Quarterly Crier - Winter 2023

The Common Good

South Street Beat

South Street Headhouse District celebrates its new digs at the iconic Zipperhead building.

It Takes a Village

A team of dog-loving volunteers is on pooper-scooper patrol at Mario Lanza Dog Park.

How It Works

guide to attracting our feathered friends to your home this spring.

School Bell

Students at the Settlement Music School star in a holiday classic.

QV Life

Old Swedes’ stage O Brother, Where Art Thou?—Queen Village’s newest holiday tradition.

QV History

The construction site at 2nd and Beck used to be Commissioners’ Hall, the political hub of Southwark.

VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 4

WINTER 2023 Online at QVNA.org/crier

PUBLISHER

Queen Village Neighbors Association

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Eleanor Ingersoll president@qvna.org

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Lucy Erdelac wecare@qvna.org

MANAGING EDITOR

Nancy Brokaw editor@qvna.org

PROOFREADERS

Jamie Bischoff Jake Peterson DESIGNER Alec Meltzer meltzerdesign.net

AD SALES advertising@qvna.org 215.339.0975 qvna.org/advertise

QVNA provides community stewardship, advocacy and service to help improve quality of life for Queen Village residents.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (2023–2024 TERM)

OFFICERS: Cait Allen – PRESIDENT Chris Mullen – VICE PRESIDENT Open – SECRETARY

Philip Holzhauer – TREASURER

DIRECTORS:

Matt Atkins

Dan Doyle Don Finley

Craig Morton

Daniel Orr Mike McPhilmy Noah Swistak

Christine Larash Torcivia

EMERITUS DIRECTORS (BOARD SERVICE):

Kathy Conway (1983 - 2003)

Inez Green

Michael Hauptman Marian Buczek (1991 - 2003)

OFFICE: 709 S. 5th Street

EMAIL QVNA: WeCare@QVNA.org

CALL OR TEXT: 215.339.0975

© Copyright 2022. Queen Village Neighbors Association. All rights reserved.

Contributors

Austin Bening thinks Queen Village is pretty cool. He makes videos and writes things for a living. He smells nice sometimes.

Jamie Bischoff is an editor and a recently retired copyright and trademark lawyer, who has lived in Queen Village for the past 37 years.

A Row House blogger, Suzanne Dreitlein has been a Queen Village resident since 2007. She enjoys living in a 19th-century row cottage, wearing 18thcentury clothing, and writing about the great things going on in QV!

Lucy Erdelac bought the first and only home she ever looked at. Of course, it was here in Queen Village. While she considered a move from Brooklyn and

Ted considered one from DC, they discovered Queen Village—and three hours later found the home of her dreams, where they still live today with Tennison, Bisbee, and Punkin.

Jim Hunt is a nationally recognized cartoonist (www.acartoonist.com) whose clients include Google, MLB on FOX, Hershey’s, MAD Magazine, NASCAR, and Bank of America. He and his wife, Fuller, live in Queen Village.

A multi-hyphenate creative, Courtney Hunter-Stangler tells stories through writing, dance, screenwriting, and the occasional podcast. She is the founder of The Stolen Fire Collective, a media and performance production company and is currently pursuing her

MFA in Fiction and Screenwriting at UC Riverside in its Palm Desert Low Residency program.

Jim Murphy is a certified tour guide and author of Real Philly History, Real Fast, published by Temple University Press. His free history blog is available at realphillyhistory.com.

Maureen Brady Weir is a resident of Queen Village and a member of the The Friends of Moyamensing Point. A communications director by trade, she is currently working towards her certification as a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist. Contact Maureen directly at mbradyweir@gmail.com. For more information on the PA Master Naturalist program, visit pamasternaturalist.org/. ■

by Thomas Paine

In a chariot of light, from the regions of the day, The Goddess of Liberty came, Ten thousand celestials directed her way, And hither conducted the dame. A fair budding branch from the gardens above, Where millions with millions agree, She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love, And the plant she named Liberty Tree. The celestial exotic stuck deep in the ground, Like a native it flourished and bore; The fame of its fruit drew the nations around, To seek out this peaceable shore. Unmindful of names or distinctions they came, For freemen like brothers agree; With one spirit endued, they one friendship pursued, And their temple was Liberty Tree. Beneath this fair tree, like the patriarchs of old, Their bread in contentment they ate, Unvexed with the troubles of silver or gold, The cares of the grand and the great. With timber and tar they Old England supplied, And supported her power on the sea; Her battles they fought, without getting a groat, For the honor of Liberty Tree. But hear, O ye swains (’tis a tale most profane), How all the tyrannical powers, Kings, Commons and Lords, are uniting amain To cut down this guardian of ours. From the East to the West blow the trumpet to arms, Thro’ the land let the sound of it flee; Let the far and the near all unite with a cheer, In defense of our Liberty Tree.

Volunteers Volunteers Queen Village Queen Village

Looking Back, Moving Forward

By Eleanor Ingersoll, QVNA President

Hello Neighbors and Happy Holidays to you all!

As I wrap up my service to the Association, I look back at eight years on the Board, and five-plus as board president and am truly thankful for being able to serve you all—in exchange for all that I have learned about you, the community, and how we work with the City of Philadelphia.

And there has been no shortage of opportunities for growth! But this extended leadership role needs some background to help understand the strides QVNA has made to become a resource for the neighborhood.

At the beginning of my board leadership, the main goal was volunteer recruitment throughout Queen Village as well as on the board; QVNA needed to work very hard to re-establish itself as a leader for the community. While working toward this, it became clear that the Association operations needed to move from Weccacoe Playground to respect the ongoing plans for the Bethel Burying Ground Memorial project.

We identified a place at the co-working space Joynture (above current business Snipes). There, QVNA worked to re-establish continuity with neighbors, services, programs, and fundraising. Zoning meetings were relocated, electronic communication stepped up, and policies put in place to better outline the board

responsibilities of governance and strategic planning.

