Month: April 2010

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Historical Society of Frankford Meeting

There were over forty people in attendance at the meeting Tuesday night at the Historical Society of Frankford to hear Torben Jenk’s presentation “LOCAL COLOR” — Five Generations of GLOBE DYE COMPANY (1965–2005). I noted that many of the attendees were from outside of Frankford.  That the HSF can attract folks from far and wide is a tribute to the quality of the program.

What drew me to this program were two points of interest.  The story of the Globe Dye Works is all about work and what drew people to come to Frankford to live.  My great grandfather came to this country in 1869 and settled in South Philly.  He first went to work as a shoe maker in a factory but within a few years he got into the textile industry.  I traced his movements around the city when in 1891 I found him in Frankford working as a Beamer in the textile mill.  So the textile business in Frankford is why I am here today.

The other point of interest is that the Globe Dye Works building is undergoing a renaissance under its new owners the Globe Development Group (GDG). Matt and Charlie Papajohn of the GDG were on hand to talk about what is being done to the building, how it is being preserved and what lies in the future.

Torben Jenk gave an engaging talk with power point slides on the history of the Globe from its earliest beginning when it straddled the little Tacony creek which is now Torresdale Avenue through its closure in 2005.  The big story was the tremendous size of the textile industry in Philadelphia.  Mr. Jenk is a founder of the web site workshop of the world which is very informative about the industrial history of the city.  The small but even more interesting story was that of the people of Frankford who worked at the Globe as seen in a Globe publication “Local Color”.

Charlie and Matt Papajohn discussed the restoration of the building and direction they are heading for in the future.  You can find a lot of this at the Globe Dye Works web site.  They did note that all the archival materials found at the Globe have been donated to the HSF.  One interesting tidbit is that a new tenant at the Globe will be producing hard cider called “Revolutionary Cider” in that it follows the recipes of the colonial era.

It was an an entertaining and fast paced hour.  Visit the HSF web site for an up to date listing of future events.

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Overington Park Recap

From Diane Kunze and the Friends of Overington Park:

We had 52 people come out and help clean up the park. ROTC from Frankford High School, grade school children from John Marshall School, Northeast treatment center gentlemen, Frankford Garden Club members, Friends Of Overington Park, and neighbors that use the park every day!

We painted benches, our cannon, and the SEPTA poles that had been tagged up and down  Orthodox St.. We cleared the flower beds and mulched them, trimmed our butterfly bushes, cleared the sidewalk of weeds, emptied trash cans, picked up and removed 60 bags of debris form the park.

The park looked beautiful by the time we were done.  People stopped to thank us for our good work in the park, and I would like to thank everyone for all the hard work that went into making the day a success! The park looks fantastic and will be well used by the people in our neighborhood. Another success in Frankford! Good day, good people, good time.

Our next event will be May 8th from 12 noon till 3. We will plant new bushes and flowers, open a new flower bed, mulch trees and beds, hold a seed starting demonstration, and give away seeds to our volunteers.

Thanks again for all the support you have given us! Diane Kunze, Friend of Overington Park

Diane also reports that the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will be planting 15 new trees on Wednesday morning, April 15th.  Feel free to stop by and have a look.

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Frankford Cleans Up

The third annual Philly Spring Cleanup got off and running today with a burst of activity here in Frankford.  It was a beautiful day for sweeping and weeding or in our case videoing those folks in the community who were doing those things.  It was hard to drive a block without stumbling over one group or another who was hard at work.

In case you have not heard, the city has decided to ask people to stop littering.  That is an original and long overdue idea whose time may have just about come.

The Philadelphia Streets Department is proud to announce UnLitter Us, the first sustained public service campaign to rid our City of litter once and for all. The same litter that blights neighborhoods, hurts business, and keeps people down. We won’t put up with it any more. Philadelphia deserves better, and the Streets Department stands firm in its commitment to attack litter on every front.

