JUNE, 2017

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LOVE Your Park Week

LOVE Your Park Week is here, now through May 21! A collaboration among Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Philadelphia Park Friends Network, LOVE Your Park Week offers dozens of ways to show your local park some love: from service days (there are still some spots looking for extra hands!) to special events.

Check out the full list of opportunities to help clean, green, and celebrate your local park this LOVE Your Park Week.

Dell Music Center Summer Concert Series

The weather’s heating up, and so are this summer’s events at the Dell Music Center! The 2017 Essence of Entertainment series kicks off July 6 and runs through August 24, with concerts at 7pm each Thursday – plus a few special shows, including Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Patty Jackson’s Party in the Park, and Lady B’s Annual Basement Party.

Check out the full list of Dell Music Center summer concerts.

Parks on Tap Season Kick-off

Parks on Tap is back! A partnership of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and FCM Hospitality, Philly’s first and only traveling beer garden will bring delicious food, beer on tap, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages to 20 parks this summer, plus a mix of activities and programming. This year’s first stop: the Azalea Garden, now through Sunday, May 21. Hours and events vary by day, so be sure to check online for details. 

Visit a Parks on Tap location near you, now through October 21.

Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting

On Monday, May 22 from 6-8pm, join the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission (PaRC) at Kendrick Recreation Center for one of their six annual meetings. This is your opportunity to learn more about PaRC’s work and to make your voice heard! This month, there will be a presentation on the final details of the Discovery Center.

Stay up to date on PaRC’s work.

Philadelphia Senior Games

The Philadelphia Senior Games will be held from Saturday, June 3 through Friday, June 9. The Senior Games are an Olympic-style competition for adults ages 50 and over, with events held at different locations around the city. Events include Track & Field, Basketball, Swimming, Horseshoes, Table Tennis, Golf, Billiards, Exercise Bike, Bowling, Darts, Scrabble and Pinochle.

For more information – or to register as a competitor or volunteer – visit the Philadelphia Senior Games website.

Help Friends of the Wissahickon Win $100,000

Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) is one of three finalists in the running for a $100,000 donation from NRG Gives, NRG Home’s community giving program. FOW is a 93-year-old nonprofit with a mission to preserve the natural beauty and wildness of Wissahickon Valley Park, which sees over one million visits each year.

Vote now to support FOW’s work to preserve the Wissahickon: voting only lasts through midnight on Friday, May 19!

Union League Good Citizenship Awards

The Union League’s Good Citizenship Award goes to high school juniors in Philadelphia who show high personal standards of behavior and leadership. This spring, six young people representing the spirit of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation were chosen for this prestigious award. Congratulations to Casey Buck (Ramp Playground), Rah’mire Jackson (Lackman Playground), Kashia Larke (East Poplar Playground), DeShonda Ponder (Vare Recreation Center), Shannon Schofield (Chalfont Playground), and Don Mazzio Williams-Bey, Jr. (Kendrick Recreation Center)!

Recipients were honored on May 10 at Good Citizen Day, with a program of events including a mock trial experience and an Award Banquet. Meka Perez, PPR/Get Healthy Philly Nutrition Coordinator, was in attendance and shared a few photos.

Morris Estate Jazz in the Park Concert Series

The fourth season of Jazz in the Park is almost here! This free concert series at Morris Estate Cultural Center is held on Tuesdays from 6-9pm, starting July 11 and running through August 15. Thanks to Councilwoman Cindy Bass and the Morris Estate Advisory Council for their sponsorship, and to Serena Sol Brown for producing and directing the series. 

Stay up-to-date on the latest at Morris Estate!

Historic Fairmount Park Scavenger Hunt

Discover and explore six historic houses (also known as Park Charms), their architecture, and history, on this fun and engaging 3-hour scavenger hunt through Fairmount Park on Sunday, June 4, 9:30am-1pm. Celebrate your team's accomplishments with prizes, drinks, and eats at Parks on Tap at the Belmont Plateau following the hunt. Tickets are $15 for Fairmount Park Conservancy members and $25 for non-members, and include coffee and snacks at the start, a drink at the end, and point-based prizes!

Learn more and get tickets for the Historic Fairmount Park Scavenger Hunt.

Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Take your Philadelphia Parks & Recreation love to the next level: follow us on social media! If you’re not following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’re missing out on some of the PPR moments that don’t make it into the newsletter. For example, did you know we…

• Work with WHYY to offer video production classes to kids at Smith Playground?
• Celebrated Arbor Day in Wissinoming Park with an afternoon of tree pruning and planting?
• Visited Mural Arts’ Student Art Exhibition Opening Reception to check out the work of young A2O artists?

