South Square Town Watch: CCRA Newsletter

Our Sponsors

Firstrust Bank Di Bruno Brothers Moore Brothers Wine Company William Penn House AT&T Elfant Wissahickon

Mark your Calendar

Street Scene Urban Garden Competition Awards Ceremony, Sun, 9/18, 2-3pm, Community Garden

Solar Discount Program Kickoff - Wed, 10/5, 5:30, 22nd Spruce St.

Voter Registration Deadline: 10/11/2016

Save the Date: 58th Annual House Tour, Sun., 10/23, 1-5PM

See Details Below

What's New in the Neighborhood

It's Always Solar In Philadelphia - Solar Discount Program for CCRA Members Kickoff, Wed, 10/5, 5:30pm, Trinity Church, 22nd & Spruce St.

Enjoy wine, cheese and Di Bruno's goodies and learn about the Solarize Center City program which provides rooftop solar arrays at greatly reduced costs (with an added discount for CCRA members) installed by Solar States. Please register here so we may tally a headcount. Bring your neighbors!

CCRA member, green activist, and founder of West Philadelphia's White Dog cafe, Judy Wicks, will describe how rooftop solar panels installed by Solar States, have driven her bills in an all electric home to as low as $7.00 per month.

The Solar States program reduces equipment/installation costs by as much as 15% depending on the number of participants. This up front discount is combined with a federal tax credit allowing participants to shrink their tax bill by 30% of the equipment/ installation costs. Further savings pile up over the years as electric bills diminish or disappear because, after all, the Sun is free.

Here's how it works:

When you sign your contract, you'll automatically start saving with a base rate, $3.15/per watt of capacity in the system, far below industry standards. Standard row homes require installations of between 5000 and 7500 watts.
When 15 of your neighbors sign up, you'll save an extra $0.20/watt.
When 30 of your neighbors sign contracts, your savings will jump to $0.30/watt.
And CCRA members get an additional $0.05/watt discount to install solar, saving you hundreds of dollars!

Solar States, a Philadelphia owned and operated B corporation devoted to a triple bottom line of people, planet and profit, has completed over 250 installations in Philadelphia and the suburbs. In partnership with the Clean Air Council, Solar States has educated students for entry into the green collar economy, a field with sustaining wages and career opportunities.

Applications for the installation program will be accepted through the end of January. All contracts must be signed by February 28. The program is open to residents living in CCRA's territory, between JFK Boulevard and South Street from Broad Street to the Schuylkill River but only CCRA members qualify for the additional 0.05/watt discount. For more information, click here.

CCRA Welcomes New Merchant Member: Astral Artists

Astral, a nonprofit intensive mentoring program specializing in developing the early careers of a small number of rising-star classical musical soloists and chamber ensembles, is offering a $10 CCRA member discounted rate on their concerts. Their current presentation "Bach Varied" is scheduled for this Saturday at 7:30PM. For details, see below. For more information about Astral Artists, click here.

CCRA News & Events

URBAN GARDEN COMPETITION

AWARDS CEREMONY

Sunday, September 18, 2016

2PM - 3:30PM (rain or shine)

Schuylkill River Park Community Garden

25th & Spruce Sts.

Are you or your neighbors winners?

COME FOR THE FUN and PRIZE MONEY!!!

$1,100 cash prizes will be awarded

Light Refreshments

Hosts: Patsy Sauri and Street Scene Committee

Sponsored by: Berkshire Hathaway

Rittenhouse Market

South Square Supermarket

Bala Golf Club

Volunteers Needs for the 58th Annual House Tour, Sun, 10/23, 1-5PM

Hosts/Hostesses are stationed in beautiful homes and condos from 1:00PM until 3:00PM or from 3:00PM until 5:00PM. Duties include greeting tour goers, protecting household items, and encouraging a safe flow of foot traffic. In thanks for your gift of time, you will receive a free ticket to use either before or after your volunteer assignment to tour other homes. If you wish to volunteer, email us at centercity@centercityresidents.org.

SAVE THE DATE

CCRA 58th Annual House Tour

Sunday, October 23, 2016

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

(rain or shine)

Attention Community Gardeners! The Fence is Down

Intech has just about finished removing the temporary fencing surrounding the northern plots in the garden. Hurray! It's been a long slog for gardeners in the affected plots. Morning gardening is back!

Neighborhood News and Events

Astral Artists Presents " BACH VARIED", Sat, 9/17, 7:30 PM, Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street

Variations on the great master's originals comprise the opening concert of the

Center City Concerts season. With its virtuosity and aria-like melodies, Bach's Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor was likely created as a transcription from an earlier violin concerto. The Goldberg Variations

stand as one of the greatest keyboard works ever written, making it a popular subject for arrangements. Sitkovetsky's arrangement, for string trio, opens up new dimensions for the listener with its luxurious string sound. CCRA members receive $10 discount tickets (use promo code CCRA). To purchase tickets, click here.

Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show

Friday, September 16, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 17, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, September 18, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

http://www.rittenhousesquareart.com

Construction Alert! South Street Bridge, 2800 South Street thru 9/30, Night Work 9PM-3AM

Phase 3B (Paving) - One full drive lane and bike lane will be provided for both eastbound and westbound traffic, and be controlled via flagger.

"Thirsty Thursday" returns to ART BAR, Thursdays, 5-7PM, 1800 Market St.

Thirsty Thursday returns to Art Bar located in the Sonesta Philadelphia, from 5-7PM. The happy hour includes DJ King Leo, special cocktails and complementary lite bites.

Dizengoff Late Night Pastrami Sandwich Pop-Up, 1625 Sansom

Dizengoff is hosting a late night pastrami sandwich pop-up on Saturday, September 17th, 24th, and October 1st starting at 10PM. The $12 sandwich will be served tucked into a caraway rye pita and topped with beet-pickled turnips, dill tehina, sumac slaw and fried onions. There will also be a "friesling" available, a frozen Riesling drink spun up in Dizengoff's lemonnana machine.

International Day of Peace Sing-Along by the Ethical Society, Wed, 9/21, 5-6:30PM, sw corner of Rittenhouse Sq.

Hugh Taft-Morales, of the Philadelphia Ethical Society, will lead the 6th Annual Sing-Along for Peace the southwest corner of Rittenhouse Square, across from the Ethical Society. The event will include songs, dances, and words. Neighbors are invited to participate in the Sing-Along as well as Chalk4Peace, drawing images and words for peace on the sidewalk.

Open Streets PHL on South Street, Sat. 9/24, 8am - 1pm

Philly Free Streets, inspired by the car-free days during last year's Pope's visit, and modeled on the Open Streets programs in over 120 North American cities, will span South Street, from Front Street all the way to the Schuylkill River. From there, it jogs up the Schuylkill River Trail to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and on to the streets of Parkside and West Fairmount Park.

Public Discussion: Protecting Our Most Precious Resources, Mon, 9/19, 5:30-8:30pm, Trinity Ctr., 2212 Spruce Street

Judy Wicks, the chair of the Solarize Center City Program, and the Sustainable Business Network, presents "Conversations Toward A Sustainable Philadelphia" - a series of talks about moving our city toward a sustainable future by inspiring thought, discussion, and local action addressing climate change and environmental justice. For more information, click here.

Art Exhibition at Twenty-Two Gallery: "GEOLOGIC," by Andrea Krupp, Now thru Sun, 10/9


Volcano and sight lines - acrylic and graphite - 25 x 40 in. by Andrea Krupp

"With the recognition of the current pressures on Earth and that we are living in the Anthropocene epoch, this work seeks to open new perspectives and provoke questions about our future existence on Earth." - Andrea Krupp

Art Exhibition: "Ed's World: A 30-Year Affair With Paint" Sun, 10/30, 4-7pm, Bartram Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Blvd.

Center City artist Ed Bronstein will exhibit and sell recent works in oils, pastels, gouache, and pen and ink at Bartram's Garden on Sunday, October 30 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Proceeds from the sale will benefit Bartram's Garden, the country's first garden. Reservations are strongly encouraged. There will be one round-trip boat ride on the Schuylkill River from the Walnut Street Dock in Center City to Bartram's Garden at the beginning of the evening and back again at the end. Space on the boat is limited, and reservations will be required.

Are You Registered to Vote?

If not, click here.

Voter Registration Deadline: 10/11/2016

CCRA Merchant Member Discount Program

Support our local merchants and save money too. These local merchants will provide a discount (described here) to any member who shows a current CCRA membership card (Di Bruno Bros. has its own CCRA card) and personal identification.

Dom's Shoe Repair, 203 S. 20th St (215-972-0098)

Eye Candy Vision, 218 S. 20th St (215-568-3937)

Koresh Dance Company, 2002 Rittenhouse Sq St. (267-687-1769)

Liberty Vet Pets, 265 S. 20th St. (888-458-8587)

Nature's Gallery Florist, 2124 Walnut St (215-563-5554)

PhotoLounge 1909 Chestnut Street (267-322-6651)

Twenty-Two Gallery, 236 S. 22nd St, (215-772-1911)

Raven Lounge, 1718 Sansom St. (215-840-3577)

Rim's Dry Cleaners & Tailors,2203 South St. (215-546-1889)

Rittenhouse Hardware, 2001 Pine St. (215-735-6311)

Crow & The Pitcher, 267 S. 19th St (267-876-2808)

Astral Artists - Use promo code "CCRA" to receive a $10 flat rate on all tickets to their concerts.