Philly News Briefs: 2/23/17
1.) Philly’s very own Fashion Week kicks off tonight with a runway presentation by Mah-Jing Wong, who competed on Season 15 of Project Runway. Wong is a Mantua native and a grad of The Art Institute. He says that he originally started college focused on marketing, when a teacher told him that he should be designing clothes. Wong changed his major, and the rest is fashion history. Philly Fashion Week is celebrating its 12th year in 2017, and will feature a whole weekend of runway shows held at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. There will also be other fashion-related activities, such as a panel on “Fashion Through the Ages” that consists of some of the industry’s luminaries.
Fashion designer Mah-Jing Wong, from Project Runway, will kick off Philly Fashion Week with a runway show tonight.
2.) A concrete jungle at an elementary school in Philadelphia is being given a green makeover. At Alexander Adaire School in Fishtown, the area around the school is cracked, sprawling asphalt… as is the case in many older schools. Thanks to a cash infusion of $700,000, however, the school located at Thompson and Palmer Streets will be getting a lush, green schoolyard that includes up-to-date play equipment, “climate smart” trees, and a rain garden that will help reduce stormwater runoff. Schools Superintendent Dr. William Hite says that students will benefit in multiple ways from the new green space, as it is not just an area for play, but for learning as well.
3.) Mardi Gras will take place on February 28th, which means that it is right around the corner. To celebrate this last day before the somberness of Lent kicks in, people tend to party and eat delicious food. You need not go all the way to New Orleans to get tasty Shrove Tuesday grub: it’s available right in Philadelphia. Penn Live recently published a list of where to get treats like king cake, fasnachts, and paczki in the City of Brotherly Love. Some treats are only available in limited quantities, so get them while the getting is good!
