Explore fitness series, cleanups, drama camp and more in Northeast Philly this week.
Running series for healthy children
Registration will open at noon on Friday, June 29, for the Healthy Kids Running Series.
Kids ages 2 to 14 are invited to sign up for the series, which will take place at 4 p.m. on the grounds of Washington Savings Bank, 2900 Comly Road, on the following Sundays: Sept. 16, 23 and 30 and Oct. 7 and 14.
The races will range in distance from 50 yards to 1 mile.
To register or for more information, call 215–360–2855 or visit healthykidsrunningseries.org/race_locations/far-northeast-philadelphia-pa ••
Benefit slated for Sunday at PYO
A benefit for Tom Wenger and his family will take place on Sunday, July 1, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Parkwood Youth Organization, 3301 Mechanicsville Road.
Wenger, well known as a coach, DJ and Ancient Order of Hibernians board member, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December.
Tickets cost $40. The emcee will be sports comedian Joe Conklin. There will be live musical entertainment by Luke Jardel, Paul Moore and John Conklin. The event will include a disc jockey, beer and food.
Call 267–496–8118 or visit tom-wenger.ticketleap.com ••
VIN etching Saturday at 8th Police District
The 8th Police District, 3100 Red Lion Road, will host a free Vehicle Identification Number etching event on Saturday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Major Crimes Unit is cosponsoring the event.
VIN etching is a countermeasure to motor vehicle theft that involves etching the VIN onto the windows to reduce the value of a stolen vehicle to thieves.
Call 215–686–3080. ••
Insectarium hosting event on Sunday
The Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion, 8046 Frankford Ave., is teaming up with local live animal presenters for Take Flight: Creatures that Fly, an event that showcases the history and importance of flying creatures such as bats, birds and insects.
The event will be held on Sunday, July 1, from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and will feature live animal presentations and handling, live music, crafts and games, a photographer and catering by Sweet Rainforest Cafe.
Call 215–335–9500. ••
Music festival coming to Pennypack Park
The Pennypack Park Music Festival will continue on Wednesday, June 27, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. with a performance by Cracklin’ Diamond, a tribute to Neil Diamond.
Concerts take place at the Ed Kelly Amphitheater, near the park entrance at Welsh Road and Cresco Avenue.
Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
The rest of the lineup is Irish Night, featuring Jamison (July 11); Romeo Delight, tribute to Van Halen (July 18); Hand Me Down World, tribute to the Guess Who (July 25); Idol Kings, tribute to Journey (Aug. 8); Black Dog, tribute to Led Zeppelin (Aug. 15); LeCompt (Aug. 22); and Think Pink Floyd, tribute to Pink Floyd (Sept. 5).
For more information, visit pennypack.org ••
Free video training in Tacony
Community Connections Media-Making Meetup will come to Tacony Library, 6742 Torresdale Ave., on Wednesday, June 27, from 6 to 8 p.m.
PhillyCAM mobile media studio will be on site to teach residents how to communicate their stories and offer tips on how to make community-centric video and audio pieces for social media.
Attendance is free. Register at PhillyCAM’s Facebook page.
Light refreshments will be provided.
PhillyCAM operates the city’s public access television channels on Xfinity 66/966 and Verizon 29/30.
For more information, go to phillycam.org ••
Lane closures on Boulevard
Roosevelt Boulevard motorists will encounter single lane closures in the inner and outer lanes at the Grant Avenue and Red Lion Road intersections through Friday, June 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In addition, periodic right lane closures are planned on Grant Avenue and Red Lion Road at the Boulevard through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The work is part of the city’s Boulevard Direct project, which includes construction of new bus shelters, plazas and sidewalks along the U.S. 1 corridor.
Meanwhile, there will be lane restrictions through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Academy Road between Knights Road and the Interstate 95 Interchange, for line striping. ••
Fitness classes at Glen Foerd
Certified fitness instructor Carolyn Breyer is launching Be Fit Philly, an open-air fitness class on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at Glen Foerd on the Delaware, 5001 Grant Ave, through July 15. All fitness levels and ages are welcome. The cost is $12 per class. For information, visit the Be Fit Philly page on Facebook. ••
St. Tim’s holding special Mass
St. Timothy Catholic Church, 3001 Levick St., will continues its 90th anniversary celebrations with a weekend of Masses to honor active military, veterans and first responders. The schedule is Saturday, July 7, at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 8, at 6:30, 8:30 and 10 a.m. and noon. Call 215–624–6188. ••
Concert July 12 at PPH
The Belairs Doo Wop, featuring Dennis Gillen, will be in concert on Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at the Philadelphia Protestant Home social hall, 6500 Tabor Ave.
