My Task Master, a West Philadelphia based professional organizing business that helps others achieve peaceful and efficient environments for home, work, and play, is holding a suit drive this week to benefit Dress for Success of Philadelphia. They are accepting women’s clothing items for donation that are like new, clean, and current (not more than 3 years old). If the item is something you’d wear for a job interview, they’ll accept it.

The drive will also accept interview appropriate fall and winter blouses, slacks, skirts, shoes, scarves, jewelry, and bags. Special need exists for clothing sized 00-2 and 14+ as well as shoes size 8.5+. All donations are tax-deductible.

The mission of Dress for Success Philadelphia is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Over 10,000 women in the greater Philadelphia area have been referred to Dress for Success Philadelphia since 2008 to receive clothing, confidence, and career boosts.

Donations will be accepted through Thursday, Sept. 12. Please email Emily Anderson at: emily@mytaskmaster.net to schedule a drop-off or to request more information. Please include “suit drive” in the subject line. You may also drop off your donations to My Task Master’s table during the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll on Thursday. Their table will be located near 47th Street on Baltimore Avenue.

Cedar Park Neighbors, the Garden Court Community Association, and the Walnut Hill Community Association are co-sponsoring a property tax workshop to help residents navigate through the various programs designed to help people with their property taxes. Several of these programs are rapidly approaching deadlines. The workshop will be on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (48th and Baltimore; enter through the 48th St. entrance), beginning at 7 p.m. Apart from the workshop organizers, Monty Wilson, an attorney from Community Legal Services, and representatives from the Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s office will be present at the event.

If you’re looking for answers to any of the questions below, you’re encouraged to attend Wednesday’s workshop:

• Have you filed for a homestead exemption yet? It’s worth $400/year, and it’s due on Sept. 13.
• Do you have questions about how to appeal your AVI assessment to the Bureau of Revision of Taxes (BRT)? Appeals are due on Oct. 7.
• Do you have questions about the senior tax freeze? Applications are due on Oct. 15.
• Want to know more about the property tax and rent rebate program? Curious about how to enter a payment plan on past due taxes to avoid a tax foreclosure sale?

For more information, please visit the event’s Facebook page.

The Mill Creek Farm, the pretty terrific urban farming project near 49th and Brown, is hosting a mixer/fundraiser on Thursday called … wait for it … “weed dating”!

This thing kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a weed identification lesson, then you’ll “jump right into weeding and a few rounds of getting to know the person across your row,” according to the invitation. All of that weeding will be followed by music and refreshments. 

Now there is a charge for this thing – it is a fundraiser after all – and there is a limited number of spots. Admission is $12 and you can order tickets here. It is also BYOM (Bring Your Own Mug) and is restricted to those 21 and over. No farming experience necessary, but dress to get dirty.

This is from the event Q & A:

Q: What does my ticket price support?

A: Your ticket supports Mill Creek Farm’s educational and food security programs for the fall of 2013. Mill Creek Farm is dedicated to improving access to healthy food, buidling a healthy community and environment, and promoting a just and sustainable food system – and we couldn’t do it without you!

Q: I am gay, can I participate? or I just want to meet like minded people, can I participate?

A: Everyone is welcome. While we can’t guarantee that there will be a match for every attendee, we do hope that we will meet some great friends in the process.

There’s no doubt that there are tons of talented folks in West Philly. Curio Theatre would like to hear from you.

On Friday, Sept. 13, auditions will be held for Curio’s Talent Show, which is part of the annual Curio Theatre Benefit Night. The Talent Show, dubbed “The Best of the West (Philly) Talent Smackdown!,” will have everything: judges, voting, and the proverbial “Fat Lady” to sing you off the stage if your act is losing steam. Contestants will be competing for a grand prize of $200, a goody bag, and they all get free entrance to the Gala event.

So don’t be shy and show your neighbors what you’re good at. To apply, call 215-525-1350, or email: company@curiotheatre.org to set up an audition time.

The Talent Show and Benefit will be held on Friday, Sept. 27, in St.Francis De Sales School banquet room located at 917 S. 47th St. More information can be found at www.curiotheatre.org. If you want to buy tickets ($50), click here.

Photo from Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll 2012/West Philly Local.

This year’s only Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll – after the first Stroll scheduled in June was rained out – will be Thursday, Sept. 12. This popular annual event draws huge crowds from West Philly and other parts of the city, who come to enjoy $1 deals, from food, sweets and beer to arts & crafts items to music and yoga class vouchers to theater tickets.

University City District (UCD), which organizes the event, says that established neighborhood businesses, like Milk & Honey, Dock Street Brewery and Firehouse Bikes, will participate in the Stroll along with newcomers that include Little Baby’s Ice Cream and The Green Tambourine. See the complete list of participating businesses here.

Radio station WXPN favorite The Fleeting Ends will perform live at the 46th Street Triangle, along with other artists and street performers. Free face painting and balloon artists will be on hand to entertain the little neighbors. Food trucks, including Jimmies Cupcake Co., Sunflower Truck Stop, The Tot Cart, and Lil Dan’s Food Truck ,will also be selling $1 items along the avenue.

Finally, stop by Clark Park (43rd & Baltimore) at 6:30 p.m. to take part in The Mp3 Experiment, a public, flash mob kind of event created by Improv Everywhere, where participants carry out coordinated instructions delivered to their headphones (instructions are available here).

As usual, the Dollar Stroll will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. along Baltimore Avenue between 43rd and 51st Streets. As we always recommend, make sure to get there early if you don’t want to miss out on best deals from over 30 local businesses.

Those of you who like to knock one back now and again will be happy to learn that premium wine and liquor store at 43rd and Chestnut that has been discussed for what seems like a few years will open – on Tuesday!

The free booze will be flowing at the Premium Wine and Spirits Shop – if you are 21 and prove it of course – beginning at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The store has been in the works for a long time and was approved by the city, despite some protests from neighbors. It replaced an adult video store and check cashing joint. The store’s “premium” label means that no pints will be for sale. Read the whole saga behind the opening starting here.

The store’s opening will likely take much of the customer pressure off the store near 49th and Baltimore, which absorbed much of the traffic after the liquor store closed near 41st and Market in January 2012.

Here is the tasting schedule, according to Philly.com:

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.:

• Grand Marnier Raspberry Peach
• Hennessy VS Cognac
• Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut
• Chandon Napa Brut

4 p.m.– 6 p.m.:

• Barefoot Cellars Pinot Grigio
• Barefoot Cellars Malbec
• Barefoot Cellars Red Moscato
• Barefoot Bubbly Moscato Spumante

The store hours are: Mon-Sat 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sun noon – 5 p.m.