Here’s a great chance to support a local independent bookstore and buy books at bargain prices. The Baltimore Avenue bookstore, Bindlestiff Books, is holding a “giant” sidewalk book sale this weekend. There will be hundreds of overstock titles for kids and adults alike, priced as low as $1. New titles will be added each day to replace those that have sold.

The sale will take place Friday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 1, Noon – 6 p.m. (weather permitting).

A preview sale will take place Thursday, July 29, from 3-6 p.m. Continue Reading

Philadelphia health officials are urging residents, including those fully vaccinated, to go back to wearing masks in public indoor spaces as the number of new coronavirus cases in the city is growing again due to the highly contagious Delta variant. The new guidance aims to protect children under 12 years old who are not yet eligible for COVID vaccines, according to acting Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole.

There has been a “small but disturbing” increase in coronavirus  cases and hospitalizations among children in Philadelphia, according to Bettigole. The number of new COVID-19 cases overall has doubled in the city over the past couple of weeks. Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park (archived photo).

After taking a break last summer, Shakespeare in Clark Park is resuming its annual summer productions by presenting five nights of PERICLES – from Wednesday, July 28 through Sunday, Aug. 1. Shows will be held at 7 p.m. each night and feature a troupe of tumbling circus performers.

This year SCP is offering a three-tiered seating reservation system with the following options:

• COVID-safe seating

This section is for groups that include unvaccinated or immunocompromised people. People in this section will be asked to wear a mask for the duration of the show and maintain 6-foot distance from the other groups sharing this space. COVID safe seating is limited. Please go here for more details and to reserve your space. Continue Reading

As Philadelphia is experiencing one of the worst years of gun violence, first-term lawmaker Amen Brown, who represents Philadelphia’s 190th Legislative District, continues his efforts to tackle this devastating issue. Brown, who earlier this year negotiated an agreement with the state’s largest gun show promoter to ban sales of “ghost gun” kits at its shows, has recently announced a Gun Violence Community Survey prepared by his office.

The survey is geared to residents of the 190th District, which encompasses several West Philadelphia neighborhoods, and asks several key questions pertaining to gun violence. Continue Reading

A rendering image of CCP’s Career and Advanced Technology Center being built at 48th and Market.

The Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) today celebrated the halfway point in construction for its highly anticipated state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility in West Philadelphia. The college held a midpoint ceremony for its Career and Advanced Technology Center (CATC) located at the southeast corner of 48th and Market.

Stakeholders and community partners received updates at today’s event on the programming and learning opportunities the CATC will provide. They also signed a stud with a permanent marker to be placed within the inner walls of the building and participated in a guided tour of the facility. Continue Reading

The Clark Park Farmers’ Market is still going strong after many years. Established in 1998, it is one of The Food Trust’s largest markets, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, flowers, and many specialty products. Just a reminder that the market operates year-round every Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at 43rd and Baltimore.

Although there is no Clark Park Thursday Market this summer, The Food Trust has opened other seasonal farmers markets in the city.

Here’s a list of other farmers markets in West and Southwest Philadelphia and their schedules: Continue Reading

Here’s a quick update on our last month’s post regarding the development of a 132-unit residential complex at 43rd and Baltimore (4224 Baltimore Ave) across from Clark Park.

Developers announced in June that they were finally moving forward with the construction. The work began promptly after the announcement. Street parking around the construction area was closed and trees were removed, which made the site much more open and unrecognizable. Some excavation work has also begun.

Zoning approval for the project was granted in June 2015 and building permit was issued in May 2019. Continue Reading

Weekly transpasses are being replaced by fare cards for Philadelphia public school students, the School District of Philadelphia and SEPTA have announced. About 65,000 eligible students in Philadelphia will receive a SEPTA Student Fare Card – a contact-free, reusable chip card that students can use to get to and from school during the 2021-2022 school year.

Here’s how the card will work for students:

Students can use the fare card up to eight times per day between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. on any bus, trolley or subway on school days. If a student needs to use regional rail, they can upgrade their student fare card at designated SEPTA stations for about $10 per 5-day school week. Continue Reading

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), State Representative Joanna McClinton, State Senator Anthony H. Williams and City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District) will host a community event tonight in response to the tragic shootings in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood during a July 4th cookout. Two men in their 20s were killed and a 16-year-old girl was injured.

The event, titled “Hope and Healing” is in support of Cobbs Creek residents in the aftermatch of the shootings.

“This event, along with other recent shootings in the area, have left community members feeling afraid for their safety and the wellbeing of their loved ones and neighbors,” reads an official announcement. Continue Reading

The SEPTA Trolley Tunnel that connects West Philadelphia with Center City will close for more than two weeks beginning Friday, July 9, which means that trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36 will temporarily divert to 40th and Market. The annual trolley tunnel maintenance/construction project, “Trolley Tunnel Blitz”, will begin at 10 p.m. on Friday and continue until Monday, July 26, at 5:00 a.m.

