Winterfest!

Meet Santa Claus!

Sand art!

Face painting!

Take a trolley tour of historic Tacony! Please call the library at 215-685-8758 for Trolley reservations.

Sponsored by the Tacony Business Association, The Tacony Civic Association & The Historical Society of Tacony,

Saturday, 04 December 2010 12:30-3:30pm at the Tacony Library, 6742 Torresdale Avenue

FREE History Video Screening

Please put this January 18, 2011 event on your calendars.

It promises to be a great event.


Jack McCarthy

Project Director, Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame



HOLY FAMILY UNIVERSITY,

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA HISTORY NETWORK,

AND

HISTORY MAKING PRODUCTIONS

Invite you to a public screening of

Video Profiles of the 2010 Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame Inductees

And

Pilot Episode for Philadelphia: The Great Experiment

A documentary film on the history of Philadelphia,

followed by public discussion of the film with Producer Sam Katz

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 7:00 PM

(Snow Date: Tuesday, January 25th)

In the Auditorium of the John Perzel Education Technology Center

Holy Family University, Northeast Philadelphia Campus

9801 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19114

Free and Open to the Public

The first part of the program will feature a screening of brief video profiles of the 2010 inductees into the Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame: Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Father of American Psychiatry; Robert Purvis, nineteenth-century African American Abolitionist; Butch Ballard, noted Jazz Drummer; Sister Mary Scullion, Advocate for the Homeless and Co-Founder/Executive Director of Project H.O.M.E; and SPIN, Inc (Special People in the Northeast), an award-winning human services organization.

The second part of the program will feature a screening of the pilot episode for "Philadelphia: The Great Experiment", a multi-part documentary film on the history of Philadelphia that is currently in-development. Following the screening there will be a public discussion of the film project with Producer Sam Katz, Partner, History Making Productions.


For more information, contact Jack McCarthy at 215-824-1636 or jacksnotes88@verizon.net

The next Tacony Civic Association General Meeting

Tuesday, November 9, 2010
7:00pm
Disston Memorial Presbyterian Church
4500 Tyson Avenue

Guest Speakers include:

Louis Giorla, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Prisons System and
Mark Gilson, NE District Attorney ZONE Czar

The Tacony Historical Society will meet first from 5:30 to 6:30
There will be a dinner break (food served) from 6:30 to 7 p.m.

Quality of Life Meeting

The next meeting of the Tacony Civic Association Quality of Life Committee will be

Wednesday October 20, 2010

7:00pm

Disston Recreation Center

Quality of Life Complaints can be made to:

taconycivic@gmail .com, or by calling us at 215-338-2575

15th Police District Town Hall Meeting Tonight

With Captain Bachmayer. 7:00pm at the John M. Perzel Community Center, 2990 St. Vincent Street, in conjunction with Mayfair Town Watch Meeting.

Email is Back!

We discovered a glitche with our email forwarding, but we're back up and running. If you sent us an email that did not receive a response, please contact us again. Thank you for your patience. We can be reached at taconycivic@gmail.com.

TACONY JOB FAIR!!!

Immediate Openings in Philadelphia
at our New Recycling Facility!
1st & 2nd Shift Opportunities:
Plant Maintenance Mechanics, Small Equipment Operators,
Sorters, Operations Supervisors
1st Shift Opportunities:
Scalehouse Attendants, Operation Specialists
OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, October 13TH
2:00pm-6:00pm
Disston Rec Center
4510 Disston Street (Disston & Glenloch)
Philadelphia, PA 19135
Walk-ins Welcome!

Visit our website at
http://www.wmcareers.com/
for job descriptions, to apply, and to pre-register!

Join Us at Our Next Flea Market

Tacony Civic Flea Market
Saturday, October 16, 2010
(rain date: Saturday, October 23, 2010)

Place: Disston Park – 6900 Keystone St
(between Longshore & Disston)
Time: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fee: $10 per space

Over 40 vendors expected to participate.

We hope you can join us!

Food vendor and restroom facilities will be available onsite.
For more information, please call (267) 455-2859.

