A great neighborhood event, the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, returns on Thursday, June 25 with $1 bargains, live music and entertainment. Over 30 neighborhood businesses will be on hand, selling everything for a buck – food and drinks, gift certificates and theater tickets, art prints, plant starts and more – along Baltimore Avenue, between 43rd and 51st streets. The event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The map of business locations and their offers is below. Expect long lines by Desi Village (samosas & mango lassis!), Milk & Honey (ice cream!), Dock Street (beer!), Mariposa Food Co-op (banana whips!) and some other locations. Take your kid to Redcap’s Corner to pick up some $1 Pokemon cards and mini figures. And make sure to stop by and say hello to newcomers, such as Café Renata who will be serving delicious iced coffee, 8 Limbs Academy who will be offering short kickboxing lessons, and Spirited Tattooing who will be selling stickers and art prints.  Continue Reading

Muslims all over the world are observing the month of Ramadan, which began on the evening of June 17. Here’s a reminder that in observance of Ramadan, some local businesses are closed or have special hours.

Saad’s Halal Restaurant on 45th and Walnut has posted a sign (pictured) that they will be closed until Monday, July 20. Manakeesh Cafe and Bakery across the street from Saad’s will be open at 7:30 p.m. for pick-ups and at sunset for dining in.

Warrington Community Garden (photo from ngtrust.org).

June 20th is the second annual Community Gardens Day in Philadelphia. The celebration is sponsored by the Neighborhood Gardens Trust (NGT), an organization that helps preserve community gardens. Thanks to NGT’s work, Community Gardens Day was recently officially recognized by the city.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, 45 community gardens throughout the city will host free activities, such as tours, demos, work days, family activities, and other special programs. This is a great chance to visit your neighborhood garden, show your support and participate in activities (click here to find a community garden near you).

A celebration will also be happening tomorrow at Warrington Garden at 4731 Warrington Ave. Guests are welcome to explore this green oasis and take part in the following activities: tours of the garden, scavenger hunt for children, photo display from the garden’s archives, herb identification, medicinal plant walkthrough (at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.), and an art project organized by the University City Arts League (from 1 to 3 p.m.). Light refreshments will be served.

Here are a few chances to visit Curio Theatre before it closes its doors until the next season. The local theater company will present a series of free performances this weekend and on Monday, June 22.

CuriosiTeens! (Photo courtesy of Curio Theatre Company)

Curio’s young company, CuriosiTeens! will present three performances of Bang Bang You’re Dead, a powerful drama written by William Mastrosimone in the wake of the school shootings of the late 1990s. The goal of this production is to search out and answer a very complex question: “Why?”. The first performance is tonight at 7 p.m., and there will be two shows tomorrow (Saturday, June 20) – at 2 and 7 p.m. All shows are on Curio’s Main Stage (48th and Baltimore). Please call 215-525-1350 or email steven@curiotheatre.org to reserve your tickets.

On Monday, Curio’s 2015 New Play reading series concludes with Antagonyms written by Rachel Gluck. “When a man returns to his home city after fifteen years of running, four people must struggle to maintain control over their lives, and keep the past in the past.” The play is directed by Jack Tamburri. The cast features Isa St. Clair, Trevor Fayle, Colleen Hughes and Andrew J. Carroll. The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. on Curio’s Corner Stage, 48th and Baltimore Ave.

The University Avenue drawbridge over the Schuylkill River will be temporarily closed tomorrow for maintenance. The following temporary restrictions are scheduled to be in effect from approximately 7  a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.

• The University Avenue drawbridge will be closed to all traffic. No detours will be posted for this short duration closure. Alternate Schuylkill River crossings include Gray’s Ferry Avenue to the south of the project, the Schuylkill Expressway, and South Street Bridge to the north.
• Northbound University Avenue traffic closures will begin at Gray’s Ferry Avenue.
• Southbound Schuylkill Expressway traffic will be stopped at the westbound entrance.
• The eastbound Schuylkill Expressway ramp will remain open, however existing traffic on the ramp will not be permitted to travel southbound on University Avenue.
• Pedestrian and bicycle traffic will not be allowed.

Reader Jared Brimfield, who lives on the 200 block of Melville, sent us the following email:

Garden Court boundaries map.

“I was reading your article today that showed the Garden Court neighborhood map. I’m a little confused because there seems to be some overlap between Garden Court and Spruce Hill. Below is the link to the SHCA map, which shows the west line of the neighborhood at 46th St. The GCCA map show[s] the east neighborhood boundary between 44th and 45th.
I have always identified my street (200 block of Melville) as Spruce Hill, but maybe I’m wrong.
Do you have any idea which is correct?”

Here is the article Jared was referring to. He also sent his question to both community associations and kindly shared their replies with us.

Spruce Hill map.

There is indeed an overlap between Spruce Hill and Garden Court. According to Garden Court Community Association’s (GCCA) website, 45th street is considered their eastern boundary. Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) identifies 46th street as their western boundary. So, what neighborhood does one belong to if they live between 45th and 46th streets and between Locust and Baltimore/Cedar?

“The simple answer: both! Several of the community associations in W[est] Philly overlap (for a block or two) at the boundaries. And, it is completely fine to belong to one or more than one association,” says Jamie Gauthier, GCCA president.

“I agree. It is your choice,” said SHCA Board member Rich Guffanti.