Here are two opportunities for community members to meet candidates in the May 21 primary election.

The 27th Ward democrats are inviting friends and neighbors for a Spring Shindig at Clarkville (43rd and Baltimore), which will take place Monday, March 18, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet and mingle with local Democratic candidates running for office, including Congressman Dwight Evans, who will be a special guest at the event.

This is also a fundraising event supporting the 27th Ward democrats. Tickets are $20 in advance, or sliding scale at the door (no one will be turned away).  Continue Reading

UPDATE (3/11/2019): Here is a recap of Sunday’s meeting from The Philadelphia Tribune.

A “community debrief and discussion” will be held on Sunday, March 10, from 3 – 5 p.m. at the Ethiopian Community Center (4400 Chestnut St.) to discuss the police shooting of Kaleb Belay, a 25-year-old Temple University graduate student, on March 6th on the 4900 block of Hazel Avenue.

Residents may also be interested in attending the monthly 18th Police District’s “Captain’s townhall meeting,” which will be held March 19th at the 18th District headquarters at 5510 Pine St. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.  Continue Reading

Vision Driven Consulting (VDC), an organization supporting artists through consulting and training, has been running free professional development workshop series at The Rotunda for three years. Recently, they presented a Tax for Artists workshop and have more free workshops coming up at the historic venue at 40th and Walnut.

Intermediate Grant Writing & Funder Panel, which will feature funders from the Knight Foundation, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and Leeway Foundation, will take place on Monday, March 11, from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. More information is available on the Facebook event page.  Continue Reading

The Juneteenth parade and music festival is coming to 52nd Street, and community members are invited to a public meeting this Wednesday, Feb. 27 to learn more about this event, how it will affect the street and how you can get involved.

Wednesday’s community meeting, which is organized by the Enterprise Center, is also an opportunity to learn more about neighborhood beatification projects. Participants will be able to sign up for free planters and trees!

The meeting will take place at the Urban Art Gallery (262 S. 52nd St.), from 6 to 7 p.m. (see the flyer below).  Continue Reading

Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas

Three Sisters, By RashDash, After Chekhov opened to  an open house at Curio Theatre Friday night. The production is a progressive, “punky” look on the Russian classic, featuring absurdist comedy and musical cabaret numbers while asking the audience vital questions. This is the North American premiere of the play by British feminist theatre collective RashDash.

The play focuses solely on the women characters – sisters Olga, Irina and Masha – played by long-time Curio Theatre Company members Colleen Hughes, Rachel Gluck, and Tessa Kuhn (they also played three sisters in last season’s Crimes of the Heart at Curio). The show is directed by Meg Trelease. Check out this review by Broad Street Review.  Continue Reading

Philadelphia public libraries will hold an array of special events throughout February in honor of Black History Month. This Saturday, Feb. 2., Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library (52nd and Sansom), in collaboration with the African American Museum, is hosting a Cultural Institution Resource and Information Fair.

The public is invited to learn more about local African-American historical and cultural institutions and get informed about their programs, activities and volunteer opportunities. Representatives from the following organizations will be on hand to provide information and answer questions:  Continue Reading