Matana Roberts (Photo by M. Tarantelli)

Ars Nova Workshop, the Philadelphia jazz and contemporary music presenter, is partnering with The Woodlands cemetery to host numerous events on their grounds over the coming months as part of a joint project called “New Grass”.

This week, the Ars Nova Workshop and The Woodlands will be hosting the Grammy award-winning choir The Crossing for the world premiere of a new work honoring the life and memory of Breonna Taylor by composer, sound artist, and jazz saxophonist Matana Roberts. The performance is called “we got time.” and engages the audience to walk (safely and socially-distanced) through The Woodlands. Continue Reading

Trash and recycling collections will be one day behind schedule for the duration of this week (June 7-12). Residents are asked to set their trash and recycling items out one day after their regular collection day.

Delays in collections are due to the trash volume from the Memorial Day holiday and the severe weather during the week of May 31st. Today, Streets Department crews were working to collect Friday’s materials left over from last week.

The fifth annual West Philly Porchfest will take place on Saturday, June 5, from 12-6 p.m.

The DIY music festival was cancelled last summer because of COVID but this year it’s returning with a bang! This year’s event features more than 125 porches hosting over 260 acts including groups playing R&B, funk, rock, jazz, disco, bluegrass, rap, folk, classical, emo, EDM, and metal. International music fans will be treated with sounds from Brazilian samba to Jamaican reggae to Korean drumming to Bulgarian folk songs, and more.

An online map of porch shows (see image below) and the list of performers are available at westphillyporchfest.com. It should be noted that the festival has been gradually expanding its boundaries west and southwest outside of the University City area. Continue Reading

Rendering of the 76-unit apartment building approved Wednesday for the corner of 48th and Chester.

The city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) yesterday unanimously approved a 76-unit apartment building proposed for the corner of 48th and Chester that has been debated for months.

The owner of the nearby Renaissance Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center is combining several parcels it owns along 48th Street and asked to change the zoning designation to accommodate the building, which includes 34 parking spots and a small courtyard. The two-tiered design includes three stories on edges of the project and four stories in the center. A members-only dog park formerly occupied the land. Continue Reading

Philadelphia officials have announced that they will be lifting the remaining COVID restrictions, except for the indoor mask mandate and the 11 p.m. last call for dining, on Wednesday, June 2. The previously announced date for dropping these restrictions was June 11, however, due to the lowest numbers of new COVID cases in the city since September, the officials’ plan has changed.

The restrictions that are being lifted on Wednesday include density and maximum capacity limits, and social distancing rules.

City officials may lift the indoor mask mandate on June 11 if the number of new COVID cases remains low. Just a reminder that the outdoor mask mandate was lifted on May 21.

Kingsessing Library and Recreation Center have been selected as sites eligible for improvements as part of the City of Philadelphia’s Rebuild program.

Rebuild coordinators are currently in the process of learning about these two sites and are asking community members to provide feedback by completing an online survey.

The survey asks community members to identify areas for improvement (outdoor and indoor) at each site among other questions. Continue Reading