Clark Park fest lets students get to know W. Phila.

When most freshmen arrive on campus, their first introduction to the West Philadelphia community is a police-run safety seminar, a service-learning project to repair run-down homes and a slew of rumors warning Penn students not to venture west of 40th Street. But tomorrow afternoon, University organizations and West Philadelphia community groups are hoping to change those impressions by welcoming Penn students to the neighborhood with a variety of activities at Clark Park, located at 43rd Street and Chester Avenue. According to organizers, the first annual "Welcome to the Neighborhood" festival will serve as a free showcase of the diversity of life in West Philadelphia. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Penn students and West Philadelphia residents will be able to take part in an array of events including an arts and crafts exhibition, carnival games, three-on-three basketball and volleyball tournaments, poetry readings and a wide range of local entertainment and cuisine. "It's going to be like a community version of the Quad during Spring Fling," said Social Planning and Events Committee President Jon Herrmann, one of the event's organizers. "It's free fun and an exciting chance to meet and see who is in the neighborhood." Herrmann, a Wharton senior, said that a number of local performers will be featured on the main stage, playing everything from swing and salsa to rock and hip-hop music. Penn's African Rhythms dance troop and the Inspirations a cappella group are also scheduled to perform. And other acts include a West Philadelphia double-dutch jump-rope club and a number of local drill and step teams -- including one made up entirely of Bicultural InterGreek Council members. According to Brigette Sancho, the associate director of Penn's Office of City and Community Relations, the neighborhood festival is a "grassroots approach" to strengthen ties with the surrounding community. Sancho said the idea for the program came last spring after a few student and community leaders met to discuss how to decrease the tension between town and gown and get students to cross the imaginary 40th Street line. "The facts are that the crime rate is down, the housing stock is up and a lot of people are organizing ways to make [West Philadelphia] a safe neighborhood," Sancho said. "We wanted a program that would create a positive impression of the vibrant culture, diversity and interesting cuisine and talent that exists in West Philadelphia." Over the summer, Sancho and organizers from the Office of Student Life and the Undergraduate Assembly settled on the idea of a neighborhood festival and early this fall, they began finalizing the plans. While the University has provided the bulk of the financial support, West Philadelphia businesses and organizations -- including the University City Community Council and University City Landlords and Realtors Association -- have played an active role in planning the events. During the festival, the University City Historical Society will host afternoon walking tours of neighborhood highlights led by students. And a number of local restaurants and vendors -- including Ethiopian-style Dahlak and the Middle Eastern Amira -- will be providing food. Penn student groups and staff will also join West Philadelphia organizations at festival booths to pass out information about neighborhood activities, local transportation and cultural venues throughout the community.

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