Looped In, three social seating structures, popped up in Clark Park’s northern section earlier this week and will stay for a few weeks.

Clark Park was buzzing today, with several events taking place at the same time. Philly’s first Pétanque tournament was held in the circle of the northern section of the park. The tournament participants were trying to concentrate on their shots while the sounds from a kids’ concert, organized by the acclaimed Tune Up Philly afterschool program, and from Clark Park’s Farmers’ Market filled the air. The pétanque players also tried to avoid hitting new seating structures, called Looped In, which were installed in the circle a couple of days ago. Check out more photos below.

Local kids enrolled in the “Tune Up Philly” afterschool program performed on Saturday in Clark Park.

You can use the Looped In seating any way you like.

The 1st Philadelphia Petanque Tournament was held in Clark Park today, in the same circle where the Looped In structures were installed. The French game of boules is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide.

The Clark Park Farmer’s Market is every Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Here’s an assortment of events happening in the area this weekend. We hope this list is not too overwhelming. Enjoy your weekend and the warm weather while it lasts. For more upcoming events or if you want to submit an event, visit the West Philly Events Calendar.

Friday, October 4

Bindlestiff Books hosting author Stewart Acuff – 4530 Baltimore Avenue – 7:00 p.m. – This Friday, Bindlestiff Books will host Stewart Acuff, author of Playing Bigger Than You Are: A Life in Organizing. Acuff has spent more than 30 years as a union organizer, including several successful organizing campaigns in the south and serving as national Organizing Director for the AFL-CIO from 2001-2008. The event will be at the bookstore; copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Photo by Kyle Cassidy.

Romeo and Juliet – Curio Theatre (4740 Baltimore Avenue) – 8:00 p.m. – Curio Theatre Company is continuing its season with a production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Curio is taking a very different look at the story by exploring gender roles – they made the decision to case Romeo and Juliet as two teenaged daughters of warring families. The young women fall desperately in love and set off a heartbreaking chain of events.  The same-sex casting proves the universality of Shakespeare’s immortal tragedy of pure, teenage love. Previews begin October 3. The show opens Friday, October 11 and runs through November 2. All performances are at 8 p.m. For more info and tickets ($20), go here. Continue Reading

Volunteer soccer coaches with young players at Clark Park. Photo courtesy Clark Park Youth Soccer.

Do you enjoy playing soccer and know a little bit about the game? Do you like running around and having fun with kids? If so, read on.

The Clark Park Youth Soccer program is still looking for volunteer coaches for their Fall season, which starts on Saturday, Sept. 28 and continues until November 23. It takes place on Saturdays at Clark Park, with age groups 5-6 and 6-7 playing from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and age groups 7-8 and 9-11 playing from noon to 1:30 p.m. Volunteer coaches are asked to commit to being there most of the Saturdays through the season, but there will be three to four coaches assigned to each team so that you’ll always have backup.

Clark Park Soccer is a non-competitive program, aiming to give kids of any ability the opportunity to have fun, get some exercise, and learn the basic skills of the game. Coaches of all ages and abilities are welcome; the only requirement is that you like to have fun!

To read more about this program visit this page, or email: clarkparksoccer@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local

Last night, Curio Theatre opened its 2013-2014 season with its free production of Washington Irving’s classic 19th century short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” at the “Bowl” in Clark Park on 43rd Street and Chester Avenue. A full crowd of mostly families hunkered down on the grass as they listened to the story of Ichabod Crane (played by company member Josh Hitchens, who adapted “Sleepy Hollow” for stage) and his fateful encounter with the headless horseman.

During the 45-minute show, Hitchens and his fellow actors, Rachel Gluck as Crane’s love interest Katrina Van Tassel and Chris Braak as his rival Brom Van Brunt, moved around the simplistic set with quiet intensity as several torches and a small crackling campfire illuminated the scene. Sound effects, provided by Eli Halpern (who played The Musician), filled the atmosphere as Crane’s story unfolded.

Make sure to catch “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” at Clark Park before it closes on September 8. The remaining shows are on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 7:30 p.m.

West Philly is the place to be this weekend (and all week for that matter). Actually it kicks off today. Here’s a little guide we compiled to help you figure out what to do. If you know of more events that your friends and neighbors should know about please post them as a comment below.

Thursday, Sept 5

• Free events and art installations at Clark Park’s Farmers’ Market (43rd & Baltimore), 3-7 p.m. For more information click here.

Friday, Sept 6

• The 2013 Fringe Festival kicks off at various locations around the city. For more information on the festival events in West Philly, check our story here.
• Free performance by Man Man at The Porch at 30th Street Station (30th & Market), noon. Presented by WXPN, this very special outdoor “Free At Noon” concert will feature Philadelphia-based Man Man, who come celebrating the September 10th release of On Oni Pond, a compelling mash-up of Fear Of Music-era Talking Heads, classic soul, psychedelia, hip-hop, and 50’s rock and roll.
• Curio Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Clark Park “B” (43rd & Chester, in the bowl), 7:30 p.m., Free. Curio brings the unforgettable legend of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman to Clark Park for three nights, beginning Friday. There will be live music, cool sound effects and a real campfire. Bring a lawn chair/blanket/food/wine and prepare to be scared!
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This Fall local kids will have more opportunities to try the world’s greatest game in an organized manner without leaving their neighborhood. Starting in September, Soccer Shots, a national program created under the guidance of childhood education specialists, professional soccer players, and experienced and licensed soccer coaches, will bring youth soccer to Cedar Park (49th & Baltimore). The program uses creative and age-appropriate curricula and structures activities through a mixture of play and learning basic soccer skills.

The Soccer Shots Fall season runs from September 14 through November 16 and serves kids ages 2-4 (there will be two age groups: 2 year olds and 3-to-4 year olds). Soccer Shots will run for two hours (participants can choose one of three 40-minute sessions) once a week on Saturday mornings on two small grass sections of the park. There is a registration fee of $90 to $108 and you can register your child online at: http://philly.ssreg.org

The new Soccer Shots program will supplement the neighborhood’s long established Clark Park Youth Soccer League, which runs from September 28 to November 23. This volunteer-run program enrolls children ages 5-11 and is held at Clark Park (43rd & Chester) on Saturdays, 10:30-Noon and Noon to 1:30. This is a lower cost program ($20 per season) and “soccership” funds are available where there is financial need.

More information about the program, and the registration forms are available here.