Bartram’s Garden will be hosting the annual Philadelphia Honey Festival this Sunday (Sept. 11). The festival will feature a bunch of fun and educational events and activities for the whole family, include honey tastings and sales from local beekeepers. Festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and daytime events are free and open to the public. Check out the Bartram’s Garden website for more details.

One of the special events planned as part of the festival is the “Buzzed” Ice Cream Social fundraiser, featuring Little Baby’s ice cream, Art in the Age cocktails, and boozy ice cream floats!

Guests are invited to sample the exclusive new Bartram’s Garden flavor from Little Baby’s Ice Cream and enjoy Philly-themed favorites from Art in the Age, which is crafting a number of specialty concoctions specifically for the event including a Bartram-inspired cocktail.

Photos courtesy of Bartram’s Garden

Tickets are $15 ($12 for Bartram’s Garden members) and include your first drink and first ice cream or float. All guests will need to provide photo ID before being served alcohol. Click here to buy your ticket online.

The event will be held from 3 – 5 p.m. and all ages are welcome.

Bartram’s Garden is located at 5400 Lindbergh Blvd. and you can get there by public transportation (Trolley Route 36) or by bike. Parking is also available.

For more information, visit: bartramsgarden.org.

More than 20 West Philly-based barbers will be at the West Philadelphia branch of YMCA this Sunday (Sept. 4) to provide free haircuts for youths as they prepare for the upcoming school year. This is the 2nd annual “Back 2 School” free hair-cutting event organized by the local group “Barbers Who Care.”

The event will run from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and will also include child friendly activities, music, and special guests. West Philly YMCA is located at 5120 Chestnut Street.

Dozens received free haircuts at last year’s event.

Just a week before Philadelphia public schools reopen for the 2016-2017 school year, a number of local businesses and organizations are holding school supply drives.

• PB & Jams PHL and Sofistifunk are hosting The Back to School Jawn on Wednesday, Aug 31, from 6 – 9 p.m. The event will take place in Cedar Park at the Taco Angeleno location (5019 Baltimore Ave.). Please bring some new school supplies for neighborhood kids heading back to school, and enjoy tacos and nachos from Taco Angeleno, sweet treats and shakes prepared by PB&Jams, and music by Sofistifunk. This is a low-cost event, and there’s no cover charge. For more details, check out the event’s Facebook page.

• Philadelphia Forman Mills stores, including the 48th and Market location, will be collecting school supplies for the 6ABC “Stuff a Backpack” Drive through Wednesday, Aug. 31. There will be a collection bin at each participating Forman Mills location. Suggested donation items include: number 2 pencils, colored pencils, pencil sharpeners, glue and glue sticks, markers (thin and thick), pen/pencil pouches, folders, child scissors. Items must be new and unused. Please don’t bring lunch boxes, food, or money. The store hours are: Mon-Sat 9 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. – 7 p.m..  Continue Reading

The Liberian Women’s Chorus for Change (Facebook page) brought a lot of joy to the field near 40th and Walnut last night as part of the 40th Street Summer Series. Group members Fatu Gayflor, Marie Nyenabo, Tokay Tomah, and Zaye Tete performed traditional songs and called for unity in the Philadelphia community. Some audience members joined them in singing and dancing. (Photos by West Philly Local).

Nothing says summer in Philly quite like closing down the streets and throwing a good block party. It turns out that West Philly – particularly Cedar Park, Cobbs Creek, Kingsessing and Garden Court – have thrown more block parties than anyone else in the city.

Our friends over at PlanPhilly have crunched the data drawn from block party permits issued over the past 10 years and the 19143 zip code came out on top with 7,109 block party permits issued over the 10-year period. North Philly, particularly 19140, was second. The block that parties the hardiest? The 3500 block of Ryan Avenue in Mayfair, with 69 block party permits issued.

PlanPhilly’s Jon Geeting writes that the total number of block parties in the city over the past 10 years have decreased since a peak in 2008 of 7,679 total permits issued. But, Geeting points out, “this data set only includes authorized block party permits that people paid for. It doesn’t include all the block parties out there held without a permit from Streets, so keep in mind that this is only a partial picture of the phenomenon.”

Not surprisingly, the permit data shows that the most block parties are held around July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Check out the full post at PlanPhilly here.

Community Unity Music Festival, a free and family-friendly event, returns this Saturday to Clark Park at 43rd and Chester. This year’s festival has a great line up: Papo Vazquez Mighty Pirates & Troubadours, Bobby Zankel & The Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, Killiam Shakespeare Band, The Universal Dance & Drum Ensemble, CiaraFaye Martin (vocalist), Clef Club Ambassador Big Band, Zenia McPherson (vocalist), Suzanne Burgess (vocalist), and other special guests.

The festival is organized with the help of a prominent West Philly musician, a member of The Branford Marsalis Jazz Quartet, Justin Faulkner.

The goal of the festival, which will take place from 12 – 7:30 p.m., is to promote nonviolence and unity in the Philadelphia community.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.