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A guide to hyperlocal news outlets in Philadelphia
We know Billy Penn is great and all for your general Philly news needs, but where can you go for the news impacting your block? A hyperlocal paper.
- The city is teeming with neighborhood-centric outlets, which can cover anything from zoning requests and new sports leagues to block party schedules and small business openings.
Lizzy McLellan Ravitch put together a guide to neighborhood news media in Philadelphia, from the Northeast’s free weekly to Passyunk’s “little hobby blog.”
In photos: Philadelphia Folk Festival’s 60th anniversary
The longest-running outdoor musical festival in the states, the Philly Folk Fest returned to Montgomery County last weekend for the first time in 2 years.
- What began on a Montco farm in 1962 is now a sentimental gathering for folk musicians and fans young and old, complete with a craft bazaar, food vendors, and even acrobatics.
Contributor Jonathan Wilson photographed the festival weekend, which had plenty of acoustic guitars and tie dye, plus trombones and steel drums.

? Know a Philly-based addiction resource? Tell us about it.
With Equally Informed and Germantown InfoHub, we’re pulling together a guide to local addiction resources, from immediate treatment options to recovery support services. Have a rec for something in Philly? Submit here.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- The Philadelphia Health Department earlier this year started monitoring COVID levels in the city’s wastewater, but officials say they can’t add monkeypox or polio to the program, since the federal funding only covers COVID monitoring. [Daily Pennsylvanian/Axios]
- Gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s armed security detail includes several members of a central Pa. church that advocates for advancing biblical principals in government. [Lancaster Online$]
- Demolition started last week on the St. Laurentius Church in Fishtown — seven years after it secured a spot on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. [AP/BP 2021]
- The advice on spotted lanternflies is clear: Stomp ’em to save Pa. native plants. But some folks, Philadelphians included, told the New York Times they have trouble bringing themselves to do that. [Billy Penn/NYT$/@ncannellf]
- Weekend visitors at the Mütter Museum can now browse the previously restricted Historical Medical Library reading room, which houses tons of rare medical documents and books on everything from old herbal remedies to the history of anti-vax sentiment. [Inquirer$]
- Registration is now open for the fourth annual Gritty 5k, a hot dog- and pie-face-filled race the mascot promotes as being for “anti-runners.” [runsignup/@GrittyNHL]
MAYOR WATCH
Parks & Rec hosts Senior Fun Day at the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Mayor Kenney helps kick things off.
ON THE CALENDAR
? Partner event: The North Broad Renaissance CDC hosts a free trivia night in Foundation at the Divine Lorraine, and we provided the specially-themed BP Quizzo questions! (6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25)
? Swanky Logan Square restaurant Urban Farmer is partnering with Cartesian Brewing for their annual Beer-BQ with live music, lawn games, and a delectable mix of meats marinated in ales and IPAs. The a la carte items range from $18 – $20. (4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25)
? Should Philly bring back “stop and frisk”? WHYY’s Sammy Caiola moderates a community conversation hosted by The Young Chances Foundation. (6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24)
? Jet Wine Bar on South Street West hosts a pop-up by Brown’s Test Kitchen, with a menu that’s “a culinary journey through the African diaspora.” (5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26)
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