Preparations have begun for the Bartram’s Garden Greens Sale, which is on Saturday, Dec. 7 (more about it later). Volunteers are sought who can lend a hand to help support this popular annual event. Volunteers are needed from Sunday, Dec. 1 – Saturday, Dec. 7 for a variety of tasks, including decorating wreaths, assisting in the Garden Shop, and greeting visitors. Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Please note that volunteers who share their talents for 10 or more hours in one calendar year can receive a complimentary Bartram’s Garden Membership. Click here for more details.

(Photo courtesy of Bartram’s Garden)

If the loop playing of Wham’s “Last Christmas” at CVS hasn’t given it away already, the holiday season is here, with Thanksgiving just around the corner.

For many locals, the holidays mean planning a vacation or taking a trip back home for family quality time. But for others, the season means staying put in West Philly, be it because of circumstance or because loved ones are coming to you.

Your holiday staycation doesn’t have to turn out boring, though. After all, with all the great restaurants in the area you can embark in a week-long foodie tour that will satisfy your hunger and help you taste new flavors. But our little notch of Philadelphia proper has many other great gems to keep you and/or your family entertained during the season—some popular and historic, others hidden and in need of discovery.

In order to help your staycation take flight, West Philly Local put together a short list of places to play and sleep to help you plan your local itinerary—and discover the unique personality of our neighborhood.

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Kalachakra (The Wheel of Life) colored sand mandala.

Don’t miss the chance to see the Tibetan artist, meditation teacher, and former Buddhist monk Losang Samten at the Philadelphia Folklore Project (735 South 50th St). He returns for his annual residency at PFP from Monday, Nov. 18 to Friday, Nov. 22 and will be working daily from 1 to 7 p.m., to create “The Wheel of Life” mandala in colored sand. All are welcome to stop by and observe Samten through the spiritual process of creating The Wheel of Life. The program is free. Please visit this page for more information about Samten and his project.

Play On, Philly! (POP), the acclaimed innovative educational music program which began in 2011 at West Philly’s St. Francis de Sales School, is inviting neighbors to their first collaborative concert tonight at 7 p.m. at West Catholic Preparatory High School (45th & Chestnut). Admission is FREE.

This season, POP has been focusing on collaboration, creativity and composition, as part of a new program, POP Creates. All of their concerts this season will be collaborations, including Orchestra 2001 and Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera, Messiah College, and Ranaan Meyer of Time for Three, to name a few. The impressive guest artist list includes: Trio Cavatina, Joseph Lin, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, the Takacs Quartet and Time for Three.

Tonight’s concert is a collaboration between St. Francis de Sales Firebird String Orchestra and Junior String Philharmonic of Lehigh Valley (JSP). The highlight of the concert will be a joint performance of Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite and selections from The Nutracker Suite. Pieces by Bach and Pachelbel will also be featured. The concert will be conducted by Kenneth Bean, Music Director/Conductor of JSP and Naomi Gonzalez, Conductor at POP.

To read more about Play On, Philly! and to check the schedule of their upcoming events, visit: http://www.playonphilly.org/

(Photo courtesy of Play On, Philly!)

Click to enlarge.

This Friday and Saturday (Nov 15 & 16), Penn Museum and VIX Emporium are teaming up to present one of the first holiday shopping opportunities for local residents and guests – a special two-day craft fair titled “Gifts in the Galleries.” The craft fair means unique, handmade gifts, like jewelry, clothing, accessories, hand knits, ceramics, home wares, original artworks, prints, stationery, soaps, candles and more from over 50 independent artists and craftspeople who will be there in person to present their work.

Gifts In The Galleries will take place in the Kintner and Dietrich galleries and the Widener Lecture Hall, located on the west end of the Museum, near 33rd and Spruce. Admission to the craft show is free, plus guests will receive a coupon for $5 off general museum admission on Saturday, so this is a great opportunity to view the museum’s vast collection of relics from all over the world. On Saturday, visitors are also encouraged to join the free instructional drum circle with internationally renowned Middle Eastern percussionist Joe Tayoun. For more information, go here.

Gifts in the Galleries
Penn Museum (33rd & Spruce)
Friday, Nov 15 – 4-7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov 16 – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

University City Chinese Christian Church.

It’s a big day tomorrow in Spruce Hill – the day for the Spruce Hill Annual Meeting where residents are invited to “mingle, vote, and discuss developments in the neighborhood.” The meeting will be held at a new location – the recently completed University City Chinese Christian Church at the northwest corner of 45th and Walnut. The church building is also used as a community space.

This meeting is an opportunity for neighbors to ask questions and offer comments about the future of the Spruce Hill neighborhood, which covers an area from 40th to 46th street and Market to Woodland avenues, and also a chance to renew your dues. By the way, all new and recurring SHCA members will receive a free Spruce Hill door decal while supplies last.

Martine Decamp, Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s new planner for the University City/Southwest and Lower Southwest region, will be the featured speaker at the meeting. Since the new zoning code went into effect in August 2012, Decamp will talk about the city’s remapping and rezoning efforts. She will also provide some insight into the Commission’s thinking as it developed its recommendations for future development in the Spruce Hill neighborhood.

Voting is a very important part of the meeting. Here is a list of candidates for the SHCA Board of Directors:

• Monica Calkins – president.
• Andy Cole – executive vice president.
• Mark Wagenveld – vice president (operations).
• Marie McCullough – secretary
• Judy Powers – treasurer.

Overall, 10 seats on the 20-member board are up this year and the Nominating Committee is recommending five newcomers and five incumbents. To see the full list of candidates, please follow this link: http://www.sprucehillca.org/shca-annual-election.

For more details about the meeting and to let your neighbors know that you’re coming, visit the event’s Facebook page.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m.