Click to enlarge.

This weekend there’s an awesome chance to learn more about the city’s commercial corridors on the rise, hidden neighborhood histories and stroll around some great public spaces – all thanks to Jane’s Walk, a free series of neighborhood walks presented by PlanPhilly.

There will be seven walks all together taking place on Friday through Sunday, May 2-4 (learn more about each walk here). But of particular interest to West Philly folks may be a walk organized on Friday on Lancaster Avenue, “Uncovering Historic Buildings on Lancaster Avenue.” Two people from the People’s Emergency Center, James Wright and Stephanie Wall, will be leading this tour of a few blocks of Lancaster Ave to talk about work to improve and reuse significant historic properties along the corridor.

Jane’s Walk is a global movement of free, locally-led walking tours inspired by the urbanist and writer Jane Jacobs. The walks are roving conversations geared at getting people engaged with their city and connecting with one another. This is the first year Philadelphia has formally participated in the festival, which takes place in more than 100 cities.

The Lancaster Avenue walk begins at 4 p.m.

The Easter weekend is approaching fast so many parents are looking for egg hunt opportunities in the neighborhood. Here are a few possibilities. If you know of more egg hunts please let us know at: editor@westphillylocal.com

Saturday, April 19

Clark Park (43rd & Chester), 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Kids ages 1 – 8 are invited for an Easter Egg Hunt and some Easter fun at Clark Park from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The event will take place rain or shine! Along with the hunt, there will be some crafts and raffle prizes at the end (see the flyer for more information).

Walnut Street West Library (40th & Walnut), 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Children ages 5 years and under are invited for an egg hunt from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.. An egg hunt for kids ages 6-12 will be 1:00-3:00 p.m..

Woodland Presbyterian Church, 42nd and Pine Sts (42nd Street lawn), 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.

There will be two egg hunts: for kids under 5 years – 1:00 p.m.; for 5 and up – 1:15 p.m.
The event will include face painting, balloon animals, and crafts. For more information, visit: www.woodlandpres.net

NEW: Malcolm X Park (52nd & Pine), 2 – 5 p.m.

Friends to Elect Algernong Allen is hosting an Egg Hunt for kids and a Voter Registration Rally for adults at Malcolm X Park on Saturday, from 2 – 5 p.m.

Sunday, April 20

St. Mary’s Church at Penn (Locust Walk near 40th)

St. Mary’s Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt will start at 12:45 p.m. All families and children are welcome. The event is sponsored by the St. Mary’s Church School. BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket!)

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.

Photo from twentyfeetfromstardom.com.

Film Forward, a program of the Sundance Institute designed to enhance greater cultural understanding and collaboration, is bringing a couple of free events to West Philly this weekend.

Wynnefield Library (5325 Overbrook Avenue) will host a screening of the recent Academy Award winning documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. The film is about people whose voices are familiar to millions of people, but no one knows their names – backup singers behind some of the greatest musical acts of the 21st century. The screening will be followed by a discussion.

On Sunday, April 13, also at 1 p.m., International House Philadelphia presents The Intersection of Film and Music, a workshop produced in partnership with Film Forward. The workshop explores the many roles music can play in the filmmaking process, how music can enhance or ruin a film, and many other questions related to the creative process of integrating music and filmmaking.

The documentary If You Build It will be used as a case study during the workshop. Peter Golub, Director of the Sundance Film Music Program and composer, and producer Christine O’Malley will discuss the film and its music. If You Build It charts the course of a year in the life of one of America’s most innovative classrooms. Go to ihousephilly.org for more information.

Photo courtesy University City District.

The spring has officially begun today and the University City District has announced an exciting spring program for The Porch, a cool public space near 30th Street Station. The spring programming will begin April 1 and will include a variety of FREE events and activities, featuring music, food, fitness, and fun. Here are some more details on what to expect at The Porch next month.

FOOD

Gourmet Food Trucks – Mon, Wed, Fri (11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.); Tue & Thu  (7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.)

MUSIC

WXPN Local Wednesdays
Noon on the first Wednesday of the month
Live music from Philly’s rising stars.

Ginger Coyle: April 2

You hear Ginger Coyle’s vintage vocals grace your ears, you undoubtedly feel as if you’ve encountered an old soul. The South Jersey singer-songwriter-pianist-guitarist first caught XPN’s attention with the bluesy “Silver Lining” from her 2012 EP Homeward Bound and is currently working on her full length to be released in 2014.

Lunchtime Accordion Serenade

Tuesdays, Noon – 1 p.m.

Enjoy live accordion music while you relax and have lunch or take a break from the daily grind.

FITNESS 

Put your lunch break to work for you with fitness programming from BodyRock Boot Camp.

Thursdays, 6 p.m.

Zumba: April 3 & 24

Bokwa: April 10

Bootcamp: April 17  Continue Reading

Play On, Philly! (POP), the acclaimed innovative educational music program which began in 2011 at West Philly’s St. Francis de Sales School, is inviting neighbors to their first collaborative concert tonight at 7 p.m. at West Catholic Preparatory High School (45th & Chestnut). Admission is FREE.

This season, POP has been focusing on collaboration, creativity and composition, as part of a new program, POP Creates. All of their concerts this season will be collaborations, including Orchestra 2001 and Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera, Messiah College, and Ranaan Meyer of Time for Three, to name a few. The impressive guest artist list includes: Trio Cavatina, Joseph Lin, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, the Takacs Quartet and Time for Three.

Tonight’s concert is a collaboration between St. Francis de Sales Firebird String Orchestra and Junior String Philharmonic of Lehigh Valley (JSP). The highlight of the concert will be a joint performance of Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite and selections from The Nutracker Suite. Pieces by Bach and Pachelbel will also be featured. The concert will be conducted by Kenneth Bean, Music Director/Conductor of JSP and Naomi Gonzalez, Conductor at POP.

To read more about Play On, Philly! and to check the schedule of their upcoming events, visit: http://www.playonphilly.org/

(Photo courtesy of Play On, Philly!)