Photo courtesy of International Guitar Night.

There’s a chance to see some guitar virtuosos from all over the world this Sunday (Feb. 8) when the International Guitar Night will return to Crossroads Music. The International Guitar Night tour founder and guitarist Brian Gore will be joined on stage by classical innovator and fellow Californian Andrew York, Brazilian jazz master Diego Figueiredo, and contemporary Iranian-Canadian steel string prodigy Maneli Jamal. This will be an evening of contemporary guitar music.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets ($10-$30; $5 for children under 12) are still available. To purchase your ticket online, click here.

More information about the tour and its participants, visit the International Guitar Night website.

Crossroads Music is located at the Calvary Center at 801 South 48th St.

The large sinkhole that opened up on the 4600 block of Spruce Street about three weeks ago has finally been filled in, and this portion of the street has reopened for traffic. Water Department crews though are still working on the street surface around the spot where the sinkhole used to be. Parking is still not allowed in the area, because the ground is unstable.

This photo was taken on January 18, 2015.

UPDATE: VIX Emporium, 5009 Baltimore Ave, is also selling Girl Scout cookies until they run out. Open Tues-Fri 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

If you are looking for Girl Scout cookies in the neighborhood we saw a sign this week that they were being sold at the barbershop on S. 45th Street between Walnut and Sansom. There was a Girl Scout cookie table this afternoon at the corner of 45th and Walnut. There was also a table at the Fresh Grocer on S. 40th Street. And here’s more information on Girl Scout cookie table locations and dates in February and March in other parts of West Philly:

ShopRite of Haverford Ave., 6700 Haverford Ave.

Sat. Feb 7th: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Troop 9613
Sat. Feb 14th: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Troop 96
Sat. Feb 21st: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Troop 979

Pathmark, 4160 Monument Rd.

Sun. Feb 8th: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm – Troop 935

ShopRite of Parkside, 1575 N. 52nd St. & Lowe’s, 1500 N. 50th St.

Sat. Feb 7th: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm – Troop 9263 – Lowe’s from 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sun. Feb 8th: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm – Troop 9689
Wed. Feb 11th: 12:00 noon – 7:00 pm – Troop 9957
Thurs. Feb 12th: 12:00 noon – 7:00 pm – Troop 91
Fri. Feb 13th: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Troop 9609/5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Troop 9263
Sat. Feb 14th: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Troop 954
Sun. Feb 15th: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm – Troop 9957
Sat. Feb 21st: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm – Troop 97251 – Lowe’s from 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sat. Feb 28th: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm – Troop 9997
Sun. Mar 1st: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm – Troop 9986

The annual One Book, One Philadelphia programming kicks off today, and here is some information on what will be happening at West Philadelphia public library branches. In their 13th season, One Book, One Philadelphia will have events through March 19, including book discussions, children’s craft workshops, historical presentations, panel discussions, and film screenings. Please note that a time capsule letter workshop will take place this afternoon at the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Library (see more below).

One Book, One Philadelphia is a joint project of the Mayor’s Office and the Free Library of Philadelphia. The goal of the project is to promote literacy and encourage Philadelphians to come together through reading and discussing a single book. The One Book, One Philadelphia Selection Committee chose Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline for reading and discussion in 2015. Here’s more information about the book from the Free Library of Philadelphia website:

“Orphan Train is the compelling story of Vivian, a 91-year-old widow once orphaned as a child, and Molly, a troubled teen who has been shuffled from one unstable foster home to another. The two women develop a bond, with Vivian treasuring her Irish immigrant roots and Molly finding comfort in her ancestral Native American tradition. The novel sheds light on an era when thousands of orphaned children were taken from crowded cities to face uncertain futures in the rural Midwest and connects with the importance of heritage and memories in shaping who we are, the value of intergenerational relationships, and the fundamental power of family.”  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of 8 Limbs Academy.

UPDATE (3/11/2015): 8 Limbs Academy opened on March 3, 2015. Here’s a short update from Coach Kate:

“We are scheduling FREE intros but are booked all through March, and we are starting to fill April. We are offering early morning ALL female kickboxing at 6 a.m. and evening classes starting at 6 p.m. The children’s classes start at 4:15 p.m., and there is an after school program for them starting at 3:00 p.m. Here is a link to our schedule: www.8limbsacademy.com/8-limbs-current-schedule.”

Here’s some exciting news for local martial arts and fitness fans. Partners and coaches Charlie Cottone and Kate Allen are opening a Muay Thai Kickboxing school, 8 Limbs Academy, on Baltimore Avenue in March. For those who are not very familiar with kickboxing, Muay Thai or Thai boxing is a national sport of Thailand. It is a physical and mental discipline also known as “the art of eight limbs,” because eight points of contact are used in the combat: fists, elbows, knees, and shins.

Eight Limbs Academy is expected to open in the first week of March, and coaches Charlie and Kate have already started preregistering folks, kids and adults alike, for their programs, which include All Female Kickboxing, Adult Muay Thai, and Kids Muay Thai programs. They will also offer an after-school program for kids who can come and spend time in the gym after school, including doing their homework, before their Muay Thai lesson. In addition to that, the owners hope to work closely and be involved with the West Philadelphia community. Continue Reading

WePAC head David Brown reads to Kindergartners at the Hamilton School (Photo from WePAC’s Facebook page).

The West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) has reopened another public school library, this time at the K-8 Andrew Hamilton School (57th and Spruce). Students there have not had regular access to books in the school library, which will reopen one day a week, for 10 years, according to WePAC.

WePAC replaced most of the books, including non-fiction titles that were up to 85 years old, and spent hundreds of hours getting the library ready for Hamilton students. The library is the 13th that the organization has helped revamp, reopen and staff. Another 20 schools are on WePAC’s waiting list.

There are currently about 125 volunteers at WePAC who help operate the school libraries, which serve about 6,000 students weekly.

Most of the libraries that WePAC staff operate are on a modest schedule, opening one or two days a week. Part of WePAC’s strategy is to get libraries restocked and operating so that parents and community members can build on their work to keep the library going.