“Have you seen my burlesque dancers?” ChrisK asked me as he handed out a flier for an exhibition of Neo-burlesque fashion design at the Intersections Gallery on 3933 Lancaster Avenue. Dressed in full burlesque regalia as part of a “roving exhibition,” three performers made their way up and down Lancaster Avenue like many of the other attendees of this weekend’s LOOK! festival, a two-month celebration of the arts that opened Friday on Lancaster Avenue. Spanning 36^th to 40^th streets, LOOK! is an extensive and diverse showcase of local work put on by the University City District.

A good few of the event’s 13 venues are reclaimed windows, storefronts, and in some cases whole buildings newly renovated for the event. At least one gallery built new stairs just for the occasion.

Much of the work on display was the recent output of local artists such as Randy Dalton, also a member of Dumpster Divers of Philadelphia. In the basement of the Community Education Center on 3500 Lancaster Avenue. Dalton’s Blue Grotto collected and arranged over 100 blue lights, curios, and ephemera to give this neighborhood’s art scene the “blue ribbon” it richly deserves, says the artist.

This street is lined with lots of different memories. At 3854 Lancaster, Melissa J. Frost installed an image from a punk show at Killtime, a venue located at this address from the early 1980s until 2003. Adding an interactive, technological flair to the event, a Drexel communications class presented “Augmented Avenue: Memories of Lancaster Avenue”, at the Projects I Gallery on 3820 Lancaster Ave. Using smartphone technology, students created phone-readable codes that correspond to certain locations in the neighborhood accompanied by short personal narratives of community members.

Other highlights included live funk and jazz, paste-up art works adorning telephone poles, and the debut of a guerrilla art installation on the roof of Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s now-infamous clinic where an incalculable number of people died under the doctor’s care. Like many of the pieces in LOOK! the installation called special attention to the building itself; a banner hung on the corner of the building with a collection of definitions of the verb, “regard”.

These exhibitions continue until Nov. 30. More information here.

– Jane

Dogs, cats and even a turtle came to St. Francis De Sales church (47th and Springfield) on Sunday for the “Blessing of the Animals,” a ceremony honoring Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

A similar ceremony was also held at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral (3723 Chestnut St.) earlier in the day.

At St. Francis De Sales, the ceremony included a blessing from Rev. John Hand, the church’s pastor, and of course a shout out to Noah and his ark.

Our favorite line from the “Blessing Prayer for Pets”:

“May we never treat our pets as dumb animals, but rather let us seek to learn their language and to be students of all the secrets that they know.”

The Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street) will host three afternoons of children’s musical play “Becky Butterfly and the Story of the Wayward Wasp.” The first one is today at 3 p.m. The show is produced by Fantasy Weavers, a production company affiliated with the musical’s author, Philly composer Kate Quinn.

The play focuses on a wasp named Kevin who has been born a male worker in the female workers’ world (and gets bullied because of that by other wasps) and Becky the butterfly whose family Kevin bullies in turn. Basically, the message is: it’s okay to be different and bullying is not acceptable.

The show is free for kids under 10 years old. Adult tickets are $7 and $5 for students, seniors, and children over 10. Other shows are scheduled for Oct. 9 and 16. To buy tickets online click here.

We just got word that youth soccer at Clark Park is cancelled this week. Recent rains have left too much water in the Bowl. Soccer will resume next Saturday if things dry out a little.

West Philly resident Susan, who lives at the corner of St. Bernard and Springfield, lost the entire third floor of her home in a devastating fire last Saturday. Two of her cats died in the fire. Intense water damage has rendered the lower two stories and the basement unlivable for now.

While Susan is temporarily staying with friends, her remaining cats are still residing in the house as they have nowhere else to go. Susan is looking for temporary housing for them. She writes:

“…kitties are all freaked and living under rather unhealthful conditions, with the noisy and major internal work now underway, still smoky air, very wet floors, mold starting to grow, etc. I am trying to find foster homes, even for one or two, here and there, for about eight weeks, until they say we can all move back in. They are all sweet cats, great company, very people-oriented, and cuddly — especially warm when the weather starts to turn cold. Can anyone open their homes for a furry feline for a couple of months? I would gladly pay for food and other supplies during their stay… So, far, I have one volunteer for one cat. Believe me you would enjoy their presence… I have always found them comforting.”

If you’d like to help Susan, or know someone who might, please write her at: susaniris [at] msn.com or call 215-435-5273.

West Philly parents! Bring your kids to Clark Park “A” (43rd & Baltimore) this Saturday, Oct. 1, to join fall fun at the Scarecrow Festival organized by the Parent-Infant Center (PIC). At the festival, show your creativity by making your own scarecrow.

All the materials necessary for creating and dressing up your scarecrow will be provided for $10. The money will go to support PIC’s family programs.

The festival will begin at 10 a.m. and will go on until noon. For more information contact Rachel at: rcrossot [at] parentinfantcenter.org.