Memorial for Westbury icon
Friends of longtime Westbury employee Billy Carlin, who passed away in June, are invited to a celebration of his life from noon-4 p. m. Oct. 2 at the bar, 261 S. 13th St.
Carlin worked for Westbury for more than 25 years, managing the restaurant throughout the 1980s and ’90s.
The Westbury will host a silent auction with Westbury nostalgia items, and the proceeds from the auction, as well as a portion of the bar proceeds, will go to the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutritional Alliance in Carlin’s name.
Gay flag to be raised
In honor of LGBT History Month, Mayor Nutter and the Office of LGBT Affairs will host the first Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 6.
The raising of the flag marks the first time that a rainbow flag will fly alongside the red, white and blue ensign at any municipal building in the city.
The program will include highlights of several upcoming LGBT events and initiatives this month: GLBT History Month Icons, the LGBT Elder Initiative Summit, OutFest and the LGBTQ Women of Color Conference.
The Philadelphia Freedom Band, Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus and Philadelphia Voices of Pride will perform at the event, which will take place at the northwest corner of City Hall.
Clothes swap returns
Swap o Rama Rama, an expansive community clothing swap, will return for its third year, this time at the Urban Outfitters Building 543, 5000 S. Broad St., from noon-5 p.m. Oct. 3.
Participants can bring clothes they’re looking to get rid of and, for $20, take part in unlimited swapping at the myriad clothing tables set up throughout the festival. There will be workshops about creative reuse, kids’ activities and a juried garment exhibit.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.phillyswap.com.
Temple celebrates coming out
Temple University will host its second annual National Coming Out Week festivities from Oct. 4-11 to provide visibility to the university’s LGBT community and create a safe and supportive environment for those coming out.
From Oct. 4-7, tables will be stationed around campus with students giving away free NCOW T-shirts, with the logo “When did you come out?” to encourage community members to tell their stories. On Oct. 5, six out LGBT individuals will take part in a discussion panel on their experiences belonging to minority communities within the LGBT community, and the following night the school’s Queer Student Union will sponsor a movie showing at the Student Center’s Reel.
The highlight events of the week will take place Oct. 11, with an equality rally at the Bell Tower, bringing together student organizations, administration and faculty to call for equal treatment of the LGBT community. A host of LGBT resources will be available at informational tables during the rally. The week will wrap up with “Come Out, Speak Out,” which allows singers, spoken-word artists and poets to share their own coming-out stories in a creative environment.
For more information, call (215) 204-5221 or e-mail [email protected].
— Jen Colletta
Appeal filed to stop church’s demolition
The Callowhill Neighborhood Association is appealing the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s decision permitting the demolition of a historically designated church owned by a local AIDS-service agency.
Siloam wants to raze the Church of the Assumption, 1133 Spring Garden St., contending the vacant structure isn’t economically viable and cannot be rented or sold.
Siloam provides alternative AIDS therapies including yoga, massage and nutritional counseling. Its annual budget is about $700,000, and it serves about 1,000 clients.
Siloam purchased the church in 2006, as part of a package deal that also included a rectory, convent, storefront and parking area.
In May 2009, the Philadelphia Historical Commission placed the church on the city’s Register of Historic Places, noting its distinctive architecture and ties to two saints, John Neumann and Katharine Drexel.
But Siloam responded by contending the church lacks the potential for profitability, and is in danger of collapse. On Sept. 10, the Historical Commission approved Siloam’s request to tear it down. Two city advisory panels also recommended that the church be torn down.
The Callowhill Neighborhood Association maintains the presence of the church has a stabilizing effect on the community and contends its demolition would detract from the area’s quality of life. The association also believes a way can be found for Siloam to sell the building.
On Sept. 24, the association filed an appeal with the city’s License and Inspection Review Board to prevent the demolition. A public hearing is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Nov. 30 at 1515 Arch St., 18th floor.
— Tim Cwiek