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WEEK MAY 18, 2016 VOL. 1 NO. 15
KNOW YOUR HISTORY Learn about one of the city’s greatest civil rights leaders, whose name is now everywhere in North Philly. 7
RANCH RECORDS Sam Rudich launched an independent record label from his Francisville house. 4
ACCU REGGIE 7-day weather forecast for the region. 3
T
he doors to the iconic Divine Lorraine Hotel were opened on Wednesday, May 11 for the second iteration of a pop-up shop featuring clothing and housewares from Najeeb Sheikh’s Divine Lorraine Hotel Collection. This marks the first time the building has been open to the public since the first pop-up shop, which took place September 2015. Given the reputation of the building and the buzz over Sheikh’s clothing line, crowds began lining up hours before the doors opened at 3:30PM. By 5PM, hundreds of people were allowed into the event. Once inside, curious patrons were able to shop, take photos, and enjoy art installations from 7 local artists.
EB Realty Management, a private development firm for the Divine Lorraine, also had a table set up in the lobby to talk to patrons about the possibility of leasing apartments in the building. Regional Property Manager Ed Casella explained, “For us (EBRM) it’s almost like a love story. We absolutely fell in love with the building and we’re very excited to have samples of all our finishes here.” Once complete, the Divine Lorraine will feature 101 apartments. According to Casella, leases have been signed for two apartments. Leasing prices start at $1,325 and two-bedrooms start at $2,540. As a special inContinued on Page 2.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR Events and happenings in our neighborhoods. 8
D HOT OFF THE
PRESS
raped in a grey suit jacket, 15-year-old Musa Andrews stood in front of a room attempting to compete with the roar of children who had filed into rows of plastic chairs neatly arranged in front of him, some standing or sitting on a friend’s lap. His first sold out show. Briefly shouting over the shouts and laughter of the young audience, Andrews tentatively began to introduce a project that he said took him nearly three years to make — his first feature film. As the production began to flicker into view, he grinned, resting his chin in his palm. Some employees of the Widener public library, the venue where the screening was held, call Andrews their protege. His mother Kimberly Johnson says Andrews spends nearly every day there. She says he “lives
for the library.” In Strawberry Mansion, the community where the library sits, children in grades K-12 outnumber adults, making up 59.7 percent of the neighborhood’s 22,447 people, according to census data. That’s thousands of children who seek some form of stimulation in the afterschool hours. But in an area where nearly half of the resindets live below the poverty line — 42 percent according to 2013 census data — resources for children can be limited. But at the Widener Public Library, all are welcomed for no charge. The librarian, Mieka Moody, calls it a “safe haven.” For the employees of the Widener Public Library, children are their speContinued on Page 6.
The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – May 18, 2016
Page 2 Continued from Page 1. centive, attendees who expressed interest in signing leases with EBRM were given tours of the apartments during the event. “Of course there’s a real history here and an allure to this building. It has a cult following that is unmatched in this city.” Casella said of the Divine Lorraine. The “cult following” was extremely apparent, with dozens of photographers stepping over each other to get the right shot of a broken tile or cracked column. The Divine Lorraine Hotel has come to be known as a rite of passage of sorts in the world of urban exploration in Philadelphia. For years it has been one of the most sought after locations for photographers seeking abandoned aesthetics. Jack O’Connor and Abbey Nesbitt attended the pop-up shop for a chance to catch a glimpse. “I figured this was a great chance to come out. I knew this was a popular urban exploration site,” O’Connor said. O’Connor and Nesbitt were made aware of the event through the snapchat of Conrad Benner, a local photographer who runs Streets Dept, a prominent photo blog that documents street art and urban exploration in Philadelphia. Benner has covered the Divine Lorraine on his blog in the past. With the extra publicity provided by Streets Dept and other local bloggers, the event proved effective at drawing in the underground art scene. “It’s a cool way of highlighting street art, graffiti, urban exploration in a legal way that also gives exposure to Philly based artists,” O’Connor said.
