All are welcome to one of West Philadelphia’s oldest community traditions – the Spruce Hill May Fair in Clark Park. It will take place on Saturday, May 11, 12-6 p.m. at 43rd and Chester.

As always, this free, family-friendly frolic features live entertainment, food trucks, children’s games (including the wildly popular petting zoo) and scores of vendors and community service information tables.

The event is organized by the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA), which is inviting community groups and vendors to take part in the fair. Space is limited and priority will be given to local community organizations and artisans. SHCA will provide a 6-foot table, table covering and chair in a 10-foot space. Vendor fees are set affordably low: $40 or less for the day. No second-hand goods, commercial products or food table sales, please. If you have a truck/cart, please contact Evan Johnstone (evanjay@gmail.com). Prospective vendors should request a table online by Sunday, May 7. Follow this link.

The organizers will work around any threatening showers if at all possible and hold the event as planned. However, in the event of significant rain, SHCA may have to cancel the event on that morning. If you have questions, please email Monica Calkins, Spruce Hill Community Association, mcalkins@upenn.edu.

– Tony West

Over the years, University City District (UCD) has provided important services and organized many community events and activities in the neighborhood (Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, Movies in Clark Park, etc.). Many residents have used such services as walking escorts, vehicle jumpstarts and lock-out assistance. UCD has also organized neighborhood cleaning events and regularly removes trash from the district trash cans. It has also supported local businesses through various events and initiatives/fundraising and has been involved with public space maintenance/activation, workforce development training programs, and more.

To better understand where they are performing well and where they might improve, UCD has launched a public survey.

Those who complete this survey and provide contact information, will be eligible to win one of five $100 gift cards to a University City restaurant. Winners will be chosen after the survey closes in April of 2024 and alerted via email.

The survey can be accessed via this link.

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Community members are invited to participate in a new socially-engaged photography and archival project which kicks off at Malcolm X Park on Wednesday, March 20. The project, titled What is West?, includes a series of free community workshops and a public art installation at the park.

The goal of the project, sponsored by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and The Arts League, is to “give the authority and tools to define West Philadelphia as it exists for its community.”

“Recognizing lived experience as expertise while utilizing public art as a means of exploration, this project will allow our neighbors to move towards collective healing and justice,” reads the project description on the Arts League website.

Another project objective is to document West Philadelphia, a large area comprised of many different neighborhoods, as a place known for its “neighborly warmth, diversity, and collective optimism.” Historically, it has been documented for its issues.

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Our Closet in Your Neighborhood (OCIYN) is a mobile basic needs program providing food and clothing at weekly pop-up events across the city of Philadelphia. Every month, the program partners with the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral (19 S. 38th St.) to host a pop-up event where they distribute food, clothing as well as an opportunity to speak to a qualified social worker about possible services or benefits.

The next event is scheduled for this Thursday, Feb. 29, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Check out the flyer below for more details. More information about the program is available here. To download OCIYN’s events flyer for March 2024, click here.

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Community members are invited to a monthly Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) Board meeting this Tuesday, Feb. 13. There will be two main guest speakers at the meeting:

Representatives from St. Joseph’s University, which acquired the former USciences campus in 2022, will discuss their development plans in the area.

Also, representatives from Constant Springs Consulting will provide updates about the Historical District application process. Since last year, SHCA have been working on this application and even started a community fundraiser. If Spruce Hill is recognized by the City as a historic district it would provide an added layer of protection of historic structures amid a building boom in the area. Designation could also regulate exterior changes to existing buildings like masonry and window replacement.

The meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. will be in person for SHCA Board members and guest speakers. Community members are invited to attend the meeting virtually via Zoom. Click here to download the meeting agenda which includes a Zoom link.

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, in partnership with Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Zoo, Please Touch Museum, and The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, is developing a plan for the future of the Centennial District in West Fairmount Park.

As part of the planning process, the City is gathering community input and holding an open house on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Please Touch Museum. Stop by anytime between 6 and 8 p.m..

The City of Philadelphia would like to hear stories you have about the Centennial District and share your thoughts on what works well and what doesn’t. Check out the event flyer below.

If you can’t make the open house, please consider taking an online survey, which will be posted after the open house at centennialdesignplan.com.

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