A group of local activists are organizing a rally, including a vigil, march, and speak out for Mike Brown and the people of Ferguson, Mo. on Saturday, Aug 23, at Clark Park (44th and Baltimore).

The rally starts at 7 p.m. The vigil will be followed by a march around the park, followed by speeches from community leaders. Participants are asked to bring a candle. Originally, the vigil and march had been scheduled for tonight but were postponed until Saturday due to thunderstorms in forecast. The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration (Facebook page) is also one of the organizers.

The following speakers have been announced so far:

– Michael Coard, Civil Rights Attorney and Activist
– Jondhi Harrell, Director, The Center for Returning Citizens
– Reverend Dr. Kathryn Ellis, Minister, UU Church of the Unitarian Universalist Church In Mt Airy-Restoration

The Kemi McCoy Drummers will also participate in the rally.

The same group of activists are behind Tuesday’s rally at 52nd and Market Streets to protest Ferguson shooting (The Daily Pennsylvanian has a report on it).

For more information and updates, visit the organizers’ Facebook page.
 

Hey West Philly parents and guardians, you probably have some stuff in your closets that your kids have grown out of over the past year. Here’s a great chance to get rid of it, earn some cash, and support a neighborhood school. The annual “West Philly Grows Again” Kids’ Consignment sale, which benefits St. Mary’s Nursery School, is scheduled for September 20, 2014 and consignors are welcome to register. Here’s how the sale works:

If your items are accepted and then sold at the event you earn 50 percent of the profits. The other 50 percent will go to support the school. If you also volunteer during this fundraiser by working a 3-hour shift you can increase your percentage to 60 percent.

Gently used and good-quality children’s items are accepted at the sale, including clothing (newborn up to size 16), shoes, toys, books, baby and sports equipment, and more. Maternity and nursing clothing is also accepted. For the full lists of accepted and not accepted items and general consignor guidelines, check out this page. Click here to register ($10 consignor registration fee is applied).

The “West Philly Grows Again” Consignment sale will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at St. Mary’s Nursery School, 3916 Locust Walk. Consignors, volunteers and shoppers are welcome. For more information, visit: stmarysnursery.org/consignment-sale. To check out sale updates as they arrive, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Update (8/21/14): Due to the weather forecast for Thursday night, Bat Night at the Woodlands has been canceled.

Here’s our roundup of outdoor events in the area where you can enjoy this nice August weather and food and drinks with your friends, listen to some great music and even learn a thing or two about nature:

Wednesday, Aug 20

Penn Museum’s Summer Nights Concert Series presents Brazilian duo Minas

Penn Museum, 3260 South St, 5:00 p.m.

Celebrating 30 years since moving from Rio de Janeiro to the Philadelphia area, Minas’s innovative yet timeless sound blends folk, blues, jazz, scat, and samba, with a unique combination of Brazilian and American roots. The concert will take place in the museum’s Stoner Courtyard. $10.

Thursday, Aug 21

Dîner En Sweatpants

Clark Park “A”, 43rd and Baltimore,  5:30-8:30 p.m.

Ticketleap invites folks to a silly, FREE event this Thursday in Clark Park. Bring your picnic blankets and baskets or buy some delicious food from the food trucks after the regular Thursday Farmer’s Market! http://events.ticketleap.com/diner/

Bat Night at the Woodlands

The Woodlands Cemetery, 40th and Woodland, 6:00 p.m.

Bring some dinner and your flashlight on Thursday from 6-9 p.m. for a rare chance to spend the evening in the Cemetery after dark and see the resident bats! Also, take a walk with a bat expert and learn about special plants that will attract bats to your garden. This is a free event and sweet treats from Lil’ Pop Shop will be available for sale.

Saturday, Aug 23

Outdoor Concert feat. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah w/ Illinois, and Mo Lowda and the Humble

City Tap House, 39th and Walnut, 3:00-8:00 p.m.

City Tap House is joining forces with the booking and production team from The Blockley and Brooklyn Brewing Company to throw a couple of August, Saturday afternoon concerts on their beautiful outdoor patio space. The first concert, on Aug 23, features local indie rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, led by longtime frontman Alec Ounsworth. They’ll be sharing the stage with Illinois, also Philly-based rockers. Mo Lowda and the Humble, one of the city‘s finest up-and-coming groups, will open the show at 3:30 p.m. $15. 21+. Tickets are available here.

Illustrious jazz drummer and West Philly native Justin Faulkner will be a featured guest at tomorrow’s (Sunday, Aug 17) Community Unity Music Festival, which will take place at Clark Park (43rd and Chester), from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. The free festival will feature a variety of local and nationally acclaimed musicians and spoken word artists (check the festival’s Facebook page for details).

Faulkner, who grew up in Cedar Park, has been a member of the Branford Marsalis Quartet since 2009. “The undertone of this festival is to give children and young people in the area other alternatives,” Faulkner told WXPN’s The Key.

In addition to live music, Sunday’s festival will feature games, food, drinks, vendors, information booths, face-painting, stilt-walkers, a theatrical drill exhibition by the Cadets of the Philadelphia Police Explorers and performances by the Kimmel Center Creative Youth Ensemble.

If your child is entering Kindergarten in the fall, check out this great event organized by Parent Infant Center (PIC).

On Sunday, Aug. 17 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., PIC (42nd and Locust) invites all families in the community who have rising kindergarteners to join them for a fun play date.

This is a great opportunity to meet soon-to-be kindergarteners and their families and enjoy a casual time together. You can also learn what you can expect from families whose children have finished their kindergarten year. Representatives from PIC’s After School Center will be on hand to answer questions.

Siblings are welcome and families are encouraged to bring a snack to share.

To RSVP and if you have questions, email: kplaydate [at] gmail.com

Here’s a reminder of what’s happening today around the hoods. And guess what? All of these events are free!

Night Market on Lancaster Ave @ 35th, 6 – 10 p.m. Update: West Philadelphia Orchestra will perform at the Night Market starting at 8 p.m.

Street Movies! at Malcolm X. Park (52nd and Pine), 7:45 p.m.

The Awesome Fest concludes at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore) with the screening of Skanks. 9 p.m.

Also, the Clark Park Farmers’ Market is from 3 – 7 p.m.