Meet Our South Philly Heroes (Part 2)

December 8, 2020December 22, 2020 / unexpectedphila / 1 Comment

In our last two posts, we told you about our uplifting new holiday windows, featuring 27 South Philadelphia Essential Workers (click here to read more about the project). We also introduced you to a dozen of our glowing subjects (meet them here).

*The new view from our corner at East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street in South Philly, with windows lit from 4:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily through January 10.*

Today, we’ll introduce you to the remaining 15 local heroes lighting up East Passyunk Avenue’s popular “Singing Fountain” plaza.

MEET OUR LOCAL HEROES (PART 2)

Some you undoubtedly know from local restaurants and shops….

*Heather was our longtime favorite server at Cantina Los Caballitos, while Jesus can be found delivering takeout orders from P’unk Burger.*

Others are in the public service sector….

*Still making house calls is Philadelphia Gas Works’ repairman Fnu. (And, yes, like all our conscientious subjects, Fnu donned his mask as soon as we snapped his socially distanced photo.)*

Read on to meet them all….

GROCERY & RETAIL SHOPS

**Dean** is the popular manager of Acme’s wine and beer department. He’s also a martial arts aficionado who is working towards his online organizational leadership and management degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

**Scott** is a 13-year Acme employee and South Philadelphia native who can most often be found helping customers in the self-service lanes.

**Tom** is the third-generation owner of Bertolino’s Pharmacy. He started running deliveries there when he was only 8 or 9 years old, and has been the store pharmacist since 1987.

**Heather** is the owner of two Halo Hair salons who sacrificed profits (and delayed the grand opening of her new Old City shop) for our safety during the long spring COVID-19 lockdown. She is a bike rider, dog owner, and punk rock bass player.

**Eric** is a CVS supervisor and has been a welcoming presence there for 17 years. You may also recognize this East Passyunk area native from his waiter gig at Broad Street’s Ristorante Pesto.

RESTAURANTS

**Shane** is a Bing Bing server (and former Black ‘n Brew counter man) with a goal of making customers’ lives as normal as possible in these scary COVID-19 days. He enjoys kicking back with his family and pup in his spare time.

**David** is the Tamalex restaurant owner who partnered with his brother-in-law Alejandro to donate 165 free food packs to Latino families in the early days of the COVID-19 shutdown. He then joined forces with several other South Philadelphia businesses to give away hundreds more food bags.

**Heather** is a longtime popular server at Cantina Los Caballitos who recently transitioned to her dream jobs of costuming and theater work. She performs drag as Grampy Knockers.

**Jesus** is the always reliable P’unk Burger bicycle delivery person. A native Californian, his hobbies including bike riding (surprise!) and music.

PUBLIC SERVICES

**Steve** is a 27-year U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, working against tough odds this year to deliver mail along with our full 19147 and 19148 post office staffs. (And yes, **Jason**, we’re looking at you, too….!)

**Paul** has racked up 30 years as an always-dependable Philadelphia Inquirer delivery man. He enjoys cooking and life in South Philly “with so many things to offer”.

**Fnu** is a cheerful Philadelphia Gas Works in-home repairman whose COVID-19 pastimes include biking around the Navy Yard.

WHICH BRINGS US TO…..

Of course, there’s one more vital link in our neighborhood’s Essential Worker chain and that’s, well…the rest of us.

**Nissa & Devin** are our newest East Passyunk neighbors, who *always* keep their masks on to protect us and all these Essential Workers. **Nissa** is a social worker who loves puppeteering, reading sci-fi and speculative fiction, and biking the city. **Devin** loves computer programming, making music, playing with synthesizers, and watching cartoons.

AND, YES, THERE’S MORE….

Needless to say, our holiday windows barely scratch the surface of the thousands of selfless Philadelphians who have put themselves on the line for us this year in both medical and non-medical roles….

….or the many beloved service and restaurant people who continue to lose their livelihoods due to the pandemic.

We owe them all a debt of gratitude and honor this season.

