PHILADELPHIA – Following up on last Fall’s largest-ever LOVE Your Park Service Day, this year’s LOVE Your Park Week promises to be a terrific mix of volunteer service and celebration from Saturday, May 13 through Sunday, May 21. Starting today, volunteers can go online to see which of more than 80 participating parks is in their neighborhood – and register to help clean and green it for the season. For the first time this year, volunteers at each park will be eligible to win a gift membership to Fairmount Park Conservancy, offering free yoga classes, guided hikes, trail runs, lectures, and more. Throughout LOVE Your Park Week, a range of events will encourage Philadelphians of all ages to get outside and enjoy the city’s great public spaces.
LOVE Your Park is a joint program of Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and operates in collaboration with the 100+ volunteer groups in the Park Friends Network. For park-by-park details and registration, visit http://loveyourpark.org.
Highlights of the week include:
- Saturday, May 13: Join Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and city officials at the LOVE Your Park Week Kickoff at Fernhill Park in Germantown, (333 W Abbottsford Ave), 10am.
- Saturday, May 13: Pick up some perennial plants at the Cloverly Park Plant Sale (Wissahickon Ave & School House Lane), 11am-2pm.
- Sunday, May 14: Spend Mother’s Day on a dirt bike at the Moms & Daughters Instructional Ride, Philly Pumptrack at Parkside Evans Recreation Center (5300 Parkside Ave), 9am-12pm.
- Wednesday, May 17: Have a beer and a bite at the opening day of the Parks of Tap mobile beer garden, Azalea Garden at the Philadelphia Art Museum (Kelly Drive at Fairmount Ave), 1pm – 10pm. Parks on Tap will spend 5 days at the Azalea Garden before moving to FDR Park and 18 other parks; view full season schedule at http://parksontap.com.
- Thursday, May 18: Listen to jazz under the stars at Hawthorne Park (12th St. & Catharine St.), 7:30pm-10:30pm
- Saturday, May 20: Learn how to grow your own food at the Organic Kitchen Gardening Workshop, Carousel House (3400 Ave. of the Republic), 1pm-3pm.
- Sunday, May 21: Visit Open Houses at architectural treasures including the Historic Homes of Fairmount Park, Glen Foerd on the Delaware, Ryerss Mansion in Burholme Park, Ormiston Mansion, and American Swedish History Museum in FDR Park. (Various locations)
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of her people through intentional and sustained stewardship of nearly 10,200 acres of public land and waterways as well as through hundreds of safe, stimulating recreation, environmental and cultural centers. PPR promotes the well-being and growth of the city’s residents by connecting them to the natural world around them, to each other and to fun, physical and social opportunities. PPR is responsible for the upkeep of historically significant Philadelphia events and specialty venues, and works collaboratively with communities and organizations in leading capital projects and the introduction of inventive programming. To learn more about Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, visit us at www.phila.gov/parksandrec, and follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr.
Fairmount Park Conservancy exists to champion Philadelphia’s parks. We lead capital projects and historic preservation efforts, foster neighborhood park stewardship, attract and leverage investments, and develop innovative programs throughout the 10,200 acres that include Fairmount Park and more than 100 neighborhood parks around the city. Philadelphia has one of the largest urban park systems in the world, providing residents with extensive health, environmental, social, economic and cultural benefits – including access to some of the region’s most famous attractions. For more information, please visit myphillypark.org, join us at facebook.com/fairmountparkconservancy, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @myphillypark.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: High-resolution photographs are available for media usage in the online press room at http://bit.ly/ConservancyPressKit.