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They Call What We Do Hyperlocal Blogging

And we’re at the forefront of revolution, apparently.  So says our friend Christopher Wink with his piece in Technically Philly this morning detailing the bold and the brave of Philadelphia’s media revolution.

It all started over two years ago when I started looking to buy a house.  And when I settled on one in Northwood my father(“Gil”) started emailing me all this news and stuff about about Frankford.  I was in the middle of moving and work was work so I never really looked at any of it.  So I told him what blogging was and he setup the first site over on blogspot and away he went.

All the credit is his, I only hopped on when I saw that he was actually getting visitors.  And it’s been fun and hopefully we’ve shed some light on a usually forgotten neighborhood.

As for the article, at least for the neighborhood reporting aspect, I don’t think profit oriented news is even possible.  My father loves Frankford and I get a kick out of blogging.  I just don’t see how another outfit would get into the nooks and crannies of the neighborhood like we could.  Passion beats profit in my opinion.  The only benefit in a profit centric view of hyper-local news reporting would exemplified in the issues faced with the only other neighborhood oriented blog in Philadelphia.  Andrew Schwalm over at Malcome X Park is moving to Manhattan with his GF leaving his blog in jeopardy.  A profit oriented model might find a way to continue.  Same thing could happen with us, you never know.[Technically Philly]

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Frankford Home of the Week

We have shown you this home before during Christmas time with the outdoor lights and music. orchard 42xxa I haven’t made it the home of the week because it is a difficult picture to get with the fence in the front of the house.  But when the person driving the car stops and says look at that, then it’s a home run.  So here we are in the 4200 block or Orchard Street.

The garden is always well cared for and it is a lot of space.  I try to get over to historic East Frankford as often as possible because you never know what kind of surprise lies around the next corner.

orchard42xxbClick on any of the images for a larger view.

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Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School

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Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School opened its doors Saturday to the community and we stopped by briefly to see what was happening.  There was certainly a good sized crowd at 9:30.

The school is located in the old Mater Dolorosa school at Paul and Ruan Streets.  it’s good to see it being put to good use again.

We walked about the building and it showed that a lot of work has gone into getting it ready for the school opening in September.

crowd sm

In the gym we were greeted by the sound of drums.  I am a sucker for percussion and I have rarely heard a sound with this beat.  Those guys should be invited to the Frankford Festival.

I’ve heard some folks wonder about this school and the strange sounding name.  You can go to their web site linked above to find out more.  It is a charter school which means it is funded by the school district and therefore follows the same curriculum as the public schools.  The difference is that where choices exist, they will use African cultural resources.  When I was growing up, our school talked a lot about the Irish and German cultures.  Since this area is populated by many African Americans it makes sense.

We wish them the best of luck.

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A Tomato Grows in Frankford

At times, the Gazette is a lonely place.  We post and know that a lot of people come by and read every day.  We get comments from a few but otherwise it is often a one way street as far as communication is concerned.  So it was very rewarding to get a picture of a tomato last night from our friend Lynda DeSouza.

It’s not just any tomato.  it’s a giant tomato and it rose from the earth in Frankford.

Giant Griscom Street tomato weighed 3 3/4 pounds. The oversized fruit was spotted shortly before lunch time on Saturday August 29th hanging in the garden. Originally it was thought to be two tomatoes hanging side by side. Further investigation revealed it was actually one hefty fruit known as Brandywine, an heirloom tomato variety known to be highly delicious and often oddly shaped but not typically overly enormous. The fruit was subdued, washed and photographed. The photo is all that remains.

You can have a look at the monster here.  Keep them coming.

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Coming Up in Frankford

  • Next Week In FrankfordOne Love Basketball, Volleyball, Church Choir contest
    When – Sat, August 29, 9am – 12pm
    Where – Wissinoming Park (map) Rescheduled from last Saturday due to rain
  • Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School “Grand Opening”
    When – Sat, August 29, 9am – 12pm
    Where – Paul St. and Ruan St. Phila. PA (map)
  • Frankford Depot Community Family & Friends Day
    When – Sun, August 30, 12pm – 3pm
    Where – McIlvain Recreation Center Penn and Pratt Streets (map)
  • Northwood Civic Association Meeting
    When – Tue, September 1, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – St. James Lutheran Church – Pratt St. and Castor Ave. Phila. PA (map)
    Description – The meeting is to consider the Association’s position on a proposed Accelerated High School on the grounds of Friends Hospital.
  • 2009 DENI 3v3 BASKETBALL SIGN-UPS
    When – Wed, September 2, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
    Where – DENI PLAYGROUND BASKETBALL COURTS (1381 RUAN ST) Philadelphia, PA (map)
    DescriptionTHE 2009 DENI 3v3 BASKETBALL SIGN-UPS WILL BE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2009 AND WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 2, 2009 FROM 5:30-7:30 PM AT THE DENI PLAYGROUND BASKETBALL COURTS (1381 RUAN ST). THE REGISTRATION FEE WILL BE $20. THE DENI 3v3 BASKETBALL LEAGUE IS COED FOR AGES 10-13. THE SEASON WILL START ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th AND RUN TILL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31st. THE GAMES WILL BE PLAYED ON SATURDAY MORNINGS ON THE DENI BASKETBALL COURTS. TO REVIEW THE DENI 3v3 BASKETBALL RULES CHECK THE DENI PLAYGROUND WEBSITE. www.deniplayground.com
  • Frankford Civic Association Meeting
    When – Thu, September 3, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – Frankford Hospital – 2nd floor conference room (map)
  • Grand Army of the Republic Museum Open House
    When – Sun, September 6, 12pm – 5pm
    Where – 4278 Griscom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Presentation at 1:30 PM: Jenny Wade of Gettysburg Judy Giesberg
  • PRESSURE COOKER on TV
    When – Sat, September 12, 7pm – 9pm
    Where – BET Network Comcast channel 21 in PhilaDELPHIA (map)
    Description – On Saturday, September 12, BET, a division of Viacom, will premiere two compelling specials as part of the network’s ongoing education initiative and Viacom’s new Get Schooled platform — award-winning documentary PRESSURE COOKER at 7:00 p.m.* and innovative special BRING YOUR A-GAME at 9:00 p.m.*