The Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society welcomes those interested in local history, the Roxborough Library Archives and public and monthly Society Meetings, bringing forth educators specializing in area history.
The Philadelphia Story is a historical look at the Roxborough neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
WEST CHESTER, PA — Curtis Smith, 34-year-old resident of Coatesville, was shot dead by a Sheriff’s deputy at the Justice Center in West Chester. Curtis had attacked another Sheriff’s deputy with a knife causing injury to deputy’s arm and wrist.
Curtis was also involved in a March incident for climbing the White House wall in Washington, DC.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — On September 5-6, 2015, the Made In America Music Festival will take over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City Philadelphia. “Jay Z has curated a stellar and eclectic mix of performers that should please even the pickiest of music fans. This year is going to be epic with performances from Beyoncé, The Weeknd, J. Cole, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Meek Mill, Santigold, Del La Soul, Metric, Earl Sweatshirt and many more.”
Upper Salford, PA — The Philadelphia Folksong Society held the 54th annual Folk Fest at the Old Pool Farm. Highlights included performances by Shakey Graves and the North Mississippi Allstars.
Shakey Graves
Shakey Graves’ set up caught your ear and your eye. An old suitcase was turned into a kick drum. Shakey played it backwards with one foot while playing a tambourine with the other. At the same time, he shredded an electric guitar while singing. “Shakey Graves, born Alejandro Rose-Garcia, is an Americana musician from Austin, Texas. His music is a cross between blues, country, and rock and roll. Shakey Graves is known his one-man band set up, and most of his debut album Roll the Bones is Rose-Garcia playing unaccompanied by other musicians. When he began working on his sophomore album, And the War Came, Rose-Garcia added musicians to his recording set and live set. Three songs from And the War Came are duets with ex-Paper Bird member Esme Patterson. Patrick O’Connor, from the LA music scene, plays guitar and bass with Shakey Graves at various live shows. Rose-Garcia is also occasionally accompanied by another ex-Paper Bird member, Macon Terry, on double bass, and Aaron Thomas Robinson on steel guitar.”
North Mississippi Allstars
The North Mississippi also had a multi-instrumentalist that played drums, keyboards, guitar and vocals at the same time. “Having soaked up the music of their father, Memphis legend Jim Dickinson, and absorbed the North Mississippi legacy by playing in juke joints with their blues ancestors, brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson formed the North Mississippi Allstars in 1996, pioneering their own brand of blues-infused rock and roll.
The North Mississippi Allstars released their debut album, Shake Hands With Shorty, in the spring of 2000. Their debut proved to be a success and earned them a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Contemporary Blues Album’. After earning 2 more Grammy nominations in the same category for 51 Phantom (2001) and Electric Blue Watermelon (2005), the North Mississippi Allstars earned the reputation as one of the most intriguing acts to emerge from the loam of Southern blues and roots rock.
In 2008, after five studio albums and more than a decade of touring together, the Dickinsons decided to branch out and pursue other projects. In 2009 Luther teamed up with Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus to form the South Memphis String Band. The trio has toured across the country and released two albums since then. In 2012, Luther formed The Wandering, a five-piece folk band featuring Shannon McNally, Amy LaVere, Valerie June and Sharde Thomas (Otha Turner’s granddaughter). He also recorded and released a solo acoustic album, Hambone’s Meditations, which received a 2013 Grammy nomination for ‘Best Folk Album.’”
This is a bird’s eye view of the Art Museum area in center city Philadelphia. First, you think about running up the steps. Then, you run up the steps, turn around, and look down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. As the adrenaline pumps through your body, you become one with William Penn.
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PHILADELPHIA — As Philadelphia and the region continue to prepare for the Papal Visit and the attendance of an estimated 1.5 million pilgrims during the World Meeting of Families, we want to provide the public with as much information about what they can expect during this incredible, once-in-lifetime event.
Philadelphia is the “Can Do” City and we can do and will do everything in our power, along with our many partners, to ensure a safe and secure event, a spiritual and joyful event.
