Cedar Park Neighbors in cooperation with area churches and other nonprofit organizations, will again prepare and distribute food baskets for those in need during the holiday season. The 2017 CPN Holiday Food Drive is currently underway. The suggested donation is $36. Support at this amount will help CPN supply meals for two families.

In 2016, CPN was able to reach over 150 local families.  Continue Reading

Mayor Jim Kenney talks to small business owner Mayathan Joan Fletcher during his 52nd Street Commercial Corridor visit on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 25, 2017). (Photo by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local)

Today is Small Business Saturday, and Philly mayor Jim Kenney visited several businesses along the 52nd Street Commercial Corridor to support local business owners and to encourage folks to shop small today. The mayor began his visit shortly after 10 a.m. at the corner of 52nd and Chestnut by chatting with Mayathan Joan Fletcher, a sidewalk vendor, and buying a Jamaica hat. Kenney was also planning to visit NV My Eyewear at 137 S. 52nd St., African Cultural Art Forum at 221 S. 52nd St., Urban Art Gallery at 262 S. 52nd St., and more.  Continue Reading

Here’s some useful information on public transportation, parking, trash/recycling collection and hours/closings at local businesses during the holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!

Parking

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is not enforcing meters, kiosks or residential parking time limits on Thanksgiving Day (Thu, Nov. 23).

SEPTA Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend Service

Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 23:
• Regional Rail, buses, trolleys and the Norristown High Speed Line will operate on a Sunday/Holiday Schedule.
• Detours will be in effect from 3 a.m. to 2 p.m. on and around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on routes 2, 7, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 43, 44, 48, 124 and 125 due to the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Continue Reading

Photo via The Food Trust’s Facebook page.

This is Thanksgiving week, so if you’re planning to do last-minute shopping for your feast please note that the mid-week Clark Park Farmers’ Market, which usually takes place on Thursdays, will be set up on Wednesday, Nov. 22 this week. The market, which is located at 43rd and Baltimore, will have special pre-Thanksgiving hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. After tomorrow, the mid-week Farmers’ Market will close until next summer. The Saturday market is open all year round, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Both markets are run by The Food Trust. For more information on the vendors, go here.

Several West Philly businesses, including Siddiq’s Water Ice, Dynamite Pest Control, Royal Mane Boutique and others, have partnered this Thanksgiving holiday to serve a special “Giving Thanks” community dinner on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23. The dinner will be served at Siddiq’s Water Ice location at 264 S. 60th Street (in a heated tent between Locust and Spruce) from noon to 3 p.m. The food is catered by Ol’ Boys Soul Food.

Siddiq Moore has been serving real fruit water ice, ice cream and frozen yogurt near 60th and Irving since July 8, 2017 when he opened his first brick-and-mortar location, but he has been in the business since mid-90’s when he started running a water ice cart at Temple University. After opening in July, Siddiq’s Water Ice (Facebook page) received its own street marker, “Siddiq’s Water Ice Way”, from the city, recognizing Moore’s efforts to revitalize 60th Street Corridor.

UC Green, the West Philly-based community greening nonprofit, will plant 46 trees throughout University City and surrounding West Philadelphia neighborhoods on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017.

UC Green planted this tree in memory Winnie Harris, UC Green Executive Director and community green space advocate who was murdered on February 2, 2017.

“The Greater Philadelphia region has lost millions of trees in recent decades to development, storms, and pests. Replacing our tree canopy is an important goal that will benefit the region for years to come,” reads a press release by the organization. It can take a lifetime for some trees to mature, so planting trees now is very important.

UC Green’s ongoing partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society supports semi-annual tree planting events like the upcoming planting on November 18th. This Fall 2017 event was funded largely through the recent More Trees Please campaign, with individual donations accruing to exceed the targeted goal of $11,000.

“We are particularly grateful to the UC Green volunteers and sponsors whose generous financial contributions enable us to plant all of the approved trees in our area,” said Edwin Datz, UC Green Board President. He added, “We are eager to continue our work honoring the legacy of our Executive Director Winnie Harris, who was tragically murdered last February. Recent developments in the criminal investigation provide our UC Green family with some closure. Winnie’s memory will drive our community greening efforts for many years to come.” (Editor’s Note: Read more about Winnie Harris’s murder investigation here).

UC Green joins hundreds of PHS Tree Tenders and other volunteers from 60 neighborhoods and communities to jointly plant 400 trees in Philadelphia.