The 2012 season of the annual 40th Street Summer Series, the free outdoor concert series in West Philly, starts tomorrow, June 23. Slavic Soul Party (pictured below) will bring a mash-up of Balkan and Gypsy sounds to the green space behind the Walnut Street Free Library at 40th and Walnut Streets, beginning at 6 p.m.

The series of concerts is scheduled for the fourth Saturdays in June to September. Other performers in this series include internationally-renowned ensembles Sun Ra Arkestra, Adventuredrum, and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound with Odean Pope and Dave Liebman. Look for more information on the upcoming performances on our Happenings page.

Complimentary (first come, first served) Rita’s Water Ice will be given out during the performances. Also, for the June and July Summer Series events, Tsirkus Fotografika (“Photographic Circus”) will bring their antique mobile portrait studio and offer free photos to the concert audience.

The series is presented by University of Pennsylvania, University City District (UCD), and The Rotunda. For more information, visit this page.

If you want to learn the basics of riding your bike in the city, come to The Coffee Ride this Saturday, June 23. The event is hosted by Keswick Cycle and Green Line Cafe and will start at 10:15 a.m. at Keswick Cycle (4040 Locust) with a skills clinic. You will learn everything from hand signals to how to properly lock a bike and everything in between. After the skills clinic you will go on a short ride (about 6 miles) through the city to practice the skills you went over in the clinic. The ride will end at Green Line Cafe at 43rd and Baltimore with a relaxing cup of coffee and sweet treats.

Here’s the event’s flyer.

The Porch, the outdoor space at 30th Street Station, is adding a few new things for the summer.

The University City District (UCD) recently received a $375,000 grant from ArtPlace to fund a permanent art piece at The Porch. Prema Katari Gupta, UCD’s Director of Planning and Economic Development said: “We will invite exceptional artists to engage creatively with our site, with our audience, and within our neighborhood context. Art will bring beauty, reflection, and delight to The Porch, as the site continues its evolution.”

One new fun activity to look out for at The Porch is a free nine hole mini golf course open every day in July from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. All you need to bring is a photo ID. A second new project is the opening of a beer garden with German and craft beers, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and Italian sausage sandwiches by Bridgewater’s Pub. The beer garden will include live music and is open July 12 (4-8pm), July 13 (noon-8pm), and July 14 (noon-5pm).

The Porch will exhibit two new visual art works. The first is a representational and experiential exhibit by Pew Fellow Nami Yamamoto. She is installing a Hakoniwa, Japanese for miniature garden as well as a form of psychotherapy called “sandplay therapy.” The therapy method involves subjects who order and design items within a sandbox. Nami’s art will recreate this form of therapy across the concrete of the porch.

Also, Justin Duerr’s Anaesthasia Emeralda Lucian piano, designed for UCD’s Heart and Soul piano project will be on display and ready for play at The Porch.

– Erica Kimmel

Popular summer after-work happy hour and entertainment destination, PM @ Penn Museum Summer Nights series returns this Wednesday, June 20, at 5 p.m. Summer Nights features weekly international music performances at the lush garden setting at Penn Museum (3260 South Street). It is also a good opportunity to visit the museum. Tickets are only $5 and include museum admission.

The series kicks off with a performance by Barakka, a Philadelphia-based group with Turkish roots. Barakka will present Middle Eastern folk and rock fusion sounds.

All Summer Nights performances take place in the Penn Museum’s Stoner Courtyard and occur rain or shine. Food and drinks are available for purchase at the venue. The series will run until August 29. For more information, go here.

Check out the full performance lineup (from www.penn.museum).

