It’s time to sharpen your knives and start carving those pumpkins as West Philly Local’s 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest has opened today. We are accepting photos of your pumpkins through October 29. Please follow this link to read more about the contest and how to enter it.

We have awesome prizes from these amazing sponsors this year: Curio Theatre, Dock Street Brewery, Four Worlds Bakery, Green Line Cafe, Lil’ Pop Shop, Locust Moon Comics, Mariposa Food Co-op, Penn Museum, and Sabrina’s Cafe.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to engage with the environment and the history of one of the nation’s oldest botanical gardens. Data Garden’s bio-interactive art and music festival, The Switched-On Garden, returns to Bartram’s Garden on Sunday. From 2 to 8:30 p.m. head to Bartram’s and connect with it through live music, performance and sculpture that blurs the distinction between biological and digital worlds. This is a free event and everyone is welcome. Here’s a full line-up:

Live Performances

 
KING BRITT (Album Release Concert)
Philadelphia producer, composer, performer and curator of electronic music will explore sound design, noise and ambient.

SPACESHIP ALOHA (EP Release Concert)
Philadelphia producer/composer/percussionist Christopher Sean Powell (Man Man/Need New Body) teams up with Data Garden to bring you the maiden voyage of Spaceship Aloha.

ALLEN CRAWFORD with LAURA BAIRD, DINO LIONETTI (of Cheap Dinosaurs) and GRETCHEN LOHSE
A sonic essay inspired by Bartram’s Garden

COSMIC MORNING
Renowned visualist and educator Don Miller presents a special light show that revisits the roots of modern VJ culture.

DJ RYAN TODD
International crate digger and electronic music producer Ryan Todd will provide natural grooves. Continue Reading

An “Available” sign now hangs on the Apple Storage building, again bringing into question the building’s future. (Photo by Mike Lyons)

Months of neighborhood drama accompanied the sale and re-zoning of the Apple Storage building to a developer who pledged to turn the hulking shell near 52nd and Baltimore into apartments. Now, six months after the plan won zoning approval, the building is back on the market.

Real estate developer Iron Stone proposed to convert the seven-story warehouse into 112 studio, one- and two bedroom apartments and retail space. The neighborhood group Cedar Park Neighbors, many business owners along Baltimore Avenue and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell supported the project. Meetings were held with neighbors who live near the building and feared their property taxes would increase as a result of the development. Iron Stone successfully navigated the often tricky zoning process.

Now the project appears to be on hold indefinitely. Continue Reading

Rue 52 owner Mahari Bailey (photo by Mike Lyons).

West Philly native Mahari Bailey sees his new coffee shop on 52nd Street as a symbol of sorts. Rue 52 (503 S. 52nd, near the southwest corner of Malcolm X Park) has all the requisite quirks of a trendy urban hangout – great coffee and eats, local art on the walls, free WIFI and an owner who likes to hangout there and prefers t-shirts to ties.

Rue 52, which is officially a crêperie and espresso bar, is unlike just about any other business near it on 52nd Street, once the core of West Philly’s arts and culture scene. Bailey says people always want to know why he’s trying this on 52nd Street. But he sees Rue 52 as a small step in returning that grand street to its former glory. Continue Reading

This upcoming Second Friday on Lancaster Avenue, Oct. 12, look out for Fall Market discounts, street vendors, live music, giveaways and plenty more. Little Baby’s Ice Cream Truck and Jimmie’s Cupcakes will also be there in this beautiful fall weather.

This information came from a neighbor, Linda:

“This adorable little fellow showed up on the 4500 block of Regent yesterday [on Tuesday] and is still around. He is maybe 4 or 5 months old, has a new red collar but no tag/label. He is very sociable, fearless, loves attention and to be held. If an owner isn’t found, this babe will need a home to call his own. He’s making the rounds of the porches, but none of the residents on that block is able to take him in…. And he really wants in!”

To contact Linda, please email: lml3@verizon.net