Flea Market Tomorrow!!!

Tacony Civic Flea Market
Saturday, September 25, 2010
(rain date: Saturday, October 2, 2010)

Place: Disston Park – 6900 Keystone St
(between Longshore & Disston)
Time: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fee: $10 per space

Over 40 vendors expected to participate.

We hope you can join us!

Food vendor and restroom facilities will be available onsite.
For more information, please call (267) 455-2859.

Cottman/Princeton Interchange Update

A meeting was held to get feedback on some of the renderings that the PennDot representatives/engineers put together.

The meeting was located at the Sons of Italy on 8/31/10 (4741 Friendship St.) In attendance were about 50 residents of the neighborhood, Tacony Civic and CDC members, Philadelphia City planners, representatives of Joan Krajewski, Mike Stack, and Mike McGeehan, PennDot employees, and KSK Architectural Firm.

Phase 1 of the project Will be completed by Jan.2011 and Phase 2 will start directly afterward (estimated completion date is late 2013/early 2014). The total cost of both projects will be $225,000,000.

Some great ideas were on display tonight. A lot of positive feedback was given from the citizens of Tacony. We discussed which lighting suits the underpasses below 95 (Bleigh, New State Rd, Cottman, Princeton, Longshore, Magee, and Unruh) along with some ideas for signage, murals, and formliners to make the area aesthetically appealing.

Developers are still discussing Condos at the Disston Saw Works grounds( the area by State Road and Magee) and it will be a great boost if building starts in the next few years.

Upcoming Events:

General Quarterly Meeting: 9/14/10 (Tuesday) at 7:00 pm at the Disston Memorial Presbyterian Church at Disston and Glenloch Streets.

Quality of Life Committee Meeting: Thursday, September 30th at 7:00 pm, Disston Rec. immediately preceeding 15th Police District Captain Frank Bachmayer's Town Hall Meeting.

Wanted: Freinds of Disston Park

WANTED : FRIENDS OF DISSTON PARK

A sub-committee of the Tacony Civic Association Clean & Green Committee will be partnering with the Historical Society of Tacony's Arboretum Committee to form a Friends of Disston Park "network".

The object is to form a team of volunteers who will help organize events, sponsor clean-ups and oversee watering and gardening activities. This is especially important to sustain over 20 new trees planted this Spring and harvest the new community garden between Unruh and Magee Avenues.

All interested neighbors are urged to call the Civic Association at 215 338 2575 ext 1 to register as a Friend of Disston Park. Volunteers and friends will receive a semi-annual newsletter to update events and activies at this historic stretch of Tacony greenspace.

Recycling Rewards

The Northeast (Councilmatic Districts 1 and 6) has already started their recycling rewards program. Make sure to click the link below to start cashing in on your rewards. Examples: Gift Certificates to restaurants, movie theaters, supermarkets, etc....coupons for certain products....you can even donate your points to charitable organizations/non-profits.

Welcome to PhillyRecyclingPAYS.com

phillyrecyclingpays.com

First Summer Concert July 8 at Disston Rec

45RPM

Opening act: The Suitcases

Summer Concert Series at Disston Rec

Important Correction: The image below is one of the erroneous posters. I'll post a correct one when I receive one. In the meantime, Charlie Gracie will be at Disston Rec on Thursday the 22nd.

I-95 Update

by Jeff George

I Just left an very informational and enlightening meeting at the Tacony Music Hall with PENNDOT Engineers, Tacony Civic Association President Mary Benussi, Zoning Chairman and former Civic President Lou Iatorola, Streets Chairman and also fromer Civic President Anthony Naccarato, and Representatives from State Rep. Mike McGeehan's office about the future/development of the neighborhood during the completion of the first phase of the 95 Revive project. Phase 1 is "scheduled" to be completed by May 2011. Phase 2 will start soon there after.

Homeowners on Princeton Ave.(below Torresdale) should keep their eyes and ears open about a meeting in the near future about the lighting and the planting of new trees along the newly finsihed area. Before anything is started, the homeowners/businesses will get a chance to see a rendering of the proposed project and they will be asking for feedback and suggestions.

