Councilman At-large David Oh

Councilman David Oh will visit West Philadelphia this Thursday (May 5) to host a community meeting on heroin and opioid crisis in the city. The meeting, chaired by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, will take place at the University of the Sciences (Pharm Tox Building, Room 140, 636 S. 42nd St.), from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m..

Thursday’s meeting is a continuous effort by Councilman Oh to gather community feedback that he will use to shape the City’s coordinated response to the epidemic. Last week, he met with residents of Northeast Philadelphia, Manayunk, and the River Wards in three “emotional at times” community meetings. Another meeting is scheduled in South Philadelphia next week.

The community meetings come as a result of a resolution Oh passed through City Council which authorized the holding of public hearings following City Council’s declaration of 2016 as “The Year to Combat the Heroin Abuse Epidemic in Philadelphia.” The resolution also called for the development of a strategy to effectively address the heroin epidemic as an urgent local health priority.  Continue Reading

This Sunday, hundreds of people are expected to participate in the 9th annual May Day March, Rally and Festival in West Philadelphia.

The event, which is organized by May Day USA Education Committee (Facebook page) and co-sponsored by PhilaPOSH and the Pennsylvania Labor History Society, will begin at 1 p.m. in front of the McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut Streets, where the participants will gather for the march. The march will proceed to Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore, and the rally will start at 2 p.m., followed by a festival, featuring food, music and entertainment.

This year’s rally will focus on the fight for a $15/hour minimum wage and feature Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges, Black Lives Matter author Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, District 1199C President Henry Nicholas, and City Councilwoman Helen Gym.

The May Day rally is an annual event to honor the history of May Day and the many workers who died in the struggle for the eight-hour day in the 1880s.

More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page.

Do you like Square Dance and want to have some fun tonight? Then read on. The newly-reborn West Philly Square Dance (Facebook page) has been going strong for a few months, according to organizers, and tonight all are invited to St. Mary’s Church on Locust Walk (near 40th and Locust) for the “Last Friday” Dance.

People of all ages are welcome and no experience is needed as all dances will be taught. Admission is $5-$10 sliding scale. Also, please bring a vessel/bottle/cup etc. to use for water because square dancing is exercise!  Continue Reading

PIC’s Spring Plant Sale will be held at St. Andrews Chapel (42nd and Spruce) this Friday and Saturday (Photo courtesy of PIC).

The annual Parent Infant Center’s (PIC) fundraising plant sale kicks off today at 4 p.m. at St. Andrews Chapel (42nd and Spruce). The two-day sale is an opportunity not only to purchase annuals, perennials, fruits, veggies, herbs and houseplants locally, but also to support PIC’s Tuition Assistance Fund and to visit the beautiful St. Andrews Chapel at 42nd and Spruce, which is usually closed to visitors.

The sale hours are:

Friday, April 29 – 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 30 – 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

New items will be brought in especially for sale days on Friday and Saturday, so customers who stop in to pick up advance online orders will want to take a moment to browse the weekend inventory.  Continue Reading

The Spring edition of Go West! Craft Fest is returning on Saturday, April 30 to the green space of the historic Woodlands cemetery grounds (40th and Woodland), and it looks like it’s going to be a great show.

Over 100 vendors will present their beautiful handmade items, so it’s a great opportunity to shop for something unique. At the fest, you can find locally made jewelry, pottery, stationery, prints and original artwork, clothing, bags, candles, bath & body products, children’s items, and much more (check out the event’s Pinterest board).

And here’s the schedule for free live music and entertainment for the whole family:

11 a.m. – Sing along with Ann from the Green Tambourine, Baltimore Avenue’s children’s music studio
11:45 a.m. – The Daisy Pickers, folksy, rootsy, joyful Americana
12:30 p.m. – Philadelphia Women’s Slavic Ensemble will present choral music from eastern Europe
1 p.m. – Jay Sand of All Around This World, a musical exploration of world cultures for children
1:45 p.m. – River Bones, Philly-style bluegrass (with Sean Dorn on bass)
2:30 p.m. – Evan Cory Levine makes great-grandpa’s jazz sound brand new
3:15 p.m. – Tinycircus, aerial flights of fancy by Tangle Movement Arts
4:15 p.m. – Shakey Lyman, blues legend  Continue Reading

Two important community meetings are scheduled for tomorrow in the Mantua neighborhood – on re-zoning and gentrification issues. Residents are encouraged to attend.

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell has scheduled a Mantua community re-zoning meeting for Thursday, April 28 after hundreds of Mantua residents participated in a mass letter-writing campaign to her office. The meeting will take place at Grace Lutheran Church (3529 Haverford Ave.), from 6-7:30 p.m.

At this meeting, residents can share their voice about how development occurs in their community and finalize re-zoning based on priorities that:

1. Promote and protect single family homeownership
2. Focus commercial zoning along highly trafficked corridors
3. Correct zoning for parks, recreation centers, and public-use spaces

The meeting is hosted by the Mantua Civic Association and Mt. Vernon Manor CDC.  Continue Reading