The annual benefit auction for University City Arts League, a great non-profit organization that offers art education and events to the community, is currently underway. Many amazing items are available for bidding, including beautiful art and jewelry pieces, handmade clothing items, oriental rugs, gift certificates to local restaurants and shops, tickets to various shows, books, vacation getaways, wine tastings and much more!

Online bidding closes at 10 p.m. on Monday, May 4. The live auction and party is on Saturday, May 9. Click here for more information.
 

UPDATE (5/1/2015): 

For the used book sale at the Spruce Hill May Fair, the Spruce Hill Center at 257 S. 45th will be open to receive used books at the following times:

Saturday, May 2: 3-5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 5: 6-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 7: 6-8 p.m.

You can also bring books for donation directly to the fair on May 9.

The annual Spruce Hill May Fair will return to Clark Park on May 9 and will bring dozens of local vendors, live music, food, raffles with great prizes from local businesses, book and plant sales, and games and entertainment for kids.

Vendors will be offering a wide range of arts and crafts, including many gift ideas for Mother’s Day, which is on May 10. There will also be booths set up with information about local groups and causes seeking public support.

The Spruce Hill Community Association, which organizes the event, still has a few vending spots open for interested individuals or organizations. Especially welcome are artists and crafters from West Philadelphia who would like to offer their works for sale, as well as any group or organization wanting to promote itself or a cause, event, or activity.

Application deadline is Friday, May 1. Tables are $30 to $40 (the tables and chairs will be provided). You can download the sign-up sheet here: Vendor Form.

For more information or if you have questions, please contact Mark Wagenveld at ma.wa@verizon.net or 215-756-2070.

Great news for some local schools and lots of arts and culture organizations, which recently received grants and monetary awards for their achievements, continuous service to the community and to support some new projects:

• The West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools (WPCNS) received a $20,000 grant for the Greening Lea project from the TD Green Streets program. A collaboration between the Arbor Day Foundation and TD Bank, this Green Streets grant was one just of 10 awarded to communities across the country. The grant will be used towards planting a large shade tree area over the green stormwater management system to be installed at the Lea play yard this year. Please also check our post on the Greening Lea naming campaign, where local residents and businesses are encouraged to participate.  Continue Reading

The Curio Theatre is closing out its season with the rollicking comedy Noises Off, a Michael Frayn play about a play, which previews on April 30 – May 7 and opens on May 8.

Noises Off introduces the audience to the epically incompetent cast of Nothing On – the play within the play – and their travails in everything from dress rehearsals to close of the play’s 10-week run. The play takes its title from the theatrical stage direction indicating sounds coming from offstage.

Peter Reynolds is directing the Curio production, Paul Kuhn designed the set and Tim Martis designed the lighting. The costume designer is Aetna Gallagher, and Kathleen Soltan is the stage manager.

The cast includes Kyra Baker, Newton Buchanan, Steve Carpenter, Isabella Fehlandt, Rachel Gluck and Andrew Carroll.

Tickets for the performances range from $15 to $25 and are available here.

Oh, and here’s an added bonus: If you show up to opening night dressed in 80’s attire (the production is set in the 80’s) you have a chance to win two passes for next season.

Again, so many great events are taking place in our neck of the woods this weekend for adults and children alike. In addition to the spring edition of Go West! Craft Fest at The Woodlands this Saturday, there will be some free Philadelphia Science Festival activities in Clark Park. Also a reminder that the annual Penn Relays are back this weekend. The schedule is here and expect traffic jams and a lot of visitors on and around Penn’s campus.

In the roundup below we included a few fundraisers for local children’s programs and a bird watching opportunity at Bartram’s Garden. For more events, visit our Events Calendar.

Saturday, April 25

BirdPhilly Bird Walk at Bartram’s Garden

54th and Lindbergh Blvd.

Come to historic Bartram’s Garden on Saturday morning to enjoy this free bird walk with guides from BirdPhilly when they expect to see late wintering waterfowl with early arriving breeders and migrants like warblers and orioles (both species). 7 – 10 a.m. More info.  Continue Reading

Studio 34 needs a “nightclub” permit to keep hosting large events like the City Kitties benefit auction pictured here. Photo from City Kitties.

A couple of dozen supporters of Studio 34, the yoga and arts space at 4522 Baltimore Ave., breathed a collective sigh of relief last night when the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee vowed to help figure out a way to get the studio compliant with city codes.

Studio 34 needs a “nightclub” permit to continue to hold events like dance recitals and art shows that it has held since it opened eight years ago. A few residents who live near the studio are concerned that if Studio 34 vacates the building one day (it has a 20-year lease) the nightclub permit might be used to open an actual nightclub. The building’s owner also owns the nearby Fiesta Pizza.

The ordeal began a couple of years ago when an organization rented Studio 34 to host a large event. They set up a bunch of folding chairs, but didn’t leave an aisle, a code violation. Later a city inspector came around and suggested that Studio 34 needed a special permit to hold large events that weren’t part of its core mission as a yoga studio. Since another part of its mission is providing community space for all sorts of events, Studio 34’s co-owners have decided to pursue the permit.

“We just want to do it above board,” said co-owner Jim Peniston.

The zoning committee committed to helping Studio 34 and nearby residents figure out a way to get the permit, but have some limits placed on it. For example, there could be a stipulation that the permit has an expiration date.

“No one is anything but complimentary about what you guys are doing,” said zoning committee chair Barry Grossbach.

While no decision was made at last night’s meeting, the board promised to be supportive of Studio 34’s efforts while reassuring neighbors that they won’t someday live near a rollicking, nighttime hot spot.