Click to enlarge.

Here’s a great opportunity to learn more about your neighborhood. This weekend, PlanPhilly is organizing free walks in the city as part of Jane’s Walk, a global movement of free, locally-led walking tours inspired by the urbanist and writer Jane Jacobs. The goal of the tours is to get people engaged with their city and one another and to talk about walkability, neighborhood corridors, hidden histories, public spaces, and more.

There will be two walks in West Philly on Friday, May 1. The first one, titled “Breaking the University City HS Superblock,” will be led by James Wright of People’s Emergency Center (PEC). The walk will begin at 4 p.m. at 40th and Market and travel north (see map). All you need to do is show up at the starting point and come up to James, who will be holding a sign. Check out this page for more information.

Starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Daniel Wolf of the University City District will lead a tour down Baltimore Avenue, called “Making Baltimore Ave a Place for People.” This tour will begin at the 40th Street Trolley Portal and end in Cedar Park. Click here for more info.

An oil train derailed over the Schuylkill River in January 2014 (archive photo).

On January 20, 2014, an oil train derailed in Philadelphia over the Schuylkill River, a source of drinking water for 1.5 million Philadelphia residents. A year later, 11 train tank cars containing crude oil derailed in a CSX rail yard in South Philadelphia, prompting a response by hazardous response teams. Community members are invited to join a conversation this Wednesday at USciences about the risks of oil trains in Philadelphia, including in some West Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Wednesday’s meeting is part of Clean Water Action‘s Community Listening Tour on oil trains organized for communities closest to the railroads that carry trains with more than 240,000 barrels of crude oil every day.

The meeting will include a 30-minute presentation as a primer on the issue, followed by a neighborhood engagement session. Participants will learn more about the issues and can ask about the risks. All of the input from participants is recorded so that decision-makers receive adequate feedback from their constituents.  Continue Reading

Again, so many great events are taking place in our neck of the woods this weekend for adults and children alike. In addition to the spring edition of Go West! Craft Fest at The Woodlands this Saturday, there will be some free Philadelphia Science Festival activities in Clark Park. Also a reminder that the annual Penn Relays are back this weekend. The schedule is here and expect traffic jams and a lot of visitors on and around Penn’s campus.

In the roundup below we included a few fundraisers for local children’s programs and a bird watching opportunity at Bartram’s Garden. For more events, visit our Events Calendar.

Saturday, April 25

BirdPhilly Bird Walk at Bartram’s Garden

54th and Lindbergh Blvd.

Come to historic Bartram’s Garden on Saturday morning to enjoy this free bird walk with guides from BirdPhilly when they expect to see late wintering waterfowl with early arriving breeders and migrants like warblers and orioles (both species). 7 – 10 a.m. More info.  Continue Reading

Tinycircus performs at Go West! Craft Fest (Photo West Philly Local).

One of this weekend’s highlights is the Spring edition of Go West! Craft Fest. The popular annual event is returning this Saturday (April 25) to the beautiful Woodlands grounds at 40th and Woodland Ave. and bringing dozens of artists and crafters, food, music and fun. Here are the deets:

The event will be held from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the front of the Woodlands (entrance on Woodland Ave). Around 100 artisans will present their handmade items, such as jewelry, accessories, ceramics, home accents, soaps & candles, toys, terrariums, prints, stationery and much more! The previous craft fest, held in December 2014, was a big success with scores of people shopping for holiday gifts. The upcoming event is a great opportunity to buy something unique for Mother’s Day.

The spring edition of Go West! Craft Fest is also a great family event. While parents are browsing the stalls, kids can enjoy live music and other performances and activities. The University City Arts League and the 34th Woodland Rangers Scout troop will be providing free craft activities, and there will also be free face painting. And here’s the performance schedule for this Saturday:

11 a.m. – The Green Tambourine
12:30 p.m. – Jay Sand, All Around This World
1:30 p.m. – Silverton
2:30 p.m. – Philadelphia Women’s Slavic Ensemble
3 p.m. – Tinycircus by Tangle Movement Arts
4 p.m. – Shakey Lyman & Sean Dorn  Continue Reading

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) is inviting neighbors to learn more about and discuss new development proposals in the area at their next zoning committee meeting on Thursday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Orens Brothers presenting their new project at Spruce Hill zoning meeting in March, 2015.

A discussion of a new development project at 4415 Chestnut Street is scheduled to be the first item on the agenda. Orens Brothers proposed a bold development for 150 apartment units, 50 parking spots, and three commercial/retail spaces at 4415 Chestnut through to Ludlow and down Ludlow, both sides, to 44th street. This will be an opportunity for neighbors to hear the proposal and offer questions and comments.

Other agenda items include:

• Two family dwelling at 217 S. 42nd Street. The Committee and neighbors approved these two units earlier, and this is the official RCO meeting.

• Studio 34’s application for a Special Assembly License. Read more about this application on the Studio 34 Facebook page.

• 22-28 S. 43rd Street. Continuation of discussion on development of land adjacent to an existing mosque. An update from the architect on design issues will be presented.

• 4530 Locust Street. Application for a three-unit building.

The meeting will take place at the SHCA office at 257 S. 45th Street. Each topic discussion is expected to take about 15 minutes, except for the 4415 Chestnut St project, which may take up to an hour, according to a committee notice.

With less than a month remaining until a primary election that will likely have a huge impact on the future of city politics, here’s an important event where you can meet some of the candidates, hear what they have to say and ask your questions.

The 27th Ward invites community members to come out this Thursday (April 23) to USciences’ Rosenberger Hall to hear Democratic City Council-at-Large candidates Bill Greenlee, Alan Domb, Jenne Ayers, Frank Rizzo Jr., Isaiah Thomas, Tom Wyatt, Alexander Wilson, and candidate for City Commissioner Will Mega.

The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Rosenberger Hall is located at 600 S. 43rd Street (next to the basketball courts in Clark Park).

This is another political candidates forum hosted by the 27th Ward this spring. The first forum, where mayoral candidate Jim Kenney participated, was held on March 26.