It will also be one of those rare opportunities for Philadelphia to showcase on a global stage what we’ve been doing for quite some time – managing very large events or situations.
And this World Meeting of Families could well be the largest ever. In Manila in 2003, Valencia, Spain in 2006 and in Milan in 2012, the closing Mass attendance was estimated at 1 million participants. The current general estimate for Philadelphia is a one million to one-and-one-half million people or more
We believe Pope Francis and his message will encourage many more people to come to Philadelphia. We are all very excited about the prospect of so many women, men and children of faith coming to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.
At the same time, I understand there are many concerns. What will happen? How will it impact me, my family, my business, my employer? I get it. We get it. Yes, our daily routines will be disrupted, sometimes in minor ways, sometimes in significant ways.
But just as soon as we have even more concrete details to announce, we will do so. And that will give everyone enough time to take the appropriate actions, make prudent plans and prepare for an event like no other in this City’s history. This is an incredible moment in time for all of us.
Let me note that as we prepare for this historic event, we are working and coordinating with a significant number of partners, including:
United States Secret Service, Philadelphia Police, Philadelphia Fire, Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, PennDOT, Philadelphia Parking Authority, Delaware River Port Authoriy/PATCO, NJTransit, Department of Homeland Security, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania National Guard, Pennsylvania State Police, and our regional suburban partners in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
For today, we will provide details regarding vehicle traffic in and around Center City, as well as updates from SEPTA and DRPA on their services.
Our partners from the State will also highlight how they are working with us to ensure that the World Meeting of Families and Papal Visit run as smoothly as possible.
* We are working very closely with the Governor Wolf and the State as we move into the final weeks before the Pope’s arrival, and we know that all of our State agencies will be a huge asset during this major event.
* PennDOT, Pennsylvania State Police and the PA National Guard will play major roles when it comes to traffic, transportation and public safety.
In short, there are many people and agencies working in concert to create the best, most thoughtfully executed plan for our City during the World Meeting of Families. All of the agencies here today will continue to release more detailed plans about their services as we get closer to the event.
The World Meeting of Families Congress will take place Tuesday, September 22nd through Friday, September 25th. The Papal Visit will take place that weekend, Saturday, September 26th & Sunday, September 27th.
Think of it: 1.5 million visitors in addition to our 1.5 million residents who have to move around the city in their daily lives.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — HitchBOT is… was a hitchhiking robot from Port Credit, Ontario. HitchBOT traveled over 10,000 km in Canada from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia. “We want to see what people do with this kind of technology when we leave it up to them,” Frauke Zeller, one of the creators and an assistant professor in professional communication at Toronto’s Ryerson University, told the AP. “It’s an art project in the wild — it invites people to participate.”
But, after only two weeks traveling in the USA, HitchBOT was vandalized and destroyed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
HitchBot In Philly
The HitchBOT team has issued a statement:
Oh dear, my body was damaged, but I live on back home and with all my friends. I guess sometimes bad things happen to good robots! My trip must come to an end for now, but my love for humans will never fade. Thank you to all my friends.
A message from the family:
hitchBOT’s trip came to an end last night in Philadelphia after having spent a little over two weeks hitchhiking and visiting sites in Boston, Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City. Unfortunately, hitchBOT was vandalized overnight in Philadelphia; sometimes bad things happen to good robots. We know that many of hitchBOT’s fans will be disappointed, but we want them to be assured that this great experiment is not over. For now we will focus on the question “what can be learned from this?” and explore future adventures for robots and humans.
We have no interest in pressing charges or finding the people who vandalized hitchBOT; we wish to remember the good times, and we encourage hitchBOT’s friends and fans to do the same.
Rittenhouse Square in Center City Philadelphia is an example of one of the city’s squares originally planned by William Penn when he laid out the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682. The public park is a great place to stroll, eat lunch or listen to street performers play music. On a regular basis, the Square hosts festivals and markets.