Happy (safe) holidays!

Kate & Dave

Meet Our South Philly Heroes (Part 1)

December 6, 2020December 22, 2020 / unexpectedphila / 3 Comments

In our last post, we told you about our new and inspiring South Philadelphia holiday windows, featuring 27 non-medical Essential Workers who are courageously risking their health for us in this COVID-19 world – everyone from local pharmacy and grocery employees, to restaurant staff, to sanitation workers.

*The Tasker Street view, lit nightly from 4:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.*

You’ll find them smiling from our windows through January 10 on the corner of East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street, across from the iconic “Singing Fountain”.

HOMETOWN HEROES

Starting today, and continuing in our next post, we’ll introduce you to these South Philly heroes who daily put themselves on the line. Some you can’t miss as they roll down the avenue…

*Stepping out from behind their masks for a quick photo:* *Captain Brian (in truck) and firefighters Jason, Brendan and Matt from the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Engine 10 station.*

Others, like Adam Leiter, executive director of the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District, are working miracles behind the scenes. Adam’s keeping local businesses apprised of COVID-19 regulations and opportunities — and promoting a wide variety of socially distanced events for Avenue fans. (Click here for the latest list.)

*Adam takes a rare break to pose for our windows.*

I’VE JUST SEEN A FACE…

So read on to meet the first dozen Essential Workers whose images appear in our 2020 holiday windows….

STREETS DEPARTMENT SANITATION DIVISION

**Tyrone** is a city sanitation truck driver who overcame daunting odds this summer to keep our trash pick-up timely with crew mates Drissa and Ransell (below). He’s also a personal trainer and a former collegiate basketball player.

**Drissa** is a hard-working, 14-year city Sanitation Division worker who enjoys watching and playing soccer.

**Ransell** is another member of our neighborhood’s crack sanitation team. A West Philly resident, he is also a mechanic and creates custom jewelry.

FIRE & POLICE DEPARTMENTS

**Jason** is a four-year firefighter with the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Engine 10 who enjoys reading, hiking, spending time with family, and watching movies with his girlfriend.

**Matt** has served two years as a PFD Engine 10 firefighter. His interests include working out, cooking and skiing.

**Officer Jim**, our always helpful avenue bicycle officer since 2018, has been a member of the Philadelphia Police Department since 2003. He’s a father of two and a native Philadelphian.

SEPTA

**Otis** has been a SEPTA bus operator for 10 years on routes including the local 29 line that runs along Tasker and Morris Streets. He’s a native Philadelphian who enjoys deejaying in his spare time.

PASSYUNK AVENUE OPERATIONS

**Adam** is the executive director of the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District, and is the hard-working hero who’s kept local businesses informed of COVID-19 rules and opportunities. When not on the job, he enjoys spending time with family, cycling, skiing, and the local music scene.

**Leroy** is a member of the Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corp. (PARC) team that daily cleans and maintains our local commercial corridor. Energetic and fun, his pastimes include football (Fly Eagles!) and working out.

**John** is another dedicated PARC team member who makes our avenue sparkle. He enjoys basketball and cooking in his spare time.

TO BE CONTINUED….

In our next post, we’ll profile the remaining 15 Essential Workers who are gracing our holiday windows. In the meantime, please do your part to help them and the many other courageous souls who are selflessly helping us: Pull up those masks!

*John and Leroy at East Passyunk Avenue’s “Singing Fountain”*

XOXOX —

Kate & Dave (Click here to meet more of our South Philly heroes)

Deck the Walls With South Philly Heroes!

December 3, 2020December 22, 2020 / unexpectedphila / 3 Comments

Several years ago, we started an improbable (even to us) holiday tradition by filling our 27 windows with lighted photos of South Philadelphia neighbors and merchants.

*Home for the holidays at East Passyunk Avenue & Tasker Street — but definitely not alone!*

And this being South Philly, everyone brought their dogs – lots and lots of dogs….

