of Milk and Honey on 45th Street and the parade will kick off at 4:30 sharp.

After the parade, Little Osage (4200 block) residents and local businesses will throw a Halloween block party with cider and baked goods.

For more Halloween events, check out our Events page. If you’re hosting an event, feel free to submit it here.

Though its Friday celebration will include a life-sized West Philly-themed board game, the People’s Emergency Center (PEC) knows their work is dead serious. Created 25 years ago, the group’s Community Development Corporation (CDC) has worked to ensure that the neighborhood’s ongoing transformation creates far more beneficiaries than victims. Now, at an outdoor party on 4050 Haverford Avenue, the CDC will mark what it believes has been a successful quarter-century.

“The history… It’s tremendous. It’s not easy doing this work,” said James Wright, PEC’s Director of Community Economic and Real Estate Development.

Wright says that PEC has helped catalyze an economic turnaround in the five neighborhoods it focuses on: Saunders Park, West Powelton, Belmont, Mantua, and Mill Creek. Vacancy has plummeted while incomes and high-school graduation rates have risen, and the group said home values quadrupled between 2000 and 2013. PEC has contributed to this upswing by converting vacant lots into housing; eliminating vacancy tends to increase surrounding home values.  Continue Reading

University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is currently recruiting local residents for a job training program with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The program will prepare individuals to be Patient Sitters with the nationally renowned hospital.

The Skills Initiative is seeking applicants who possess a high school diploma or GED, are currently unemployed, and live in the West Philadelphia zip codes of 19104, 19131, 19139, 19143, or 19151.

Applicants should have professional experience working with children. Program graduates will have the opportunity to interview with CHOP, receive a performance-based stipend during the training, and learn the skills needed to successfully connect to employment and a fulfilling career path.  Continue Reading

After more than a year’s wait amidst a saturated coffee market in West Philly, a Kensington coffee shop, ReAnimator Coffee, is indeed expanding into Garden Court on the 4700 block of Pine Street. With a planned opening in mid-November, ReAnimator will join the ranks of independent coffee shops like The Satellite Cafe, Coffee Market, Green Line Cafe, Milk and Honey, United by Blue and others. ReAnimator Coffee’s new location will be based out of Garden Court Plaza apartments, a complex that was recently acquired by the Post Brothers.

ReAnimator co-founder Mark Capriotti and his business partner Mark Corpus both believe that the area calls for a brick and mortar shop because bulk coffee bean sales have been doing well at ReAnimator supplier Mariposa Food Co-op; they both also believe they have something new to introduce to the area.  Continue Reading