Freedom Now Fest honors MLK Jr.; ICE at PHL; Philly Fringe preview

#BILLYPENNGRAM OF THE DAY

Looking up at Race Street Pier
(Photo by @neptuno_bnw)

Remembering MLK’s Philly Freedom Now rally

Just three days before the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965, Dr. King drew a crowd of more than 10,000 people at the corner of 40th and Lancaster.

West Philly will commemorate King’s visit Sunday with the neighborhood’s second annual Freedom Now Fest. Continue reading…

A poster for Freedom Now Fest (Courtesy of Freedom Now Fest)

The Academy of Natural Sciences was “first”

Dinosaurs, birds and rocks, oh my! The Academy of Natural Sciences was the first scientific society of natural history in America. 200 years later, it continues to spread scientific curiosity. Continue reading…

Artist Ibi Padrón Venegas (left) & Academy of Natural Science at Drexel University’s STEM & Outreach Coordinator’s Amber Redfield (right) stand with a collection of fossils in front of this weeks Firstival poster (Violet Comber-Wilen/Billy Penn)

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• ICE is arresting more people at Philadelphia International Airport, advocates say. Here’s what to know. [WHYY]

• Pennsylvania officials pushed back on the Trump admin’s claim that there may be more than 14,000 potential noncitizens registered to vote in the state — saying the government provided no sources or data as proof. [Spotlight PA/Votebeat]

• Leftover LIHEAP funds used to give Pennsylvania enrollees $100 supplemental benefit. [Capital-Star]

• Federal officials abruptly cut funding for a teen pregnancy prevention program in Philadelphia. [Inq$]

• West Oak Lane renters could receive cash refunds under new class-action settlement. [WHYY’s PlanPhilly]

• Kensington residents asked for a grocery store. A community-controlled real estate trust bought a building, partnered with a local business owner, and turned that request into a reality. [Next City]

• Philly’s Fringe Festival puts rookie theater makers (including a former state treasurer) in the spotlight. [Billy Penn]

MAYOR WATCH

Mayor Parker will tour three recently reopened Philadelphia Parks & Recreation pools to recognize Lifeguard Appreciation Day and highlight the City’s continued investment in neighborhood aquatic facilities. (11 a.m.)

Highlights from Billy Penn’s City Guide

High-rises and hidden alleys: A day in Center City West
The true character of this Philly neighborhood isn’t found by looking up. It’s found by looking closely at what happens at ground level.

Inside the Logan arts scene with Danny Simmons
The acclaimed artist and founder of Rush Arts said Philly Is primed for an artistic renaissance.

ON THE CALENDAR

Salsa and bachata at LOVE Park (Friday),
A Grateful Dead tribute (Saturday) and a pop-up flea market (Sunday) at Reading Terminal Market,
Tacony Arts Day (Saturday),
Freedom Now Fest (Sunday)
AND MORE!

Send us events to add to the **FULL LIST** of this week’s events calendar at BillyPenn.com!