Joe Menkevich channels the ghosts of our past. He is so steeped in historical research, that at times when you see him describe what he has discovered, it appears that he is actually watching the scene take place as it happened. You can see him at this link Imagining Frankford.
The slide show below was compiled by Joe and it entirely his work. My contribution was the titles at the bottom and I hope they are close to accurate.
This past Saturday, October 20th, Friends of Overington Park held our annual Fall Festival. The weather was perfect, crisp air, falling leaves, a beautiful day in our park.
We had a big crowd, a good mix of adults and children. Little ones romped through the straw patch to find their pumpkin, faces were painted by the good folks from Grace Alone Church, ‘Operation Glow In The Dark’ puppeteer preformed to a laughing audience, and apple cider, ginger snaps, and pretzels were served.
Treat bags filled with goodies were handed out, and our seasonal worker, Lisa, an Overington park Friend, designed wonderful games for everyone to play and enjoy.
Little ones showed up in costume as well as all the adult Friends of Overington Park! We were truly blessed with a day filled with fun, laughs, and gathering of the community, sharing the true treasure that is Overington Park.
Thanks for all the support given to Overington, it means a lot, Diane Kunze, president, Friends of Overington Park
Not Because it is a piece of our past, but because it is vital to our future!
Neighbors:
As you may have heard, our community has regained possession of the Frankford Y! While exciting, the issues presented are vast in order to save the Y as vandals, looters, and age have take its toll on the building and immediate action is needed stabilize the structure preventing its loss. Specifically, and most immediate, the roof is leaking in several locations and basic utility service in needed. This letter is a plea to each and every one of you, my neighbors, to help me save this piece of our neighborhood, not because it is a piece of our past, but because it is vital to our future.
The incoming board of directors, including myself as President, have plans to develop programs that use this facility in a manner that benefits everyone. Our vision and our use of the building will be centered on enabling individuals to achieve more then what they have today. GED courses, the training of trade skills, higher education and job location and placement will be the foundation of our programs as teaching a person to fish instead of giving them one creates vested neighbors who cares about themselves, their future, and their community. Further, support and social services including child care, personal fitness and aquatics will be offered as an intergrated plan of individual achievement.
Many of you know of my investment in the community and the restoration of 4700-12 Castor where I live with my wife and 4 children. Know that I am committed to the restoration of the Y. However, neither my commitment, nor the commitment of my board will be enough. Our future will
be determined by your choice, right here, right now. What you do with this letter will determine our future and the development of our community. Follow this link to a donation slip. Use it best you can, remembering that, like the Y, abandonment leads to deterioration and eventual destruction. Please contribute to our future immediately and on a monthly basis and remember all donations are tax deductible as the Y is a 503(c)3. Please give today! Mail Check or credit card payment information t0 the address below.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me on my cell at 267-393-2663.
Franklin A. Bennett III, Esq.
President and CEO
THE NEW FRANKFORD COMMUNITY Y
4700 Leiper Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19124
Frankford native, Emma Gardner, returned with an exhibition of twelve new paintings at Rachel Citrino’s B102 Gallery at the Globe Dye Works on Saturday the 13th. The show will run each Saturday and Sunday through November 4th. Gardner grew up on Harrison Street and attended Frankford High School, then went on to the University of Delaware. She now lives in Flagstaff Arizona.
The subjects of the paintings are the roller derby girls of Flagstaff’s High Altitude Roller Derby team and the result is as colorful as the sport itself. There is something special about skeletal girls in roller derby gard. When I read about this I had one expectation and when I saw them, it turned out to be entirely something else. It works really well. The skeletons have personalities and charm. I will never think of Pipi Longstockings in quite the same way.
Stop by the Globe Saturday or Sunday between Noon and 5 and have a look for yourself. The show is open through November 4th.
Charles and Delores Smith attended the monthly Historical Society of Frankford meeting on October 9th not realizing that their house on Orthodox Street would be one of those featured on the program that evening. The virtual tour of historic homes and sites in Frankford, conducted by Patricia Coyne, Secretary of the HSF, was a PowerPoint presentation of the booklet compiled by the HSF which was partially funded through a grant from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.
This booklet takes you back to the grand old days of the Historical Society with a degree of research information that has not been previously been put into one place. It will be an eye opener even for long time residents. Credit should be given to Patricia Coyne, Debbie Klak, Susan Couvreur, Diane Sadler, Kristin Hagar and Richard Thomas for the hours they spent on the project.
The meeting wrapped up with light refreshments as usual. There was some Revolutionary Cider produced right in Frankford at the Globe.
Coming Up at the Historical Society of Frankford:
Saturday, 27 October 2012 4:00pm
HAUNTED TOUR OF FRANKFORD
Join us at 4pm on October 27th for the second annual Haunted Tour of Frankford, sponsored by the Frankford CDC, as we walk from the Historical Society of Frankford and visit Frankford Friends Meeting School, St Mark’s Church, the GAR Museum and Library, and historic Frankford Avenue, the site of the W3R-PA movement of French and Continental troops under Washington and Rochambeau. South Jersey Ghost Research will be our “spirit guide” as we learn about this area’s haunted history. The tour is an hour and a half, with refreshments before and after, including locally brewed cider using a centuries-old recipe. Tickets are $6.00, and parking will be available at Frankford Friends Meeting, also on the 1500 block of Orthodox Street.
UPCOMING:
Tuesday, 13 November 2012 7:30pm HOLMESBURG PRISON: ACRES OF SKIN
Allen M Hornblum
Author “Confessions of a Second Story Man –
Junior Kripplebauer and the K & A Gang”
Join the author of “Acres of Skin” as he shares the challenges of researching a story of national significance about human exploitation in the name of medical science at NE Philadelphia’s former Holmesburg Prison. A subject of the experiments will offer an insider’s look at the prison.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012 7:30pm
Holiday Tea
N.E. HALL OF FAME
HONORING PAST and 2012 INDUCTEES
Learn about the 2012 NE Hall of Fame inductees, including Frank Shuman (Solar Power) and Leon Sullivan (OIC), and meet/greet former and current ones, including representatives from some of the area’s historic churches. This is our members’ traditional Holiday Tea, so bring desserts or tea sandwiches to share.
