MAY 2018

Nominate Philadelphia Parks to Win a $20k grant!

Celebrate Earth Month this April by voting for Philadelphia in the Meet Me at the Park campaign.

The Meet Me at the Park Earth Month campaign is a collaboration of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and The Walt Disney Company to help fund local park improvement projects. If our city gets the most nominations, one of our parks will receive a $20,000 grant for improvements.

Parks help make our lives better. They inspire healthy living, help protect the environment, provide access to sports, and bring people together. Support our local parks and programs this Earth Month by visiting them and nominating our city to improve a lucky park, program, or facility! 

Job Opportunities

Our latest job opportunities are below. Please note that there are several civil service positions now listed on the City of Philadelphia’s Human Resources page, and remember to check our Employment page regularly for new seasonal positions as they become available.

Parks on Tap Is Back and Better Than Ever with More Weeks, New Parks

The beer garden that gives back, created by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy in partnership with FCM Hospitality, will be back for a third season, its longest to date, running for 23 weeks from April 25 through September 30.

Kicking off at the Azalea Garden behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art at noon on April 25, each week Parks on Tap will travel to a different Philadelphia park on a Wednesday and stay through Sunday, offering a barbecue-inspired menu with rotating seasonal food and beer specials in a family-friendly setting. All Parks on Tap locations will include seating and tables, games, restrooms, and a menu of hot food, salads, and snacks. Visit www.parksontap.com for the full schedule and details.

Reminder: Register for LOVE Your Park Service Days

Taking place from May 12-20, Love Your Park Week will kick off with a citywide service day that engages 2,500 volunteers to clean and green Philly’s parks, followed by 8 days of fun, free events in 100 neighborhood parks. Highlights this year include a free nature photography class in Cobbs Creek Park, an open house at the historic homes of Fairmount Park, and the kickoff of a new summer yoga series in FDR Park.

Register to clean and green a park at www.loveyourpark.org.

We Walk PHL Returns

We Walk PHL is a free guided walking program that meets several times a week at various public parks. The program promotes promotes positive health outcomes and increased use of Philadelphia’s park system, and creates opportunities for people to pursue fitness goals while meeting their neighbors.

After the popularity of the pilot program last summer, guided walks will start up again in May and run for eight weeks through June, with a second series planned for September through October. Locations this year will be: Hunting Park, FDR Park, East Fairmount Park, West Fairmount Park, and Tacony Creek Park. Walks take place one to three days per week at each site and last about an hour.

For walk schedules, meeting locations and other updates visit the We Walk PHL public group page on Facebook or email wewalkPHL@gmail.com.  

Portrait Series of Parks & Rec Arborists Commissioned to Celebrate Arbor Day

Parks & Rec arborists really love trees, and we really love them! So TreePhilly asked well-known local photographer Sabina Louise Pierce to shoot portraits of the arborists surrounded by the trees they tend. You can see the digital pictures on the TreePhilly website now, or you can take advantage of two opportunities to see them in person soon:

• Beginning next week, April 23, see the arborists’ portraits hanging at the Parkway Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia to celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 27.


• When Treetop Quest opens in West Fairmount Park in early May, you’ll be able to see the portraits hanging among the trees if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try the new aerial adventure course.

Horticulture Center Tours

This spring, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation will host a free tour series at West Fairmount Park’s Horticulture Center. The series will be held on three Saturdays, one each month, from April through June.

The first part of each Horticulture Center tour will focus on the conservatory and greenhouses and will be led by tour guide Laura Sweeney. The second part of the tour will feature a special guest speaker, spotlighting a different feature of the grounds each month.

View details of the three tours, focused on sculpture, trees, and gardens.

Ryerss Museum: A Hidden Gem in the Great Northeast

There’s a lot happening at the Ryerss Museum & Library in the Fox Chase section lately:

• On Saturday, April 21, Brews at Burholme, a monthly series, will launch and run through Saturday, October 20 in the park.  Come out for an afternoon of special discounts from Burholme Park Golf Center and draft beer from Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company! Bring the whole family to enjoy mini-golf, great food, and more.
• On Sunday, April 22, there will be a parlor talk, Under Glass: A Victorian Obsession, by noted author and collector John Whitenight. Learn all about the crazy things Victorians put under glass.
• On Saturday, April 28, the Friends of Ryerss will host their annual Flea Market in Burholme Park.
• The staff at Ryerss has been working with a professor from Temple University who specializes in religion and cultural heritage who spent her sabbatical researching the symbolism of many unique artifacts at the museum. Read the article published for Temple faculty about her work.

Read more about the interesting things happening at Ryerss and check out some beautiful photos from our recent visit to the museum.

Get Involved with the Broad Street Run

Even if running isn't your thing, you can still be part of the action on the day of the 2018 Blue Cross Broad Street Run. You can volunteer to help out on race day, cheer on the runners while enjoying great performances, or head to the kid-focused activity zone at the finish line in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

For more information on the run and ways to get involved, visit www.broadstreetrun.com.

