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The world of co-ops descends on Philadelphia

From our friends at the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliances (PACA) come these reminders of a couple of events happening later this month: The first is the a one-day conference called Exploring Cooperatives: Economic Democracy and Community Development in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that is actually "sold out" (in that all the free tickets have been reserved). Why am I telling you about it then? As PACA notes:
Since the conference is free, we expect a larger percentage of “no shows”. So, for the time being, latecomers can still register by contacting Center for Public Policy Program Manager Charlotte Jackson, [email protected].
Below are some of the details (the rest you can get by clicking here): A one-day conference that explores what the urban areas of Philadelphia and Madison, and rural areas in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, can learn from one another about building cooperatives and cooperative networks, and what cooperatives contribute to cities, regions, and states. Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Drexel University, School of Medicine New College Building 245 N. 15th Street (SE corner of 15th and Vine) Philadelphia, PA SPEAKERS Gar Alperovitz, Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy, University of Maryland, Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), author of the National Cooperative Development Act of 2011 (H.R. 3677), Paul Soglin, Mayor, City of Madison, Wisconsin, Michael Nutter, Mayor, City of Philadelphia,  (invited) Michael Swack, Professor of Economics and Management, Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire, Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Associate Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development, John Jay College Department of African American Studies, Steve Dubb, Research Director, The Democracy Collaborative. The conference will include breakout sessions and workshops that examine specific cooperatives in detail, comparing those in Pennsylvania (mostly from Philadelphia... including our own South Philly Food Co-op) and those in Wisconsin (mostly from Madison). Research will be published by the University of Wisconsin Extension.
The second event this month is a big conference that's drawing in co-ops from all over the country (and Philly is fortunate enough to be the host this year). Consider going to the party below and showing those out-of-towners how to party Philly Co-op style! June 14th through 16th is the annual CCMA conference*, and the closing party on Saturday night is open to the public! Even if you're not attending the conference during the day, join us for the live music of Sharon Katz and the Peace Train, the Give & Take Jugglers, plus delicious food from a variety of Reading Terminal Market Vendors. Weavers Way is hosting the party and offering a special invitation to local co-op folks to attend at a reduced price of $35 (down from $65 at the door) if you register before June 1st. Click here to register. *The Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) conference is a 3-day gathering of hundreds food co-op managers, directors, educators, and consultants, plus their national allies. CCMA is a program of the National Cooperative Business Association. Volunteer opportunities exist for CCMA, which may include discounted admission. If interested, email [email protected].