Bikram Yoga West Philly opens this weekend at 42nd and Chestnut.

The Bikram Yoga studio at 4145 Chestnut St. is reopening this weekend after being closed for remodeling since late September. A full schedule of 26 hot yoga classes a week is starting this weekend, according to studio co-owner Bob Casey, with the first class being held at 9 a.m. this Saturday.

As was reported last month, the studio has a new management team and changed its name from Bikram Yoga University City to Bikram Yoga West Philly. Here’s what Casey, the only person who is still there from the original team (Bikram Yoga University City opened in 2012), says about the new team and their decision to change the name of the studio:

“Bikram West Philly is not just under new management but also new ownership. Leo Eisenstein, new co-director, is a Philadelphia native (his father graduated from West Catholic High); he lives in Philly… and he is thrilled to be part of owning and operating a business in West Philadelphia… not just University City but all of West Philly.”

Casey says that his new partner feels that the studio can be more than just a yoga “studio”; it can be a yoga community center for all of West Philly. Eisenstein is excited about the partnerships they can form with civic associations as well as businesses.

Speaking of similarities and differences between Bikram University City and Bikram West Philly, Casey adds that Bikram West Philly will be a yoga studio in the same way Bikram Yoga University City was when it first opened, but Bikram will be the only style of yoga that will be offered there. “Other than that I would say that almost everything will be different.”

For information about the grand opening weekend class schedule, visit the Bikram Yoga West Philly Facebook page.
 

For 10 months, selected local and international artists have worked in a newly-renovated storefront space at 4017 Lancaster Avenue as part of the “Neighborhood Time Exchange” Artists-in-Residence Program. This Friday, the artists along with the Mural Arts Program, The People’s Emergency Center, Broken City Lab, and The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy will present their culminating exhibition, Reciprocity: Exhibiting Moments and Momentum from Neighborhood Time Exchange.

Three cohorts of artists participated in residencies between January and September 2015 and worked for one to three months: The first cohort of residencies, which took place between January and March, included artists Ian Sampson, Betty Leacraft, Kandis Friesen, and Philippe Leonard. The second cohort, between April and June, included Macon Reed, Camae Dennis and Rasheedah Phillips, Matt Neff, and Sasha Phyars-Burgess. The third included Pato Hebert, Lucy Pistilli and Brian Bazemore, John Phillips, Mark Clare, and Meredith Degyanski.  Continue Reading

We’re sad to report that Mary Pitts-Devine, the woman who survived a violent assault in March when she was shot eight times by her neighbor at her residence near 46th and Spruce, passed away on Tuesday.

Pitts-Devine, 47, had undergone multiple surgeries since the attack, the most recent less than a month ago. She died from complications related to her injuries and preexisting medical conditions, according to a report by Philly.com who spoke to Pitts-Devine’s brother Eric Pitts. Pitts-Devine, a LaSalle grad, entrepreneur, social worker, and writer, was also a breast cancer and kidney transplant survivor.

“Mary has passed. May she rest in peace. Thank you for all your support and prayers. She will no longer be in pain. A true soldier,” Pitts wrote on the online fundraising page he had set up for his sister back in March.

According to information posted on the page, Pitts-Devine’s homegoing service, “Celebration for Mary R. Pitts,” will be this Friday, Nov. 13 at Metropolitan Baptist Church, 3500 Baring Street. Viewing is at 5 p.m.

The burial will be on Saturday morning, Nov. 14, at 10 a.m. at Merion Memorial Park, 59 Rock Hill Rd, Bala Cynwyd.

There’s a chance to help your neighborhood park on the “Love Your Park” fall service day this Saturday (Nov. 14). Over 75 Philly parks need help, including many in West Philadelphia.

Friends of Clark Park is hosting a clean-up and beautification day in the park from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., and seeking community volunteers who can join them. Meeting is at 9 a.m. by the shed (45th and Regent). Please bring a trowel (if you have one).

If you live in Cedar Park, consider volunteering from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. in your neighborhood park. Community members are invited to celebrate fall and spend the day working alongside friends and neighbors to help clean and green Cedar Park. Your work may include raking leaves, putting the gardens to bed, planting perennials and bulbs and doing general clean up. All ages are welcome, and tools will be supplied. To RSVP, please email contact@cedarparkneighbors.org  Continue Reading

The Soapbox has been operating in this row house since 2011 (photo from phillysoapbox.org)

There are some exciting developments at The Soapbox, West Philly’s own community print shop and zine library. The studio, which has been operating in a row house on the 700 block of S. 51st Street (pictured right) since 2011, will be moving soon to a new, 4,500-square-foot space in the newly renovated Frank Furness-designed church at 4700 Kingsessing.

As you may know, the old church building was saved from demolition last year and was being converted into commercial space, which will also house schools (more information about this is coming soon).

A lease was signed for the basement of the Parish House, a high-ceilinged space with four-foot windows at ceiling level, according to The Soapbox president and co-founder Mary Tasillo. The new studio will be fully equipped with historic and contemporary printing equipment, the city’s largest independent zine library, and expanded community programming.

“The Soapbox team is incredibly excited by the potential presented in this move… Our vision for The Soapbox can fully come to fruition in the new, larger space: The Soapbox Community Print Shop and Zine Library will be a space where many people can feel a sense of ownership and investment,” Tasillo says. “Above all, we are excited about this move because this enables The Soapbox to continue our mission-driven work by offering a more accessible and more usable space to our community.”  Continue Reading

If you want to learn more about Pennsylvania’s state budget and its impact on the community, come to the Walnut Hill Community meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6 – 8 p.m. State Rep. James R. Roebuck Jr. and State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown will be at the meeting to talk about the budget. They will also answer questions and address any concerns from community members.

The final draft of Walnut Hill 2015 Neighborhood Plan will also be presented at the meeting (7-8 p.m.).

The meeting will take place at The Enterprise Center (4548 Market Street).