Rosemarie Certo at the 2012 Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll/ Photo by West Philly Local

Dock Street Brewery at 50th and Baltimore is changing hands after 15 years.

Owner Rosemarie Certo announced in a mass email yesterday that she is selling the equipment in the brewpub but not the Dock Street name.

“On June 1st, there will be a talented duo taking over Dock Street’s space in the Firehouse – they are young, ambitious, hardworking, and kind,” she wrote. “They are seasoned brewers and will make fantastic beers and other fare. We can’t wait for you to meet them and to welcome them to the community.”

Dock Street opened in the former firehouse at 701 S. 50th St. (which had been converted to a farmer’s market) in August 2007 after a long process that included opposition from local church leaders and multiple zoning rejections. But several longtime residents, the neighborhood group Cedar Park Neighbors and the University City District pushed the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment to reverse its decision. Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of West Philly Porchfest

Two popular outdoor music festivals are set to return next month – West Philly Porchfest and Make Music Philly – and the organizers are currently looking for participants.

West Philly Porchfest will be held on Saturday, June 4, from 12-6 p.m. The DYI festival features musicians who perform in all music genres, presenting free shows on porches all around the neighborhood. The festival has grown over the years – last year over 125 porches hosted Porchfest performances. Porch sign-up for this year’s fest is currently open. If you live in West Philly and would like to host a show on your porch, please go to this page and fill out a registration form. Continue Reading

The City’s down payment assistance program, Philly First Home, has reopened today, according to an announcement by the Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The program provides up to $10,000 (or 6 percent of the purchase price, whichever is less) in assistance to first-time homebuyers or those who have not owned a home for at least three years. The assistance recipient also must:

– Purchase a home in Philadelphia
– Have a household income at or below 100 percent Area Median Income (AMI)
– Complete housing counseling at a DHCD funded housing counseling agency. Continue Reading

West Craft Fest’s Spring edition will be held this Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the beautiful Woodlands. This popular outdoor event is now bigger than ever: more than 130 local artists and crafts people will showcase their handmade, unique art pieces and wares. More than 70 percent of these talented makers are based in West Philly! The event will also include live music, food trucks, and the crowd favorites, Tangle Movement Arts, will present their aerial performances.

Like last September, the Fest layout will be extended, stretching along Woodland Avenue on both sides of the main entrance. Food trucks will be on the East end of the action, and the stage area on the West, with all of the makers’ booths in between (see the map below). Continue Reading

Carlo Campbell as Richard III (photo by Stephen Hudgins).

Curio Theatre’s space at 48th and Baltimore will be home to a new production by Theatre in the X, the local Black theatre company known for their summer shows in West Philly’s Malcolm X Park. Beginning Thursday, April 28, Theatre in the X will present their take on William Shakespeare’s famous play Richard III.

Theatre in the X’s interpretation of Richard III is an homage to The African Grove Theatre – the first Black Theatre company in the recorded history of North America.

“This company, founded 44 years before the abolition of slavery, at a time when few blacks were literate (because it was illegal) took on this Shakespearean language, and the powers that be, and triumphed, in their own way,” reads a statement on the Theatre in the X website. “They laid the track for us and through their work and now with this production of Richard III, we honor them.​” Continue Reading

Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health has lifted the indoor mask mandate.

Although the city was experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks, there has been a recent leveling-off of case counts and a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to today’s announcement.

The City’s decision to reinstate the mask mandate on Monday, April 18 drew criticism. It was the only large U.S. city to reinstate the mandate this spring.

Instead of requiring residents to wear a mask in indoor public places, masks are now “strongly recommended.” As of yesterday, the city was averaging 242 new COVID-19 cases per day and 65 hospitalizations.

The department also announced that they are retiring the system of COVID-19 response levels introduced earlier this year. Continue Reading