Photo by Bethany La Flamme

Over the weekend, SEPTA introduced a return to overnight subway service on Market Frankford and Broad Street lines, a pilot program that will be in effect through Labor Day. The new program means an uninterrupted, 24-hour subway service in Philadelphia (The Inquirer‘s Inga Saffron gets riders’ reaction to the return of the overnight train service).

Trains will now replace Nite Owl buses on weekends and holidays, including on July 4th and Labor Day. Buses continue to operate Nite Owl service on weekdays.

Here are some more details on how the overnight subway service will operate:

• SEPTA cashiers will staff major hubs and high ridership stations overnight on both lines. Where a cashier is present, riders will pay at the entrance gate.

• At unstaffed locations, signage will direct passengers through turnstiles to the Owl boarding location, where they will pay fares to the train operator at the head of the train before entering the train.

• Operators will accept exact cash fares, tokens, and passes. They will sell transfers, but will not give out change.

• Trains will run every 20 minutes between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Arrival times at the City Hall/15th Street Stations will be staggered by 10 minutes to accommodate transfers.

• Extra SEPTA police officers will be deployed to provide an enhanced level of security.

• A passenger guide with additional information and tips for riding is available online at www.septa.org/service/all-night.html

SEPTA used to have a 24-hour subway service, but it was replaced by buses in 1991 due to low ridership.

“Philadelphia has changed since that time,” SEPTA General Manager Joseph M. Casey said in a statement. “Now with all of the restaurants, increased late-night activity, and people moving back into the city, we’re excited to be able to provide this service that city, business leaders, and customers have been asking us for.”

Nearly 10,000 riders currently use the Nite Owl bus service on weekends, according to SEPTA’s report. SEPTA’s staff will evaluate ridership, staffing costs, overall security, and other factors to determine whether 24-hour weekend subway service will continue beyond the pilot program.

We are wishing a Happy Fathers Day to all West Philly dads and hope you’re enjoying this beautiful day in Philadelphia. Here’s a photo of a gorgeous rose bush near 48th and Warrington, taken by our reader Cindy Miller.

A 5-6 month old male Pitbull was found today at 50th and Warrington, reports West Philly Local reader Becky Kauffman. He is very friendly and appears to be well cared for. For more information call Sophie at 267-994-5304.

Photos by Mike Lyons / West Philly Local

One of the most popular West Philly events of the year, the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, returns next week. This summer’s one and only Dollar Stroll, where you can buy $1 food items, drinks, special memberships, tickets, and other deals from Baltimore Avenue businesses, is scheduled for Thursday, June 19, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. The event will take place rain or shine, so we hope the weather behaves.

Over 30 businesses will participate in this Dollar Stroll, veterans and newcomers alike. When out on the stroll, make sure to also check out wares from Greensgrow West, Pound Cake Heaven, and Zed’s Gifts, the businesses we recently welcomed in the neighborhood. Mobile food vendors, like Dadz Grilled Cheez, Lil’ Pop Shop, Made in the Shade Lemonade, Milk and Sugar, the Tot Cart, and The Whirly Pig, will offer $1 treats at the event as well.

Apart from the $1 deals, the stroll will feature plenty of free entertainment. Local bands Purples and City Rain will rock the Y-Not Radio Stage at 46th Street. Street performers, fire artists, face painters, and balloon artists will also be entertaining young and old alike along the avenue.

Checkout the flier below for more information on the stroll, its participants, and their offers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Baltimore Avenue Business Association is coordinating a book sale to benefit the Kingsessing Library Branch, located on 51st Street between Chester and Kingsessing, and is asking for book donations. The books will be sold at the Dollar Stroll and other sales events. If you have any old books that you don’t need please drop them off before Thursday at one of the following locations: VIX Emporium, 50th and Baltimore, the Gold Standard Cafe, 48th and Baltimore, or Milk & Honey, 45th and Baltimore. No textbooks, please.