Photos by Patrick Clark
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – May 18, 2016 FORECAST FOR PENN’S GARDEN
accu reggie TWITTER: @ACCUREGGIE • FACEBOOK: ACCU-REGGIE
I
’ve been very impressed with this pattern the last few weeks. Essentially, it’s been a winter-like pattern with cold air dumping out of Canada clashing with moisture from the south or the coast keeping us in a chilly malaise of wet weather. This is like the Spring that never was. It was weird on Sunday seeing people wear jackets in the middle of May. Uh, it’s supposed to be 74 degrees not 54 degrees! Well, I want you to know that this week, like last week, will see some improvement in the overall pattern. 70s will be much more common and while we do have various shots of rain (Wednesday morning, Saturday and Tuesday) it’s certainly not going to be day after day of rain and clouds
we’ve been experiencing this month. I promise, the consistent warmth we all want will be here soon! Wednesday starts with some light rain but that will move out with sunshine returning in the afternoon. Temperatures will rebound into the 60s after the rain. The only word to describe Thursday’s weather is “beautiful.” It will be filled with sunshine and warmth! Friday takes the warmth even a step further as temperatures get comfortably into the 70s. A storm system approaches from the South so clouds will increase at night. Look for rain, especially in the afternoon, on Saturday. There is a slight chance the storm could stay mostly south of Philly, but chances are we will get SOME rain from it.
If nothing else we get clouds and drizzle. Temps top out around 70 on Saturday. The rain retreats for Sunday but it will still be cloudy with limited sunshine. Not a bad day, not a great day. Sunshine and warmth are in full effect on Monday. Temperatures may very well reach 80 in many places! Tuesday is a difficult weather day to predict. On the one hand, we may have a coastal storm to deal with and rain; on the other it could be 80 and sunny. Right now I think the rain scenario plays out, but let’s hope I’m wrong. Follow the daily updates for the final solution to this forecast. The weather winner of the week is Monday; the weather loser is Saturday!
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – May 18, 2016
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WRITTEN BY SEAN KEARNEY
Ranch Records H O W T H S I N D E P E N D E N T R E C O R D L A B E L G O T I T S S TA R T I N F R A N CIS VILLE
S
am Rudich has been living in his house on Vineyard Street in Francisville for 6 years. “Honestly it was here and it was cheap. I’ve always liked it. I’ve watched [Francisville] get built up, I’ve talked to more people in the neighborhood, I’ve just been around the whole time. I’ve always liked how there’s never really been the swell of punks living in the neighborhood,” Rudich said. “It’s not a hot spot or anything. It just always felt isolated. I just like hanging out with my neighbors.” Most every surface of the 3 story house is pocked with relics of past projects: old screens from screen printing, show posters from years past, scraps of random paper — and, of course, tapes. Lots and lots of tapes. “I’ve sort of transformed the house so I can work wherever I am in it,” Rudich explained. “Printing, cutting up paper — now I’m making noise in the basement. Up here there’s a computer, scanner, big-ass stereo and tape machines and all that.” This is the home of Ranch Records. Rudich moved to Francisville in 2010 from Easton, Pennsylvania with intentions to go to Temple’s Tyler School of Art for screen printing. While Rudich was accepted into Tyler, he wasn’t accepted by the University itself. In the meantime, Rudich decided to tie up some academic loose ends at Community College of Philadelphia while booking local concerts. “I got a job on South Street selling falafel, met people there and kept going to shows. I wanted to keep booking because that’s what I did in high school before I moved here.” Rudich booked a show here and there, but was not getting the same satisfaction from it as he did back at his parent’s house in the Lehigh Valley. Rudich felt frustrated, not knowing how to reconcile the sense of community he felt back at home and the relative alienation he felt in his new city. That’s when Rudich got the idea to start a record label that focus on the production and release of cassette tapes. “I always liked the quality of it,” Rudich said, “just the personal nature of owning a cassette. Knowing that this person made everything from the music, to folding the paper, to handing it to you.” “The whole label started because I didn’t feel like I had a place in the scene because all I really had was contacts with the bands I really liked,” Rudich