The Spruce Hill Community Association’s (SHCA) Business Association Committee was formed earlier this year to work on several things in support of SHCA’s efforts to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. These efforts include figuring out what the neighborhood wants and doesn’t want in terms of storefronts. To get a better idea of your interests and opinions, the committee is conducting a survey of retail preferences in the neighborhood and inviting community members to participate. Later this month, SHCA will be distributing a newsletter to every resident in the neighborhood that will include an invitation to participate in the survey, according to Lee Huang, the committee chair.

The 10-question survey is now available online. Residents can also email shca.bac@gmail.com to request a copy of the survey.

Some of the survey questions include: What kind of retail would you like or not like to see in the neighborhood? What is your favorite business? What retail locations need the most improvement? For more information about Spruce Hill, including its borders, visit: http://www.sprucehillca.org/about/

University City Kiwanis, a local chapter of international service club that unites young professionals in the Philadelphia area, is organizing a great charity event this upcoming Saturday and invites everyone to participate. Registration is now open for the 4th Annual Kiwanis International Charity Kickball Social (KICKS) which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, from noon-4 p.m. in West Fairmount Park (Belmont Plateau, 2000 Belmont Mansion Drive). Proceeds from the event will benefit Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that provides essentials to homeless and low-income children in Philadelphia. Prizes and raffles will also be available.

Registration fee is $20 if you register before midnight on Friday, Oct 18 or $25 onsite (11 a.m.-noon). The fees include games, lunch and a t-shirt. Click here to register for the event. More information about the event and University City Kiwanis is available here. For questions, email: kicks@uckiwanis.com.

(Photo via uckiwanis.com)

Photo via schoolclosingcollective.tumblr.com.

Thankfully a lot of artists were around over the spring and summer to document the closure of Philadelphia public schools and the devastating blow those closings dealt to students, parents, teachers and neighborhoods across the city.

This Wednesday, Oct. 16, you can see the work of the Philadelphia School Closing Photo Collective up close and personal at the Scribe Video Center (4212 Chestnut St., 3rd floor) beginning at 6 p.m. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will feature about 50 images from schools around the city.

Also on Wednesday, you can catch the new documentary, Goodbye to City Schools (see trailer below), directed by filmmaker and Howard University lecturer Amy Yeboah for the Philadelphia Public School Notebook. The 30-minute film starts at 7 p.m. and admission is $5 (free for Scribe members). Yeboah will also be screening her film (Re)Inscribing Meaning, also 30 minutes, which is about “how closing the excellence gap for Black youth in the face of disruption begins at home with the Black family.” Yeboah will be on hand for both screenings.

Here’s a description of Goodbye to City Schools from the Scribe Video Center website:

Goodbye to City Schools focuses on experiences of staff, students, families, and community members of Germantown, Bok and University City High schools, and Fairhill Elementary school, Goodbye to City Schools reveals stories on the impact of closing 24 public schools in the City of Philadelphia. The interviews, observations and photos present a deep narrative that extends beyond the words “school closing.”
 

Trailer “Goodbye to City Schools” from Amy Yeboah on Vimeo.

Here’s an assortment of events taking place in the area this weekend. We hope that the rainy weather will not dampen your fun. For more upcoming events or if you want to submit an event, visit the Events Calendar.

Friday, Oct 11

• Second Fridays on Lancaster – various locations on Lancaster Avenue between 35th and 39th Sts (see flyer) – 5:30 – 10:00 p.m. – Join your neighbors and celebrate the arts on Lancaster Avenue. The event will feature art openings, African artifacts, vintage jewelry, clothing and accessories, handmade candles and cards, garden-fresh vegetables, live music, cafe, and outdoor grilled jerk chicken! More information is available on the event’s Facebook page.

• Jump ‘N Funk – Penn Museum (3260 South St) – 6:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. – Penn Museum invites young professionals for a night of music, dance, and networking at this late-night event. DJ Rich Medina and partner Mark Hines take center stage for the evening (8:00 pm to 12:00 am) introducing guests to dance, music, and visual display inspired by late African musical icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti. A pre-event Professionals Garden Party in the Museum’s Warden Garden off the Kamin Entrance runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm (cash bar). Guests are also invited to wander the Museum galleries and take in special exhibitions, including the critically acclaimed Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the War Poster. Admission to  Jump ‘n Funk, including Penn Museum admission, is just $10. Buying tickets in advance is recommended. Click here for more info.

• Romeo and Juliet opens at Curio Theatre – 4740 Baltimore Ave – 8:00 p.m. – This Friday, there’s an opening night of the widely discussed Curio Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Even The New York Times did a story on it. We hear that the opening night is sold out but there are 10 more nights remaining. The shows are every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Oct 11 – Nov 2. To buy tickets and for more information, visit this page.

