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JanuaRY, 2014

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Holidays at PPR

Mander Recreation Center and Woodford Mansion

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Children from the after school program at Mander continued their tradition of decorating Woodford's tree for the holidays with their handmade ornaments. In keeping with Woodford’s theme this year, "Wassailing at Woodford," they made musical notes and singing birds.



Party for the Parks

party in the parks

On December 5, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy hosted the annual LOVE Your Park Holiday Celebration, a party for the volunteer groups who steward neighborhood and watershed parks, at Galdo’s in South Philadelphia.


View pictures from the 2013 LOVE Your Park Holiday Celebration



2013 Nutcracker Dolls Contest

2013 nutcracker dolls

The Nutcracker Doll Contest is designed to enhance both the spirit of the holidays and appreciation for the ballet. It helps participants to begin to visualize what they hear when told a story, and to bring this personal conception of a fictional character to reality by utilizing their artistic skills.


Creators of the winning district dolls received two tickets to see The Nutcracker Ballet! The 2013 winners are on display now in the lobby of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s administrative offices.


View photos of 2013 Nutcracker Dolls



Christmas Village & Tree Lighting in LOVE Park

2013 Xmas Village

On November 28, the Christmas Village opened for another season in JFK Plaza (LOVE Park). Vendors selling items ranging from Christmas Ornaments, to jewelry, to toys and more (not to mention a wide variety of food) are peddling their goods nearly every day through January 1.


On December 4, Mayor Michael Nutter, Deputy Mayor Michael DiBerardinis and other City representatives officiated the tree lighting ceremony in LOVE Park.


View photos of Christmas Village



Photos: Mann Older Adult Center Centerpiece Workshop

Mann Older Adult Center

On December 11, PPR Director of Stewardship Barbara McCabe led a holiday centerpiece workshop at Mann Older Adult Center for more than thirty community members. In what’s become a PPR tradition, several staff members joined Barbara to assist with the craft and also enjoy music and dancing with the older adults.


View pictures from the Mann Older Adult Center centerpiece workshop



Photo: Starr Garden Ornament Party

Ornament Party

On December 7, Starr Garden hosted an Ornament Party Fundraiser. First, children painted glazes on ceramic ornaments that will be fired in the Starr Garden kiln. These beautiful ceramic ornaments will be completed with a ribbon and ready to be on display in the children’s homes for the holidays.


The children then made festive globe ornaments with color markers, glue and sequence. In the next room, Starr Garden Neighbors prepared hot dogs, mac & cheese and delicious desserts. Festive holiday music filled the center. It was a fun family event for all who attended.



Port Richmond Jingle Bell Run

Jinglebellrun

For the 7th Annual Pete Hanlon Jingle Bell Run & Walk in the city's Port Richmond section, organizers teamed up with Philadelphia Parks & Rec to take advantage of the newly installed Port Richmond Trail along the Delaware River as part of the race route.


Pete Hanlon was an avid runner and all around good guy dedicating his life to his family, friends and community. A SEPTA administrator, Pete went to North Catholic and Lock Haven University and was proud to be a member of the Port Richmond AOH Division 87.


Every year since his untimely death of heart failure, the Port Richmond community and LAOH87 hold a 5K fun run and 2-mile walk to raise funds for youth sports, community organizations and local school programs. This year, about 200 people participated and enjoyed the best sausage and pancake breakfast afterwards, hands down!



Murphy Rec’s “Girls Night Out”
By George Sumner, Recreation Leader 3

Once again, the Christmas season got off to an early start at the 2nd Annual Murphy Recreation Center “Girls Night Out” event held on November 15. The event raises funds for our summer camp.


Murphy Rec was transformed into New York’s 5th Avenue with 25 vendors, and over 140 shoppers in the house. Shoppers were able to purchase a myriad of gifts, and even enjoy a massage at the end of a hard night of bargain hunting.


Recreation Leader Jessica Porco was the driving force behind this very successful night. She was able to provide the shoppers with a wide mixture of products to purchase in a very festive atmosphere. Her unique personality kept both shoppers and vendors in the Christmas spirit all night long.


