Friends in the City

Friends in the City Newsletter


March, 2014

FlowerMarket1
FitC Volunteers Spring Up for Rittenhouse Flower Market Centennial


Readers might have walked past the floral and plant displays in Rittenhouse Square every May and perhaps even have made a purchase or two. But this year the 100-year-old Flower Market has established an exclusive relationship with Friends in the City. Notable this May 7th and 8th will be the presence of multiple FitC volunteers-wearing attractive khaki aprons imprinted with the FitC logo -- at the booths of the Rittenhouse Flower Market for Children's Charities.   Read more

FitC members modeling our new aprons.
Rare1
Nothing so Rare - FitC Behind the Scenes at the Library
Joseph shows the first books -- in stone!
What a city treasure! Eleven FitC book-lovers gathered on January 29 to tour the Rare Book Department of the Parkway Central Library on Vine Street. Our group was welcomed by Janine Pollock, Head of the Rare Book Department, and was then guided by Joseph, whose last name we never learned but who for over an hour was a flowing fountain of information about the Library's collection. 

Library personnel had arranged a display of objects which traced the history of
books from earliest times.  Read more 
hirise
Do You Live in a High-Rise?  Will You Help to Bring a FitC Program There?
If you're a Newsletter reader living in a high-rise that has a community or conference room, you can help to bring a FitC program to your building.  We've currently identified four programs that could be offered in such a venue:

*  The Jews of Shanghai
*  Their Education is Our Tomorrow: Oprah Winfrey"s School for Girls
*  Emergency Preparedness (a Red Cross presentation)
*  How the Barnes Came to Philadelphia

More portable FitC programs may be identified soon.  Contact Evelyn Eskin by emailing evelyneskin@mac.com to discuss the possibility of FitC where you live. 
winter1
The Winter of Our Discontent: FitC Braves the Weather but Stays Safe
Rittenhouse Square Snow Fort.
 

 
One thing we all noticed this winter is... WINTER. Ice and snow and rain and freezing temperatures affected our entire region, causing inconvenience, hardship, power outages, accidents, and even deaths. How did FitC cope? Coordinators of FitC events and clubs should know, so we asked them.  Read more 
balletx1
And Everything is Beautiful at the BalletX...Especially with Chocolate and Wine
BalletX, Philadelphia's premier contemporary ballet company, challenges the boundaries of classical ballet by encouraging formal experimentation within rigorous technique. On Sunday, February 16th, 19 FitC members attended a matinee performance showcasing four vibrant works by three choreographers, including two world premieres. The music varied from Vivaldi to Gorecki, through Nat King Cole, Sakamoto and Klezmer.   Read more
readingterm1
Reading Terminal Up, Down, Up Again -- and at William Penn House
After Val Sandberg provided introductions and a brief description of FitC, the manager of the Reading Terminal Market, Paul Steinke, spoke about the history and current status of the Market. More than 55 FitC members and William Penn House residents viewed slides and heard descriptions of the origins, growth, prosperity, subsequent disrepair, and recent regeneration of this venerable Philadelphia institution.  Read more
shanghai1
FitC Braves the Storm, Learns About the Jews of Shanghai
Tri-lingual Monument to the Jews of Shanghai - Mandarin, Hebrew and English
Despite a February rainstorm, 13 FitC members willingly got wet to get educated about an unusual community of European Jews, both Sephardic and Ashkenazic, who settled and worked in the international city of Shanghai, China, during the first half of the 20th century. Presenter Bobbi Cohen showed slides, including period photographs from the 1930's and 1940's of buildings and families, to 
illustrate the lifestyle of this diverse group of mostly stateless immigrants. Her presentation brought many questions from the members present, who previously knew little or nothing about the existence of this community. Lots of interest, thanks Bobbi.
irishbob1
Feeling Young and Happy and Irish -- From Businessman to Dancer
An Interview with New Member Bob Alcorn
Bob Alcorn.
 
"I still feel young," Bob Alcorn says, "and I am most happy to be associated with FitC and the new downtown Philly experience." Perhaps it's the love of dancing that marks Bob's personality: he says his e-mail username (IrishBob) signals that he is 2nd-generation Irish with grandparents from both Galway and Donegal and that he "does his best to uphold their musical traditions, at least through their dancing."  Read more
manna1
Volunteer Corner: Back to MANNA
Nine of us returned to MANNA on February 25. We first packaged a delicious-looking meal of stuffed flounder roll-ups, brown rice and vegetables. Next we packaged fruit and rolls, and some of us even did the dreaded task of onion chopping. MANNA is a do-good, feel-good experience. See us in our aprons and hairnets.


One Side of the MANNA Assembly Line.