QVNA began helming more robust community meetings to re-engage the community and inspire volunteers to service for the greater good. I sought historic perspectives from Inez Green, Colleen Puckett, Cathy Conway, Marge and Al Schernecke, David Auspitz, and Joel Spivak. Councilman Mark Squilla was essential in helping me fill in the blanks and work with city agencies. I learned about the Interstate Land Management Corporation (ILMC) and rebooted the community arm of the quasi-governmental organization that maintains the lands abutting I-95. Afterwards, State Rep. Mary Isaacson first appointed me to serve on the ILMC board in 2018, followed by appointments from State Sen. Larry Farnese and then State Sen. Nikil Saval.

I reached out to Joe Forkin of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation about everything from trash and lighting responsibilities to the process for the I-95 cap and the South Street Pedestrian Bridge. I worked in alliance with fellow leaders at Society Hill Civic Association, Bella Vista Neighbors Association, and Pennsport Civic Association to cooperatively address projects that affected all of our neighborhoods. Aligning goals and outcomes with Mike Harris and the South Street Headhouse District was a regular point of work—from the Nightlife Task Force meetings to development projects,

business licensing, and neighborhood cleaning projects. Regular conversations with Lt. Mike Long at the South Street Police Mini-Station were key to understanding neighborhood challenges.

It all seemed to be humming along until March 2020. The pandemic presented a crash course in learning how to live life, continue work, and interact online. We had our first Zoom board meeting in April of 2020. That provided the opportunity to conduct business but was also a test run of how a community meeting would be staged. We resumed community meetings that month with an ambitious program: Meet the Candidates night, moderated by The Committee of Seventy. All the while, the office was running COVID information from the city, bolstered by compiling a listing of which restaurants and stores were open and where people could find food giveaways to manage pandemic food insecurity.

But COVID impacted the Association as well. The landlord shut down the Joynture coworking space, and QVNA had to relocate again, this time to 4th and Fitzwater streets. There, in the throes of pandemic fatigue and social unrest, QVNA continued its mission by providing the community with pertinent information, connecting residents to political leaders, and sharing productive opportunities to get outside of the home.

And people were excited to get out of the house! Our board election in Decem-

ber of 2020 was one of the highest recorded times of neighborhood participation, 243 people stopped by the office to safely vote in person and help to shape QVNA.

Throughout 2021, as many were still schooling and working remotely, we kept the electronic information flowing, street cleaning on schedule, the parking lot maintained, and volunteers engaged in cleaning and greening projects. Our Zoom community meetings turned out to be one of the only ways for neighbors to continue to collaborate on a larger scale.

These forums included neighbor input for the Bethel Burying Ground Memorial artist selection and continued from there with information sessions on COVID and vaccines from world-renowned immunologist, Dr. Kathleen Sullivan. There were also community project discussions around the Washington Avenue Connector Project to the waterfront.

Safety and quality-of-life issues are always an underlying theme for QVNA. In June of 2021, tensions boiled over around illegal ATVs and dirt bikes. QVNA launched its first of two citywide Zooms. All totaled, more than 2,000 people registered to hear how councilpeople, police, and City Hall leadership planned to address the problem of pedestrian safety, business disruption, and regular noise violations throughout the entire city. In the fall, QVNA partnered with Society Hill, police, and Councilperson Squilla to follow up on this topic at a micro level.

2022 has been no less active. QVNA relocated its office, this time to South 5th Street, and managed a transition of the parking lot management firm—no small task. The zoning çommittee worked diligently to navigate the desires of businesses and residents against the written zoning code, the grants committee funded impressive neighborhood-based projects, and the office supported neighbors’ requests for pocket parks and neighborhood greens, 311 follow-up, and popular recycling events.

In June, QVNA was finally able to hold its first in-person community meeting since February 2020—on a grand scale: a town hall with Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and District Attorney Larry Krasner at Nebinger Elementary. Just days after gunfire took the lives of three people and wounded 11 others on South Street, more than 400 people showed up in person to hear the discussion and ask questions from the city’s highest levels of law enforcement. QVNA recorded the live meeting to provide it online for everyone.

It is this community outreach that was the most fulfilling aspect of serving the neighborhood. Seeing and hearing the concerns of neighbors allowed the Association to strive for creating the forum needed to ask hard questions and demand genuine answers from the officials we pay to run the city. Serving as your president has been a process of evolving in the leadership role to fine-tune public service and manage expectations

through the pandemic and social unrest and through projects that elevate the neighborhood and its spirit.

But none of this would be possible without the support and dedication of board members past and present who questioned processes and created new works of community improvement. QVNA would not be the leader in civic engagement without the volunteers of the zoning committee, the grants committee, the nominations committee, the writers for this magazine, and the dedicated people who help deliver it to your door. It would also not be possible without the daily dedication of Executive Director Lucy Erdelac. I thank you all for your support and all that I have learned from you.

Which brings me to thanking all of you—for attending the meetings before the pandemic, sticking with us through our Zoom outreach, and showing up to be part of the conversations in person and online. You are in great hands with the incoming board. Continue engaging with QVNA to lift up this great neighborhood which we all call home—it’s nothing if not for you.

I’ll still see you around the neighborhood, look for me walking Ember—the dog with one blue eye.

Meet Our New Board Members

On November 16, 2022, seven board members were elected to serve the 2023-2024 term. Congratulations to:

Board members who will continue their service through 2023, include:

• Treasurer Phil Holzhauer

• Director Danny Doyle

• Director Don Finley

• Director Noah Swistak

• Director (ex-officio) Eleanor Ingersoll

The QVNA Board of Directors establishes the Association’s strategic direction and budget and determines our key priorities, programs, and services. Board members work collaboratively to address issues and concerns of Queen Villagers. Each is an at-large community leader, representing the whole of our community. ■

President Cait Allen

Vice President Chris Mullen

Director Matt Atkins

Director Mike McPhilmy

Director Craig Morton

Director Daniel Orr

Director Christine Larash Torcivia

Thank You for Your Board Service

As a volunteer-driven nonprofit, QVNA salutes three neighbors whose board terms ended in 2022.

Thank you, Joe Brin, for your volunteer contributions as a board director. Joe was elected to a twoyear term in 2019 and re-elected to his director position in 2021. During his tenure, Joe represented QVNA on the Friends of the South Street Police Mini-Station Board of Directors. In addition, he served on the QVNA Working Group to review the Washington Avenue Repaving and Improvement Project.