Coffee and a variety of deserts were served throughout the night by Jessica’s elves, Billy Lyenaar and Steve Hayes.


The Christmas spirit filled the air as music played and old friends discussed the upcoming holidays.


The Murphy staff would like to give a special thanks to Matt Boyd Jr. and Julian White for assisting us in preparing the gym for our special night.


To contact Murphy Rec, call (215) 685-1874 or email MurphyRec@comcast.net



23rd Annual Fairmount Park Turkey Trot
By Karen Walls

Turkey Trot

Despite the pressing obligations of the holiday, more than 800 runners braved the cold and the wind to participate in the 23rd Annual Fairmount Park Turkey Trot 5-Mile Run on Thanksgiving morning.


This year the event saw an increase of 200 participants. The happy winner crossed the finish line at 27:13!


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The Mummers Parade: A PPR Tradition


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Much like attending the Mummers Parade is a tradition for thousands of residents in the Philadelphia region, managing the parade is an annual tradition for the staff at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. Each February, a dozen or so PPR employees begin planning the next year’s parade, while memories of the previous parade’s successes and challenges are fresh in their memories.


On New Year’s Day itself, around 160 Philadelphia Parks & Recreation staff members lead the parade on the street level. By their side are the representatives of nearly every other City Department—Police, Streets, Licenses & Inspections, Health, the Managing Director’s Office, Public Property, Communications and the Office of Information & Technology, to name a few. The parade belongs to the Mummers, but hundreds of City staff help run it.


Continue reading about the Mummers Parade & PPR



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Miss Jackie’s Way

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This morning, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, City Councilman Bobby Henon, the Bridesburg Business Association and the people of Bridesburg honored the one-and-only “Miss Jackie” as they ceremoniously renamed 4500-4600 Richmond Street as MISS JACKIE’S WAY.


Miss Jackie DeSanctis worked at the Bridesburg Recreation Center for over 50 years and still continues to volunteer every day.


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Girls Tumbling Program

By Mike Grubb, Sports & Athletics Program Coordinator
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The Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Girl’s Tumbling Program kicked off with two December meets hosted by the Pelbano Recreation Center. The first meet was the Beginner Development meet where a little more than 100 beginner tumblers from 10 facilities took to the mats to show their skills. The Beginners are broken down into one of seven different groups based on their age. This meet took place on December 7.


The second meet, also a Development meet, saw just over 150 girls from 15 facilities compete in 11 different groups based on their ages and ability levels. This meet was for the female athletes in Intermediate, Advanced or Open levels.


Upcoming meets will take place on January 11 (Beginner Optional meet) and January 25 (Intermediate, Advanced and Open Optional meet) at the Olney Recreation Center. The program’s culminating event is the City Championships in February where over 300 participants will compete and over 700 spectators will cheer on the young ladies over the course of the day.


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Port Richmond Man Found Safe Two Days Later in South Philly Park


By Patty-Pat Kozlowski; originally appeared in Spirit Community Newspapers
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81-year-old Peter Radovcic is a regular at Campbell Square Park since it was only a half block from his home on the 3000 block of Almond Street.


Radovcic suffers from Alzheimer’s and according to Philadelphia Police, he left his home on Sunday, November 24th at approximately 3:00 p.m. and never returned home.


He frequently walked to Campbell Square and also liked walking to Penn Treaty Park along the Delaware River. However, he was not home by nightfall and temperatures last week were freezing and below. His family contacted the police and an all-points bulletin went out in search of the elderly man. Facebook pages and posts lit up with his picture and a call to help from his family.


A group of Port Richmond residents got together on Sunday evening-- one of the coldest nights of the year so far-- and went out as a search party for the man, looking along the street routes that connect Campbell Square to Penn Treaty Park, but they were unsuccessful.


Continue reading this story


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Adventure Club


By Aaron “Shaggy” Hoffer, Recreation Leader 1, Vare Recreation Center
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The New Adventure Club at Vare Recreation Center enriches the After School Program with weekly field trips. Schools used to provide students with many exciting and educational experiences away from the classroom, but budget cuts, school restructurings and increasing focus on testing has made these increasingly rare. Vare is picking up this slack by working with fellow rec centers to make more trips possible for our kids.


