Kingsessing pool (Archived photo).

Mayor Jim Kenney will officially kick off the 2017 Philadelphia public pool season Thursday afternoon at a dedication ceremony for a newly renovated playground at Murphy Recreation Center in South Philly. Over 70 indoor and outdoor pools will open in the city for the 2017 summer season, including dozens in West Philadelphia.

Citywide pool hours are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday & Sunday, Noon to 5 p.m., but interested swimmers are advised to check in with their neighborhood pool for days and times of open swim, family swim and adult swim, as well as swim lessons and swim team activities.

Here are opening dates for West and Southwest Philly pools and also O’Connor pool in Center City West (for information on more public pools, go here):  Continue Reading

The Jubilee School, a private K-5 school located at 4211 Chester Avenue, will be hosting a ceremony honoring the site of the MOVE bombing (at the intersection of Osage Avenue and Cobbs Creek Parkway) on Saturday, June 23, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. The event is open to the community and will feature performances from local poets and artists, including scholar Sonia Sanchez.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission approved earlier this spring the placing of a historical marker. Students of the Jubilee School, who have studied the 1985 bombing of the MOVE headquarters at 6221 Osage Avenue for the past two years, approached the PHMC with a nomination, according to the The Philadelphia Tribune.  Continue Reading

Summertime brings many chances for locals to enjoy outdoor music performances in the area. We wrote about summer jazz returning to local parks, West Philly Porchfest, and the annual 40th Street Summer Series. Summer Night Concert Series at the Penn Museum is another great tradition that kicks off this Wednesday, June 21 with a performance by The Mid East Ensemble and a special offer for West Philly Local readers (see more info below).

The eighth annual Summer Nights Concert Series will bring an eclectic lineup of performances—including Creole Zydeco, Calypso, ‘20s Jazz, Middle Eastern folk, and more—to the relaxing garden setting of the museum’s Stoner Courtyard. The series is geared to visitors of any age, from friends meeting after work to families with children. Concerts are presented every Wednesday evening, June 21 through September 6, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. To see the full line-up, visit the Penn Museum website.  Continue Reading

Residents are invited to celebrate Father’s Day at Greensgrow West (5123 Baltimore Ave.) this Sunday and bring their dogs for a wash, pedicure and treats. The event, which will be held from 12-4 p.m., will benefit Philly PAWS (suggested donation is $10).

For more information, visit the BABA West Philly website.

Invite your family and friends out for a night of fun on the corner of Lancaster and Powelton avenues. The first Mid-Night BBQ featured the sounds of funk and jazz, this time around we’re kicking off the summer with some heat: live music from samba drum corps, Unidos da Filadelfia and soul/reggae singer Fabian Akilles. You do not want to miss this! RSVP (midnightbbq.eventbrite.com) for a complimentary hot dog and a cup of lemonade.

– Elle Tee (LoLa 38)

Proposed apartment building renderings.

A proposal to build a 49-unit, 6-story apartment building on a parking lot at 4045 Baltimore Ave. was largely met with approval during a hearing before the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee last night.

Officials from New Horizons Housing, which owns several buildings in the area including one next door the proposed structure, told the zoning committee that their vision when they bought the property in 2001 was to eventually build more apartments on the parking lot. An apartment building occupied the space until a 1980s fire destroyed it, creating a vacant space that was transformed into the present-day parking lot.

Demand for parking lot spots among residents in the adjacent New Horizons building at 4045 Baltimore has dwindled in recent years. People in the community are renting fewer of the spots as well, according to New Horizons general manager Russell Galligher.  Continue Reading