An architect by profession, Joe enjoys “free-time” passions that include videography, photography and writing for publications. And the Queen Village Quarterly Crier has published many of Joe’s contributed work.

Michelle Grimley was elected to the board as a director in 2021 and served until spring 2022. During her tenure she was appointed chair of QVNA’s Nominating Committee. Upon her board approval, she was responsible for overseeing the candidate nomination process and board election. QVNA thanks Michelle for her service.

Justin Fishman served on the QVNA board for five years, and continues to serve as a QVNA volunteer focused on learning enrichment programs for youth.

Shortly after moving to Queen Village, Justin joined QVNA’s Schools and Youth Committee to help create the Summer at Courtyard learning enrichment program for children. In 2015, he was elected to QVNA’s board as a director and, in 2017, was elected QVNA’s treasurer. An officer in the U.S. Naval Reserves, Justin was called to active duty in 2019. On his return home in June 2020, he rejoined the board as a director and was elected vice

president the following year. Although his naval career often includes travel for weeks at a time, Justin’s devotion to learning enrichment programs for youth remains ever-present. In 2021, Justin and his wife, Rachel, founded the Courtyard Mentor Network (CMN) in partnership with the Courtyard Residents’ Council and The Michaels Organization. The CMN program helps adolescent males develop long-term goals and provides them the necessary support to achieve them. CMN is supported exclusively by charitable donations. Still in its nascent stage, the program is fiscally sponsored by QVNA.

Justin, thank you for your volunteer leadership and service in Queen Village. You are a role model for our youth and an inspiration to us all. ■

Clean and Green

Community members did a solid for the planet this fall at neighborhood clean-ups and at the QVNA-organized e-cycling event.

For the Planet

Queen Villagers came out in force for QVNA’s semi-annual e-cycling and shredding event in November.

New recycling bins were available for the asking!

Councilman Mark Squilla got into the e-cycling action.

There were treasures to be had!

Councilman Mark Aquilla and State Rep. Mary Isaacson with Society Hill residents Bob Curley, and Paul Boni. Curley is former president of the Society Hill Civic Association (SHCA) and Boni is chair of the SHCA zoning committee.

Samantha Pearson, Rep. Isaacson’s chief of staff, on the job!

Flower Power

Raking It Up

A hardy crew cleaned up, mulched, and planted spring bulbs at the Rose Garden on Front Street in November. From left to right, Tim Manzi, Ryan Erlerman, Drew Enders, Matt Morano, and J.P. Tucci.

A volunteer crew that included Gail Chapman, Andrew Mell, and Joshua Denny came out in force for the day.

J.P. Morgan digs in.

The Friends of Mario Lanza Park collected more than 85 bags of leaves and brush at its November clean-up..

Repeat volunteer Alison Mumper (right) and Beth Schernecke helped with the plantings.

Public Artistry

Queen Village welcomes three new murals and other slated projects to the neighborhood.

By Eleanor Ingersoll

Queen Village is well on its way to becoming a cultural destination for visitors, as three new murals are dedicated, a pocket park gets the green light to welcome a statue, and a memorial project gets ready to set its construction schedule.

Mario Lanza Park

Conversations for a mural facing into Mario Lanza Park began in March of 2021. But

the pandemic made sure that any project, anywhere was going to take patience in execution. The time was well spent, though, as the homeowner, representatives of the Friends of Mario Lanza Park, QVNA, and Mural Arts Philadelphia had time to share aspirations, opinions, and goals for the blank canvas on the side of a house in the northwest corner of the park.

In October, friends and neighbors, along with Jane Golden of Mural Arts,

dedicated Prism, a stunning mural by artist Kien Nguyen. Shadows cast on leaves as the sun shines through them became the main visual element. In Prism, the layering of silhouettes of larger-than-life leaves, both native and non-native, reflects not only the diversity of plant life in our area but the diversity of cultures in the neighborhood and Philadelphia as a whole.

Stop by to take a respite in the park and take in the beautiful addition to the neighborhood.

Courtyard at Riverview

Later in October, Mural Arts returned to Queen Village to dedicate The Colored Conventions Movement and Beyond in Philadelphia by artist Ernel Martinez.

The partnership between The Colored Conventions Project, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Courtyard leadership helped produce two different murals on the north side of the 300 block of Washington Avenue.

Thirty years before the Civil War, dozens of African American Philidelphians gathered at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episco-

Prism artist Kien Nguyen, Homeowner Joanna Da-Sylva, State Rep. Mary Isaacson, Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden, and Friends of Mario Lanza Park Chair Lisa Mell. Photo by Immortal Vision Studio.

Prism, the new mural at Mario Lanza Park.

Photo by Steve Weinik.

pal Church to launch a national movement for Black civil rights, voting rights, education, abolition, and freedom from racial violence. This mural, in two panels, honors and remembers the movement’s Philadelphia origins and organizers and also recognizes present-day Philly activists continuing the legacy of the movement.

Peace Plaza

Also in October, the Philadelphia Art Commission unanimously approved the Philadelphia Peace Plaza at 805 S. Front Street, making it the world’s first public space dedicated to the victims of the sexual slavery during WWII. The approval means that the Peace Plaza Committee can now actively move forward with plans that include fundraising for the landscaping improvements at the site as well as for the statue itself.

The Statue of Peace, by artists Seokyung Kim and Unsung Kim, will be donated to the City of Philadelphia as public art and with this final approval, the Philadelphia Peace Plaza Committee will resume fundraising to bring this statue and plaza to life in the near future.

The Philadelphia Art Commission members cited the clear evidence of this history and lauded the Statue of Peace, a sculpture to be included in the plaza, as a poignant and powerful artwork that puts focus on the victims and encourages healing.

Text for a plaque inscription will emphasize solidarity with victims of sexual violence worldwide and be provided in multiple languages.

Weccacoe Playground

The Bethel Burying Ground Memorial project slated for Weccacoe Playground is in final budgetary stages and is preparing a construction schedule for 2023. All developments will be shared through QVNA electronic media as well as in this publication. ■

Part of The Colored Conventions Movement and Beyond in Philadelphia project at the Courtyard at Riverview, this mural focuses on the historic meeting in Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Celebrating the dedication of The Colored Conventions Movement and Beyond in Philadelphia

Photo by Steve Weinik.

