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.

Photo from West Philadelphia Orchestra’s Facebook page.

This is a reminder that the always entertaining West Philadelphia Orchestra is coming to the Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore a free concert for kids tonight (Sunday) at 6 p.m. Philly’s Balkan brass band will also have a performance for grown-ups beginning at 7:30 p.m. that will feature Ismail Hakki Fencioğlu and Shtreiml (billed as “Turkish roots and Jewish blues.”) Tickets for this concert range from $5 for Crossroads members to $30 for ticket, which includes donation. The concerts are organized by Crossroads Music; visit their website for more information.

If you want a glimpse of what West Philadelphia Orchestra is about, check out the video below (hint: it’s impossible to sit still when you watch their performances).

Veterans Day is this Monday and some events and happenings are taking place in the area this weekend to honor and support local men and women who served in the Armed Forces.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, Veterans Day Commemoration is scheduled in the northern section of Clark Park near the Gettysburg Stone (near 44th and Baltimore Ave.) Everyone is welcome to join the Friends of Clark Park, students of the HMS School for Cerebral Palsy and the Boy Scouts in honoring veterans. The event begins at 11 a.m. If you are a local veteran reading this, you can be honored too. Please call 215-222-2255 and leave your name and phone number.

Also tomorrow, dozens of volunteers from Rebuilding Together Philadelphia will gather to renovate the Veterans Group Home at 3209 Baring Street (in the Powelton Village area). The volunteer work team will build a new gazebo for the home, install a new grill and cooking area and renovate the first-floor bathroom. The work will take place from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and HGTV and DIY Network will be there to film it.

The Veterans Group Home, which has the capacity to house 48 men, is located on a quiet tree lined street and includes two-three story homes that are joined in the rear of the property by a shared kitchen and two dining areas.