ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT HALLOWEEN COMEDY
INSIDE LOOK AT PHILLY HAUNTS
The N Crowd, an improvisational comedic group, is hosting a Halloween inspired show on Oct. 31. PAGE 10
A behind-the-scenes look at actors who work at haunted attractions in the Philadelphia area. PAGE 1
temple-news.com
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2014
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MMA on the rise in Philly Daniel Gracie owns a prominent gym that trains MMA fighters.
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ANDREW THAYER TTN
Austin Sampson (right) of Port Richmond trains Jiu-Jitsu at Renzo Gracie Philly on Oct. 26.
s soon as I moved to Philadelphia, I quickly realized it’s a fighting town - as did Daniel Gracie. Gracie moved from Brazil to the United States when he was 30 years old. After training for just three months, Gracie fought his first professional fight in front of 60,000 CONNOR NORTHRUP people in Japan Beyond the mat during an international competition. “I said, ‘I think it is time to jump into MMA,’” Gracie said. “I did everything I could do in Jiu-Jitsu. Now I want to try MMA. So, I called my cousin Renzo Gracie and asked him if he could get me a fight.” Renzo Gracie, a world-renowned MMA fighter and Jiu-Jitsu competitor, set his cousin up a week later in a gym in New York. Now, Daniel Gracie lives in Phil-
MMA PAGE 13
Memories spin for faithful rink owner Carman Roller Skating Rink, open for 82 years, has been central to decades of Germantown youth.
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PATRICK MCCARTHY The Temple News
olor washed over the waxed skating rink floor as a lone discoball slowly spun, shooting colorful light across the smooth floor. “Oh boy, this is my favorite part,” owner Roger Lloyd said as he turned to an employee. “Alright Junior, now turn on track 89.” Music poured over the smooth floor, washing over the expanded ceiling still in place from when the rink was a movie theater. Stringed lights and glowing wall decorations slowly followed suit, accompanying Lloyd’s favorite skate song. Carman Roller Skating Rink opened its doors for
the first time in 1932. Lloyd is the second owner since its original creation. As a mailman, security guard, substitute teacher and manager, it wasn't unusual for Lloyd to find himself needing work for only a few weeks back in the ‘70s. “I was only 13 years old and I would walk down the avenue to come skating,” Lloyd said. “I looked up and said, ‘Oh Lord, one day … one day I want to own this place.’” The once-romanticised building quickly began to lose its magic for Lloyd once it became a hotspot for drugs and violence, he said. Lloyd recalled a manager selling drugs through the ticket window. A string of luck and a little bit of faith put Lloyd in a position to eventually buy the place in hopes of cleaning it up. The self-proclaimed man of faith believes a lot of his fortune is that of a greater power. “I must have talked to every representative, vicepresident, loan officer and teller in Philadelphia,”
SKATE PAGE 12
AARON WINDHORST TTN
The Carman Roller Skating Rink opened in 1932 and still hosts skaters.
Circus makes its way to South Street for fall festival The third annual Pumpkin Fall Festival was held in Old City. PAIGE GROSS Assistant A&E Editor
ERIN PATTERSON TTN
The South Street Headhouse District and PHAIR hosted the Pumpkin Fall Festival.
A&E DESK 215-204-7416
Hay littered the ground and drifted in the air on the cobblestone street in Old City. On Oct. 25, Headhouse Square hosted the third annual Pumpkin Fall Festival that brought business owners and community members together for a day of crafts, circus performers, vendors and carriage rides. PHAIR, Philly’s open air market partnered with South Street Headhouse District this year to be what Mike Harris, director of the district considers to be, “a celebration of fall and an opportunity to represent local businesses.” The event featured performances from many local groups in the area and a number of South Street restaurants offering special deals and plates.
“A lot of people see the shambles, and think they’re cool,” said Steven Taytelbaum, a senior broadcast major and intern with the South Street Headhouse District. “But when you put on live events like this, you bring the community together and help promote South Street.” Taytelbaum began working for the business improvement district in June and has had a hand in pulling off events like the Dog Days of Summer, a hot dog contest between restaurants in July and Fashion under the Shambles, a show for local boutiques this past September. Taytelbaum said his internship was a way to explore Philly, after only having been to South Street once in his three years at Temple. Mike Harris has been the executive director of the district for two and a half years, and said it takes about a month of planning to pull off an event that attracts and will appease all ages and types of people. Harris said that when he joined the district, the festival was “basi-
ARTSandENTERTAINMENT@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
cally a petting zoo for kids.” “We found out that for the same price as the zoo, we could get a circus,” Harris said. “And we have been building on that success now for the third year in a row. Small business owners from all different neighborhoods participated in PHAIR Saturday, like Sherri Hall, creator of blacqskirtcompany. com, a website retailing clothing and accessories who has set up shop at 56 events like the Pumpkin Fall Festival this year. “At least 90 percent of our sales are made at events like these,” Hall said of her online boutique. “People need to see and feel the clothing.” Jamie Wickersham said she gained similar exposure for her custom jewelry company, JW Designs and has been a PHAIR vendor for five years. “I used recycled things – pieces from the ‘40s and ‘50s to make new things, and markets are ideal for people who want pieces like this,” Wickersham said.
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