added. “I always had this feeling that if you were hanging out in the scene and you weren’t behind a guitar or behind a table you kinda weren’t worth shit. Everyone [in the Lehigh Valley] always seemed to do something. And here it was all different cliques and niches all over the city and everyone had their own style of what they thought punk to be. I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I was definitely hungry from the beginning to do as much as possible.” When it came time to get a name for the label, Rudich decided it was only right to pay homage to where it all started: his parent’s basement. “First show I had there when I was 16 or something, I talked to [my parents] about it 6 months before. We ended up calling it ‘The Rudich Ranch’ because I thought that was chill for everybody in my whole house. It’s my parent’s house, it’s their basement. So calling [the label] Ranch just felt like keeping it real.” Since then, Ranch has released 26 projects from bands hailing from Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Boston, The Lehigh Valley, and Europe. The culmination of all the recording, designing, screen printing, and booking is Ranch Records’ yearly “Big Gig,” a showcase of about 10 bands involved with Ranch. The first Ranch Records “Big Gig” was in August of 2013 at a small house in West Philadelphia called 4QHQ. “That was a crazy mess and it went super well somehow, everyone liked it,” Rudich said. “Big Gig” was followed up by “Big Gig Duck” (Rudich assures me the process of
Spirit of the Beehive
naming each “Big Gig” is rooted in total nonsense) in 2014 at the legendary and now defunct DIY show space Golden Tea House headlined by Ranch Records regulars NAH, Gunk, and Spirit of the Beehive. “I was high for days off of it and so were my friends. So I’ve just been trying to recreate the feeling of being so stoked for a show that goes so fast. If there’s a band you don’t like, you don’t have to watch and in 15 minutes another band will be playing. Essentially just get in, have a cool party, everyone can sort of do whatever they want-- get real drunk or real high, there’s gonna be a ton of people there to see 6 out of 10 bands and it’ll happen really fast.” The most recent big gig, “Big Gig Truck,” might have been Ranch’s, well, biggest gig yet, ditching the humble beginnings of a house basement for the more spacious First Unitarian Church where around 350 people were
in attendance. The lineup included Ranch regulars such as NAH, Spirit of the Beehive, Gunk, Marge, and Dogs on Acid. Even Rudich’s family, the original members of Rudich Ranch, are in attendance with Rudich’s mom providing free coffee and cookies in the back of the basement. “My family being there was great. I don’t get to see my mother much,” Rudich said. “My brother used to play in The Beds and I try to stay in touch with him as much as possible. My dad is one of the most supportive people in my life and also just wants to sip a cold beer and listen to cool music and hang out. I think [Big Gig Truck] went perfectly.” In spite of Ranch’s new digs, the mood is warm as if the basements Ranch was born in only got a little bigger. Wanna hear more? Check out the label’s website at https://ranchjams.bandcamp.com/
Marge
Welcome to the Ranch — Pictured from left to right: Mike Kuhn (NAH), Colins Regisford (The City and I), Sum Rudich, and Griffin McGinley. /Photos by Sean Kearney
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – May 18, 2016
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Page 6 Continued from Page 1. cialty. As soon as nearby schools like Ethel Allen sound their final bells, the building fills with youths. The environment itself within the library is anything but the traditional quiet. It is more reminiscent of a rec center, busting at the seams with children just need a place to be. “A lot of times it gets very noisy, but we are not going to kick them out because this is the only place they have to come to,” Moody said. "It is worth it when you realize what they deal with and what they don’t have." But with a small number of volunteers and limited funds — a measly $200 — the library faces an uphill battle. For the Library’s after school learning program — called the Literacy Enrichment After-school Program (LEAP) — Kathy Murray is the only full time instructor. The program can see anywhere from about 20 to 40 kids on a daily basis. LEAP is offered Monday through Thursday from September to June at all Free Library neighborhood libraries and the Parkway Central Library (1901 Vine St.). Last Thursday, Murray was working on a mystery novel with one of her students when this Spirit News reporter was asked to be the inspiration behind one of the book’s characters. Murray said that she