June 20 – Barakka
The series kicks off with this Philadelphia-based, multi-ethnic group specializing in Turkish folk-rock with a mix of eastern and western instrumentation including guitar, oud, drums, bass, darbuka, and keyboards. www.myspace.com/bariskaya

June 27 – Tres Compadres
This modern flamenco ensemble combines jazz and Latin influences with spirited dance rhythms for a vibrant live performance, with special appearances from flamenco dancer Inez del Mar, vocalist Farah Siraj, and jazz flutist Tim Shay. www.trescompadresband.com

July 11 – Zydeco-A-Go-Go
With Creole Zydeco and Cajun 2steps, this group combines funky New Orleans rhythm and blues and vintage Louisiana rock and roll into a spicy gumbo of irresistible dance music. www.wix.com/petegumbo/zaggwood

July 18 – Klingon Klez
Prepare for warp drive! This eclectic band plays good old-fashioned, heartwarming, rompin’, stompin’ fun-for-the-whole-family klezmer/funk fusion from other planets! www.klingonklezmer.com

July 25 – Magdaliz and Her Trio Crisol
This Latin ensemble is dedicated to the interpretation of folk and traditional music from all over Latin America and the Caribbean, using Puerto Rican boleros, Cuban sones, Mexican mariachi music, Colombian cumbias, Dominican merengues, and much more. www.triocrisol.com

August 1 – Incendio
A Latin world fusion group from Los Angeles, Incendio balances romantic Spanish guitar with rock-style energy and inspired on-stage improvisation. www.incendioband.com

August 8 – Minas
Presenting originals from their CD collection, as well as Brazilian classics, this duo displays multiple talents as vocalists, instrumentalists, and composers with an impressive grasp of awide range of Brazilian musical idioms. www.minasmusic.com

August 15 – La Pequeña Marimba Internacional
This family band focuses on Guatemalan folk music, but also include a smattering of international music like cumbria, merengue, bolero and more.

August 22 – Animus
This internationally acclaimed ensemble, led by Bill Koutsouros, offers an exciting fusion of ancient and modern music with traditional elements of Greek, Rock, Middle Eastern, Blues, Indian, Jazz, African, and more. www.animusmusic.com

August 29 – West Philadelphia Orchestra
An eclectic ensemble made up of Philly’s finest and wildest musicians, this group gets listeners moving with the poignant melodies and the frenetic, propulsive rhythms of Eastern Europe. www.westphiladelphiaorchestra.com

The University City District (UCD) is inviting the public to a celebration of dirt tomorrow. Actually, a celebration of really high quality dirt.

The Dirt Factory, UCD’s new public compost facility, located in a vacant lot near 43rd and Market, officially opens tomorrow and there will be free food and drinks, music and a lot of dirt talk.

The Dirt Factory features two huge, “Earth Tub” composters, each with a capacity of 3,200 pounds. The Pedal Co-op will pick up compostable material from local businesses and residents and deliver it to the site, which is located at 4308 Market St. Residents can also drop off material. All of that will be combined with leaves from sidewalks and streets around the neighborhood to produce compost, which will then be available to residents for gardening projects.

Besides the big commercial composters, the site will feature smaller, residential composters that will be used to demonstrate how home composting works. A few raised beds are also on the lot to demonstrate best practices in urban gardening.

The name for the facility was chosen from 86 suggestions. Stephen Metzger and Carina Giamerese will get 6 months of free compost pick-up from The Pedal Co-op for the winning name.

Wednesday’s opening ceremony runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature food and drink from Dock Street Brewing Co., Four Worlds Bakery and Little Baby’s Ice Cream.

Stay tuned for more info and hours of operation.

If you love movies and hate overpriced theater tickets, Schuylkill Banks has the solution. Taking advantage of the summer warmth, they are offering free movie nights under the Walnut Street Bridge (S. 25^th and Walnut Streets on the East side of the river) every other Thursday this summer, beginning this week with the 2011 hit The Muppets starring Jason Segal and Amy Adams. The screenings are completely free for anyone, and if you get there early, free snacks will be available. There is also a free raffle with prizes from Philadelphia Runner before the film starts. The movies will begin at dusk (some time between 7:45 and 8:30 depending on the day), so make sure to get there before the sun goes down, especially if you’re interested in the snacks or the raffle.

The films being offered this summer include this Thursday’s The Muppets, the original 1933 King Kong (6/28), and last year’s Oscar nominee Moneyball (8/23), among others shown later this summer. Check out the official site for a full list of films, and the approximate start time for each. In the event of rain make sure to check the calendar on the Schuylkill Banks homepage to see if there’s a cancellation. Rain dates are July 19 and August 30. Take advantage of this opportunity and grab your picnic blanket on Thursday and head down to the river to catch a great flick for free!

– Kelly Lawler