Photo from West Philly Grows Again Facebook page.

West Philly grows again… and again and again. If your child needs something and you don’t want to pay retail, check out the “West Philly Grows Again” kids’ consignment sale this Saturday, Oct 5. This is an annual event benefiting St. Mary’s Nursery School, so you’ll also be contributing to a great cause.

As always, there will be tons of great deals on clothing, toys, games, and other things that local kids have outgrown, all in great condition. The sale will be held at St. Mary’s Nursery School (3916 Locust Walk) on Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

A limited number of Friday evening (9-10 p.m.) pre-sale tickets are available. The cost of the ticket ($20) will offset the cost of renting the space and running the sale. The ticket is good for a child-free shopping evening complete with wine and cheese. Please contact the West Philly Grows Again team at: westphillygrowsagain@stmarysnursery.org for more details and availability.

For more information about this event, click here or visit the event’s Facebook page.

UPDATE (10/1/2013): Three vehicles were involved in Monday night’s car crash, one person was injured and one person was charged with DUI and aggravated assault, according to police.

Police said that 2013 Nissan Altima, which was rented from Avis, was travelling westbound on Cedar Avenue when it struck a Kia, which was travelling south on 51st Street and turning east onto Cedar Avenue. The Nissan driver, a 25-year-old male, then struck a third, parked car, got out of his car and fled the scene on foot. The Kia, operated by a 25-year-old female, reportedly crashed into the Cibao Super Market on the 5100 block of Cedar Ave and caught fire. The fire was extinguished by firefighters and the woman was taken to HUP and treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The Nissan driver returned to the scene and was arrested for DUI, police said. A passenger in Nissan, a 21-year-old female, was uninjured.

The Cibao Super Market was open this morning, according to neighbor reports. “One of their awnings burned, but it doesn’t look like there was any significant damage to the building,” according to West Philly Local reader Matt Mongiello.

(9/30/2013, 11:56 p.m.): A car reportedly crashed into the Cibao Super Market at 51st and Cedar tonight, around 10:20 p.m. and caught fire. At least one person was injured, according to a report by West Philly Local reader Randi Fair who was at the scene shortly after the accident happened. Randi reports that she heard a loud crash and some screams and then saw a car half buried in the Cibao Super Market. She writes that some residents pulled a person from the car, who was lying on the ground, speaking. A fire broke out but was contained.

Photos by Randi Fair.

Halloween is just around the corner and many families are starting preparations – stocking up on candy, purchasing or making costumes and decorating their homes. Some less fortunate families, including the homeless families assisted by local nonprofit Families Forward (FFP), will need help creating memories for their children this October that will last a lifetime.

FFP is organizing an annual Halloween Party and expect to have over 100 children in attendance. You can help make it a memorable event by donating the following items:

• New or gently used costumes (clean and in good condition)
• Snacks (chips, pretzels, juice, and cookies)
• Candy
• Halloween decorations
• Toys or stickers
• Toothpaste, toothbrushes and dental floss

If you have friends, family members, co-workers or neighbors who may have old costumes lying around, ask them to donate them to the children at FFP. With your contribution these children will be able to dress up in their costumes just like other kids for the Halloween party on October 31.

You may drop off donations at FFP’s emergency shelter located at 111 N. 49th Street any day of the week before 7:00 p.m.

To coordinate a drive or donate any of these items above contact Grace Hightower, Director of Fund Development at 215-240-4828 or ghightower@familiesforwardphilly.org.

As West Philly Local reported earlier this year, a new form of public transportation in Philly – a bike share program – is scheduled to launch in 2014. The program will bring hundreds of bikes to the city for everyone to share (between 1,000 and 1,500 bikes will be included in Zone 1; see map). Currently, the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities is looking for property and business owners interested in hosting or sponsoring a bike share station. The City of Philadelphia requests letters of interest from interested business and property owners and institutions. The deadline to express this non-binding interest is Monday, Oct 7.

Here’s some more info if you want to be part of this exciting new program:

The City is looking for two types of partners:

Station hosts: Property owners willing to locate bike sharing stations on or near their property will be among the first round of sites considered for the system launch. Bike share stations require a minimum space of approximately 7 feet by 35 feet (235 sq. ft.)

Station sponsors: Businesses, property owners and institutions who would like to assure their participation in bike sharing from the outset are invited to become Station Sponsors. Sponsors will be at the top of the list for location siting, given the opportunity to host one or more stations at or near their location, and given the opportunity to underwrite their station(s).

Please note that your letter of interest will be used for planning purposes only. It does not commit the City of Philadelphia or interested businesses, property owners and institutions to any further obligations. You can view the full document with information about what is involved here.

To express your interest or if you have questions, address them to:

Aaron Ritz
Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs Planner
Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities
1401 JFK Blvd, Suite 1430, 19102
Phone: 215-686-9000
aaron.ritz@phila.gov

The City has a website with information about Philly’s bike share program, set to launch around this time next year.

A couple of crime reports from the weekend:

• A man and a woman were victims of a home invasion on the 200 block of South 44th Street on Saturday evening, Sept 28. Four intruders, two men and two women entered an apartment on the first floor after, locked the victims in the bedroom and ransacked the house, stealing electronic items, including a laptop, iPads and cell phones. One of the victims opened the door when the intruders knocked, NBC Philadelphia reports. The suspects fled through the back door and no injuries were reported.

This home invasion is not a random event, according to Joe Murray of Southwest Police Detectives. “Everyone involved is known to each other,” he told West Philly Local. No other details are available at this time, but Murray said that this crime is not related to the recent home invasion on the 200 block of 50th Street, which, police had said, also wasn’t a random act.

• A West Philly Local reader reports that his car parked in the 48th/49th and Baltimore Ave/Warrington Ave area was broken into on Friday night. “It appears to be someone just looking for money or something quick to sell. Fortunately for us we don’t keep anything in the car of value,” the reader wrote in an email. If you live on that block or in vicinity and your car has also been recently broken into, please let us know or post a comment below.

This neighbor also would like to send a reminder to other residents “to lock up and make sure nothing is visible to a would be stealer.”

Eva.

UPDATE (10/9/2013): Eva has been found and returned to her foster home.

Eva has been missing since last Wednesday, Sept 18 when she slipped out the door of her new foster home shortly after arriving. She does not know where she lives since she had only been in her new home for a few days. She was last seen at 47th and Woodland, but could have traveled anywhere from there. She would have a shaved down stomach from her recent spay.

Kind individuals have put up $125 in reward money for her safe return. Email: info@projectmeow.org if you think you have seen Eva. She is microchipped and very, very friendly. She also has a wee kitten who misses her mama terribly.