May 11-18: Love Your Park Week returns
Love Your Park Week kicks off Saturday as Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy invite residents and park lovers to celebrate the city’s neighborhood parks with a week of featured programming.
The festivities begin Saturday with the featured Love Your Park Day, during which volunteers will spruce up more than 100 parks throughout the city. A full list of volunteer sites and volunteer registration is available here.
Saturday’s park programming doesn’t stop with park clean-ups though. Other Love Your Park Day events include the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, Ridge Runners Car Show at Gorgas Park, Rittenhouse Square Fine Craft Fair and much more.
Throughout the following week, the park celebrations continue with everything from a Community Empowerment Fun Day at Sherwood Park to a Hunting Park tennis court dedication with Billie Jean King, campfire story telling and more. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the events Eyes on the Street readers might be particularly interested in. A full list of programming is available here.
HIKE Waters of the Wissahickon
Saturday, May 11, 1pm-3pm., Wissahickon Environmental Center. This two mile hike will “use the Wissahickon as a living laboratory” to test stream water quality, learn about sources of pollution and its prevention, talk with a fly fisherman and more. Waterproof shoes and binoculars are recommended. The trek starts at the Wissahickon Environmental Center at 1 p.m. Registration is free but required.
TOUR Fox Chase Farm Spring Plant Sale and Open House
Saturday, May 11, 10am-3pm, 8500 Pine Rd, Philadelphia. Fox Chase Farm will open its gates for an open house Saturday morning. From 10 a.m. to noon, the farm will be open for exploring. Throughout the day veggies, herbs and flowering annuals will be available for sale just outside the farm.
ART Fairhill Square Art Dedication
Tuesday, May 14, 4-7pm, 4th and Lehigh, Philadelphia. Afternoon celebrations at Fairhill Square Tuesday center around the dedication of the park’s restored “El Gran Teatro De La Luna” public art piece. A children’s art fair is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and will be followed with the dedication and Latino music from 6 p.m. to 7 pm. The event is a collaborative effort made possible by the Providence Center, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Taller Puertoricano, The Lighthouse and Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.
GREEN PHS City in Bloom
Friday, May 17, 9am-Noon, 1501 Market Street, Philadelphia. The annual City in Bloom is a morning spring cleaning and greening of The Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Organized by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, City in Bloom partners with corporations and employers who come together to plant thousands of flowers, remove debris, weed and care for the newly planted vegetation along the Parkway. Activities span from City Hall to Logan Square. Companies interested in joining should contact Jimmy Owens at jowens@pennhort.org or call 215.988.8888.
TOUR Open House at the Fairmount Park Historic Houses
Saturday, May 18, Noon- 4pm, East Farimount Park, Philadelphia. Lemon Hill, Mount Pleasant, Laurel Hill, Woodford and Strawberry Mansion historic homes will open their doors with free admission and special events throughout the day. Hours and programming vary by house. Details are listed here.
TOUR Open Barns Day
Saturday, May 18. Times and locations vary. Fairmount Park’s stables will also open their doors to the public on Saturday for the Open Barns Day, a day to celebrate the horses living in Fairmount Park. All seven of the park barns will host public tours and special activities. Hours and programming vary by stable. For more information, visit the Love Your Park Week calendar.
CELEBRATE Party in Clark Park
Saturday, May 18, 4-8pm. Clark Park, 43rd Street and Chester Avenue. Join the Friends of Clark Park for games, a raffle, live music, neighborliness, food trucks, and “the first beer to be legally consumed” in Clark Park.
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