Summer Season Opens for Five Weeks of Entertainment, Recreation, Food & Drinks
WHAT: The Oval Ribbon Cutting
The ribbon-cutting festivities will feature free samples from the food trucks Lil Pop Shop and Cow and the Curd, music from DJ Patty Pat, and crafts for kids.
WHEN: Friday, July 15, 2016 12:00 – 1:00 pm (Public hours 5:00 – 10:00 pm)
WHERE: The Oval (Eakins Oval, 2451 Benjamin Franklin Parkway)
SPEAKERS:
Michael DiBerardinis, Managing Director, City of Philadelphia
Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Tim Clair, Interim Executive Director, Fairmount Park Conservancy
Jane Golden, Executive Director, City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Brad Carney, Lead Artist, City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
Hugh D. McStravick, VP, Assistant Director, Client and Community Relations, PNC
Kyle Ashley, Director of Retail, Warby Parker
Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation kick off the fourth consecutive season of The Oval presented by PNC, featuring a mix of free movies, live music, kid-friendly activities like a sandbox and sprinklers, interactive games, a rotating lineup of food trucks, a beautiful beer garden, and an original mural titled “Rhythm and Hues” across 25,000 square feet of concrete. Opening Friday, July 15 and running for five weeks through Sunday, August 21, The Oval (located on the southeastern edge of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway) transforms the eight acres of chestnut trees, grass lawns, and public art encompassing Eakins Oval into a summer oasis for all ages.
New this year: new dance and fitness classes for adults throughout the day on Wellness Wednesdays, the “Orchestra Pit” with instruments for music jams on Arts & Culture Thursdays, new lineup of Friday night flicks, PlayWheels with Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse on Game Day Saturdays, and a shopping experience from Warby Parker, a lifestyle brand founded in 2010 at The Wharton School of Business.
Download additional press materials and high-resolution photographs from: http://bit.ly/ConservancyPressKit. For an ongoing schedule of activities at The Oval, visit: http://theovalphl.org/.
ABOUT THE OVAL
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy, revealed the City of Philadelphia’s new “Park on the Parkway” in July 2013. The eight acres of public space located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway known as Philadelphia’s own “Avenue des Champs-Élysées,” Eakins Oval (2451 Benjamin Franklin Parkway) became The Oval, a park with community programming, events, and activities. Designed to promote the Parkway as a neighborhood park for all Philadelphians, The Oval offers a wide array of activities and amenities, and features park spaces that all ages can easily access and enjoy. theovalphl.org/
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Press Contacts for Fairmount Park Conservancy:
Cari Feiler Bender, 610-416-1216, cari@reliefcomm.com
Sharene Azimi, 646-784-5547, sharene@missioncomms.com