The Penn Relays will be held April 27-29 on Franklin Field.

Two big events are happening this weekend in Philadelphia that will cause road closures and traffic changes. The annual Penn Relays will be held on the Franklin Field, and the NFL Draft will take place for the first time since 1960 in the city – on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Both events will be held for three days – April 27 through April 29.

The NFL Draft Experience will take place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, between 20th St. and Eakins Oval, and a number of road closures will be in place for this event. Until Monday, May 1, 5 a.m., Ben Franklin Parkway from 20th St. to the Art Museum will be closed. Kelly Drive will be closed at Fairmount Ave., and all traffic will be diverted.  Continue Reading

Two important community events are scheduled for this month at the University of the Sciences, one to meet District Attorney candidates and the other to learn more about gerrymandering in Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, April 13, the 27th Ward Democratic Executive Committee will host a DA Candidates’ Night at USciences, and this is a great chance to meet the Democratic candidates running for the District Attorney office before the May 16 primary election: Judge Teresa Carr Deni, Tariq El-Shabazz (former Deputy District Attorney), Joe Khan (former ADA, former Federal Prosecutor), Lawrence Krasner (Civil Rights Attorney), Rich Negrin (former managing director), Michael Untermeyer (former Assistant District Attorney), and Jack O’Neill (former Assistant District Attorney). Residents are welcome to ask questions and bring their concerns. The meeting will be held at Rosenberger Hall, located in Clark Park near 43rd and Woodland, beginning at 7 p.m.

On Thursday, April 27, residents can learn more about gerrymandering and how Pennsylvania is one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation. Fair Districts PA will present “How to Make Your Vote Count: Ending Gerrymandering in PA.” The event, which is being organized especially for West Philadelphians, will feature an FDPA speaker who will explain how partisan gerrymandering in Pennsylvania shapes election outcomes before the first vote is even cast, and what voters can do to ensure that state legislative and congressional district maps are drawn fairly.

This event will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. at Griffith Hall C, 600 S. 43rd St. (see map here).

Kindergarten pre-registration for the 2017-2018 school year begins on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and will go on until May 31. Schools will be holding kindergarten open houses on Tuesday, March 7. See more details below on kindergarten open houses at West Philadelphia schools, including school address and contact information. More open houses will be held May 8-12, 2017 (please contact your neighborhood school for the exact date and time). Reminder: Your child must be 5 years old on or before September 1 to attend kindergarten in the 2017-2018 school year.

For more information on kindergarten registration, visit the School District of Philadelphia website. Enrollment information for Penn Alexander School, which will again hold kindergarten lottery (lottery registration deadline is March 17, 2017), can be found here.

Anderson
Principal: Laurena Tolson
1034 S. 60th St. 19143
(215) 400 – 7890
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM  Continue Reading

DPJeter Proudly Presents

“Timeless Love” 3rd Annual Valentine’s Masquerade

Masks & Cocktails…

AND WE ARE BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! This Valentine’s Day we bring to you yet again a masquerade affair for couples! Bring your honey for a fun night out on the town and dance until you drop! Bringing together Delaware Valley’s most forward thinking professionals, this social experience will be paired with live entertainment, fine spirits, and couples’ games. Guests will indulge in exquisite cuisines and sweetheart treats. If you don’t dance you may be to cool for this soiree! Please join us in celebrating the day of love with fun masks, dancing, food, and drinks. Come photo ready in your cocktail attire and mask!

Special Features Included In Ticket Price

(For one low price of $65.00 per person you receive all of the below. VIP Tables available)

• Two Hour Premium Open Bar
• Berry Champagne Toast
• Food Stations
• Passed Hors D’oeurves
• Couples Games
• Candy Dessert Buffet
• Dancing
• Photo Booth
• **Upgraded Tickets Includes Printed Out Professional Couple Photo with Frame**
• Free Parking
• Live Entertainment

#VDAYPHL #VDAYPHL #VDAYPHL

West Philly educator Carole Williams-Green, who founded the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center, will be honored by the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education with the 2016 Meigs Award. The award is given annually to a regional leader who embodies the spirit and leadership of Henry Meigs, one of the Schuylkill Center’s founders.

A former public school teacher and administrator, Williams-Green led a successful multi-decade effort to rehabilitate the historic Fairmount Park Police stables in Fairmount Park’s Cobbs Creek, creating an environmental education center. Founded in 1991, the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center opened its doors in 2001.

Williams-Green has made a substantial contribution to environmental education in the Philadelphia region, reaching communities often excluded from traditional environmental education. She explains that “it bothered [her] that children from West Philadelphia had to travel so far to get these kinds of experiences [in nature], ones that really excited children.”  Continue Reading

Nothing says summer in Philly quite like closing down the streets and throwing a good block party. It turns out that West Philly – particularly Cedar Park, Cobbs Creek, Kingsessing and Garden Court – have thrown more block parties than anyone else in the city.

Our friends over at PlanPhilly have crunched the data drawn from block party permits issued over the past 10 years and the 19143 zip code came out on top with 7,109 block party permits issued over the 10-year period. North Philly, particularly 19140, was second. The block that parties the hardiest? The 3500 block of Ryan Avenue in Mayfair, with 69 block party permits issued.

PlanPhilly’s Jon Geeting writes that the total number of block parties in the city over the past 10 years have decreased since a peak in 2008 of 7,679 total permits issued. But, Geeting points out, “this data set only includes authorized block party permits that people paid for. It doesn’t include all the block parties out there held without a permit from Streets, so keep in mind that this is only a partial picture of the phenomenon.”

Not surprisingly, the permit data shows that the most block parties are held around July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Check out the full post at PlanPhilly here.