Free outdoor movies, from classics to more recent critically-acclaimed films, will be shown in Clark Park (43rd and Chester) every Friday from Aug. 21 to Sept. 18. The program is presented by the University City District, the City of Philadelphia and Friends of Clark Park.

This Friday, families are invited to watch the Pixar animated classic The Incredibles. There will also be prizes for kids dressed in super hero costumes, children’s activities, raffle, and food trucks. The programming starts at 7 p.m., and the movie starts at dusk.

Here’s what’s showing over the next four weeks:

Aug. 28 – Casablanca
Sept. 4 – Little Shop of Horrors
Sept. 11 – Selma
Sept. 18 – Best in Show

More details can be found here.

University of the Sciences officials have some plans they want to share with the community and they are holding a community meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20. University leadership will provide updates on the Campus Master Plan and reveal their plans regarding a celebration of the long history of the Alexander Wilson School.

The meeting will be at the McNeil Science and Technology Center at 45th and Woodland from 7 – 8 p.m.

As a reminder, Alexander Wilson Elementary School was permanently closed in 2013, and USciences purchased the 1.03-acre parcel at 46th and Woodland last fall with the plans to convert it into student housing and student-focused retail.

Former Alexander Wilson School building at 46th and Woodland (Google Street View image).

From left: Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Jackson Gray and Annie Devine in Washington in 1965. Devine is featured in the documentary Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders, which will be shown in Clark Park on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. (Photo from The New York Times)

Here’s a chance to see a film that will help put the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly the role of women, in some historical context. The International Action Center is hosting a free outdoor screening of the award-winning documentary “Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders” on Saturday evening in Clark Park.

The film shows the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes and deeds of women from Mississippi, including a sharecropper who went on to become the state’s first black female mayor.  It also recounts the remarkable stories of Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Gray Adams and Annie Devine, who were the first black women to be seated on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The film is a celebration of the role of strong women in the Civil Rights Movement, which in many ways has continued in Black Lives Matter.  Continue Reading

As you may know, actor Kevin Bacon’s father, Edmund Bacon, was born in West Philadelphia and was a renowned architect and Philadelphia city planner. Kevin and his brother, well-known musician Michael Bacon, are encouraging both students and professionals to be part of the 2016 Better Philadelphia Challenge with a chance to win $5,000. The annual urban design competition was founded in 2006 in memory of Ed Bacon.

The 2016 competition focuses on the Mantua/Belmont section of West Philadelphia, which was designated as a “Promise Zone” by President Obama.

“As part of this neighborhood’s development, what physical design interventions could encourage healthy and active lifestyles, thereby improving public health among residents?” reads the competition announcement.  Continue Reading

On Friday, Aug. 14, families are invite to celebrate Back to School Education Day (E! Day), which will be held at the School of the Future (4021 Parkside Ave.). The event, hosted by the School District of Philadelphia, will include on-site student registration, information sessions, free book bags and other giveaways, and educational games. School District officers will be there to answer questions about transportation, lunch programs, uniforms, and many other things. The event will take place from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. More information is available on the School District website.

Just a reminder that the 2015-16 school year for grades 1-12 at Philadelphia public schools begins on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Branford Marsalis Jazz Quartet (from left: Joey Calderazzo (piano), Eric Revis (bass), Branford Marsalis (saxophone), and Justin Faulkner (drums)).

Internationally acclaimed jazz musicians will be guests at the 2nd annual Community Unity Music Festival at Clark Park (43rd and Chester). Saxophone legend Branford Marsalis and his band, The Branford Marsalis Jazz Quartet, will again headline the festival, which will be held on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. This year’s festival, which promotes nonviolence and unity in the Philadelphia community, is called “A Day to Remember.” In addition to live music performances, the festival program includes inspirational speeches from city and state dignitaries, food, games and other activities for kids.

The festival is organized with the help of Justin Faulkner, the drummer of the Marsalis Quartet, who grew up in West Philadelphia. One of the main goals of the festival is to show young community members that “creativity enriches the soul” (the festival’s motto is “Put down the guns and pick up an instrument”). To help local artistic youth, the festival organizers created “The Each One Teach One” coalition, which gives scholarships to five deserving students for private music lessons with one of the festival’s partners, the Clef Club for Jazz and the Performing Arts.

For more information about the Community Unity Music Festival and people behind it, click here.