Public schools will dismiss at 1:30 p.m. again tomorrow because of the heat, the School District of Philadelphia has just announced.

Spokeswoman Shana Kemp said in a statement:

“According to the National Weather Service, temperatures are expected to again soar to the upper 90’s Thursday in Philadelphia. The expected extreme weather coupled by the high humidity levels could create a situation in which heat illness is possible. The District is taking this heat warning seriously by closing schools, which includes early childhood programs, at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. At the 1:30 p.m. dismissal time, routine transportation will occur for students. “

Afterschool programs are also cancelled.

Luckily this heat wave comes during Philly Beer Week, so one way to cool off might be to head over to a West Philly venue. Here is a rundown of today’s local hops haps:

• Local 44 (4333 Spruce St.)

Tonight is OG (original gravity) and Wells and Young’s meet the brewer night. Celebrate original gravity beers (ie Rogue, Brooklyn Brewing, Dogfish Head) and meet brewer Jim Robertson of Britain’s Wells and Young’s, who is allegedly bringing a rare cask of Young’s Ram Rod that will be tapped at 6 p.m. sharp.

• City Tap House (3925 Walnut St.)

The culmination of the Yards Karma Factor homebrew contest. Winners will unveil their beers made in collaboration with Yards. This kicks off at 5 p.m. City Tap House is also hosting a lunch today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring flights and bites with Lion Brewery in upstate PA.

• MidAtlantic Restaurant and Tap Room (3711 Market St.)

“Nose to Tail” with Stone Brewing Co. of San Diego featuring a full lamb dinner and a variety of Stone beers. Starts at 6 p.m.

Tonight the Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut St.) will host a screening and discussion of two fascinating multimedia pieces documenting the economic downturn in the United States over the last three years. In Verse combines poetry, photography and audio footage to document the lives of people living on the economic edge.

In the piece “Women of Troy,” poet Susan B.A. Somers-Willett, photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally and radio journalist Lu Olkowski (who will be at tonight’s screening) document the lives of young, working-class mothers in Troy, New York, which was a thriving city during the industrial revolutions but is now enmeshed in poverty.

The second piece, “Congregation,” Pulitzer Prize winning poet Natasha Trethewey , photographer Joshua Cogan and radio journalist Olkowski document the ongoing recovery in Gulfport, Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.

The screening begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10, $8 for students and seniors and $5 for Scribe members.

Below is an exerpt of “Women of Troy”

In Verse: Women of Troy from InVerse on Vimeo.

We saw this on Etsy and couldn’t resist sharing it. You see the lyrics of the famous Will Smith song everywhere, but we’ve never seen them on a onesie.

Philadelphia public and Catholic schools will dismiss at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow due to the heat.

The School District of Philadelphia released a statement tonight stating:

The expected extreme weather coupled by the high humidity levels could create a situation in which heat illness is possible. The District is taking this heat warning seriously by closing schools, which includes early childhood programs, at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. At the 1:30 p.m. dismissal time, routine transportation will occur for students.

All District after-school programs have also been cancelled. Keep an eye on Thursday as well as temperatures are expected to stay well into the 90s.

Editor’s Note: The folks who organize Plotland have come to an agreement with the owners of the property since this story was first published. They can stay, but the owners have asked that the space not be used for social gatherings because of liability concerns.

There are something like 40,000 vacant lots in Philadelphia and bad things tend to happen in them. But the work of two West Philly women and a cadre of volunteers has turned one of those lots into a thriving community space nicknamed “Plotland.”

Located on the northeast corner of 44th and Locust, Plotland has gone from a weed-filled, garbage-strewn mess to a mosaic of raised beds with everything from kale and tomatoes to flowers.

If you have walked by that corner in recent weeks you have no doubt seen it take shape. Folks hang out there now, often on the brick patio complete with used lawn furniture. A young girl in the neighborhood recently had her birthday party there. The space is useful again.

That was the idea all along, said Amanda Sebald, who along with Geraldine Lavin began organizing Plotland in earnest in early spring.

“What we are on our way to creating is a lot that is everyone’s not just ours,” said Sebald.

Sebald and Lavin each had been thinking about a possible use for the space, which is privately owned (more on that later) and nearby the small commercial strip that includes Evan’s Pizza, Koch’s Deli, CVS, Cafe Clave, a laundromat and the nearby Penn Alexander School. A lot of foot traffic passes by each day and the lot gets a lot of sun – two important factors for a community space that is built around getting volunteers to help grow things.

Great idea right? OK, the only chink in the plan is that what is going on at Plotland is kind of like squatting (more specifically, “guerilla gardening“), though that lot has been vacant for several years. As mentioned earlier, the land is privately owned so Plotland’s long-term existence is still in question. To help garner support, Plotland organizers are throwing a potluck fundraiser Saturday, June 11. Attendees are asked to bring a dish and a few bucks to kick in to help the project continue.

So far community donations have brought in bricks for the patio, soil for the raised beds and even the bottom half of a mannequin now used as a plant stand. Most important of all, though, is the help people have offered – everything from weeding and planting to bricklaying and hauling – to take the lot from an eyesore to a community resource with heaps of potential.

“A big part of asking people to contribute different things is so they feel ownership,” Sebald said.

For more information go to Plotland’s Facebook page. Or better yet, just stop by.