Folks who work, study or live in the area near 30th Street Station will soon have a convenient opportunity to buy fresh produce and healthy foods from local farmers. The Porch, a public space that opened near the station last fall, will have its own Farmer’s Market every Wednesday, beginning May 16. The market will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Here’s a list of participating vendors:

Brulee Bakery
Brulee Bakery serves bread, brownies, gluten-free treats, quiches, muffins and scones.

Frecon Farms
Frecon Farms sells fresh fruit, fruit butter, cider and cut flowers.

FreshaPeel Hummus
A fresh approach to hummus infused with natural ingredients and with flavors such as lemon kale, jalapeno, tomato basil, pumpkin, and spicy black bean.

John & Kira’s
Gourmet, artisan chocolate gifts and handmade confections.

McCann’s Farm
A third generation farming family from Elk Township, NJ with a full line of farm fresh produce, fruits and herbs.

Mompops
Homemade gourmet popsicles such as chocolate banana, strawberry cream, cantaloupe, mango, lemon-lime, strawberry basil, and peaches and cream.

MyHouse Cookies
Old fashioned, hand-crafted cookies, pies and quiches baked in small batches.

Spruce Hill Farm
Spruce Hill Farm features a variety of seasonal vegetables, herbs and cut flowers.

There will also be some supplemental programming for the first twelve weeks of the market, with Give and Take Jugglers and Citywide Specials musical ensemble entertaining the shoppers.

The Porch Farmer’s Market is produced by University City District in partnership with Farm to City.

People hanging out in the new Sister Cities Park near Logan Circle at 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway can now get a little taste of West Philly.

Milk and Honey Market opened a satellite cafe at the revamped park in a building that also includes a welcome center. West Philly resident Jules Dingle designed the single-story building, which includes walls of windows, a green roof and an inviting outdoor space. Those who know design have noted that the building’s low-slung, limestone design makes an interesting transition from the nearby high rises to the small parks around Logan Circle.

Sister Cities Park, which officially opened yesterday, also includes a children’s garden where kids can splash in a small pond and climb rocks. Plan Philly has a nice rundown on the park’s design and construction here.

The search continues for a man wanted on assault charges who threw a hot cup coffee on a female employee at the Fresh Donuts store at 3914 Lancaster Avenue on May 8. The incident took place just after 11:00 a.m. as the man placed an order for food. As the employee was preparing the order, the man began arguing over payment. During the argument the man grabbed a cup of hot coffee and threw it on the employee, causing severe burns. The man was accompanied by a second male and was seen arriving in a tan or gold Cadillac.

The police released surveillance video of the incident (see below).

The suspect is described as a 52-year-old African American male, 6’2″, 200 lbs, with mustache. He was wearing glasses, a tan suit and tie, tan shoes and a gold watch.

If you have any information about this person or this crime, please contact Southwest Detectives at 215-686-3183/3184 DC# 12-16-019276. If you see this man, call 911 immediately.

While Clark Park “B” (43rd & Chester) is hosting the annual May Fair tomorrow (May 12), there will also be a couple of happenings in the “A” section of the park (44th & Baltimore), in addition to the weekly Farmer’s Market.

Friends of Clark Park need help to keep the park beautiful and invite community members from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to participate in the park clean-up as Love Your Park Week kicks off tomorrow. Join your fellow Clark Park supporters and help them rake, mulch, water, weed, and generally tidy up the park. For more information and to RSVP, email: lisa@lisamcdonaldhanes.com

At 4 p.m. don’t miss a rare event – local Girl Scout troop #92373 will be releasing 18,000 ladybugs and 10 lbs of earthworms to benefit the ecological health of Clark Park and West Philly. Earthworms aerate soil, creating increased water absorption and air circulation, and ladybugs feed on aphids and other soft bodied insects that feed on plants. This is the Girl Scout troop’s main community service project for the spring.
 

Modeled on New York City’s Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop, Backyard Writers is a selective West Philadelphia-based writing workshop for emerging and established fiction and prose writers. Founded in February of 2011 with support from UPenn’s Kelly Writer’s House, and consisting of 10 writers, group members’ work has appeared in Glimmer Train, Tin House,The Sun, Story Quarterly, Indiana Review, Plain China, Philadelphia Stories, and Apiary, and earned them current positions in the creative writing faculty at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and the Community College of Philadelphia.  

Members have also received such honors as the Leeway Foundation’s Transformation Award, the Community College of Philadelphia’s Judith Stark fiction award, and numerous Best Short Story Awards. They have also published chapbooks with Popular Ink Press and Finishing Line Press, directed Thread Makes Blanket Press here in West Philadelphia, and been contributing writers to Philadelphia Weekly Paper.  Among them, they hold MFAs in Creative Writing from the University of Wyoming, Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia (enrolled), and Rutgers-Newark (enrolled).

Backyard Writers invites the general public to an outdoor reading event, featuring beverages and light refreshments for any and all interested in supporting the West Philadelphia literary arts community, and listening to a taste of their newest work.

Eight members of Backyard Writers will each give a short reading from approximately 7:30-8:30 p.m., followed by merry making in the beautiful backyard of collective house, “Fancy House” in a kind of literary salon meets backyard barbecue.

Sunday May 13. 7 p.m. 4951 Catharine Street. RSVP to eisenberg.emma@gmail.com

The Backyard Writers (with relevant links to bios/stories):

Emma Eisenberg
Kathleen Furin
Ben Goldstein
Sara Graybeal
Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela
Nathan Long
Maxime McKenna
Patrick McNeil
David Poplar
Emily Zimbrick-Rogers
 

Don’t miss the annual Clark Park May Fair this Saturday, May 12, from 10am – 4pm. There will be lots of vendors, food trucks, games and activities for children, a raffle and a plant sale.

May Fair Raffle grand prizes this year are an iPad3, and a new Schwinn SID 3-speed City bike. University Pinball has donated the iPad, along with 10 vouchers for 100 tokens each at its Family Fun Center. The bike is being donated by Keswick Cycle. In addition to the grand prizes, many local merchants have donated prizes for drinks, dinners and services (see details here). Raffle tickets will be on sale at the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) booth: $5 for six chances. There will be a special drawing on the day of the fair for the Schwinn bike, with a value of $470 – one chance for $5.

As always, the fair will offer up tasty food from selected vendor trucks, music from groups that play the Green Line, and lots of arts and crafts by West Philadelphia artisans. There will be a bounce tent and obstacle course ($5) for kids, along with free games and face painting.

Finally, the University City Garden Club will be holding its plant sale at the fair. Their booth will be located on the south side of Chester Avenue near 43rd street. NOTE: You can also shop for their plants on Friday, May 11 at 517 Woodland Terrace from 10am to dark.

If you have questions, please call the May Fair Committee at 215-349-7825 or visit www.sprucehillca.org.