Recently, West Philly Local wrote about efforts, initiated by some local businesses and politicians, to help neighbors in need during the holidays. Some of those campaigns are still underway, so if you missed our post, click here. And here are two more opportunities to help make the holidays brighter for many local families and children.

Photo via cedarparkneighbors.org.

• Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) is holding a Holiday Basket Drive this month and your financial help and support are needed to make it a success. A suggested donation is $36, which will help feed two families. This is a great chance to show your commitment  to “neighbors helping neighbors.” In 2012, CPN was able to reach over 660 Cedar Park residents in need, according to the information posted on its website. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, please click here. Also, volunteers are needed at the basket packing and distributing event, which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Renewal Presbyterian Church (47th and Cedar Ave). Please email Michelle and Beverly at: mlewis1071@gmail.com for more information.

• Local 44 is collecting donations of new and unwrapped toys or personal care items for the People’s Emergency Center, a West Philly shelter that offers support services to women and children. Please bring your donations to the Bottle Shop at 44th and Spruce anytime through Thursday, Dec. 19. For a list of personal care items needed most, visit this page.

Curio Theatre is continuing an exploration of gender this season and invites interested and open-minded folks to the Corner Queens Cabaret, a brand new drag cabaret show that kicked off last week on Curio’s Corner Stage (48th and Baltimore). The weekly shows are presented by a group of seven local artists and friends who began meeting once a week a year ago to perform in drag. In an effort to support the artists, Curio has offered them the Corner Stage for a limited time to put on a show.

Performers in the cabaret are not just Drag Queens and Kings; audience members are welcome to sign up to perform in upcoming shows. The Corner Queens Cabaret is designed to “allow a spectrum of artists to get on stage, take a risk, and have a great time.”

To help the audience get into the mood before the show, Curio has partnered with The Gold Standard Café who serves special $20 food platters for two with complimentary wine (you can also order from the menu and BYOB).

Shows run every Monday, except December 23, beginning at 9 p.m. The last show is on March 3, 2014. Admission is $5 cash at the door. For more information, visit: http://www.curiotheatre.org/corner-queens-cabaret.html

Demolition crews have begun tearing down the 40th Street Methodist Episcopal Church to make room for retail space. The two-story Romanesque-style church has stood at the corner of 40th and Sansom for 136 years. The construction of the new space, which will host Dunkin Donuts, Zesto Pizza and a couple of other retailers, is expected to be completed by April 2014.

(Photo by West Philly Local reader Karl Munkelwitz.)

The Blockley, a popular music venue located at 38th and Ludlow, will close its doors at the end of this month, its owners revealed on Facebook last night. The venue, which has had brushes with the law over serving underage patrons, lost its liquor license “without much notice,” the post read. The license has to be moved out of the building by the end of the year.

The last performances at the venue are currently scheduled for December 27 and 28 and all 2014 performances have been canceled, according to the Facebook post. The Blockley staff also told Philadelphia Magazine that they’re working on a big farewell concert.

The venue opened in 2009 and has hosted numerous music performances since. The place was particularly popular among college students and was shut down temporarily for allegedly serving minors.

The Blockley’s location, which includes an intimate stage and dance floor, has long been a staple of live music in Philadelphia. When it was the Chestnut Cabaret, the venue was a frequent stop for up-and-coming acts in the 80s and 90s, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Pogues, Phish, Sonic Youth, The Roches, Soul Asylum, The Meat Puppets; local acts such as Schoolly D and the Dead Milkmen; and established favorites like John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Parliament and Blue Oyster Cult.

It is still unclear what will happen to the property after The Blockley leaves.

(Photo via theblockley.com)

Photo by Annamarya Scaccia / West Philly Local

When West Philly Local profiled Rebels Closet in May, it seemed as if the excitement around the project was contagious. The street wear—meets—counterculture clothing store that took over True Planet Vintage Boutique’s former home at 4501 Baltimore Ave was going to breathe fresh air into the neighborhood—and tap into the West Philly underground not only through major brands like Mighty Healthy and G.E.E.K (Good Energy = Quals Kreation) Clothing Inc., but through in-store events like spoken word nights and a rolling art gallery.

