Photo courtesy of Bartram’s Garden.

Your input is needed on a plan to transform a mile of vacant land along the western banks of the Schuylkill river between Grays Ferry Avenue and 58th Street, which is set to become a key link in the Schuylkill River trail.

The project provides an opportunity to convert publicly owned vacant land into public green space and to increase access to a West Philly gem – Bartram’s Garden. But there’s more to it; this new open space could provide riverfront access and recreation opportunities to local neighborhoods, help restore an important watershed, and extend the Schuylkill River Trail.

PennPraxis is conducting a series of public events and meetings to open up the “Bartram’s Mile” project to public input. Your input will be used to create a series of design proposals and cost estimates. The first meeting/walking tour is this Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m. Here’s more information:

EVENT #1: WALKING TOUR

Sunday, October 28, 2:00-4:00pm

Meet at the Bartram’s Garden Trail Head (make a left at the end of the entry road)

Featuring: Mark Focht (Parks and Recreation), Maitreyi Roy (Bartram’s Garden), Jose Almiñana (Andropogon Associates)

EVENT #2: BIKE TOUR

Saturday, November 3, 1:30-4:00pm

Meet at the Bartram’s Farm for its Fall Harvest Day — celebrate its one-year anniversary before biking!

Organized with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

EVENT #3: DINNER CONVERSATION

Monday, November 5, 6:00-8:00pm

Bartram’s Garden, 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard

EVENT #4: DESIGN WORKSHOP

Saturday, November 10, noon – 3pm

Bartram’s Garden, 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard

To RSVP email: praxis@design.upenn.edu or call 215-573-8720. If you cannot attend any of the meetings, you can also provide your input at www.planphilly.com/bartramsmile.

This Saturday (Oct. 20), join your neighbors and friends for the annual late fall Community Cleanup. Residents are encouraged to step outside their homes, offices, or schools and pick up leaves and trash. You can also help clean up your nearby park, or empty lot.

University City District will be organizing a few focused efforts throughout the neighborhood and can assist anyone interested in participating by providing trash bags, brooms, work gloves, and trash pickup.

To sign up for the cleanup, please contact UCD at cleanandsafe@universitycity.org or 215-243-0555.

Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary.

Our fine feathered friends at Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary need more food to make it through the toughest months of the year, so Spruce Hill Community Association is organizing a Fall Bird Food Drive. Residents are asked to donate a bag of sunflower seeds, suet cakes, or good quality general bird seed. Bird food is available at pet stores, supermarkets or local garden centers and nurseries.

You can drop off the purchased bird food at the following locations: Baltimore Pet Shoppe (4532 Baltimore Ave), Milk and Honey (45th and Baltimore) and Spruce Hill Community Association (257 45th St., call 215 349-7825 for open hours).

The sanctuary has four posts that hold 15 feeders. You might see over a dozen different kinds of birds there. The entrance is next to 233 S. Melville and it is open to the public. For more information, click here.

Bartram’s Garden and The Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild are inviting everyone to celebrate bees and honey with them on Sunday (Sept. 9). Bartram’s Garden is one of the venues hosting the 3rd Annual Honey Festival that will span three days in three locations this weekend. Check out the program below. For more information, visit http://phillyhoneyfest.com or contact: honeyfest@phillybeekeepers.org. For more upcoming events at Bartram’s Garden, click here.

10 am – 4 pm  – Annual Fall Plant Sale – all day long!
10 am – 2 pm  – Bee Discovery Day — Visit science stations, make a costume & march in the Be-a-Bee Parade!
10 am – Open Hive Talk — take a peek inside a real bee hive
10:30 am – How to Brew Honey Beer at Home: Part 1, with J. McMillan
11 am – PA Honey Queen Jessica Long demonstrates Cooking with Honey
11:30  – Mead-tasting
Noon – Honey Extraction
12:30 – Open Hive Talk
1 pm – Philadelphia Bees’ Stake in Pollination with Stephanie Wilson
1:30 pm – How to Brew Honey Beer at Home: Part 2 , J. McMillan
2 pm  – PA Honey Queen, Jessica Long demonstrates Cooking with Honey
2:30 pm  – Open Hive Talk
3 pm – Taste mead, braggot and honey-based homebrews; try Little Baby’s honey ice cream

Bartram’s Garden is located at 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard and is accessible by public transportation. Take No. 36 Trolley to 54th Street.

Great news from Cedar Park: thanks to contributions from the community, Friday Night Jazz Series in Cedar Park has been extended for at least two more weeks. This Friday, July 20, Perseverance Jazz Band will perform and on July 27 Shirley Lites and Company will bring funk/jazz/R&B vibes to the park. Both performances begin at 6 p.m.

If you would like to support Friday Night Jazz Series, you can make a contribution on this page.

Today is World Environment Day and you can celebrate it by participating in a cleanup of Schuylkill River at Bartram’s Garden (5400 Lindbergh Blvd). The cleanup will be held tonight from 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and is hosted by United By Blue. Snacks, supplies, and gloves will be provided. In addition to that, free Bartram’s Garden passes will be available for volunteers. If you attend three Bartram’s Garden cleanups organized by United By Blue you can qualify for a free Bartram’s Garden membership.

After the cleanup everyone is welcome to hang around for a post cleanup cookout. If you have questions, please call 215-642-0693. In case you drive, parking is available. For maps and more information, go here.