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.

Unfortunately, there has been another breaking and entering incident near 50th street. We reported yesterday about the home invasion on 50th street between Walnut and Locust (read more here), when three armed men wearing masks broke into a home on Tuesday early morning, tied up four people – a man and three women – and stole cash, computers and a car.

A West Philly Local reader reports that her house located on Cedar Avenue between 50th and 51st streets was broken into on Monday night, sometime before midnight, when no one was home. She says that windows were opened with a crowbar and the whole house was ransacked – the thief went through everyone’s drawers and closets.

Two bikes (a green trek hybrid with cruiser handlebars, and a no name road bike with gold and leopard paint) and two computers were stolen (one desktop iMac, one white PowerBook).

According to police, this burglary and the home invasion, which was a targeted attack, are not related.

Here’s a recap of what’s happening in the hoods this weekend, Thursday, Sept 12 – Sunday, Sept 15. Do you know of more events and want to share them with your neighbors? Please add them in the comments below or submit them for the Events Calendar.

Click to enlarge.

Thursday

• Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll – Along Baltimore Avenue between 43rd and 51st Streets. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Come to Baltimore Avenue rain or shine to enjoy $1 deals from over 30 local businesses. There will also be music, entertainment and activities for the little ones. Read more about this event here. Also, check out the flyer.
• Weed Dating – Mill Creek Farm, 49th & Brown. 6:30 p.m. The Mill Creek Farm is hosting a mixer/fundraiser on Thursday called “weed dating”! Admission: $12. More info here.

Friday

• 2013 Fringe Arts Festival continues with three performances of the musical “Jennifer the Unspecial: Time Travel, Love Potions, and 8th Grade” staged in Penn Museum’s Sphinx Gallery (3260 South St): Friday at 7:00 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. Admission: $15. More info on this and other Fringe Arts events and performances, click here.
• LOOK. SEE. HEAR: the glass works of 2012-2013 resident artist Celestine Wilson Hughes. Opening reception – AIR Gallery, 4007 Chestnut St., 1st Floor, 6 – 9 p.m. This is the final exhibition of work by a 2012-2013 resident artist. General public, friends, family, supporters, and past residents are welcome. http://40streetair.blogspot.com/
  
• Patriciu Mateescu: Unbearable Craziness of Onions. Opening reception – Art on the Avenue Gallery, 3808 Lancaster Ave. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. This is a solo ceramic sculpture and drawing exhibition, featuring the most recent works of this noteworthy international artist. The event is part of the Second Fridays on Lancaster Avenue (Facebook page) series. The exhibit runs from September 14 to October 5. http://www.artonave.org/
• Free movie in Clark Park, 43rd & Chester. 7:30 p.m. 5 Broken Windows, shown by Philadelphia International Action Center concludes its summer film series. It’s a documentary about a Palestinian videographer who starts documenting Israeli land grabs around his village. Continue Reading

Photo from Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll 2012/West Philly Local.

This year’s only Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll – after the first Stroll scheduled in June was rained out – will be Thursday, Sept. 12. This popular annual event draws huge crowds from West Philly and other parts of the city, who come to enjoy $1 deals, from food, sweets and beer to arts & crafts items to music and yoga class vouchers to theater tickets.

University City District (UCD), which organizes the event, says that established neighborhood businesses, like Milk & Honey, Dock Street Brewery and Firehouse Bikes, will participate in the Stroll along with newcomers that include Little Baby’s Ice Cream and The Green Tambourine. See the complete list of participating businesses here.

Radio station WXPN favorite The Fleeting Ends will perform live at the 46th Street Triangle, along with other artists and street performers. Free face painting and balloon artists will be on hand to entertain the little neighbors. Food trucks, including Jimmies Cupcake Co., Sunflower Truck Stop, The Tot Cart, and Lil Dan’s Food Truck ,will also be selling $1 items along the avenue.

Finally, stop by Clark Park (43rd & Baltimore) at 6:30 p.m. to take part in The Mp3 Experiment, a public, flash mob kind of event created by Improv Everywhere, where participants carry out coordinated instructions delivered to their headphones (instructions are available here).

As usual, the Dollar Stroll will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. along Baltimore Avenue between 43rd and 51st Streets. As we always recommend, make sure to get there early if you don’t want to miss out on best deals from over 30 local businesses.

Here’s a sampling of events you might want to check out. For more upcoming events visit our Events Calendar.