Rendering of the Philadelphia Peace Plaza (805 S. Front Street) and the Statue of Peace. Courtesy of PPPC and TEND Landscape Architecture.

Good Fortune

For ACAM founder Jeff Fortune, doing business means doing good. So, while his company helps keep our streets clean, it’s also helping rebuild lives.

By Suzanne Dreitlein

Look around and you’ll notice that Queen Village is a pretty tidy neighborhood. This isn’t magic; it’s due to the dedicated workforce of ACAM Management, our neighborhood sweeping and cleaning crew. Thanks to their contract with QVNA, you can often catch one of the diligent workers in action, and you can literally see your membership dollars at work.

ACAM’s founder and owner, Jeff Fortune, has a love of Queen Village that goes back to his childhood spent in the Southwark Housing Projects from 1961 to 1971. He recalls a vibrant community that, he explains, he was “blessed and fortunate to have been brought up in.” During his college years in the mid 1980s, he majored in restaurant management

and turned to South Street for work that would hopefully fund his goal to open a restaurant. Cheers to You (430 South Street) gave him an opportunity to cook and clean up after closing.

“I was always taught that if you do anything in life, make sure you do it to the best of your ability,” he says. So, although he was focused on his culinary goal, he

Left to right: Leroy Towns, Herman McKeiver, Rahmin Jackson, ACAM Founder Jeff Fortune, Dave Elder, Fred Westerman, and Aaron Gay.

put just as much effort into the cleanup. His name and work ethic spread, and soon other nearby businesses on South Street offered him additional work cleaning their establishments.

Once he had solidified his work with several restaurants and bars on South Street, he started to look at the cleaning crew that maintained the streets of the South Street Headhouse District (SSHD) and thought, “I could do that—and I can do that better because I’m here, this is my community. I should have that contract.”

When he was awarded the contract in 2005, his focus changed from opening a restaurant to cleaning full time— a change that allowed him to grow his business further, while maintaining his commitment to excellence and integrity.

By the early 2000s, Fortune had expanded his area to include the SSHD District on Fabric Row. It was there that then-QVNA Executive Director Carla Pupin noticed him working on the street and offered him the opportunity to clean

heavily traveled cross streets in Queen Village. It seemed as though life was coming full circle: Fortune, fondly recalling walks along Fabric Row as a child with his mother, says he enthusiastically accepted the offer, a “match made in heaven.”

This additional contract in Queen Village provided enough work to hire more people. The result: ACAM, named for the initials of his immediate family, was born.

As Fortune grew his workforce, he realized that some of the applicants had

criminal records. “I knew a lot of individuals who were coming for jobs, and I had to give [them] a second chance,” he says. Growing up, he adds, he witnessed a lot of people getting lost in the system or succumbing to addiction or violence because they weren’t being supported. “If someone could reach out and offer hope,” he says, “that might save a life.” Offering hope is a core mission of Fortune and the company he’s built.

So, long before the City of Philadelphia’s Fair Chance Hiring Initiative (FCHI) launched in 2018, Fortune was already putting his money where his mouth is by hiring the formerly incarcerated. FCHI now makes Fortune’s goal more accessible by allowing ACAM to provide incentives to those who meet its criteria. “It really helps these individuals to get a hold on their lives, and the financial incentive keeps workers engaged. It’s been a winwin situation for us,” says Fortune. Similar programs have been enacted nationwide as a part of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019, but, for Fortune, it was a matter of his commitment to helping people—even before there was an incentive to do so. With the help of the FCHI, he can do more.

Today, ACAM provides cleaning services for South Street Headhouse District, Queen Village Neighbors Association, Old City District, Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation, and events like Made in America. Fortune says he owes his success to being in the right place at the right time and “putting forth the effort to gain the trust of the businesses on South Street.” He adds, “People are attracted to trust and individuals who keep their word.”

So next time you see a worker helping to keep the neighborhood and its business district a little cleaner, feel free to thank them for it. ■

Jeff Fortune consults with his Queen Village crew.

Rahim Jackson cleans up Queen Village.

What QVNA does for

Keeping Neighbors in the Know

Getting Cleaner

In 2022, QVNA:

QVNA addresses issues of importance to neighbors. Our mission is to help improve quality of life for residents. We’re a nonprofit organization led by residents who love Queen Village and volunteer their time and effort to help protect and preserve what makes our community so special.

After all, who knows better than residents about our community’s needs?

Neighbors brought hundreds of unwanted electronics to QVNA's Spring eCycling event.

One of the most important services QVNA delivers is fact-based information on topics of interest to neighbors. That’s why thousands of Queen Villagers receive our free eNews. Each week, its contents vary to reflect what’s happening now, what’s coming up soon, and important deadlines ahead. Want to meet your neighbors? Get involved in the community? Attend a hyper-local event? Whether hipster, historian, neighborhood newbie, or a lifer, we’ve got something for you in News You Can Use

Facing the Issues

QVNA community meetings tackle issues of concern to residents. We advocate for our community. We help neighbors’ voices be heard by city and state elected officials, departmental leaders, and law enforcers. In 2022 for example, QVNA brought neighbors together for an in-person meeting with Police Commissioner Outlaw and District Attorney Krasner to discuss crime and safety.

To address the issues surrounding four new, multi-housing developments in Queen Village and the complexity of by-right construction, QVNA brought neighbors together with the City Planning Commission to have questions answered. In addition, the association published informative articles about by-right construction in the spring and summer issues of the Queen Village Quarterly Crier.

n Hired vendors to remove 12 tons of litter from curbs and erase dozens of graffiti tags from public spaces.

n Organized and supported volunteer cleanups of our parks and playgrounds.

n Provided free yard bags to support residents’ cleaning of their sidewalks and tree pits.

Being Greener

Each year, QVNA hosts electronic recycling and document shredding events that keep hundreds of pounds of e-waste from becoming toxic waste and also save about 18 trees’ worth of paper.

Our neighborhood’s tree canopy has grown by more than 600 curbside trees in the past seven years. QVNA helps fund the urban tree program of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, which provides our trees. We also support the efforts of our volunteer tree tenders.

