Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), a local non-profit that has been providing bike education and recreation opportunities to youth for nearly 20 years, has a new home. The organization has recently opened a new, larger community shop and bike education hub at 3939 Lancaster Ave. For many years West Philly’s NBW headquarters had been located in the basement of St. Mary’s Church on Locust Walk.

The new space’s grand opening celebration, which included community bike shop dedication, volunteer awards, and commemorative t-shirt screen printing, took place on Saturday:  Continue Reading

A large, old Malcolm X Park tree fell on power lines and knocked out power in the area around 51st and Osage during Friday evening’s storm. Residents reported that it happened right after the storm started around 5:30 p.m. on Friday. By Saturday, when the photo above was taken, the broken power lines were fixed and power restored. There is no word on injuries.

The annual Ethiopian Day Festival is Saturday. A photo from last year’s event. (From the Ethiopian Community Association website.)

The Ethiopian Community Association of Greater Philadelphia is putting on its annual Ethiopian Day Festival and free concert tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 44th and Chestnut.

Music, children’s games, food and poetry are on the schedule.

File photo.

Dog owners are invited to Clark Park this Saturday for the annual Bark in the Park event. There will be more than 25 contests, from the tallest dog to curliest tail to fastest runner, with chances to win doggie goodies. You can also meet the vet.

The event, which starts at 2 p.m. near the Bowl at 43rd and Chester, is fun for dogs and their human friends.

36th and Lancaster

The city’s Historical Commission today added a strip of Lancaster Avenue commercial and residential buildings dating to the 1870s to the Registry of Historic Places.

The designation of the south side of the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue requires Historical Commission approval of building or renovation plans.

An attorney for the property’s owner, AP Construction, vowed to appeal the decision.

The Powelton Village Civic Association began to pursue the designation last spring when it learned of AP Construction’s plans to demolish the block and reportedly sell it for student housing. With street-level storefronts and apartments on upper floors, the block anchors the main commercial strip in the neighborhood.

About 25 residents of Powelton Village were on hand at the meeting and nearly all raised their hands when asked if they agreed with the historic designation proposal.  Continue Reading

This is a follow up to some of our recent and not so recent restaurant news.

• The new owners for Gold Standard Cafe, a popular establishment at 48th and Baltimore, have finally been revealed. In July, we reported that the business was up for sale when the old owners, veteran restaurateurs Roger Harman and Vince Whittacre, decided to retire. The new owners, Joseph Oh and Alice Park, previously operated a Japanese fusion restaurant in North Philly, but as they told the local weekly University City Review, their plan regarding The Gold Standard is to keep everything the same, with some minor tweaks to the menu. “They said they might put one Korean dinner on the menu at some point but otherwise keep the same general theme,” Harman told the Review regarding the new owners’ plans.  Continue Reading