Hollywood-Reporter-westpassyunk

This just in from kitchenplay blog:

kitchenplay is proud to announce Lucky Old Souls, a bar/restaurant/music venue coming to the Newbold neighborhood of South Philadelphia. Proprietor Matthew Feldman is a local jazz promoter and host of the Lucky Old Souls radio show on Gtown Radio. He’s also a friend of mine from college so I’m particularly excited to be sharing the news about his new spot for quality local music and local food.A chef is yet to be hired so the menu is far from finalized, but the food philosophy at Lucky Old Souls will be based around local, sustainably-produced ingredients. Feldman plans on consulting with Fair Food Philly in establishing relationships with local food vendors and farmers. Ben Merkel, currently a server and manager at Rx, will manage at Lucky Old Souls.Lucky Old Souls will start out with a seasonal menu consisting of small plates, sandwiches and entrées, all served in the evening. Possible future plans include adding weekday lunch and/or weekend brunch. As with the food menu, the emphasis at the bar will be on local products, with six draft beers on tap from nearby breweries. Bottled beers, wine and soft drinks will round out the selection.The building, on the 1700 block of McKean Street, has been vacant for over 25 years and will be completely rehabbed. Cicada Architecture/Planning, the firm behind West Philly's Lovers & Madmen Coffee Lounge, is in charge of the venture. Look forward to a two-story space with balcony-type seating on the second floor overlooking the bandstand. I don’t know about you, but it makes me think of the set-up at Johnny Brenda’s.And of course, there will be the music. Feldman’s main interest is jazz but he plans on programming a wide variety of musical styles, including blues, “world” music and classical chamber music.Feldman knows two things very well: good music and good food. You can trust that both will be in abundance at Lucky Old Souls. He’s hoping for an opening in early 2010. Expect updates at kitchenplay as Lucky Old Souls becomes a reality.

WPPNA's next meeting is Wednesday, May 13 at 6:30pm at Cafe con Chocolate (on Snyder between 21st and 22nd Streets).

THANK YOU to all of our friends and volunteers who came out to help clean-up our neighborhood on Saturday, April 18!! We cleaned between 20th & 23rd on Snyder, a fire alley behind 18th Street and the 2000 block of Norwood Street! We could not have asked for a better day on Saturday with bright sun and 75 degrees - let's hope our next neighborhood clean-up is just as great!

Special thanks to the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee for providing the brooms, bags and gloves for the event!! We could not have done it without you!

WPPNA's next meeting is Wednesday, April 8 at 6:30pm at Cafe con Chocolate (on Snyder between 21st and 22nd Streets).

Thursday, April 30, 2009, 6:00-7:30pm
Guerin Recreation Center (1600 Jackson Street)
The first 50 residents that have pre-registered for and attend the workshop will receive a FREE RAIN BARREL!
Register at: www.phillywatersheds.org/rainbarrel or call 215-685-4945
This is a rain or shine event. Register early as space is limited.

A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from a rooftop. By temporarily holding back rainwater during a storm, you can help reduce the pollution of our creeks and rivers; our drinking water source. Also, the collected rain water can be reused to water lawns, gardens, window boxes or street trees.

Help to give Philadelphia a good spring cleaning! On April 4th from 9am-2pm, join Mayor Nutter and thousands of volunteers in neighborhoods across Philadelphia for the 2nd Annual Philly Spring Cleanup. Sign-up now to beautify your neighborhood!