On a recent morning, I found myself trailing behind Rich Snowden and Eric Graber as they debated the merits of a towering Concolor fir at Wade's Christmas Tree Farm. The scene captured something essential about our community: the careful preservation of tradition balanced against practical realities, all supported by the kind of neighborly collaboration that makes seemingly impossible things – like hoisting a 1,200-pound Christmas tree onto a first-story terrace – somehow possible.
This issue of the Wissahickon is full of such moments, where vision meets dedication to create …
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On a recent morning, I found myself trailing behind Rich Snowden and Eric Graber as they debated the merits of a towering Concolor fir at Wade's Christmas Tree Farm. The scene captured something essential about our community: the careful preservation of tradition balanced against practical realities, all supported by the kind of neighborly collaboration that makes seemingly impossible things – like hoisting a 1,200-pound Christmas tree onto a first-story terrace – somehow possible.
This issue of the Wissahickon is full of such moments, where vision meets dedication to create something special. You'll find it in the way Mary Kay Meeks-Hank and her team at Face to Face have transformed an old Catholic school into a beacon of hope for Germantown's underserved residents. It's there in the late-night jazz sessions at Treasure's Cove, where veteran musicians and newcomers alike find common ground in improvisation.
Even our built environment tells this story. Walking through The Firs, architect George Howe's masterwork on the edge of the Wissahickon, you see how its dramatic siting required both ambitious engineering and deep respect for the landscape – much like our community itself, which continues to balance preservation with innovation.
This dance between old and new appears everywhere in these pages: in the punk rock vendors setting up alongside traditional craftspeople at our holiday markets, in the way Char & Stave has reimagined the neighborhood coffee shop, in how G-Town Radio has revived the intimate local broadcasting that larger stations have abandoned.
As winter settles in, our neighborhoods respond with characteristic warmth – sometimes literally, as our local establishments craft creative takes on traditional winter warmers. But the real heat comes from the people who make this community work: the musicians who pass Jazz traditions on to the next generation, the artists who transform empty storefronts into vibrant marketplaces, and the people who tie the red bows for Snowden's tree. These neighbors know that the best traditions aren't just preserved – they're constantly renewed.
This is what makes Northwest Philadelphia special: our history, our institutions, and our collective talent for making something new while honoring what came before.
Carla Robinson
Editor