West Philly Runners are sponsoring and participating in the annual Cobbs Creek Park race on Saturday, April 21 (see flyer below). This is the official West Philly Runners race, but everyone is invited to join them. This event will also feature a 1 mile walk – a great opportunity for families to get out and explore the park. Click here to register.

Registration fee is $20 and all funds raised from this event will go to benefit kids’ recreational activities in the Cobbs Creek Park. But there’s more to it. Alon Abramson, who organizes West Philly Runners, sent us this information:

“Philly Parks and Rec, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and PA Environmental Council are putting on the ‘Run for the Kids of Cobbs 5K’ race for the 2nd year. The goal of the race is first and foremost to bring people back to the park and encourage some ownership of this shared space. Cobbs Creek sat forgotten and abandoned for years and the city is making a concerted effort to reverse this trend. If you’ve been to the park recently, you will be pleasantly surprised to find it well utilized by the community with picnic areas, and paved and unpaved recreational trails (it is absolutely beautiful). Proceeds from the race go towards outdoor recreational programs for kids in the area. Get people to come to the park and support kids programming…win-win, right?

I am the organizer for West Philly Runners, a local running group, now in our 2nd year. We have been growing alongside this initiative and we have been heavily involved in planning the event from the start. In fact, I created the race website this year (www.cobbscreek5k.com), I am working on promotion and I have been involved in trail work in preparation for the race, which is mostly a trail run. For us, it is THE race of West Philly and thus THE race of the West Philly Runners. I’d love to get the word out to the West Philly community so that runners (and walkers) take advantage of this opportunity to (re)discover this amazing park in our back yards.”

If you have questions about the race or West Philly Runners, you can email Alon at alon.abramson [at] gmail.com

This Friday night, allow yourself to be carried back in time to the days when the movie-going experience always included live music accompaniment. The silent film from 1920 features Douglas Fairbanks portraying the romantic, swashbuckling Zorro, but this special evening will feature an original and live score by West Philadelphia Orchestra member Brendan Cooney, who’s taken his blend of silent classic films and new exciting live music on the road under the name “Not-So-Silent Cinema.”

“I try to bring together players from different corners of the music scene who don’t usually play together to create unique musical collaborations,” says Cooney, who told Metro reporters that this project is a “faux Latin-flamenco-tango-mariachi ensemble.” “The film’s full of adventure, bravura and romance, so I wanted the music to capture that, but also be a little over the top.” Cooney’s band brings together several mainstays of the West Philadelphia music scene including Patrick Hughes, Alban Bailey (Octomonkey), Josh Machiz (TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb), and Nezih Antakli.

Catch “The Mark of Zorro” this Friday, April 13, at 8 p.m. at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). $10.

– Emma Eisenberg

Reminder: This year’s first GO WEST! Craft Fest will be held on Saturday, April 14, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Woodlands (40th & Woodland).

This will be the biggest Craft Fest yet – fifty of Philadelphia’s finest artisans will present their handcrafted wares like jewelry, ceramics, clothing, accessories, home accents, edibles, knitted & crocheted items, cards & paper goods, all-natural soaps & bodycare, terrariums, teas, toys and more. Also, don’t miss live entertainment by Sour Mash, Jay Sand of All Around This World, and TinyCircus by Tangle Movement Arts. Complete details and the list of vendors can be found at: gowestcraftfest.blogspot.com.

Note: The Fest will be on the lawn near the entrance, set apart from the actual cemetery. Rain date – Sunday, April 15.

It’s not only kids who will get a chance to have fun this Easter. Older folks are invited to hit the streets of Philadelphia in a city-wide Easter egg hunt organized by World Cafe Live. The event will be held on Saturday, April 7.

Here’s how it works: Twelve plastic Easter eggs will be laid at various locations throughout the city, each containing a pair of tickets to select upcoming performances. Beginning at Noon, World Cafe Live will Facebook and tweet clues and riddles that lead to each egg (make sure to “Like” World Cafe Live’s page on Facebook and follow @worldcafelive on Twitter).

If you find an egg, claim it on Facebook or @reply WCL on Twitter so other hunters can move onto the next clue.

Twelve eggs will be filled with a pair of one of the following performances:

Railroad Earth on Friday, April 13
Railroad Earth on Saturday, April 14
Amy Ray (of Indigo Girls) on Tuesday, April 17
Green River Ordinance on Sunday, April 27
Sam Sparro on Monday, April 23
Bowling For Soup on Wednesday, April 25
Brendan Benson with Young Hines on Thursday, May 3
ALO on Friday, May 11
William Beckett (formerly of The Academy Is…) on Monday, May 14
Ruder Than You on Saturday, May 26
Rhett Miller on Tuesday, June 5
Matthew Sweet (on Girlfriend Tour) on Friday, June 8

Sounds like fun, so grab your running shoes, your friends and your phone (or a map). For more details, check out the event’s Facebook page.

In honor of the birthday of Paul Robeson, an acclaimed actor, concert singer, lawyer, athlete and social activist, The Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library presents two programs in collaboration with the Friends of the Blackwell Library and the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

On Saturday, April 7, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. two biographical films will be shown: “Speak of me as I Am” and “Paul Robeson, Tribute to an Artist.” Refreshments will be served.

On Tuesday, April 17, at 6:00 p.m. there will be a lecture by Frances Aulston, Founder & CEO of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance-Paul Robeson House. A reception will follow.

A series of panels depicting various stages of Paul Robeson’s life will be on display for both programs.

The Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library is located at 125 South 52nd Street (corner of 52nd and Sansom). For more information call 215-685-7433.

This Saturday, March 31, St. Mary’s Church at 3916 Locust Walk is hosting 2012 Band Extravaganza(!), a fundraising concert to support instrumental music instruction at Lea Elementary. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Penn Jazz, the 2012 High School Honor Band and Play On, Philly! are among featured performers. See the flyer below for more details.