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.

PECO is about to begin routine maintenance of trees and vegetation in sections of Cedar Park and Spruce Hill, according to the University City District’s newsletter. The work is scheduled to start in about 1-2 weeks.

This work is performed once every five years to keep tree growth away from high voltage wires. Trees and other vegetation cause about one third of all electric outages and preventative pruning is necessary to insure uninterrupted electric service. For more information, click here.

The Spruce Hill Community Association May Fair is this Saturday in Clark Park, where there will be music, food, a moon bounce and raffle prizes ranging from injera to haircuts to an I-Pad 2.

The 53rd annual fair runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the “B” section of Clark Park, south of Chester Avenue.

Children, especially, should enjoy it because this year some new kids’ activities will be added. Bring your little ones to try out things like a moon bounce and an obstacle course and to participate in a variety of games. Live music for kids will include performances by Alex & the Kaleidoscope Band (1:40-2:20 p.m.) and Jay Sand of “All Around This World” (2:30-3:10 p.m.).

The fair will also include food from popular local vendors, arts & crafts, live music, an expanded book sale, a raffle, and a silent auction.

Live music performances, brought by Green Line Cafe, will begin at 11:00 a.m. The Whippoorwills and The Old Fashioneds will be entertaining the crowd with country and folk tunes.

A long list of items to be raffled off is on the Spruce Hill Community Association website and Facebook page.

Raffle tickets are available now at University Pinball (4008 Spruce St.) and last-minute tickets will be available at the fair on Saturday.

At the silent auction, you can bid on a night’s stay at the Gables Bed & Breakfast and a 155 CD set of Bach!

Finally, there will be a plant sale during the fair organized by the University City Garden Club.

Mayor Michael Nutter and Spruce Hill Community Association President Mark Wagenveld. (Photos by Mike Lyons)

Folks gathered for the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) board meeting last night got a surprise when Mayor Michael Nutter stopped by for an impromptu appearance. Nutter aide Erica Atwood, a neighborhood resident, helped arrange the visit.

Nutter spent about 10 minutes talking to SHCA board members and visitors at its 45th street headquarters about general city issues, such as the budget. Nothing groundbreaking.

Nutter lauded SHCA board members for their civic engagement efforts. “Keep up the good work,” he said before leaving.

As for the SHCA meeting itself, the board:

• Discussed a proposed study of the SEPTA trolley portal at 40th Street between Woodland Avenue and Baltimore Avenue as a “gateway to University City.” The University City District plans to fund a study of the area around the unnel entrance that would improve the area aesthetically as well as add more green space.

• Was informed that restaurant along Baltimore Avenue were hoping to convince the city to allow them to apply as a single entity for permits to allow outdoor cafe seating. Currently the city requires every business to file an application, a fairly arduous process. The Baltimore Avenue Business Association plans to hold a meeting soon to gauge neighborhood support for the plan to apply for the permits as a group. These permits do not apply to businesses that serve alcohol outside.

A driver who smashed his SUV into a parked car before flipping it on 44th Street between Pine and Larchwood late Sunday afternoon told witnesses that he fell asleep behind the wheel. The unidentified driver was not injured in the crash.

The University City District and officials from the 18th Police District are holding a meeting to update residents on a recent increase in street crime in the Garden Court and Spruce Hill neighborhoods. The meeting will take place Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Calvary Center (48th and Baltimore) in the chapel.

Several muggings, some at gunpoint, have occurred in recent weeks. Three muggings went down within a few hours on 48th Street on October 25. A fairly detailed rundown (as detailed as one can get in 140 characters or less) is available at the Twitter feed of an 18th District police officer.  For example: Be on the lookout: tan/silver 2004 Nissan Altima pa tag:HGP3654. Used in 3 robberies tonight. Targeting 48th St. Others have occurred near 46th and Chester and the 4500 block of Regent.

It is important to report any crime to the police so they can, hopefully, devote more resources to problem areas. At the very least report them to the University City District, which can be done by e-mail, so that they can send bike patrol officers to these areas.