September 20, 2007 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
Local NewsHillers ‘mug’ for Buckley Park
“The Faces of Chestnut Hill,” a project that seeks to support Buckley Park through the sale of portraits of prominent Chestnut Hill figures painted by a local artist, is already off to a good start.
Mt. Airy BID sweeps into town Just three months old, the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District is already making strides. A month after naming its inaugural slate of officers — Chair Ken Weinstein, owner of the Trolley Car Diner and one of the BID’s founders; Vice-chair David Young, executive director of Cliveden, a historic home in Germantown; Secretary Pam Thomas and Treasurer Susan Bushu — the BID has started checking items off its to-do list.
Chestnut Hill Library turns 135
Can you imagine bathing at the Chestnut Hill Library? Or how about paying $5 a year or a $40 “lifetime” fee to borrow books from the library? Well, there was a time when residents of the Hill paid to use the library, and the Working Man’s Club, which included bathtubs for men to bathe in, was housed in a building at the rear of the library. This year, the Chestnut Hill branch of the Free Library is celebrating a triple anniversary — it has been 135 years since Chestnut Hill started a library at that location on Germantown Avenue, 100 years since its current building was built and 35 years since the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library was formed to raise money for and support the library.
Gala lends Hollywood glamour to Chestnut Hill
The Emmys may have been held in L.A. this past weekend but the real glamour was taking place right here in Chestnut Hill. On Saturday night, Casablanca came to the Avenue in the form of the Black and White Gala and Silent Auction. There were no awards for “worst dressed” because everyone looked so incredible. Shimmering gowns, black silk skirts and pants suits accessorized with amazing jewelry complemented the men’s attire, many of whom resembled Bogart in their suave double-breasted, white tuxedos. The evening was the perfect temperature for a celebration on the Avenue. Partygoers were greeted with red velvet carpet and a spotlight that made them feel they were entering the Kodak Theatre. Throughout the evening, the 1942 famous movie, Casablanca, was playing on a large screen but the real action was under the tent. Auction packages were excitedly examined and soon the bidding began. The activity around the auction tables was like never before. The unique packaging of related donations into creatively themed auction packages made them incredibly desirable. Whether bidding on spa packages, a girls’ night out or gifts for kids, the bids were escalating as the night went on.
Philly Starr wins local contest
When Starr Bonilla makes it as a famed R&B singer, Chestnut Hill’s Water Tower Recreational Center can make claim that the singing “Starr” started on its own stage. In July, Bonilla participated in the Water Tower’s Urban Idol, a contest in its second year that brings locals to recreational centers’ stages to compete for a spot in the citywide final competition. After winning the Water Tower’s contest, she moved on to the final competition at the Dell East center and took home the winning trophy by singing Whitney Houston’s, “I Have Nothing.” Bonilla, an 18-year-old R&B and hip hop singer who said she has wanted to be a professional singer since she was 4 years old, is already recording her own album and has performed as an opener for various R&B artists at Warm Daddies, a soul food restaurant and bar in Philadelphia. When she was 13, she was a guest singer on a Disney compilation album, singing the song “Anything is possible,” and recently was given a two-hour solo set at LOVE Park during a local singer program.
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