Rittenhouse Square Map of Philadelphia
Franklin Square is another of the five original open-space parks. It is located in the Center City area, between North 6th and 7th Streets, and between Race Street and the Vine Street Expressway (I-676). Local legend maintains that Franklin Square is where Benjamin Franklin conducted his “kite and key” electricity experiment in 1752. Franklin Square offers these attractions:
* The Franklin Square Fountain was built in 1838, but fell into disrepair by the late 1970s and was turned off. It was refurbished and repaired during the park’s restoration. The fence and stone work of the fountain are original.
* The Parx Liberty Carousel is located just northwest of the Fountain. Many of the carousel’s animals recall Philadelphia’s historical heritage.
* Philly Mini Golf, located north of the Fountain, is the only miniature golf course in Center City. The holes are based on some of the city’s best-known tourist spots, such as Elfreth’s Alley, the Ben Franklin Bridge, and the Liberty Bell.
* In 1976, the city dedicated the Living Flame Memorial, which honors the city’s fallen police officers and firefighters. It centers on a sculpture by local sculptor Reginald E. Beauchamp. The memorial is unusual in being one of the few to honor the two groups together. A design competition was held in 2011 to choose a design for a replacement memorial.
* Two playgrounds, one for younger children, and the other for older ones, are located in the park’s southeast quadrant.
Southwest (Rittenhouse) Square, Southeast (Washington) Square, Northwest Square (Logan Circle), Northeast (Franklin) Square and Centre Square (City Hall) all offer something free to do in Philly.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Philadelphia Police Department would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance in the apprehension of suspects Tony Kimhong (left) and Chhoeuth Kim (right) for the following burglaries.
On July 23, 2015, at 4:43 am, Tony Kimhong and Chhoeuth Kim were arrested for an attempted burglary at a Saloon located at 750 South 7th Street. Kimhong was attempting to force open a door to the Saloon while Chhoeuth Kim acted as a look-out. Kim was also identified as a suspect in a burglary at Bridget Foy’s located at 200 South Street along with Tony Kimhong. After further investigation of Kimhong, he was identified as the suspect in the following burglaries:
DC 15-03-026317, April 30, 2015, Little Italy Pizza, 342 Queen Street
DC 15-01-020337, May 24, 2015, Centerfolds Lounge, 1602 East Passyunk Avenue
DC 15-03-034617, June 7, 2015, Pho Ha Saigon, 320 Oregon Avenue
DC 15-03-038607, June 24, 2015, Bing Bing Din Sum, 1648 East Passyunk Avenue
DC 15-03-038806, June 24, 2015, at Cloud 9 Vapor Store, 1832 Passyunk Avenue
DC 15-03-038785, June 25, 2015, Stogie Joe’s, 1803 East Passyunk Avenue
DC 15-03-039507, June 28, 2015, Adobe Cafe, 1919 E Passyunk Avenue
DC 15-03-040860, July 3, 2015, Bainbridge Barrel House, 625 South 6th Street
DC 15-03-041066, July 4, 2015, Artisan Bakery, 1218 Mifflin Street
DC 15-06-031442, July 6, 2015, Four Father’s, 319 Market Street
DC 15-03-042039, July 8 2015, Birra Bira, 1700 East Passyunk Avenue
DC 15-03-043852, July 16, 2015, Bridget Foy’s, 200 South Street
Tony Kmhong is 24 years-of-age and is from the 23xx block of South 6th Street. Kimhong is charged with multiple burglaries and related offenses.
Chhoeuth Kim is 31 years-of-age and is from the 7xx block of Jackson Street. Kim is charged with multiple burglaries and related offenses.
By Daniel Brouse
Do Not Breath in Philly on This Day / NOTE: Graphics are from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America)
Many days in the Philadelphia region are not good for breathing. On “Ozone Action Alert Days” you are advised to avoid activity outside. Children should not play outdoors. Avoid running and other fitness activities. Do not breathe in un-conditioned air.
View the current air quality for Philadelphia.
July 19, 2015 is one of those days:
Philadelphia Ozone Alert
NOTE: Graphics are from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America)
Ozone is not only killing humans, it is also killing the trees.
In 2005, the EPA and NGO’s were contacted about the deforestation problem:
Dying Trees, The Membrane Domain (2009)
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