Pirate scene at the Haunted Garden (Photo by Elizabeth Campion).

One of the big neighborhood draws on Halloween night is the haunted garden near 46th and Springfield, where throngs of young and old come to get good and scared. This year the garden will move about 100 feet away to the seriously spooky basement of the Saint Francis de Sales School (more on that soon).

Everybody loves this event and it is getting bigger every year (literally thousands now), so more volunteers are needed to make it a success. This is a great chance to get involved with something that has become a West Philly tradition.

Squirrel Hill resident Elizabeth Campion, who has co-hosted the event for many years, has sent us a list of the ways you can help and the times people are needed:

• Trip to the wholesale store. The organizers are buying 3,000 candy bars and thousands of pieces of fruit. You need a driver’s license for this one. Bonus if you have a vehicle. Any time Wednesday afternoon, (10/30), through 1 p.m. on Thursday/Halloween.

• Moving decorations from a garage near 48th and Cedar to the site.  Wednesday evening, (10/30), from about 4-8 p.m. Donate an hour or two if you can.

• Decorate!!! Help design and decorate sets. Wednesday evening, 10/30, from 6-9 p.m. and Thursday (Halloween day) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – whatever hour(s) you can spare.

• Stage carpenters. The organizers need one or two “stage carpenters” folks who know their way around duct tape, ropes, hooks and pulleys. Wednesday evening, (10/30), from about 6-9 p.m.

• Distribute treats. This is an ideal job for seniors, or families. Volunteers wait for the visitor to say “Trick or Treat” and respond with “Happy Halloween” and a treat.  Show up 10/31 at about 4:30 p.m. and leave when we run out (about 8 p.m.).

• Actors. Actors bring the sets alive. Families and Frats can coordinate as Pirates for the “Shipwreck,” or as Wait-Staff and Customers at “Dooley’s Deadly Diner” or Scarecrows at the “Poisoned Pumpkin Patch.” “Actors” must commit 10/31, 4:30-7:30 p.m. All volunteers are asked to come in costume, but some costume items can be borrowed from the organizers.

• Photographers. The organizers need people who have their own cameras and are willing to upload their cards to the Picasa site. Technical support will be provided if necessary. Photographers must commit 4:30-7:30 p.m. on 10/31. Can work as a team as long as there is continuous and overlapped coverage.

• Pack. Saturday, 11/2, from Noon-4 p.m. If you can differentiate between a spider and a pumpkin, you can help sort and pack. You will be paired with Cub Scouts who can do the bending and climbing.

If you would like to help with one or more of these activities or if you have questions, please contact Elizabeth at: home.in.phila@juno.com

Great news for our little neighbors and their parents – the Halloween Tot Parade, a fun annual tradition in the Spruce Hill neighborhood, is scheduled again this year, so make sure to show off your bootastic costumes and have fun with your friends and neighbors (and West Philly Local will be there too to snap some photos). Here are more details from the Spruce Hill Community Association website:

The date is Thursday, Oct. 31 (no rain date). As it has for the last several years, the parade will start gathering after 4 p.m. on 45th St. just north of Baltimore Ave. (next to Milk and Honey). The kick-off time is 4:30 p.m., when marchers, led by drummers from the Penn marching band, will go north on 45th to Larchwood Ave., down to 43rd St., and then on to the 4200 block of Osage. There the block residents will welcome them – as always – with cider and goodies and some amazing Halloween decorations. The University City District will be assisting in directing traffic around the parade route. Parents, please be alert while crossing Baltimore Ave. and other busy streets. Parking on the 4200 block of Osage will be restricted Thursday afternoon to accommodate the parade. Overnight parkers will be able to get their spots once the clean up is done and all the ghosts and goblins are safely home.

Photos by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local.

A new voice in support of more and better biking has been added. The University Bike Collective is holding its first information session tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct 23), according to the group’s Facebook page. The info session, “powered by pizza,” will be held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Meyerson Hall, B6 (210 S. 34th St.) beginning at 12:30 p.m. and interested folks outside of the Penn community are also invited.

The University Bike Collective will introduce their plans for the year, including fun social rides to explore the city, research and advocacy efforts, and workshops. Susan Dannenberg of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia will share updates on the latest in Philadelphia bike advocacy.

Come to the session if you:

• Are looking for fun bike-related events, avec free pizza;
• Want to see more bike lanes and bike parking.
• Ever thought about biking in Philly, but you’re not sure how to get started.
• Interested in perfecting the art of layering clothes to avoid over-sweating on your ride to class.

For more information and to RSVP, visit the event’s Facebook page.

You can visit the Artifact Lab, learn more about conserving Egyptian mummies and meet a conservator during Penn Museum’s Open House on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Penn Museum)

On Wednesday, Oct 23, Penn Museum is opening its doors to community members of all ages during a free Community Night and Open House. There will be opportunities to get behind the scenes, meet the curators and staff, and enjoy music, dance and storytelling. There will also be gallery tours and a mummy workshop. Want more? How about Egyptian hieroglyph and Mesopotamian cuneiform classes? Also, arts and crafts for the whole family where you can make African masks, Chinese lanterns and Brazilian tambourines.

The event starts at 5 p.m. with the Highlights Tour and goes on until 8 p.m. Check out this page for more information on the scheduled activities and have fun!

Officials from the School District of Philadelphia will meet with community members today to discuss a new way of gauging success at public schools. The meeting will take place at West Philadelphia High School (4901 Chestnut St) beginning at 5:30 p.m.

District officials are asking for feedback on its new “school performance framework,” which will replace previous, often controversial, methods of evaluating schools. The goal, according to the District’s website, is to “develop and implement a new measure of school performance in order to hold all District and charter schools to the same high standards of performance, equity and safety.”

Many parents contend that these evaluation methods are a better measure of poverty than school performance as it compares schools with vastly different resources. The District faced opposition over the summer during public meetings on a plan to evaluate schools and issue performance “report cards.”

The meeting is scheduled to run until 7:30 p.m. and Superintendent William Hite will lead the discussion.

Sanhita Nandi
(Photo via CrossroadsConcerts.org)

Crossroads Music, a local concert promoter that invites great musicians from all parts of the world to perform at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (48th & Baltimore), is presenting free monthly pre-concert events for our little neighbors this fall. These children’s concerts feature many of the same world-class artists as the adult concert series.

The concerts kick off tomorrow (Oct 20) with a performance by Indian musician Sanhita Nandi. Also this fall: Balkan brass with the West Philadelphia orchestra and Argentine tango with Héctor del Curto. All children’s concerts begin at 6 p.m. (adult concerts start at 7:30 p.m.) Visit the Crossroads Music website for more information.

Here are more details on the upcoming free performances:

Sunday, October 20, 2013
Sanhita Nandi
Classical music from Northern India

Sunday, November 10 2013
West Philadelphia Orchestra
Philly’s Balkan village band

Sunday, December 8, 2013
Hector del Curto Trio
Argentine tango