To beautify our parks with flowers and plants, we partner with the Southwark/ Queen Village Community Garden to obtain organic perennials for our Friends Group volunteers. We also promote volunteer opportunities for planting flowers.

Making an Impact

One of the hallmarks of QVNA is our community grant program. We provide funding to organized volunteer groups, schools, and community organizations that want to undertake an activity that has the capacity to make a positive impact in our community. QVNA believes in supporting neighbors whose actions will contribute to our collective quality of life, and our community grants program proves it.

Our Sources of Funding

QVNA is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more than 50 years, our programs and services have been paid for through fundraising. Our current funding sources include parking lot rentals, advertising, sponsorships, donations, and our most important—association memberships.

Two Great Reasons to Renew Your Membership or Join QVNA

We depend on neighbors like you, not only as volunteers, but also as QVNA members.

Your membership is a charitable donation. Love living in Queen Village? There’s no better way to show your love by renewing your membership or joining QVNA.

Our work is made possible in part through memberships in QVNA. As a member you are investing back into our community. Collectively, QVNA memberships help support meaningful, tangible activities:

Donation What Your Membership Supports $40 Yard bags for one park clean-up $60 One month of QVNA’s eNews $120 Two truckloads of tree mulch $250 One week of graffiti removal $500 25 blocks of litter removal $1,000 One modest community grant

Community

Service:

The Heart of Our Mission

Queen Village Neighbors Association cares about and for our community.

Neighbors like you decide everything we do. As volunteers, our Board of Directors determines the programs and services we provide. QVNA’s committee members volunteer their skills and experience in other important areas of community service. And QVNA’s “Friends Group'' volunteers clean and green our parks and maintain Weccacoe Playground. As volunteers working together, QVNA lives our mission:

QVNA provides community stewardship, advocacy and service to help improve quality of life for Queen Village residents.

QVNA loves volunteers.

South Street Off Center

South Street Headhouse District’s new headquarters, located in the iconic Zipperhead building, connects the Street’s past, present, and future.

By Austin Benning Photographs by Shannon Pepe for Philly PR Girl

Zippers are points of action. They are the nexus of the fabric world, joining two sides with a toothy smile or releasing opposite pieces with a metallic sigh. They offer flexibility, openness, and a more unified approach than an old-timey button. So it’s fitting that South Street’s most famous zipper, fixed to the facade of the once-iconic Zipperhead building, is now South Street Off Center, the new headquarters for the the South Street HeadHouse District (SSHD), Philadelphia’s second-largest Business Improvement District (BID).

“Our main goal is to connect the dots between present and future,” says Rick Millan, the owner of the 80s’ counterculture shop and now SSHD board chairman. Next to him in the Off Center’s flexible gallery space sits Mike Harris, longtime SSHD executive director. They each speak to the vision of this new headquarters, its placement, and their hopes to create a greater point of access for the community. Harris points to the 300 years of rich cultural fabric sewn by Eastern European immigrants, Black communities, hippies, punks, and the many proud people who can claim a piece of the South Street story.

“It’s a difficult line to walk,” says Millan, looking up from his glasses. His message is clear. Restyling a counterculture mecca into the storefront for a BID, even one for

whose board he is now chairman, comes with a sense of a conflicted identity. One may liken it to seeing Keith Richards at the opera or Alice Cooper hosting a charity golf tournament. But like most things on South Street, this is a welcome complexity. Making a space open to all those who share its history takes time, effort, and thought. And one can’t help but feel the effort as the fi-

nal touches are made before “The Unzippering” launch party.

The space is getting its last look before the doors open when the team would love for you to stop by. When you do visit, the one likely holding the door will be Dana Feinberg, longtime Queen Village resident and the Off Center’s relationship and program manager. For the uniniti-

At the launch party, Rick Millan, SSHD board chair and former Zipperhead owner, unzips the Off Center door as SSHD executive director Mike Harris and SSHD relationship and program manager Dana Feinberg look on.

ated, South Street Headhouse District, like other BID offices, supports municipal services and assists in business development and connections between the district’s landlords and businesses, including prospective ones.

So what does all that mean? Feinberg explains that SSHD fields questions and concerns about regulations, assists with funding for security, keeps the streets and sidewalks free of litter, and often helps businesses with events. For example, a Passion 101 Class, hosted by the Passional Boutique & Sexploratorium, was held at Off Center. When Jim’s Steaks had its tragic fire, the Off Center acted as a home base to plan next steps. Its team helped orchestrate South Street Fest, an open-air celebration for the purveyors and lovers of food, crafts, and nostalgia. Many of the murals seen around the district were commissioned by the SSHD board. Many non-commissioned murals (read, graffiti), stickers, and signs have also been removed at their direction.

And while there are more bureaucratic duties, they hardly tell the story of a place brimming with intention and ambition. Inside, Feinberg will happily show off the community cork boards and the plans for an interactive way-finding guide for new-

comers, which will be right next to the welcome desk where large prints from South Street’s past and present will hang.

Around the corner, passing through a muraled archway is a gallery and meeting space for the community.

This vision was built from inside and out, with members of the district helping to sculpt the space. The Off Center space was designed by Sabrena Wishart, an interior designer whose business, Worm’s Emporiums, is located right around the corner. Duncan Brittin of Eyes Gallery sourced the aforementioned prints from historical archives and sifted through the Zipperhead ephemera lining the gallery space. Even “The Nicoles,” owners of the South Street Art Mart, stopped by on my visit to drop off a Ghostbusters-themed Halloween card. Creating the Off Center has been a neighborhood effort, and its central storefront access feels indispensable. But that’s not how it always was.

The old office was located in the Headhouse Shambles at 2nd and Pine, above the location of the weekend Farmers Market. One had to venture up an 18th-century corkscrew stairway to take a meeting. It was far from the center, which is why the new location stands as such a bold statement. This is a place aimed at a 21st-cen-

tury sensibility, made to welcome those who see South Street as the destination it is—a place where sneaker shops and vintage boutiques now reign supreme, a street open for strolling on the weekend, a mecca open to neighbors, families, tourists, partiers, sports fans, live music fans, cheesesteak-line waiters, and those looking for the latest threads or unique gifts.

