Photo: Neal Santos / www.nealsantos.com

If you’re looking to score locally-grown veggies to round out your grocery shopping this week, stop by Farm 51 this Thursday to purchase organic food goods—and support West Philly farming—from its weekly produce stand.

Opened in May, Farm 51’s farmstand operates every Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the educational urban farm and market’s site at 51st and Chester Streets. Currently, the farm will have its fresh, organically grown kale, collards, lettuces, herbs, carrots, radishes, flowers, beets, and eggs from its chickens available for sale, and will introduce honey from its bees, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, melons and more, later in the season. The produce stand, in operation since the farm officially opened four years ago, will close in late October.

Farmstand costs, which are marked by bag and bunch, range from $1 to $6 in order to remain affordable for the farm’s immediate residents, said Philadelphia City Paper Staff Photographer/Associate Web Editor Neal Santos, who runs Farm 51 along with founder Andrew Olson. The farm only accepts cash at its stand but is working on equipping itself to also accept SNAP, Santos told West Philly Local.

Proceeds from the farmstand will go towards paying Farm 51’s junior gardeners, who staff the single farmstand, as well as supporting its garden and “all of its critters,” said Santos. In addition to the West Philly location, Farm 51 will also host a stand at Philadelphia’s Open Air Market at 23rd and Arch Streets, where it’ll sell its organic cut flowers and Santos’s photography.

“The plan is to consistently provide fresh, affordable and locally grown organic produce to our customers,” Santos told West Philly Local. Farm 51 plans on holding open farm days for guided tours in the near future. “We also hope to create more of a meeting and community space in the parts of the garden that are not growing space for pop up events.”

–Annamarya Scaccia

We have received reports of a brazen theft pattern developing over the last couple of weeks at some local cafes. Tip jars were stolen from the counters of at least two local establishments last week.

Tip jars were stolen from the Green Line Café on Locust Street twice in the last two weeks, according to owner Douglas Witmer. It looks like both times it was done by the same person, he adds.

A tip jar was also stolen from Milk & Honey Market at 45th and Baltimore Avenue, according to owner Annie Baum-Stein, who added that the theft happened at the end of the day, around 7 p.m.

It’s not known how much money was stolen.

Neighborhood grocery store Mariposa Food Co-op with over 1,500 local members began accepting youth member applications last week. If you or some of your family members are between ages 14 and 17, this is a great opportunity for you/them to become a member-owner of a community-run business and to learn about the cooperative economy. By becoming a Mariposa member, our young neighbors, just like adult members, can participating in decision-making about the co-op through voting, earn a 5 percent shopping discount and receive other member benefits.

Interested youth or parents/guardians are asked to stop by the store located at 49th and Baltimore Avenue to pick up a membership application. By the way, youth member equity is only $5. For more information please visit: https://www.mariposa.coop/

There were 44 serious crimes committed within West Philadelphia’s University City District (UCD) boundaries (river to 50th Street, Market to Woodland) last month, which is the highest since last October. These crimes include 24 robberies  – 12 armed robberies (six in April) and 12 robberies with no weapon (eight in April). There was a slight decrease in residential burglaries though in comparison to April – from 17 to 13. The University City District reports that 12 related arrests have already been made.

While the new crime data provided by UCD in their monthly crime update distributed to email subscribers is somewhat worrying, the increase in criminal activity is typical for warmer months and usually subsides when the weather gets too hot in the summer and in colder months. It is always a good idea to be aware of your surroundings at all times and to use a Walking Escort in the area to accompany you late at night or when you feel unsafe. UCD reminds that you can call 215-898-9255 or 215-387-3942 between 10 a.m. – 3 a.m. and a UCD Ambassador will be dispatched.

A garden center is being proposed at the southeast corner of 51st and Baltimore.

An empty lot at the southeast corner of 51st Street and Baltimore Avenue may soon host a garden center. To kick start the project residents are invited to provide their input at the first community discussion tonight. One of the main topics discussed at tonight’s meeting, which will take place at Seeds Gallery (5011 Baltimore Ave) beginning at 6:30 p.m., is how to structure the project (i.e. co-op or private business).

Seeds Gallery owner Saba Tedla will lead tonight’s discussion along with the land owner Ryan Spak and community members can learn more about and share their thoughts on the following issues:

– What is the proposed lease term for the space?
– Who are the stockholders of this project?
– What can University City District/Cedar Park Neighbors do to support this effort?
– Private vs. public (co-op) structure garden center?
– Who has an interest to invest?
– What government /non-profit organizations can be involved with this project?

There is no more information available on the proposed garden center at this time as “things are just unfolding”, according to Tedla, and  many things will depend on the community input.

So here’s something to do tonight if you’re short of cash, nostalgic or just into 1980s movies. A movie from the 80s will be screened outdoors at Drexel Park (32nd and Powelton) every Thursday (except July 4) from tonight until August 15.

Screening tonight.

Tonight you can catch Poindexter, Booger and the gang in the 1984 John Landis classic Revenge of the Nerds. Apparently there will be 1980s seat cushions available free while supplies last. We’re not sure if they are actually from the 1980s or they are day-glo colors or what, but they’re free.

The screenings start at dusk.

Future films include:

June 27 – Adventures in Babysitting
July 11 – Spaceballs
July 18 – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
July 25 – Die Hard
August 1 – Batman
August 8 – A Nightmare on Elm Street 3
August 15 – The NeverEnding Story