Peace rally in the Veterans Memorial Grove
A peace rally is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, in the Veterans Memorial Grove on the 6000 block of Rising Sun Avenue in Lawncrest.
The event, sponsored by the PhillyRising Collaborative, the Lawncrest Community Association and the 2nd Police District, is a reaction to the violence that has occurred in the neighborhood this year. There have been several shootings, including a triple- and a double-homicide.
“We are using this rally as a way to unite the residents of Lawncrest and to take a stand against those who wish to disrupt the peace that Lawncrest demands,” said Assistant City Managing Director Sanya Brown. “The community at large is fed up, and so we have collectively decided to come together as a united front.” ••
Expo slated for Saturday at Four Points
The Biz Knows: Business and Community Expo will take place on Saturday, May 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel, at 9461 Roosevelt Blvd.
The Expo will support those who would like to own businesses, and those who wish to provide a product or service to the community. The event will feature a number of industry expert speakers, addressing subject matters that impact new and aspiring business owners.
Attendees will have the opportunity to get acquainted with proven best business practices and also to consult experts in various fields of industry.
Showcases of products and services by local business and organizations will be featured at the expo. Any family-friendly business or organization is welcome to exhibit products.
Registration is $7 in advance, $10 at the door. Go to http://2014expopa.eventbrite.com
The exhibitor rate is $150. The final hour of the event will feature music, refreshments and a complimentary chair massage.
For further details, visit www.thebizknows.com ••
Driver’s license workshop at Orleans Tech
Orleans Technical Institute, 2770 Red Lion Road, will offer a free driver’s license workshop on Tuesday, June 24, at 2 p.m.
The event will assist individuals in addressing the issues that led to a suspended or revoked license, with steps for reinstatement.
To register, call 215–728–4733 or visit www.orleanstech.edu/register ••
Local lawyer plans family law course
Ned Hark, a member of the law firm of Howard M. Goldsmith P.C., recently was a co-course planner and presenter for the ninth annual Family Law Institute, presented by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.
Hark is a past chairman of the family law sections of both the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar associations. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He has also chaired and served as a member of the lawyer referral and information service oversight committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Hark, whose office is at 7716 Castor Ave., is a frequent lecturer on family law topics and has appeared as a guest on several television programs dealing with divorce, support and issues. He can be reached at 215–722–5850. ••
Fund to award two scholarships
The Joseph C. McCloskey Charitable Fund will award two scholarships this year to area college students.
The recipients of the Elizabeth McCloskey Memorial Scholarship, for women, and the John C. Sullivan Jr. Memorial Scholarship, for men, will each receive $2,000 toward their college or university tuition.
Applicants must live in Tacony. The application deadline is Sunday, June 1. To obtain an application, visit http://jcmcccftacony.org/contact-us/
Fill out the form at the bottom of the page and click “send.” ••
Potholes, by the numbers
You recall the winter of 2014, don’t you? Remember the cold, the wind, the snow, the sleet, the ice, the potholes?
Earlier this year, the Northeast Times reported the city expected to exceed its all-time record of 13,000 potholes. That record wasn’t just beaten; it was slaughtered. It’s hard to predict, even now, how many potholes winter left on the city’s streets, but, so far, the Streets Department has filled more than 33,000 of them.
Winter kept AAA Mid-Atlantic busy, too. According to the auto club, it rendered assistance to 119,000 motorists who got flat tires through April. The number provides a handy measure of just how harsh the winter was — it’s 22 percent higher than it was in 2013.
Besides providing that handy statistic, the auto club has a computer site that drivers can use to report potholes: http://midatlantic.aaa.com/PGA/ReportaPothole. This is good for reporting potholes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. ••
Mayor appoints chief cultural officer
Mayor Michael Nutter announced the appointment of Helen Haynes, the current Director of Cultural Affairs at Montgomery County Community College, as Chief Cultural Officer in the city’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.
Beginning June 7, Haynes will oversee day-to-day operations of the OACCE (including all of the city’s arts programs,) coordinate with relevant city agencies to unify the city’s arts efforts, and serve as a liaison between the city’s cultural institutions. She will also be responsible for expanding arts education for young people and supporting the growth and development of the City’s arts, culture and creative economy sector by promoting public and private investments. ••
Wawa honors its Krewstown Road store
Wawa Inc. announced last week its store at 8900 Krewstown Road would be the latest recipient of its 5-Star Store Service Award.
Recently, on the heels of its 50th anniversary celebration, Wawa began the presentation of 5-Star Service Awards, honoring the top stores throughout its chain for in-store excellence and customer appreciation. All of the 5-Star Service stores are selected as a result of Wawa’s Voice of the Customer surveys. The store ranked within the top two stores for the region based on overall satisfaction scores and customer ratings.
The Wawa Foundation made a donation of $1,000 to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in honor of the store team. ••
Committee of Seventy has new website
The independent political watchdog group’s site has the same url, www.seventy.org, but a new look. ••
PhillyRising gets new director
The Office of The Managing Director announced the promotion of Adé Fuqua to position of director of the PhillyRising Collaborative in the Office of The Managing Director. Fuqua previously served as the deputy director and, prior to that, as the south divisional coordinator. ••
Delivery service growing
Instacart, a service that can deliver groceries from multiple local stores within an hour, recently announced that it has nearly doubled its Philadelphia-area service area by adding the Northeast and its suburbs.
The company also announced that it is now delivering from Acme Markets stores.
New neighborhoods and towns that are part of the expansion include Frankford, Lawncrest, Bustleton, Fox Chase, Burholme, Oxford Circle, Somerton, Rhawnhurst, Tacony, Wissinoming and Mayfair.
For complete maps of Instacart’s delivery areas, visit www.instacart.com/locations.
Instacart delivers from Whole Foods Market, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Fine Wine & Good Spirits, Acme Markets, Super Fresh and Green Aisle Grocery.
“The response from Philadelphia has really been amazing — it seems we’ve struck a chord,” said George Shotz, manager of Philadelphia operations. “This is a big expansion for us, but the demand is definitely there, so we’re excited about it.”
Shotz added that, to date, the company’s shortest order-to-delivery time in Philadelphia was 14 minutes and 14 seconds.
“No other grocery delivery service can even come close to that,” he said.
Customers can open an account at www.Instacart.com, and get free delivery on their first order of $35 or more. For frequent customers, Instacart offers an annual membership that eliminates delivery fees for all orders of $35 or more. The cost is just $99.
Customers can sign up for a free two-week trial at www.instacart.com/express ••
Cancer Center hosts weekly farm stand
The Jeanes Hospital/Fox Chase Cancer Center campus, at 7600 Central Ave., hosts a farm stand every Thursday through November from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Items for sale include fruits, vegetables, cage-free brown eggs, cheeses, apple butter, pumpkin butter, peach cider, cider applesauce and honey.
The stand is located on the grassy area near parking lot C. In case of rain, it will move into the Jeanes cafeteria.
The initiative is presented by the Jeanes Hospital Auxiliary and Jeanes Hospital’s Nutrition Services Department.
For more information, call Rosemarie Schlegel at 215–728–2131. ••
Jewish war vets seeking new members
The Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America South Philadelphia Post 98, based in the Northeast, is looking for new members.
The club participates in Veterans Day parades and the Four Chaplains Memorial Service, serves as color guard at various functions and raises money for hospitalized veterans.
Meetings are held the third Sunday of the month at the Casino Deli Restaurant, at 2425 Welsh Road.
Any man or woman who served in the military is eligible to join. Associate members are also welcome.
For more information, call Gil Benedict, the senior vice commander, at 215–742–1420. ••
