West Philly artists have an opportunity to exhibit their work at an upcoming Transformation exhibition presented by Flying Kite magazine. The exhibition, which will be on display from Oct. 2 through Oct. 30 at A Poet Art Gallery in the Parkside section of West Philadelphia, is being presented as part of Flying Kite’s On the Ground neighborhood engagement program. The program creates a temporary media hub in a vacant or under-utilized storefront or building and takes a deep dive on neighborhood transformation through coverage, events and social media. After 90 days it’s on to the next neighborhood.

Proposals are being excepted from artists who live or work in West Philadelphia. Works can be in any medium, but should be responsive to the theme of Transformation. The organizers hope to bring together artists in Parkside and West Philadelphia to celebrate the creativity and innovation that can serve as a catalyst for business and cultural development along the Girard Ave. corridor in Parkside. All artists will be highlighted in a preview article published in Flying Kite.  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy UCD.

This year’s second and final Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, the bi-annual event showcasing neighborhood businesses, is happening this Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. from 43rd to 51st street. As always, there will be tons of $1 specials – all kinds of food, drinks, sweet treats, merchandise, tickets, special memberships, mini lessons and much more! In addition, the event will feature live music performances, jugglers and Polynesian dancers.

The event is presented by the University City District (UCD) and Baltimore Avenue Business Association (BABA).

For more information on participating businesses and their offerings check out the map below or click here.

Click to enlarge

Two West Philly long-standing arts institutions are offering new after-school programs. University City Arts League (4226 Spruce St.) is offering new classes for every age group, with a whole new set of classes just for middle-schoolers (grades 5-8). New classes include Animation, African Dance, Tai Chi, Mixed-Media 2D Art, and Poetry, and registration is still open. The following classes have already filled up: For K-2: Puppet Making, Tumblehop, Escultura; for grades 3-6: Beginner Digital Art. For more information and to register, visit this page.

Curio Theatre, which is housed in the historic Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue, is offering a new after-school opportunity for neighborhood schoolkids. Beginning in October, Curio Theatre Company is launching an after-school program for students in grades 1-8 for $100 per week. This service will end at 6 p.m. each day. This new program employs professional theatre educators who will offer the following services: prompt pick-up at the end of the school day, individual tutoring for assignments, and theatre lessons following every school day. Healthy snack options will also be offered. Currently, walking service is being offered to students from Penn Alexander School, the City School – Spruce Hill, and St. Francis de Sales schools. Please call 215-525-1350 or email: steven@curiotheatre.org for more information and registration. Also check out Curio Theatre School on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Committee on Historic Designation of the city’s Historical Commission will review some West Philadelphia buildings for nominations – at 4300-02 Osage Ave/4304-06 Osage Ave and 3600-3630 Lancaster Avenue. Historic designation will help prevent demolition of the buildings and new development on the sites. The Advisory Committee meeting will be held in Room 578 in City Hall, starting at 9:30 a.m., and public support of the nominations is encouraged. Here’s more information on the buildings:

Satterlee Heights – 4300-02/4304-06 Osage Avenue

The three-story five-bedroom Victorian home at 4300-02 was purchased by Osage Realty Investment for $725,000 in May, 2015. The property has a large yard sloping down toward 43rd St. and that preservation advocates fear will become a building site if it is not saved by the city. The Committee on Historic Designation will consider for nomination this house and the adjoining twin at 4304-06 Osage Ave.

Lancaster Mews – 3600-30 Lancaster Avenue

Demolition of Lancaster Mews, a group of historic red-brick apartment buildings on the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue, has already been proposed. As was reported in May, the owner, AP Construction, was preparing to sell the block-long row of buildings and was interviewing demolition contractors. A community meeting hosted by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell was also held in May to discuss the future of the block. Residents and business owners who gathered at the meeting vowed to save the historic block from demolition (read more about the meeting here). The buildings at 3600-30 Lancaster Ave date back to 1870’s and also host neighborhood businesses.

Starting this week, The Food Trust‘s healthy food incentive program, Philly Food Bucks, will be available at a West Philly location of The Fresh Grocer (56th and Chestnut). Philly Food Bucks offers free-food coupons to SNAP participants who use their ACCESS card at area farmers’ markets (if you spend $5 in food stamps, you get $2 extra to spend on more fruits and vegetables at the market). With funding from the USDA’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant program, The Food Trust now has the opportunity to expand this model in other retail settings in Philadelphia and across the state.

“We’ve seen firsthand the impact Philly Food Bucks has at our regional network of farmers’ markets, allowing customers to make healthier decisions while sticking to their budget,” says Yael Lehmann, Executive Director of The Food Trust. “This grant allows us to offer the same opportunity in additional retail settings, like corner stores and supermarkets, to help more people bring home fresh, affordable food for their families.”

In addition to increasing the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants, this expanded Food Bucks program will benefit local farmers as well as local grocery businesses.

The promotion will run Sept. 13-Oct. 17 and will be available only at The Fresh Grocer at 56th and Chestnut Streets in West Philadelphia. During this period, Price Plus® club card members who use their ACCESS card will receive a $2 digital coupon for every $5 they spend on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Courtney Douds, a falconer living in West Philadelphia, is looking for her missing bird, a red-tailed hawk (pictured). The bird lived behind a row home in an outdoor aviary, and sometime on Sunday her tethers broke and she flew out.

“While she is fully capable of surviving in the wild, I am predictably distraught,” Courtney wrote in an e-mail. “The bird is a red-tailed hawk, and she’s wearing very loud bells (that don’t interfere with her ability to catch food for herself) that can be heard from quite a distance away.”

So if you hear bells above you or see a red-tailed hawk wearing bells please let Courtney know of the bird’s general whereabouts. Please don’t try to catch the hawk, Courtney says, and it’s unlikely she will come down to anyone. But narrowing down the range of where the bird might have flown to might help Courtney recover her. By the way, Courtney is one of three falconers living in Philadelphia County.

If you spot the hawk, please email: courtney.douds[at]gmail.com