EveryBody studio space at 4305 Locust St. (Photo by Sahar Coston-Hardy)

A new movement and wellness studio, EveryBody Movement and Wellness, is officially opening next week at 4305 Locust Street, a space across from CVS.

Starting Monday, Oct. 7, EveryBody Movement and Wellness will offer a wide range of small group movement classes including Pilates, suspension training, high-intensity interval training, yoga, kettlebells, Barre, dance, and more. People of all sizes, ages, genders, and abilities are welcome. In addition to group classes in the main studio space, there is also a private Pilates room and a wellness room that is being used for a variety of mind-body modalities (massage, reiki, therapy, etc). Some classes will be offered on a sliding scale.  Continue Reading

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The West Philly Tool Library has been loaning tools to community members for over a decade. A few months ago, the non-profit organization started offering low-cost workshops for those who want to learn home care or improvement skills, or who want more knowledge before working with contractors.

Classes are open to members of the Tool Library and non-members, and are filling up quickly. Some of the upcoming classes, like Plumbing 102 and Home Electric 101, have already been sold out for this and next month, but more classes are on the way (check out the flyer). If you want your bike ready for Spring, check out the bike maintenance and repair class, which will be held on Saturday, April 6.  Continue Reading

Ahimsa House and community garden (Photo West Philly Local).

Everybody at the Cedar Park Neighbors zoning meeting on Tuesday night lauded the mission of the Ahimsa House, the volunteer run community space on the first floor of a three-story house at 5007 Cedar Ave. The question is, how to make the whole thing “legal”?

The Ahimsa House (“ahimsa” is a Sanskrit word meaning “non-violence”) dates back to 2011, when Meg Ferrigno bought the Cedar Avenue property through the Penn home ownership program. The three-story property had been a triplex and Ferrigno was advised to have it re-zoned as a duplex to qualify. A mix-up at the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) resulted in a single family designation.  Continue Reading

Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, located in West Philadelphia at 54th and Cedar, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and has some exciting news and events to share with the local community.

Last week, the hospital broke ground on a multi-million-dollar Emergency Department expansion and renovation project, the largest such investment in the department’s history. The investment will dramatically increase the number of available beds, will create new offices and patient areas, and renovate existing facilities. Overall, the project will increase the size of the ED, making it more accessible to members of the community.  Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park will return in July with five nights of Coriolanus. The company is continuing its commitment to “radical community engagement,” which for the past three years has seen the community become a part of its annual summer show.

Shakespeare in Clark Park community workshop (Photo courtesy SCP).

Since this fall, Shakespeare in Clark Park has been hosting free acting workshops for the community and private workshops at senior centers and youth groups.

On February 16 and 17, the company will host two workshops in West Philly, where community members can hone their acting skills, have a good time, and even prep for the upcoming community auditions for Coriolanus. Community members will receive training on voice, movement and scene work from professional actors.

Here’s more information on the workshops:  Continue Reading

Black Hound Clay Studio has recently opened near 50th and Baltimore and on Saturday, Oct. 15 all are invited to a Grand Opening Party. This is an opportunity to tour the studio and have fun – play pin the handle on the mug, drink some beer and eat s’mores toasted on the studio’s firepits.

The opening celebration begins at 5 and will be held on the studio’s large patio. It will also include live music by The West Philly Foot Tappers (starts at 8 p.m.). Suggested donation is $5 per person, and children are also welcome. You can find more information and RSVP on the event’s Facebook page.

West Philly clay artist Bethany Rusen is behind the studio, which offers classes and workshops, co-working space for ceramic artists and events throughout the year. The studio occupies a part of the spacious, former warehouse building at 711 South 50th Street (the other half is occupied by The Green Tambourine music studio). For more information, visit: www.blackhoundclay.com. (Photos courtesy of Black Hound Clay Studio)