While the city boasts many free and low-cost trips, it takes more than a phone call to get kids from a rec center to the museum. Fortunately, we don’t have to do it alone. Carousel House and the South Philly Older Adult Center make our trips possible by lending their precious vans to the cause. These vans solve our greatest challenge, getting our kids to the trip sites!


Continuing reading about the Adventure Club at Vare Recreation Center


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Urban Agriculture Update


By Elisa Ruse-Esposito, Urban Agriculture Program Coordinator
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Out at our garden sites, our young farmers have gleaned the last of the harvest, collected seeds for next year and put our gardens to bed for winter. To celebrate the end of a fun and productive season, the Youth Urban Agriculture Program is finishing up the 2014 growing season with a festive flourish. To celebrate the harvest, our garden educators taught the story of the first Thanksgiving and what the pilgrims ate. The kids then made their own turkey baskets to bring home to fill with treats.


This is the last week that our Garden Educators will be visiting sites, and for their last activity they have been teaching the kids about conifer trees and have been painting pine cones as a holiday decoration.


We had a great 2013 growing season and want to thank all of the PPR Staff that helped to make this program possible! Thank you for helping us build garden beds, transport soil, build fences, maintain gardens, work with us on programming and sharing the harvest!


In 2014, we are planning on expanding to 15 sites and are excited to get growing again.


Happy Holidays from the Youth Urban Ag Team!


View more Youth Urban Agriculture photos and fun facts


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Philly Pumptrack Update


By Kenn Rymdeko, Friends of the Philly Pumptrack, Pumptrack Organizing Committee
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We have been very productive in recent weeks at the Philly Pumptrack, Philadelphia’s first public pumptrack, and we would like to share a few updates with you.


First things first, we are incredibly grateful to the volunteers who have braved the cold and wet to help shape our piles of dirt into form and purpose; we thank them for their time and labor. Knowing our snacks and beverages are not the reason they show up, we can only assume that they want to ride the pumptrack as much as we do. That includes the PowerCorps PHL guys and gals who have been working at the site for the past month.


Over the last several weeks, 20 to 30 volunteers of all ages have been hard at work in extreme cold, snow, rain and mud up to their knees. We made progress sifting the soil of trash and rocks, shaping the track and installing drains, but the inclement weather and frozen ground kept us from doing any planting in the rain gardens and surrounding track areas. The heavy machine work is complete, and the remaining shaping will be done with hand tools.


The storage container is on site and has been leveled, and the dry well is in place under the storage container. Plant-less rain gardens are collecting water and draining properly as they fill. With a few dry days of above-freezing temperatures, and another strong volunteer turnout, the shaping should be complete. Spring will bring a clay layer to the riding surface; major planting efforts of trees, shrubs and grasses; permanent fencing and riding galore!


Please check our website (www.phillypumptrack.org) and Facebook pages for the latest updates and volunteer day schedules.


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Saying It With Feeling


By Mary Grace Gorman, Recreation Leader II
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Just blocks away from Columbus Square Playground in South Philadelphia, “Speak English” signs became a nationwide debate a few years ago. The sentiment that people moving to this country should speak English easily causes disagreements amongst certain parties in certain situations.


But here at the Columbus Square Playground After School Program, this “melting pot” of new Americans is being embraced. At just five and six years old, three of the 20 participants are brand new to our country. Marco, a Mexican child, is a little shy and quiet. He is the only Spanish-speaking person in the program. He knows how to whistle, so he does it a lot. There are eight Asian children in the program--7 of whom are Chinese. Erica is only five years old and moved to the United States this summer. She has cousins in the program and was able to assimilate pretty much right away, using them as her translators. Lin Hao is six years old and just moved to the United States in August. And while Marco whistles and observes, Lin Hao is a bit more extroverted and is always in the mix of things. Lin Hao’s energy sometimes leads him to be reprimanded and much of what he was hearing was about what he was doing wrong. That bothered me immensely.


