The Frankford CDC just can’t stand sitting still, so on Tuesday we held not one, but two, business spotlight events. We started our day at Frankford High School, where we teamed up with the Student Success Center to hold a round table discussion focused on owning your own food business. The panel consisted of three women entrepreneurs based here in Frankford, Lily Fischer of A Cupcake Wonderland, Tegan Hagy of Philly LoveBar, and Therice Denby of Denby’s Sweet Sensations (4428 Frankford Ave). All shared great insight in to the hard work involved in being a small business owner, their decision making processes, and where they see their businesses headed in the next few years. As always, the Frankford High School students were wonderful, and asked some great questions!

In the afternoon, we headed over to Aria’s Frankford Campus for our first Business Spotlight Day. As you may remember, Aria and the Frankford CDC are launching a new program whereby four Frankford businesses, four times a year, set up a table for an afternoon in Aria’s cafeteria and get to know Aria staff who might not ordinarily find themselves shopping on the Ave. We had a great time speaking with Aria’s dedicated staff, and think some great connections were forged!

Stay tuned for more information about coming events, and for details about how to get involved! And if you have an idea for a business support event, we’d love to hear from you! Just call our offices at 215-743-6580.

Frankford High School JROTC students visited the Frankford Community Computer Lab on March 7th to find out more on how to utilize this great Frankford resource!  Sgt. Fraoli joined Manny Citron, PhillyRising and the Frankford CDC staff in welcoming the students and talking to them about using the lab for homework, college prep work and searching for summer jobs.

Enjoy the pictures below, and please help spread the word about this GREAT Frankford resource!!

2LT Antonio Torres

Every year the JROTC Committee chooses one cadet from each school to receive the “Good Citizenship Award.” This year from

cadet Anthony Agront and cadet Lea Mull

Frankford High School, Cadet 2LT Antonio Torres was honored to be chosen for this award. Cadet Torres will be invited to the Union League Headquarters in Center City to participate in a workshop, dinner, and a special presentation describing a competition for an exclusive scholarship.

Every year the mayor of Philadelphia chooses a select number of students from each school to receive the “Most Improved Student” award. Not only did Mayor Nutter select one student from Frankford High School, he selected two! They both belong to the Pioneer Battalion, cadet Anthony Agront and cadet Lea Mull. These two amazing students will be invited to City Hall along with other “Improved” students throughout the city for an exclusive dinner.

In  1956,  when  I  was  3  years  of  age,    my  parents  moved  their  growing  family  from   Germantown   to  a  house  on  Wakeling  Street,  across  the  street  from  Frankford  Stadium  in  the  Northwood  section  of  Frankford.

Because of that move,   the Stadium always figured significantly   in our lives.     We  used  to  love  Frankford  High  School  football   game  days  in  the  Fall,  because  then  we  would  get  to  hear  the  band   parading  down  Wakeling  Street   back  to  the  high  school  after  victories.    Then  we  would  watch    the  track  and  field  events  at  the  Stadium  in  the  Spring.

But,  the  Stadium   was  also  a  place   where  we  got  into  trouble.    In  1960,  I   was  a  meek  kid  at  7  years  of   age,  and  at  that  time  the  youngest  in  our  crowd.   One  day,  while  grounds  keepers  worked  at  the  far  end  of  the  Stadium,  near  the  Dyre  Street  gates,     the  older  kids   decided   that  we  should  try  to  sneak  around   the   inside  the  Stadium,  to  see  if  we  could   do  so  undetected.     I was reluctant,   but   went along.  There  were  several  ways  into  the  Stadium  when  it  was  locked.    On  that  day   we  used  the  most  dangerous  –  over  the  top  of  the  front  gates,  with  its  pointed  iron  pikes.

We  crept  behind  the  walls  at  the  front  of  the  bleachers  in  the  direction  of  the  grounds  keepers,    and    into  the  giant   hedges  behind  the  Dyre  Street  side gates.  I  felt  very  guilty   about  sneaking  around  behind  adults  backs  like  that.   One of our little group whispered, “Here come the men!  Duck down!”    But I was frozen with fear.   The grounds keepers saw us.  The one in charge said, “CALL POLICE!”   I burst out crying.    When  they  heard  that  reaction  they  relented,  opened  the  gates,  and  told  us  to   never  do  that  again.     The  other  kids  were   glad  that  my  crying  had  “tugged  on  their  heartstrings”    and  moved  the  grounds  keepers  to  let  us  go.

A  few  years  later,   as   little  boys  sometimes  do,  I  discovered  fire,    and  I  became  “the  kid  who  played  with  matches.”  Mrs.  Hughes,  in  the  stone  building  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Wakeling  and  Rutland,    would  see  me  hiding  in  the  nook  between  the  pine  tree  and  bushes  and  the  Stadium  building  on  the  corner,  building  little  fires  there,    and  warned  me  to  stop  or  I  might  accidentally  set  the  tree  on  fire.   A  few  weeks  later,    one  of   my  fires   went  out  of  control,    and  first  the  bushes,  and  then  the   tree,  caught  fire.     I was horrified.     I  ran  home  and  saw   police   and  fire  trucks   arrive  and  put  out  the  fire.      I watched Mrs.  Hughes   talking  to  police,     and  I   became  sick  with  fear,    and  waited  upstairs  in  our  bedroom  with  a  terrible  bellyache  for  the  knock  at  the  door,  which  never  came.     Mrs.  Hughes,  bless  her  heart,  lied  to  police,    blaming   the  fire  on   “a  white  kid”  she  had  “never  seen  before.”  She said, “Peter, I lied for you.    You have one more chance.   Never do it again.”       I  promised,  and,  shocked  at  the  consequences  of  my  own   bad  behavior,  I  kept  my  promise.

(more…)

Mr. Creighton won the buffalo wing eating contest

On December 22, 2011, the Frankford High School Senior Committee hosted a fundraiser at the Buffalo Wild Wings located on the BLVD. It raised around $1000!   The fundraiser was for the senior class of 2012. The money will be used for various senior activities.  The fundraiser was open to the public.  There was a huge turn out from the Frankford high school students, staff, and faculty. Over 50 people from Frankford attended.

Frankford Pioneer Battalion
1LT Lee Nguyen
S-5 Public Affairs Officer