Just a year after taking state office, Rep. Kevin Boyle has announced his re-election bid for the 172nd District seat.

Milt Martelack (megaphone), seen here with State Rep. Kevin Boyle (second from right) and staff members at a September rally against a Holmesburg methadone clinic, will help restart the Mayfair Town Watch. Photo by Stephen Schultz.

Mayfair residents will try again to form a town watch.

The group started fresh more than two years ago, shortly after the Mayfair Civic Association assumed new leadership and liquidated all assets the previous membership had accumulated.

But that town watch effort fizzled out after a series of weekly meetings, training sessions and talks of taking on other neighborhoods’ town watch efforts. Determined to try again, Mayfair residents have organized a meeting for Monday, Jan. 9 for the third incarnation in as many years. continue reading »

Photo credit: Flickr user superiansybear

Rain or shine, Wednesday night will be a good one to curl up for a movie.

As summer wanes, State Rep. Kevin Boyle is keeping kids and their families busy with a screening of Toy Story 3 at the Mayfair Community Center on St. Vincent Street.

The movie begins at 8 p.m. when the sky darkens, and families are encouraged to bring their chairs, blankets and picnic gear for the outdoor screening. A little bug spray might not hurt, either.

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

Bob Dillon may look rusty, but the 68-year-old pitcher says he still has a lot of fight left.

He and his teammates workout at the John M. Perzel Community Center every winter Friday to warm up for the Philadelphia Senior Softball League season.

“We’ve been coming here for a couple of years now,” Dillon said. But other residents say they shouldn’t have a community center named after a politician indicted under corruption charges.

continue reading »

Northeast Philadelphia Now meeting at the John Perzel Community Center on Monday, June 21, 2010.

The beginnings of a coalition to unite the neighborhoods of Northeast Philadelphia around a common agenda stemming from quality of life crimes took another humble step inside a Mayfair recreation center Tuesday night.

Just a handful of attendees cycled in and out of the John Perzel Community Center for the second meeting for the Northeast Philadelphia Now initiative, corralled by Mayfair Town Watch Founder John Vearling, and the conversation roamed wildly. The pitch is to bring various and sundry community leaders together to develop cohesive strategies to supplement stretched police details and maintain the family-first reputation that has been a Northeast staple since its post-World War II boom.

“Our question is what can we do in the Northeast and what can we do now,” Vearling said. “Whatever the rest of the city does, I don’t care. I want to fix the problems in the Northeast.”

continue reading »

The idea isn’t new: bring together all the Northeast civic, town watch and other community leaders to form a united front.

But Mayfair leaders Monday night breathed new life into an old idea when they gathered for a preliminary meeting to share ideas for a Northeast think tank of sorts.

In attendance were representatives from the Mayfair Civic Association, Mayfair Town Watch, 15th District Police and 3rd Federal Bank. Together, this group — and others who were unable to attend the meeting — is seeking to unite the region’s neighborhood organizations to build and strengthen community relations, safety and business corridors, among other things. continue reading »

Friday — Three people have been accused of vandalizing Mayfair’s John Perzel Community Center. Timothy Jensen and Anthony Morrison, 26, and 23-year-old Brianna Gebelein have been charged with criminal trespassing, criminal mischief and criminal conspiracy after a witness caught them spray painting the building. continue reading »

Mayfair CDC Executive Director Brian Patrick King mentions some of the politicians who've helped the organization.

UPDATE [March 9] — Flash portion added.

For Kim Wilson and her 5-year-old daughter Marian, the STARS Program housed in Mayfair’s John M. Perzel Community Center provides a support system for facing the struggles of a disability.

“When you get a diagnosis for your child, there’s a whole process you go through in coming to terms with the diagnosis,” Wilson, whose daughter has been diagnosed with mild autism, a severe articulation disorder and a sensory integration dysfunction, said. “But then you also find out that there is this larger community of families going through that same process. Part of what STARS did for us was learning that we weren’t alone in what we were going through.”

Now, STARS, a sports program for disabled children, and more than 50 other groups that call the state-of-the-art John M. Perzel Community Center home, are facing possible program cuts, increases in fees or even facility shut downs due to recent and projected state funding cuts. continue reading »

With a flick of a switch at last Sunday's holiday ceremony, Santa lit the newly trimmed tree gracing the intersection of Frankford and Cottman.

It’s not a big tree. It’s certainly not as big a tree as you might expect for its intended purpose–to be seen by anyone walking or driving around the intersection of Frankford and Cottman avenues; but it’s not a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, either.

On Sunday Nov. 22, around dusk, folks from Mayfair Business Association and members of the community — young and old alike — strung lights and affixed ornaments on the community’s holiday tree. Santa arrived after darkness had embraced the assembled audience; he flicked a switch, and the tree lit up, a bright star atop, and the people cheered. continue reading »

Santa, one of many honored guests at last Sunday's Parade of Talent, cuddles 3-month-old Feona Conti, who got a little help from grandmom Katie.

The parade was held indoors. Wait, you say, indoors? Yes, the 34th Annual Mayfair-Holmesburg Parade, this year billed as the “Parade of Talent,” took place indoors, at the John Perzel Community Center on Sunday from noon until 4 p.m.

Rain or shine, folks were told, the parade would take place. Indoors? You’d hope so.

So what happened? Why hold a parade indoors? In earlier years when it rained, the parade was postponed. But, Sunday it wasn’t raining. It was a bright sunny day, all day. It would have been a wonderful day to be outdoors, watching a parade.

As an old friend used to quip, “It ain’t like it usta was.” There were no floats nor marching bands. The Lu Lu Shrine Temple motorcycle troop did not perform. The military reserve vehicles and classic cars were no where to be seen. continue reading »