News You Can Use In The Village

🗞️ News for June 5 🗞️

What’s going on in Queen Village? Summer at Courtyard Fundraiser, Community & Safety Meeting, Mario Lanza Park Kidfest Events, Summer on South Street and more!

Community & Safety Meeting
Thursday, June 6 at 6pm
QVNA Office (709 S. 5th St.)

Join QVNA and BVNA for our monthly community safety meeting, where we will be joined by Lt. Ricci to hear about issues in our neighborhood, as well as updates on the Weccacoe Playground Safety Initiative.

Summer at Courtyard Fundraiser at New Wave Café
June 8, 2–10pm | 300 Block of Catharine St.

In conjunction with New Wave Café, we are holding our second annual fundraiser for Summer at Courtyard—the free summer camp for children who live at the affordable housing development between Christian and Washington, 3rd and 5th Streets.

The camp provides a six-week curriculum with reading and math, athletics, workshops on civics and engineering, weekly field trips, and more!

Join the celebration, enjoy some chicken fingers and a beverage, and help support this wonderful cause!

Tickets for our raffle are 10 for $10, 20 for $20, all of which go directly back into the summer program, using the QR code below. The raffle will be held at 8pm and folks do not have to be present to win. The winner will receive an autographed helmet signed by the Eagles’ own Brian Dawkins!

Save the Dates!
🎉 Upcoming Village Events 🪩

Mario Lanza Kidfest Events at Mario Lanza Park
Tuesdays in June at 7pm

June 11: Bike Parade: Decorate your bike, scooter or just wear your wheels and parade around the neighborhood with a police escort!

June 18: REV Theatre Company & June 25: Firetruck Night

Blood Drive at Old Pine Community Center
Wednesday, June 12, 9am–2pm | 401 Lombard St.

We are currently in a national blood shortage, and donors of all blood types are urgently needed to help ensure patients at hospitals across the country continue to receive critical medical care. Old Pine Community Center is hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross and every drop counts! Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: Old Pine Community to schedule an appointment. Sign up link.

QVNA Quizzo Night!
Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 7pm | Bridget Foy’s Restaurant & Bar

Come join neighbors from Queen Village, Bella Vista, and Hawthorne for a fun night of Quizzo! Grab a beer, some bites, and get to know people in the area. Prizes available for the top three teams of the night!

Prizes for 1 ($40 gift card) 2nd place ($20 gift card), plus bragging rights!

Summer Solstice Block Party
Saturday, June 22 from 12–8pm | South 4th Street at Fitz on 4th

Enjoy live music all day with amazing bands and soloists on our outdoor stage! The blocks will be pedestrian-only, featuring local businesses, vendors, delicious food, and refreshing drinks, hosted by MilkBoy Philadelphia and Fitz on 4th.

Film Screening of “Common Ground”
June 5 at 6pm | Landmark Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St.

The Philadelphia screening of Common Ground promises a dynamic convergence of community advocates, professionals, and environmentalists from 30 different organizations. Following the film screening will be a panel presenting insights into Philadelphia’s regenerative agriculture movement and how it’s leading our community to a brighter future.

The 2024 Gardens of Society Hill Tour
Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, from 1–4pm

Join us for a delightful, self-guided walking tour of approximately 18 gardens in the beautiful and historic Society Hill neighborhood. Step into lush urban gardens and outdoor spaces often not in view from the street. Come and get ideas for your own garden! This tour is Society Hill Civic Association’s only annual fundraiser. All proceeds from the tour benefit neighborhood improvement and beautification. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $35 each here.

New Shows at 3rd St Gallery
Sunday, June 9 from 2–4pm | 610 S. 3rd St.

Clement DaVinci’s “Philly to Italy, A Transatlantic Connection” and Nicole Patrice Dul’s “Microcosm” opens on Friday, June 5, and will run through Sunday, June 30. Opening Reception, Sunday June 9, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Gallery hours: Fridays, 4–7:30pm, Saturdays, 1–5pm., and Sundays, 12–4pm

Olympia After Hours
2nd and 4th Fridays in June, July, and August from 6–9pm | The Olympia at the Independence Seaport Museum

The Independence Seaport Museum is thrilled to announce a new summer evening series aboard Olympia, the oldest floating steel warship in the world. Climb aboard for music, cocktails, mocktails (the first drink is on the museum!), snacks, and activities. $35 for non-members and free for ISM members.

Neighborhood Updates + Other Events

Yoga in the Park: Tuesdays and Thursdays, June–September from 6–7pm | Jefferson Square Park (300 Washington Ave.)

Join neighbors for Yoga in the Park at Jefferson Square, starting next week! Classes are free, with all donations supporting the work of Yoga4Philly to make yoga and meditation accessible for all!

Summer on South Street: South Street is always celebrating something, from night markets to farmers’ markets, festivals to block parties, and everything else in between! Check out the full calendar of events here.

Cheese & Wine at Old Pine: June 27 at 5:30pm | Old Pine Community Center, 401 Lombard Street

Old Pine Community Center is excited to announce the return of their popular summer happy hour series, Cheese & Wine at Old Pine, in the historic Old Pine Street Church graveyard!

Tickets are $35 per person, which includes two glasses of wine and a personal cheese board. Live music and graveyard tours will also be featured to celebrate the summer and support OPCC's important work in the community!

The first of three happy hours is on Thursday, June 27th, so get your tickets today!

Useful Links

Stay in the Loop with the QVNA Event Calendar!
Looking for events in the neighborhood? Check out the QVNA Event Calendar for a more complete list and view of what’s to come!

Nuisance Business Reporting: Need to report a nuisance business? Submit feedback using QVNA’s Nuisance Business Reporting Tool so that we can connect you with the appropriate city departments and get the issue resolved.

Phila311: You can submit a ticket directly to the city through 311 about an issue you see in the neighborhood. If you don’t hear back, please email info@qvna.org and we will follow up on the ticket for you.

Get Involved! Interested in volunteering with QVNA to help improve the neighborhood? From our dedicated park Friends groups to our standing committees, participating is a great way to meet like-minded neighbors and drive larger, neighborhood changes. This week, we’re promoting our Safe Streets Committee, which advocates for safer street practices for all road users, as well as our Membership Committee, which seeks to put on more QVNA events and increase community engagement. Sign up here if you’d like to connect and attend the next meeting of a Committee or Friends group!

Covered Off-Street Parking Only $150 per Month!

Located at Front & Christian Streets, our lot offers below-market rates and supports many of the services we provide the neighborhood.

This includes things like beautifying our parks and green spaces, neighborhood grants, youth programming, advocating for residents, and more!

So stop driving around looking for parking and help your neighborhood in the process! Sign up here.

Your support helps us support you!

QVNA advocates on behalf of Queen Village residents in a variety of matters: zoning, beautification, safety, and quality of life. This past year, we championed two City Council ordinances, fixed broken streetlights, gave out free dawn-to-dusk LED lights, organized multiple park cleanups, provided programming and mentorship for dozens of at-risk youth, and more!

In 2024, we’re partnering with City and state officials to roll out a comprehensive, multi-step action plan to improve public safety, organize two transformative beautification projects, help coordinate a retail theft task force, expand youth programming, and more!

But this is only possible through your generous support. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us improve life in the Village.

Support Village Life

QVNA serves the community by advocating on behalf of Queen Village residents with locally-elected officials, supporting improvements to our neighborhood, and providing a forum for public discussion of issues of concern and interest. QVNA relies on dozens of volunteer members to lead the association and advance its work. QVNA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.