#BILLYPENNGRAM OF THE DAY
Curves and angles at the skate park
(Photo by @jim50tim)
Supporters of Carousel House, Philadelphia’s shuttered recreation center for people with disabilities, are calling on the city to accelerate a promised project to expand and reopen the facility. They say it’s innovative programs are withering while sharing space in another facility, or simply going away. It has been closed since March 2020. Continue reading …
Carousel House, the city’s rec center for people with disabilities, has been closed since March 2020. (Google Maps)
Philadelphia’s Cherry Street Pier this weekend once again became the stage for the sixth annual two-day festival, We Are the Seeds Philly, organized by the We Are the Seeds of CultureTrust.
Founded in 2016 by two Indigenous women, We Are the Seeds of CultureTrust is dedicated to elevating Native voices and Indigenous arts. Learn more, and check out the photos …
Seneca Spears (Narragansett) was the head male dancer at We Are the Seeds Philly. (Hanbit Kwon)
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Activists hoped to meet with Interior Secretary during Philly visit to petition for preserving President’s House exhibits. [Billy Penn]
• The MLK Bridge reopens to commuters this morning. [WHYY’s Plan Philly]
• UArts’ 150-year archive now lives at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. [WHYY]
• PGW spends millions to promote natural gas. Advocates accuse the utility of “greenwashing.” [WHYY]
• Shepard Fairey, the artist responsible for Obama’s “Hope” poster, has new mural in Philly about the ideals of liberty. [WHYY]
• Flyers great Bernie Parent died at age 80. [WHYY]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Parker and state Sen. Vincent Hughes will tour four housing sites in Mantua being built in Philadelphia, at 46 North 40th Street. 2:30 p.m.
ON THE CALENDAR
🍂 Autumn festival lineup
🚦 10/2: Safer Streets: A Billy Penn Town Hall
🏃🏽 Philly Runners Guide
Tuesday, Sept. 23: Cobbs Creek Art Club
The Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center hosts the final workshop of the season, exploring the nature of Cobbs Creek, introducing new friends, and letting creativity flow with drawing, painting, and clay sculpture. All ages welcome. (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 23: Open Studios: Film screening and dinner
2nd in a series, feat. Dr. Anyabwile Love in conversation about his most recent film (producer and writer), “Speakn’ Trane”(directed by Shahkeem Williams). The event begins at 6 p.m. with cocktail hour including light bites, screening of the film, seated dinner, and Q&A with Dr. Love. $125 ticket. (6 p.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 23: Cage Fight!
It’s a literary cage match—short stories vs. novels!—with DC-based authors Hannah Grieco and Samuel Ashworth at H&H Books in Kensington. Free. (7 to 8:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, Sept. 24: Our Fragile Freedoms: A Town Hall
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Eric Foner discusses “Our Fragile Freedoms,” a new collection of essays exploring a range of topics, including debates over slavery and antislavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the battle to dismantle it, and modern debates over the Constitution and how to teach American history. At the National Constitution Center. Free online. (12 to 1 p.m.)
Wednesday, Sept. 24: Northern Liberties Fall Night Market
The final night market of the year, with food trucks, beer gardens, vendors and local crafters. Pay-as-you-go. (5 to 10 p.m.)
Wednesday, Sept. 24: Profs & Pints Philadelphia: Kafka and Prague
Learn about how a great author and his works were shaped by the history, culture, and landscape of a city, with Cynthia Paces, professor of history at The College of New Jersey, teacher of courses on European history and Holocaust studies, and author of two books on Prague. $13.50 in advance; $17 at the door; $15 for students. Arrive early to get a drink! (6 to 8:30 p.m.)
Thursday, Sept. 25: Global Quizzo Oktoberfest
Join globally-minded Philadelphians for a fun evening at the German Society. Test your knowledge of all things Philly; history, pop culture, international happenings in the city, and tall tales – and answer questions about our Sister Cities. Free with registration; Cash bar and BYO food. (6:15 to 9 p.m.)