The Sloppy Film Fest, a West Philly-based one-day festival of short DIY films, is returning on September 6 and film submissions are currently accepted. If you have recently made a short film or video and would like it to be screened at the festival, submit it through August 25. You can either send a link to your uploaded video, or send a copy of the video file.

Here are the guidelines:

• Your film can be about anything
• No film is too short or too sloppy
• Start something new, or finish an old project
• Experimental. Quick and dirty. Fast and loose
• Aim for 5 minutes long/10 minutes max

To register your film follow this link. The event’s Facebook page is here.

Acceptees will be notified by email if their film has been selected for the Fest screening. The organizers say that it’s possible that they won’t be able to show every film that is submitted, but they hope they can. Please email sloppyfilmfest [at] gmail.com with any questions.

The festival, which is basically an evening of short films made by you, will be held at the Beaumont Warehouse (50th and Beaumont), starting at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6. There will be free admission, but donations will be collected at the screening to cover the cost of the space and equipment.

So, are you ready to become a local film star? Go ahead and submit your creation. Who knows, maybe your submission will win the coveted Palme D’Slop?

The Taney Dragons following their 8-0 win over Newark , Del. to win the Mid-Atlantic Championship on Sunday. (Photo from Taneybaseball.com)

So have you caught Taney Dragon fever yet? Whether you are a baseball fan or not it’s hard not to root for that group of 12- and 13-year-old Philly Little Leaguers led by fireballer Mo’Ne Davis (a girl in case you hadn’t heard), who will begin play at the Little League World Series on Friday.

Taney kicks off double-elimination group play in the World Series on Friday at 3 p.m. against the team from Nashville, Tenn.. That game will be on ESPN. If they win, they play again on Sunday at 7 p.m. If they lose, they are still alive and will play Saturday at 6 p.m.

The team, which is made up of kids from around the city including one who attends Penn Alexander school, was featured on ABC news last night. We’re talking “World News,” not Channel 6.  Here’s a story on Davis and the team in The Washington Post. She will be just the 18th girl to play in the Little League World Series since they began allowing girls in 1974 and the first American girl since 2004.

Taney secured the Mid-Atlantic Championship on Sunday behind a Davis’ six strikeouts to shutout the team from Newark, Del. 8-0 That win earned them a coveted spot in Williamsport, the first team from Philadelphia ever to make it.

Also, if you want to throw a few bucks their way to help defray costs of getting the team and their families to Williamsport, go here.

We’ll leave it there for now and keep our fingers crossed. Go Dragons!

Photo by Tug Haines / The Food Trust.

We are happy to report that after a few years away Night Market Philadelphia, a roving street food festival organized by The Food Trust, is coming back to West Philadelphia. The 15th installment of the festival will take place on Thursday, Aug. 14 on Lancaster Ave between 35th and 39th Streets. Last time West Philly hosted the event was in the summer of 2011.

Night Market on Lancaster Ave @ 35th will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. and admission is free. This is a great opportunity to try food from Philly’s best ethnic and regional restaurants and food trucks. Also, there will be live music and entertainment. West Philly hip-hop artist Chill Moody will perform along with a slate of other performing and visual artists.

Night Market’s mission is to spotlight a unique, diverse, vibrant and up-and-coming neighborhood in Philadelphia that some folks might not have explored. Lower Lancaster Avenue is the central hub of an area that includes lots of smaller communities, including Mantua (recently deemed a Promise Zone by President Obama) and Powelton Village.

“…We’re thrilled to be back in West Philadelphia for Night Market number 15,” The Food Trust Executive Director Yael Lehmann said in a press statement. “The Lancaster Avenue corridor is the central hub of one of our most vibrant, diverse and up-and-coming communities, making it the perfect example of why we choose the neighborhoods we do.”

The event is co-hosted by the People’s Emergency Center (PEC), one of the key neighborhood organizations in the area, which are raving about the chance to add Night Market to their calendar of activities along the Lancaster Avenue corridor and to show off their neighborhood to the festival goers. Over 15,000 people are expected to attend the event.

“…I hope that some visitors will also discover that it’s a great place to live and maybe even open up their next retail shop or restaurant,” said PEC President and CEO Farah Jimenez.

The weather is perfect for the last outdoor concert in the 2014 Cedar Park Summer Jazz series, which taking place tonight, from 6 – 8 p.m. Rich Tucker (Facebook page) and the Universal Koncept will entertain the crowd at 49th and Baltimore for the last time this year, as we’re saying goodbye to the series until the next summer. As usual, bring your blanket, or chair and a picnic, or enjoy a takeout from your favorite neighborhood restaurant.

The other day, when walking along Baltimore Ave we lamented that there was only one Dollar Stroll this year. It took place June 19 – seems like a long time ago. Today University City District (UCD) announced that due to popular demand, a second Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll this season is coming on Thursday, Sept 18! That’s great news for Dollar Stroll fans.

A record number of visitors flocked to the area for the last stroll, so UCD together with the Baltimore Avenue Business Association (BABA) are excited to bring the season’s second Dollar Stroll to Baltimore Avenue, between 43rd and 51st Streets.

As always, the event will start at 5:30 p.m. and go on until 8:30 and all are welcome to sample $1 items from local vendors during these three hours. There’s something for everyone – from $1 pours of craft beers to various bites for a buck to special memberships and ticket offers. In addition, there will be live entertainment at the 46th Street Triangle, including music from Y-Not radio, jugglers and fire artists.

The event (Facebook page) will happen rain or shine, according to the organizers. More information about participating businesses and their $1 specials is coming soon. Stay tuned.

The new benches inscribed with Charles Dickens quotes were recently installed in Clark Park. If you are in the park this weekend stop by the Dickens statue to check them out. The new benches is a coordinated effort of four local organizations and individual donors. Check the Friends of Clark Park website for more information.