Summer brings many cool events to West Philly neighborhoods, including street festivals, outdoor music, art and movies, farmers’ and flea markets, and food-centered events, so we’ll be posting this information as it becomes available. Today’s post is dedicated to a popular summer event in the area – jazz in local parks.

We’re happy to report that two West Philly parks, Cedar Park and Malcolm X Park, will once again be hosting jazz nights featuring well-known local musicians and guests throughout the summer.

Friday Night Jazz in Cedar Park (49th and Baltimore) will kick off on Friday, June 3, with a performance by Bernard Samuels Trio. Performances will be held every Friday, 6 – 8 p.m.. Here’s the lineup through July 29 (additional performances may be announced later):

June 3 – Bernard Samuels Trio
June 10 – Progressive Movement
June 17 – Gretchen Elise & Friends
June 24 – Jazz Lab Project
July 1 – Rich Tucker & Friends
July 8 – Dendê Mercado/Brazilian artist
July 15 – Bobby Zankel & The Warriors of the Wonderful Sound IV
July 22 – Clef Club Youth Ensemble
July 29 – Philadelphia Clef Club/ Tribute to Donald “Chappy” Washington Band & Friends

Cedar Park Jazz is hosted by Cedar Park Neighbors and is made possible thanks to donations from local organizations, businesses and individuals. If you would like to support this event and help bring more performances to the park, click here.

West Philadelphia Jazz Heritage Series are held at Malcolm X Park (52nd and Pine) every other Thursday, beginning at 7 p.m. The series is hosted by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and Friends of Malcolm X Park. Here’s the lineup through Sept. 15:

June 9 – The Jazz Lab Project
June 23 – Vocalist: The Barbara Walker Story
July 7 – Bassist: Bill Booker & Trio
July 21 – Vocalist: Shirley Lites
Aug. 4 – Budesa Brothers
Aug. 18 – Perfect Solution
Sept. 1 – Napoleon Redeemer & The 61st St Band
Sept. 15 – Angel Baby Music  Continue Reading

Single-family home at 4606 Spruce St.

A four-story single-family old Victorian house on the 4600 block of Spruce Street has new owners, who are proposing to convert it to a multi-unit property. The Garden Court Community Association’s zoning committee is hosting a community meeting on Thursday, May 26, at the property in question – 4606 Spruce Street.

The owners have proposed to convert the building to include: a professional office on the first-floor front; single-family apartment in the first-floor rear; and three units on the second through fourth floors. The 3,360-square-foot 6-bedroom house was built in 1909.

Many community organizations in the area have been reluctant to support proposals to convert single-family homes into multi-family buildings.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., and attendees are asked to bring folding chairs, as seating will be limited.

We’re happy to pass along information on two local causes that support community education.

Metropolitan owner Jim Lily and PIC executive director Debbie Green (photo courtesy PIC).

The Parent Infant Center (PIC) at 42nd and Locust recently received a generous and heartfelt gift from a local business. Metropolitan Bakery & Café’s owner Jim Lily sent a touching letter to PIC’s Executive Director Debbie Green and presented a $600 donation for PIC’s Cindy Fund. In his letter, Lily wrote about his close relationship with PIC (his daughter participated in the after-school program there) and about his friendship with former executive director Cindy Roberts who passed away in February. Roberts and Lily were also neighbors; they lived across the street from each other.

University City’s Metropolitan celebrated its 12th anniversary on April 26, and a portion of sales on that day made up this donation. Read more about this wonderful gesture on the PIC website.

The Cindy Fund was established in memory of Roberts, who was passionate about children and families and believed in equal access to quality preschool for all families, regardless of income. To learn more about the Cindy Fund, go here.  Continue Reading

We always knew that Cedar Park is one of the best neighborhoods in West Philadelphia, and next Friday (June 3), it will be featured on Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia! Fox’s TV crew, including Alex Holley, Bob Kelly, Sue Serio, and Quincy Harris, will be broadcasting live from the neighborhood from 7 to 10 a.m.. There will be music, food, special guests, and a chance to be on live TV!

Local community organizations or businesses are invited to set up a table at 49th and Baltimore to be featured in the show. If you’re interested to participate, email Berlinda at Berlinda.garnett@foxtv.com by 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, and let her know your organization or business name and what you would feature/do on the show.  Continue Reading

If you live in West Philly, chances are you or someone you know has a porch where you’ve spent time drinking your beverage of choice on a warm summer day. Porch sitting is a neighborhood activity that people have engaged in as a way of exchanging ideas and bonding with neighbors for years, and the organizers of West Philly Porchfest (WPPF), which will be held on Saturday, June 4, would like to harness that energy to build stronger connections within the West Philly music scene.

“Porchfest is something that the neighborhood can do for itself that really breaks down all sorts of barriers [between music and fans]. Varying skill levels, genres, people who are on tour, people who have never played music before, people whose friends didn’t know they played guitar can play music. It opens up the opportunity for people who have never been invited to house shows in the past to appreciate this music,” explained Owen Lyman-Schmidt, of the West Philly Porchfest Coordinating Committee.

No one is sure of where the first Porchfest took place, but WPPF is modeling its event after Somerville Porchfest. The idea is simple: The West Philly Porchfest coordinating committee of five people will compile a list of participating porches and performers, each porch will be responsible for donating its own sound, electricity and performers. A sense of independent “Do It Yourself” will guide event participants, but Lyman-Schmidt says he hopes to also cultivate a sense of “Do it Together” where porches will collaborate with one another to make the festival a reality.  Continue Reading

                          Click to enlarge.

Community members are invited to come by Malcolm X Park (51st and Pine) from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 to help paint a mural-in-progress by artists James Burns and Eric Okdeh and to explore the mental health services available to all Philadelphians.

The invitation is part of The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program Painting a Healthy City, an event from the behavioral health and wellness department, Porch Light.

Painting a Healthy City is a public paint day plus a behavioral health resource fair (inclusive of legal, employment, housing, trauma, counseling, and food insecurity resources), achieving Porch Light’s mission to connect communities in Philadelphia to health and wellness resources in low-stigma environments.

Featured murals this year come from Kirkbride Center and Girard Medical Center’s Goldman Clinic, where Okdeh and Burns have been hosting workshops since October. The artists’ designs draw from participant artwork and stories to create a vibrant picture of recovery, resilience, and hope.