Funkateer Desiree Russel and two of her teammates await instruction from their drill captain during Friday’s performance (see more photos below). Photos by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local

No doubt about it, “Chops” would have been proud of his Funkateers on Friday.

The Gold Coast Funkateers, a drill team based at Samuel B. Huey Elementary School (52nd and Pine), performed in the school’s auditorium, the kind of smooth, disciplined performance that their fallen leader, Drill Master Gregory “Chops” Scott, would have liked. Chops was helping to groom the Funkateers to become members of the Gold Coast Buccaneers, the fabled West Philly-based drill team and community outreach organization.

Scott, 55, a beloved community leader, was murdered in front of his home on the 200 block of S. Millick Street on Feb. 27. Police charged his cousin and another man with the shooting death.

The Funkateers were his last team. Scott’s widow, Alfreda “Cookie” Scott, sat with other older Buccaneers in the front row for Friday’s performance.

Show organizers said they wanted to remember Scott’s life and not his death. The Huey students he worked with took the stage dressed in Gold Coast Buccaneers colors, yellow and black, wearing t-shirts emblazoned with a picture of Scott. A group of Gold Coast elders and third grade teacher Sharon Bryant led the team through their steps. Bryant and the Standing in the Gap Foundation helped Scott make the Funkateers a reality. Standing in the Gap is a community enrichment foundation that was founded in memory of Bryant’s son, Donovan, who died in 2008.

“I met Chops out there in the schoolyard, on that emblem, and a very powerful partnership was formed” said Bryant, referring to the Gold Coast Buccaneers logo on the Huey playground. “It started with a few children up in my classroom and evolved into what you see today.”

The Gold Coast Buccaneers are based a few blocks from the school and have a tradition of community service in the neighborhood dating back to the 1960s. Their mission is “to provide leadership, inter-generational recreation, discipline, culture, education and values while creating services and support to improve the quality of life in their respective communities.” The kids who are admitted to the program have to follow a regimented program of discipline and ethics. The organization even keeps an eye on their grades. Older Buccaneers, like Chops, serve as mentors and hope to keep the Gold Coast Buccaneers tradition alive. To do so they will need younger recruits, much like the ones that graced the stage at Huey.

– Mike Lyons

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On June 21, Philly will join over 500 cities world-wide as a landscape for live music—and West Philly needs to get in on the action.

Dubbed “Make Music Philly,” the free multicultural festival is the city’s inaugural entrance into Make Music Day, a global carnival of melodies that started in France in 1982 and came to the states as National Music Day in 2006. Make Music Philly, which will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., will be an experiment in do-it-yourself ingenuity, with artists and venues city-wide taking the helm in planning casual gigs and formal concerts.

Musicians of all calibers, ages, and genres, and venues of all types are invited to participate. So whether you’re an amateur ukulele player, local post-psych outfit, established folk singer-songwriter, or high school drumline, Make Music Philly has a space for you. And anywhere in West Philly can serve as a stage—from the Clark Park Dog Bowl and the basement of the Calvary to street corners, sidewalks, and your best friend’s backyard.

To be considered an official MMP event, all venues, artists, and volunteers must register for free through the official website. Participants can either register already-curated events or use MMP’s matchmaking software to connect with other venues and artists to organize performances.

WXPN is MMP’s lead organizer in partnership with the City of Philadelphia, and METRO Philly is the official print partner.

For more information, visit makemusicphilly.org or check out MMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

– Annamarya Scaccia
 

Update (Apr 17): The pre-sale deadline has been extended until Friday, Apr 19 and orders can be picked up at  PIC (4205 Spruce St) during sale days on May 3 and 4.

Thursday, Apr 4: The annual Parent Infant Center (PIC) plant sale is back and better than ever! There is an enormous selection of annuals, perennials, herbs, veggies, hanging baskets, and more, all supplied by local growers, so it’s a great chance to help West Philly go greener this spring and also support PIC that has been in the neighborhood for 35 years. Every penny raised from the sale will go to the PIC Scholarship Fund, established in 1986 so that more neighborhood families could afford high-quality child care.

The success of this event depends on pre-sales that are going on right now. Orders can be placed online at picplantsale.org.

If you would like to learn more about the sale and what it supports, visit www.parentinfantcenter.org or email rcrossot@parentinfantcenter.org.

West Philly Runners are joining running clubs around the city tomorrow (Thursday, Apr. 18) for a run to honor those impacted by the tragedy in Boston.

Anyone interested in joining the run should meet at the West Philly Runners usual starting spot at 45th and Locust at 7 p.m. The run will proceed to City Hall where runners from different clubs around the city will meet up and run for a little while together.

Runners who do not typically run as part of a group are also encouraged to join in and invite friends who might be interested.

The run is “meant to be a show of strength and unity for our community,” according to the West Philly Runners website.
 

The Minor Threats at the PA State Scholastic Chess Championships in March.

Members of the Minor Threats, a chess club comprised of 2nd-6th graders from four West Philly schools, have just returned from the SuperNationals that took place this past weekend in Nashville, Tenn., and have some good news: the team won two trophies! Mitchell Elementary finished 28th place in the team K-5 U900 division. A team member, Tahvon Hughes, finished 35th among individuals. There were 393 kids playing in the division.

The Philadelphia Chess Society returned from SuperNationals, a tournament that only happens once every four years, with a total of nine trophies and it’s great to know that the Minor Threats, the team that so many of our readers supported with financial contributions and words of encouragement, contributed to this success (read our first story about the club and its fundraising efforts here).

Jason Bui, the Minor Threats coach, has sent us an email thanking everyone who supported his club and the Philadelphia Chess Society:

“It was truly an awesome and adventurous experience for us. On behalf of all the participating PCS clubs, students, parents and guests, THANK YOU!”
 

On Sunday, April 7, Dock Street Brewery (50th and Baltimore) will become a venue for two great events – a fundraiser for Cedar Park Neighbors scholarships and a pop-up shop featuring local artists and merchants.

The 6th Annual Scholarship Fundraiser which supports local youths’ pursuit of higher education will take place from 4-6 p.m. and will include beer and pizza, a silent auction, and live music by local band Big Tusk. Tickets are $40 and are available at the door or online. To buy tickets online click here.

Dock Street’s first pop-up shop will begin at 1 p.m. and go on until 8 p.m., so you if you’re participating in the fundraiser you can definitely check out this event, too. Here’s a list of participants:

Pinups For Pitbulls

Recycled Lovers -Vintage clothing and accessories

El Vivimor -Vintage clothing and accessories

Terra Luna – herbal vinegars

Wicked Apothecary – all natural soaps and skin care products

Adelina Mictlan Jewelry – occult style jewelry

Thrillhaus – tees, painted skulls and prints

Cut & Paste Photo Booth

As the Crow Flies & Co. -re-purposed heirloom jewelry & retro style kids clothes

Bitten Sweets – handmade chocolates, crafted into devilish shapes

For more information on the vendors and the event visit: shopdockstreet.wordpress.com.

There will be a raffle to benefit Pinups For Pitbulls, a non-profit organization comprised of animal lovers, advocates and educators. A few of the vendors and local businesses are donating things to raffle off. Dock Street will have pizza slices and will be serving all six taps and new beer cocktails, such as Dude’s Manhattan, Rye Bloody Maria, Pilsner Brew-driver, and a few more.