Garden Court residents and others interested in helping out in the neighborhood have a great chance this week to learn more about local happenings and events, meet other community members, business owners and stakeholders, and find out how to get involved. The Garden Court Community Association (GCCA) is presenting a membership fair on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Renewal Presbyterian Church (4633 Cedar Avenue) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The following topics will be discussed at the event:

• Bringing support to Lea Elementary School
• Improving the business corridors in your community
• Improving public safety
• Planning events to bring neighbors together
• Supporting community greening efforts

Neighborhood businesses, organizations, and programs will also take part in the GCCA Membership Fair, including University City District, 48th Street Grille, Take the Lead Dance Studio, PGW’s EnergySense Program, The Partnership CDC Neighborhood Advisory Committee, and more. Each of the working committees will have displays and information on the work that they are doing to make Garden Court a great place to live. Tasty treats will also be provided!

Garden Court’s boundaries are 45th Street to 52nd Street and Cedar Avenue to Locust Street. GCCA Membership is open to all persons living, working, or interested in this community. For more information about GCCA and upcoming neighborhood events, visit the GCCA website at: www.gardencourtca.org.

Visit SEPTA’s Facebook page and vote for your favorite “gift-wrapped” vehicle. This photo was taken last year.

Forget Black Friday and the lighting of the Christmas tree at City Hall. In West Philly, the holiday season doesn’t really get underway until a trolley gets jolly.

Keep an eye out on routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34 and 36 for four trolleys that will be decked out in their holiday finest – lights, tinsel, garland etc.

A handful of SEPTA trolley drivers decided to dress up their rigs to add a little cheer to that chilly commute. There will be two on the 11, 13, 34 or 36 routes and one on the 10 and 15 lines. The drivers responsible include Gary Mason, Fred Garmon, Dave Musgrave, and Deina McLaughlin and Denita Birton (Deina’s sister). So if you feel the need to bring glad tidings on the trolley with you, those are the folks to thank.

Old West Philly High School building at 48th and Walnut. (Archived photo)

Among the proposed new charter school applications that will come under public scrutiny this week is the “Philadelphia Music and Dance Charter School,” a K-12 school that could be housed in the old West Philadelphia High School building at 48th and Walnut.

The siting of the school at the old West Philly High building would require the building’s likely developer, which is in the process of purchasing it to convert to lofts, to lease a sizable chunk of the building – as much as 90,000 square feet –  to the school. The school expects up to 900 students when it hits full capacity in a few years.

The developer, New York-based Strong Place Partners, has apparently agreed to do that, according to the school’s application submitted in November. The public hearing for Philadelphia Music and Dance Charter School’s application is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. on Thursday.  Continue Reading

Winter holidays are approaching fast and a great way to get into the holiday spirit is by helping neighbors in need. If you would like to help out here are a few drives going on in the neighborhood.

• Rep. James Roebuck and Penn Nursing are teaming up again for the “Socks for Seniors” drive. Through Friday, Dec. 19, donate a new pair or pairs of socks by dropping them off at Roebuck’s office located at 4712 Baltimore Ave. Your donations will go to senior residents and local nursing facilities.

Roebuck is also hosting a free senior fair this Saturday, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Calvary Community Center (48th and Baltimore, entrance on 48th). The fair will feature free health screenings and several nonprofit and for-profit exhibitors, and will also provide information on state and local resources for seniors. Refreshments and door prizes will also be available. For more information, please contact Roebuck’s office at 215-724-2227.

• Local 44, a neighborhood pub at 44th and Spruce, is holding a Toy and Personal Care Items Drive, also through Friday, Dec. 19. All donations will go to women and children at the People’s Emergency Center, a West Philly community center. Please note that only new and unwrapped toys or personal care items are accepted. Click here for a list of most needed items.

• The People’s Emergency Center (PEC) is holding a non-perishable food drive. If you have any unopened Thanksgiving canned goods, please consider donating them to PEC. Donations can be dropped off at Rowan House (325 N. 39th St), on Wednesday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check out the flier below for more information.

• We’d like to remind that Cedar Park Neighbors’ Holiday Food Basket Drive is also underway. A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, click here.

As the holidays approach and trips to stores increase, the pesky plastic shopping bags can start to pile up. Many people just put them in the blue curbside recycling bin. Plastic is plastic right? Nope. Not only do they not get recycled they can get stuck in the recycling machinery and jam things up.

You can probably guess how bad these things are for the environment. If not, here’s a reminder. Also, there’s the ongoing debate over whether they should be banned or taxed.

So what to do? The easiest solution is to carry a reusable shopping bag. But if that’s not your style or you always forget yours, you might be able to return plastic bags to nearby grocery stores. Here are a few places where you can turn the bags in:

• Fresh Grocer at 40th & Walnut, in the lobby near the elevators.
• Whole Foods on Callowhill.
• Shoprite at Parkwest Town Center, near 52nd and Parkside.

Are there other places that you know of? Please leave a comment and we will compile an ongoing list.

Curtis (left) and his crew. (Archived photo / West Philly Local).

There are a few things around that signal the arrival of the holiday season. The squirrels bulk up a little for the winter, parking is a little easier to come by as the students start leaving and, like clockwork, Curtis and his amiable crew set up their Christmas tree operation at 50th and Baltimore (just like they have every year for 25 years or so).

This year, they began selling trees on the triangle in front of Dock Street the day after Thanksgiving and will continue right through Christmas Eve. The selection is good – different sizes, types and prices. They also have stands if you need one of those and they will tie up your tree so it can go in your grocery cart (or on your car).

Curtis  is typically open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m..

We’ll keep you posted on other spots to buy a tree around the neighborhoods, but as usual Curtis gets first mention of the season.