Fri, June 14

9 am – 5 pm – St. Francis de Sales, 47th & Windsor Ave – Donations to be sold at the St. Francis de Sales Flea Market are being accepted in the auditorium. You can bring almost anything, except books, clothing and large furniture.

6 – 9 pm – 40th Street Air Space, 4007 Chestnut St – 40th Street Artist-in-Residence Program is presenting The Past is Over, a solo exhibition of new work by 2012-2013 artist-in-residence Mike Harpring (pictured right). Please visit http://40streetair.blogspot.com/ for more information.

7 – 9 pm – 8 N. Preston St (40th & Preston) – Grand Opening of Inewsent Studio & Gallery – Many West Philadelphia artists are a part of tonight’s grand opening of Inewsent Studio & Gallery, located in the historic Bell Telephone Exchange building on 40th and Preston.

9:30 pm – City Tap House, 3925 Walnut St – Blue Grass Music in West Philly – The Brummy Brothers are back on the road again and this time they’re kicking it off in West Philly’s City Tap House. https://www.facebook.com/events/502534066468815/

Sat, June 15

9 am – 4 pm – St. Francis de Sales Auditorium, 47th & Windsor Ave – St. Francis de Sales is holding its annual flea market featuring bargains and homemade goodies. Lunch will be served. For more information call 215-222-2255 or 215-222-5819.

10 am – 1 pm – Church of the Holy Apostles and The Mediator, 51st & Spruce Sts – The Church of the Holy Apostles and the Mediator is partnering with ECOvanta to hold an electronic waste recycling event. In addition, Nexcut Shredding will be on site to provide secure document destruction for $1.00 per box.

10 am – 4 pm – Clark Park, 43rd & Baltimore Ave – All-Army Reunion – The city’s first All-Army Reunion is also a chance to mark the birthday of the US Army for all US Army veterans in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. An estimated 200-300 veterans will attend the event that’s also open to their families and the public. There will be contests, live music, guest emcees, food and refreshments and more. Tickets are $5 per individual and $10 per a family up to six. Tickets can be purchased online or at the event. For more information, visit: http://vetscomforthouse.org/

11 am – 4 pm – Porch at 30th Street Station – VIX Emporium and the University City District are bringing more than 50 local crafters to The Porch at 30th Street Station for the 2nd 30th Street Craft Market. There will be three of Philly’s finest food trucks too – savory slow-cooked barbecue by Vernalicious, gourmet Italian sandwiches by Lil Dan’s, and Mac Mart’s macaroni & cheese specialties. For more info, go to: http://www.vixemporium.com/craft-shows/30th-street-craft-market/

12:00 – 8:30 pm – 55th & Chester – Stop the Violence Kickback Block Party – Mont Brown, the Southwest Philadelphia Ambassador for the “Stop the Violence” movement, will kick-off the Block Party in this region of the city and hopes to deliver positive alternatives by promoting education, the arts and small business development. There will be free food, live performances by 30 artists and 10 DJ’s, as well as a host of local vendors selling merchandise.

Sunday, June 16

12 – 5 pm – Firehouse Bicycles, 50th & Baltimore Ave – Party on the Porch – Firehouse Bicycles has new Sunday hours this summer and is inviting neighbors to a party that will include Danophonic spinning records, free food on the grill, and deals on bikes. For more information, visit: http://www.firehousebicycles.com/blog/events

These bikes are part of the Washington D.C. bike share program. (Photo from Newsytype.com)

Bike sharing in Philadelphia took another step closer to becoming a reality yesterday when the city’s Office of Transportation and Utilities (MOTU) released some details during a public meeting at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

The proposal divides the city into two zones. The first would include Center City, University City and the streets near Temple University and would include 1,000 to 1,500 bikes. A second zone, which would include neighborhoods from near the navy Yard north to Lehigh Avenue, would see about 500-1,000 bikes, the Philly Post reports.

The bikes would be housed at stations and can be picked up at one station and dropped off at another. The program will likely require a membership (in Washington D.C.’s program this ranges from a day to a year) and a usage fee (around a couple of bucks an hour). You will probably have to supply your own helmet.

Bike share programs already exist in Boston, Denver and Washington D.C. New York and Chicago are considering plans. Those programs, like the one planned for Philly, are managed by private contractors. The company Alta Bicycle Share operates the program in Washington – Capital Bikeshare – and Boston – Hubway.

City officials believe the improvement in Philadelphia’s biking infrastructure – including more dedicated lanes – has helped prepare the city for a bike share program. The downside is that we’ll have to keep waiting. The program won’t be up and running until 2014.