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Blog Posts

City of Philadelphia •

Parks on Tap–coming soon to a park near you! | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Philadelphia’s pop-up beer garden that gives back to parks has returned for the 2023 season. This family-friendly and free event will travel to a new park every week for 25 weeks. Proceeds benefit maintenance and upkeep of Philadelphia’s parks.

Returning this year is Love Your Park Pale Ale. Mainstay Independent Brewing Company created the beer. The company made it to encourage people to volunteer at the park.

Food and drinks are pay-as-you-go. Vendors accept cash and credit cards. All locatio
City of Philadelphia •

11 facts about the Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Enjoy a day of shopping small businesses and enjoying big flavors at FDR Park’s Southeast Asian Market. The open-air market is a cultural and community hub. Visitors can enjoy native dishes, produce, and products from local entrepreneurs. Here are 11 things you need to know about the 2023 Southeast Asian Market at FDR park:
• The market reopens for the season on April 1, 2023.
• It is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• The last day of the market this year will be October 29,
City of Philadelphia •

Major renovations underway at the Dell Music Center | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Construction is now underway on a $6.9 million renovation of the Dell Music Center. Local radio legends Patty Jackson and Lady B joined City leaders to praise the Dell at a recent groundbreaking ceremony.

Due to construction, The Dell will host a condensed 2023 concert series. The 2023 Essence of Entertainment series is expected to run from mid-August to September 2023.

The Dell was built in 1929. The multimillion-dollar project includes renovations to:

These upgrades will ensure the Dell con
City of Philadelphia •

Parks & Rec’s music labs help youth find their groove | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Several youths sit spell bound as they watch the student teacher strum on an electric guitar. A young boy sits at a computer with headphones on. He smiles before singing into a microphone.

Welcome to Athletic Recreation Center’s Thursday night Music Lab. Music lab is a partnership between Parks & Rec and Beyond the Bars. There are 10 music labs in recreation centers throughout the city.

Beyond the Bars is a free youth music program that seeks to interrupt the cycles of violence. It began as a
City of Philadelphia •

Meet the Makers: finalists announced for innovative rec center program | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Parks & Rec recently selected 10 local business owners to be part of a new program.

This entrepreneur-in-residence program is the first of its kind in the city. Called “Making Space: Reimaging Recreation,” it will make use of extra room at city rec centers. There, local teens will work with the chosen business owners to:

The ten finalists will each receive a $1,500 grant to support their business. They will also receive help to prepare a proposal. This proposal will show how their business wil
City of Philadelphia •

Parks & Rec’s Playstreets: nutrition never takes a vacation | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Did you know one in eight kids experience food insecurity? For more than 50 years, Parks & Rec has helped fix that problem when schools are closed. Our Playstreets program provides kids with free meals and a safe place to play during the summer. This year the program runs from June 20, 2023 to August 25, 2023.
• None Playstreets take place in every neighborhood in the city from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• None The program is open to all children 18 years and younger.
• None Playstreets’ supervisors open
City of Philadelphia •

Getaway at the Greenhouse is back! | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Beat the winter blues by escaping into a green oasis! Enjoy an indoor winter getaway at the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center. The frost-free fun takes place from Friday, February 24 through Sunday, February 26, 2023.

Enjoy live music, arts and crafts, a giant sandbox, games and activities, food truck vendors, and a cash bar with featured cocktails.

Admission and activities are free. Boxed lunches, food, and drinks are pay-as-you-go.

New in 2023! Two options for greenhouse fun:

Friday, Febr
City of Philadelphia •

It’s maple sugaring time in Philadelphia | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Did you know you can learn how to make maple syrup and candy from the sap of maple trees in Philadelphia?

All species of maple can provide sap to produce sugar. Sugar maple is the preferred species because it contains a higher concentration of sugar. It takes roughly 40 galloons of sap to make one galloon of maple syrup!

If you would like to learn more about maple sugaring, attend one of Parks & Rec’s environmental education centers’ maple sugar events. In addition to Maple Sugar days, some en
City of Philadelphia •

The Christmas Bird Count: all your questions answered | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is seeking volunteers for its annual Christmas Bird Count. This year’s event will be held at Pennypack Environmental Center (PEC). It takes place on December 17, 2022.

This is the 123rd Christmas Bird Count. It is an annual of the National Audubon Society. Audubon partners with organizations across the country to complete the count.

Pennypack Environmental Center is located at 8600a Verree Road in Pennypack Park in Northeast Philadelphia. It has participated in
City of Philadelphia •

Six places to see and interact with horses in Philadelphia | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Did you know there are six horse stables located in Philadelphia parks? We’re not horsing around! Some stables offer regular lessons and programs for children. One site hosts a therapeutic riding program and equine-assisted therapy. Each site offers annual activities where the public can interact with horses.

