If audience engagement is any indicator, The Cheddar Boys’ appearance on September 10 at the Glen Providence Park stage – on a perfect late summer evening – was a roaring success.

With covers of such wildly varied fan favorite artists Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Rocky Top), Fleetwood Mac (Dreams/Thunder Only Happens) and John Hartford (Steam Powered Airplane), the “Boys” had the crowd swaying, dancing and occasionally singing along.

Their low key, “old timey” stage banter belied the band’s musical chops, perfect harmonies and ultra tight arrangements highlighted in selections like Wild Horses (Rolling Stones) and Policeman (Anonymous – Americana).

The Cheddar Boys provided the perfect coda to the 2022 Arts in the Park concert season produced by the all-volunteer Friends of Glen Providence Park.

You can see their performance on YouTube (also linked below) thanks to volunteer Carol Carmon.

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and West End Flats; Concert Sponsor Sterling Pig Brewery; our volunteer Concert Committee; the more than 275 people who attended; and of course The Cheddar Boys!

Our 2022 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Program Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look!

Photos by George Tate, video by Carol Carmon

An imposing 13’ wide crimson umbrella sheltered singer-songwriter Jim Boggia from the mid-summer sun in a cloudless late afternoon sky as he serenaded the 175+ person audience from the historic Glen Providence Park stage. The evening of August 13 was a spectacular, cool, and breezy respite from the recent heat wave, and Jim Boggia’s gentle acoustic set fit the mood perfectly.

Jim opened with a sweet, slow, original ballad This Is It followed by the pop-rocker Johnny’s Going Down that picked up the pace a bit.

The finger-picked melody of On Your Birthday put on display some of Jim’s musical influences – Simon & Garfunkel, Harry Nilsson, Cat Stevens, and Brian Wilson – but most especially the Beatles. Jim has performed in various Beatles tribute concerts, and, most dramatically, a re-creation in Center City Philadelphia of their famous rooftop concert.

Jim’s beautifully executed performance roused round after round of applause from the crowd, being well matched to the likes of the audience and the personality of Glen Providence Park.

You can see his performance on YouTube (also linked below) thanks to volunteer Carol Carmon.

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and West End Flats; Concert Sponsor Dos Gringos Mexican Kitchen; our volunteer Concert Committee; the well over 175 people who attended; and of course Jim Boggia!

Our 2022 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Program Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look!

It was a perfect clear and breezy spring evening on June 4 for the Blackbird Society Orchestra’s return to the Glen Providence Park. The park’s historic WPA-era stage was absolutely the ideal venue to host Blackbird’s 1930’s era big band jazz and kickoff the Friends of Glen Providence Park’s 2022 Arts in the Park season.

Opening with the theme song from the Little Rascals shorts, the orchestra swung right into Roaring 20’s numbers Happy Days Are Here Again and Bessy Couldn’t Help It – reproduced note for note from the original 78rpm recordings.

The Louis Armstrong 30’s hit Mahogany Hall Stomp and That’s My Baby Now by the The Nighthawk Jazz Band nailed the sound and tempo of the flapper era to a “T”.

The band, the audience and the glen came together for another beautiful evening of entertaining music here in Everybody’s Park in  Everybody’s Home Town.

You can see their performance on YouTube (also linked below) thanks to volunteer Carol Carmon. In ten seasons of concerts, Blackbird Society Orchestra is the first performer we have brought back! You can see photos and a recap from their 2015 concert.

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and West End Flats; Concert Sponsor Shere-E-Punjab Indian Restaurant; our volunteer Concert Committee; the well over 250 people who attended; and of course Blackbird Society Orchestra!

Our 2022 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Program Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look!

On an absolutely exquisite late summer’s evening on Saturday, September 11, you may have heard the heartbeat of Mali, West Africa resounding throughout Glen Providence Park, courtesy of the eight member drum, percussion, and vocals troupe Malidelphia.

Should one be curious as to the origin of the Afro-Pop genre, this ensemble of drummers, percussionists and singers introduced the concert audience to the traditional sound – and feel! – of that West African style. Drums always lead the way, followed by the chanted colloquial vocals. Occasionally, woven through this thrumming beat was a warbling thread of notes from a treble-boosted electric guitar.

The band front man and lead vocalist Ira Bond coached the audience on some call and response participation, but more than a few concertgoers required no coaching to jump up and dance.

You can see Malidelphia perform on YouTube (also linked below) thanks to volunteer Carol Carmon!

