MARCH, 2015

Introducing: BirdPhilly

BirdPhilly is an exciting new series of birding walks and events that will take place in locations across Philadelphia during 2015. This initiative is a partnership of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. The goal of this project is to showcase Philadelphia as a regional destination for birding and to introduce birding to newcomers. BirdPhilly will visit well-known birding locations like Pennypack Park and John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, as well as smaller neighborhood parks like Hunting Park and Wister Woods. The walks will be led by members of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Loaner binoculars will be available.

• Most walks are on Saturdays

• All walks are for beginner to experienced birders

• All walks are FREE and in Philadelphia

• Binoculars available if needed

Download the 2015 BirdPhilly event schedule

Find Your Path to Malcolm X Park

Malcolm X Memorial Park is a six-acre site in West Philadelphia, extending west from 51st Street to 52nd Street and north from Larchwood Avenue to Pine Street. Home to more than 100 towering oaks, an elaborate children’s play area and dozens of comfortable benches for relaxing, Malcolm X Park is a hub of activity in its diverse West Philadelphia neighborhood.

In particular, the park’s Thursday Night Jazz Series, initiated and supported by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell after the park’s initial improvements, has become a West Philly “happening.” The series draws hundreds of attendees to relax and enjoy the music with friends and neighbors every other Thursday.

Continue reading about Malcolm X Memorial Park

Summer Jobs with PPR

PPR is hiring for the summer! Visit our How to Become a Lifeguard and Employment pages for details.

Did You Know?

Happy Hollow Recreation Center, one of the oldest recreational facilities in Philadelphia, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site celebrated its 100th anniversary in April 2011. Learn more about Happy Hollow Recreation Center’s historical significance.

2015 Performances in Public Spaces Program

On February 17, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy announced the first grantees for the Performances in Public Spaces program, which will provide grant money to artists and art organizations to cover all costs associated with presenting performances in select parks and plazas across the city.

The OACCE received applications from 79 artists and performing arts groups for a total of 184 performances. The review panel selected 23 grantees for a total of 24 performances. Learn more and view the full list of grantees.

Jim Marino Receives USATF Mid-Atlantic Award

Congratulations to Broad Street Run Race Director Jim Marino who was recently awarded the USA Track & Field Mid-Atlantic Jesse Owens Award for service, one of the highest recognitions granted by the Mid-Atlantic Association (only the Lifetime Achievement Award is higher.)

Historic Play Sites Trolley Tour

Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse will present a guided trolley tour of historic play sites throughout Philadelphia led by Dr. Deborah Shine Valentine, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at Saint Joseph’s University, on Saturday, March 7 from 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

The morning will begin with coffee and muffins at The Philadelphia History Museum where How Philly Plays: 115 Years at Smith Memorial Playground, an exhibition of Smith’s history, is on display in the Community History Gallery. Guests will then board the trolley to learn about what play looked like in early 20th century Philadelphia, driving past locations of historical significance, including Starr Garden, as well as popular new destinations like Sister Cities Park. The tour culminates in a visit to Smith and a ride down the Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide.

Tickets $30; $15 for Smith and Philadelphia History Museum members*

*Includes admission to the Philadelphia History Museum for non-members

Purchase tickets

Parks and Recreation Commission Hears "Pitch" for New Ideas

The Commission's "Pitch Your Passion" social media effort inspired some of those who had "pitched" their ideas for new park and recreation initiatives to make their case in person at the February Commission meeting at Feltonville Recreation Center. Pitch Your Passion is a program that's looking for good ideas to improve parks and recreation centers through "crowdsourcing," and the Commission invites anyone to post their idea.

Restaurant for Lease in Fairmount Park!

Turn-key restaurant space available in an historic mansion in the heart of Fairmount Park. Excellent visibility from a high-traffic corridor and easily accessible from I-76 and MLK Drive. Lease includes the interior cafe space, exterior covered porches, and acre of outdoor space with a patio, lawns and a paved parking lot. Upstairs office and/or overflow seating is also available if desired. Learn more about this opportunity.