hopes to have it published. “I asked the kids, 'why you start coming to the library?'” she said. “I said, 'I want you to write one sentence about why you come,' and you know what they said? They said, 'we have to write?' So we took a different perspective.” The purpose of the project is to promote literacy among the children. She said that she has noticed the children struggle in this area more than math. Murray says the after school program in general is meant to help the children with any aspect of their schooling, this often means molding the approach to fit the child. “It is about seeing the potential within themselves,” she said, beaming Perfectly juxtaposing LEAP is a second program for the library’s kids that is housed in a small room within the building, brimming with paints and craft supplies, glitter littering the floor. Maker Jawn, a free-wheeling serving of creativity for the children meets twice a week — once for older children and a second time for children of all ages. The program itself is an outside organization offered in all North Philly Libraries. Maker mentor Goda Trakumaite said the program is unique in that there is no set objective — it responds to the whims of the students. She admitted that the undertaking is not without its stresses, though, as she spoke children flew back and forth across the room like track athletes on a sugar high. “But I also feel like there are just not that many opportunities for kids to just do what they want to and be expressive and make weird stuff,” Trakumaite said with a chuckle. On May 6, Maker Jawn participants could be seen bopping across a makeshift stage in the center of the library, dressed head to toe in completely one of a kind clothing, some with flames painted on their eyebrows, sparkles strewn across their cheeks. The group was modeling their own creations, a project the Maker Jawn program began after some students showed an interest in sewing. It is also through this program that Musa Andrews created his movie with many Makers participants serving as the lead roles. Takumaite said that Andrews is one of the most committed artists she knows, whil he calls Takumaite his best
The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – May 18, 2016 friend. But despite all the positivity, the lack of funding cripples the library in terms of experiencing any growth themselves. All public library branches are given a $200 budget for programming for the year, according to Moody. But, some raise additional funds through a group of supporters called a “friends group.” Widener does not have such a group. At one point Widener’s entire budget was spent after hosting two yoga classes and a balloon event. Moody says it is just not enough to fund the programs that she would like to have at this community resource. “The more money you have have the more things you can offer to your community,” she said flatly. Widener, for the most part, does not offer a lot adult programing. Moody said that they simply do not have to resources or space. “Most [adults] want resume writing help, but we don’t have a lab. There are certain libraries in the city that do have them but we are not one of them,” she said. With three consistent volunteers and six employees aside from those in Makers, those at Widener have found themselves short staffed. Still, this building filled with books has managed to alter the lives of children. For Andrews, the library is a place where he can breathe, the building where he has cultivated his craft. He said it has made a lasting impact. He hopes to return one day as a volunteer. “If you have a dream and you cannot quite get there; If you are upset or lost or don’t have friends, I ‘ll look out for kids like that,” he said.
Mieka Moody, the Widener Branch's librarian
The Widener Branch of the Free Library at 2808 W. Lehigh Ave., located in Strawberry Mansion. /Photos by Cindy Stansbury Musa Andrews
Kathy Murray, LEAP instructor at the Widener Branch.
The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – May 18, 2016
WRITTEN BY SPENCER HOMAN
Know Your History CECIL B. MOORE , G RE AT PH IL ADE L PH I A CIV I L RIG H TS L EA DER
