This upcoming Second Friday on Lancaster Avenue, Oct. 12, look out for Fall Market discounts, street vendors, live music, giveaways and plenty more. Little Baby’s Ice Cream Truck and Jimmie’s Cupcakes will also be there in this beautiful fall weather.

The Runner Stumbles cast members Isa St.Clair (Sister Rita) and Steve Carpenter (Father Rivard). Photo by Kyle Cassidy.

West Philly’s Curio Theatre Company begins its eighth season this Thursday with The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt. First produced on Broadway in 1976, The Runner Stumbles is based on a true story that happened in 1911 at a Roman Catholic parish in rural Michigan. It is a long-awaited project for director and Curio co-founder Gay Carducci.

“It’s a play about a crisis of faith, with a hint of mystery,” she says. “It’s been speaking to me since I saw it done 20-some-odd years ago. And it’s always a piece that I loved and wanted to bring back again.”

The cast features Ryan Walter, Rachel Gluck, Harry Slack and Artistic Director Paul Kuhn, all of West Philadelphia, as well as Aetna Gallagher of Wallingford, Liam Castellan of Center City, and introducing Meridian Lowe, a student at Masterman High School and one of the first students in Curio’s educational program.

The show runs October 11 to November 10 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., in the Calvary Center at 4740 Baltimore Ave. Tickets are $15-20 ($10-15 for preview performances). For more information and to buy tickets, visit this page.

Locust Moon Comics shop, which recently moved into a new, spacious location near 40th and Chestnut, is celebrating the release of its first book this week. Locust Moon Press has teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to release the 430 page science fiction fairy-tale anthology titled Once Upon A Time Machine. This is a long-awaited release – the book represents the culmination of three years of collaboration in Philadelphia and beyond.

The project began in the summer of 2009, when Locust Moon’s creative director Chris Stevens came up with the idea for a collection of futuristic stories based on classic myths and fairy tales. He began reaching out to local creators and established an online presence to make contact with artists and writers across the world. As an Internet buzz began to build about the book, an unexpected email came from Dark Horse Comics and the project which began with no money, artists, or scripts, became a major release from one of the biggest comic book companies in the world.

“Locust Moon is a place built on the passions of a lot of people,” says publisher and co-owner Josh O’Neill. “It’s living proof that with an open heart and open doors you can create something much bigger than the sum of its parts.”

The book release party is on Wednesday (Oct 10) at 7:30 p.m. where many of these parts will be on display. The party will feature a gallery show of original pages from the book, signings by dozens of the book’s authors, and a hell of a bash, in general.

Check out an animated book trailer:

The national Bain Worker Bus Tour is visiting Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday and this afternoon the bus will make a stop at a Dunkin’ Donuts branch at 55th and Chestnut at 2 p.m. The bus tour is traveling through swing states to warn voters of the dangers of a “Romney Economy.” Bain Capital is the private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney and Bain workers on the tour include current and former employees from Dunkin Donuts, Sensata, Burlington Coat Factory, Michaels, Outback Steakhouse, and other national chains. They will speak on their experiences working for Bain-owned companies.

The tour includes colorful street theater that will feature a Mitt Romney character who will be challenged by a group of protesters and former Bain workers.

On Tuesday, the bus will be at a center city Staples store at noon.

The next couple of weekends are packed with awesome events and activities for pets and their owners. Here are the details:

Saturday, September 29

Bark in the Park
Clark Park “B” (43rd and Chester)
2-3 pm
Friends of Clark Park are inviting dogs and their owners to join them in Clark “B” Park, near the bowl. There will be more than 25 doggie contests with prizes, a chance to meet the vet and all kinds of fun for dogs and their human friends. All are welcome.

“End of Summer” Sidewalk Sale
Baltimore Pet Shoppe, 4532 Baltimore Ave
11 am – 3 pm
Stop by Baltimore Pet Shoppe this Saturday to check on their “End of Summer” sale. Huge savings on pet toys, accessories and treats (30-75% off).

Sunday, September 30

Blessing of the Animals
St. Francis De Sales Church, 4625 Springfield Ave
Noon
Bring your little best friend to be blessed in honor of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the friend of all of God’s creatures.

Saturday, October 6

Low Cost Dog and Cat Vaccine Clinic
UPenn Alpha Psi, 4002 Pine Street
10 am – 4 pm
Alpha Psi, the veterinary fraternity at University of Pennsylvania, is having a low cost vaccine clinic. Rabies and Distemper shots – $10 for both, microchipping – $20. Also, bring your dog or cat for a free physical exam by UPenn Veterinary students. If you have questions, email: upennalphapsi@gmail.com

Earth Cup Doggie Strut
Earth Cup Coffee, 405 S. 45th Street (45th and Pine)
Noon – 2 pm
The Annual Earth Cup Doggie Strut will feature tons of great stuff: Prizes for all participants, a doggie photo booth, nail clipping and info booth by UPenn vets, generous treats from Baltimore Pet Shoppe, best trick/costume competition, music and more! You can sign up at the cafe or just show up and sign up at the event. For more information, visit Earth Cup’s Facebook page.

The annual tour of artist studios and workspaces around Philadelphia, POST-2012, begins this weekend, with tours of venues west of Broad Street taking place October 6-7. West Philadelphia is again well represented, with over 20 artists participating in the event. This is a unique opportunity to visit the artists and their studios. Also stop by the community partner venues which will host POST exhibitions. Self-guided tours are free and open from noon to 6 p.m. Visit this page for more information on the participating artists and venues.

Also, please visit Green Line Cafe‘s website for more information on POST exhibits taking place in their three West Philly locations (43rd and Baltimore, 45th and Locust, and 37th and Lancaster). Artist Kelton Bumgarner sends invitation to neighbors to come to Green Line at 43rd and Baltimore this Saturday to check out his exhibit (reception is from 5 to 7 p.m.). “I have only been in West Philly for a short period of time (2 years now) and would love to meet some more of the community, have a couple drinks, and talk about some art!” he wrote.

Finally, the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program is introducing their new resident artists on both Saturday and Sunday. Everyone is welcome to meet Fatima Adamu, Mike Harpring, Diedra Krieger, Thomasin Parnes, and Celestine Wilson Hughes at their studios at 4013 Chestnut St. and at the A.I.R. Gallery (4007 Chestnut St).