West Philly community members will have a chance to see legendary female rap and hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa perform at the annual Neighborhood-to-Neighborhood (N2N) Festival. This year’s festival celebrates women in hip-hop and will take place at 50th and Baltimore next Saturday, Sept. 7.

Salt-N-Pepa, who have broken barriers and opened doors that were once closed to women in hip-hop, are set to headline the 2019 N2N Festival, performing their hit songs. MC Lyte, one of hip-hop’s pioneer feminists, and Angie Stone who rose to fame as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence before starting her solo career are also performing. There will also be live performances by local Philadelphia artists.

The free festival will be hosted by legendary radio host Lady B from Classix 107.9 FM, and comedian, Skeet. More than 5,000 people from across the region will enjoy the free festival throughout the day.  Continue Reading

Parks on Tap, Philadelphia’s traveling beer garden, is returning this Wednesday to Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore. The program is a partnership between Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and FCM Hospitality. It provides beers on tap, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and fresh food at different parks throughout the city all summer long.

Parks on Tap is family-friendly and offers a variety of programming, including free yoga in the park with Roots2Rise. Dogs on leashes are welcome.

Parks on Tap will be in Clark Park from this Wednesday through Monday (Labor Day) during the following hours:  Continue Reading

The School District’s 11th annual back-to-school event will be held on Thursday, August 22, at the High School of the Future (4021 Parkside Ave.) from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The first 8,000 students attending this event will receive free book bags filled with school supplies.

Over 100 vendors will be on-site providing information, student enrollment services and social service resources. The event will also offer free haircuts, children’s eye glass testing, and dental services. There will also be free educational workshops, and a fun Kids Zone.

The Blackwell Regional Library is hosting a community read-in and memorial construction for author Toni Morrison on Saturday, Aug. 10.

The event “will celebrate the life, work, and the love that Toni Morrison had for us,” according to the library, which is located at 125 S. 52nd St. It runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include readings from her many impactful works.

Library staff are asking people to bring flowers, candles, notes or “whatever you feel moved to bring” to help build a memorial for Morrison, who died on Aug. 5 at the age of 88.

The annual SEPTA trolley tunnel maintenance project, the “Trolley Tunnel Blitz,” is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9 and will continue until Monday, Aug. 19 at 5 a.m., SEPTA has announced. For the duration of the project, which will include trolley track replacement, station upgrades, painting and cleaning, and other maintenance work, Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate in the tunnel.

During the Trolley Tunnel Blitz, all trolleys will divert to 40th and Market Streets where passengers can transfer to the Market-Frankford line at no additional cost for service to/from Center City.  Continue Reading

The local theater company Theatre in the X will stage the world premiere of The Beast of Nubia on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 5 p.m. in the center of Malcolm X. Park (51st and Pine). Performances will follow on the next two Sundays, Aug. 11 and 18, also at 5 p.m.

Here’s how they describe The Beast of Nubia, which was written by Jonathan Bethea:

“In the deserts of ancient Nubia there is a magical kingdom guarded by a monstrous beast. When a merchant wrongs the beast his eldest daughter agrees to sacrifice herself in his place. What follows is a grand adventure filled with romance and excitement, as two very different people learn to cope with one another.”  Continue Reading