John B. Kelly Pool (Photo from Kelly Pool’s Facebook page).

Here’s some great summer news: The 2014 pool season in Philadelphia officially opens today, which means that dozens of public pools and spray grounds will begin welcoming visitors across the city (though it looks like many of them will start opening on June 23, 24). Overall, 69 pools and nine spray grounds will be open this summer, according to an announcement by Philadelphia Parks and Rec. Public pool hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Apart from recreational swimming, Philadelphia Parks and Rec will also offer youth swimming lessons at several public pools. It’s always a good idea to call your neighborhood recreation center before heading to the pool since there their hours of operation may change or some special activities may be scheduled.

Here’s again the list of pools and spray grounds located in West Philadelphia and vicinity.  Please let your neighbors know about your experience with these facilities in the comments below.

Pools

Baker Recreation Facility (Map)
5431-43 Lansdowne Ave.
Phone: 215-685-0261

Cobbs Creek Recreation Facility (Map)
280 Cobbs Creek Parkway
Phone: 215-685-1983

John B. Kelly Pool (Facebook page) – Opens June 23
4231 North Concourse Drive (Fairmount Park, by Please Touch Museum)
Phone: 215-685-0174

Kingsessing Recreation Center (Map)
4901 Kingsessing Avenue
Phone: 215-685-2694

Lee Cultural Center Recreation Facility (Map)
4328 Haverford Avenue
Phone: 215-685-7655

Mill Creek Recreation Facility (Map)
743-81 N. 48th Street
Phone: 215-685-0260

Myers Recreation Center (Map)
5800 Chester Avenue
Phone: 215-685-2698

O’Connor Pool (Website, Map) – Opens June 24
2601 South Street
Phone: 215-685-6593

Sayre Morris Recreation Center (Map)
5835 Spruce Street
Phone: 215-685-1993

Shepard Recreation Facility (Map)
5700 Haverford Avenue
Phone: 215-685-1992

Tustin Recreation Facility (Map)
5901-29 W. Columbia Avenue
Phone: 215-685-0258

39th & Olive Playground – Mantua (Map)
39th & Olive Streets

Spray Grounds

48th & Woodland Playground (Map)
1414 S 47th Street
Phone: 215-685-2692
Hours: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Mon-Sat, closed on Sunday.

Photo via bicyclecoalition.org.

Here’s a community recreation opportunity this Sunday for Mother’s Day: the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is inviting bikers of all levels to free rides here in West Philly, as part of CycloFemme, a Global Women’s Cycling Day celebration. Three rides are scheduled and they all begin and end in Clark Park and are followed by a picnic. The starting time is 10:00 a.m. Here are more details from the Bicycle Coalition website:

• FREE – but please RSVP!

• Meet at Clark Park in West Philly on May 11 (Mother’s Day) at 10a.m.

• 3 ride levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Fast-ish, All will be “no drop” – no one will be left behind. You can choose which one you want to do that morning if you’d like! 1-1.5 hrs of riding.

• Exact route TBD, but the slow ride will stay in West Philly, on bike lanes and paths, and the faster routes will head over to the Schuylkill River Trail.

• Picnic to follow! All levels of riders are invited to return to Clark Park for a picnic after the rides. There are lots of options for grabbing food near Clark Park: Milk & Honey Market, Fu Wah Deli, Green Line Cafe, and more!

• Helmets required!

• All genders are welcome to come ride with us, to celebrate women & cycling together!

Click here to RSVP. For more information, call 215-242-9253.

In an effort to address hunger in the region, Repair the World: Philadelphia, a regional nonprofit mobilizing Jewish youth to help improve communities, will launch its Food for Thought Awareness Weekend on Friday, April 11.

The West Philly branch of Repair the World will host three events during its awareness weekend, which ends Sunday, April 13: a community-wide food drive on Friday, the annual Walk+Run Against Hunger 5K event in conjunction with the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger on Saturday, and a West Philly lot beautification with Cedar Park’s Jewish Farm School on Sunday. You can find details for each event below.

