In Case You Missed It: Lancaster Ave. Day Rocks!

Saturday, August 16th marked the first annual Lancaster Avenue Day hosted by Lancaster Avenue 21st Century Business Association (LA21). The summer festival featured live art, face painters, drums, spoken word and even horse rides.

The Community Education Center (CEC) opened its doors over the last weekend to bring local arts organizations together for a day of fun and entertainment. Emerging poets, dancers, and painters showcased their work for the community and discussed ways to better develop and spread the arts in West Philadelphia Lancaster. The festival featured a parade with local drummers and dancers that showcased the many talents of residents of Lancaster.

 The event came right on the heels of the well-publicized Night Market, and LA21 would like to continue engaging the city and showcasing all that the area has to offer. LA21 is dedicated to advocating for local development for their small business community.

GroundSwell was happy to be in attendance for this inaugural event as we increasingly focus on the Mantua area and all of the cultural programming that the organizations are offering to the community. We met some great people who shared with us the history of Lancaster Avenue, including the Lincoln Highway, and the old Treegoob’s record store that sold 1950s doowop records of groups from West Philadelphia.

Up next, the West Philadelphia Community Center and Miles Mak Recreational Center will host the second annual Anti-Violence Community Cookout The next event will take place on Friday, August 22nd from 3:00 – 6:00pm at Miles Mack Recreational Center located on 732-66 n. 36th street.  The Anti-Gun Violence Cookout will offer tasty BBQ, music, art, and games for kids. Come out and celebrate the city of brotherly love and discuss how we can take guns off the streets.

The work of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is made possible through the generous support of committed individuals and institutions.