The Spirit of Penn's Garden - September 28, 2016 by The Spirit

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WEEK SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 VOL. 1 NO. 32

RECORD BREAKING Temple University breaks a world record for number of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made in an hour. 5

DEVELOPMENT NEWS Learn about what is being built in your neighborhood. 6

SERIALIZED FICTION Local author Michael Ferrence continues his serialized fiction column with Part 3 of “When We All Went Away.” 8

ACCU-REGGIE 7-day weather forecast for the region.

ave you been walking by a masterpiece on your morning commute or evening stroll? It’s possible for residents of Brewerytown, thanks to an outdoor pop-up exhibition from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. As part of their ongoing Inside Out program, the museum has placed large-scale replicas of some of their most famous works in eight locations around the neighborhood. Inside Out was first conceived by the Detroit Institute of the Arts six

years ago as a way to engage the community in its collection, according to a release from the Art Museum. Philadelphia was the third city to join the innovative program in 2015 through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Since its launch, the museum has placed high-profile works in 260 locations in 22 communities in and around Philadelphia. Continued on Page 2.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Events and happenings in our neighborhoods. 7

HOT OFF THE

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n Sunday, September 25, community members gathered together to celebrate the life of Logan Gibbs, an aspiring dancer who passed away due to brain cancer in August 2016 at the age of six. Roneisha Smith-Davis, owner and founder of B’Ella Ballerina Dance Academy (1124 A Buttonwood St.), helped to put the “Love 4 Logan” event together in memory of Logan, who loved to dance at the academy. “We’re bringing everyone together to bring awareness to cancer and

raise money to help find a cure,” Smith-Davis said. “This is a fun way to remember her and highlight [the cancer] she had.” The event took place at the Hank Gathers Recreation Center on the corner of Diamond and 25th Streets. The event started with a barbeque and charity basketball game before dancers performed in front of the crowd in honor of Logan. Raffles, food, giveaways and vendors were also Continued on Page 4.

The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – September 28, 2016

Page 2 Continued from Page 1. Brewerytown is the only Philadelphia neighborhood participating in the Fall 2016 edition of Inside Out. Other nearby locations participating include Bristol, Conshohocken, Jenkintown, Phoenixville, and Upper Darby. Carol Fryling is a resident of 31 Brewerytown, where a surrealist, anti-war piece by Salvador Dali greets residents and visitors as they enter a rear parking lot. A native of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Fryling relocated to Brewerytown in 2015. She has a membership to the Art Museum and is thrilled that her new neighborhood is participating in this inventive exhibition. While she is a frequent visitor to the museum herself, she notes that many residents of Brewerytown, especially younger ones, may not be aware of the trove of art that is in their own backyard. “I think it’s a wonderful way to bring to the general public what we do have available to us in this area in terms of art and to get more people out to see it. And if they can’t come to see it, we’ll bring it to them and I think it’s a wonderful vehicle for that,” she said. Harold Davis lives directly across the street from one of the works, Painting No. 4 (A Black Horse), on North 31st Street. A long-time resident of the area, Davis said it’s been years since he’s made the trip to the museum himself. He is happy, though, to see people in the neighborhood stopping to check out the piece. “People walking by, they’ll stop to take a look when it catches their eye,” he said. This fall’s Inside Out exhibition will run through the end of October. A complete list of the pieces currently on display in Brewerytown is below: Gateway Orchard North 31st Street and West Oxford Avenue Painting No. 4 (A Black Horse), 1915, by Marsden Hartley 31 Brewerytown 3100 West Thompson Street Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War), 1936, by Salvador Dali Dragonfly Corner North 33rd Street and Girard Avenue Two Calla Lilies on Pink, 1928, by Georgia O’Keeffe Girard Dream Garden North 31st Street and Girard Avenue “Tar Beach 2” Quilt, 1990, by Faith Ringgold Brewerytown Garden North 27th Street and Master Street Quarry, Evening, 1913, by Daniel Garber Sartain Apartments West Glenwood Avenue and North Corlies Street The Moorish Chief, 1878, by Eduard Charlemont Lorenzo’s 1301 North 25th Street From Nature in the Garden, 1856, by Rubens Peale Brewerytown/Sharswood NAC 2439 College Avenue Plowing, 1936, by Grant Wood •

