The proposed site plan for the Centennial Commons (Courtesy of Studio | Bryan Hanes)

Centennial Commons, the project that will provide a much needed recreation space near The Please Touch Museum in West Parkside, is expected to break ground this Fall, according to a report by PlanPhilly. The first construction phase of the project, initiated by Fairmount Park Conservancy, the Parkside Association of Philadelphia and East Parkside Residents Association, includes park “porches”.

When completed, the project will provide a seating area with landscaping that will give both residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy the space. It will also include a large playground with a climbing wall and spray park.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the William Penn Foundation are funding the project as part of an $11 million grant to re-imagine public spaces in Philadelphia. The total cost of the Centennial Commons project is approximately $7 million.

Read more about the project here and here.

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.

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.

The 3rd Annual Cobbs Creek 5K Run has been rescheduled for next Saturday, Oct. 26, according to Alon Abramson, founder of West Philly Runners and member of Friends of Cobbs Creek. As we had reported earlier, the run was supposed to take place on Saturday, Oct. 12, but the heavy rainfall flooded the course at the end of last week and the strong winds knocked down branches forcing the organizers to reschedule the race, Alon told West Philly Local.

Packet pickup will still be available at the Philadelphia Runner store (3621 Walnut Street) on Friday, Oct 25 from 3-7 p.m. However, late registration is now only available at the race on Saturday morning. To read more about the Cobbs Creek 5K Run, click here.

University City Kiwanis, a local chapter of international service club that unites young professionals in the Philadelphia area, is organizing a great charity event this upcoming Saturday and invites everyone to participate. Registration is now open for the 4th Annual Kiwanis International Charity Kickball Social (KICKS) which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, from noon-4 p.m. in West Fairmount Park (Belmont Plateau, 2000 Belmont Mansion Drive). Proceeds from the event will benefit Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that provides essentials to homeless and low-income children in Philadelphia. Prizes and raffles will also be available.

Registration fee is $20 if you register before midnight on Friday, Oct 18 or $25 onsite (11 a.m.-noon). The fees include games, lunch and a t-shirt. Click here to register for the event. More information about the event and University City Kiwanis is available here. For questions, email: kicks@uckiwanis.com.

(Photo via uckiwanis.com)

UPDATED 10/6/13 at 5:51 p.m. If you’re a runner and love a good challenge, there’s still time to register for the Third Annual Cobbs Creek 5k Run/Walk, taking place at 9 a.m. next Saturday, Oct 12.

Taking place now in the fall, the yearly Cobbs Creek race serves as a way to draw people—particularly locals—into the sprawling green space running along 63rd Street between City and Woodland Avenues. Overseen by the recently formed Friends of Cobbs Creek (Facebook page), Cobbs Creek Park features extensive hiking trails, full forests, a rambling creek and rushing waterfalls, and accessible recreational facilities such as basketball courts and playgrounds–all right within reach of even University City’s most eastern boundary. The park also offers children’s programming, like the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center, that will receive financial support from the registration fees, sponsorships and donations gathered from the run/walk.

“I don’t think a lot of people are aware of Cobbs Creek and it’s a shame. It’s really beautiful … It really feels like it’s part of your home,” said Alon Abramson, founder of West Philly Runners and member of Friends of Cobbs Creek. West Philly Runners is sponsoring the event along with Philadelphia Runner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Philadelphia Water Department, and Fairmount Park Conservancy. “This is good opportunity to get more than just the people that live in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood to recognize this is within a few miles of us.”

In an effort to motivate more runners to register for the race and explore the park, West Philly Runners and Philadelphia Runner have organized a fun run for 9 a.m. this Sunday, Oct 6. The run will start at Philadelphia Runner’s University City location, 3621 Walnut Street and take participants to Cobbs Creek’s Education Center, 700 Cobbs Creek Parkway, for an informational session on the park. Brunch at Cedar Park Café is scheduled after the run.

Abramson theorizes that part of the reason fewer West Philadelphians east of 52^nd Street travel to Cobbs Creek Park is a deceptive perception of distance, assuming it’s much further from University City proper than it actually is. In fact, if 40^th and Market Streets is your starting point, you can traverse between less than two and a half to less than four miles depending on what section of the over 700-acre park you are visiting. And, depending on where you live in West Philly, traveling time to Cobbs Creek can take 5 – 20 minutes by car, 30 – 40 minutes by public transportation, or a 30 minute bike ride.

“As [part of] West Philly Runners, I’d love to get more runners … people to go that far west and people crossing the invisible divide,” Abramson told West Philly Local. “There’s a real racial boundary at 52nd Street that keeps people separated and segregated, so this is a great opportunity to cross that [border] and see that there’s a really safe, beautiful space. If we could get more people in there, it would be generally positive for the community.”

–Annamarya Scaccia