Here’s an update on the proposed redesign of 47th and 48th streets south of Market that was presented in the past six months at a series of community meetings attended by hundreds of neighbors. The City is moving on with the 48th Street repaving project and has put the 47th Street layout redesign and repaving on hold, according to the Garden Court Community Association newsletter.

The 48th Street redesign will run from Kingsessing Avenue to Market Street. The plan incorporates traffic calming measures and greener travel options, proposed by the City and supported by neighborhood residents and neighborhood community groups.

“Under this design, 48th Street would remain a two-way street with parking on both sides, but its excess width would be re-organized to create substantially shorter crosswalks and a northbound bicycle lane fully separated from vehicular traffic,” according to the newsletter.

Repaving of 48th Street is expected to take place this spring.

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The annual Easter Egg Hunt organized by Renewal Presbyterian Church and scheduled to take place on March 23 at Clark Park, was cancelled due to persistent rain. But more egg hunts are planned in the neighborhood this and next weekend. Here are some of them. If you know of more community egg hunts, please post them in the comments below.

Easter Sunday, March 31:

St. Mary’s Church, Hamilton Village (3916 Locust Walk)

The annual BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket) egg hunt and potluck coffee hour will take place on Locust Walk right after the 11 a.m. Holy Eucharist. For more details, visit: https://www.stmarysatpenn.org.

Calvary Church (48th and Baltimore)

Calvary Church is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt from 10:15 – 10:45 a.m. outside the 48th St entrance (inside in case of inclement weather). Also, all are invited to Easter Sunday events at the church and at Cedar Park (50th and Baltimore). More info: https://www.allmeansall.org/holy-week.html

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BalletX returns to TD Pavilion at the Mann for two extraordinary nights of dance and live music! Highlights include choreography by Natasha Adorlee, Takehiro Ueyama, and Jamar Roberts, with live music by Grammy-nominated singer Jac Ross, composer Kato Hideki, and more!

Arrive early and enjoy pre-show events featuring local dance groups, live musicians, and circus acts. Secure your seats today – tickets start at $15.

The Green Tambourine, the Cedar Park based music school, is starting a new set of classes for 4-6 year-olds called Introduction to Instruments.

“We offer these for violin, piano and drums,” says The Green Tambourine owner and director Ann Schwartz. “They are weekly 30-minute classes that get kids started playing an instrument. We learn about how to play and take care of our instruments, as well as getting started reading and writing notes.”

“We listen to lots of different styles that use the instrument and explore what makes these styles unique. We also play music games that kids love.”

Classes are held from April-mid June and will culminate with an in-class performance. More info and registration can be found on the Green Tambourine website: https://www.thegreentambourine.com.

Families are welcome to schedule a free trial class and West Philly Local readers can save 10 percent off their first enrollment – click here!

(Photos courtesy of The Green Tambourine)

The 5400 block of Woodland Avenue has been officially named “Dr. Minnie Moore Johnson Way” after longtime Southwest Philadelphian and community leader, Dr. Minnie Moore Johnson.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier also presented a resolution honoring Dr. Johnson’s service to Southwest Philadelphia and the city at large.

Dr. Johnson moved to Philadelphia from Brooklyn as a teenager and became a social worker and community servant. She volunteered to provide food to seniors at Thanksgiving in 1968. Two decades later, in 1988, she hosted Thanksgiving dinner for more than 25,000 seniors at the then-Philadelphia Civic Center, garnering recognition by the Smithsonian Institute for her efforts, which was credited as the largest “one-day feeding in the history of the City.”

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After a break, a popular recreation program for kids, the Clark Park Youth Soccer League, is returning this spring. The program, run by the Friends of Clark Park, kicks off April 20 in the Clark Park “Bowl” and children in Kindergarten – 5th Grade are welcome to join. Sessions will be held every Saturday morning through June 8.

A pre-K clinic for kids ages 4-5 will also be held this spring with sessions scheduled for every other Saturday.

Registration is open now through April 10.

Registration fee for this program is $20 for one child and $10 for each additional child in the same family. Non-member families are also required to pay a Friends of Clark Park membership fee, starting at $25 for families registering one child. Financial “Soccership” assistance is available.

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