Courtney Douds, a falconer living in West Philadelphia, is looking for her missing bird, a red-tailed hawk (pictured). The bird lived behind a row home in an outdoor aviary, and sometime on Sunday her tethers broke and she flew out.

“While she is fully capable of surviving in the wild, I am predictably distraught,” Courtney wrote in an e-mail. “The bird is a red-tailed hawk, and she’s wearing very loud bells (that don’t interfere with her ability to catch food for herself) that can be heard from quite a distance away.”

So if you hear bells above you or see a red-tailed hawk wearing bells please let Courtney know of the bird’s general whereabouts. Please don’t try to catch the hawk, Courtney says, and it’s unlikely she will come down to anyone. But narrowing down the range of where the bird might have flown to might help Courtney recover her. By the way, Courtney is one of three falconers living in Philadelphia County.

If you spot the hawk, please email: courtney.douds[at]gmail.com

Hamilton Street Porch Sale (Facebook photo).

UPDATE: Due to rain in the forecast for Saturday, the sale will take place on Sunday, Sept. 13, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

There’s a great opportunity for amazing bargains, food and fun this Saturday Sunday in Powelton Village, when Hamilton Street residents will come together for their big annual porch and sidewalk sale. The sale is held each year on Saturday after Labor Day, and this year marks its 35th anniversary!

This thing encompasses four blocks – from 3300 to 3700 – and features over 100 vendors, including a mix of long-time residents, local vendors, and the BBQ stand run by St. Andrew & St. Monica Church. There will be a wide mix of items for sale, including: housewares, bookcases, furniture, pottery, clothes, family treasures, books, antiques, plants, food, jewelry, musical instruments, electronics, children’s toys, and more.

For more information, check out the sale’s Facebook event page.

Distrito Taqueria (Instagram photo).

Chef Jose Garces, whose well-known restaurant Distrito (40th and Chestnut) serves some delicious Mexican fare but could be damaging to your wallet, has recently revamped the restaurant’s first-floor area and opened a less expensive and “uber casual” eatery, Distrito Taqueria, downstairs. The grand opening of the taqueria was on Thursday.

Here are some items from the taqueria’s menu: tacos (you can choose from chicken, beef, pork, goat barbacoa or tofu) are $3.50 each, extras for additional price; burritos and quesadillas are $9.50. Super nacho is $12 ($9 without meat). An order of guacamole will cost you $8, and salsa is $5. Soups and salads are also served. And the place has a full bar. The full menu can be downloaded here.

Distrito Taqueria is open daily 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Click to enlarge

Some nice events will be happening this weekend and next weekend, and we want to highlight a few of them. Also, stay tuned for more information on the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll (Sept. 17), and the fall edition of the Go West! Craft Fest (Sept. 19). For more events or if you want to submit an event, please visit our Events page.

Second Fridays on Lancaster Avenue

Second Fridays will be held on Sept. 11, beginning at 5 p.m., and here’s what’s in store for this Friday: Vendors Village, Neighborhood Time Exchange Open House, paintings and drawing exhibit by Doina Botez, open mic night, a screening of “Song of the South” and more, all on Lancaster Avenue, from 35th to 39th. For more information, visit the Lancaster Avenue Philly website.

Honey Festival at Bartram’s Garden

The beautiful Bartram’s Garden (54th and Lindbergh Blvd.) is hosting the 6th annual Honey Festival this Sunday (Sept. 13). Events will include open hive demonstration, tastings, and even a live “bee-bearding” with Don Shump from The Philadelphia Bee Company. Also beer brewing, beekeeping workshops, kids’ activities, a cooking contest, free yoga sessions, and more! The festival will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Check out this page for more details.

Fringe Arts Festival

The annual Fringe Festival kicked off on Sept. 3, with many wonderful performances and art installations taking place in the city. West Philly is also hosting a few Fringe events this and next week, so here are some more details:

• “Body of Water” dance show by Antonia and Artists – Sept 11, 12, 8 p.m.
CEC Meeting House Theatre, 3500 Lancaster Avenue

Our bodies are 75% water. What would happen if we moved like the liquid we are? Antonia & Artists is a dance company made up of talented humans and led by choreographer Antonia Z Brown. Watch as they journey through the depths within to harness the fluidity, agility, and transformative strength of the most powerful element. For more info and tickets ($18), click here. Continue Reading

Here’s a reminder about a couple of great youth recreation programs held at local parks.

Soccer Shots is starting its fall season of soccer instructions for preschool age kids at Cedar Park (50th and Baltimore) on Saturday, Sept. 12, and there is still room available for children ages 2-5 to participate in the program. Class times are: 9 a.m. – ages 3-4; 9:45 a.m. – age 2; 10:20 a.m. – ages 4-5. Register online here or contact Thomas Rockett for more information: philly@soccershots.org or 267-630-1557.

Clark Park Youth Soccer League‘s fall season begins on Saturday, Oct. 3 (a week later due to the papal visit). This volunteer-run program provides soccer instruction and intramural games for children ages 5-11 on Saturdays at Clark Park (45th and Chester). The program emphasizes enjoying the game of soccer while learning soccer skills. Each 90-minute session includes both skills training and a game. Children are assigned to teams by age: Mornings (10:30-noon): ages 5 to 6.5 and ages 6.5 to 7; afternoons (noon-1:30 pm): ages 8 to 9 and ages 10 to 11. More information and forms are available here. Online registration is coming soon. If you would like to volunteer as a coach, assistant coach or to help with administrative work, please email: clarkparksoccer@yahoo.com.

International House Philadelphia will present a couple of free films in celebration of the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia. Both films are on the life of Pope Francis’ namesake, St. Francis of Assisi.

Roberto Rossellini’s 1950 classic, The Flowers of St. Francis will be shown on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:00 p.m., and Brother Sun, Sister Moon, a 1972 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, will be presented on Thursday, Sept. 24, also at 7:00 p.m. Both films will be screened at International House’s Ibrahim Theater, 3701 Chestnut Street.

Guest speakers will introduce each film. On Sept. 19, Professor Stefania Benini will present The Flowers of St. Francis, a timeless and moving portrait of the search for spiritual enlightenment. Benini was Lauro De Bosis Fellow at Harvard University (2014-2015), after having been Assistant Professor of Italian at the University of Pennsylvania (2007-2014). Her research focus in Italian Studies involves the sacred, from literature to cinema and theatre.  Continue Reading