“I very much feel folks look for that unique experience when they come here [to South Street]. Every nook and cranny has texture, has something unexpected, from Isaiah Zagar to a candle and seltzer bar at Loomen Labs,” says Feinberg. “When people say, ‘It’s not how I remember it.’ Of course it isn’t!” For Feinberg, South Street has always been a place for the present moment—whether as a

It was Standing Room Only when the neighbors came out to celebrate the “Unzippering.”.

weekend watering hole in the 18th century or a place for Eastern European immigrants to hock tailored fabrics from their windows and wooden carts. She wants to support the rich and ever-changing looks on South Street. “People don’t want a mall, she says. “It’s why vintage has thrived here. They want local soaps. They want those interesting stickers, that T-shirt you can only buy here. They want to connect to this community.”

But supporting a place defined by a changing identity poses an interesting challenge. Harris, Feinberg, and the board must find ways to balance the demands of new business ventures against the many—sometimes mercurial—needs of those who own the spaces. When Neighborhood Ramen was looking for an additional location in the district, the SSHD board connected them with a partner who understood the vision of bespoke noodles. When storefronts lay vacant, the board pushed for artists to have displays in the windows—a longstanding South Street tradition. Serving stakeholders, business owners, patrons, and residents takes patience, touch, and, most of all, a singular belief in what a place can be.

South Street was always a refuge for those who don’t quite fit the norm, for those a bit off center. So for Feinberg, Wishart, Millan, Harris, Brittin, and all those pitching in, SSHD’s home base Off Center was created with open doors, ready for new ideas and every variety of human. That’s not just some high-minded ideal; for SSHD, it’s a South Street tradition they’ve chosen to embrace. If you walk by 407 South Street, you will see an old wooden cart in a window next to a liquid latex mask featuring exposed brains from an open zipper. It’s all history—all teeth joining together to connect a single story. And those at the Off Center, staff and neighbors alike, hope you’ll stop by and help imagine its future.

■

The current exhibition, Keep an Open Mind, features a blast from the Zipperhead past.

Millan with Councilmember Mark Squilla and SSHD executive director Mike Harris at the official opening.

Your membership in QVNA benefits the

Queen Village

community.

QVNA depends on hundreds of volunteers, memberships, donations, and parking lot revenue to provide neighborhood programs and services that benefit the residents of Queen Village. QVNA provides:

News and Communication:

Weekly eNews Updates

Community meetings on topics of interest to residents

An online event calendar at QVNA.org/events

Queen Village Quarterly Crier

Clean and Green Services:

Graffiti removal from public places

Weekly sweeping of street curbs

Spring and Fall curbside tree planting

Services from Professional Staff:

Contact QVNA by phone, email or text

Assistance obtaining City services

Community Stewardship and Advocacy:

Public zoning meetings

Support for South Street Police Mini Station

Assistance getting vacant lots cleared of debris

Improving our Quality of Life:

Covered parking for 180 cars at below-market rates

Community grants for neighborhood improvements

Volunteer activities that enhance Queen Village

Community Stewardship. Advocacy. Service. P.O. Box 63763, Philadelphia, PA 19147 n 215.339.0975 n QVNA.org n info@qvna.org

Name Address City/St/Zip Phone No. Email

The Scoop on the Poop

Every week, Mario Lanza Dog Park accepts more than 100 pounds of deliveries. They arrive daily in furry packages and leave in take-out bags for the city. These regular movements of poop are made possible by dog-loving park volunteers.

By Lucy Erdelac

For more years than they can remember, volunteers Stella and John Buccella emptied the trash cans at Mario Lanza Dog Park (MLDP). On Thursday nights in rain, snow, or shine they secured 32-gallon poop-filled bags and carried them curbside for pickup. They purchased new bags to replace used ones, relining each can for the following week.

Doggie-Doo Diligence

While their volunteer service was appreciated by all especially to those who know them to other dog parents, John and Stella were the park’s unsung heroes: magical fairies making poop disappear and adding fence screens to keep pea gravel inside the park.

This spring, before Stella and John passed their doggie-doo duties to others, they gave a game-changing gift for the park: a dog waste station with a bag dispenser. To get things rolling, other dog park volunteers purchased 2,000 doggie-doo bags to keep it wellstocked.

They Come, Sit, and Stay

As word spread about park volunteers’ improvements, including table, benches, and gates, the park has become the social magnet for both dogs and their

owners. Fortunately, dog park donations (Venmo/MarioLanzaDogPark) are starting to increase. Donations are vital because they help volunteers defray park expenses, among them dog-dropping removal.

Why More Became Less

It’s a fact that a 32-gallon bag filled with household trash weighs less than one filled with poop. It's also a fact that more than 450 pounds of poop arrive at The Doggie-Doo Inn. So, when what used to take one volunteer to lift turned into a two- and sometimes three-person task, something had to change.

That’s why two standard-size trash cans were replaced with three of the 20-gallon size.

Does more poop in the park mean less poop on our sidewalks? Only time will tell. ■

Stella and John, QVNA sincerely appreciates your long-standing commitment to keeping the dog park clean and improving our community’s quality of life.

A Call for Arms

All of Queen Village’s parks and playgrounds, including Mario Lanza Dog Park, are cared for by volunteers. If your furry friend enjoys MLDP, please volunteer for an occasional park cleanup by emailing MarioLanzaDogPark@QVNA.org. Too busy to volunteer? Please donate.

Pragmatic)Counsel.))Diligent)Advocacy. Ten!Penn!Center,!Suite!630 1801!Market!Street Philadelphia,!PA!!19103

1845

T:!!(215)!667.8011 F:!!(215)!914.6332 www.fungefamilylaw.com

August 25th: Thank you, Mario Lanza Dog Park volunteers!

MLDP Board Member Meghan Rasmussen and volunteer Westley Blades left no stone unturned on the sidewalk outside of the dog park’s gate.

A wheelbarrow full of pea gravel was moved back into the dog park.

Bags of bush branches were trimmed from the park by a cadre of volunteers.

Going to the Birds

Want to attract more birds to your home this spring? Now’s the time to start preparing!