Over the few months since its soft opening, though, Rebels Closet’s doors were rarely open during its stated operating hours, and—at least twice from what we observed—the store was completely emptied of any product or display, only to return a few days later. There was some hope that maybe it was just growing pains, as all businesses have their ebbs and flows, but that hope was soon dashed. As of about two weeks ago, Rebels Closet has been added to 4501 Baltimore Avenue’s “Previous Tenants” list. Around that time, a large group of people began gutting the corner store, carrying mounds and mounds of trash bags out of its doors. Drapes and brown paper material now cover its windows—a “Coming Soon” sign alerting that Zed’s Last Minute Gift Shop will make 45th Street and Baltimore Avenue its new home.

West Philly Local reached out to Takiya Lipscomb, manager of Rebels Closet, to find out what had happened to the clothing store, but she has yet to return our request for comment. As for Zed’s, we’ll update you with more information once we get in touch with the owners.

–Annamarya Scaccia

Editor’s Note: Go West! Craft Fest is this Sunday, Dec. 15, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Rotunda and not Saturday as it was originally reported in this post. Also, we have received a note from Play On, Philly! that their holiday concert has been postponed until after the New Year. We will keep you posted on a new date.

There are a lot of things happening in West Philly this weekend and we hope that the cold weather won’t deter you from checking out local holiday shopping events, music, films, theater, Christmas caroling, and other fun stuff. Our Events Roundup is below. For more events or if you want to submit an event, go to our Events Calendar. Also, don’t forget about ongoing events, like Holiday Craft Show and Sale at UC Arts League, and other holiday shopping and giving opportunities. If you need a Christmas tree, check out this post.

Friday, December 13

All day – The Gold Standard Cafe (48th & Baltimore) is donating one third of their total proceeds to Kingsessing library. Your donation will go to serve the library’s reading and educational needs.

5-10 pm – Neighbors are invited to get together to celebrate the season at The Cedar Works‘ first Holiday Party and Sale. 14 artists who call The Cedar Works home will be selling their works for holiday gifting.

5-10 pm – This Friday is a special holiday Second Friday on Lancaster Avenue, with festivities spanning from 34th Street all the way up to 41st. Enjoy great music, fine food, and good vibes.

8 pm – Gender Comedy: A Less Stupid Twelfth Night Gay Fantasia opens at Curio Theatre (48th & Baltimore).

Saturday, December 14

2 pm – International House Philadelphia (37th & Chestnut) invites families for its Family Matinee program, featuring a special holiday screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The film is a Halloween-Christmas hybrid and audience favorite. Tickets are $5; free for IHP members.

2-5 pm – Neighbors are invited to build their own gift baskets at Milk & Honey Market (45th & Baltimore). Create unique and inspired gift baskets filled with local products and thoughtfully selected books and goods and also enjoy free hot cocoa!

3 pm – University Lutheran Church (3637 Chestnut St) presents harpsichordist Marcia Kravis with her solo program, Dr. John Bull and Company: Music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book.

3:30 pm – Stop by Penn Museum (3260 South St) for “Unwrapping the Mummy: Hollywood Fantasies, Egyptian Realities,” a presentation by Dr. Stuart Tyson Smith, Chair of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Smith explores some modern myths about mummies, and the fascinating insights that can be gained from studying the “equipment” buried with mummies for the afterlife.

Sunday, December 15

All day – Enjoy delicious organic and locally made popsicles at Lil’ Pop Shop before it closes until February 1, 2014.

11 am – 5 pm – The winter edition of Go West! Craft Fest is finally here. VIX Emporium boutique and As the Crow Flies & Co. online are teaming up to bring over 40 vendors – local artists, craftspeople and designers – to The Rotunda (40th & Walnut). While shopping, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy frozen treats from Weckerly’s Ice Cream and vegetarian-friendly fare from Black Orchid Foods.

5 pm – The Friends of Clark Park invite you to come raise your voice with your neighbors in singing traditional Christmas carols around the Community Christmas tree (Clark Park “B”, near 45th & Regent). Refreshments will be served afterwards. This one always seems to work out much better after an Eagles win, so go Birds. For more info call 215-222-2255.