Read more about the stables below:

A boarding and teaching stable in West Fairmount Park. View more about the Academy on Facebook.

This site in West Fairmount Park is Home to Work to Rid
City of Philadelphia •

Philadelphia recreation centers offer affordable gymnastics programs | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Does your child dream of being the next Simone Biles or Paul Hamm? Are you looking for an affordable gymnastics program? Then check out Parks & Rec’s low-cost, co-ed tumbling and gymnastics classes for kids ages 3-18. Programs take place at 12 locations across the city.

Jamie Miller is recreation leader III at Samuel Recreation Center. She supervises gymnastics and tumbling classes for Parks & Rec. She is also Parks & Rec’s Tumbling Program Chairperson. Jamie said tumbling and gymnastics are a
City of Philadelphia •

Sitting volleyball—adaptive, inclusive, and fun for everyone | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Philadelphia Volleyball and Parks & Recreation’s Lloyd Hall have partnered to offer sitting volleyball pick-up games. This helps Parks & Rec fulfill its mission of providing enriching experiences for all.

Sitting volleyball brings athletes with disabilities and able-bodied athletes together. The action- and motion-filled games:
• Are played sitting on the ground.
• Are also great for injured standing volleyball players.

Jimmy Falls takes part in the sitting volleyball program held at Lloyd Hal
City of Philadelphia •

Fall birding events in Philadelphia | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Plus five facts about birding in the city: when, where, and what to look for.

Every fall, billions of birds migrate across North America, crossing the United States. Tony Croasdale, Environmental Education Program Specialist with Philadelphia Parks & Recrestion provided this helpful information about fall bird migration.

Here are five most frequently asked questions about birdwatching during fall migration:

1. When does fall migration begin in Pennsylvania?

Shorebirds start moving in mid-Jul
City of Philadelphia •

September events: practice self-care at Parks & Rec sites | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

As summer winds down, the hustle and bustle of everyday life returns. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and our partners offer activities to help you stay healthy and practice self-care. This September, you can visit one of our sites to:
• Soak in the sunset on a kayak cruise.
• Attend the Honey Festival and taste honey from all over the region.
• Hike in the woods and enjoy s’mores around a campfire.
• Take part in an organized walk or run.

Check out the details for these events below. And be su
City of Philadelphia •

Watch Walt Whitman’s poetry come alive at Venice Island in Manayunk | Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Whitman on Walls (WoW!) is a one-of-a-kind family friendly event that brings together local poets and film. At the event, seven short films will be projected onto Venice Island Performing Arts Center. The films present parts of Walt Whitman’s poem Song of Myself. Following each film, a local poet will “speak back” to Whitman in their own words. The poets will challenge or agree with Whitman.


The project is the brainchild of Karin Coonrod and her Compagnia de’ Colombari. In 2020 the company wa
Still I Run •

Running helped her overcome depression says suicide survivor

Still I Run member and suicide survivor says running helped her overcome depression and raise awareness about suicide prevention

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Members of Still I Run Suicide Survivors share how running helped them overcome depression and anxiety.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children, adolescents, and young adults aged 15-to-24-year-olds.

It’s just one of the reasons Sti
Still I Run •

Ending the Stigma of Suicide: A Story of Hope

A member of Still I Run and mental health advocate wants to end the stigma associated with suicide

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Craig Roush, a member of Still I Run (SIR), a community of runners whose mission is to promote the benefits of running for mental health and end the stigma around mental illness, wants people to know they are not alone, and there is hope.

According to the CDC and NAMI, Almost 50,000 people died of suicide in 2018 alone, and suicide is the second le
Still I Run •

Speaking Up for Mexican-American Mental Health Awareness

When Stephanie Davis, a Mexican-American, learned the Still I Run (SIR) Community asked BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) members to share their stories to end the stigma of mental illness, she felt compelled to write something. By sharing her thoughts, she hopes to raise Mexican-American Mental Health awareness.

“I’m so glad SIR is raising awareness about this topic.”

“I have been thinking about it a lot because I come from a culture that generally does not talk about mental illness.
Still I Run •

Runner Shares Her Story to Raise BIPOC Awareness

Kristen Brown, 37, understands the power of a story and how it connects people. July is BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Mental Health Awareness Month. Kristen wanted to share her story, her struggles with mental illness, and how her passion for running and the Still I Run Community (SIR) has enabled her to rise above her anxiety, fear, and depression.