Liz Fox and Joan Wells.


athenaeum1
Behind the Scenes at Philadelphia's Athenaeum
The Great Globe.

You can find an Athenaeum in Chicago and Providence and some other older American cities and towns. It would have been founded in the 1800s and served as some kind of library where citizens could gather for cultural events, especially those involving authors and books.  Philadelphia's Athenaeum, perhaps the most distinguished of its type because of its collections, dates from 1814 and moved into its present Washington Square building in 1845, accumulating rare books and artifacts all the while. And guided by Executive Director Sandra Tatman in late February, fifteen FitCers were captivated by many of its treasures and beauties.  Read more

redcross1
Are You Red Cross Ready?
Red Cross Workers.
Emergencies have an unpleasant way of ambushing us, but they are inevitable. According to the Red Cross, it's easier to deal with them if we anticipate, plan, and prepare. FitC member Bob Schmidt, an emergency services volunteer and instructor with the Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA)
chapter of the American Red Cross, presented valuable tips on emergency preparedness to a FitC group on Feb. 18th.   Read more
healthy1
Healthy Aging / Wellness
Can You Hear This? 
Forty-three percent of people over 65 have some hearing loss. That their hearing is of concern to FitC members is evidenced by the over-subscription of the lunch program on hearing aids scheduled for March 13 when FitC Members with long experience in wearing hearing aids will share their experiences in buying and wearing them.

Reliable information can be found at the website of the Hearing Loss Association of America, www.hearingloss.org, which recently started a chapter in Philadelphia, and the consumer site of the American Academy of Audiologists, www.howsyourhearing.org. Sage advice on purchasing a hearing aid is given by Consumer Reports, www.consumerreports.org/cro/hearing-aids/buying-guide.htm, accessible to nonsubscribers (written in 2008, updated in 2013).
rittenhouse2
FitC Volunteers Spring Up for Rittenhouse Flower Market Centennial (continued) 
Twenty-three FitC members have signed up for one or more three-hour work shifts to staff the Flower Market's booths. Our volunteers will sell plants, collectibles (flea market items) and food, or work at the Information Booth. When wearing the new FitC aprons, we also will be in a fine position to tell interested purchasers or passersby about FitC's activities and goals. We can provide FitC brochures and activity calendars, and we will collect names and addresses of people who might wish to consider FitC membership. If you want to volunteer, contact janescipioneweiss@gmail.com.

Basically, the Flower Market is an umbrella charitable organization that raises money and distributes it to several worthy children's charities during the year. It has been doing this worthy work since 1914, solely through the efforts of volunteers, and has raised over $1.6 million. You can learn more about the charities it supports and the market itself at: rittenhousesquareflowermarket.com. FitC will be listed with other Corporate and Community Partners for the Flower Market because we are providing volunteer workers.
 
Newsletter readers may find other ways to contribute to the Flower Market. One of their booths sells "collectibles," so if you want to de-clutter, you should contact them to donate.

 
Rittenhouse Square Flower Market.












A volunteer a
t last year's Flower Market described her stint as "a super-friendly, fun way to do some good. The Market is well organized. I met people I knew and made new acquaintances, all while enjoying spring in the beautiful Square." We hope our volunteers have a similarly enjoyable spring experience.
rare2
Nothing so Rare - FitC Behind the Scenes at the Library (continued)
Peter Freyd examining papyrus scroll.
 
 
Outstanding among the items explained to us 
were collections of cuneiform tablets, 
incunabula, European manuscripts, Oriental 
manuscripts, and Early American children's books. Some things we were permitted to touch. We handled samples of papyrus and vellum, and we learned which part of a child's hornbook is actually made of horn! Particularly outstanding are the collections of Charles Dickens, Oliver Goldsmith, and Edgar Allan Poe. And we met Grip, the stuffed raven which had belonged to Dickens!

The Elkins library was re-assembled and moved here.
  
 
 
The tour ended in the Elkins Room, which is a bequest from William McIntire Elkins of his entire paneled Georgian library, including the furnishings. It is a beautiful space, often used for programs, concerts and receptions. It took two years to install this magnificent room on the third floor, and then the Rare Book Department opened in 1949.

 
 
Our entire tour took place as the staff was busily preparing to open the "Shakespeare for All Time" exhibit that same evening! Afterwards, our group enjoyed lunch at The Rose Tattoo Caf�, a block from the Free Library. If you love books and libraries, you should organize a repeat event!  
 