By Maureen Brady Weir

It may be winter, but spring is right around the corner—which means it’s almost time for the busy bird migration and nesting seasons. It won’t be long before we start to see more birds visiting our neighborhood on their way up north or building nests to welcome in their next brood of chicks. After all, we all know that Queen Village is a great place to visit and raise a family.

If you want to attract more birds to

your home environment this spring, now is the time to start preparing. Giving nature a helping hand means having a good plan in place, so you are ready to go when the time is right. Besides, there is no better way to beat the winter blues than planning for the warmer days ahead.

Develop a Solid Feeding Plan

Migrating, finding a mate, and building a nest is certainly enough to work up an appetite. If you have been feeding birds throughout the winter, plan to keep your feeders out in the spring season as well. Just be sure to give them a good cleaning. The National Wildlife Health Center recommends regularly cleaning feeders; use a solution of nine parts water to one part bleach and then dry them thorough-

ly before putting them back out.

If you plan to purchase a feeder, do the legwork now so you’re ready to go in March, when the birds start getting down to business. Consider feeders with a tray, as falling debris can sometimes attract squirrels and other rodents. If you live in an apartment or a condo, think about a window-mounted feeder or one that can be easily installed on a balcony railing.

When it comes to planning a spring menu, go with a high-quality mix of black oil sunflowers (50 to 60%), white millet, and safflower or striped sunflower. This will provide a good variety to attract different types of birds. Avoid feed with an abundance of cheap mix fillers, sometimes noted in the ingredient list under the generic term “grains.” Other fillers include milo, wheat, rapeseed, oats, and canary seeds. You can also put out fresh fruit, including orange and apple halves, or even dried fruit. Just be sure to remove the seeds and pits, which can be harmful to birds.

Get Ready for the Nesters

Provide a nesting box and some birds will move right in. The key is to make sure you do your homework now and choose the right box for the right birds. For instance, don’t go with a bluebird nesting box, as bluebirds tend to stay away from urban areas. Instead, focus on a box with entry

holes and dimensions suited for our local city birds, including sparrows, wrens, mockingbirds, and starlings, to name a few. Be sure to choose a box with good drainage, ventilation, and an overhang to keep the nest nice and dry.

Keep in mind that not all birds use nesting boxes. For example, robins prefer flat surfaces, so consider a nesting shelf, which is like a nesting box but with the front panel removed. Also, some birds, such as cardinals, prefer dense plants, trees, and shrubs, so factor this in when planning your spring container gardens and window boxes.

Now is also a good time to start stockpiling your pet’s fur, which makes great nesting material. Hang the fur outside in a suet cage or simply place it out on the

ground. You can also put out dead twigs, small pieces of yarn, dried leaves, feathers, and moss, but avoid dryer lint, cellophane, or plastic strips, which, although sometimes used by birds, aren’t the best building materials.

Create Harmony in Your Home Habitats

Not all birds use feeders or nesting boxes, so start planning an urban garden that will support their needs. Create a list of spring plants to buy that will serve as both food sources and effective covering, such as coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, milkweed, asters, and native grasses. Also, consider planting strawberries on your roof deck or small shrubs in your sidewalk containers.

The bottom line is that if you build it, the birds will come, so plan now and reap the benefits in the spring. For more information on seasonal bird migration and nesting in our area, visit the Audubon Mid-Atlantic website at pa.audubon.org or plan a visit to the Audubon Discovery Center in East Fairmount Park. They have winter hours and a knowledgeable staff on hand to answer all your bird-related questions. ■

By Hilary Young

If you are looking for options on how to mark the holidays, especially for young ones, you can now add The Nutcracker to your list! An all-youth cast at the Mary Louise Curtis branch of the Settlement Music School has put on a free performance of classic holiday ballet for the past 18 years. The show always stars the youth performers enrolled in ballet classes at the building on 416 Queen Street, and they look forward to capturing the imagination of more young ones in this, their 19th year!

The annual presentation is choreographed and directed by Kay Fernandez, lovingly known as “Miss Kaye,” a former professional ballerina who has taught ballet classes at Settlement Music School for nearly 27 years. She says the show never loses its appeal—even though it’s not new material for her or for some of the older children.“I never get tired of doing the show with new kids each year and watching the little ones progress through the years,” said Miss Kaye. “They go from puppets to snowflakes

A Suite Tradition

Settlement Music School dance students rehearse for a Nutcracker performance at the School’s Mary Louise Curtis Branch. (photo courtesy of Settlement Music School).

For the past 18 years, students at the Settlement Music School have been performing a holiday classic for friends, family, and neighbors.

Settlement Music School’s longtime faculty member Kaye Fernandez guides a young student through a Nutcracker rehearsal at the School’s Mary Louise Curtis Branch. (photo courtesy of Settlement Music School).

and are so excited about the new role.”

Ballet classes at Settlement are offered for children between the ages of 4 and 18, and Miss Kaye instructs all of them. There are never any auditions for the special holiday performance; Miss Kaye simply has an eye for who is ready to be on stage, which takes pressure off the children who might not want to perform in front of a crowd.

“Of course I look for technique in terms of who is ready, from posture to the ability to go up on pointe, but I also look for kids who are sociable, sweet, and friendly because we want the experience of The Nutcracker to be a good one for everyone involved,” Miss Kaye said.

Admission to Settlement Music School classes are rolling throughout the year, so if you have a dancer at home in need of an outlet for their talents you can sign them up for classes with Miss Kaye at any time, as long as classes aren’t at capacity.

This year, Settlement Music School’s free performance of The Nutcracker will be held on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18 at 3 p.m. You can learn more about the performance and classes Settlement Music School offers on their website, settlementmusic.org. ■

Nuisance has no home here

If an ALCOHOL-LICENSED business becomes a community NUISANCE, submit your complaint at QVNA.org/nuisance.

After calling 911, you can report nuisance behavior by an alcohol-licensed business on QVNA.org. Reportable nuisance behavior includes:

• Alcohol from the business being brought outside

• Minors consuming alcohol

• Drug use

• Crowd control issues

• Loud noise or music

• Loud and boisterous crowds

• Fights

• Trash and debris

Your submitted report notifies law enforcement and government officials of our neighborhood’s NightLife Task Force. It is not a substitute for calling 911.

