Photo by West Philly Local reader Dan Chen.

The 5th annual West Philly Local Pumpkin Carving Contest is underway, and you can still enter it before it closes at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Many thanks to everyone who already sent us photos of their pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns! We hope to receive more though. Don’t be shy, take a snapshot of your pumpkin and email it along with your name and address to: contest@westphillylocal.com and who knows, maybe you can win some great prizes provided by our sponsors: Curio Theatre, Greensgrow Farms, Lil’ Pop Shop, Local 44, Mariposa Food Coop, Renata’s Kitchen, and VIX Emporium. More info on how to enter the contest can be found here.

By the way, you don’t have to be an artist to win our contest, you just have to be really into it, according to our multiple prize winner Bimal Desai. Bimal is a pediatrician at CHOP and lives with his wife Naomi, also a pediatrician, and 6-year-old twins, Sam and Mauli, in Spruce Hill. We interviewed Bimal last year, but didn’t get a chance to publish the interview then. We’re publishing some excerpts from the interview now and hope Bimal’s excitement about pumpkin carving will inspire you.  Continue Reading

If you’re going grocery shopping this weekend, think about picking up some extra canned goods and help SEPTA and Philabundance feed our neighbors in need. SEPTA has been holding its annual “Stop Hunger At Your Station” Food Drive this month, and it has been extended until Monday, Nov. 2.

The response so far from SEPTA customers and employees has been great, according to General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel, but they decided to extend the food drive through Monday to give people a little more time to donate. Their goal is to top the 18 tons of food contributed last year.

SEPTA is collecting donations of canned goods in marked barrels at 43 designated stations throughout the transit system. In West Philadelphia, you can drop off your donations at the following stations:  Continue Reading

We hope you’re already getting into the Halloween spirit. Here’s an assortment of spooky and fun events happening this Saturday. If you know of any other events that are not included in the list please email: editor@westphillylocal.com or use the comment section below. Also, don’t forget to submit a photo of your carved pumpkin or jack-o’-lantern for our Pumpkin Carving Contest. UPDATE: On Friday, Oct. 30, The Woodlands Cemetery and Curio Theatre are inviting everyone to spend a Mischief Night with them. The event starts at 6 p.m. Go here for more information.

Saturday, Oct 31 – Halloween!

• The annual Spruce Hill Halloween Parade starts at 45th and Larchwood at 3:30 p.m. (gathering begins at 3 p.m. near 45th and Baltimore). The parade is followed by a party on the 4200 block of Osage Ave.

• The Locust Moon Comics Festival, which will be held at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut) from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., coincided this year with Halloween celebrations. The annual festival, organized by West Philly’s own comic shop, is a celebration of comics, illustration, and the graphic arts.

            Photo courtesy of Penn Museum.

• The Mexican Cultural Center, the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia, and the Penn Museum present a Day of the Dead celebration at the museum (3260 South St.), from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.. Enjoy Mexican culture and the rich traditions of Día de los Muertos at this family-friendly afternoon filled with music and dance, puppetry and storytelling, and arts and crafts.

• International House Philadelphia (3701 Chestnut St.) is offering two “spooktacular” films. The first is a special Family Matinee showing of “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” at 2 p.m. Tickets are just $5 for kids and adults and free for IHP members. For adult moviegoers, the second film is “Vampyr“, a 1932 horror classic from Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer that screens at 7 p.m. ($9).  Continue Reading

Real estate developer Post Brothers announced recently that it bought the Garden Court Plaza (4701 Pine St.) and is planning upgrades and renovations that has current residents wondering if they will be priced out of their apartments.

Built in the 1920s, the 13-story apartment building, which includes 146 units, was purchased for an undisclosed price as part of Post Brothers $250 million University City acquisition strategy, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal and other news outlets.

A founder of Post Brothers told the Philadelphia Business Journal that there is a shortage of housing geared toward “young professionals” in the area, which he compared to Cambridge, Mass., and that the firm’s strategy is to “upgrade and reposition” properties.

Post Brothers will do substantial renovations to Garden Court Plaza’s interior and exterior and add upscale amenities, according to a press release.

Some current residents who have contacted West Philly Local and asked not be named say they are bracing for big changes, including a substantial rent increase. They said that the new management company has begun asking for tax and pet vaccination information from residents.

As winter approaches, Best Friends Animal Society and Project MEOW invite everyone to their Cat Shelter Building Workshop, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7. At the workshop, you can learn how to construct simple, warm shelters for community cats. The workshop is free, and all materials will be provided. If you want to take home the shelter you build, there is a $10 materials fee. Scholarships are available.

The workshop will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Beaumont Warehouse (5027 Beaumont Avenue). Please RSVP and contact Best Friends with any questions at: philadelphiacats@bestfriends.org or 215-913-6013.

By the way, the cat on the picture, Mr. Biscuits, was rescued last year from a car engine where he was trying to stay warm on a cold day. Mr. Biscuits was badly burned when the driver unknowingly started the car with him inside. He was rescued by Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia and The Grannie Project. Next Saturday, Best Friends and Project MEOW will also educate folks on tapping their car hood before driving in winter.

Here are some photos from Saturday’s 16th Annual Peoplehood Parade. The parade is led by the Spiral Q Puppet Theater and this year included help from the Paul Robeson House, Friends of Clark Park, Neighborhood Bike Works, the Caucus of Working Educators, the Philadelphia Coalition for REAL Justice, the West Powelton Steppers and artist Vitus Shell.

“Peoplehood is a celebration of our communities’ creativity, joy, can-do attitudes, and courage to act on their convictions,” according to Spiral Q.  Continue Reading