Sylvia Platypus.

Many neighbors have been asking how they can help Hurricane Sandy victims and here’s a great opportunity. On Saturday, Nov. 10, “psycho-Celtic glam-blues band” Sylvia Platypus (Facebook page), along with a contingent of clowns, jugglers, dancers, face painters, sword swallowers, and fire spinners, will take over the Rotunda at 4014 Walnut St. for a circus-themed extravaganza with music, food, and spectacle to aid those affected by the superstorm.

“As Sandy hit the Caribbean, the suggestion for a hurricane relief concert was raised,” said Janet Bressler, vocalist and principal songwriter for Sylvia Platypus. “Then, the devastation arrived so close to home, and the choice became obvious.”

Sylvia Platypus has a “something-for-everyone” appeal that reaches across demographics and their visionary scope and fearless presentation are attracting increasing attention from both the public and the music industry. The band recently signed a publishing deal for film and TV placement of some of their compositions.

The show begins at 8 p.m. and suggested donation is $5 to $25+. For more information, visit therotunda.org or the event’s Facebook page.

Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak at a rally of Obama-Biden supporters and volunteers at the Palestra Arena at the University of Pennsylvania (215 S. 33rd St.) this afternoon as part of his final campaign swing through Pennsylvania on behalf of the Democratic ticket. The rally begins at 4 p.m. and Penn Public Safety has issued a heavy traffic advisory in this area from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

If you’re interested in attending this rally, tickets are available online here.

The votes have been tallied and the judges have made their decisions. You, the community, voted for the Reader’s Choice and an esteemed panel of judges picked the winners in the other categories. So here we go.

The Reader’s Choice winner is Nate Johnson and his remarkable Edgar Allan Poe pumpkin, which received 100 of the 283 total votes cast. Congrats Nate! You win our main prize package – a gift card from Sabrina’s Cafe ($40), a gift card from Four Worlds Bakery ($30), a copy of BATMAN: The Long Halloween from Locust Moon Comics, and a prize from Penn Museum (two general passes to the Museum + a MAYA 2012 t-shirt + a copy of the latest issue of Expedition Magazine).

The Kids Category winner is Nadia Salamon and her Starry pumpkin. Nadia is only 4 1/2 years old and we were blown away by her non-traditional approach to pumpkin carving. She didn’t want to do a Jack-O-Lantern with a face but wanted one big star on each side and little stars around it! Very cool! Nadia wins a gift card from Lil’ Pop Shop ($30) and a gift card from Four Worlds Bakery ($30).

The Funniest category winner is Ellis M. Mumford and her Grumpy Cat pumpkin. Good job, Ellis, on using one of the most popular memes these days! Ellis wins a Green Line Cafe gift card ($20) and a goodie basket from Mariposa Food Co-op.

The Philly-themed category winner is Katrine Lvovskaya and her Zombie Ben Franklin pumpkin. Nice work, Katrine! You and Ben Franklin win a gift certificate from Honest Tom’s Taco Shop ($20) and two Curio Theatre tickets.

Finally, the Scariest category winner is Bimal Desai (our last year’s Reader’s Choice winner, by the way) and his “Halloween 1982” pumpkin featuring Michael Jackson from the “Thriller” video. Bimal’s pumpkin also finished second in our Reader’s Choice voting with 78 votes cast for it. Bimal wins a gift card from Dock Street Brewery ($20) and a gift card from VIX Emporium ($20).

Congratulations to all the winners! We’ll be contacting you shortly about your prize delivery. And thank you to all who participated in this contest! We loved all your pumpkins, but there had to be only five winners. Who knows, you could be a winner next time.

Wow! We got some amazing pumpkins in this year’s Pumpkin Carving Contest. Now we need you to help us with the top prize. So below in the photo gallery are this year’s entries for the “Reader’s Choice” award. The voting is open through Friday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. and we will announce the results on Saturday.

Here’s how it works:

• Click on one of the photos in the gallery to enlarge it.

• Choose your favorite and vote in the poll under the gallery.

• You can only vote for one pumpkin and only one vote per person please.

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The poll is closed.

Here’s some good news for those who were planning to participate in our Pumpkin Carving Contest but had to postpone their pumpkin shopping because of the weather. We have extended the contest entry deadline for two more days! Please feel free to email your pumpkin photos to: contest@westphillylocal.com until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31.

To read more about the contest and its rules, click here.

Here’s a couple of fun pumpkin carving and decorating events taking place in the neighborhood this weekend:

“Build it Bus” for pumpkin carving at Clark Park

Saturday Oct. 27, 1:00-2:00 pm

Woodland Presbyterian Church is hosting a Fall pumpkin carving and craft time in Clark Park. The “Build it Bus” will be there too! The bus is a place where kids can come and use woodworking tools to carve the pumpkins and make crafts. The first 50 to arrive will get pumpkins to take home with them. Look for the converted paratransit bus in the parking lot by the soccer field between 1 and 2 pm.

Pumpkin Day at Vineyard Community Church

Sunday Oct. 28, 1:00-4:00 pm

If you are looking for something fun and free to do this upcoming Sunday with your family, check out the annual Pumpkin Day event hosted by Vineyard Community Church. Due to the forecast calling for rain, it’ll be indoors, in the new church building located at 123 S. 51st Street.  If by chance the weather is gorgeous, the event will be held at Malcolm X Park (52nd & Pine). There will be plenty of fun things to do that involve all things fall, including pumpkin decorating, face-painting, fall crafts, jewelry making, games and prizes, and yummy fall treats!