Brown started running in high school; she was on the track team for two years and competed in the long jump, 100 meters and the 200

 Articles

FunTimes Magazines •

Local artists, performers and entrepreneurs show their true colors at The Colour of Culture: A Celebration of the African Diaspora this past weekend | FunTimes Magazine

This past weekend, FunTimes Magazine, in collaboration with Elebration, Sol Fed and ZBE Productions, hosted "The Colour of Culture: A Celebration of the African Diaspora" -- a free community African art gallery featuring local visual artists, musicians, singers and spoken-word artists at newly renovated FunTimes building, 1226 N. 52nd St., in West Philadelphia. The festivities were part of FunTimes’ multicultural mission to showcase the arts, culture, music, education and small business while ce

Campaign for Working Families’ director challenges herself to step outside her comfort zone every day | FunTimes Magazine

Diana Allinger, 34, is the volunteer engagement and partnerships director at Campaign for Working Families. She is a social justice advocate, talented writer and music enthusiast.


As the director of volunteer engagement and partnerships, she plays a vital role in the strategic direction and leadership of the nonprofit. She is responsible for volunteer recruitment; she works with corporations, universities and the School District of Philadelphia to build partnerships and spearhead new initiat

Campaign for Working Families provides free tax preparation | FunTimes Magazine

Yvonne Hughes, 80, of Northwest Philadelphia, said, “Campaign for Working Families’ free tax preparation is a blessing.”



Yvonne’s hands are swollen from arthritis. “It’s difficult to sign a check,” she said.

Recently, the doctor gave her a shot of steroids in her hands. Despite the severe pain, Yvonne said she must clean and scrub everything because her husband has leukemia.

Hughes and her husband, who is 85, have been coming to Campaign for Working Families (CWF), located at 1415 N.
The Chestnut Hill Local •

8 years in search of cure for boys with rare disease

While fun is the order for the 8th annual Make a Splash on Sunday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Flourtown Country Club, 150 McCloskey Road in Flourtown, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The family-friendly event includes swimming, dancing, games, raffles, a silent auction, a DJ, the Philly Phantic and more, is being held to benefit the Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) – a foundation looking for a cure for an incredibly rare condition that effects one in 6 million children.

Incredibly
The Chestnut Hill Local •

VIDEO: It's a car, it's a bike – no, it's a solar-powered ELF

Don't be surprised if you're walking down the Avenue and see a bright, orange bike-mobile. It's just Chestnut Hill resident Jeff Krieger riding in his ELF, a tricycle that runs on sunshine and sweat.

Krieger, president of Krieger + Associates Architects Inc., said he was visiting in his father in Oxford, Md., over Thanksgiving when he saw “this orange bike fly by.”

“I had no idea what it was, and I just caught the three letters ELF on the side,” he said. “I was fascinated by it. And when I got
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Sex trafficking victims in Pa. treated as criminals

-- The second in a series of articles

It's probably hard for many people to believe that sex trafficking could be taking place in Mt. Airy.

But just last week, East Mt. Airy resident Rahim McIntyre, a.k.a King Kobra, was sentenced on Aug. 18 by U.S. District Court Judge Harvey R. Bartle to nearly 22 years in prison on three counts of sex trafficking.

In October 2013, Rahim's brother, Rahaad McIntyre, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of minors.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ph
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Local efforts focus on sex trafficking in NW Philly

-- The first article in a series

When more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Chibok on April 14 of this year, it sparked international outrage and triggered a campaign on Twitter, using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. Local schools and businesses rallied to show support.

Unfortunately, the voices of American teenage girls who are sold in plain sight every day in Philadelphia neighborhoods, including Germantown and Mt. Airy, are silenced. Even worse, these
Face to Face Germantown Hospitality, Mutuality, Transformation •

Face to Face: A reason to give thanks - Sue Ann Rybak

Frank Jenkins’ eyes sparkle. He is quick to laugh and smile as he sits chatting and enjoying a warm meal with friends. Sitting across from Jenkins, I could see the hope and dignity that Face to Face in Germantown provides.

Jenkins, of Mt. Airy, said he likes coming to Face to Face in Germantown, a nonprofit social service organization, because he feels as if he is at home enjoying a meal with friends.

“Our motto is hospitality, mutuality and transformation,” said Susan O’Hagan Marley, director
The Chestnut Hill Local •

An Ugundan refugee finds his family

It's easy get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday. Recently, a story about one man and his struggle to survive, his unbreakable spirit of hope and an impossible family photograph reminded me that family is the greatest gift of all.

At the age of 10, while he was in Gulu, Uganda, Denis Fred Okema, a graduate student at Chestnut Hill College, was kidnapped by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), where he experienced unfathomable brutality and backbreaking labor serving the rebels.
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Glenside man a survivor of the Chinese oppression of Tibet

This year marks the 54th anniversary of National Uprising Day – March 10, 1959 – the day Tibetans surrounded the summer palace of the Dalai Lama in defiance of the Chinese occupation. Kugno Shewo Lobsang Dhargye, of Glenside, is one of the last living witnesses of that event.

