Jaleel Shaw’s Band performed at the 11th Annual Lancaster Ave Jazz & Arts Festival in July 2017. (Photo by Kevin Smith)

Come July, the Lancaster Avenue Jazz and Arts Festival, a great summer tradition in the Powelton neighborhood, will return to Saunders Park. The National Endowment for the Arts has recently announced that it will support this year’s festival with a Challenge America grant of $10,000.

The NEA has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of its first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. The Challenge America category features NEA support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations – those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability, according to the announcement.  Continue Reading

West Philly’s Curio Theatre kicks off the new year this week with David Adjmi’s Marie Antoinette, a modern take on one of European history’s most infamous characters.

Adjmi’s take on the French queen introduces us to a woman who embodies artifice, excess and privilege while the mood in the streets grows hostile.  Continue Reading

Photo from Kol Tzedek Facebook page.

Community members have a chance this Friday to show their support for our Muslim neighbors outside of a local mosque, the site of last week’s anti-Muslim protest. The event, titled “Stand with Muslims”, is organized by Kol Tzedek synagogue and the West Philly Coalition Against Islamophobia. It will take place from noon to 1 p.m. at 43rd and Walnut where Masjid al-Jamia mosque is located.

“Last week there was a small but very disturbing Islamophobic protest outside Masjid Al-Jamia, the mosque at 43rd and Walnut, during Friday prayers,” reads a Facebook post by Kol Tzedek dedicated to the event. “Please join Kol Tzedek and the West Philly Coalition Against Islamophobia to show our support for our Muslim neighbors and stand in solidarity with them.”  Continue Reading

The Eagles Super Bowl Parade will be held this Thursday (Feb. 8). Please note the following road closures in the University City area and city service changes due to the parade.

The following streets will be closed to vehicular traffic on Thursday, Feb. 8, from 12 p.m. until approximately 9 p.m.:

• I-76 on and off ramps to 30th Street and South Street
• Streets surrounding 30th Street Station
• Spring Garden Street Bridge
• JFK Boulevard Bridge

Residential trash and recycling collection will be suspended on Thursday, but will resume on Friday, delayed by one day for the rest of the week.  Continue Reading

Here’s some exciting news from Philly Homebrew Outlet (PHO). The local shop, which has locations in Kensington and West Philly, has recently expanded to New Jersey, where they have also started offering free classes on Thursdays. But that’s not all. Now their classes have their own Facebook event pages with more information instead of general posts on their Facebook/Twitter pages. As of now events will be published a week prior to the event date.

Philly Homebrew Outlet will continue to have all classes listed on their website calendar. You can check it out here. This month at PHO West, located at 1314 S. 47th St., you can learn Beer Brewing 101 and how to make ginger beer, mead, kombucha champagne, soap and more.  Continue Reading

If you’re not sure of what rights you have as a property renter, you can learn more at this week’s Tenant Rights Workshop in West Philly. The workshop will take place at Blackwell Regional Library (52nd and Sansom) on Wednesday, Jan.24, beginning at 6 p.m. and will cover various issues related to landlords or rental properties, including:

• Threats of eviction
• Concerns about getting priced out of your rental unit
• Discrimination in finding housing
• Questions about your rights as a renter

The workshop is presented by the Tenant Union Representative Network (TURN) and The Enterprise Center (TEC). Their work in the area is supported with funding from the City of Philadelphia’s Division of Housing and Community Development.

For more information, check out the event Facebook page.