Saturday, Oct 12

• Octoberfest, 6th Annual Community Festival – on 60th Street between Chestnut and Locust – 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Residents are invited to the 6^th Annual Community Festival called Octoberfest. The festival, which takes place on 60^th Street between Walnut to Locust, will have something for people of all ages. From bounce houses and face painting for the kids, to blood pressure and dental screens for adults, table games, zumba, line dancing, and musical performances throughout the day. The event is co-sponsored by the 60^th Street West Market Business Association. See the flyer for more information.

• From “Farm to Ford” Garden Court Neighborhood Tour – Lea Elementary School Courtyard (47th & Spruce) – 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Historical tours of West Philly’s Garden Court neighborhood continue. The tour is only $5! For more information and to RSVP, visit the event’s Facebook page.

• Philly Zine Fest 2013 – The Rotunda (40th & Walnut) – Noon – 11:00 p.m. – From The Rotunda website: “The Fest showcases local artists and zinesters, as well as zine distros, bringing DIY, radical, whimsical, and artistic small press publications to the public. Ranging from bike repair to poetry to crafts, the Zine Fest is a great place to go to learn new things, connect with local writers, and get involved with creating new forms of accessible media.” Check this page for more information on the festival events or go to: http://phillyzinefest.com/.

Sunday, Oct 13

• Second Sunday Culture Film: Maestra (2011) – Penn Museum – 2:00 p.m. – The Second Sunday Culture Films series kicks off with Maestra, a 2011 documentary about volunteer female teachers who joined the Cuban Literacy Campaign. This year’s series focuses on individual stories of resistance to cultural change, often in the face of imminent threats of violence. Information about the full series is available online.

The leaves are falling and the weather has turned a bit. It’s already October and we’ll be posting information on upcoming Halloween events in the area. This post is dedicated to spooky and ghostly happenings the staff at the Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion (40th & Woodland) have prepared for local residents and visitors. This is the first year that The Woodlands is offering so many Halloween-themed events – and they’re collaborating on a lot of them with other local organizations and businesses. Are you ready to get frightened? Then read on. (By the way, stay tuned for future posts on our annual pumpkin carving contest.)

Spirits of The Woodlands: Haunted Cemetery Tours

This October, Curio Theatre Company and The Woodlands are teaming up to present Spirits of The Woodlands: Haunted Cemetery Tours. For three nights only (October 24, 25, and 26), you can experience The Woodlands as you’ve never seen it by taking a guided tour after dark to some of the final resting places of the Cemetery’s most notorious residents. You’ll hear torrid tales, spooky stories, and scary spirits abound this Halloween (and you’ll even be invited to join the hauntings in a mausoleum). There are six tours every night, starting at 8:00 p.m., and a limited number of tickets ($20/person) are available. To buy tickets, click here.

The Return of Edgar Allan Poe

The night of mystery and macabre is back by popular demand. Literary historian and playwright Rob Velella returns to bring the work of Edgar Allan Poe to life on Tuesday, Oct 15, from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m. Valella will demonstrate some of Poe’s most loved works. After the performance, you’ll have the unique opportunity for a nighttime cemetery walk to visit Poe’s contemporary, Timothy Shay Arthur, at his eternal resting spot. Also a writer, Arthur was a fellow member of the literary coterie Seven Stars. Tickets for this event ($15) are available here.

All Hallow’s Read

Little ones and grown-ups alike are invited to this fun event. Books about monsters, pumpkins, goblins and ghosts, fall books, harvest books, and other seasonal reads will be hidden throughout the cemetery in age-appropriate sections and the book will be on on Saturday, Oct 19, 1:00-3:00 p.m. To sweeten the deal, cold treats from Weckerly’s Ice Cream will be provided! (In case of rain, this event will be held on Sunday, Oct 20 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.)

Halloween 

Finally, bring your kids for some treats at the mansion on Halloween day (October 31) from noon-4 p.m. before the tot parade in Spruce Hill.

To learn more about The Woodlands and upcoming events at the historic cemetery and mansion, visit: http://woodlandsphila.org/.

As we reported earlier, a 23-year-old man was shot multiple times and killed at the intersection of 54th Street and Florence Avenue on Sunday night. Police identified the man as Devin Hatch, who lived on the 5600 block of Florence Avenue. Five other men were wounded in the shooting, one critically. A crowd of people was outside Los Papi Deli & Grocery at 54th Street and Florence Avenue around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6, when a group of four to five gunmen walked up to the corner and opened fire, according to reports.

Devin’s friends and neighbors took to social media to express their grief (#ripdev). According to several tweets, a candlelight vigil for Devin will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the scene of the shooting at 54th and Florence.