#parkfriendsgroups

On September 16, Park Friends from across the city came together to explore, learn, and celebrate Philly parks on the annual bus tour! Coordinated by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s (PPR) Stewardship Unit, the tour took 50+ Friends group members to seven River Wards parks.  

Ride along with our Park Friends, Parks and Recreation Commission members, and PPR staff on their tour...

Tour attendees met up at Penn Treaty Park, their first stop. Friends of Penn Treaty Park’s Barbara Morehead gave an overview of this historic riverfront park. 

Penn Treaty Park gets its name as the reputed site of a meeting between members of the Lenape tribe and William Penn. While the elm tree they’re said to have met under is long-gone, the present-day park has plenty of trees shading its new playground and scattered across its seven acres.

Also new to Penn Treaty Park: Monument Lab installations! These works of art are part of a city-wide project designed to spark dialogue around the question, “What is an appropriate monument for the current city of Philadelphia?” Penn Treaty is home to Plainsight is 20/20 by Recycled Artists in Residency...

...as well as In Perpetuity by Duane Linklater, referencing the Lenape people who once lived here. 

Next, the group made its way to Benson Park, where Park Friend Amanda Menk took the lead in explaining what makes this small-but-mighty park so special (with an assist from other Friends of Benson Park, including younger users). 

Benson’s recent renovation has maintained its shine thanks to the dedication of those Friends young and old, coming together for clean-ups, movie nights, a community market, and more. Next up: the addition of a new mural, now in development with Mural Arts.

The park’s handball court is a popular spot, and visitors were treated to a demonstration of the game... plus a bit of audience participation! 

Just a couple of blocks away was the next stop, Hart Park. This pocket park is home to lush garden beds, plus a much-loved sprayground and playground. It serves as a welcoming neighborhood gathering space. 

Pat Sweeney shared how the space has transformed over time with the commitment of Friends of Hart Park like herself: tending those plant beds, coordinating successful events (including a movie night!), and staying attuned to community needs and interests. 

The group’s fourth stop was Hagert Street Playground. This spot is due for an upcoming renovation, but in the meantime, Friends of Hagert Playground like Julius Rivera are making sure it stays active! (Over the summer, Julius led a series of story drumming sessions on-site.) They’re also working to build consensus within the diverse community that uses the playground.

Councilman Mark Squilla joined Julius in welcoming the Park Friends, and reminded the group of the importance of City-neighborhood communication and engagement.

Community-created murals welcome visitors and contribute to a sense of neighborhood ownership of the space. In some spots, kids can even see their own “handprints” (literal and figurative) on Hagert Street!

From here, the group moved on to Powers Park. Powers Park Conservancy members “John and John” shared the variety of successful events and programs they’ve hosted in this green space, from their Farmers Market, to Halloween pet costume contests, to Water Ice with a Cop. (Next up: Parks on Tap stops by from September 27 to October 1!)

The duo also reminded the visiting Park Friends to “find their niche” by looking at similar parks’ programming to identify what might work in their own... and if a particular initiative doesn’t succeed, to learn from it and move on to the next opportunity!

For the final park stop of the day, the group made its way to McPherson Square. Here, Friends Group members Elisa Roche Rodriguez and Neyda Rios shared park history and hospitality, relating the story of McPherson Square Branch library (which just celebrated its centennial!) and passing out some much-appreciated treats.

Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez joined the group to reiterate how important it is that community members get engaged in keeping their parks clean, safe... and fun! 

After a group photo on the steps of the library, Park Friends members were ready for lunch! Conversations continued over pizza, salad, and arancini at Medusa Pizzeria, and Park Friends went home with new ideas for their neighborhoods. 

By Patty-Pat Kozlowski, Director of Park Stewardship

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. She loved her park. And it was a hard park to love. And she showed that park at Kensington and Indiana more unconditional love than anyone else. She loved that park when it was trashed, graffitied, littered with dime bags and vials, needles. Don’t you DARE call it NEEDLE PARK. It’s McPherson Square -- and she loved it.

On Saturday, April 8, 2017, Awilda Ocasio passed away, leaving five children, several grandchildren, and hundreds of her “little friends” that played at the McPherson Square playground that she helped build. She was the epitome of a park champion and community activist, fighting for her library, her park, her neighborhood. Look up the word “spitfire,” and you will see her picture.

Barbara McCabe, Director of Strategic Engagement with PPR, said it best when she memorialized Awilda at a recent Park Friends Network meeting with the citywide Park Friends groups. “I will always remember Awilda with her blue t-shirt with the ‘HEART OF K&A’ logo, her curly hair pulled back, and a huge smile.”

She was definitely the heart of K&A, and her memory will live on forever at McPherson Square Park.