/All photos by Michael Hanisco

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – September 28, 2016 FORECAST FOR PENN’S GARDEN

accu reggie TWITTER: @ACCUREGGIE • FACEBOOK: ACCU-REGGIE

ast week started warm before we flipped a switch into Fall and temperatures plunged from the 80s to the 60s. This week is a continuation of that drop down. Remember all those dry, warm Summer days? We will begin to pay for those this week too! A storm will spin over the region for a few days bringing with it cool temperatures and a dreary weather outlook. This is an exciting time of year! Football is back, refreshing breezes from the north are beating back the oppressive heat of Summer, the leaves will begin to change color and fall, sweatshirts and jackets are becoming a necessity, and pumpkin pie will soon be in order. However, to the dismay of many, it’s only a matter of time before the arc-

tic wind of Winter grips the region. Until then, enjoy the beautiful Fall season! Wednesday starts off as a nice day but don’t be fooled! Clouds will move in as the day progresses and rain arrives at night. Thursday and Friday are both soggy days. The storm will spin over the region and provide “rounds” of rain. It will not be raining all the time but keep the rain gear handy. It will rain for a couple hours then turn to drizzle before steady rain moves back in. Not fun! The storm starts to loosen its grip on Saturday. We still have a good shower chance but any rain will occupy much less time of the day compared to Thursday and Friday.

Sunday is a nice day with sun, clouds and a cool breeze. It will feel noticeably warmer as temperatures are able to get near 80! Monday continues the nice trend as sunshine will tend to dominate more than clouds. The storm will move to our north slowly away from us. Goodbye! Tuesday is a breezy day with sunshine and temperatures continuing to camp out in 70s. Side note: I am still watching the tropics for another storm that could bring rain to us in the Monday-Tuesday time period. It’s too early to tell, stay tuned! The weather winner of the week is the Sunday; the weather loser is Thursday. •

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – September 28, 2016

Page 4 Continued from Page 1.

Dancers showed off their skills at a dance-off during the #Love4Logan charity event. /All photos by Kaitlyn Moore

on hand for attendees to enjoy as they celebrated Logan’s life. The event wrapped up with a speech from Logan’s mother sharing the story of Logan’s battle with the Astrocytoma Glioma that took her life. Logan’s mother, Nakia Gibbs said, “[Today] is helping her legacy live on. I remember her saying one day, ‘Mommy, I want to be famous’... and this is the start of that.” The Love 4 Logan event was a launching point for the nonprofit organization Gibbs plans to start November 6, 2016 in honor of Logan’s birthday. “We will be reaching out to families that have been or are going through what I went through. We will be hosting events, and spreading awareness about the Astrocytoma Glioma tumor that Logan had,” Gibbs said. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, astrocytomas are tumors that arise from astrocytes—starshaped cells that make up the “glue-like” or supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are “graded” on a scale from I to IV based on how normal or abnormal the cells look. There are low-grade astrocytomas and high-grade astrocytomas, which are usually localized and grow slowly. High-grade astrocytomas grow at a rapid pace and require a different course of treatment. Most astrocytoma tumors in children are low grade. In adults, the majority are high grade. •

The Yane School of Dance was one of the many who performed during the #Love4Logan event.

Nakia Gibbs, mother of Logan Gibbs, addresses the crowd at the #Love4Logan charity event. Both basketball courts were filled with players for the #Love4Logan event.

Clowns painted children’s faces at the #Love4Logan charity event.