*A half-dozen enchanting subjects show off their favorite humans.*

THE NEW NOT-SO-NORMAL

This spring, COVID-19 tore a hole in the familiar workings of our East Passyunk neighborhood. But while we safely cocooned at home, we couldn’t stop thinking about the Essential Workers who courageously kept us going.

Some – like grocery and pharmacy staff, sanitation and utility workers, bus and delivery drivers, mail carriers and firefighters – put their health on the line simply by showing up for work.

*Tom Bertolino has been on the front lines of S. Philly’s pandemic response* *as the pharmacist and third-generation owner of Bertolino’s Pharmacy*.

Others – at restaurants, salons and gyms – took major financial hits by closing their doors for months or opening them at limited capacity. Heather Garden was only days away from the grand opening of her second Halo Hair salon when pandemic restrictions shuttered salons throughout the state.

*Halo Hair is back open in East Passyunk and Old City with new COVID-19 protections.* *(And, yes, that’s Dave sliding in for a quick shot of Heather touching up Kate’s natural blue highlights.)*

A NEW BRAND OF HEROES

This summer, we decided to photograph a cross-section of South Philly’s non-medical heroes. Some – including bike officer Jim, CVS manager Eric, and Acme manager Dean – we’d already met.

Others – like our local trash collection crew and SEPTA drivers – had kept our lives humming for years, even if we didn’t know their names.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, MASKS!

And, yes, we went out of our way to keep them safe, photographing them from afar and having them remove their masks only for the seconds it took to snap their smiling faces.

*Three of 2020’s hardest-working (and most essential) local workers: Tyrone, Drissa and Ransell from the Streets Dept.’s Sanitation Division.*

On Thanksgiving eve, we proudly lit their photos in our annual holiday windows….

*David Piña of Tamalex was among the many Passyunk area restaurant owners who donated free food to needy residents during the pandemic shutdown.*

CHECK OUT OUR HOLIDAY HEROES

Need some inspiration? You can visit our holiday heroes at East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street, across from South Philadelphia’s “Singing Fountain”. They’ll be smiling there through January 10, lit daily from 4:30 pm ’til 2:30 a.m.

As always, we’ve posted a sign on our corner door telling you who everyone is – and how they spend their spare time (everything from deejaying to shoe collecting!) when they’re not working for all of us.

….OR MEET THEM VIRTUALLY HERE

Can’t visit in person? Check out our next two blog posts to read about all 27 of our glowing window subjects.

In the meantime, tie on those masks, stand 6 feet apart, and wash those hands for 20 seconds when you get back home. We want to see you (and them!) around the fountain for many holidays to come.

*Nissa and Devin, our newest neighbors, always mask up in public. (And, yes, someday we hope to see what they actually look like!)*

XOXOX —

Kate & Dave (Click here to see our next Essential Worker blog post!)

Deck the (South Philly) Walls With Neighbors – And So Much More!

November 29, 2018 / unexpectedphila / 2 Comments

Family responsibilities have kept us from blogging regularly this year, but there’s one tradition we can’t abandon: lighting up our South Philadelphia corner with smiling neighbors and their irresistible dogs.

So, if you’re dining or playing near the restaurant-packed “Singing Fountain” between now and January 6, check out our well-decked windows at East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street….

18_11_29 1 Neighbor Windows DC_0177 We’ll keep the lights on for you ’til 2 a.m.

DECK THE WALLS

It all started in 2013 when we sat in our third-floor kitchen, waving to neighbors who couldn’t see us.

“Maybe we should put life-sized photos of ourselves in the windows to let people know we’re here,” Kate joked. “Then we wouldn’t feel like we’re spying on them.”

Within seconds, it morphed into something bigger.

“Wow – what if we took photos of the neighbors and put them in the windows, too? We could do it for the holidays!”

18_11_29 2 Dave Holiday Windows CM_3953 Another family tradition: Kate captures Dave’s best side as he lifts a photo into our windows.

And so, 15 months after moving to South Philadelphia, we found ourselves explaining to people we barely knew why we wanted to photograph them.

