Photos by Dylan Moore.

UPDATE (6/12/2013): The Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll has been postponed until July, 2013 due to heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast for this Thursday, according to an announcement on the University City District’s Facebook page posted this evening. We’ll post more information about the new date as soon as we have it.

The Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, the highly-anticipated annual event celebrating local businesses where most things are just a buck, is returning this Thursday, June 13. The stroll begins at 5:30 p.m. (it is always a good idea to get there early to avoid the crowds) and a record-setting 35 businesses will offer $1 deals along Baltimore Avenue, between 43rd and 50th Streets.

Besides the long-time participants, like Milk & Honey, Dock Street Brewery and Firehouse Bicycles, there will be some newcomers who recently opened shops in the area, including Little Baby’s Ice Cream and The Green Tambourine. This Dollar Stroll also showcases new parklets at Fu-Wah and Little Baby’s Ice Cream and the new pedestrian plaza at 48th and Baltimore.

In addition to storefront businesses, food trucks and vendors such as Jimmies Cupcake Co., Sunflower Truck Stop and Lil Dan’s will also be selling $1 items along the avenue. Also, don’t miss live music and entertainment: XPN favorite, The Fleeting Ends will perform live at 46^th and Baltimore, along with fire artists and street performers such as the Give & Take Jugglers. There will be also giveaways, face painting and balloon artists.

If you can’t make it this week there will be only one more stroll this year, on September 12.

Check out the flyer below for more details on what businesses are taking part in Thursday’s Stroll and what they are offering. For more information about this event, visit: http://universitycity.org/baltimore-ave-dollar-stroll

Click to enlarge.

The 6th Annual West Park Arts Fest is happening this Saturday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the theme “Friends Across Cultures.” The festival celebrates the richness of art and culture in Philadelphia and focuses on the resources in the Fairmount Park Centennial District. Around 2,000 people are expected to attend this free public event that brings together more than 30 arts, cultural, nature, science and community organizations from West Philadelphia and across the city.

The festival activities will include a youth Chess Tournament hosted by A.S.A.P., drawing and theatre workshops, storytelling, science demonstrations, book giveaways, face painting, and more. There will also be live music and dance performances by more than 100 professional artists and 200 talented children and youth. The event will also include a free guided historical trolley tour of the Centennial District with Kathy Lee, educator and Associate Producer of the Trudy Haynes Show. Please check out the flyer below for more information or visit this page.

Great news for Cedar Park residents – Friday Night Jazz series, an annual mid-summer tradition, is returning to the park in June and July, thanks to the support from local businesses and contributions from community members. Everyone is invited to come out and join their neighbors for the following live jazz performances every Friday night from 6-8 p.m. in the park (Baltimore Ave. between 49th and 50th Sts).

June 7 – Ronin Ali and Friends
June 14 – Dr. Ketchup
June 21 – Rich Tucker & The Universal Koncept
June 28 – Elena’s Usual Suspects Jam Session
July 5 – Glenn Bryan & Reference Point
July 12 – Perseverance Jazz Band
July 19 – The Jazz Doctors
July 26 – Lucky Thompson and The Crew

To support the series please contact Algernong Allen at algernong@gmail.com or visit http://www.cedarparkneighbors.org/.

Malcolm X Park at 51st and Pine started hosting its annual summer jazz series last week. Performances are every other Thursday, from 7 to 9 p.m. until September (next performance is June 13). Read more about this music series here and visit the Malcolm X Park Neighbors Facebook page for more information on the upcoming performances.

Two cool things are coming back this summer beginning Thursday, June 6. Firstly, the Heart & Soul project that debuted last year and that features artfully decorated pianos installed in public spaces for anyone to play, is launching tomorrow in Clark Park (43rd & Baltimore) at 3 p.m. This time there will be four pianos, all decorated by artist Joe Boruchow and all placed in Clark Park, two in the northern section of the park (Clark Park “A”) and two in the southern section (Clark Park “B”).

The pianos will stay in the park only until June 16, so don’t miss the opportunity to check them out and play them (if you can). Joe’s work may be familiar to many locals. This spring we snapped a photo of his art piece, called Valentine 2013, pasted at the corner of 44th and Spruce:

More information about Joe Boruchow and his work is available here.

The Thursday edition of Clark Park’s Farmers’ Market also returns tomorrow. It will be open 3-7 p.m. The Thursday market will operate through November. For more information on vendors at Clark Park Farmers’ Market visit: http://universitycity.org/clark-park-farmers-market

Photo from West Philly Food Swap’s Facebook page.

If you’re a good cook/canner/baker or grow your own food read on. On Sunday, June 9, 2-4 p.m., the Chester Avenue Community Garden (4715 Chester Ave) and local produce buyers for Reading Terminal Market’s farm food stands Alexandra Jones and Jessica Bickis are hosting West Philly’s first Food Swap.

Here’s how it works: Bring your own creations, such as jars of jam, tubs of hummus, loaves of bread, bunches of herbs, or eggs from the chicken coop to share with others. The only rules are that items must be homemade or homegrown and should be individually portioned or packaged. Participants lay out their items on tables or blankets, and everyone browses the items and signs up on a “swap card” with an offer of what they want to trade and for what items brought by others.

The event is free and spots are limited so interested swappers are asked to RSVP at foodswapwestphilly@gmail.com.

To learn more about this event please check the West Philly Food Swap’s Facebook page. You can also check out these food swapping tips from a local food fermentation expert and swapper.

When was the last time you played at recess? The Philadelphia branch of Playworks, a non-profit organization that promotes play and physical activity at schools, is inviting local residents to rekindle the joy of play and lunchtime recess at Philly Recess Day, a free community event happening on Tuesday, June 4, from 12-12:30 p.m. The event draws awareness to the benefits of physical activity by offering adults all over Philadelphia the “chance to experience the joy of participating in their very own recess.”

Playworks will host games at The Porch at 30th Street Station and other locations in the city, but everyone is encouraged to participate in the event by having your own recess fun wherever you are (work, school, etc). If you need a reminder of what games you can play at your recess, download a free game book on the Playworks website.

Happy Recess Day!