Cecil B. Moore impacted the city of Philadelphia in significant enough of a way to have a street renamed in his honor. Moore was living in the city during a tense time in our nation’s history; after the Second World War and before Brown V. Board of Education. Cecil B. Moore experienced many successes in his life, but his role in the Civil Rights movement is unfortunately overshadowed by other historical figures, even though he affected the city greater than just about anyone. Cecil Bassett Moore was born on April 2, 1915 in Dry Fork, West Virginia to a physician and schoolteacher. He moved to Kentucky and graduated from Gary High School before returning to his home state for college. Upon graduating from Bluefield College, Moore took a job as a traveling insurance salesman. Before he became a “soldier for justice,” he became a soldier in the United States Marine Corps. Moore would eventually be promoted to the rank of a sergeant, which was the highest rank a black man could receive at that point in time. Moore married his wife, with whom he would have three children, in 1946 and completed his nine years of military service in 1947. The following year, Cecil moved to Philadelphia to attend Law School at Temple University. With the aide of his GI Bill, Moore paid for his night classes. To support his family and pay for his other expenses, Moore was a liquor-wholesaler. He developed many good relationships with the bar owners he had business with, and soon his interactions with them became political. He would discuss human rights and the course of action needed to create equality with clients and friends, but he always remained straight forward in his approach. Moore finished his law degree in 1953 and, as a defense attorney, he represented black lower-class citizens in civil rights cases. Even though he was raised in a middle-class family, he worked vigilantly to appear as a regular person. Not only would this help his law career, but it would also help his own Civil Rights movement in the city. Moore was also in charge of running the Citizen Committee Against Juvenile Delinquency in the 1950s. By the 1960s, he became the president of this organization. In 1962, Moore decided to run for president “as the voice of the working man” for Philadelphia’s branch of the NAACP as well. He had a successful presidential race and was inaugurated on January 3, 1963. Even though Moore had risen to power quickly, many people were beginning to see him as a divisive figure for the Civil Rights movement, perhaps because he criticized people by saying things like, “middle-class blacks were ‘part-time negroes’.” Obviously, statements like that divide people, but Moore would tell you he was just being honest. Moore began picketing at several places in his first year as Philadelphia’s NAACP president. Pickets took place at the Municipal Services Building, a local school in North Philadelphia, and Trailways Bus Terminals. Moore organized citizens to protest construction sites that would not employ black workers. In 1965, Cecil and hundreds of others would participate in his most famous protest out front of Girard College. Every day for seven months, people stood outside of the school in hopes that they would move closer to integration at the ‘school for orphans’. Even though Cecil B. Moore was successful with his protests, other Civil Rights leaders were starting to dislike his approach. Martin Luther King Jr. and Roy Wilkins felt that Moore was harmful to their peaceful approach for equality. Moore claimed that King was weak with his “imported Gandhi philosophy of non-violence.” No one can deny that Moore registering 70,000 new voters in the city and increasing the NAACP membership from 6,000 to 32,000 was a sucess. However, Moore’s “tell-it-like-it-is attitude” called out other successful strategies, creating rifts in the movement. In order to strip Moore of power, the NAACP split into three branches in Philadelphia in 1967, so he was only in control of North Philadelphia as opposed to the entire city. In order to maintain his prominence, Moore ran for mayor of the city in the same year, although his campaign was wildly unsuccessful, as he received about 1.2 percent of the vote and finished behind both the Republican and the Democrat also competing for the office. This did not quell Moore’s political ambitions entirely, and he “served as 5th District Councilman from 19741979 when he died” from cardiac arrest at the age of 63. His excitable persona may have damaged his heart, or perhaps it was his affection towards cigars and alcohol. “He incessantly drank; Old Grand Dad being one of his favorite vices.” Cecil may have been aggressive, but he was pure in his intentions. “I don’t want more than the white man got,
but I won’t take no less,” he said. In case you wanted to pay respect to the straight-talking activist, you can pass by his house at 1708 Jefferson Street, which he bought in 1974 from another Civil Rights Leader (no coincidence), Raymond Pace Alexander, the first black judge in Philadelphia. The most recent owner of this property bought the historical house in 2015. Information for this article came from Articles.philly.com, Blackpast.org, Cecilbmoorephiladelphiafreedomfighters. wordpress.com, Newsworks.org, Northerncity.library.temple.edu, Philaplace.org, Philasun.com, Planphilly.com, and Zillow.com.
