Check out some of the latest news, upcoming events and other happenings around the neighborhoods.

• Around 700 homes in Kingsessing were still without gas service on Tuesday night due to a water main break near 56th St and Woodland Ave on Saturday, according to NBC10. The water main break caused a disruption to the natural gas line. Initially 60 homes in the area were affected but during the repair work, hundreds more homes were disconnected from natural gas service as far east as 52nd Street, according to reports.

• Good news for Marigold Kitchen fans! The highly-acclaimed Spruce Hill restaurant, whose owner Robert Halpern is moving on (and moving out of the state), is not closing after all, as was initially reported. Well, at least not for good. Halpern sold his business to his own chefs de cuisine, Tim Lanza and Andrew Kochan, both 26, The Insider reports. Halpern’s executive chef, Keith Krajewski, will also continue his work at this location, according to The Insider. The restaurant will serve its last dinner under Halpern’s ownership on Saturday, June 28. After that, it will close for some kitchen refurbishment work and will reopen in early September.

The English elms at The Woodlands (Photo courtesy The Woodlands)

• The Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion is asking the community to help them save seven English elm trees (they’re called “The 7 Giants”), some of the most significant historic trees on the grounds thanks to their size and age (they date back to the late 18th century). The trees are suffering from Dutch Elm Disease, which may kill them if left untreated. Treatment and monitoring of the disease is costly, so the Woodlands has started a fundraising campaign to help cover the costs. The initial goal is $20,000. For more information and to donate, click here.

• Little Baby’s Ice Cream has created a new flavor called the Works, now available at LBIC’s Cedar Park location (49th and Catharine). Proceeds from the sale benefit Neighborhood Bike Works, a non-profit that offers youth bike education programs and bike repair classes for adults.

• West Philly based art rock band The Chairman Dances will present their new album, The Death of Samuel Miller (out 6/27 via Grizzly Records), on Friday, June 27 at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). Spelling Reform (Facebook page) and Vita and the Woolf (Facebook page) will also take part in the album release show, which begins at 8 p.m. ($10). The Chairman Dances’ song “Prophetess” was No. 2 in WXPN‘s list of the 5 best Philly songs of 2013. The music video for the new record’s single, “Dance to the Neighbor’s Stereo,” is streaming on Vimeo.

Some of you may remember last summer’s Firefly Night held at the historic Woodland Cemetery’s grounds. Following this fun tradition, The Woodlands is kicking off a series of free events this week that would help bring local residents closer to nature and enjoy each other’s company. Nature Nights will take place on June 26, July 24, and August 21, from 6 to 9 p.m.. Each summer month, you’ll have an opportunity to learn more about the urban ecosystem and the creatures that are part of it: fireflies, moths, and bats.

The Firefly Night kicks off the series this Thursday and here’s what you should expect:

• Pack a picnic and bring your flashlights

• Spend the evening inside The Woodlands after dark searching for fireflies

• Educators from The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will be on site to tell you more about the way animals, including fireflies, communicate and attract mates

• Sweet treats from Lil’ Pop Shop will be available for sale throughout the evening.

For more details and other upcoming events at The Woodlands, check out this page.

A West Philly based activist and programmer has built an app that allows people to visualize changes in income and racial diversity in their neighborhoods.

Aaron Kreider’s JusticeMap.org, an open online map layering race and income data across the United States, allows residents to analyze and visualize neighborhood’s socioeconomic shifts. Using data pulled by the U.S. Census Bureau, the comprehensive high resolution map — created with the support of the Sunlight Foundation — features the breakdown of race by block, county, census, and block group, while household income data are available by county or census tract. So, for example, JusticeMap.org allows you to easily find out the majority of residents in the 19143 zip code have a household income of $40,000 or less.

A map showing income levels for the 19143 zip code. Source: JusticeMap.org

“For several years I have wanted to make maps of the race and income data from the U.S. Census to help people visualize the large differences in race and income between counties, cities, neighborhoods and even blocks,” Kreider, who runs CampusActivism.org, wrote in a blog post for Sunlight Foundation in late January. “My goal is to help people, who do not have any map making or geographical information systems experience, to create maps that combine these open map layers with their own data.”

JusticeMap.org also includes some intriguing features that make visualizing and saving data with the open online map both easy and innovative. Users can save the map as an image, make their own map and host on their own site, add shapes to the map, use tile layers on an existing map, conduct statistical comparisons and different geographical intersections, and download the data. We’ve included a map of income levels in Philadelphia for readers to test below, but we suggest you head to the site and go through the data hands-on.

