A crowd forms at The Flying Deutschman Saturday afternoon (Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)

Chef Stirling Sowerby is all over the place.

Not in a bad way, though. Instead, as Sowerby and I are chatting in front of his food truck, The Flying Deutschman, the energetic German chef bounces between cooking on the line to mingling with customers and then back to our conversation. At one point, he even feeds a piece of his signature bratwurst to a 10-week-old grey and white pitbull mix named Sapphire.

It’s mid-day on Saturday when I stopped by Sowerby truck, which is parked on the Chester Avenue side of Clark Park. There’s a rotating line of people—some repeat customers—ordering from the Deutschman’s simple German street food menu of schnitzels, bratwursts, bockwursts, and hefty sides. It’s delicious food, and a first for the West Philly area.

Among the tacos and smoked meats, The Flying Deutschman stands out.

Chef Stirling Sowerby cooking on the line (Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local)

Launched on March 1st, The Flying Deutschman is an entirely new venture for the 55-year-old Sowerby, who’s owned restaurants back in Germany (he moved to the States 18 years ago). And being unknown territory is “kinda the reason” he dove head first into the business, he said, dropping about $120,000 into the truck. Sowerby’s also hired a few students from his alma mater, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill, to serve as his line cooks.

At the moment, he’s only stationed at Clark Park on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or 3 p.m., depending on the day), and on Tuesdays at the Navy Yard. He is currently working on other locations. But Clark Park holds a special place for him.

The Flying Deutschman’s first stop at Clark Park was his third day on the road—and his first successful day as a food truck owner. “That’s why I have some form of emotional attachment to that local[e],” Sowerby told West Philly Local.

So far, the Deutschman suits Sowerby well.

But how’s business? “I think very good, but you really should ask the customer that question,” he told West Philly Local. “For me as a chef, I look at repeat customers and those I have since day one.  If you have time just come by and try it, that’s the best way to judge food.”

We did, and this is what a couple of West Philly Local readers had to say:

@annamarya_s It’s good stuff. Hope they stick around all summer. The owner is pretty entertaining as well. — Tom Rose (@slurve) May 2, 2014

@annamarya_s @WestPhillyLocal Really good food, really good prices, entertainingly eccentric owner to boot. Recommend! — Nicholas McAvoy (@ohbadiah) May 2, 2014

But you be the judge.

–Annamarya Scaccia

A three-day mini-collaborative arts festival, the Collage Festival, is taking place this week in West Philadelphia. The annual festival focuses on the idea of “collaboration, intermingling, exploration and diversity.” Philadelphia Magazine suggested the Collage Festival as one of “gay things to do in Philly this week.”

Collage 2014 is the “year of the gewgaw,” which means all the work submitted for the festival, regardless of media, must center around or include a gewgaw (see video below).

The 2014 Collage Festival will feature performances, installations, and pieces from over 40 artists of the Philadelphia area and beyond. Artists will be featuring interactive works and audience participation performances. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the art on several different levels. Between artist collaborations and audience participation, the experience will never be the same or predictable.

The Collage Festival will be held from Thursday, May 8 – Saturday May 10 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Community Education Center (3500 Lancaster Ave). Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. Three-day passes are also available.

There are also volunteering needs at the festival. All volunteers will receive free passes to events. If you’re interested to volunteer, email: info@collagefestival.com.

COLLAGE 2014 : YEAR OF THE GEWGAW from George Alley on Vimeo.

UPDATE (5:30 p.m.): The tree branches were removed by the city and the street was reopened around 4:30 p.m.

Reader Frank Innes reported earlier this afternoon that a tree near the northeast corner of 46th and Regent crashed into the street sometime overnight, damaging a minivan parked near it. 46th Street was blocked off between Regent and Chester. Frank sent along a couple of photos too:

A young man is fighting for his life after he was stabbed multiple times outside West Philadelphia High School at 49th and Chestnut Streets. The stabbing happened at 2:35 a.m. on Tuesday. Both the victim and the attacker are 23 years old, according to police.

The victim suffered stab wounds to his back, leg and left side, and was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) in critical condition. The suspect was arrested and the weapon was recovered at the scene, police said. It is not known yet what led to the stabbing, as the investigation continues. The police were interviewing the suspect this morning and charges were expected to be filed, CBS Philly reports.

Some of our readers wrote to tell us about a loud, window-shaking boom they heard in the Spruce Hill area near 46th and Locust on Friday morning, shortly before 7 a.m., and were wondering if it was some kind of an explosion. So here’s what we found out: Police say the noise came from a blown transformer near 46th and Locust Streets, which caused temporary power loss in some households in the area.

No injuries were reported, according to police.

The Cedar Park Neighbors Scholarships Fund is currently accepting applications from neighborhood students who need help paying for their college expenses. Each year, the fund awards several scholarships, ranging from $600 to $1,000, and students living within Cedar Park boundaries (see map below) are welcome to apply. Applications must be received or postmarked by June 1, 2014. To download the application, click here. For more information, email: scholarships@cedarparkneighbors.org