Yes for some folks it does not come as second nature to be clean as is evidenced by the state of the streets and lots in the city.  So this would be an educational campaign which just might have an effect.

Below, a short tour of the cleanup here and our thanks to all the volunteers from the various groups who made a big difference today.

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Frankford Civic Association Meeting

The Frankford Civic met Thursday night at Aria Health (Frankford) at 7:00 PM.  The meeting called to order by Frances Clay and the minutes  from last month’s meeting were read by Brian Wisniewski.

The first item on the agenda was a zoning issue related to the property at 1845 Wakeling Street.  It is a commercial property presently zoned as residential.  It has never been a residence but now must be officially rezoned to be legal.  You can view the presentation made by Tom Citro, the expediter for the owner, at our YouTube channel.

Pete Specos went over a zoning issue regarding 4314 North Penn Street.  Owner wants to convert it to a two family dwelling.  The hearing is scheduled for next week.  The issue of 1715 Harrison Street from last months meeting was also discussed where the owner wants to convert if from a two family to three family dwelling.  The Civic issued a letter of opposition to the ZBA for that change.

Next up was Jason Dawkins of Councilwoman Sanchez office with an update on the Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program.  This program is a no brainer.  You get free stuff for your trash.  All you need to do is recycle.  The City saves money and you get something.  Recycling bins are available at Tony Payton’s (4665 Frankford Ave.) office and Tina Tartaglione’s office (Bridge and Large Streets) as well.

Jason also talked about the proposed Stakeholders/Town Hall meetings on the issue of recovery homes. The meetings may possibly be scheduled by the summer.  Some rational discussion about the recovery house issue followed.

The book he mentions (“How it works”) is available in our book store.

Mayor Nutter sent Lauren Vidas (Coordinator, External Affairs and Public Engagement at City of Philadelphia) , Dr. Don Schwartz (Health Commissioner) and Carl Williams (Deputy Streets Commissioner) to explain the budget options that have been proposed to close the 120 million dollar budget gap for fiscal year 2011.  The discussions focused on the proposed tax on sugar sweetened beverages and the trash collection tax.  They also made the point that the mayor is open to any reasonable proposal to increase revenues but at this point does not believe that further service cuts are possible or realistic.

This Saturday, park cleanups are scheduled all over Frankford.  Check the upcoming events for more information.  The next meeting of the Frankford Civic is scheduled for May 13th.  At that meeting, folks who would like to join the Civic and become a voting member may pay their annual dues of $10.00.  The Civic needs your support to continue doing the vital work that needs to be done.