Upcoming Performances

March 26, 7 p.m. Lonnie Young, Awbury & Morris Estate Cluster present “Philly’s Got Talent” (Lonnie Young Recreation Center)

April 17, 7 p.m. District 4 Spring Show (Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center)

2015 Events at Fox Chase Farm

Have you visited Fox Chase Farm, the City’s working educational farm in Northeast Philadelphia? Download Fox Chase Farm’s 2015 Calendar of Events and plan your next trip! Maple Sugar Day is Saturday, March 7.

On February 11, PPR Environmental Education staff members Peter Kurtz, Stephanie Robinson and Steve Barrras taught a Maple Sugaring lesson for the Columbus Square Tot Recreation Program (3 and 4 year-olds) and Jardel's After School Program at the farm. A few photos from the lessons are above.

Actors from HBO’s The Wire Visit Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center

On January 29, Aikan Acts students heard first-hand experiences from actors from HBO’s The Wire during a live panel discussion at Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center.

The discussion brought together several actors from the hit HBO series, such as Nakia Dillard, Joilet Harris, Chris Mann, Kamal Bostic-Smith and Brian Anthony Wilson. It was hosted by noted acting coach Miranda Thompson.

View video from the event

Ralph Brooks Tot Lot Groundbreaking

On December 22, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, City officials, Philadelphia Eagle Connor Barwin and community partners participated in a ceremonial ground breaking event for renovations to the Ralph Brooks Tot Lot at 20th and Tasker Streets in South Philadelphia.

The Tot lot is named after former South Philadelphia resident Ralph Brooks. At age seven, Mr. Brooks was paralyzed during a shooting at the playground in 1988. The incident galvanized the community and the park has since carried his name as a symbol against violence in South Philadelphia.

Renovations to the Tot Lot include improvements to stormwater management features, a rain garden at the southern end of the park and an underground storage trench along its western side, and playground equipment. A new play area will be installed and the basketball courts will be repaved.

Lardner's Point Park Receives Award

Lardner's Point Park has received the 2015 Green Park Award for the Eastern Region fron the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources and the PA Recreation & Park Society. The park will be gifted a plaque and tree for planting on April 11. Congrats to PPR staff, the Delaware River City Corp. (DRCC) and all of our Lardner’s Point Park partners.

#PhillyTreehugger Contest

TreePhilly recently launched a weekly Instagram and Twitter contest: #phillytreehugger. Philadelphians are asked to post pictures of them hugging a tree in Philly with the #phillytreehugger hashtag for the chance to win a small prize.

District 2 Gymnastics and Tumbling Meet

On February 4, Program District 2 hosted its annual Gymnastics and Tumbling Meet. Teams from Bridesburg, Lower Mayfair and District 3's McVeigh competed. Each facility produced winners, with the top three in each event moving on to city-wide competition. To end the day, the District treated each athlete to a soft pretzel and a bottle of water. A great job was done by all the coaches, and a big thanks goes out to the judges, who had a lot of great performances to weigh! Good luck to all the medal winners as they move on to the city-wide event!

If She Had A Hammer… Parks & Rec VISTA Emma Schad Builds A House

Working with your hands is not a foreign experience to any Parks & Recreation employee. Indeed, many of us find great pleasure in the physical labor that often accompanies championing our city’s outdoor spaces.

Over this past winter holiday, I enjoyed just such activity daily working on a Habitat for Humanity construction site in Charlotte, North Carolina. Participation in the service trip was organized through the student Alternate Break group at the University of Pennsylvania, of which I am a member.

Continue reading about Emma’s Habitat for Humanity experience

Photo: Black History Month Art Contest

For Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Annual Black History Month Art Contest, organized by the Visual Arts office, recreation participants developed two or three-dimensional artwork relevant to Black History Month. The best of these works was exhibited at PPR’s central office.

Bridesburg Recreation Center After School Program Report

View the January 2015 Bridesburg After School Program Slideshow Report Video

Hank Gathers Rec Center Improvements Complete

On December 23, Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Michael DiBerardinis, Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources, and The Trust for Public Land announced the completion of the newly upgraded playground at Hank Gathers Recreation Center in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of North Philadelphia.

