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This Friday and Saturday (Nov 15 & 16), Penn Museum and VIX Emporium are teaming up to present one of the first holiday shopping opportunities for local residents and guests – a special two-day craft fair titled “Gifts in the Galleries.” The craft fair means unique, handmade gifts, like jewelry, clothing, accessories, hand knits, ceramics, home wares, original artworks, prints, stationery, soaps, candles and more from over 50 independent artists and craftspeople who will be there in person to present their work.

Gifts In The Galleries will take place in the Kintner and Dietrich galleries and the Widener Lecture Hall, located on the west end of the Museum, near 33rd and Spruce. Admission to the craft show is free, plus guests will receive a coupon for $5 off general museum admission on Saturday, so this is a great opportunity to view the museum’s vast collection of relics from all over the world. On Saturday, visitors are also encouraged to join the free instructional drum circle with internationally renowned Middle Eastern percussionist Joe Tayoun. For more information, go here.

Gifts in the Galleries
Penn Museum (33rd & Spruce)
Friday, Nov 15 – 4-7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov 16 – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Photo from West Philadelphia Orchestra’s Facebook page.

This is a reminder that the always entertaining West Philadelphia Orchestra is coming to the Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore a free concert for kids tonight (Sunday) at 6 p.m. Philly’s Balkan brass band will also have a performance for grown-ups beginning at 7:30 p.m. that will feature Ismail Hakki Fencioğlu and Shtreiml (billed as “Turkish roots and Jewish blues.”) Tickets for this concert range from $5 for Crossroads members to $30 for ticket, which includes donation. The concerts are organized by Crossroads Music; visit their website for more information.

If you want a glimpse of what West Philadelphia Orchestra is about, check out the video below (hint: it’s impossible to sit still when you watch their performances).

A couple of months ago, West Philly Local wrote about the call for short film submissions for the 2013 Sloppy Film Fest. Some of your creative neighbors and friends got busy and put together homemade flicks in a “fast and loose” manner, just like the fest organizers wanted. And now it’s time to check out their work. The Sloppy Film Fest, a free show organized by Project Arts, will take place tonight from 10 – 12 p.m. at Dahlak Paradise (4708 Baltimore Ave). Each film screened at the fest is between 5 and 10 minutes long.

The Sloppy Film Fest has been held on and off for the last 15 years. “The idea is to promote DIY filmmaking,” Project Arts executive director Rich Wexler told West Philly Local back in September. Kids are welcome, at least for the first part of the show, as it will begin with films rated PG and PG-13.

More information is available on the event’s Facebook page. And here’s a teaser:

We can’t get enough of Philly Thriller. The popular local community dance project has grown since its introduction in 2009 and this year included 34 dancers and a long waitlist of those who wanted to be part of the project, according to its founder Rashida Holmes. If you missed Philly Thriller perform this Halloween check out the video below shot by Rich Wexler of Project Arts. Rich also spoke to Rashida about her project and chatted with some Philly Thriller dancers. Enjoy!

Kùlú Mèlé African Dance and Drum Ensemble / Photo credit: Canary Promotion.

From November 6 to 9, West Philly’s Community Education Center in partnership with Drexel University will present the first-ever DanceAfrica Philadelphia, a four-day celebration of traditional and contemporary African dance, music, art and community.

Philadelphia is the sixth major city to present this spectacular event promoting the preservation of African dance and culture. Created by Charles “Baba Chuck” Davis in 1977 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, DanceAfrica has evolved into a weeklong annual celebration of African culture in New York with additional presentations held in cities around the country.

Local performing groups include Kùlú Mèlé African Dance and Drum Ensemble, Kariamu and Company: Traditions and Illstyle & Peace Productions, plus special D.C-based guests Farafina Kan. The Philly festival will also include the Afro Beauty, Health and Wellness Marketplace, the Philadelphia Folklore Project exhibition “Honoring Ancestors of Rhythm, Movement and Place,” family workshops and a lecture on African dance in America.

The festival events will take place at the Community Education Center, Drexel University (3141 Chestnut St) and Philadelphia Folklore Project (735 S. 50th St). Tickets range from $5-$25 and can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com/event/428884. For more information, call the Community Education Center (3500 Lancaster Ave.) at 215 387-1911 or visit: http://www.cecarts.org/wp/danceafrica/.

Peoplehood Parade returns to West Philly streets and Clark Park this Sunday. Archived photo / West Philly Local.

Local parks will host some great community events on Sunday, Nov. 3.

The Spiral Q Theater is bringing its giant puppets back for the annual Peoplehood Parade that will kick off at 1 p.m. near the Paul Robeson House (4951 Walnut St.). The parade will proceed to Clark Park (45th and Chester Ave.) where it will be followed by a pageant at 2:15 p.m. Here’s some more information from the event’s Facebook page:

Join in the Parade!
Individuals, families and friends – all are welcome!
Come to the Paul Robeson House at noon to get a spot in the parade.
Bring your own puppet, costume, fancy parade outfit, your art and/or your heart and jump into the action or join in a Spiral Q section.

The parade organizers are also looking for volunteers who can provide help to seniors from the Renaissance nursing home who would like to join the parade and the action at Clark Park. Volunteers are asked to come to the home between 12:30 and 1 p.m. and bring the seniors in wheelchairs outside to wait for the parade, join the parade as it passes, and then stick with them until about 3 p.m. and bring them back to the home. The nursing home is located at 4712 Chester Avenue, which is a few blocks from Clark Park. If you would like to volunteer please contact Liza Goodell at community@spiralq.org.

Also this Sunday, Vineyard Community Church is inviting community members to a free “Fall Festival” for children in Malcolm X Park (51st and Pine). The event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and will feature fall themed arts and crafts, games, and activities.