The photos above are just a sampling of the great stories we share on social media -- so join us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter today!

Performing Arts Update

Join Bill Arthur and The Star Players for “A Night of Disney” (or two!), with performances Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 at 7pm at the Venice Island Performing Arts & Recreation Center.

Auditions are also coming up for two new productions:

• Into the Woods: auditions will be held on Wednesday, June 14 at 7pm and Saturday, June 17 at 1pm at Morris Estate Cultural Center; email starplayers2013@gmail.com to learn more
• Wild: auditions for this devised Western piece will be held on Sunday, June 11 at 12pm and Monday, June 12 at 7pm at Venice Island Performing Arts & Recreation Center; the performance will be part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 21-30

Kidchella at Smith Memorial Playground

Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse’s wildly popular Kidchella Music Festival will continue for a fourth year on Friday, June 16, July 21, and August 18 from 4-7:30pm, with support provided by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the PA Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and MetroKids. This year, the festival will include a Youth Arts Zone on Smith’s front lawn in addition to the main stage concerts in Smith’s 6.5-acre playground emceed by Kathy O’Connell of WXPN’s Kids Corner and featuring six nationally acclaimed children’s music artists. Tickets are $10 for non-members and $5 for members.

Learn more and buy tickets for Kidchella!

Lloyd Hall Jugglers Club

Every Monday night from 8-10pm, an eclectic group of individuals from the Philadelphia Jugglers Club gather at Lloyd Hall to practice their juggling skills. From the basic tossing of three balls to more advanced methods on unicycles and stilts, you can stop by to see as many as 40 jugglers of all levels practicing their skills. Spectators and new members are always welcome! 

We recently visited a Monday night meeting of the Lloyd Hall Jugglers Club to learn more.

US Soccer Foundation Influence Award

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell recently received the US Soccer Foundation’s Urban Soccer Symposium Influence Award! Commissioner Ott Lovell was recognized for her commitment to ensuring that children in communities throughout Philadelphia have access to sports-based programming.

Learn more about the latest example of that programming: the Unity Youth Soccer League.

Fairmount Park Recycling Center

Home gardeners, did you know you can get up to 30 gallons of free compost, mulch, wood chips, and manure from the Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center? Even better: compost from the recycling center recently scored a whopping 100 on a professional germination test, meaning it grew seedlings perfectly! If you want to give your seedlings a great start, stop by the center and pick up a load of grade-A, Philly-sourced recycled goodness.

Learn where, when, and how to get your gallons of compost, mulch, wood chips, or manure for residential use.

Shuler Playground Chess Club

The Shuler Playground Chess Club offers chess experience for all levels – from novice to expert! – for youth ages 8 to 17. It’s one of several chess programs offered at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) facilities across the city.

Learn more about chess programming at PPR sites.

Walk With Ease at the Mann Older Adult Center

Members of the Mann Older Adult Center are wonderfully creative and active seniors! They participate in fitness classes, work on computers and create beautiful artwork, as well as play billiards and dominoes. They happily celebrate life and being with each other every day when they gather together on 5th Street in Fairhill. Therefore, it was no surprise that many seniors jumped at the chance to participate in PPR’s newest program for older adults: Walk With Ease. This program, created by the Arthritis Foundation and Sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) to promote better health, improved fitness, and less pain through walking, offers a structured program that has been tested and proven to benefit those who complete it.  

Learn more about the Walk With Ease program at Mann.

Awilda Ocasio: The Definition of Loving Your Park

Webster’s Dictionary defines LOVE as “an intense feeling of deep affection.” Having attachment, endearment, devotion, adoration, compassion, and unselfishness. It also states an example of love is “carrying a torch” for a person, an object, a cause.

All of those words described what our friend, Awilda Ocasio, had for McPherson Square.

Learn more about Park Friend Awilda.

Laurel Hill Mansion Roof Rehabilitation

Construction on East Fairmount Park’s Laurel Hill Mansion started in the late 1760s, and we’re working today to keep it looking its 18th-century best! Laurel Hill recently received a full roof rehabilitation, completed in record time. Prior to the rehab, portions of the roof had been leaking; luckily, there were no underlying structural issues. The entire wood shingle roof was replaced, and most of the house’s gutters and downspouts could be reused. A bit of paint touch-up on the chimneys cleaned up their appearance and added to the life of these elements.