Free tours of the Rare Book Department are offered Monday through Friday at 11  
a.m., and the department is also open on Saturday. 
winter2
The Winter of Our Discontent: FitC Braves the Weather but Stays Safe (continued)
Ice Ripples and Ice Sheets.
  • Book Club 1 was canceled and rescheduled for a week later.
  • The only thing I canceled was the Emergency Preparedness class which (by the way) was re-scheduled for Tuesday and then the prediction came for snow that day.
  • Volunteering at MANNA and St. John's went on during two snowstorms with some not attending. (Jane Weiss) 
  • Any event I was involved with went on as scheduled, although with fewer participants. (Mignon Adams)
  • The Community Committee meeting was rescheduled.
  • Schuylkill River Walkers are a pretty intrepid, committed and enthusiastic group of walkers who meet three mornings a week. But this winter, the weather -- snow, low temperatures, and ice underfoot -- has succeeded in daunting us enough that we have had to repeatedly cancel. Over the last month, I think we were lucky if we got in one walk a week! That said, we are all optimistic and convinced that Spring will come. In the meantime, we watch the weather forecast and expect to walk this week...taking one day at a time! (Lee Junker)
  • Our group of seven writers has continued to meet every other Friday from 10:30 - 12:30. Friday's have been luckier in terms of dodging the onslaught of snowstorms. Of course, there has been ice on the ground and some days, it's been treacherous as members have braved their way to my house. I guess you could say we are a group of intrepid writers willing to slog and slide our way through ice and snow in search of the next great story. Two members of our group were quite lucky and had chosen this time to vacation in Florida -- one for two weeks, one for over a month. (Judy Heller)
  • Riverfront has been lucky. One dinner had to be postponed by one night. Unfortunately, some folks were unable to attend on the new date but others were added. It does cost the caterer and Riverfront people many hours to make such a change, leading me to say I hope we have better luck in the future. This might be a good time to emphasize that those who register for our dinners must cancel 48 hours prior to the event or pay for the dinner. (Brearley Karsch)
Even as we prepared to "go to press," we were faced with yet another potential deluge. Spring will yet spring.
balletx2
And Everything is Beautiful at the BalletX...Especially with Chocolate and Wine (continued)
At intermission, FitC and guests were invited to a private reception hosted by BalletX. Wine and chocolate kisses were the Valentine's weekend fare. 
 
After the performance, BalletX co-founder Christine Cox spoke to the FitC group about program planning, the challenges facing her company, and their goals. She also spoke about training young BalletX dancers to teach dance to students at the Jackson School, with the hope that their skills and techniques will reach many more schools.
 
Twelve people went on to the DoubleTree bar for drinks, a light supper and a very lively conversation.
 
FitC members attending were Bernie Applebaum, Jackie Axilbund, Ginny Beier, Leanore Brookman, Ruth Crispin, Gloria Einbender, Pam and Peter Freyd, MaryAnn Healy, Sandra Hendrix, Seamus Kearney, Dottie Leonard, Joan Lukas, Cirel and Howard Magen, Molly Sayvetz, Hedvah Shuchman and Sharon and Michael Tomalin.
readingterm2
Reading Terminal Up, Down, Up Again -- and at William Penn House (continued)
What did we learn on this late-January evening? First, despite its early successful years, by 1980 the market only had 18 vendor stalls. Then, with financial support from the new Convention Center, recovery was launched. Amish farmers were solicited, repairs and improvements were started, and more vendors were added. The market now relies on local vendors and shuns all franchise applications. It maintains a balance between meat and grocery outlets and restaurant merchants. Again a success, it hosts more than 6 million visitors annually. Julia Child visited the Terminal, and also President Obama.  And your own evening events can be scheduled there, along with top-notch catering and entertainment.  "The Market," said Paul Steinke, "is transformed after hours."
irishbob2
Feeling
Young and Happy and Irish -- From Businessman to Dancer (continued)
Irish Bob grew up in Swampoodle, a working class ethnic North Philadelphia neighborhood around the old Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium--"in deep left field" -- with his parents and five brothers and sisters ("good Irish Catholics, very faithful"). They lived among other Irish, Italians, and similar second-generation immigrant 
families and were "managing to make it as well as they could" in the 1950s. After Roman Catholic High School, Bob went on scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and earned an MBA at Temple University. He then started his career at Dupont, working later in local and federal government and at Sun Oil, and finally retiring from a project manager position with First Pennsylvania Bank. 
 
Bob's work experiences kept him locally oriented and confirmed that Philadelphia is where he wanted to be ("the city that raised me is and will be the best place for keeping me happy and productive in retirement"). Now living in Center City, he enjoys OLLI classes and many FitC activities: lectures, dinners, shows, Curtis music, walks on the Schuylkill, ethnic eating, new friends and dance, and "all that they offer." He says he's a happy guy -- he can place the word "happy" six or more times in response to one interview question, and he enjoys meeting "happy" folks with similar interests in music, theatre, movies, dancing, lectures, and walking.  
 
