The map of proposed improvements to Clark Park.

The Master Plan process for Clark Park, which began last year, has been recently completed and now The Friends of Clark Park group is working with the City on a final plan. This new plan will help expand the park’s impact on the community, proponents say. It includes nature-based playgrounds (see image below), a multi-height basketball hoop, a permanent bathroom, and many other improvements to the park (see more details and images here). By the way, this is the first Clark Park master plan approved by the City since 2006!

To help the plan move forward, The Friends of Clark Park is seeking community support and Giving Tuesday has kicked off their first fundraising drive. The all-volunteer group is hoping that community members will support the plan with their donations, “no matter how small.”

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The “Black Bottom” archeological excavation site at the Community Education Center near 35th and Lancaster (Photos by Tony West).

The archeological exploration of the oldest urban area in West Philly wrapped up on Nov. 17 at the Community Education Center (CEC). The dig revealed traces of the suburb of Greenville, where highways from Lancaster and Chester met rail lines on flat ground at the Market St. bridge across the Schuylkill River. Parts of Greenville, including the excavation site, became known as the “Black Bottom” after 1915.

The Black Bottom was a mostly African American community situated between 32nd and 40th Streets near Market, a neighborhood between what is now the Penn and Drexel campuses to the south and the Powelton and Mantua neighborhoods to the north that was razed over time to make way for “urban renewal” beginning in the 1960s. The area later became what is now considered University City.

Heritage West: West Philadelphia Community Archeology Project, led by Penn Anthropology Professors Meg Kassabaum and Sarah Linn, has been conducting archaeological digs in area since 2019. The project included close study of historical archives of the area, followed by a ground-penetrating radar survey. The team also collected oral histories of the neighborhood from members of the Black Bottom Tribe organization and the Lancaster Ave. 21st Century Business Association.

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The annual Philadelphia Marathon returns this weekend, with events taking place from Friday, Nov. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 19. Two main events, a half-marathon and marathon will be held on Saturday and Sunday respectively. As always, the marathon events that draw thousands of visitors and participants, will shut down many roads in the city. Here is a summary of what roads and streets in West Philly will be closed to accommodate runners. Also, check out information below on cheer zones. Race maps are available here.

Both races kick off at Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 7 a.m.

Cheering zones for Saturday’s Half-Marathon:

• 33rd and Walnut Street
• 33rd and Market Street
• 34th and Girard Avenue (Philadelphia Zoo)

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The Gray 30th Street Station after renovation (an artist rendering).

Community members are invited this Thursday to a Public Open House meeting to learn more about a major renovation project at the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station. The meeting will take place from 4-7 p.m. on November 16 at the station (behind Amtrak Ticket Office). It is hosted by Amtrak and Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia (PIP), the private contractor that will implement and maintain the station improvements for the next 50 years as part of a public-private partnership agreement.

The project is being implemented in phases. The design phase began in 2021 and the construction phase, which is also divided in phases/milestones, is scheduled to begin this Fall. Amtrak operations will continue during the renovation period.

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From November 16 – 19, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and over 90 of its PHS Tree Tenders groups, community organizations, and neighborhood volunteers will come together to plant 1,770 trees throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, including in West Philly neighborhoods.

Through this semi-annual initiative, PHS creates and enhances tree canopy in neighborhoods across the Philadelphia region to promote healthier, greener communities. These trees will help develop vital tree canopy in the region, where tree canopy averages only 20 percent, with some neighborhoods having as little as 2.5 percent tree canopy coverage.

Volunteers are still needed to help plant trees in their neighborhoods, and no prior experience is necessary to participate in a planting event. All interested participants can sign up to get involved with a planting event near them at https://phsonline.org/programs/tree-programs/get-involved.

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Lil Pop Shop owner Jeanne Chang photographed at her newly opened shop in 2012 (Archive photo/West Philly Local).

After more than 11 years of operation, Lil Pop Shop, the popular local business offering small-batch seasonally-inspired ice pops and pies, is closing their original location at 265 S. 44th Street, according to an announcement posted on social media by owner Jeanne Chang.

This location was the last remaining brick-and-mortar location for Lil Pop Shop after the business closed its Rittenhouse shop three years ago. After closing the West Philly shop, Lil Pop Shop will focus on catering at local events (you have probably seen the Lil Pop Shop truck at West Craft Fest, Nature Nights at The Woodlands and other events).

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