Photos by Patrick Clark
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – May 18, 2016
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COMMUNITY
calendar N E W S @ S P I R I T N E W S . O R G • 1 4 2 8 E . S U S Q U E H A N N A AV E • 2 1 5 . 4 2 3 . 6 2 4 6 Thursday, May 26 MAY FCA MEETING Our agenda for the upcoming May 26 meeting is as follows: Representatives from the City Parks will present an overview of the Summer plans for the Oval on the Parkway and other events on the Parkway; The developer of the properties at 2333-47 Fairmount Avenue will present the final plans to build an apartment/condo project on that site to include underground parking for the residents; An update on development activity; Committee reports. Meetings are held at The City School at Fairmount (formerly the Mennonite High School at 860 N. 24th). St.7:00 PM for refreshments. Thursday, June 30 JUNE FCA MEETING (NEW LOCATION!) A reminder that the June 30 monthly FCA meeting will be held at the Eastern State site and not at the City School at 7:00 PM. Second Thursdays GBCDC MONTHLY MEETING The Greater Brewerytown CDC holds monthly public meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30. Meetings cover a variety of community news and initiatives, and features new guests each month. Meetings are held at the GBCDC office at 3000 Master Street. Monday, August 1 FCA SUMMER SOCIAL The FCA Summer Social event will be on Monday August 1 at Jack’s Firehouse. There is no charge for members, but it will require an online signup because of space limitations. More details will be available soon. Saturday, June 4 GBCDC FLEA MARKET Join the Greater Brewerytown CDC for a Flea Market from 9AM-5PM at 3000 W. Master Street. Plenty of food, fun and vendors. Vendors must register by June 1 and provide their own tables and chairs. $25 fee for vendors. Stop by office or mail your business name, type of product, phone number and email to register. Saturday, June 18 ACELERO LEARNING HEAD START BLOCK PARTY Acelero Learning, a federally funded preschool program for low-income families, is hosting a block party on Saturday, June 18th from 11 - 3 at 1801 N. 23rd St. The purpose of this event is connect our current families to services in the community, to recruit new families to our program and to have fun! In addition to informational tables, we plan on having food, music and entertainment for the children and families. Saturday, June 11 GREEN NIGHT OUT Green Night Out will welcome Marianne Bessey, an attorney, long-time animal advocate and founder of grassroots group Animal ACTivists of Philly, at 6:30 pm on Saturday, June 11. Marianne Bessey will lead a discussion of “The Ecological Impact of Animal Agriculture.” Ms. Bessey has led numerous campaigns in the area, including the closing of the elephant exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo, the closing of the Bucks County Zoo, and the elimination of animal circus fundraisers for fraternal police organizations. This stimulating discussion will accompany a delicious Chinese meal at Su Xing House (1508 Sansom Street). Prior reservation ($25/person) is required because of very limited seating. Please RSVP to the Green Party of Philadelphia, 215-8434256 and gpop@gpop.org. Sunday, May 22 GRAVESITE PLACEMENT OF VETERANS’ FLAGS Meet at the gatehouse of Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue) at 10AM. The group assembled will place US flags on the graves of veterans’ of all wars. As time and manpower permit, the cemeteries to be covered include Laurel Hill, Mt. Peace & St. James the Less. Refreshments and lunch provided. All welcome!Free Parking is available (215) 228-8200 or online at www.thelaurelhillcemetery. org Sunday, May 29 ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVATION Recreating the Original G.A.R. Decoration Day Service of 1868: The traditional Decoration Day service of the Grand Army Meade Post #1 will be recreated at Historic Lau-
rel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave. Philadelphia on Sunday, May 29, 2016 at 12 noon. All are welcome to attend and participate in the ceremony. Keynote Speaker: Capt. (USN) Louis Cavaliere, (ret.). Historical groups, veterans, and citizens are urged to participate. Wreaths, military contingents, color guards, music and period civilians are encouraged to participate. Refreshments served after the ceremony. Tours of the historic cemetery available. For information, call 215-228-8200. May 4 – July 15, 2016 HOPE GINSBURG: BREATHING ON LAND: BAY OF FUNDY AND MISHA WYLLIE: OUT TO LUNCH Tyler School of Art (2001. N 13th Street) is pleased to announce the 2015/16 Distinguished Alumni Mentoring Program exhibition: Hope Ginsburg: Breathing on Land: Bay of Fundy and Misha Wyllie: Out to Lunch. This is the culminating exhibition of Tyler’s fourth annual Distinguished Alumni Mentoring Program. These exhibitions
are the result of the work produced during a six-month mentorship between Hope Ginsburg (BFA ‘96) and the exceptional recent Tyler graduate, Misha Wyllie (MFA ‘14). The exhibition will open on May 4, 2016 with a reception from 6:00 – 8:00 pm and will continue until Friday, July 15, 2015. For more info, http://tyler.temple.edu/temple-contemporary/ whats-happening# May 28 FREE OUTDOOR FUN! @ MEET AT BLAINE ELEMENTARY From 1– 5:30 PM. 1 Hour of Outdoor Fun! Attendees get a goodie bag with snacks, giveaways, handouts and an invite to a free Saturday field trip on June 4. This program is for kids/families/groups and community members! Meet at Blaine Elementary (3001 W Berks St.)
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