The developer that owns the riverfront property off Magee St. plans to build new townhomes within the next 3-5 years. The "new" Tacony Academy Charter School may be relocating to that vicinity also. This will be a positive asset to the future of our neighborhood. Soon after, there are some ideas to open a farmers market down on the Tacony riverfront. The positive chain reaction will soon follow. So lets stay upbeat and participate in the Civic Meetings and Community Events about the future changes in Tacony. The Delaware River City Corporation along with PENNDOT will be develop bike paths, walking trails and more green spaces before and after both phases of the 95 Revive project.

Its 95 degrees and I don't have the air conditioning on in my "office"/spare bedroom, so I'm going to end this update. Check out the following websites for future updates:

http://www.drcc-phila.org/homepage.htm

http://www.95revive.com/

http://www.taconycivic.org


Sincerely,

Jeff George

Facebook

Are you on Facebook? So are we. Here's the page for our group, Tacony Civic on Facebook. Why not join us?

New Engine 38 Firehouse News

As you may know we lost our firehouse last year for the Interstate 95 expansion project. This was Tacony's 2nd firehouse. Ironically our first firehouse was razed to make way for I-95 too.

Each of firehouse was very much of their era. The first, built in the last 1800s, was Victorian. The 2nd, built in the 1950s or 60s, was a modern brick building in somewhat of an international style. Our new firehouse will be extremely modern and will be completely green. It will be the City of Philadelphia's first totally green building. Here is the architectural firm's website: www.cecilbakerpartners.com

This project falls under the 1% for public art. The artist, Zhao Suikang, is formulating his ideas and has not developed the total concept yet. It is expected to involve multiple small bronze sculptures and plaques along a pathway in Disston Park. He got great information on Tuesday and is coming back for more in depth discussions. What have heard so far has us very excited. The artist hopes to obtain some equipment, artifact or apparatus symbolizing the saw works that he can create a sculpture with. He's pretty juiced up about this project, and he's done some pretty amazing stuff. Also he factored no salary into the project and is contributing all his time, devoting the whole budget to materials. His website: www.zhaosuikang.com.

Groundbreaking should be late Summer or early Fall.

Summer Programs at the Tacony Library

Summer Programs at Tacony Branch Library

Make a Splash @ your Library Summer Reading Kick-off program.
Wednesday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m.
Mr. Malcolm’s Interactive Theater
Presents
Diary of a Wimpy Kid


Sea Science and Aqua Art
(for grades 1 -4)
Thursday, June 24 @ 10:30 a.m.
Learn about the different sizes and shapes fish come in and why they look the way they do. Then make a craft related to your lesson.
Participants will have the opportunity to interact with live tidepool animals. Space is limited! Pre-registration Required! To register, call Tacony Library @ (215) 685-8755.

Sharks: Tooth or Consequences!
(for grades K-6)
Thursday, June 24 @ 2:00 p.m.
Are sharks actually as dangerous as people think? Who is really the ocean’s top predator? Learn about sharks large and small, find out why sharks are such skillful hunters, touch shark jaws, and take home a genuine shark tooth. With live shark if available. Space is limited! Pre-registration Required! To register, call Tacony Library @ (215) 685-8755.




Thursday, July 1 at 10:30 a.m.
Water Works
(for ages 3-5)
In this hands-on class, the Mad Scientist will introduce children to the importance of water to their bodies and the environment. Children will participate in experiments that demonstrate how weight and density determines whether objects sink or float. Each participant will make their own shimmering sparkle water tube to take home. Space limited! Pre-Registration Required!

Thursday, July 1 at 1:30 p.m.
Wacky Waves
(for ages 6-12)
This interactive class will increase students understanding of the properties of water. Our Mad Scientist will encourage children to become problem solvers as they clean up a simulated oil spill with as little damage to the environment as possible. Participants will learn about the effects of pollution on marine organisms and vegetation. Each student will also take home their own wave modulator. Space limited! Pre-Registration Required!

