Congratulations to the West Philly-based gourmet popsicle vendor Lil’ Pop Shop (Facebook page), which won the “Desserts” prize on Saturday at the annual Vendy Awards. The Vendys celebrate the bustling mobile food culture in Philadelphia.

In addition to their shop on 44th Street between Spruce and Locust, Lil’ Pop Shop runs a small cart, which qualified them to compete. They continued a West Philly tradition in the Vendys. Last year Gigi and Big R’, a staple in Penn’s food truck scene, won the top prize – The Vendy Cup.

This year, The Smoke Truck, which serves Southern barbecue, won the Cup.

Click to enlarge.

The West Philadelphia Block Captains Forum is coming up on Saturday, August 4, and registration is open now. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for skill-building, leadership development and networking for block captains from West Philadelphia. Participating block captains can attend free workshops, including Computer and Internet Training, Zoning and City Planning, Crime and Safety, and Community Organizing. District Attorney Seth Williams will be a keynote speaker at the forum, as well as a guest panelist in the workshop on Crime and Safety.

The Block Captains Forum will take place at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia at 5501 Cedar Avenue, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is organized by The Partnership CDC/NAC, SCI-West and LISC. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

If you are a registered block captain from 19139, 19104 or 19143, you are encouraged to register for the forum. You can do it online here, by calling Leon Robinson at The Partnership CDC at (215) 662-1612, by emailing him at lrobinson@thepartnershipcdc.org, or by stopping by the office at 4020 Market Street. For more information, visit this page.

Update (7/30): Chica was found this morning in the middle of an industrial park on 51st Street (a restricted access facility!). It’s not clear how she got in or how long she had been there, but Nancy (Chica’s owner) is very grateful to the person who found her and called.

Reader Nancy is was looking for her dog Chica that ran away Sunday morning:

“Early this morning (3:30 am, 7/29) my dog Chica ran away. I had had yard work done yesterday and forgotten to secure the gate. Chica is a rescue dog from the PSPCA. She is ten years old and I have had her for five of those years. She is part greyhound and part shepherd plus other unknown entities. She escaped from: 932 S. 49th Street, Apt. 1. She has a collar with her name, my address and cell phone number. She is also microchipped and registered with www.homagainid.com. I have entered her as a lost pet on that web-site. I am attaching a picture. Many say she looks like a little wolf. She weighs about 60 pounds. She is shy, but friendly and up to date on all shots.”

If you’ve seen Chica, please email Nancy at nselinger@gmail.com or call 267-970-5018.

Two West Philadelphia residents were mugged last night, around 11:15 p.m. on Kingsessing between 46th and 47th Streets, according to police. Two men, one with a gun, told the victims to sit down on the ground and empty their pockets. One of the victims was hit in the face with the gun and later taken to the hospital with minor facial injuries. While the robbery was in progress, undercover police officers turned up and arrested one of the robbers on the spot, then later, after a chase, they caught the other suspect near 46th and Linmore.

The victims’ belongings were recovered, with the exception of a wallet. We are trying to get more information from the police whether this incident is related to other robberies in the area, including a very recent one when a man was robbed and pistol-whipped at 46th and Cedar Avenue.

Update (7/30): And the winner is… Rebecca! This pigeon scarer is at the southwest corner of 42nd and Baltimore.

OK. Here we go again. Do you know where this photo was taken? It’s somewhere between 40th and 50th, Market to Woodland. We will gradually zoom out until someone gets it. Register your guess in the comments below.

The 4300 block of Larchwood Avenue will be closed today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a large multi-family porch sale, so drivers will have to detour around that block during these hours. We hear that housewares, furniture,  kids and adult clothes and toys are among the items offered for sale.

If you know of other sales today or tomorrow, please leave a comment below.