Continue reading about Marco and Lin Hao


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Urban Youth Academy Update

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Construction on the new baseball field in FDR Park has ceased for the season. The field itself is complete, but related projects such as fencing, scoreboard installation and general site work still have to be addressed. The outstanding work will be completed in early Spring, and the complex will be in top shape for the field dedication, which is projected for early June, 2014.


While Phase I of the project is nearing completion, Phase II of the Academy is getting underway. As of this writing, the bid package for design plans related to renovations at Marian Anderson Recreation Center is being readied for publication. It is the plan to initiate construction at Anderson Recreation center as soon as possible and with the least amount of disruption to the center’s current activities.


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Video: LOVE Your Park Fall Service Day

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See LOVE Your Park in action! Did we mention that caring for parks is fun?


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Energy Saving Tip of the Month

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Make sure drapes and shades are open to catch free solar heat in the winter.


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Photo: Schuylkill River Boardwalk

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In case you haven't walked or driven by, the boardwalk is underway! The 2,000-foot-long, concrete structure runs parallel to the eastern shore of the Schuylkill River from Locust Street to the new stair tower on the south side of the South Street Bridge. Completion is expected in Fall 2014.


Learn more about the boardwalk


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Who are PowerCorps PHL?

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PowerCorps PHL is a new AmeriCorps program designed to promote environmental stewardship and provide workforce development. In Philadelphia, the program currently has 50 individuals, aged 18-26, who are enrolled for nine months. The initial six months are dedicated to service with a City department and followed with three months of job placement. Tuition assistance is additionally available to those that successfully complete the program.


PowerCorps PHL
PowerCorps PHL members Dakota Sharp, Charles Stanley, Rasheed Clover and Shafik Fletcher flank PPR staffer Curtis Helm.

On a recent mild December day, PPR staff Tom Witmer, Curtis Helm, Tom Dougherty and Luke Rhodes worked closely with the PowerCorps PHL crew in the Cobbs Creek forest behind the Cobbs Creek Recreation Center and the Laura Sims skate house. PPR and PowerCorps PHL crew removed hundreds of invasive plants from the forest understory and cut vines from the mature trees. The primary shrub that was removed was bush honeysuckle. This aggressive invader, introduced from Asia, can grow to 10-15 feet tall and entirely dominate the forest floor, capturing all sunlight and stealing moisture and nutrients. The plant is also suspected of producing allelopathic chemicals (i.e., toxins) that leach into the soil and prevent the germination or growth of any competing plants. Like many of the problem plants in our forests, this plant was introduced as a landscape amenity; however, the berries are readily dispersed by birds which distribute it throughout our region. Now that the forest understory is accessible, PPR plans to follow up with stump treatment (herbicide) and forest planting. PPR extends many thanks to the hard working PowerCorps PHL crew, who dragged the cut shrubs and vines out to the woods edge to be chipped.


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Energy-saving Field Light Initiative

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As a reminder, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is piloting a field lighting energy conservation initiative. PPR is using field lights only Monday to Friday, dusk to 10:30 p.m., mid-March through December. Field lights will be turned off at all other times, reducing energy usage by lowering the amount of time fields are lit while not in use. If you see field lights on at a PPR facility at non-designated times, please email PPR.EnergySaver@phila.gov.


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Safe, Clean, Ready to Use


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Through an ongoing City Council initiative, cameras have been installed at playgrounds and recreation centers. While the initial intent was to create a safer environment for the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation users, there are additional benefits. In November, images of two youths were captured as they spray painted graffiti on the basketball courts at Boyle Playground. The perpetrators were identified. In addition to community service and other contract items, they wrote letters of apology to the Somerton community. Read the Northeast Times article and the individual letters (toward the bottom of the page).

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Final Tally: TreePhilly Fall Yard Tree Giveaway

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TreePhilly gave away 1,500 trees along with community partners all across the city during the Fall 2013 Yard Tree Program. People came out to get their trees at Columbus Square Playground in South Philly, Overington Park in Frankford, West Oak Lane Library in the northwest and the Pennypack Environmental Center in the northeast.