Friday July 2 at 2pm
Puppet Making with Bonnie Bacich
Have fun making your own puppet from a balloon and paper mache. Pre-registration required. For ages 10-16. Limited to 20 participants.

Thursday July 8 at 1:00 pm
CPR For Teenagers
Presented by the American Red Cross, this 3 ½ hour workshop trains responders to overcome any reluctance to act in emergency situations and to recognize and care for life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies in adults. Participants will earn Red Cross Certification in CPR. For ages 12 and up. Pre-registration required.




Thursday July 15 at 11:00 a.m.
Yoga for Children
(A family program suitable for children ages 3 and up)
Yoga has been shown to be beneficial to children by helping them develop better body awareness and self-control along with helping to instill calm, confidence and balance.
Join Rita Pandya in this special morning yoga workshop sure to be a hit with young children. Participants will exercise their bodies as well as engage their imaginations as they pretend to be various animals of the jungle. Please bring a yoga mat or a large towel. Space limited! Pre-Registration Required.

Thursday July 22 at 2pm
T-Shirt Decoration with Bonnie Bacich
Make a design to go on a t-shirt (or banner). Non messy and fun! Bring a white cotton T-shirt. For ages 8 and up. Pre-registration required.

From June 16-August 11 children (pre-schoolers to teenagers) can join the 2010 Summer Reading Game and win cool prizes! Play at your local library or online at www.freelibrary.org/summerreadingonline/

Calling young photographers entering grades 6-9 to enter our “Tacony in the Frame” photo contest!
Be inspired by the book Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce in which the characters look at their town with fresh eyes and see its hidden beauty. Take your camera into the streets of Tacony and look for the unusual, hidden, or beautiful sights all around you. This could be a view from an alternative angle, your favorite place to go in Tacony, the contrast of old and new together, or simply a small detail in the street that stands out to you. Win a digital camera and other cool prizes! Cameras will be provided for each participant.
Registration forms for the contest can be picked up at Tacony Library between June 7- July 9.

For more information or to reserve a place for any of these events contact Tacony Library, 6742 Torresdale Avenue, 215-685-8755.

Help Parks & Recreation Now!!!

Our Voice Needs to be Heard! Please Take Action Now!
You've heard from us a lot lately, but that's because there's critical work left to be done to protect Philadelphia's parks and recreation. Please participate in the 2nd round of letters and calls to City Council. Thank them for supporting the Mayor's proposed budget for FY 2011 and call on them to go back to the table and find the revenue to make that budget a reality! Without their help, a portion of the funding proposed for the Department of Parks and Recreation may be cut in the Mayor's attempt to make ends meet. The Department can't afford anymore cuts! On top of decades of underfunding, parks and recreation have both been cut by almost 28% since January, 2009 - plus a $1 million reduction for tree maintenance and planting. Click here for more information.WHAT WE NEED TO DO RIGHT NOW:
Please take a moment now to click here and send a letter to Council members, even if you've already written to them.
Direct your colleagues, friends, neighbors and families to www.philaparks.org where they can link in and send a letter.
If you have a bit more time, leave phone messages for members of City Council. Click here to find out who your Council representative is and find their phone number.
If you can get to City Hall, stop by Council offices and leave the same message. Click here for Council contact info.
Send personalized letters to City Council members the old fashioned way. They will read them.
Thank you for all that you do for Philadelphia's parks and recreation,The Philadelphia Parks Alliance

Green Space: Our Local Meeting is June 21

Disston Park Clean-up - May 8, 2010

Volunteers Needed!!!

On Saturday May 8th, the Tacony Civic Association and Spring into Your Park
are hosting a park cleanup at Disston Park.

The cleanup will run from 9am until 12 noon.

We will be meeting at the corner of
Longshore and Disston Streets. All gloves and snacks will be provided.

We also welcome high school and college students who may have community service
hours to complete. If interested in helping out, please contact us at taconycivic@gmail.com.

March 2010 Newsletter is now online!