This touching story was forwarded to us by Debby Boyd of Project MEOW, a local cat rescue organization. This is what happened yesterday to Jadee, who adopted a cat from Project MEOW a few years ago:

“I was driving home on Lancaster Ave. in the rain when I saw this tiny furball limping his way across the busy street. He made it to the edge and got washed into a flooded gutter when I stopped (without pulling over) and jumped out (without closing my car door) and scooped him up. I laid him on my lap and drove to Baltimore Pet Shoppe to get some advice from Katie. She said that I should take the kitty to a vet right away cause it looked like a car might have hit him. I called Girard Vet to see if they’d take in an emergency appointment and thank goodness they did. They took X-Rays and said that his right thigh bone was split in two and he would need a cast.

I walked around North West Philly for hours waiting for him to finish up and decided to name him Grasshopper. I got back and found him in this huge, green cast. The poor little guy!”

Jadee needs help paying off Grasshopper’s $200 vet bill. You can donate money here. She is also looking for a good home for Grasshopper. To contact Jadee email: jadee.klinger [at] gmail.com

Hurricane Irene canceled a lot of events two weeks ago, one of which was Family Day Festival in Mantua on Aug. 27. The event was rescheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 10, and will take place from noon to 7 p.m. at 34th St. and Mantua Ave.

The festival organizers, The Mantua Community Improvement Committee (M.C.I.C.), promise free food, refreshments, a star-studded concert and other fun activities, but also say that this is an educational and fundraising event. And it’s all about positivity despite flash mob and violence problems. Members of the community will be encouraged to sign M.C.I.C.’s “Positivity Pledge,” a commitment to focusing on youth support in homes, communities and schools.

The event will be also raising money to support a youth entrepreneurship program starting this fall.

The free concert lineup includes musicians Kwamè, Grammy award-winning group Naughty By Nature and hip-hop legend Rapper Slick Rick.

This week’s featured dog is Torry, a one-two-year-old female terrier mix who has gorgeous markings and is quite the cuddler. She’s a regular Velcro dog: as soon as you take a seat, she’ll lean right up against you and stay attached for as long as you’ll pet her. This gorgeous young lady is friendly and social with dogs of all shapes, sizes, and colors and seems to like cats, too.

Torry loves to be outside and walks and jogs well on a leash. She loves to explore, but the whole time she checks back with you every few minutes to make sure you’re still right there with her. She knows “sit” and “stay” and absolutely loves treats, so training her should be a breeze.

This poor girl came into the shelter as a skinny little stray, and she’s still quite thin; could you be the one to bring this wonderful addition into your family so that she can get back to a healthy weight?

Currently Torry is being fostered and living with cats and kids! Check out this video of Torry. If you would like to meet her please email Erin at: erin.e.mcgowan [at] gmail.com.

According to the announcement on the Curio Theatre Facebook page, tonight’s performance of Lord of the Flies in Clark Park has been canceled due to rainy weather and soggy ground conditions. Tomorrow’s and Friday performances are still on (scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.).

High school students ages 14-21 are invited to participate in the auditions for the high school version of the popular musical RENT to be staged in West Philly. The auditions will take place at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11, from 8 a.m. to noon, and Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (call backs are from 1:30 to 5 p.m.).

The audition requires two songs of approximately three minutes in length, preferably from the RENT soundtrack. Musical accompaniment can be provided. To make arrangements in advance email: projecttheaterproject [at] gmail.com.

Prior theater experience is not necessary, but parental permission is required. Students that are cast for roles in RENT will be required to attend sixteen three-hour rehearsals in September, October, and November. The shows are scheduled for December.

Local community theater group PROJECT THEATER PROJECT is working on this production. For more information on the production, auditions and rehearsals go here.

Iris Marie Bloom, a well-known West Philly activist and director of the environmental group Protecting Our Waters, is one of the organizers of an anti-fracking protest which will take place tomorrow, Sept. 7, from noon to 2 p.m. in Center City. The protest will include a rally in front of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and march which will follow until 3 p.m.

Another West Philly resident, Beth Nixon of Spiral Q Puppet Theater Ramshackle Enterprises, will also join the action as one of the performers at the rally.

One of the speakers at the tomorrow’s rally is Josh Fox, director of Oscar-nominated documentary Gasland.

For more information on the protest visit this page.