 

To date, approximately 11,000 trees have been distributed or planted through TreePhilly Programs (Yard Tree Program, Street Tree Block Program, LOVE Your Park plantings and other informal plantings and giveaways). Learn more about this tree total.

 

Did you know? TreePhilly is on Facebook! Like the TreePhilly page to get updates on yard tree giveaways, tree care and more.


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Fun Safe Philly Summer 2013 Totals

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On December 5, Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced that Fun Safe Philly Summer, the City’s collaborative initiative to provide summer programming and free meals to young people, served 3.4 million meals through the Summer Food Service Program, and promoted approximately 25,000 available summer programming opportunities for summer 2013.


Continue reading about Fun Safe Philly Summer


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REACH System Update

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New staffing is helping the REACH system make an impact. Sherron Moore, formerly of the Human Resources Unit, has joined REACH as Project Assistant. Additionally, two Program Field Specialists are among the program coaches who will be supporting REACH field staff. Each REACH site can look forward to the program coaches visiting REACH sites before the holiday break. Program coaches will speak with staff to get an idea of what programming is taking place and to identify additional resources and services that are needed.


Two exciting evaluation efforts are underway as well. All REACH sites completed “SAYO” surveys for the youth in their program. The National Institute for Out of School Time will analyze all information from these surveys and create individual reports for each site before the end of the year. Also, scheduling of observations at every REACH has begun. The “APT-O” observation will be facilitated by the facility supervisor and will include facility staff, a program coach, district managers and a member of the REACH staff. Observations at each site will be completed in January.


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Parks and Recreation Commission Update

Feature PaRC Member: Jeffrey Hackett

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Professional Background: Pest control technician, School District of Philadelphia


Committees: Programming


Community: Melrose Park Gardens in East Oak Lane


Favorite Event: My favorite event would be anything that has to do with serving others as President of the 35th District Police Advisory Council, President of the Helen G. Sturgis Playground Advisory Council and Vice President of the Melrose Park Gardens Civic Association.


Best Experience: My best experience is when we hosted our basketball league and one of the counted-out youths came up to me a few years later and stated he was in college.


Commission Insight: I hope that we can make a difference in every life that lives, visits or relocates to Philadelphia and can say that we truly have the most active and interactive parks and recreation system they have ever experienced.



November 2013 PaRC Star

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Congrats to our newest PaRC Star, awarded by the Parks and Recreation Commission (PaRC) to an outstanding volunteer in Parks & Recreation.


Tracey Rae Beck's "day job" is Executive Director of the American Swedish Historical Museum. As a park volunteer, Tracey has served on the Board of Directors for the Friends of FDR Park group since it was revitalized in 2008. Tracey was a key contributor to that revitalization, and she continues to actively serve on the Board, currently in the expanded role of Treasurer. Over the years, Tracey has demonstrated true commitment through her exemplary meeting attendance, her leadership and her countless hours of volunteering. Tracey is known to organize and assist with regular park cleanup events during the evenings and on weekends. How committed is Tracey to the cause? At a cleanup event this past year, Tracey was the first volunteer to pull on a pair of waders and bravely jump into the mucky lake banks to help clear litter and trim back weeds, all while accompanied by her children who also spent their Saturday volunteering. FDR Park continues to improve as a result of such efforts. Thanks, Tracey, for all you do for Parks & Recreation.


You can nominate a PaRC Star, honored at regular meetings of the Commission. To make a nomination, visit the Commission Facebook page and complete the online form.


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New Bipartisan Group of Mayors to Encourage Congress, White House on Support for Parks


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On December 10, Betsy Price, the Republican mayor of Fort Worth, TX, and Michael B. Hancock, the Democratic mayor of Denver, CO, launched a new bipartisan effort to support federal funding for public parks, trails and green spaces in urban areas. The Mayors for Parks coalition is a project of City Parks Alliance and will make the case to Congress and the White House about why parks are so vital to urban areas. Specifically, the coalition is pushing for re-authorization and robust funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which is set to expire in 2015 and is a critical source of funding for city parks across the country.


Continue reading about the Mayors for Parks coalition


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