Fortunately, South Philadelphians have a sense of humor – even if they did roll their eyes after we left.

That first year, we signed up 26 neighbors, 4 dogs and a baby. The baby moved on, but – this being Passyunk Avenue – our dog population has grown….

17_12_01 3 Dog Windows Clockwise from top left: Lucia, Barney (twice), Amelie, Bella, Milli and Maizy show off some favorite humans.

And after worrying that it’d be a total bust (you mean we need to clean our windows — and light them?), we landed on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Christmas Eve and a family tradition was born.

DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY STARS!

While you’re here, don’t miss these truly fabulous displays that make South Philadelphia the city’s hottest holiday neighborhood:

1600 block of South 13th Street, between Tasker & Morris (2 blocks from us)

15_12_09-02-miracle-on-south-13th_9828 Click here to read about the annual “Miracle on 13th Street”. (And, yes, they add new surprises each year!)

2700 block of Smedley Street, between 16th & 17 and Moyamensing & Oregon

2015_12_28-2-smedley-cm_0763 The 2700 block of Smedley Street is always a traffic-stopper. Click here to read our past post about it and Colorado Street.

2700 block of Colorado Street, between 17th & 18 and Moyamensing & Oregon

2015_12_28-6-colorado-cm_0797

Leave time to explore the whole area between Oregon, Moyamensing, 16th & 18th Streets, where you’ll literally find hundreds of homes and front windows festooned for the holidays, each grander than the last.

GREETINGS FROM KATE & DAVE

Although we’re not posting as frequently, we still have fun planned for the new year: Kate is wrapping up her research on that great 1960s South Philadelphia photo album before handing it over to Temple University’s Urban Archives….

18_11_29 3 Fabian “Oh, wait – isn’t that….?” Check out the 1960s album photos here on our website and read the stories behind them in this group of blog posts.

And we plan to unveil another improbable Philadelphia Dumpster Diver house tour this spring — this time featuring our own South Philly home….

18_11_29 4 Kitchen Ceiling Stars CM_8850 We are definitely in a pre-home-tour improvement panic, plastering stars on our kitchen ceiling and constructing a valence of toy cars and postcards for the living room.

AND, YES, MOM WAS RIGHT

To quote Kate’s mom, “You two always did have more guts than brains…!”

18_11_29 5 Catherine Mellina Catherine Mellina – 1922-2018 (Miss you, mom!)

Happy holidays to all!

Kate & Dave

Home for the Holidays – With 2 Dozen Neighbors (& More!)

December 1, 2017February 26, 2018 / unexpectedphila / 2 Comments

Last night was East Passyunk Avenue’s annual tree-lighting ceremony, and over two dozen South Philadelphia neighbors, shop owners and dogs smiled down from our windows in what has become our annual holiday salute to the neighborhood.

So, if you’re dining or playing near the restaurant-packed “Singing Fountain” between now and New Year’s Day, check out our well-decked windows at East Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street….

17_12_01 1 Linn Street 2017 CM_9017 We’ll keep the lights on for you ’til 2 a.m. each night.

Continue reading →

Dumpster Diver Exhibit Extended to November 4!

October 16, 2017February 26, 2018 / unexpectedphila

In our last post, we told you about “DUMPSTER DIVERSions”, our 25th anniversary pop-up exhibit by 46 members of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers, that predictably unpredictable band of found-object artists and their painter/photographer/performance artist friends….

17_10_16 1 Dumpster Divers Exhibit DC_4073 Some of the more than 125 works you’ll find behind our purple door.

TOO MUCH IS NEVER ENOUGH

Based on the encouraging feedback we’ve received in our first two weeks (hey, we can never predict what will happen when we schedule one of our unlikely projects!), we’ve extended the exhibit to Saturday, Nov. 4.