Senior Games Registration

Adults ages 50 and over, join us this June for the Philadelphia Senior Games. This annual festival and competition includes fitness activities and sporting events for participants of varying physical abilities. Events kick off on Saturday, June 2 and run through Friday, June 8. Instructor-led events scheduled to take place on opening day include the Senior Health Expo, various fitness demonstrations, zumba, Tai Chi, self-defense, and line dancing. Other competitive events include table tennis, basketball hot shot, swimming, and track & field. The winner of each event will receive a trophy at the Awards Banquet held in July. 

For additional information, visit www.philadelphiagames.org or call the Philadelphia Senior Games information line at 215-685-2736.

FDR Park Master Plan Update

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy (FPC), & Councilman Kenyatta Johnson are working together with the Friends of FDR Park to create a master plan for the largest park in South Philly. The master plan project will assess the park’s needs, identify priorities, and develop ongoing strategies for the park’s maintenance and sustainability. It will also include extensive community outreach and engagement! The first on-site meeting with the consulting firm, WRT, was held earlier this year (photo above), and PlanPhilly covered the announcement of the master planning process.

If you’re interested in getting involved, check out https://www.fdrparkphilly.org/ or sign up for updates from FPC.

Road Closure Schedule

Since it’s the time of year for outdoor events and activities, make sure you’re prepared by knowing when major road closures on the Parkway and the Drives will occur this year.

Check out our Closures and Alerts page for full details.

New Art Installation at Lemon Hill Mansion by Jane Irish: Antipodes

Now through June 3, a new installation for Philadelphia Contemporary by artist Jane Irish is on view at Lemon Hill Mansion in East Fairmount Park. Working in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Friends of Lemon Hill, Irish transformed the historic Lemon Hill mansion, filling it with a floor-to-ceiling installation of paintings and ceramics. Irish has turned the two floors of Lemon Hill into antipodes— hemispheric opposites, each filled with her dialectical imagery of past and present, east and west, and war and peace.

Antipodes can be viewed for free Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available on the PPR website.

Apply for a Philadelphia Activities Fund Grant in 2018

Managed by PPR, the Philadelphia Activities Fund, Inc. is a non-profit corporation established by the Mayor and City Council to support people and communities in Philadelphia through projects that promote sportsmanship, the arts, and health.

Grant applications are being accepted now through May 1. Learn what type of projects are eligible, what groups can apply, how to apply, and download the application on the Philadelphia Activities Fund webpage.

Lessons on Lyme

Now that the weather is nicer and Philadelphians are getting back to exploring the great outdoors, it’s important to take a moment to remember the dangers of tick bites and ever-present threat of Lyme disease. Read more about preventative measures you can take to protect yourself and your family, and learn about the early warning signs of Lyme disease.

PA Recreation and Parks Society Annual Conference & Awards

On March 27, 29 Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) staffers representing various divisions headed up the Northeast extension of the Turnpike to attend the annual Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society Conference.

Many PPR staffers were recognized for their outstanding work by this statewide organization, including the “Outstanding New Professional” award. Can you guess who that was? Read all about the conference and find out who won awards this year.

The Schuylkill River Trail Gets $12M Closer to Completion

On March 6, Pennsylvania senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has funded a TIGER grant for the completion of the Schuylkill River Trail addition that will connect Christian Street to 34th Street in Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. This $12 million federal grant will bridge the gap known as the Grays Ferry Crescent.

The Schuylkill River Trail has been recognized as one of the nation’s best urban trails by USA Today.

Fairhill Square Playground Dedication

On April 13, Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell and Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez dedicated a new playground at Fairhill Square Playground in North Philadelphia. Improvements to the square included the installation of new play equipment and safety surface. Check out photos from the recent press event and community celebration.

Neighborhood News

Northwest Philly

North Philly

• Feltonville Rec Center hosted some indoor soccer action on April 7 as the PPR Indoor Soccer league held its annual all star games. Read about the hard-hitting action.
• There’s a LOT going on at Rivera Rec Center this spring. Former Recreation Leader III (now Program Manager) Beth Perkowski gave us the roundup.
• On March 31, Marie Dendy Playground held a Spring Fundraiser and Easter Egg Hunt, with a special performance by ILL DOOTS.

Northeast Philly

On March 14, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association trainer Mike Barr gave a training for coaches at Heitzman Recreation Center. Around 25 Parks & Rec staff attended with a large participation from District 3. Barr led the coaches in a three-hour course on starting a soccer program at your local playground.

Central Philly

Lloyd Hall held a Veterans Affairs Paint Day and Resource Fair in partnership with Mural Arts on February 23. The mural design was created by artist James Burns through workshops with veterans and is dedicated to the strength and resilience of those who have served our nation.

West Philly

• Students at Cobbs Creek Environmental Center created nature inspired artwork.


• Thanks to generous donations, recreation leader Tim King collected more than 1,000 winter coats at 48th & Woodland Playground to distribute to community members in need.