Elissa Sklaroff with the Clark Park photo collage.

West Philly residents Elissa Sklaroff and James Klasen, whose Clark Park photography project was featured in a June post, are inviting everyone to check out their photo collage in the park on Saturday, Aug 16. Elissa and Jim were documenting events in the park and capturing images of diverse Clark Park visitors of all ages – people who “bring the magical park to life.” Since the beginning of the summer, they have been sharing their photos with the park community and with their “models” by creating a “photo garden” – from nearly a thousand photos taken over the course of the summer, they selected and posted the most representative ones in clusters on the kiosks around the park.

“Feedback has been positive, including lovely comments posted by some who have stopped to look,” Elissa wrote us in an email.

Now, as Elissa and Jim are nearing the final stages of their Clark Park photo project, they have created a collage with an idea to capture the project and the park in a more complete way. All the decorative materials used in the collage were made from recycled materials: “green” shopping bags, soda cans, etc.

The collage will be displayed in the park on Saturday and from 2-4 p.m., Elissa and Jim will be giving prints out to anyone in the park whose picture they used. Additional copies or posters will be available to the public later by request, at either Elissa’s email address (elissa.sklaroff [at] gmail.com) or Jim’s (klasen.james [at] gmail.com).

It should be very festive, writes Elissa, as it is an Uhuru flea market day as well. Many of the vendors have agreed to display printed copies of the collage at their tables and even on food trucks! Elissa and Jim want those in the photos to be happily surprised to see themselves in many locations.

When a friend asked Elissa, “Why are the pictures so close together?” she replied, “Because as humans we are all close together and these photos show how the diversity in Clark Park emphasizes our commonality. This is what we hope we are saying to everyone.”

“We thank everyone with whom we connected during this project”.

(Photos by Elissa Sklaroff and James Klasen)

The other day, when walking along Baltimore Ave we lamented that there was only one Dollar Stroll this year. It took place June 19 – seems like a long time ago. Today University City District (UCD) announced that due to popular demand, a second Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll this season is coming on Thursday, Sept 18! That’s great news for Dollar Stroll fans.

A record number of visitors flocked to the area for the last stroll, so UCD together with the Baltimore Avenue Business Association (BABA) are excited to bring the season’s second Dollar Stroll to Baltimore Avenue, between 43rd and 51st Streets.

As always, the event will start at 5:30 p.m. and go on until 8:30 and all are welcome to sample $1 items from local vendors during these three hours. There’s something for everyone – from $1 pours of craft beers to various bites for a buck to special memberships and ticket offers. In addition, there will be live entertainment at the 46th Street Triangle, including music from Y-Not radio, jugglers and fire artists.

The event (Facebook page) will happen rain or shine, according to the organizers. More information about participating businesses and their $1 specials is coming soon. Stay tuned.

The 2014 edition of 30th Street Craft Market, a great local tradition that began last year, will take place tomorrow (Friday, July 11) on The Porch, the outdoor public space located at 30th Street Station. The event was rescheduled from June 13 due to rain.

As always, the organizers – the University City District and VIX Emporium – have lined up some of Philly’s finest artists and artisans, who will present unique handmade items: jewelry, ceramics, prints, stationery, clothing, home accents, bath & body products, children’s gifts and more. The craft market will feature over 30 artisans working in different media. The VIX Emporium website features some of the amazing artists and their work made from recycled materials, including wood, bicycle tires, leather scraps, silver and hardware and more.

Apart from the arts and crafts, tomorrow’s 30th Street Craft Market will feature food vendors, including Hot Diggity, Say Cheese, Sum Pig, and live entertainment. Check out the event’s Facebook page for more details and the full vendor list.

The craft market runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

With the Fourth of July festivities and increased number of visitors in Center City in mind, SEPTA has prepared some subway and bus service changes for tomorrow. Here are some of them that may be of particular interest to West Philly residents:

• The Broad Street & Market Frankford Lines will operate an additional night of overnight subway service beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 4.

•  Beginning at 4:30 p.m., service frequencies on the Broad Street & Market Frankford Line will increase to offer trains every 5 to 7 minutes until 1:15 a.m. to accommodate holiday event travel.

•  Holiday events in Center City and on the Parkway will force dozens of bus detours. Passengers traveling through Center City should consider rail travel alternatives. Detailed bus detour information is available online at http://www.septa.org/realtime/status

And here’s some more information on tomorrow’s parade, party and fireworks. The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. at 6th and Chestnut Sts. It will feature marching bands, floats, military groups and performance teams. Party on the Parkway is from 12 – 7 p.m. on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 20th St to Eakins Oval. The 4th of July Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks will take place at 7 – 11 p.m. on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Roots will perform with Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Hudson, Aloe Blacc, and Vicci Martinez. Click here for more information.

Happy Fourth of July!

Click to enlarge. (Courtesy of UCD)

As we reported last week, one of the most popular local events of the year, the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, returns this Thursday and brings $1 specials from over 30 local businesses. There will be only one Dollar Stroll this year, so get ready for huge crowds in the area.

The stroll will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. along Baltimore Avenue between 43rd and 51st streets. Check out the map for more information on the participants and their offers.

Just a reminder that there also will be a book sale to benefit the Kingsessing Library branch during the stroll. The sale will be held at three locations – 4740 Baltimore Ave, 50th and Baltimore (near VIX Emporium) and 45th and Baltimore (near Milk & Honey).

Also this Thursday, families are invited to stop by the Clark Park Farmers’ Market at 43rd and Baltimore for a free family activity. The Food Trust will be hosting Paul Smith of Tune Up Philly and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (Facebook page) at the market from 3 to 7 p.m. He’ll be doing interactive demonstrations on how to create musical instruments out of carrots! Every Thursday throughout June and July, Tune Up Philly will be at the market looking to grow their Vegetable Orchestra. This is the first week for this engaging musical experience which also nurtures awareness about healthy and local foods.

For an example of carrot instruments in action, here is a cool video of the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra making instruments and playing them.

The Food Trust is planning many events at the Clark Park Thursday farmers’ market this summer in an “attempt to revitalize the market and make it a fun destination for families on Thursday afternoons,” according to Food Trust Market Director Lisa Kelly. “We’re bringing in a few new vendors and food trucks as well as planning several free events over the course of the market season,” Kelly told West Philly Local by e-mail. Stay tuned for more details and also regularly check our Events Calendar.

El Caribefunk will kickoff the 2014 Summer Nights Concert Series (Photo courtesy Penn Museum)

This summer, the Penn Museum is bringing back international music concerts every Wednesday night, starting June 18. Titled “P.M. @ Penn Museum,” the series is geared to “after-work” crowd as a good way to wind down by listening to some beautiful tunes in Penn Museum’s outdoor courtyards (or inside the museum if it rains), and enjoying drinks and light fare from the museum’s Pepper Mill Cafe.

This year’s lineup features a colorful mix of performances – from Samba, Turkish fusion, and rhythmic Afro-Cuban jazz  to American-influenced music, including bluegrass, swing, and good, old-fashioned rock n’ roll. Colombian band El Caribefunk will kick off the 2014 Summer Nights series with their powerful rhythm. To see the full lineup, click here.

Concerts begin at 5 p.m. at the museum’s Stoner Courtyard. Admission to each concert is now $10 (no more $5 tickets!) but still includes general Museum admission (the galleries stay open until 8 p.m.!). The series will run through Sept. 3.