It’s this time of the year again. As May 31st approaches and leases end, local graduate students are moving out and leaving a lot of stuff behind this week. Local residents fondly call it “Penn Christmas” since the move-out detritus often yields a tasty score or two, from Ikea furniture to designer clothes.

Hot spots for sidewalk finds are often near the large Dumpsters placed around the neighborhood (41st and Spruce, 45th and Pine, 43rd and Pine are a few). What doesn’t wind up in the Dumpster will often find its way to the PennMoves sale, which is this Saturday, June 2.

Clothes, furniture, kitchen items, electronics and many other items have been collected and sorted for the sale, which will be held at Penn’s South Bank at 3401 Grays Ferry Ave. Getting there early is the key. A $5 entry fee gets you in for the sneak preview from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. From 10 a.m.–3 p.m. you can get in for free but a lot of the good stuff might be gone. All items are sold “as is” with no returns accepted.

Free parking is available, and Penn Transit will provide free shuttle service to and from campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shuttles will pick up riders at the Schattner Center at 240 S. 40th St. (at Locust) approximately every 20 minutes. They’ll bring you and some small items back, but the shuttle won’t haul big items like furniture and appliances.

PennMOVES is organizing the sale for the fifth year, in an effort to find a home for items Penn students leave behind at the end of the academic year. Proceeds will go to Goodwill Industries.

The Fire Marshall’s office is investigating a fire at a three-story residential building near 45th and Baltimore that broke out early this afternoon. Firefighters were called to the scene at 12:49 p.m. and the fire was out about 20 minutes later. No injuries were reported.

Here are some photos of the fire submitted by neighbors.

Photo by Jen Horner.

Photo by D.W.

Great news for West Philly’s Tool Library and Neighborhood Bike Works – both organizations received enough votes from the Facebook community to be awarded $25,000 grants as part of State Farm Insurance’s nationwide “Cause An Effect” grant program. Causes were submitted by individuals via Facebook to help build safer, stronger, and better educated communities (over 3,000 causes were submitted!). 40 out of 100 finalists received the grants based on the highest number of votes. See all the winners here.

“Earn-a-Bike Education” cause will allow Neighborhood Bike Works to offer five 8-week after-school Earn-a-Bike classes, providing a total of 60 youth with free, enriching programming. Youths involved will be introduced to safe urban riding, health and nutrition.

After learning of their win, West Philly Tool Library’s Michael Froehlich said that “this could be a real game changer for the Tool Library. Thanks to State Farm Insurance and the hundreds of people that voted for us, we now have $25,000 to spend on new tools and programming. We’re incredibly thankful to everyone for their support. We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: West Philly is the Best Philly.”

Thank you to everyone who voted and helped these two amazing local programs win the grant.

Don’t miss this chance to get rid of your old batteries, paints, glue, cleaners, moth balls and other hazardous stuff. The Streets Department is organizing a Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off event this Saturday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 1st District Highway Yard at 4800 Parkside Avenue (see the map below).

Not sure what qualifies for hazardous waste? Check product labels for any of these key words: TOXIC (pesticides, antifreeze, etc.), FLAMMABLE (gasoline, paint thinner), CORROSIVE (acids, drain cleaner), and REACTIVE (chlorine bleach, pool cleaner). NOTE: Oil-based paints are okay to bring, but Latex paint is not hazardous. Go to this page for the full list of hazardous materials accepted at this drop-off.

You can also bring your old computers and monitors because they contain potentially hazardous elements when disposed of in the trash.

For more information, call 215-686-5560 or visit: www.philadelphiastreets.com.

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The Old School Game Night scheduled for tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. in Clark Park has been postponed due to rain. The new date is Tuesday, May 22, according to the Friends of Clark Park website. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate next week.

Folks who work, study or live in the area near 30th Street Station will soon have a convenient opportunity to buy fresh produce and healthy foods from local farmers. The Porch, a public space that opened near the station last fall, will have its own Farmer’s Market every Wednesday, beginning May 16. The market will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Here’s a list of participating vendors:

Brulee Bakery
Brulee Bakery serves bread, brownies, gluten-free treats, quiches, muffins and scones.

Frecon Farms
Frecon Farms sells fresh fruit, fruit butter, cider and cut flowers.

FreshaPeel Hummus
A fresh approach to hummus infused with natural ingredients and with flavors such as lemon kale, jalapeno, tomato basil, pumpkin, and spicy black bean.

John & Kira’s
Gourmet, artisan chocolate gifts and handmade confections.

McCann’s Farm
A third generation farming family from Elk Township, NJ with a full line of farm fresh produce, fruits and herbs.

Mompops
Homemade gourmet popsicles such as chocolate banana, strawberry cream, cantaloupe, mango, lemon-lime, strawberry basil, and peaches and cream.

MyHouse Cookies
Old fashioned, hand-crafted cookies, pies and quiches baked in small batches.

Spruce Hill Farm
Spruce Hill Farm features a variety of seasonal vegetables, herbs and cut flowers.

There will also be some supplemental programming for the first twelve weeks of the market, with Give and Take Jugglers and Citywide Specials musical ensemble entertaining the shoppers.

The Porch Farmer’s Market is produced by University City District in partnership with Farm to City.