The Josh Hoey Orchestra will play on Aug. 9. There will be a 50/50, and refreshments will be for sale.
Call 215–697–8000. ••
Fitness Series now underway
The Frankford Fitness Series offers yoga for beginners and zumba classes on five upcoming Saturdays.
The classes will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Frankford Pause Park, 4667 Paul St.
Zumba classes will take place on June 30, July 14 and Aug. 25.
Yoga classes will take place on July 28 and Aug. 11.
Participants are asked to bring their own mats. ••
Saturday cleanup in Morrell Park
West Torresdale Morrell Park Civic Association, Morrell Park Town Watch and Friends of John Hancock will hold a cleanup on Saturday, June 30, from 8 to 11 a.m.
Volunteers are welcome to clean the parking lot and ball fields behind John Hancock Elementary School at Mitchell Playground, 3700 Morrell Ave.
The city will provide trash bags, brooms, rakes and shovels. The civic association will provide plastic gloves. Volunteers are asked to wear closed-toe sneakers or shoes. ••
Thrift shop offers half-price sale
The Temple Menorah Keneseth Chai Classroom Thrift Shop, 4301 Tyson Ave., will hold a half-price sale through Wednesday, June 27.
The thrift shop will also host a sale of $6 for a bag of clothing from June 28 to July 3.
The shop is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed on Saturdays. Call 215–624–9600. ••
Jeanes grant winners announced
Jeanes Hospital announced the latest recipients of the Anna T. Jeanes Foundation Community Grants.
The Anna T. Jeanes Foundation provides funding for projects and nonprofits that promote the health and wellness of communities in Jeanes Hospital’s service areas. Grants are awarded annually based on merit, community impact and funds availability. Grants range from $500 to $2,500.
The recipients are Angels In Motion, Berachah Church Food Pantry, Burholme EMS Community Outreach, CORA Services, Insight Christian Counseling, Memorial Presbyterian Church of Fox Chase Food for Hope Food Pantry, Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network, Philadelphia Protestant Home, Pilgrim Baptist Church, Temple University Population Health Community Health Workers and Upper Moreland Youth and Drug Council.
To request a grant application form, contact Rosemarie Schlegel at 215–728–2131 or [email protected] ••
Music and drama camp
Crescentville United Methodist Church, 412 E. Sentner St., will hold its annual music and drama camp from July 15–20, from 7 to 9 p.m.
The camp is for kids in kindergarten (must be 5 by Sept. 1) through recent eighth-grade graduates. Participants will learn and perform a children’s musical.
The camp will feature Bible stories, T-shirts, crafts, songs and snacks.
The cost is $5. For information, call 215–745–7115 or visit crescentvilleumc.com ••
Local students honored
Comcast NBCUniversal awarded $1,000 scholarships for the 2018–19 school year to Philadelphia-area high school students, including five from local schools.
The local winners were Kelsey Carolan (Philadelphia Academy Charter School), Heather Cook (Northeast), Deutty Lafleur (Frankford), Summer Love (Abraham Lincoln) and Joseph Whitcomb (Archbishop Ryan).
The winners were recognized for their community service, academic performance and leadership skills. ••
Movies, discussion at KleinLife
KleinLife, 10100 Jamison Ave., will begin its Lifelong Learning summer special film series on Tuesday, July 10.
The public is invited to participate with members. The movies will be followed by discussions led by Moylan Mills, professor emeritus of integrative arts at Penn State.
The series kicks off on July 10 with Bombshell: The Hedy LaMarr Story and will be followed by A Late Quartet on July 17. Mostly Martha will be shown of Aug. 7, and the summer series will conclude on Aug. 14 with Gloomy Sunday.
Cost for the complete series is $45 per person. Individual movies will cost $13.
For information and a flier, contact Linda Hershman at 215–698–7300, Ext. 114 or [email protected] ••
Washington High receives art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art recently announced the gift of six high-quality, framed, large-scale reproductions of famous paintings from its collection to George Washington High School. Many of these images of masterpieces from the collection are equal in size to the originals.
William R. Hite, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, said, “Our students thrive when schools provide creative outlets for them. The Philadelphia Museum of Art plays a crucial role in helping to connect our schools and communities to art, providing students and teachers a necessary foundation for cultural appreciation, self-discovery and creative thinking. The Museum maintains a long-abiding investment in our communities and in our K-12 schools. Not only are we benefiting from this today, and certainly when our students return in August, but future generations will benefit because that is what can happen when you invest in our students. It’s inspirational.” ••