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – September 28, 2016

WRITTEN BY THOMAS BECK

Record Breaking

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY BREAKS A WORLD RECORD FOR NUMBER OF PB&J SANDWICHES MADE IN AN HOUR

ccording to their website, Temple University broke the world record for number of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches made in an hour last week at the Liacouras Center. The Main Campus Program Board coordinated the event and assembled more than 1,300 volunteers to work together to make 49,100 PB&J’s, beating the previous record by nearly 10,000. The sandwiches were distributed to local food banks, including Youth Services, Inc. “This is a great opportunity to bring the local community together with students, faculty, staff and alumni for a common cause, to build sandwiches for those in need,” said Program Coordinator for Student Activities Bryan Newman. 18 volunteers were stationed at each table, working frantically to make as many sandwiches as possible. Guinness World Record Official Adjudicator Christina Conlon supervised the event, making sure that none of the volunteers were violating any of the rules. She made the official world-record announcement at 8:04PM that night. Those present were extremely grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community. Maurice Hayman, Marketing Manager of Youth Services, Inc., attested to the collective sentiment of the volunteers. “For these people in need to be able to have all of these young folks that are coming together to make sandwiches - it’s really going to touch their hearts,” he said. •

/All photos by Patrick Clark

Is there something going on a that’s a little funky in your neighborhood that you want us look into? Have something juicy you want to leak? Know of something fun or interesting going on that you think we should know about? We rely on sources like you for news that effects our neighborhoods. No tip is a bad tip. Drop us a line at news@spiritnews. org.

The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – September 28, 2016

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WRITTEN BY THOMAS BECK

development news C E L E B R A T I O N O F T H E B I R T H D AY A N D L I F E O F J O H N C O L T R A N E C O N T I N U E S T H I S W E E K Brewerytown The owners of Pizza Brain will be opening a new eatery at 2841 - 2843 West Girard Avenue in Brewerytown. The name of the establishment has not yet been determined. The menu will be almost identical to that of the Pizza Brain museum-shop in Fishtown. The new restaurant will supposedly open its doors next month. V2 Properties plans to construct two new garage-front homes on the currently vacant lots at 903 - 905 North 30th Street. Due to the depth of the lots, V2 Properties has opted to set the homes back sixteen feet to make room for a driveway leading up to either garage. The Brewerytown Community Development Corporation (CDC) halfheartedly supported the project. One of the homes across the street is also currently under construction.

mixed-use building with retail space on the first floor at 1526 - 1530 Ridge Avenue. The units will be offered as condominiums. No one has laid claim to the commercial space yet. The foundation has already been established. The structure will have an architecturally contemporary look, much like many of the other recently completed projects in the area. • 2841-43 W. Girard Ave

907 Leland Street/All photos by Kaitlyn Moore 903 N. 30th Street

Temple University Temple University’s Office of Sustainability has been working in affiliation with a host of the school’s academic programs to design a small house at the intersection of Diamond and Carlisle Streets for the student-run Temple Community Garden. Construction should be completed by the end of this year. Francisville Developers have purchased the parcel at 867 - 871 North Opal Street in Francisville. Three new homes will be built on the property. The currently vacant lot sits adjacent to the shady, peaceful Ogden Park. Trinity Realty Companies is constructing an eight-unit

Opal Street

312 Fairmount Ave

WRITTEN BY DAN O’NEIL

Movies reviews S H O R T R E V I E W S O F M O V I E S P L AY I N G A T 1 6 0 0 N B R O A D S T.

The Magnificent Seven This remake of the 1960 classic Western, “The Magnificent Seven” finds the likes of Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and others all armed-up and ready to take down a ruthless, mean and evil industrialist named Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Director Antoine Fuqua keeps it simple; we have the good guys and we have the bad guys, let them shoot and kill one another. While it takes quite some time to actually get to the showdown, when it does eventually happen, it’s exciting, action-packed and unpredictable. Surprisingly, some big names bite the dust. Of course, it would be a disservice to say who lives and who dies, but it does matter to say that it’s easy to care for the characters, because they’re all charming and fun to watch, building on a dynamic that makes the final battle all the more gripping. Some fare better than others, but everyone here is still having fun and it’s worth joining in.

Blair Witch Another update of sorts, but this time, with 1999’s ”The Blair Witch Project”. Taking place nearly 15 years after the original film, Heather, the first film’s protagonist, has a younger brother (James Allen McCune), who discovers her footage of what happened in those infamous woods online and wants to head out there to find her. As expected, he brings a few friends and runs into some weird locals who want to take the trip with him, even if they don’t seem up to any good. It’s a traditional horror movie in that we get a simple premise and found-footage format, just like the original. However, where the original was scary and smart in its small, low-budget way, “Blair Witch” follows it by being a boring, overlong and big-budgeted mess that tries so desperately to be frightening and shocking, yet pulls every trick out of the book. It’s not surprising, or even fun – it’s just unoriginal. It gives an even greater reason as to why found-footage films should just go away and die a long, hard and painful death until someone can figure out a way to make them exciting again.