And it's dancing that has given Bob's retirement life a new and for him an especially "happy" direction. He is and has been for a while a "gentleman dance host" on cruise ships. His dancing interests unfolded an opportunity for "retired gentlemen who can do basic/intermediate ballroom dancing to travel the world on major cruise lines and dance with the ladies and get a free cruise and all expenses to make sure that they are having a happy cruise and will come back again and again." Nice work if you can get it, and Bob got it.
 
After this interview, Bob left March 2 for a 35-day cruise on the Queen Elizabeth (Cunard Line) en route to Australia, New Guinea, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, and more. "And then back to FitC on or about April 6th to continue the dance. This will be my 16th year of dance hosting on the cruise ships of the world. And this is my current happy adventure." 
 
Bon voyage, Irish Bob. 
athenaeum2
Behind the Scenes at Philadelphia's Athenaeum (continued)
The Athenaeum's Great Clock.


Our Athenaeum is a subscription/membership library with many books of interest to members, especially a major collection pertaining to architecture.  Housed in its magnificent high-ceiling three-story building are many unique objects: a very large globe of the Earth and its countries, chandeliers and gasoliers (since converted to electricity), portraits of 19th century gentlemen and ladies, grandfather clocks (see picture at right) and a huge wall clock. There is even a chess room with tables.

Especially interesting to some of us was the collection pertaining to Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon and exile to Philadelphia. We noted a painting depicting him as Emperor of Spain, some of his furniture and artifacts, and a prominent half-size sculpture of his sister atop her sarcophagus, also half-size. And we learned much about how the Athenaeum operates and how to join. FitC visitors strongly suggest that we repeat this tour.

Dr. Sandra Tatman explains the half-size replica of Pauline Bonaparte's tomb.
redcross2
Are You Red Cross Ready? (continued)
No one is immune to emergencies, which can arise from a number of unanticipated events such as floods, extreme weather, power outages, residential fires, earthquakes, or terrorism. The Red Cross recommends that each of us becomes "Red Cross Ready" in case of a potential disaster or emergency.

Bob explained that our chances of surviving a disaster are greatly enhanced by following 3 basic steps: (1) make a disaster kit, (2) make a disaster plan and (3) know how to maintain situational awareness before, during and after disaster strikes. He also highlighted ways to "shelter in place," should that be an effective strategy for staying safe. Bob emphasized that once you become "Red Cross Ready," you should share what you've learned with family and friends.

In the course of covering hundreds of local disaster responses, Bob says the words he hears most often from people experiencing a disaster are "I never thought it would happen to me."

We're all familiar with blood drives, of course, but the SEPA chapter of the Red Cross employs more than 1,700 disaster relief volunteers who deliver services 24/7, 365 days a year. In 2013 alone, SEPA responded to 736 disasters, trained 73,770 people, and distributed 1,599,906 educational materials.

If you missed the session but would like more information about preparedness, here are some useful resources: www.redcross.org (where you also learn about volunteering and donating to the American Red Cross), www.ready.gov and
www.readynotifypa.org.
Red Cross Ready.

Red Cross ERV.
FitC Membership
Get the Benefit
Friends in the City (FitC) is a non-profit organization of older adults in Center City Philadelphia.  We work to create a community of people who want to enjoy everything our city has to offer.  And we believe in giving back to institutions and organizations that work to help those in need. FitC programs are planned and organized by volunteers.

The annual fee to join FitC is just $60. We are happy to have guests attend our events, and we welcome those who want to sample an activity before becoming a member. FitC members receive priority notice of events that often fill up quickly. To join: Download, print and complete this form and send it with a check for $60. to FitC, P.O. Box 2002, Philadelphia, PA 19103 or pay using a credit card at our website www.FriendsCenterCity.org.
Friendly FitC Info


Try Our Enhanced and Easier to Use Discussion Forum

The FitC Forum is a place to post, request or find FitC member favorites, recommendations and opportunities.  You can create topics, share suggestions, exchange ideas, get advice.  Some of the new topics include volunteer information and home repair recommendations.

To sign up/register for the first time go to www.friendscentercity.org/forum and click on "new account" located on left hand side of page under login info.

Being able to post to the Forum is one of the benefits of FitC membership.
Newsletter Volunteer Staff

Editor - Bob Weiss

Associate Editor - Liz Woy

Assistant Editor/Indexer - Ruth DeCou

Copy Editors - Cirel Magen, Elke Muller, Gerrie Schmidt

Layout/Distribution - Bobbi Cohen
FitC's Redesigned Home Page
Wondering what FitC activities are taking place this week? 
You can find out with a tap on the keyboard or a click of the mouse.


The FitC website homepage has been redesigned. Although it is still a work in progress, every day the event calendar is updated for the next seven days. Take a look.

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