The Calvary Center for Culture and Community (CCCC) and Calvary United Methodist Church, the two organizations located in the historic church building at 48th and Baltimore, have announced plans to install a much-needed HVAC system, which will provide heating and air-conditioning in the building. The building utilized an old boiler system for years and now has no heat, according to Gay Carducci-Kuhn, CCCC Board member and Curio Theatre Company managing director.

To help raise funds for the new system, the HVAC @ Calvary Matching Gift Campaign has been created. The goal of this fundraising campaign is to match the $100,000 grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places. Over $65,000 has been already raised, so the goal is not that far away.

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Scribe Video Center is hosting its annual Street Movies!, a free screening series for audiences of all ages that tours neighborhoods around the Philadelphia region, bringing a program of independent film – fiction, animation, documentary, and youth and community produced work – from around the world to local parks, lots, playgrounds, and community spaces.

This Saturday, Aug. 26, the Street Movies! series will make a stop in West Philly for a screening in Saunders Park Greene (39th and Powelton). The screening is co-hosted by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, the Arab cultural organization based in West Philadelphia. The screening, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will include the following short films that focus on diasporic Arab experience:

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The University of Pennsylvania has announced that portions of Spruce Street will be closed next week to all vehicular traffic to accommodate their students moving into campus for the 2023-2024 school year. Street closures will take place every day from Monday, Aug. 21 through Friday, Aug. 25, except Thursday, Aug. 20.

Here’s the schedule and locations of street closures:

Spruce Street will be closed between 34th and 38th Streets from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Spruce Street will be closed between 38th and 40th Streets from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25.

Motorists should expect delays in these areas during this timeframe.

SEPTA buses that travel on Spruce Street will be on detour. Please check the SEPTA website for detour information.

Made West, a West Philly hub of Made Institute, an independent fashion design and sewing school, is officially opening this week in Garden Court (4719 Pine St.). To celebrate the opening, Made West will hold a launch party on Friday, Aug. 18 (see the flyer below for more details).

Made West is “opening up a whole new world of sewing, fashion and crafts for the West Philadelphia community,” according to the announcement. Friday’s event is a great opportunity to learn about the upcoming classes, workshops, an afterschool program, teen fashion club and adult sewing classes.

Guests of all ages are also invited to tour the space, and check out the equipment and supplies. To register for the event, click here. Continue Reading

Parks on Tap (Instagram photo)

Here’s a great chance to spend more time outdoors this summer while enjoying some craft beer and delicious snacks in a beautiful green setting. Parks on Tap, the traveling beer garden presented by the Philadelphia Parks & Rec, will make another stop at Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore this year (the first appearance was in May). The beer garden is returning Wednesday, Aug. 16 and will stay through Sunday, Aug. 20.

The beer garden hours are:

Wed-Fri: 4-10 p.m.

Sat & Sun: 12-10 p.m.

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In an effort to improve energy efficiency as well as public safety, the City has kicked off construction for the Philly Streetlight Improvement Project, a citywide initiative to replace and connect approximately 130,000 streetlights into a network of more efficient and longer-lasting diode (LED) lights. The project is co-led by the Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA).

The 24-month construction project will reduce streetlighting energy use by more than 50 percent and is the single largest energy conservation project the City has undertaken, reducing municipal carbon emissions by more than nine percent.

The upgraded LED lights will be fully controllable through remote monitoring, providing the City instantaneous updates on outages and the ability to dim and brighten fixtures. The improved reliability and performance will support public safety by improving the ability for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists to see at night.

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