Check out some of the latest news, upcoming events and other happenings around the neighborhoods.

• Around 700 homes in Kingsessing were still without gas service on Tuesday night due to a water main break near 56th St and Woodland Ave on Saturday, according to NBC10. The water main break caused a disruption to the natural gas line. Initially 60 homes in the area were affected but during the repair work, hundreds more homes were disconnected from natural gas service as far east as 52nd Street, according to reports.

• Good news for Marigold Kitchen fans! The highly-acclaimed Spruce Hill restaurant, whose owner Robert Halpern is moving on (and moving out of the state), is not closing after all, as was initially reported. Well, at least not for good. Halpern sold his business to his own chefs de cuisine, Tim Lanza and Andrew Kochan, both 26, The Insider reports. Halpern’s executive chef, Keith Krajewski, will also continue his work at this location, according to The Insider. The restaurant will serve its last dinner under Halpern’s ownership on Saturday, June 28. After that, it will close for some kitchen refurbishment work and will reopen in early September.

The English elms at The Woodlands (Photo courtesy The Woodlands)

• The Woodlands Cemetery and Mansion is asking the community to help them save seven English elm trees (they’re called “The 7 Giants”), some of the most significant historic trees on the grounds thanks to their size and age (they date back to the late 18th century). The trees are suffering from Dutch Elm Disease, which may kill them if left untreated. Treatment and monitoring of the disease is costly, so the Woodlands has started a fundraising campaign to help cover the costs. The initial goal is $20,000. For more information and to donate, click here.

• Little Baby’s Ice Cream has created a new flavor called the Works, now available at LBIC’s Cedar Park location (49th and Catharine). Proceeds from the sale benefit Neighborhood Bike Works, a non-profit that offers youth bike education programs and bike repair classes for adults.

• West Philly based art rock band The Chairman Dances will present their new album, The Death of Samuel Miller (out 6/27 via Grizzly Records), on Friday, June 27 at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). Spelling Reform (Facebook page) and Vita and the Woolf (Facebook page) will also take part in the album release show, which begins at 8 p.m. ($10). The Chairman Dances’ song “Prophetess” was No. 2 in WXPN‘s list of the 5 best Philly songs of 2013. The music video for the new record’s single, “Dance to the Neighbor’s Stereo,” is streaming on Vimeo.

Mixed People will perform this Friday in Cedar Park.

Last week, we reported about The Cedar Park Jazz Series, an annual celebration of summer, jazz and community in Cedar Park. The free outdoor series returned last Friday with a performance by Dr. Ketchup. This Friday, check out local band Mixed People whose performance will likely get you up on your feet and dancing and singing along. Mixed People was formed in 2012 by guitarist Paulette Branson. The band is a funky, soul fusion with hints of alternative rock and world music. The show begins at 6 p.m.

We have also finally been able to confirm that the annual summer Jazz Heritage Series will kick off tonight at Malcolm X Park (52nd and Pine), weather permitting. This year will mark the 14th anniversary of the series hosted by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and Friends of Malcolm X Park.

Here’s the schedule for the shows being held every other Thursday, starting at 7 p.m.:

June 12 – Drummer-Lucky Thomas & Friends
June 26 – The Barbara Walker Story
July 10 – Glenn Bryan and Friends
July 24 – Vocalist Shirley Lites
Aug 7 – The Little Jazz Giants of Camden N.J.
Aug 21 – Alto Saxist Immanuel Wilkins
Sept 4 – Philadelphia CLEF Club Jr. Band
Sept 19 – The Nate Murray Band

Finally, here’s something for our jazz lovers north of Market Street: Concluding the three-part series of Jazz Jams & Art Exhibits and gearing up for PEC’s 8th Annual Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival on July 19th, there will be a live performance by Weez The Peeples (Facebook page) this Friday (see flier below). The show will take place at the lot next to 4110 Lancaster Ave. Neighbors are also invited to play along in the Jam and Open Mic session. The series is part of the Second Fridays on Lancaster Ave and is held in outdoor spaces in order to “float the beautiful tunes down the street.” For more information on what else is happening this Friday on Lancaster Ave, check out this Facebook page.

Dr. Ketchup performing in Cedar Park. (Photo courtesy Cedar Park Jazz)

Starting this Friday, June 6, live jazz will again waft through Cedar Park. The Cedar Park Jazz series, an annual summertime staple, brings some great jazz and blues musicians to the park every Friday. The free shows begin at 6 p.m.

The local band Dr. Ketchup will open the series this Friday. Here’s the full schedule (please note that there’s no concert on July 4):

Every Friday 6 to 8 p.m.:

June 6 – Dr. Ketchup
June 13 – Mixed People
June 20 – Shirley Lites Band
June 27 – Gretchen Elise and Crew
July 11 – Rich Tucker and the Universal Experience
July 18 – Gregory McDonald & Friends
July 25 – Glenn Bryan and Friends
August 1 – Broke and Blue Band

Community contributions to the Cedar Park Jazz are always welcome. Please follow this link to make a donation:

The sponsor list of Cedar Park Jazz includes: Cedar Park Neighbors, Philadelphia Parks and Rec, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Baltimore Avenue Business Association, Gold Standard Cafe, and other local businesses and organizations.

