The Final Hours: What Ardmore Residents Need to Know About The Pope's Visit

By KARA SEYMOUR and STEPHEN SILVER (Patch Staff)

After more than a year of planning, Pope Francis’ historic visit to Philadelphia is set to begin in less than 24 hours. The Pope arrives in town Saturday morning.

What do you know need to know as a resident of Ardmore:

• -Pope Francis is staying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Lower Merion.
• - Montgomery County Commissioner Chair Josh Shapiro, Lower Merion Board of Commissioners Chairman Liz Rogan and Bishop Timothy C. Senior, rector of St. Charles, will great Francis when he arrives Saturday.

• - Neighborhoods around St. Charles Seminary will be restricted. East Wynnewood Rd. is closed between City Ave. and Forrest Rd. from Saturday at 4 p.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m.
• - Lower Merion schools are closed Friday and will open late next Monday.
• - No Lower Merion rail stations are open on Saturday or Sunday.
• - Starting Friday at 10 p.m., I-76 will be closed Eastbound from 476 to 95, and westbound form 95 to Route 1.
• - A Refuse and Recycling holiday collection schedule will be in effect this week, with no collection of either kind on Friday.
• - The business group the Ardmore Initiative, which encouraged local businesses to remain open during the visit, is keeping an updated list of which businesses are closing and which are not.

The following items are prohibited through the security checkpoints in Philadelphia:

• Aerosols

• Ammunition

• Animals, except for service animals

• Backpacks and bags exceeding 18” x 13” x 7”

• Balloons

• Bicycles

• Drones

• Explosives, firearms, or weapons

• Glass, thermal, or metal containers

• Hard-sided coolers (soft-sided thermal coolers are allowed)

• Laser pointers

• Mace or pepper spray

• Packages

• Selfie sticks

• Signs exceeding 5’ x 3’ x 1/4” made of any material except cardboard, poster board, or cloth

• Structures

• Supports for signs and placards

• Toy guns

See the Patch’s full Pope visit coverage here.