Seventy-five neighborhood residents worked with the Department of Parks and Recreation and The Trust for Public Land through a series of design workshops to select features that would improve the recreation center grounds. New amenities include new playground equipment with safety surfacing, a water spray park, upgraded seating areas, a picnic grove under a canopy of trees, a walking path, and new fencing. A community event celebrating the playground will be organized for early spring 2015.

The project is the second of ten planned sites to be completed through a public/private partnership among the City of Philadelphia, The Trust for Public Land, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a variety of other partners. The initiative, known as Green2015, is part of Mayor Nutter’s comprehensive plan to increase significantly outdoor recreational opportunities and green infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. The first Green2015 project, a new and improved greened William Dick Elementary Schoolyard, recently received a Merit Award in Environmental Enhancement from the American Society of Landscape Architects NJ Chapter.

Martin Luther King Day of Service

This year, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation hosted dozens of Martin Luther King Day of Service events. Here are some highlights:

• Northwest Philadelphia Parks: For the 17th consecutive year, volunteers led by PPR Volunteer Coordinator David Bower participated in the Martin Luther King Day of Service, annually the largest service event in the Philadelphia region. We were among about 125,000 volunteers at 1,800 projects throughout the city and suburbs. This year, we worked at two sites. Continue reading about the service projects in PPR’s northwest parks.

• Vogt Recreation Center: On January 19, John Brady, Recreation Leader III; Gerard Walsh, Recreation Leader Trainee; and Claire Rollinson, Advisory Council Volunteer, put together their Second Annual Martin Luther King Day Soccer Shootout Tournament and Food Drive for Saint John’s Pantry. Continue reading about Vogt Rec Center’s Shootout Tournament and Food Drive

• Bartram’s Garden: Cleanup

• McVeigh Recreation Center: Paint and cleanup

• Germany Hill Park: Cleanup

• Starr Garden: Outside/inside cleanup

• Tacony Creek Park: Cleanup

LOVE Park Redesign

On January 20, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation concluded the civic engagement process for the redesign of LOVE Park, handing the civic goals and principles of redevelopment prepared by PennPraxis to the design team at Hargreaves Associates.

Star Player of the Year

Congrats to John McBride, Recreation Leader at Bridesburg Rec, for winning the first ever “Star Player of the Year” award “for his dedication and exceptional service” from the Star Players of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation! .

What’s in a Name?

The name Poquessing comes from the Lenape "Poetquessnink," meaning "place of the mice."

Read about the new Poquessing Creek Trail.

District 4 Chess Tournament

On December 18, PPR District 4 held a chess tournament at Belfield Recreation Center. The event, coordinated by PPR staff members Lonnie Cohen, Ryan Augustus and Eric Rudy, included participants from Waterview Recreation Center, Wister Playground and Belfield Recreation Center. Altogether, 47 youth registered and 14 award ribbons were distributed.

Partner Job Opportunity: Student Conservation Association Field Leader

You can make a difference this summer! Here’s your chance to be part of a program that promotes youth leadership and conservation! The Student Conservation Association is a dynamic, nonprofit national organization which encourages and supports youth in service to the environment. The SCA is currently accepting applications for Crew Leader positions with our 2015 Summer Philadelphia Community Program working in Philadelphia, PA and/or Camden, NJ.

Responsibilities: Lead, mentor and coach a crew of up to 12 students, ages 15-19, while completing various conservation service projects designed to build an ethic of community and environmental stewardship. Projects include trail/park maintenance, habitat restoration, revitalization of abandoned urban properties and gardening. In addition, leaders will facilitate pre- and post-program planning which includes crew training, environmental education and reporting. Leaders will attend an overnight mandatory 8-day leader training in mid-June.

Learn more about this job opportunity

After School REACH Activities at Roosevelt Playground

As part of PPR’s REACH system, the After School students at Roosevelt Playground received lessons on bird migration and why birds need feathers.

In January, the children made wings from heart-shaped cookies cut in half then decorated them with M&M candies, Jolly Rancher gum drops and marshmallows. They affixed the candies to the wings with various colors of icing. The best part? The children got to eat their cookies after they made them, remarking that they never thought bird wings would taste so good.