Spring is here and it’s time to think about what plants you want for your porch, yard, or garden. Check out these plant sale events in West and Southwest Philly and shop for flowers, veggies, herbs, berries and other plants locally this spring.

The University City Garden Club has kicked off their annual Spring Plant Sale. Orders can be made online through April 15, with pick-ups scheduled for Saturday, May 4. Also, UC Garden Club members will be selling plants at the Spruce Hill May Fair in Clark Park on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit: https://ucgcshop.square.site.

Bartram’s Garden is hosting the annual Spring Fest on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Fest will feature Bartram’s plant nursery’s seasonal kick-off and sale, where guests can shop for partial-full sun plants and shade plants including veggies and herbs, and pollinator plants. For more details, visit https://www.bartramsgarden.org. You can also shop for plants online. The online sale is expected to kick off later this month.

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Easter in March snuck up on the Friends of the Walnut West Library this year, too late to hold our annual Egg Hunt last week – but after so many dreary days of rain this week – what better way to spend this Saturday afternoon outside with the kids!

And the Easter bunny has cordially agreed to stick around one more week! (bring your camera)

Note: Due to scheduling conflicts, we’re holding the event in the afternoon this year.

The Egg Hunt for very young children begins at 2 p.m. And at 3:15 p.m. for not quite so little children (to age 10).

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Photo from Woodlandsphila.org.

A near total (for us in Philly) solar eclipse is coming on Monday, April 8. Philly is not on the “path of totality,” but we will get a very respectable 89 percent coverage of the sun, according to NASA, which should be enough to plunge the city into mid-day darkness for a few minutes.

The moon will start moving in front of the sun at about 2:08 p.m. and peak eclipse will begin at 3:23 p.m. Hopefully it will be a clear day for maximum eclipse awesomeness. If so, you definitely want to check this one out because the next solar eclipse this good won’t be for another 20 years.

So where to go for peak eclipse viewing and astronomical camaraderie in West Philly? A good place to start is at The Woodlands, which is hosting an eclipse viewing get together on April 8 from 2-4:30 p.m. The Woodlands offers a lot of open sky to get a good look. Plus a librarian from the Walnut West Library will be organizing an eclipse-themed storytime complete with music and dancing.

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West Philly parents and guardians: here’s a chance for you to exchange unwanted children’s clothes and shoes for more desirable items. The 4th Annual Spring Clothing Swap for Babies and Kids is scheduled for next Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.. The event will again take place on the 4200 block of Regent Square, the side street across from Clark Park on the east side.

Porches on the block will be labeled by size/age. Drop off your clothes on the corresponding porch starting at 9:30 a.m. Please note that only clothing and shoes in good condition (no stains or rips) will be accepted. Accepted sizes are 0-3M through 8Y.

For more information, visit the Facebook Event page or email: clarkparkclothingswap@gmail.com

BalletX returns to TD Pavilion at the Mann for two extraordinary nights of dance and live music! Highlights include choreography by Natasha Adorlee, Takehiro Ueyama, and Jamar Roberts, with live music by Grammy-nominated singer Jac Ross, composer Kato Hideki, and more!

Arrive early and enjoy pre-show events featuring local dance groups, live musicians, and circus acts. Secure your seats today – tickets start at $15.

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Community members are invited to participate in a new socially-engaged photography and archival project which kicks off at Malcolm X Park on Wednesday, March 20. The project, titled What is West?, includes a series of free community workshops and a public art installation at the park.

The goal of the project, sponsored by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and The Arts League, is to “give the authority and tools to define West Philadelphia as it exists for its community.”

“Recognizing lived experience as expertise while utilizing public art as a means of exploration, this project will allow our neighbors to move towards collective healing and justice,” reads the project description on the Arts League website.

Another project objective is to document West Philadelphia, a large area comprised of many different neighborhoods, as a place known for its “neighborly warmth, diversity, and collective optimism.” Historically, it has been documented for its issues.

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