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and West End Flats; Concert Sponsor Sterling Pig Brewery; our volunteer Concert Committee; Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage; the almost 200 people who attended; and of course Malidelphia!

Our 2021 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Program Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look! Photos by George Tate.

Video by Carol Carmon. Panorama by Stephanie Gaboriault.

The acoustic guitar and the outdoors were made for each other. As if to prove that point, on Saturday, August 7, brothers Adam and John Kossler – along with perfect conditions at the concert stage in Glen Providence Park –conspired to deliver a delightful evening of sweet strings on a beautiful summer evening.

Brothers Adam and John Kossler have established themselves individually as classical guitar soloists, chamber musicians and dynamic partners when performing together as the Kossler Duo, as they did this evening on the park’s 1930’s-era historic stage.

Adam and John dipped into their well of symphonic stylings transcribed for the guitar and showed how precision often begets beauty.

In his introduction to their arrangement of Danse Macabre, no one in the audience saw coming Adam’s suggestion that they may have heard a version of this same number in a bugs Bunny cartoon!

In 2019 the Kossler Duo released their first album titled Danse Macabre, a collection of their own new transcriptions for guitar duo. The recording debuted at #2 on Billboard’s “Traditional Classical” chart, and #7 on Billboard’s “Classical Albums” chart.

You can see the Kossler Duo perform on YouTube (also linked below) thanks to volunteer Carol Carmon!

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and West End Flats; Concert Sponsor Shere-E-Punjab Indian Restaurant; our volunteer Concert Committee; Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage; the almost 130 people who attended; and of course Adam and John Kossler!

Our 2021 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Program Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look! Photos by George Tate.

Video by Carol Carmon. Panorama by Stephanie Gaboriault.

Local drummer and percussionist Paul Downie brought his six-piece band of “Rhythm & Soul” rockers to light up the Glen Providence concert stage and help the Friends of Glen Providence Park celebrate their 10-year anniversary at our concert on Saturday, July 10.

Preceding the music, the Friends Board of Directors took center stage to present FoGPP President Stephanie Gaboriault with a commemorative book featuring photos that highlighted the many programs and events sponsored by the organization in its first decade of service to the Park and the community. Marc Manfre, Director Delaware County Parks & Recreation spoke to the Friend’s mission and its effectiveness in delivering area-wide environmental and cultural benefits and inspiration to other county park volunteer groups. Media Mayor Bob McMahon presented a proclamation to Ms. Gaboriault in recognition of her influence in founding the Friends of Glen Providence Park and her tireless efforts in support of the organization.

Performing beneath the beautiful hand crafted HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY banner strung above the stage front, Paul Downey & Friends (now called Big Fire) covered songs by the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, and Bob Marley. The band also applied a touch of island spice to jazz favorites by Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, in addition to performing some original compositions.

During the show, the Friends handed out 10th Anniversary cupcake treats to the attendees, the audience soaked up the rich atmosphere of the concert in the Glen… and the band played on.

For more about the Friends 10th Anniversary and photos from our celebration, click here. You can see Paul Downie & Friends perform Chariot on YouTube (also linked below) thanks to volunteer Carol Carmon!

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and West End Flats; Concert Sponsor Seven Stones Gallery; our volunteer Concert Committee; Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage; the more than 300 people who attended; and of course the Paul Downie & Friends, now called Big Fire!

Our 2021 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Program Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look! Photos by George Tate.

Video by Carol Carmon. Panorama by Stephanie Gaboriault.

Glen Providence Park’s stature as a neighborhood treasure was never more apparent than in the year 2020. The park provided serenity, solace, and space to an entire community precisely when access to quiet open space was at a premium in our urban setting.

The normally active historic stage went quiet for the entire 2020 performance schedule cycle, the first interruption in the Friend’s eight consecutive years of providing the free summer concerts that have consistently grown in popularity and attendance.

Following 2021 guidelines for renewed social activity, the Friends of Glen Providence Park began our ninth concert season – and our tenth year as an organization – on Saturday, June 26 with a return to the concert stage featuring the soulful Danie Ocean and her band.

Danie on either keyboard or guitar, accompanied by her four-piece band, serenaded the audience spread across the concert stage lawn with original jazz-pop fusion originals like Mirrors and In Paris and a just fabulous cover of Uptown Funk.

Danie Ocean’s melodic stylings were the perfect “welcome back” we had all been hoping for throughout the previous year.

You can see Danie perform her anthem, Not Sorry on YouTube (also linked below) thanks to volunteer Carol Carmon!