After School Professionals Week

For this year’s After School Professionals Appreciation Week (April 24-28), Philadelphia Parks & Recreation celebrated our hard-working, compassionate, and dedicated After School staff. In particular, we honored the contributions of seven of our staff members, nominated for their tireless effort and outstanding work. Kendall Edwards (Markward Playground) was selected as the top After School Professional of the year.

Meet Kendall and our other After School Professionals of the year!

Rebuild Update: Francis J. Myers Recreation Center

On April 13, Mayor Jim Kenney, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell, and Rebuild Executive Director Nicole Westerman toured F.J. Myers Recreation Center to see the state of the facility, visit the basketball program, and meet with residents who use the site regularly to learn about what potential benefit a Rebuild investment would bring to Francis Myers.

Learn more about their visit to Myers Recreation Center.

Staff Profile: Dortay Spanier

Dortay Spanier’s official title is Heavy Equipment Operator 2 – unofficially, she’s Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s first female Zamboni operator! We checked in with Dortay to learn about what brought her to the ice, how she keeps Rizzo Rink looking great for skaters, and the secrets to Zamboni-driving success.

Learn more about Dortay and why she loves working at Rizzo.

MLK Older Adult Center Ribbon Cutting Recap

On April 21, Mayor Jim Kenney, City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Commissioner of Parks & Recreation Kathryn Ott Lovell, and other City officials joined community leaders and senior citizens to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new facility for the Martin Luther King Older Adult Center in central North Philadelphia. The new 10,000 square foot building features a large lunchroom and commercial kitchen, a billiards room, multipurpose room, and classrooms for art, fitness, and computers.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway Renovations

We recently put the finishing touches on a decade-long, multi-million dollar investment in improvements to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway! Between the 1600 and 1900 blocks, you’ll spot quite a few new features, including: safety updates to make the Parkway more pedestrian-, bike-, and wheelchair-friendly; stormwater trenches to help protect our watersheds; and landscaping and aesthetic improvements.

Broad Street Run Recap

On May 7, tens of thousands of runners raced through the city in the 38th annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run! Of course, the BSR doesn’t start and stop with the runners: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation staff work hard pre- and post-race to make this Philly tradition go smoothly.

For a peek behind the scenes, check out photos from Gustine Recreation Center, where volunteers packed 40,000 bags to hand out to runners post-race, and learn more about efforts to make the run a “zero waste” event.

Hemlock Treatment in Wissahickon

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) staff Curtis Helm and Thomas Dougherty worked closely with the Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to treat hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) trees growing in the Wissahickon Valley Park. Hemlock is a native conifer that grows to 2-3 feet in diameter and up to 100 feet tall. It is a graceful addition to our mostly deciduous forest, proving winter interest and important wildlife habitat. The trees are being treated to suppress "hemlock wooly adelgid," which is a tiny aphid-like insect introduced from Asia in 1951. The insect feeds on the needle-like leaves, slowly but surely sucking the life out of the trees. Without these treatments, the adelgid will ultimately eliminate all hemlock from our local forests. PPR treated approximately 300 hemlocks growing along the slopes above and below Forbidden Drive. Our treatments should protect these trees for about five years, at which point they will need to be re-treated. FOW and TNC intend to monitor the success of this effort.

Hissey Playground Ribbon Cutting

On May 6, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Deputy Commissioner Orlando Rendon, Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, and other community members participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony recognizing the completion of improvements to Hissey Playground. Renovations include state-of-the-art play equipment with safety surfaces, new fencing, and fitness equipment for adults. Following the ceremony, neighbors enjoyed a community barbecue and tried out the new slides, swings, and more!

Painters Prep Fountains and Pools for Summer

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation painters are busy preparing pools and fountains for the warmer weather! Check out their hard work as you swim and sun around the city this summer: above, PPR staff are pictured repainting Swann Fountain at Logan Square.

Find a pool or sprayground near you.

Wister Playground Transformation

Germantown’s Wister Playground has received a facelift inside and out. Many community members are in awe of the renovations to the playground, which include outdoor exercise equipment, a swing to accommodate individuals with physical limitations, and a new sprayground. But it’s the inside that has many calling it the "new Wister." There is a reading center, computer station, homework centers, and a lounge area. "It's like a home," one of our kids exclaimed. To many this center has become a second home with the After School program, dance class, and Girl Scouts, to name a few of the programs. Now, it looks like it, too.

Many thanks to all the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation family who helped to make this happen.