Snowden Oliver Stone is known for painting portraits of the criminally unloved and misunderstood, which is why Edward Snowden (played to perfection by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), seems like the perfect person for him to cover. Snowden, in case one didn’t already know, was a government-contracted analyst who discovered some more than lovable evidence into the U.S.’s shady ways into spying on its own citizens and decided that it was time the rest of the world saw the injustices he saw. As shown by Stone, Snowden is a sympathetic, everyday nerd who just wants to do right by the world, while also serving his country. The 2014 Oscar-winner, “Citizenfour” does a better job of telling Snowden’s story right in front of our eyes, but Stone’s take is gripping and still somewhat informative. It’s not perfect, but it pays a tribute to a person more people within our society should pay attention to. •

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – September 28, 2016

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 September 13-October 14 INSTANT REPLAY COLLECTION Instant RePlay collection of gently used toys/books at Ali's Wagon (2017 Fairmount) to support Smith Playground's Play for All program. RePlay, which organizes collections of gently used toys and donates them to organizations that work with kids and families in need in Philadelphia. We see play as a vital childhood opportunity. Since launching in 2015, Instant RePlay has kept more than 1,000 toys in circulation. For more info visit www.aliswagon.com

lom (615 N Broad St) Those affected can share experiences and resources as well as how to support their children anonymously. For further information contact Caron at 800-854-6023 or Rabbi Jill Maderer at (215)-627-6747 x216 or rabbimaderer@rodephshalom.org. Wednesdays, 5-8PM WEDNESDAY NIGHTS GAMEPLAY Every week there are different games to play in the galleries of The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Play with friends or with fellow visitors in friendly competition provided by the Museum. For further information contact Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215)-763-8100

Thursday, September 29 FCA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING We return to our regular venue of the City School – Fairmount Campus at 860 N. 24th Street at 7:30 PM. The agenda is not complete but City Councilman Bill Greenlee will Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30PM be featured and at some point I would like t break the MAKE STUFF meeting up into four sub-groups to brainstorm the FCA A drop-in program to craft handmade objects or create art approach to: Zoning and development; Community activities and events; FCA communications and publicity; FCA membership and solicitation efforts Tuesday, September 27 ANNUAL LIBRARY LECTURE: WHY THE BOOK STILL MATTERS Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, and Martha Hamilton Morris, Trustee and Chair of the Library Committee, cordially invite you to the Annual Library Lecture, Why the Book Still Matters. Noted book historian and digital humanities leader Michael F. Suarez, Director of Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, will consider the importance of books as objects and the future of libraries. 5PM Reception in Granite Hill, 6PM Lecture in Van Pelt Auditorium RSVP by September 21 to Marie Philbin at 215-684-7349 or ormarie.philbin@philamuseum.org. October 1-November 11 INSTANT REPLAY COLLECTION Instant RePlay collection of gently used toys/books at The Schuylkill Center (8480 Hagy's Mill Road) to support the Children's Crisis Treatment Center.RePlay, which organizes collections of gently used toys and donates them to organizations that work with kids and families in need in Philadelphia. We see play as a vital childhood opportunity. Since launching in 2015, Instant RePlay has kept more than 1,000 toys in circulation. For more infor visit www.schuylkillcenter.org October 4-29 RUSTLE: MICHELLE OOSTERBAAN & ANDA DUBINSKIS New art on display at Cerulean Arts (1355 Ridge Ave.). Opening Reception: Friday, October 7, 5-8PM. Artists' Talk: Sunday, October 16, 2PM Thursday, Oct. 20, 10AM PLANTING DAY The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is planning to do a little planting. They’re going to add 20,000 flower bulbs to the Parkway (and a couple of other locations), partly in celebration of the 2017 Flower Show theme, “Holland.” Locations of the plantings will include Logan Square, the grounds of the Rodin, the Azalea Garden, around PHS offices at 20th and Arch, and on JFK Boulevard. To get that many bulbs in the ground, they’ll need a lot of hands. PHS has some corporate and school volunteers on tap, but would love some help from Parkway partners! Volunteers are needed from 10AM-12PM on October 20. Please direct all volunteers to Betty Greene, at bgreene@pennhort.org. Mondays, 6-8PM TOUR AMBASSADOR STEWARDS TRAINING PROJECT The Strawberry Civic Association is looking for young and young at heart folks to come out to Mander Rec Center (33rd and Diamond St.) to learn Philadelphia history, Fairmount Park history, museum and trail information, etc. Tourism is a lucrative industry…. Be prepared. For more call 215-765-9500 Tuesdays, 7-8:30PM SUPPORT GROUP FOR PARENTS OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT CHILDREN LIVING WITH ADDICTION AND BRAIN DISEASE Learn about substance use and mental health disorders every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at Rodeph Sha-

