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Go West! Craft Fest a big hit in a new location

April 14, 2012

Saturday was an amazing day around the City. Tons of folks were out for Philly Spring Clean-up. It was also a great day at Woodlands Cemetery for the Go West! Craft Fest, which was a Cedar Park staple until new regulations on events in public parks prompted a change of plans this year. But Go West! didn’t skip a beat. The Woodlands turned out to be a great spot. Tangle Movement Arts and the Tiny Circus were on the grounds. Give and Take Jugglers were on the scene. Sour Mash (Facebook page) played a set. And a bunch of artists and artisans were selling their wares. Check out the slideshow below.

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School vouchers a likely talking point at candidates’ forum tonight

April 13, 2012

voteThe primary campaign for West Philly’s 188th House District between incumbent James Roebuck and newcomer Fatimah Muhammad has drawn attention around the city and even the state because of the influence of school voucher proponents – and their money – into the race.

West Philly residents will have a chance to hear the candidates tonight at the Kingsessing Rec Center (5100 Chester Ave. Enter on 50th Street) from 6-9 p.m. Roebuck and Muhammad have confirmed their attendance at tonight’s event.

Muhammad’s campaign has made a visible impact in West Philly, with signs and billboards featuring her portrait in a Photoshopped style that closely resembles posters featuring President Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign. Her campaign has also been linked to a series of postcards mailed to many West Philly residents that blame Roebuck, the ranking Democrat on the House Education Committee, for limiting school choice for students. One postcard even blames him for the cap at Penn Alexander School.

Many residents have spoken out against the postcards on several neighborhood listservs and message boards.One person even vowed to make a contribution to the Roebuck campaign for each postcard she received.

Roebuck is opposed to vouchers, which would provide tax dollars for students to attend private and parochial schools. The opponents of vouchers argue that they would undermine the funding and enrollment at public schools, while proponents, including Gov. Tom Corbett, say they would provide students with a better choice of schools.

Muhammad, a Penn alum who has been the associate director of Penn’s Greenfield Intercultural Center, will undoubtedly face questions this evening about her position on vouchers.

 

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Sign of the day

April 12, 2012

subway

Renovations have begun on the storefront at 4533 Baltimore Ave., which will be the location of a controversial Subway restaurant. Judging by the sign above, some people are still not happy about it.

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The Fuzz back online with a new name

April 5, 2012

Murray
Detective Joe Murray’s tweet yesterday afternoon telling followers he was back in business.

 
Detective Joe Murray, aka “The Fuzz,” is back on Twitter, only this time with a much less catchy handle.

As of about 4 p.m. yesterday Murray is now @ppdjoemurray, a much more official name that reflects the Philadelphia Police Department’s endorsement of his social media stardom. In fact, Murray will be helping out others in the department to use Twitter more effectively.

Murray received dozens of tweets welcoming him back within the first few hours that he was online. Those who followed him before will automatically be switched over to the new account.

An online petition started by West Philly resident Amara Rockar earlier this month drew attention around the city and likely factored into getting Murray back online.

The only question that remains is … Can we still call him “The Fuzz?”

 

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Wynton Marsalis stops by St. Francis de Sales School

April 5, 2012

WyntonJazz great Wynton Marsalis was in West Philly yesterday to do some teaching at St. Francis de Sales school near 47th and Springfield as part of the Play On!, Philly program.

Marsalis told advanced trumpet players who performed at the school yesterday morning that the musician’s job is to tell stories that people can’t see.

“Music is the art of the invisible,” he said.

Marsalis also advised students at the school to fine-tune their listening habits and to look beyond music for artistic inspiration.

“I want you to look at the work of (painter) Henri Matisse,” he told one trumpeter who had just finished playing. “See how he uses contrast in his work. Because that’s what you want to do with this piece.”

This has been a big week for Play On!, Philly, the after-school music program begun at St. Francis de Sales that aims to bring classical music training to kids at schools across the city. Earlier this week it was reported that a Bala Cynwyd couple had donated $1 million to the organization.

 

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Zora plays and we all get a lesson on West Philly playgrounds

April 4, 2012

playground

West Philly resident Michael Froehlich and his 2-year-old daughter Zora love playgrounds. No wait, they really love playgrounds.

What began as the occasional bicycle excursion from their home on 48th Street to nearby playgrounds like Malcolm X. Park has turned into a full-on quest to document a bunch of playgrounds in this part of the city – 31 playgrounds in all.

“We went a little overboard,” said Froehlich, a legal aid attorney.

The result, the website zoraplays, is an invaluable guide to playgrounds that includes photos of equipment, sketches of the playground’s layout and a map showing the location. Each playground was within a mile of their home.

Froehlich said he and Zora’s goal is to help convince people that there is fun beyond the usual spots like Clark Park and Cedar Park.

“I hope that this project will show people that there are a lot of great playgrounds in our community so they should get on their bicycles and ride out and explore them,” he said.

The big question, of course, is which is Zora’s fav?

“I’d like to say that Zora has developed a discerning eye for quality playgrounds,” said Froehlich. “But the truth is that she loves all playgrounds. Tall slides, wide slides, single slides, double slides: she digs them all with the same gusto.”

As for Froehlich himself? “Malcolm X. Park,” he said. “There’s so much there.”

playground
A map of the Christy Recreation Center playground at 56th and Christian from zoraplays.com. (click to enlarge)

 
– Emma Eisenberg contributed to this story

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