Repair the World: Philadelphia, which launched its fellowship program in October, is also preparing to move into their brand new office space at 4029 Market Street, according to Leah A. Silver, RTW: Philly’s fellow and social media coordinator. Silver told West Philly Local that the nearly 2,000 square foot office will likely be used for community meetings, trainings, and social events, as well as serve as the regular hub for Philadelphia’s Repair the World Fellows. There is no confirmed date for the move, but Silver said it’s mostly after May 15th.  Continue Reading

There are some great new recreation and sports programs in the area, for kids and adults alike:

Philadelphia Athletics Youth Sports Association (48th & Woodland Playground). Opening Ceremony this Saturday

The Philadelphia Athletics Youth Sports Association (PAYSA) is a new baseball league in West Philadelphia (founded in the fall of 2013). It provides basic to advanced level instruction and works on building character through teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and decision-making in a competitive sports environment. The league currently has four tee-ball teams, five rookie league teams, two softball teams and four travel teams. Over 170 kids are currently enrolled in the league. The first PAYSA practice was on Wednesday.

The Opening Day Ceremony will take place tomorrow (Saturday, April 5) at 48th & Woodland and all families, friends and neighbors are invited. Please assemble in the outfield of the Small Field around 9 a.m. for a short ceremony followed by the initial Tee Ball League Games at 10 a.m. For more information on PAYSA visit: www.phillyathletics.org

uGO Community Fitness Challenge (36th & Aspen)

Neighbors are invited to join the uGO Challenge, a free eight-week fitness and nutrition program currently underway in the Mantua neighborhood. uGOers enjoy walking and running groups as well as group fitness – Zumba, Line Dancing, African Dance, walks through the community and more.

All programs are led by local fitness instructors. On the first and last days of the Challenge, doctors and nurses from Drexel University will offer health screenings to track body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and blood sugar as well as share professional medical advice with uGOers. Health Chats are led by trained Ambassadors who live within the community and local facilitators from the hospitals.

The sessions take place every Saturday between March 29 and May 17 starting at 10 a.m. at Miles Mack Playground, 36^th and Aspen Streets. Despite the rain last Saturday over 20 participants showed up at Miles Mack Playground’s indoor facility, according to the organizers. Stop by this Saturday (April 5) to participate in the Line Dancing class and learn about healthy food choices.

uGO partners include People’s Emergency Center, We Are Mantua, LISC, and SCI West. See the flyer below for more information.

For more information, visit: ugocommunity.com

Healthy Kids Running Series (4328 Haverford Ave)

Healthy Kids Running Series is a five-week program, kicking off on Saturday, April 5. Kids ages 3-14 are invited to compete in racing events at the Lee Cultural Center Field on Haverford Avenue (4328 Haverford Ave) on Saturdays from 10 – 11 a.m. Registration for the series is only $5 and includes medals, gift bags, and snacks. This is a great opportunity to introduce your child to running. For more details and to register, go here.

Photo courtesy University City District.

The spring has officially begun today and the University City District has announced an exciting spring program for The Porch, a cool public space near 30th Street Station. The spring programming will begin April 1 and will include a variety of FREE events and activities, featuring music, food, fitness, and fun. Here are some more details on what to expect at The Porch next month.

FOOD

Gourmet Food Trucks – Mon, Wed, Fri (11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.); Tue & Thu  (7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.)

MUSIC

WXPN Local Wednesdays
Noon on the first Wednesday of the month
Live music from Philly’s rising stars.

Ginger Coyle: April 2

You hear Ginger Coyle’s vintage vocals grace your ears, you undoubtedly feel as if you’ve encountered an old soul. The South Jersey singer-songwriter-pianist-guitarist first caught XPN’s attention with the bluesy “Silver Lining” from her 2012 EP Homeward Bound and is currently working on her full length to be released in 2014.

Lunchtime Accordion Serenade

Tuesdays, Noon – 1 p.m.

Enjoy live accordion music while you relax and have lunch or take a break from the daily grind.

FITNESS 

Put your lunch break to work for you with fitness programming from BodyRock Boot Camp.

Thursdays, 6 p.m.

Zumba: April 3 & 24

Bokwa: April 10

Bootcamp: April 17  Continue Reading

A new voice in support of more and better biking has been added. The University Bike Collective is holding its first information session tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct 23), according to the group’s Facebook page. The info session, “powered by pizza,” will be held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Meyerson Hall, B6 (210 S. 34th St.) beginning at 12:30 p.m. and interested folks outside of the Penn community are also invited.

The University Bike Collective will introduce their plans for the year, including fun social rides to explore the city, research and advocacy efforts, and workshops. Susan Dannenberg of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia will share updates on the latest in Philadelphia bike advocacy.

Come to the session if you:

• Are looking for fun bike-related events, avec free pizza;
• Want to see more bike lanes and bike parking.
• Ever thought about biking in Philly, but you’re not sure how to get started.
• Interested in perfecting the art of layering clothes to avoid over-sweating on your ride to class.

For more information and to RSVP, visit the event’s Facebook page.