An illustration from The Garden of Time by Zoe Cohen.

Nearly five years ago, when Zoe Cohen was pregnant with her first child, she knew she wanted to illustrate a children’s book. That book, the West Philly artist decided, would illuminate the Jewish holiday’s deep-rooted connection to nature and the seasons.

Come 2014, and that seed of thought has developed into The Garden of Time, an illustrated 32-page children’s book exploring this bond, both in history and spirit, through the eyes of Adam and Eve. Published in March by Skinner House, The Garden of Time features 12 illustrations by Cohen, which were crafted between 2009 and 2012, and the interweaving tale written by Rabbi Jill Hammer, author and co-founder of the Kohenet Institute.

To celebrate The Garden of Time, Cohen is hosting a book release party this Sunday, May 4th at The Cedarworks (4919 Pentridge St.) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The free event will feature a potluck lunch and book reading, and will have copies of The Garden of Time available for sale and signed by the artist.

This week, West Philly Local had a chance to chat with Cohen about the book, how it came to fruition, and its ultimate message. Continue Reading

Click to enlarge.

This weekend there’s an awesome chance to learn more about the city’s commercial corridors on the rise, hidden neighborhood histories and stroll around some great public spaces – all thanks to Jane’s Walk, a free series of neighborhood walks presented by PlanPhilly.

There will be seven walks all together taking place on Friday through Sunday, May 2-4 (learn more about each walk here). But of particular interest to West Philly folks may be a walk organized on Friday on Lancaster Avenue, “Uncovering Historic Buildings on Lancaster Avenue.” Two people from the People’s Emergency Center, James Wright and Stephanie Wall, will be leading this tour of a few blocks of Lancaster Ave to talk about work to improve and reuse significant historic properties along the corridor.

Jane’s Walk is a global movement of free, locally-led walking tours inspired by the urbanist and writer Jane Jacobs. The walks are roving conversations geared at getting people engaged with their city and connecting with one another. This is the first year Philadelphia has formally participated in the festival, which takes place in more than 100 cities.

The Lancaster Avenue walk begins at 4 p.m.

If you are a dog owner and forgot or didn’t get a chance to purchase a license for your pet, read on. Philadelphia’s Animal Care and Control Team (ACCT Philly) has issued an alert prompting residents to get their dogs licensed to avoid penalties:

“Although required by law, dog licensing in Philadelphia has been largely voluntary over the years. That is about to change. In an effort to improve rates of lost dogs being reunited with their owners, ACCT Philly is getting serious about dog licensing. If you are one of Philadelphia’s approximately 300,000 thousand dog owning households in Philadelphia, now is the time to purchase a license or be subject to violation notices and fines.”

Under the law, all dogs over the age of 4 months old must be licensed in the City of Philadelphia within the first 30 days of ownership or moving into the city. Besides being the law, additional benefits for licensed dogs include a longer stay at the shelter if the owner cannot be reached right away, waived holding fees and even a free ride home, reads ACCT Philly’s reminder.

In an effort to make the licensing process easier, ACCT Philly has recently launched the Philadelphia Dog Licensing Online Service Center where you can purchase or renew your dog’s license in the matter of a few minutes. An annual license for altered dogs costs $16 ($8 for senior dog owners). Unaltered dogs will cost you more – $40 ($20). A $2 fee will also apply if you’re using the online service.

In addition, ACCT’s dog licensing center offers information on where you can purchase a license in your neighborhood, how to order a dog license by mail, what to do if you found a pet wearing a license tag, and Q&A.

This upcoming weekend, you can buy some beautiful or useful plants for your garden, yard, porch or house and support two vital local non-profits.

Photo via Parentinfantcenter.org

Parent Infant Center is holding its annual Spring Plant Sale on Friday and Saturday (May 2 & 3). The sale features a great variety of annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, herbs, vegetables & fruit, and more. Those who had pre-ordered plants can pick them up during the sale days: from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, and from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The sale will be held in the chapel at 4205 Spruce Street. All proceeds from this annual fundraiser are dedicated to PIC’s Scholarship Fund, which was established in 1986.

We hear that the weather will be nice this weekend so why not head to the beautiful Bartram’s Garden for its Spring Fest and Plant Sale. The big annual event will take place on Saturday and Sunday (May 3 & 4), 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (the member preview party is Friday, May 2, 4 – 7 p.m.).

This sale will feature a selection of heirloom roses in celebration of the historic site’s Carr Garden Restoration project, plus vegetables, herbs, native perennials, shrubs, trees and more.

Nicole Juday, a local Rosarian and Horticulture Education Coordinator at the Barnes Foundation, will hold a special presentation, “Growing Roses,” on Saturday from noon to 1:30 p.m., to tie into the Carr Garden Restoration Project, which will feature many historic rose varieties. The cost for the presentation is $10 for adults/$8 for seniors/Free for Bartram’s Garden Members. To register online go to: bartramroses.bpt.me.

Also on Saturday, horticulturists will be available to answer questions and share garden-planning advice. Garden and community farm tours will be offered from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. A full list of plants for sale can be found here. For more Saturday events and Sunday schedule, visit this page.

Bartram’s Garden is located at 54th St and Lindbergh Blvd and is easily accessible by bike and the 36 Trolley. There’s also free parking on the site.

A small white and brown dog with a bulldog nose and underbite (looks like a terrier/bulldog mix) was found this afternoon, around 4:15 p.m. on Drexel’s campus, near 32nd and Arch. She had a collar but no tags. If this is your dog or if you know where she lives please contact Max at: octobermax@gmail.com

Some of our readers have asked and now we can confirm that Philly Lug Nuts (Facebook page), an alternative competition for dogs, will be back in our neck of the woods on Sunday, May 4. This time the event will take place in Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore), with a low-cost vaccine clinic starting at 11 a.m. and the weight pull at 1 p.m.

As a reminder, the Lug Nuts program was designed as a way to provide competition for men and their dogs that didn’t involve fighting. All kinds of dogs are welcome to take part in the competition, from the smallest to the largest ones. All dogs will be judged by how much weight they pull as a percentage of their body weight.

The dogs wear padded harnesses and pull sleds filled with bags of dog food. Please note that no dog is forced to pull the sled (my dog, a Boston Terrier, refused to pull and preferred to lie down in the grass instead no matter how hard I and Lug Nuts folks tried to encourage him).

The event is co-hosted by the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). Check out the flier below for more details.