17_10_16 2 Dumpster Divers Exhibit DC_4077a Collage, fiber and found-object art by Eva Aanya Preston, Ellen Sall, I. George Bilyk, Burnell Yow! and Bruce Gast

Continue reading →

DIVER WINDOWS ARE UP – EXHIBIT OPENS OCTOBER 6!

September 30, 2017February 26, 2018 / unexpectedphila

The Philadelphia Dumpster Divers’ 25th anniversary exhibit opens this Friday, and we’ll have Divers on the inside, Divers on the outside (check out our new window display, below) and Divers on our website (don’t miss our two-part anniversary album of Diver art).

But first, we’d like to invite you to visit….

“DUMPSTER DIVERSions”

The Divers, of course, are that merry band of found-object artists and their painter-photographer-performance art friends who have worked and played together since April Fool’s Day, 1992.

17_09_30 1 Dumpster Divers Among our 46 featured Diver artists are (clockwise from top left): Leo Sewell, Ellen Sall, John Jonik, Hugo Hsu, Smokie Kittner and Harry Anderson

Continue reading →

The Dumpster Diver Photo Directory Is Up!

September 25, 2017February 26, 2018 / unexpectedphila

Last month, we told you about our upcoming 25th anniversary celebration for the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers.

The Divers are that spirited band of found-object artists and friends (photographers, painters, a poet and more) whose homes and studios we’ve documented on our “Unexpected Philadelphia” website.

17_09_25 1 Dumpster Diver Formal A 1990s rogue’s gallery of (semi-)dressed-up Divers….

Continue reading →

The Dumpster Divers Are Coming!

August 21, 2017February 26, 2018 / unexpectedphila

Over the past two years, we’ve introduced you to the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers – that big-hearted coalition of artists who have played, exhibited and produced witty, found-object art together since 1992.

17_08_21 1 Philadelphia Dumpster Divers IGB Who are these people, and do they always dress like that? Well, actually, some of them do…. (Photo by I. George Bilyk)

We’ve also led you on photo tours of 15 striking Diver homes and studios…

17_08_21 2 Dumpster Diver Homes CM_DC Click here to visit the secret lairs of artists like (clockwise from top left) Alden Cole, Isaiah Zagar, Susan Moloney, and Betsy Alexander & Burnell Yow!

YOU ARE INVITED….

This April Fool’s Day marked the Divers’ 25th anniversary and, to celebrate, we’re hosting “DUMPSTER DIVERSions”, an exhibit of the Divers’ found-object art assemblages, collages, paintings, photography and more in our South Philadelphia studio.

17_08_21 3 Dumpster Diver Art 3 Definitely the Divers: Work by Bruce Gast, Randall Cleaver and Leslie Stuart Matthews. (Photos courtesy of the artists.)

Opening night is Friday, October 6 from 6-9 pm, and our doors will open every Friday and Saturday in October from 6-9 pm at the corner of E. Passyunk Avenue and Tasker Street. Continue reading →

The Great Photo Album Adventure (Part 13): Who Are We?

February 2, 2017August 21, 2017 / unexpectedphila

If you’ve followed the story on our blog, you know that a friend gave us a fabulous housewarming gift: a 12-pound photo album from the 1960s, packed with images from nightspots in and around South Philadelphia.

You also know that we’ve been on a grand hunt to identify the hundreds of entertainers, sports figures, business people, politicians and “just plain folks” cavorting on its pages, with the goal of donating them to Temple University’s Urban Archives for safe-keeping.

WHO ARE THEY?

The photos were collected by South Philadelphia newspaper columnist Arthur Tavani, and many are already on our website, along with whatever identifications we have.

In September, 2015, we added our first section of “Who Are We?” photos, asking for help in identifying the many unknown women in them. Today, we published 27 new photos on our website, all showing at least one person we can’t identify.

Some photos include famous Philadelphians….

17_02_02-1-197-waw2-al-martino Yes, that’s South Philadelphia singer Al Martino second from right, with columnist Art Tavani (far left) and Philadelphia council president Paul D’Ortona (far right). But who’s the man with the flower in his lapel?