Dhargye was just 26 years old at the time and was working at the Dalai Lama's summer palace as a guard.

“The memories of that gloomy day still freshly flashes into my eyes,” wrote Dhargye in a letter seeking political asy
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Former 'Lost Boy of the Sudan' speaks for unheard children

"Ayuen Garang Ajok, a former Sudan refugee volunteer at Global Education Motivators (GEM) based in Chestnut Hill. He tells his story to raise awareness of human rights issues. “We are the voice of unheard voices around the world,” says Ajok."] [/caption]

Ayuen Garang Ajok's message is simple. He is a voice for the forgotten children.

“We are the ambassadors to our world, and it’s our duty to educate each other about social j
The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC •

Waves of summer fun at area water parks

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor's latest attraction is the Tornado, a funnel-shaped water ride at the Jackson, N.J., park. Read more

Surfing, swimming and sliding are all part of the sun-splashed days offered at water parks this summer.

If you can't stand the heat or a big squeeze on your pocket, consider spending the day in cooling waters. Sahara Sam's Oasis in West Berlin and Thundering Surf Water Park in Beach Haven, N.J., are among the parks offering never-ending waves without a trek to the bea
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Mt. Airy man overcoming abuse suffered in detention

Mt. Airy resident Craig Stone, now 24, was just 14 years old when he was sent to Glen Mills Schools (GMS), a juvenile detention center in Delaware County, for nine months. GMS, which was originally called the Philadelphia House of Refuge, was lauded for its peer pressure model, which encouraged students to report their peers for any infraction of the rules.

However, GMS was a far cry from a house of refuge. The state closed the school in the Spring, 2019, following allegations of decades of chi
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Was a human guinea pig in gruesome experiments - At CHC, Holocaust survivor recalls Nazi murderers

Eva Mozes Kor, 79, a survivor of Dr. Josef Mengele's horrific twin experiments in Auschwitz and founder of CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) Holocaust Museum, shared her story of survival and her journey to forgive the “Angel of Death” at Chestnut Hill College on Oct. 10.

Kor recalled how her family in Romania was loaded onto a cattle car and transported to the Auschwitz Nazi Death Camp in 1944. She remembered seeing “a patch of grey sky through the barbed wi
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Spoke out at Chestnut Hill College - Holocaust survivor forgives those who killed her family

On January 27, 1945, Holocaust survivor Eva Kor, who spoke on Oct. 10 at Chestnut Hill College, and her twin sister Miriam walked out of Auschwitz holding hands. “The little promise to myself in the latrine became a reality,” Kor said. Only about 200 children were found alive by the Soviet Army by the time the camp was liberated.

Kor also shared with the audience three important life lessons and her personal journey to peace. The first life lesson was “never, ever give up!” The second lesson wa
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Erdenheim company named 2nd best in Philly area

B.Q. Basement Systems, which specializes in basement waterproofing, concrete leveling, crawl space, foundation repair and gutter installation, recently was ranked number two in the small-businesses category of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s 2021 Top Workplaces. The Inquirer partnered with Exton-based Energage to rank the Philadelphia region’s top large, midsize and small businesses for the 12th year in a row. The listings appeared in a magazine-style separate section of the Inquirer on Aug. 22.
The Chestnut Hill Local •

A mother breaks the silence of family struggle with son's addiction

This is the first article in a series that examines adolescence and addiction. Instead of focusing on the growing problem, it attempts to make the public aware of some the programs that are attempting to address addiction and provide hope for those who struggle with addiction every day.

Mt. Airy resident Nancy Peter, 61, is trying to break the silence of addiction by sharing her son’s struggle with the disorder.

Peter, director of the McKinney Center for STEM Education at the Philadelphia Educ
The Chestnut Hill Local •

Recovery high school helps teenagers overcome addiction

This is the second article in a series that examines adolescence and addiction. Instead of focusing on the growing problem, it attempts to make the public aware of some the programs that are attempting to address addiction and provide hope for those who struggle with addiction every day.

For many of us, just surviving adolescence was hard enough without the stigma and shame of addiction.

Rebecca Bonner, executive director at the Bridge Way School in Roxborough and a founding board member of Gr
The Chestnut Hill Local •

John Pappas, MD, joins Mt. Airy Pediatrics

As a teenager growing up in Bala Cynwyd, Dr. John Pappas, 30, enjoyed working as a lifeguard at the Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne, Pa. He was just 16 years old when he saved a child from drowning in the pool.

He recalled watching a toddler play in the baby pool. “The baby boy was being very adventurous running in and out of the pool,” he said. “I noticed he kept slipping.”

He said the child was laughing and giggling; the child would fall and then immediately get up. “Then one time, he
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About Me

I am a digital content writer, storyteller, editor, and media relations specialist.