Food Day is a national celebration of local food and community. It takes place on Thursday, Oct. 24 at locations around the country. Here in Philadelphia, Drexel University will host an evening of free food and a screening of the documentary, “A Place at the Table,” which explores the state of hunger in America.

The celebration is organized by a coalition of food-based organizations, including nonprofits, businesses and government agencies. There were over 3,000 events around the country in 2012.

From 12 to 2 p.m., Drexel student organizations focused on food and environmental justice will give presentations throughout the campus on topics ranging from veganism to factory farming.

The film screening will be at 6 p.m. There will also be a free meal, prepared by Drexel Culinary students, starting at 5 p.m.

“The food is FREE but we ask that students and attendees bring a food item to donate to People’s Emergency Center’s food bank as they are having difficulty filling their shelves, “ said Hayley Tintle, lead organizer of the event.

The event will take place in room 103 of Disque Hall, located between 31st and 32nd just below Market Street. For more information click here.

– Alex Vuocolo

Smak Parlour’s fashion truck on 40th Street between Locust and Spruce Streets / Photo by Mia Holley.

Over the last 10 years, pop-up shops have become a must-do trend in the fashion industry. While seasonal holiday stores—like Spirit Halloween—have already anchored themselves in this market for decades, retail and fashion tycoons like Target, Gucci, Dr. Martens, Louis Vuitton and Kate Spade have all developed pop-up shops at one point or another.

Smak Parlour, located at 219 Market Street, is no stranger to the pop-up concept. The Old City boutique founded and run by best friends Katie Lubieski and Abby Kessler has a temporary space at 126 S. 19^th Street opened through November 9th, moving to the King of Prussia mall the day after for the holiday season.

While the two 34-year-old fashion designers—who started their t-shirt line SMAK in college—are following an established trend, they’re hoping to capitalize on another budding craze already taking over Los Angeles: the fashion truck. And they’ve started here in West Philly.

“We love the idea of bringing our merchandise straight to our customers, it is the ultimate in customer service,” Lubieski and Kessler wrote to West Philly Local in an email. “It’s an emerging trend for food to go mobile, we decided why not do that for fashion too?”

Since July of this year, Lubieski and Kessler have operated their Smak Parlour mobile store on 40^th Street between Locust and Spruce Streets, serving mostly students from University of Pennsylvania and their alma mater Drexel University. Equipped with a dressing room, West Philly shoppers can peruse the truck’s array of affordably priced clothing (available up to size Large), jewelry, and accessories while on break for lunch, in between classes or during a mid-day walk. Smak Parlour’s parked on 40^th Street every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday between 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., and occasionally visits other locations throughout the city.

But, for the fashionistas, a brick and mortar store, pop-up shops and fashion truck are just the beginning. The two women are looking to expand their brand through “whatever opportunities come our way.”

“We have a great staff and awesome, affordable merchandise. Maybe there’s a Smak Parlour store coming to West Philly down the line, who knows?!,” they wrote.

–Annamarya Scaccia

You can visit the Artifact Lab, learn more about conserving Egyptian mummies and meet a conservator during Penn Museum’s Open House on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Penn Museum)

On Wednesday, Oct 23, Penn Museum is opening its doors to community members of all ages during a free Community Night and Open House. There will be opportunities to get behind the scenes, meet the curators and staff, and enjoy music, dance and storytelling. There will also be gallery tours and a mummy workshop. Want more? How about Egyptian hieroglyph and Mesopotamian cuneiform classes? Also, arts and crafts for the whole family where you can make African masks, Chinese lanterns and Brazilian tambourines.

The event starts at 5 p.m. with the Highlights Tour and goes on until 8 p.m. Check out this page for more information on the scheduled activities and have fun!

Tyrell Biggs (in the white t-shirt) still schools young Philly boxers in the finer points of the sweet science at a gym in the basement of the Shepard Recreation Center near 57th and Haverford.

Tyrell Biggs was one of those dudes who may have hit his prime too early.

He was a starting forward on that legendary West Philadelphia High School basketball team that won a state record 68 straight games on its way to Public League and City titles in 1976-1978.

A few years later, as an amateur boxer, he won gold at the U.S. National Boxing Championships. In 1982 he won the amateur World Championships in Munich. Two years later his path to professional boxing was clear after he won gold in the super heavyweight division at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, beating future champ Lennox Lewis on his way to the title. He won his first 15 pro fights and got a shot at the title in 1987 but lost in a seventh-round TKO to Mike Tyson.

All by age 27.

For Tyrell Biggs boxing was a way up in life, as it still is for many kids in the city. But like many young people who get a lot of money at a young age, Biggs battled drug and alcohol addiction during much of his adult life. He is the subject of a feature documentary that you can help make happen called Whatever Happened to Tyrell Biggs? (see video below).

Here’s the plot outline for the documentary, which is being produced by Lunchbox Communications (the crew that made Digital Dharma):

“In 1984, US Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Tyrell Biggs is hailed as the second coming of Muhammad Ali. What should have been the dream launch of an international boxing legend in reality, marked the beginning of a long period of misfortunes, both in and out of the ring. This feature biopic explores one man’s fall from grace into the depths of despair that pushes him to vanish. Living in that territory in between fame and failure, Biggs confronts a struggle that lives within us all.” A good chunk of the production of this film is already complete, but the production team needs some help getting this important story about someone born and raised in West Philly.

Sanhita Nandi
(Photo via CrossroadsConcerts.org)

Crossroads Music, a local concert promoter that invites great musicians from all parts of the world to perform at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (48th & Baltimore), is presenting free monthly pre-concert events for our little neighbors this fall. These children’s concerts feature many of the same world-class artists as the adult concert series.

The concerts kick off tomorrow (Oct 20) with a performance by Indian musician Sanhita Nandi. Also this fall: Balkan brass with the West Philadelphia orchestra and Argentine tango with Héctor del Curto. All children’s concerts begin at 6 p.m. (adult concerts start at 7:30 p.m.) Visit the Crossroads Music website for more information.

Here are more details on the upcoming free performances:

Sunday, October 20, 2013
Sanhita Nandi
Classical music from Northern India

Sunday, November 10 2013
West Philadelphia Orchestra
Philly’s Balkan village band

Sunday, December 8, 2013
Hector del Curto Trio
Argentine tango

Project Runway Season 12 winner Dom Streater making it work (Photo by Barbara Nitke / A+E Networks)

While it’s no secret that West Philadelphia is a neighborhood of stars, it was confirmed last night when Dominique “Dom” Streater won season 12 of Project Runway.

Throughout the season, the 24-year-old local fashion designer, who was born and raised on 58^th and Chestnut Streets (“a really nice community to grow up in,” she said), captivated the judges with her juxtaposition of competing patterns and bold colors. And her collection shown on last night’s Project Runway finale was no different—appropriately titled “Retro Redux,” Streater’s runway show at New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was a vibrant explosion of cool blues and purples intercut with contour shapes that oozed luxury and sophistication.

It’s an edgy trademark look that defines her trend du jour line, the Halcyon Clothing Collection, which she currently designs out of her home in Overbrook. But, as Project Runway’s latest winner, Streater will have the opportunity to launch her next collection with the help of a sizeable prize package, which includes $150,000 furnished by GoBank, state-of-the-art products from HP and Brother Sewing and Embroidery, and a $50,000 styling contract with L’Oreal Paris (among other goodies).

Before last night’s season finale aired, West Philly Local had a chance to chat with Streater, a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design, about making it to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, what defines West Philly fashion, and building her brand in her hometown. Continue Reading