Two great local community resources, Scribe Video Center and KEYSPOT, are hosting open houses on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

KEYSPOT, a project by the Freedom Rings Partnership that has over 70 centers with computer labs, free internet access and training throughout Philadelphia, has recently opened a new location in West Philly – at Drexel University’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. This Tuesday, community members are invited for an evening of mingling and refreshments at an open house at this location. There will be opportunities to:

• Learn about free computer access, education, and job preparation resources
• Participate in a Q&A session with KEYSPOT staff and clients
• Enter a raffle to win a netbook computer
• Discover how these KEYSPOTs are helping put Philadelphia’s job-seekers to work

The open house will be held from 4 to 7 p.m.. Dornsife Center is located at 3509 Spring Garden Street. The event is free and open to the public.

Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut St) will host an open house on Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m.. It’s a great networking opportunity for emerging and experienced video makers. You can also learn about membership, workshops and programs at the center, tour the facilities, and check out the equipment! Light refreshments will be served.

Founded in 1982, Scribe Video Center provides training in all aspects of film, video and audio production by offering classes and workshops. It also hosts a wide variety of programs and event series, including Community Visions, the Producers’ Forum, Muslim Voices of Philadelphia, Street Movies!, and more.

We hope that our little neighbors and their families are getting their costumes ready because this year’s Spruce Hill Halloween costume parade for tots will be held on Friday, Oct. 31, the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) announced earlier this week. The parade will start at 4:30 p.m. from the assembly area at 45th and Baltimore (next to Milk and Honey). The assembly will begin at 4 p.m.

The parade will follow the usual route down Larchwood to 43rd Street and over to the scarily decorated 4200 block of Osage (“Little Osage”), where the everyone will be welcomed with cider and treats.

SHCA, who is the sponsor of the parade, is asking that all tots be accompanied by an adult and that everyone be extra careful crossing streets to get to the parade and especially afterward, as darkness falls.

SHCA also invites little neighbors to stop by their center at 257 S 45th Street during trick-or-treating. “SHCA board member and Mel-Lo Townwatch leader Jackie Waiters will continue the long standing tradition of delighting trick-or-treaters with hand assembled goodie bags,” their announcement reads.

International House Philadelphia (IHP), which has been serving scholars and the Philadelphia community for more than 100 years, is holding a couple of special events this month.

IHP’s Open House will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 3 – 7 p.m. Community members are invited to tour the House, including its residential facilities, conference center and theater, and learn more about the services and programming offered there. You can also meet staff and some of the current residents from all over the world. You can explore IHP’s history by attending a historical exhibit on Tuesday. Last but no least, learn more about language courses offered at IHP, meet the teachers, and even sign up for some classes. Admission is free, but if you’re planning to attend this event, please RSVP. You can read more about the Open House and RSVP here.

On Friday, Oct. 31, IHP is throwing a Night of the Philly Dead: Brews and Brains party. It is a new, annual event and IHP staff hope that you will join them at their inaugural celebration of the undead’s favorite day of the year. There will be a zombie themed dance-party paying homage to the cult-classic movies, scary-good catering provided by TV Chef Barbie Marshall, craft beer, and themed cocktails, all included in your cost of admission ($50). Costumes are encouraged and there will be a competition. 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. For more information and tickets, go to this page.

There will be many more fantastic events this Fall at IHP, including some great film screenings, exhibits, and cultural events. For more info, click here.

Neighbors are invited to the Walnut Hill Community Day celebration on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The celebration will take place on the 4700 block of Walnut Street in front of the old West Philly High School building. This is a great opportunity to meet other neighbors, get some valuable information about the neighborhood and its organizations, and to have fun!

The event will include a lot of family friendly activities: pony rides, face painting, moon bounce, and more. Also, there will be food and drinks, raffles, a farm stand and live entertainment.

The event is organized by the Walnut Hill Community Association (WHCA). The organization was found in 1961 by a group of neighbors, led by Charles Campbell, Sr., who “were concerned about the deterioration of their neighborhood.” WHCA, which is a volunteer organization, encourages neighbors to participate in community events and in other activities that help improve and strengthen the community. New volunteers are always welcome, too. Visit this page for more information on how you can help.

Journey2home public art project, dedicated to homeless youth, opens this Friday at 42nd and Lancaster. (Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program).

The Philadelphia Mural Arts program has dedicated their new public art project, journey2home, to homeless youth in the city. According to last year’s data by People’s Emergency Center, more than 5,000 kids in Philadelphia are homeless. The project includes two murals created by artists Ernel Martinez and Shira Walinsky at 42nd and Lancaster in the Mantua neighborhood. The opening celebration will take place on Friday, Oct. 10, 4 – 7 p.m.

Journey2home is a year-long, socially engaged project initiated by the Mural Arts program in collaboration with youth enrolled in the Mural Arts Art Education Program. At the apex of a green space at 42nd and Lancaster sits a transformed shipping container, a metaphor for home. It has a front porch, an information bulletin board, a resource area, storage, and a dining room with table, chairs and bookshelves.

The two-wall mural, titled Home Safe, is located across the street from the shipping container and represents the culmination of two years of work with homeless and housing-insecure youth in West Philadelphia.

Community members are invited this Friday to a pop-up outdoor gathering space at 42nd and Lancaster where the project opening celebration will be held. The celebration will include the dedication of the Home Safe murals, as well as other art and sound installations, film, music and food.

For more details on the project, images and videos, visit the journey2home blog.

Here’s a short film about the project:

Photo courtesy St. Mary’s Church.

This new event will help you relax during lunchtime by listening to music at a historic and remarkable sacred space. Starting today, St. Mary’s Church, Hamilton Village, located at 40th and Locust Walk on the Penn campus, invites residents to free lunchtime concerts every first Wednesday, from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.

The first in a series of First Wednesday Free Concerts at St. Mary’s will feature organist Wesley Parrott playing pieces by Foote, Vierne, and Bartholdy on the parish’s historic Aeolian-Skinner Organ. There are continued efforts to restore the church organ, so free will offering will be appreciated.

The present, expanded version of St. Mary’s, Hamilton Village was completed in 1876, but the church dates back to 1824, when the cornerstone for the original church was laid.

For more information about the church and more events please visit www.stmarysatpenn.org.