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and West End Flats; Concert Sponsor Sterling Pig Brewery; our volunteer Concert Committee; Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage; the more than 250 people who attended; and of course the Danie Ocean Band!

Our 2021 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Program Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look! Photos by George Tate.

Video by Carol Carmon. Panorama by Stephanie Gaboriault.

As an audience-in-the-making wound its way towards prime viewing locations and settled into a wide variety of portable seating, lounging and picnic dining options, the historic stage area of Glen Providence Park graced them with its serene, sultry, late summer best – an environment that proved to be the perfect setting for the smooth, heartfelt musical stylings of Bill Ricchini of Summer Fiction.

Mr. Ricchini, solo, with his acoustic guitar, delivered a list of original tunes, among them his hits Dirty Blonde, Passion, and Higher Than Heaven with a spare simplicity that served to highlight his signature lyrical intensity. He prefaced each song with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his inspiration, and, in one interlude, introduced family members who took this opportunity to catch him in this rare local performance.

Bill closed the performance with Tell Me Once, a gently introspective musing that offered a fitting close to the 8th season of concerts produced by the Friends of Glen Providence Park.

Editor’s note: Check out a wonderful video of his performance of Kids in Catalina posted on Facebook by audience member Carol Tendall Carmon!

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board, West End Flats, and Media Open Streets; Concert Sponsor Diego’s Cantina; our volunteer Concert Committee; Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage; and of course Bill Ricchini!

Our 2019 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Project Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

With our 2020 Arts in the Park postponed to 2021 due to COVID, we’re wistfully looking back at 2019… The Bickel Brothers Band performed on August 17:

In addition to their loyal local fans and regional followers, the Bickel Brothers Band brought their performing “A game” to the historical Glen Providence stage on a prototypical Media midsummer Saturday evening.

Friends of Glen Providence Park concert committee member Paul Schlenker introduced the band, and, from their first notes, it was a single solid set of their signature mashup of Blues, Funk, and soulful Jazz.

Among their offerings of fabulous original tunes and incredibly tight covers was their standout interpretation of the Stevie Wonder smash hit Living For The City. With pure musical mastery, the five “Brothers” took this tune into the stratosphere and then guided it back to earth for a finale that brought the crowd to its feet. Had he been there, Mr. Wonder would have been cheering along with them.

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board, West End Flats, and Media Open Streets; Concert Sponsor Sterling Pig Brewery; our volunteer Concert Committee; Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage; the hundreds of people who attended; and of course the Bickel Brothers Band!

Our 2019 Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Project Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look, or scroll through to see what it was like! Photos by George Tate.

Under a cloudless evening sky on July 13, with a zero percent chance of precipitation, an audience-in-the-making filtered down State Street into the freshly-mown Glen anticipating a 100 percent chance of excellent live musical entertainment. And self-described “melodic songstress” Birdie Busch delivered – well beyond expectation.

While folks on blankets, folding chairs, and a few inflatable “couches” packed the lawn as usual, sit-down style picnic feasts — some simple, some deliciously elaborate — are making more frequent appearances on the tables placed throughout the audience.

Birdie opened her performance with the exquisite ballad Secret Hour and from that first moment, she held the crowd in thrall to her introspective lyrics and soft, clear voice.

Her performance-burnished Kay acoustic/electric guitar laid a vintage filter over her all-original set including the toe-tappers Go Go Gadget Heart and Keys to The Car and heartfelt nostalgia of Heel to Toe and Sing Song Girl.

Ms. Busch spoke directly to the audience frequently throughout her performance, detailing the life experiences that inspired her pieces and, in turn, commenting on the look and feel of the Park itself. Before closing her set with the tender reminiscence Gigi, Birdie commented, “If I could walk to a setting like this in my neighborhood and get free live music, I would be thrilled! Media, you’re really lucky to have this”.

Agreed Birdie, we certainly are.

Editor’s note: Check out the delightful photos by George Tate below, and you can also see a wonderful 1-minute video from the performance posted on Facebook by audience member Carol Tendall Carmon!

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation; a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board, West End Flats, and Media Open Streets; Concert Sponsor Seven Stones Gallery; our volunteer Concert Committee; Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage; the hundreds of people who attended; and of course Birdie Busch!

This summer’s Arts in the Park was made possible by funding from Project Stream, a grant initiative of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts that is regionally administered by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. 

Click on any photo for a closer look, or scroll through to see what it was like!