More details are rolling in about the opening of Clark Park’s “A” section. The June 16 opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., just after the weekly Thursday farmer’s market kicks off.

The opening will incorporate the market with “A Taste of the Market,” a sampling of products from market vendors.

Deputy Mayor Michael DiBerardinis, state officials and multiple community partners will also be on hand.

It seems like space (or maybe food) is limited for this thing and those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Barbara McCabe of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation at barbara.mccabe [at] phila.gov or (215) 683-3679.

You know the feeling: Standing at a stop some time in off-peak hours, maybe a Sunday morning, looking up Spruce Street or Baltimore Avenue or the El tracks – wondering when the bus, trolley or train will be arriving. You forgot to check the schedule and you’re late and getting later.

Well, SEPTA has unveiled a couple of new services that might ease your angst a little.

A new SMS service will allow you to punch a code for your stop into your phone, send a text to SEPTA and get the next four scheduled stops for your bus, trolley or train. Each of SEPTA’s 18,000 stops regionwide has a code. For now each code (called a “StopID”) is only available on SEPTA’s website here. This summer signs will be installed at all the stops with the unique code number.

The code is key. For example, the eastbound 34 trolley stop at 43rd and Baltimore has a number (it’s 20875). Send that number to 41411 and you will get a quick reply (it took eight seconds the first time we tried it) with the next four times a trolley is supposed to get to your stop. OK, supposed, is a key word here. There is no guarantee it will be on time. But, hey, they’re getting there.

If you like a little more precision, then look into another new service, TransitView, which is available for 116 bus routes and all of the trolleys (no trains) that service West Philly. For this one, you go to the interface and select your route. A Google map will pop up that will show you the location of all of the vehicles on that route by location. For example, on the map of the 34 (see image) the little red icon is a westbound trolley and the blue icon is eastbound. Using GPS updates, the locations are refreshed every three minutes.

There is a catch. The SMS services won’t work for T-Mobile or Sprint customers, which is a fairly big chunk of the Philadelphia market (about a quarter).

For those who can use them, the services will at least help you kill time while you wait.

Bartram’s Garden is offering a half-price membership at the Seed Saver level as part of a community outreach effort. A $50 membership is now $25.

As a Seed Saver member you are eligible for 15 free-admission program passes to tours of this national historic landmark house and garden and for monthly educational programs (valid through June 30, 2012). Passes are transferable so you can share them with friends and family. Bartram’s Garden members also receive discounts on Garden Shop and plant purchases and invitations to plant sale previews.

The offer expires June 30. For more information call Alison McDowell at 215-729-5281 x103 or email: amcdowell [at] bartramsgarden.org

Do you find it irresistible to pick through (or at least look over) stuff that students leave strewn along the sidewalks or in dumpsters after the school year? If so, WHYY’s Peter Crimmins has a good story for you (see the video below). Crimmins and a West Philly man named “Paul” went dumpster diving recently and came up with some interesting stuff, including a hard drive chock full of everything from Korean dance videos to complete details on a student’s bank accounts.

When picking over stuff, “How far are you willing to go,” Crimmins asks.

This is also a good time to remind folks who prefer to do their used-stuff shopping in a slightly more civilized, but less serendipitous, manner that the big sale of student stuff is this Saturday. The sale, sponsored by Penn MOVES to benefit Goodwill Industries job programs, will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at a warehouse at 3401 Grays Ferry Ave. For $5 you can get early admission and begin shopping at 8 a.m. Sales are cash only and there are no returns.

That warehouse is a little tricky to get to so Penn Transit is providing free transportation to and from any transit stop (except Johnson Pavilion and Fresh Grocer) every 30 minutes. Of course, there are limits to what you can haul onto the shuttle. Refrigerators and large furniture won’t work.

The northern section of Clark Park (Park A) will officially reopen June 16, according to the Friends of Clark Park website.

An opening ceremony is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon (after 3 p.m., though an exact time is not set) and will include representatives of state and local government, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and cooperating partner organizations.

The park has been undergoing major renovations since September 2010, including the removal of several trees. Other changes include paved paths, lighting, drainage and resodding.

The central plaza area of the new “A” section will also include cafe style seating with small tables and chairs. We’re not sure how these are going to be secured. The tables and chairs were bought with a $3000 donation from Bryan and Lisa Hanes.

There are only six days left to help Mariposa‘s online fundraising campaign that will help it into a new home.

The popular local food co-op still needs about $5,000 to reach their goal of $10,000 collected from community members and supporters at the fundraising website Indiegogo.com. The money will go to cover the costs associated with the purchase and renovation of their new space at 4824 Baltimore Ave.

Even individual donations of $5 or $10 may help the co-op reach their goal. To donate, visit this page.

Check out the video about Mariposa’s fundraising campaign.

Mariposa Food Co-op Fundraiser from mariposa coop on Vimeo.