During the “Blitz”, trolleys will continue operating in West Philadelphia. SEPTA customers may transfer to the Market Frankford Line at the 40th Street station (40th and Market) at no additional charge. Continue Reading

After a two-year break, Philadelphians are again invited to celebrate July 4th at the “Wawa Welcome America” festival, which includes a concert at the Mann Center for Performing Arts (5201 Parkside Ave) and fireworks on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The concert will be held at TD Pavilion at the Mann Center, beginning at 7 p.m., and will feature Bebe Rexha, Flo Rida, and a special performance by the Philly POPS. Gates open at 4 p.m. The concert is free, but tickets are required (click here). Those who can’t make it to the concert or are not ready to mingle with crowds yet can watch it live on NBC10 and TeleXitos. Continue Reading

The Barnes Foundation and the People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC) are continuing their collaboration with a new project – Everyday Places Artist Partnerships. The project, which began rolling out last month through the Barnes and PECCDC’s collaborative initiative Barnes West, will provide West Philly residents with spaces to engage with multidisciplinary artistic projects that “offer inspiration and promote ​hope and healing.”

This week, the partners have announced five West Philadelphia-based social-impact artists who have been selected to participate in Everyday Places: Keyonna Butler, Marshall James Kavanaugh, Jahwula Seapoe, Karen Smith, and Andrea Walls. The selected artists will partner with neighborhood businesses and sites – including grocery stores, restaurants, laundromats, public parks, and community organizations – to build interactive, participatory projects. Continue Reading

Keni Jackson (Facebook photo)

Great news for local jazz music fans! After a two-year break the popular Thursday night jazz series, Jazz Heritage Series, will return to Malcolm X Park this summer. The series will kick off this Thursday, July 1 (weather permitting), with a performance by Southwest Philadelphia native Keni Jackson, a bass player and vocalist.

All concerts are free and held every other Thursday evening from 7-9 p.m. Please bring your blanket or portable chair, and picnic! Please note that performances are not held in inclement weather.

Here’s the full schedule of performances through October 21st: Continue Reading

John B. Kelly pool is opening July 6th.

Summer is here, and Philadelphia residents will finally get a chance to cool off in public pools after a two-year break (all pools were closed last summer because of COVID). Please note that not all pools will reopen this summer – the City’s Parks and Rec Department has announced that only about 70 percent will reopen due to a shortage of lifeguards, the problem also brought on by the pandemic.

Pools will begin reopening this week. Check out the reopening schedule for some public pools and spraygrounds located in West and Southwest Philadelphia: Continue Reading

Philly folks, get ready to bring your reusable bags when you go shopping. The City of Philadelphia has announced that the ban for single-use plastic bags and non-recycled content paper bags will begin on October 1st, with the transition period for businesses beginning Thursday, July 1.

The ban will require retail businesses like supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, take-out restaurants, farmer’s markets and even food trucks to switch to recyclable paper bags or to offer customers to buy reusable bags. Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of Curio Theatre Company

Curio Theatre Company will hold two in-person summer camp sessions for children in grades K through 8th next month with a limited number of students due to COVID safety protocols. Session one will be held from July 5-16 and Session Two from July 19-30. Session One has mostly sold out, but some spots are still available for campers in grades K through 2nd.

Some of you may be familiar with Curio’s scholarship program. The 16-year-old West Philly theatre company has always strived to offer year-round theatre education to all area children, regardless of their financial situation. Especially in 2021, Curio believes in the power of “safe and responsible” creative outlets for kids and is offering in-person education with limited capacity. After being virtual for so long, Curio staff can’t wait to get back into playing spaces with creative campers. Since the number of campers this year is limited and to be able to give scholarships to kids who cannot afford camp tuition Curio needs to raise about $7,500. Continue Reading

The second Philly location for the South Philly based pizza joint, Pizza Plus, has opened on the 4800 block of Spruce Street (4814 Spruce St.). In March, its Passayunk Avenue location celebrated one year in business and also was included in the Philadelphia Magazine‘s Guide to Pizza in Philly.

Pizza Plus is a place vegans would especially appreciate since it offers a vegan option for almost all of their menu items – pizzas, burgers and sandwiches, and salads and sides.

Pizza Plus accepts orders for pick up or delivery via phone or online. Walk-ins are also welcome. The hours of operation are Monday-Sunday 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.

For more info, visit their website: pizzaplusphilly.com.

The 4224 Baltimore development site in 2013 (Photo by West Philly Local).

There’s finally some news on a development across from Clark Park that has been years in the making. The developers are set to proceed with the construction of a 132-unit residential building at 4224 Baltimore Avenue, the project that was first announced eight years ago and took a few years to get zoning approval.

The work is expected to begin within a few weeks, according to Barry Grossbach, Zoning Chair at Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA), and will include installation of the fence around the construction area, removal of trees in the area, removal of existing sidewalks and installation of concrete barriers to provide temporary sidewalks, closure of parking around the construction area, and finally, beginning of excavation work.

Zoning approval was granted in June 2015 and building permit was issued in May 2019.

Continue Reading

Trash and recycling collections in the city will continue experiencing delays this week, according to an announcement by Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams. The delays are caused by the COVID pandemic: there are higher levels of residential trash tonnage due to people remaining in their homes for extended periods of time, as well as staff shortages.

This week, recycling collections across the city may be experiencing additional delays as Streets Department crews have been focusing on picking up trash first to help mitigate health risks and attracting rodents. Continue Reading