Two cops rescued people from an overnight fire in the Mantua section. The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday on the first floor of a three-story standalone house on the 3900 block of Aspen Street, according to various reports. Two 16th district police officers, one of them a former firefighter, helped two people escape the flames. Reportedly, a firefighter sustained a minor injury in the fire.

Audio is available from the Fire Department call from the scene (below), presented by PhillyFireFeed.com (the address on the audio is wrong). 6ABC has a video from the scene.

Click to enlarge.

Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia and Lovefourpaws.org are hosting a Pet Pantry and Community Help Desk on Sunday, July 13, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Engine 68 Firehouse (52nd and Willows). Low-income pet owners (documentation of financial hardship is required) are welcome to stop by at the event and pick up free pet food (please bring a rolling cart or shopping bags to transport donations home).

The Spayed Club will be on-site to provide pet owners with information on low-cost spay/neuter services. Red Paw Emergency Relief Team will also be there to talk about fire safety and emergency preparedness.

This small, sweet, docile, friendly female beagle was found tonight running scared at The Woodland Cemetery (40th and Woodland), according to neighbor Cindy Miller. The dog had no microchip and was taken to Penn Vet. If this is your dog or if  you would like to foster her until her owners are found or until she gets adopted, please contact Cindy at: cm53@earthlink.net

The 2014 edition of 30th Street Craft Market, a great local tradition that began last year, will take place tomorrow (Friday, July 11) on The Porch, the outdoor public space located at 30th Street Station. The event was rescheduled from June 13 due to rain.

As always, the organizers – the University City District and VIX Emporium – have lined up some of Philly’s finest artists and artisans, who will present unique handmade items: jewelry, ceramics, prints, stationery, clothing, home accents, bath & body products, children’s gifts and more. The craft market will feature over 30 artisans working in different media. The VIX Emporium website features some of the amazing artists and their work made from recycled materials, including wood, bicycle tires, leather scraps, silver and hardware and more.

Apart from the arts and crafts, tomorrow’s 30th Street Craft Market will feature food vendors, including Hot Diggity, Say Cheese, Sum Pig, and live entertainment. Check out the event’s Facebook page for more details and the full vendor list.

The craft market runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photo via Greensgrow.org

On Thursday, July 10, Greensgrow Farms, one of Philadelphia’s most successful urban farms, is launching their second year of the SNAP Box Program, a low-cost weekly farm share. As many of you know, Greensgrow recently opened a West Philly location, Greensgrow West, at 4912 Baltimore Ave, so now West Philly residents participating in the program can pick up boxes filled with farm-fresh produce in or close to their neighborhood.

The SNAP Box program gives low-income families using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits access to top-quality fruits and vegetables from local farms. SNAP Box participants visit the farm weekly and use their SNAP benefits to pay $6.50 for an assortment of five to eight produce items. The Food Trust will be contributing Philly Food Bucks, giving families the opportunity to stretch their SNAP benefits by providing an extra $10 in coupons per session.

SNAP box pickups will begin July 10 and run in three four-week sessions throughout the summer. In addition, participants are provided nutritional information and are encouraged to attend free cooking classes after picking up their share. They also receive recipes corresponding to the contents of the week’s produce, and information about the farms who contributed to the share.

The SNAP Box is a product of Greensgrow’s Local Initiative for Food Education (LIFE) program, conceived as a remedy to the lack of fresh food available to low-income communities.

Greensgrow provides two farm share pickup locations in West Philadelphia. Here are the schedules:

Greensgrow Farms Mobile Market, 37th and Lancaster Avenue • Thursdays • 3:30–6:30 p.m.

Greensgrow West, 4912 Baltimore Avenue • Saturdays • 12:00–2:00 p.m.

Interested families can sign up here.

For more information or if you have questions, contact Deirdre Sheehy at SNAPbox@greensgrow.org or 215-430-0556 or visit the SNAP Box program website.

Henry IV cast members: Marla Burkholder, Brian Ratcliffe, Brian Anthony Wilson and Jennifer Kidwell. (Photo by Jen Cleary/Shakespeare in Clark Park Facebook page)

The awesome people who bring Shakespeare plays to Clark Park every summer have prepared something of epic proportions this year. Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP) is teaming up with Team Sunshine Performance Corporation (TSPC) for an unprecedented collaboration featuring a five-night production of Shakespeare’s HENRY IV, intimate pre-show events at the Gojjo and a nightly conversation station in the park.

The play, titled HENRY IV: YOUR PRINCE AND MINE, combines aspects of both Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, and features a community army of over 100 soldiers, selected during a multi-month open call. The army encompasses a diverse array of folks, ranging in age from 13-59, and representing 36 neighborhoods. The production also stars leading performers of stage and film including Brian Anthony Wilson, Charlie DelMarcelle, and Brian Ratcliffe, and is directed by TSPC’s Co-Founder and Resident Director, Alex Torra.

The shows are scheduled for July 30 – August 3, beginning at 7 p.m. Continue Reading