-Annamarya Scaccia

Summer is here so we took a stroll at today’s Farmers’ Market at Clark Park and checked what produce is available.

Here are a few things that stood out.

Tomatoes!

These organic tomatoes (they’ve never been sprayed by any pesticides) are $2.75/pound. Also for sale a few sorts of tomato plants – only $2 per plant. There’s a good selection of greens – lettuce for $2.50 each, fresh basil for $2/bunch and others.

Fresh organic berries are $4.50/pint – blueberries, strawberries and cherries.

Just a reminder that Saturday’s farmers’ market is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bartram’s Garden (54th St and Lindbergh Blvd) is inviting community members, especially families, on Sunday, June 22, to spend a day filled with activities on the banks of the Schuylkill River. The Bartram’s Garden Community River Fest will offer activities both on water and land and absolutely free! Activities are scheduled throughout the day – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.!

Photo courtesy of Bartram’s Garden.

On the river: there will be free kayak and rowboat rentals, free ferry boat rides and kid-friendly water activities. The highlight of the event, the Tidal Schuylkill Boat Parade, will begin at noon, amping up the party vibe with “gussied up sailors, tricked out skiff masons, heavily adorned floaters and bedizen paddlers,” according to Danielle Redden, boat parade organizer. Now in its third year, the parade is a nautical costume party on homemade river crafts, accompanied by a floating brass band. Community members are invited to come in costume and take part in the parade.

On land: Throughout the day, there will be nature scavenger hunts, a petting zoo with alpacas, donkeys, sheep, goats and Indian fantails and pony rides. The Philadelphia Zoo on Wheels will showcase a variety of wetland creatures, including owls, hawks and turtles. A mega farmers’ market will also be offering a beautiful array of locally-grown produce for sale, the majority of which was grown on site at the Community Farm and Food Resource Center at Bartram’s Garden. Finally, there will be cool treats served up by Little Baby’s Ice Cream (checkout their brand new Oyster Ice Cream), and free hot dogs and refreshments provided by Philadelphia Energy Solutions (while supplies last).

The Community River Fest will kick off a new series of river-focused programming at Bartram’s Garden. Check out its website for more information: http://www.bartramsgarden.org/.

John B. Kelly Pool (Photo from Kelly Pool’s Facebook page).

Here’s some great summer news: The 2014 pool season in Philadelphia officially opens today, which means that dozens of public pools and spray grounds will begin welcoming visitors across the city (though it looks like many of them will start opening on June 23, 24). Overall, 69 pools and nine spray grounds will be open this summer, according to an announcement by Philadelphia Parks and Rec. Public pool hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Apart from recreational swimming, Philadelphia Parks and Rec will also offer youth swimming lessons at several public pools. It’s always a good idea to call your neighborhood recreation center before heading to the pool since there their hours of operation may change or some special activities may be scheduled.

Here’s again the list of pools and spray grounds located in West Philadelphia and vicinity.  Please let your neighbors know about your experience with these facilities in the comments below.

Pools

Baker Recreation Facility (Map)
5431-43 Lansdowne Ave.
Phone: 215-685-0261

Cobbs Creek Recreation Facility (Map)
280 Cobbs Creek Parkway
Phone: 215-685-1983

John B. Kelly Pool (Facebook page) – Opens June 23
4231 North Concourse Drive (Fairmount Park, by Please Touch Museum)
Phone: 215-685-0174

Kingsessing Recreation Center (Map)
4901 Kingsessing Avenue
Phone: 215-685-2694

Lee Cultural Center Recreation Facility (Map)
4328 Haverford Avenue
Phone: 215-685-7655

Mill Creek Recreation Facility (Map)
743-81 N. 48th Street
Phone: 215-685-0260

Myers Recreation Center (Map)
5800 Chester Avenue
Phone: 215-685-2698

O’Connor Pool (Website, Map) – Opens June 24
2601 South Street
Phone: 215-685-6593

Sayre Morris Recreation Center (Map)
5835 Spruce Street
Phone: 215-685-1993

Shepard Recreation Facility (Map)
5700 Haverford Avenue
Phone: 215-685-1992

Tustin Recreation Facility (Map)
5901-29 W. Columbia Avenue
Phone: 215-685-0258

39th & Olive Playground – Mantua (Map)
39th & Olive Streets

Spray Grounds

48th & Woodland Playground (Map)
1414 S 47th Street
Phone: 215-685-2692
Hours: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Mon-Sat, closed on Sunday.