Photo from woodlandsphila.org

Last month, when West Philly Local shared details about The Woodlands’ community survey, many of our readers took to the comments section to air grievances about off-leash dogs running around the site. The general consensus is that off-leash dogs are dangerous to visitors, as well as other animals on the site.

In response, Erica Maust, The Woodlands’ program & communications coordinator, reached out both in the comment section and directly to West Philly Local to remind the community of The Woodlands’ strict no off-leash dogs policy, as well as promote its Dog Walker membership. Maust confirmed that off-leash dogs as a major concern for the grounds, and that concern was reflected in “an overwhelming number of [survey] responses from neighbors and community members.”

According to Maust, off-leash dogs are “never permitted, or welcome, at The Woodlands,” both by city law and management policy, no exceptions. All dogs passing through its gates must be leashed, and if they are not, Maust said, Woodlands staff will ask the owner to leash their dog. If they’re a repeat offender, they’re asked to leave the grounds.

“No one should feel unsafe or uncomfortable when visiting the grave of a loved one, enjoying an afternoon walk, or teaching their children to ride a bike,” she told West Philly Local. “Not everyone likes or feels comfortable around dogs, and we want all of our visitors to feel as though The Woodlands is a safe place to visit.”

But, she noted, The Woodlands employs a small staff on the 54-acre site, which makes fully enforcing its policy difficult. So The Woodlands also rely on members visiting the grounds to help implement or make other visitors aware of its leash policy when a staff member may not be present, Maust said.

In an effort to raise awareness about the policy and ways members could help, Maust said The Woodlands’ created a Dog Walker membership, good for one person and their dog(s). The benefits of this membership level, which costs $75, include invites to members-only events and Doggy “Yappy Hours”, discounted ticket pricing, occasional exclusive after-dark access to the grounds, and one “I LOVE THE WOOFLANDS” dog leash.

“The dog-walking community is an especially important membership group to us, because so many people who live nearby rely on access to The Woodlands to walk their dogs daily. We recognize this, and we love that we can allow neighbors to walk their dogs at The Woodlands,” she said. “We also hope that these neighbors and their pets recognize that The Woodlands is an incredible resource that’s right in their backyard, and will use the space respectfully.”

The Dog Walker membership also includes access to the Dog of the Month program, in which visitors can submit a photo of their dog on the grounds via social media using the hashtag #wooflands. The social media campaign “has helped us raise awareness for our leash policy for all of our visitors and our followers on social media, and we hope it will lead to fewer problems and incidents with off-leash dogs at The Woodlands,” Maust said.

–Annamarya Scaccia

This upcoming weekend, you can buy some beautiful or useful plants for your garden, yard, porch or house and support two vital local non-profits.

Photo via Parentinfantcenter.org

Parent Infant Center is holding its annual Spring Plant Sale on Friday and Saturday (May 2 & 3). The sale features a great variety of annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, herbs, vegetables & fruit, and more. Those who had pre-ordered plants can pick them up during the sale days: from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, and from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The sale will be held in the chapel at 4205 Spruce Street. All proceeds from this annual fundraiser are dedicated to PIC’s Scholarship Fund, which was established in 1986.

We hear that the weather will be nice this weekend so why not head to the beautiful Bartram’s Garden for its Spring Fest and Plant Sale. The big annual event will take place on Saturday and Sunday (May 3 & 4), 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (the member preview party is Friday, May 2, 4 – 7 p.m.).

This sale will feature a selection of heirloom roses in celebration of the historic site’s Carr Garden Restoration project, plus vegetables, herbs, native perennials, shrubs, trees and more.

Nicole Juday, a local Rosarian and Horticulture Education Coordinator at the Barnes Foundation, will hold a special presentation, “Growing Roses,” on Saturday from noon to 1:30 p.m., to tie into the Carr Garden Restoration Project, which will feature many historic rose varieties. The cost for the presentation is $10 for adults/$8 for seniors/Free for Bartram’s Garden Members. To register online go to: bartramroses.bpt.me.

Also on Saturday, horticulturists will be available to answer questions and share garden-planning advice. Garden and community farm tours will be offered from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. A full list of plants for sale can be found here. For more Saturday events and Sunday schedule, visit this page.

Bartram’s Garden is located at 54th St and Lindbergh Blvd and is easily accessible by bike and the 36 Trolley. There’s also free parking on the site.

Do you love Clark Park and want to help tidy it up for the summer? Here’s a fun opportunity for volunteering on Saturday, April 19, from 12 – 3 p.m.. The Fairmount Park Conservancy will be conducting a spring clean-up at the park in honor of Earth Day and volunteer help will be greatly appreciated. Help is needed with such activities as leaf raking, branch collecting, flower and tree planting, mulching, trash and debris removal, weeding, and sweeping.

But here’s the fun part: The first 30 volunteers at the clean-up event will receive gifts such as a daypack, aluminum water bottle, locally-sourced bandana and – for those aged 21 or over – three wooden nickel tokens, each good for a pint at the after-party. The party will be held at Local 44, a neighborhood pub specializing in craft beer, and will include free samples of Local 44’s comfort food. The after-party is sponsored by Great Lakes Brewing Company.

If all this sounds pretty good to you, go here to sign up.

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 worldwide.

UPDATE (4/16/2014): There has been a great response to this volunteer opportunity and there are no more “free beer” spots available, according to the Great Lakes Brewing Co. Earth Day website. But all volunteer help is appreciated.