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Coming Up in Frankford

  • Deni Playground Cleanup
    When – Sat, April 10, 9am – 2pm
    Where – Deni Playground, Church Street at Leiper Street (map)
  • Frankford Parks Cleanup
    When – Sat, April 10, 9am – 12pm
    Where – Wilmot Park, across from the Second Baptist Church of Frankford at Mulberry and Meadow streets (map)
    Description – Frankford residents who have been working on plans to improve some small local parks will meet in Wilmot Park at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 10, across from the Second Baptist Church of Frankford at Mulberry and Meadow streets. They and other volunteers will be participating in the Mayor’s Citywide Cleanup. Jason Dawkins, an aide to Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez (D-7th dist.), said during the group’s meeting on Monday that cleanup efforts will focus on: ¥ Wilmot Park on the 1800 block of Meadow; ¥ Hedge and Plum Recreation Center, on the 1600 block of Orthodox St.; ¥ A small parcel next to Hedge and Plum; ¥ A vacant lot across from Hedge and Plum; ¥ The Gambrel Recreation Center, at Wakeling and Ditman streets; ¥ A small parcel at Duffield and Meadow streets; ¥ A small parcel at Tackawanna and Wilmot. For the mayoral cleanup day, Dawkins said, the city will provide brooms, gloves, rakes, shovels, bags and graffiti-removal kits. Volunteers may bring other equipment they think they might need, such as rope, twine, mowers or weed-whackers, but they should not bring gear such as chain saws.
  • Overington Park Cleanup
    When – Sat, April 10, 10am – 1pm
    Where – Overington Park – Leiper and Orthodox Streets (map)
    Description We lost two trees in the storm on Saturday. One, the top was blown off and the other uprooted after all the rain. We reported the downed trees and are waiting for the clean up . Good news PHS is planting more trees in our park. Starting April 5th for two weeks they will be planting around the city. We are to get around 10 new trees. They came out and looked at our park and fell in love. We want everyone to love Overington park so come out and enjoy it! We are holding a clean up on April 10th from 10 till 1. We will mulch our new trees and clean out our flower beds, getting a start on the spring growing cycle. We need your support so come out and join us for a positive experience in Frankford, making this a beautiful place to live.
  • Grand Army of the Republic Museum Open House
    When – Sun, April 11, 12pm – 5pm
    Where4278 Griscom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Presentation at 1:30 PM: “Bloodshed on Lafayette Square” The assassination attempt & attack on Seward Hugh Boyle
  • Historical Society of Frankford program
    When – Tue, April 13, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
    Where – 1507 Orthodox St., Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Following a brief introduction to the founding generations of the Greenwood and Bault families, Torben Jenk will share a sideshow of Globe Dye’s monthly one-page illustrated publication “LOCAL COLOR, For Insiders Only” (published at least from 1942 through 1969). “LOCAL COLOR” is an incredible visual record of the social traditions of Frankford, including wonderful brief stories and photos within the Globe family of the employees, births, marriages, retirements, plus improvements to the products and factory. One favorite article is: “Passing Of An Old Globe Custom. It’s only a matter of five or six years since brides-to-be left the plant after the Globe wedding celebration, arrayed in a mock bridal veil, and leading a tiny pig, a duck, or a turkey, amid laughter and good wishes from the girls they left behind. There was nothing official about it, but it was one of the perquisites of a job with Globe, spontaneous and gaily ushering a friend on her way to happiness. In the early days, when this ‘custom’ originated, Frankford was on the edge of the big city. Young couples often set up housekeeping where there was a bit of land on which to keep a pig or raise poultry. Today, there is no pig, no duck or turkey due to the meat shortage. But the gay send off is just as hilarious as ever, the bridal array faked as cleverly, and the feeling just as deep. It’s the spirit of the occasion that counts, not its form. It’s only two or three months ago that we saw Albina Krull leaving, arrayed in her bridal costume to be come Mrs. Albert McGarrigle.” (October 1946, attached, with photo of Albina Krull with veil and piglet on leash!). Please bring your own mementos of Globe Dye, and other social traditions of Frankford, to share with the audience. Copies of “LOCAL COLOR” will be circulated.
  • Italian Style Family Dinner
    When – Sat, April 17, 4:30pm – 8:00pm
    Where – St. Joachim’s Church, 1527 Church Street, Phila., PA 19124 (map)
    Description – MARK YOUR CALENDAR Every Third Wednesday from September thru May Italian Style Family Dinner The Dinners will be served from 4:30 PM to 8 PM in Fitzmaurice Hall Take-out will be available. COST: $8.00 for Adults, $4.00 for Children. Come Join us!
  • Northwood Civic Association Meeting
    When – Tue, April 20, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street. (map)
  • Frankford Special Services District Board Meeting
    When – Mon, May 3, 8:30am – 9:30am
    Where – St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave, Griscom Street entrance. (map)
    Description – Open to the public.
  • Rachael Ray Shines on Frankford High
    When – Mon, May 3, 10am – 11am
    Where – TV ABC (map)
    Description – Rachael Ray show comes to Frankford.
  • Frankford Civic Association Meeting
    When – Thu, May 6, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – Frankford Hospital – 2nd floor conference room (map)