State Sen. Anthony H. Williams is hosting a discussion this Saturday on the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania, as the Pennsylvania General Assembly considers legislation to legalize medical cannabis. The free public forum, called “The Great Marijuana Debate,” will take place at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law (see details below).

Some of the pros of legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania to be discussed at tomorrow’s forum are: how potential revenue from a tax on legal marijuana would help Pennsylvania increase its funding of public education; impact the state’s pension problem; and the possibility of a multi-million dollar recurring revenue source.

The following officials from business, education, government, religion, and medicine are scheduled to participate in the forum, including:

• Derek Rosenzweig, Philly NORML and co-founder of Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana
• Yesha Ministries Bishop J. Darrell Robinson
• George Forsythe, former Maryland State Policeman and a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP
• Philadelphia City Councilman Jim Kenney
• Dr. Jahan Marcu, Americans for Safe Access Multidisciplinary Scientific Advisory Board and the 2012 “Cannabis Researcher of the Year”
• Kirsten Heine, Assistant Philadelphia District Attorney
• Capt. Thomas Davidson, Philly Police Department’s Narcotics Field Unit
• Rachelle Yeung, Esq., Marijuana Policy Project

Although this is a free event, tickets are required for admission. RSVP requests can be made at 215-492-2980.

WHO: Sen. Anthony H. Williams, advocates and opponents of marijuana legalization
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. (registration), 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (forum), Saturday, June 14
WHERE: Fitts Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 3501 Sansom St., Philadelphia

Mount Moriah Cemetery. (Photos from The Friends of Mount Moriah Facebook page)

From Betsy Ross to former Philadelphia Mayor George Connell and famous local architect Samuel Sloan, the soil of Mount Moriah Cemetery in Southwest Philly is steeped in history.

In Mount Moriah’s heyday, the 380-acre estate with its elaborate Romanesque entrance and gatehouse, served as the burial grounds for Philadelphia’s elite. But now, the largest cemetery in Philadelphia is suffering from neglect, overrun by weeds and foliage as a result of years of failed management and confusion about ownership.

While the private group, The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, is working to bring the cemetery back to a beautified state as legal issues over its ownership still go unresolved, the costs to maintain the grounds are steep. In an effort to help the West Philly Runners and the Fishtown Beer Runners have teamed up for a two-part fundraiser next week to support the Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery’s work.

The two running groups will hold their respective fundraisers in tandem, with West Philly Runners’ hosting its event on Wed. June 18 at City Tap House Philly (3925 Walnut Street), from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The group is asking for a $10 donation, which will be pooled together and given to Friends of Mount Moriah.

“The Mount Moriah Cemetery has the potential to be a great outdoor space, but right now it’s in limbo,” West Philly Runners member Stacey Ritzen, who co-organized the event, told West Philly Local. “We really want to clean up the space and make it nice, how it used to be back in the day. It used to be a cemetery for pretty wealthy West Philadelphia residents, and people would go and have picnics, just really enjoyed the space. It would be great to see it restored to what it was.”

During next Wednesday’s event, attendees can enjoy beer specials courtesy of Southern Tier Brewing Company and possibly win prizes from Honest Tom’s, Little Baby’s, Greensgrow West, Philadelphia Runner and other local businesses by taking part in the raffle. Fishtown Beer Runners will run a similar event the next day, Thurs. June 19, at Llama Tooth, with a portion of the proceeds received that night going to Friends of Mount Moriah.

West Philly Runners is also hosting a clean up day at the cemetery on Sat. June 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. “Hopefully through the efforts of these two fundraisers, we can get the word out and hopefully inspire people to come volunteer and put in the hours,” Ritzen said. “We really want to see it become a space everyone can use.”

–Annamarya Scaccia

Editor’s Note: Here’s a recent video, “In Memoriam,” made by Temple University. The history and current state of this massive, formerly abandoned cemetery are examined through interviews. The dramatic efforts by hundreds of volunteers to revitalize it are also addressed in the video.