Find out more information at www.qvna.org/nuisance

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Old Swedes’ welcomes back the Soggy Bottom Boys in Queen Village’s newest holiday tradition.

By Courtney Hunter-Stangler

Traditions are the heartbeat of the holiday season, and one of Queen Village’s newest is Gloria Dei’s Tribute Show, O Brother, Where Art Thou? This year will mark the fourth run of the production conceptualized by Paula and Jim Minacci of Sexton Sideshow. The source material is the movie of the same name. With a bluegrass soundtrack, it chronicles the story of The Soggy Bottom Boys and creates the perfect celebration, with soulful sounds, atmospheric lighting, and even some dance performances to warm your spirits.

Didn’t have the chance to check it out last year? All are welcome to settle into the sanctuary at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church for the familiar stylings of bluegrass greats like Norman Blake, Harry McClintock, and the Cox Family. Music will be performed by Dan May, Emily Drinker, Emmett Drueding, Eric13, Heather Blakeslee, T.C. Cole, Morgan Pinkstone,

Cowmuddy, Jess Ehinger, Jamie Olson, Christopher Davis-Shannon, and more. It’s been such a hit that last year Paula and Jim had to add a second show. The same will go for this year—so join in on December 16 or 15 to be immersed in the world of Ulysses Everett McGill!

And just as traditions are the heartbeat of the holidays, Paula and Jim are the heartbeat at Gloria Dei. The vast list of local talent responsible for bringing this show to life, many of whom play on a national level, is a testament to just how tapped into the local scene they are after 20 years of serving as the sextons at Gloria Dei. The Minaccis are committed to making a difference in the community that surrounds Old Swedes’ with programming like O Brother as well as things like regular flea markets and fundraising.

But it’s more than that. It’s who they are. As someone who has participated in the production of O Brother, I’ve seen

firsthand how the Minaccis facilitate connections among the artists involved. It’s magic how quickly they make it all come together and evoke such a distinct sense of time and place within the all-white and placid walls of Old Swedes’ church. If be -

ing around good music doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit—though I’m almost certain this is impossible considering the powerhouse voices of the O Brother Tribute Show—being around good people like Paula and Jim certainly will. ■

We are a church where inclusive Christianity is preached, love is love, and kindness is everything. All are welcome. You don’t have to be a member to participate in any of our activities. And we are right here in Queen Village, afew steps or blocks from your front door.

Weekly Services and Fellowship

10:00 am

Sunday Worship with Eucharist In-person and livestreamed on our Facebook page “Gloria Dei Old Swedes’ Episcopal Church”

11:00 am

Sunday Fellowship

Immediately following services, join us in Riverside Hall for pastries, coffee, tea and conversation

9:00 am

Monday Morning Prayer

Lift yourself up as you start your week. Join us on Zoom for 10 minutes of morning devotion www.old-swedes.org/10minutes

6:30 pm

Tuesday Musical Meditation

A service of song, quiet prayer, and meditation. All are welcome

Daily Reflections

Living in the full flow of the modern world, it can be hard to stop, be still, and reflect. Start your day with a free tidbit of inspiration to set you on your path www.old-swedes.org/daily-re ections

Say “I Do” at Philadelphia’s newest historic wedding venue

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Old Swedes’ Episcopal Church

Back in the Day …

The construction site at 2nd and Beck used to be Commissioners’ Hall, the political hub of Southwark.

By Jim Murphy

In late September, sidewalks were closed off and much of the area at 2nd and Beck Street became difficult to get around.

But as Pennsylvania road signs used to say, “Temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement.”

Instead of the small strip mall that used to be there, the site will soon host a fourstory, 42-unit, mixed-use building at 84151 S. 2nd Street, complete with a new and improved 7-Eleven, says PhillyYimby.com.

What I didn’t know until recently was that this location used to be a very important part of life in Southwark.

Commissioners’ Hall, the political center of Southwark, was built here

at Beck and 2nd Street in 1810. A twostory brick building 40 feet deep and 69 feet wide opened in 1811. A large space for public meetings was on the first floor. The commissioners met on the second floor.

A bit later, two fire-engine houses for the Southwark and Weccacoe Fire Companies flanked the hall on 2nd Street.

After Philadelphia consolidated the city in 1854, growing from two square miles to about 130 square miles overnight, Commissioners’ Hall was no longer needed. It became the Second Police District Headquarters—until that building was demolished in the 20th Century.

Interesting Oddities:

Election day was an occasion for “considerable excitement,” says historian John Thomas Scharf in the History of Philadelphia. How? “Platforms of wood were erected in front of each polling-window” so voters were the same height as the election officers inside. Pushing and jostling by desperate voters during the last hours of voting often erupted into melees that included fists, canes, and umbrellas “while hats, coats, and apparel were torn to rags.”

Southwark apparently gets its name from “a London suburb that was ‘the south-work’ for the defense of London Bridge.” In The History of Queen Village, Steve Sitarski says William Penn named the area Southwark.

Joseph Jackson, author of The Catholic Church in Philadelphia, claims that Southwark was “indiscriminately alluded to as Society Hill” before it became Southwark in the middle of the 17th Century.

The District of Southwark was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1762. That district was twice as large as Queen Village is now. Back then, it also included what we know today as Pennsport. ■

Jim Murphy is a certified tour guide and author of Real Philly History, Real Fast, published by Temple University Press. His free history blog is available at realphillyhistory.com.

This view of Commissioners’ Hall is from 1873. Artwork courtesy of Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

We our Volunteers !!!

With vision and compassion for future generations, volunteers care for our our parks, playgrounds and trees.

When powerful forces threatened to divide our neighborhood, volunteers unified, fought and won the battle and saved our community.

Whether cleaning and greening; serving on a committee or the Board; contributing to our magazine; distributing the Crier; helping in the office—whether regularly or for an hour here and there—QVNA appreciates your volunteer service.

Thank You Queen Village Volunteers

Thank You Queen Village Volunteers

Your Caring Enriches Our Community.

Since 1969, QVNA has depended on volunteers to lead and advance our mission of community stewardship, advocacy and service to help improve quality of life for Queen Village residents. To those who have helped bring positive change to our community, and to the volunteers who sustain it today, thank you for your service.

Community Stewardship. Advocacy. Service.