being surrounded by the art of The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Activities include sketching, knitting, Lego fun or even creating a puzzle. For further information contact Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215)-763-8100 Wednesdays, 6PM DHYANA YOGA Practice your poses with Dhyana yoga outdoors in the Museum’s sculpture garden. Class size varies. Weather Dependent and cancelled above 90 degrees. For further information contact Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215)-763-8100 Thursdays, 12-1PM COFFEE AND CONVERSATION On Thursdays, The Stephen Klein Wellness Center opens up for the community to talk about what they please while enjoying free coffee and snacks. Anyone can drop in. •

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – September 28, 2016

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WRITTEN BY MICHAEL FERRENCE

serialized fiction “ W H E N W E A L L W E N T AWAY ” PA R T 3

fter we finished school, rather than getting day jobs, Max, the other guys, and I decided to focus on The Bumblebees. We moved into a house a few blocks away from The Fender, our home base for in-town shows. The owner, a former gold medal Olympic rower turned urban developer, helped us build a recording studio upstairs. We released 3 albums in just over a year, one or two songs at a time every few weeks, with somewhere between 250,000 and 350,000 downloads combined. Our songs got better and better, Max started designing these really cool, interactive video backdrops, and we began livestreaming our shows. We still played small-to-midsize clubs, but they sold-out out every time. The Rhinos last attack was knocking the hands off the Rocky statue and draping the Square Starred Banner over his shoulders. Just about everyone thought this was a sign of weakness, evidence they were slowing down, that they’d lost focus, “hokey as shit” as Maxwell put it. Aside from a recent city-wide barrage of flyers promising, ‘SOON’, for months they had been relatively quiet. They’re done, I said. They’ve tried to erode trust in the process, in our way of life, and they’ve failed. We’re stronger now than we were before they began. Yeah, there are definitely things that need to change in this country - inequality, environmental stuff, education, healthcare, crime, violence - but the United States, even with our flaws, is still one of the greatest places to be. The crowd erupted, and we jumped right into our 35th and final song of the night, our last Philly show before heading out West for a month. ‘SOON’ followed us to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento, LA, San Diego, Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver, back to LA, and back home. We’re trying to silence these maniacs and instead we’ve given them a microphone, I said. Maybe we should just play music and shut our mouths. “No way man. Not now.” Said Max. “Why? Because they

dropped off some flyers on our tour?” Yeah man. Exactly. They’re following us! We’ve become the focus. It isn’t what we wanted. They’re dangerous. This isn’t a goddamn joke. “What did you expect?” Not this. This is outta control. We’re in over our heads. “Too late now.” He said. We took some time off from recording and playing shows, but kept a strong presence by streaming our practices and songwriting sessions. I moved in with Elizabeth

over on 26th and Brown, not far from The Fender and the guys. Three weeks later she told me she was pregnant. Four months after that, in front of a few friends, our parents, and our brothers and sisters, we got married on Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park. We honeymooned in Honduras for a week, then I left with The Bumblebees for our first European tour. Part Four of “When We All Went Away” will be published in next week’s edition of The Spirit of Penn’s Garden. •