Scribe Video Center is bringing back its free outdoor screening series Street Movies! this month. The series is returning for its 24th season with nine screenings scheduled across Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Screenings will be held in West Kensington, West Philly, West Oak Lane, Lawnside, Southwest Philly, Hawthorne, North Philly, and South Philly. Live performances start at 8:00 p.m., followed by a presentation of short films at 8:30 p.m. Performers include Sonic Liberation Front, Instituto de Puertorriqueño Música, Max Swan, SNACKTIME Philly, Bethlehem and Sad Patrick, Monnette Sudler, and Alfie Pollitt. Continue Reading

The University City District’s free outdoor movie screening series is returning this Friday (Aug. 6) to Clark Park. The series will kick off with a screening of “Black Panther” at Clark Park’s “Bowl” near 45th and Chester. The opening night will also feature a free COVID vaccine clinic presented by Penn Medicine.

The vaccine clinic will be held from 6-8 p.m.. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available for residents ages 12 and older, and the first 60 people who receive their doses will receive a $25 gift card to Renata’s Kitchen or Booker’s. Registration is not required, but is encouraged (please text “READY” to 267.263.7297). Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park (archived photo).

After taking a break last summer, Shakespeare in Clark Park is resuming its annual summer productions by presenting five nights of PERICLES – from Wednesday, July 28 through Sunday, Aug. 1. Shows will be held at 7 p.m. each night and feature a troupe of tumbling circus performers.

This year SCP is offering a three-tiered seating reservation system with the following options:

• COVID-safe seating

This section is for groups that include unvaccinated or immunocompromised people. People in this section will be asked to wear a mask for the duration of the show and maintain 6-foot distance from the other groups sharing this space. COVID safe seating is limited. Please go here for more details and to reserve your space. Continue Reading

The Pennsylvania SPCA is teaming up with No Dog Gets Left Behind (NDGLB) to host a free pet food pantry for veterans and active military personnel in celebration of Veteran’s Day 2020. The event, which will be hosted on a first come, first serve basis, will take place at the corner of 47th and Fairmount Avenue in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (or while supplies last). Check out the event flyer for more information.

Everyone is invited to a free, 7-hour long community festival, Soul Farm, this Saturday (Oct. 14) to celebrate “the rich arts, culture, and community along Lancaster Avenue and throughout West Philadelphia.” The festival is a closing celebration of LoLa 38, a creative placemaking collaboration that has been encouraging civic conversation through art installations and community gatherings throughout the year.

Thanks to LoLa 38, two Lower Lancaster Avenue properties undergoing transformation – the former United Bank building and the site of the former University City High School building – were adorned with art pieces created by local artists from May to September.

The festival will take place from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 225 N. 38th St. (LAZ Parking Lot) and will feature local food, art, and music and dance performances.  Continue Reading

Lancaster Avenue 21st Century will hold Lancaster Avenue Day festivities on Saturday, Oct. 7. The day will include a parade that starts on 35th Street at noon, as well as resource tables on topics ranging from registering to vote to paying your water bill.

The parade will proceed from 34th street until 43rd street, and the day will include a $100 “Best in Show” award. There will also be decorations on hand to “decorate your car, or your bike, or yourself, whatever you want,” said organizer Joel Spivak.

Spivak said the day grew out of Lancaster Avenue 21st Century, a business association he co-founded in 2005. Back then, he was concerned that gentrification in West Philadelphia might harm longtime residents and businesses. Spivak is experienced in this area: In the 1970s, he said, he was part of a wave of artists that gentrified South Street. As the Lancaster organization sought to promote local businesses while also encouraging new ones, Spivak came up with an idea.  Continue Reading