It’s hot out there. As more city pools are starting to open, more residents get a chance to cool off. Reader Alex Lewis snapped this photo right before the Kingsessing Pool (49th & Kingsessing) opened for the season last Friday. “As you can see, I wasn’t the only one eager to cool off on a hot summer day. I live just a few blocks from the pool and it’s a joy to have it finally be available, especially as the temperature only seems to rising every day,” Alex writes.

Check this post to find a neighborhood pool or spray ground in your area.

This is a  reminder that the fasting month of Ramadan began on June 28 and some local businesses will be closed or will have limited hours of operation in observance of the holiday.

Saad’s Halal restaurant at 45th and Walnut is closed until Saturday, Aug 2, according to the signs posted on its windows.

Photo from Manakeesh Facebook page.

Manakeesh, a Lebanese cafe and bakery located across the street from Saads, is closed during the day to observe Ramadan, but opens in the evening, from 8 p.m. to midnight. The special Ramadan hours are in effect until Tuesday, July 29. Manakeesh is inviting residents to try their special menu during this month: specialty burgers, stuffed grape leaves with lamb and more (see their Facebook page for more info).

Kabobeesh restaurant (42nd and Chestnut), a great Pakistani food joint, will have regular hours during Ramadan and will be serving free Iftar Sampler plates to everyone fasting during this month, according to their Facebook page. No purchase is necessary.

“Ramadan Mubarak” to our Muslim neighbors!

New pet waste station on 45th St.

Dog owners who live around S 44th/45th and Pine/Spruce streets have something to be happy about. The area that lacks regular trash cans, now has two brand new pet waste stations on 44th and 45th streets between Spruce and Pine, next to the apartment buildings owned by Campus Apartments.

There was a pet waste basket on 45th Street before but it broke and was removed a few months ago. Earlier this month, we reached out to Campus Apartments to let them know about the basket, that it was broken and asked if they were responsible. We didn’t hear back, but a couple of weeks ago two new pet waste stations were installed near Campus Apartment buildings. That’s a great response! We even noticed bags in the pet waste dispenser.

Wouldn’t it be great to have more such stations installed around the neighborhoods? As part of our research for the recent trash can story, we learned that trash receptacles are a joint responsibility among community organizations, block captains, and the city. So why don’t pet waste baskets and bags fall under their responsibility as well? It would be very helpful to local dog owners and help keep our streets and sidewalks cleaner (we’re talking about responsible dog owners, of course, since there are those who don’t pick up after their dogs).

As for the pet waste stations themselves, they’re supplied by Great American Property Management Products and cost as low as $99 for the starter and $299 for the deluxe.

Click to enlarge.

The Friends of Malcolm X Park and local resident, historian and educator Rhone Fraser are teaming up to bring dramatic readings of seven historical plays to the park located at 51st and Pine Streets. The focus is on dramas dealing with important figures and events in African American history. The series, titled “Readings At The X,” will kick off July 8 and will be presented every Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m., until August 26 (see the flier for more details).

Currently, the organizers are raising funds for this community theater project. $3,000 is being raised to pay the venue, actors (some are coming from New York and Washington, DC), and videographer who will record the readings (not for commercial purposes). A portion of the raised funds will go to the Friends of Malcolm X Park for future events.

If you would like to support this project or want to learn more about it, please visit this Indiegogo page. There is only one week left to help the project with your donation.

Former West Philly resident, musician and teacher Joshua Marcus and his friend, West Philly artist and filmmaker Nate Johnson, have teamed up to produce this beautiful Appalachian-inflected tour of West Philly – including The Woodlands Cemetery and 30th Street Station – as kind of a send-off for Joshua, who is moving on. Some of Joshua’s friends also join him for some porch jamming to some of his latest songs, available here.

We’d like to share some awesome news that came from the Pew organization. A whole bunch of West Philly-based artists, organizations and projects have recently been awarded prestigious and substantial Pew grants.

Here they are:

University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative

The University City District (UCD) has been awarded an $180,000 grant from Pew Charitable Trusts for continued support of the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, a program that connects local employers seeking talent to talented West Philadelphians seeking opportunity. The University City District was one of 45 Philadelphia-area organizations to receive money from the Pew Fund for Health and Human Services, the primary vehicle through which The Pew Charitable Trusts supports the efforts of health and social service organizations in the Philadelphia region. The money will allow the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to continue and improve its service of providing training and employment to low-income individuals in the district.

This is the second grant the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative has received from Pew. The first was awarded in 2011 and helped launch the program.

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (the Center) recently announced its 2014 grants in support of Philadelphia’s arts and cultural community. They include 12 new Pew Fellowships of $60,000 each, 35 Project Grants in amounts up to $300,000, and two Advancement Grants of $500,000 each, according to Nicole Steinberg, Center Communications Specialist.

Pew Fellow Ted Passon

The Center recognized the accomplishments and work of filmmaker and Emmy-nominated director Ted Passon, who lives in the West Philadelphia area. Passon’s recent documentary films unpack complicated social and political issues, while reflecting the underlying human emotions at play.

Here are also some funded projects in the area:

Liberian Women’s Chorus for Change: Fatu Gayflor, Marie Nyenabo, Zaye Tete, and Tokay Tomah. (Photo by Anna Mulé, courtesy of the Philadelphia Folklore Project)

Philadelphia Folklore Project: Liberian Women’s Chorus for Change

Led by 2014 Pew Fellow Fatu Gayflor, the Liberian Women’s Chorus for Change addresses urgent issues of violence against women in the Liberian community, fostering conversation and generating action through song. The Philadelphia Folklore Project will present the Chorus in local Liberian neighborhoods as well as in concerts at World Café Live and other venues.

Iquail Shaheed: Pushers

Pushers will examine issues of addiction in Shaheed’s neighborhood, the underserved area of Mantua in West Philadelphia. Shaheed will conduct exploratory workshops with youth participants in Mantua, and he will collaborate with outside artists on the script and music for the performances, including playwright and MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney. Shaheed is a first-time Center grantee.

WXPN: Zydeco Crossroads

This yearlong project will examine the evolution of zydeco, a musical form that blends Cajun music, blues, and R&B. Multiple concert performances will showcase celebrated zydeco musicians and explore the genre’s intersections with hip-hop, soul, and rock. Music documentarian Robert Mugge will also create a new film on zydeco, to be screened at a culminating weekend festival in fall 2015.