Join us for our celebratory final concert in Glen Providence Park! As we announced this spring, Friends of Glen Providence Park is working to wind down our organization by the end of 2024. After thirteen years of programming, including dozens of wonderful concerts, this will be our last performance at the stage.

We‘re planning a festive affair to celebrate our thirteen years of events, education, advocacy, and stewardship in Glen Providence Park!

Enjoy an afternoon performance at the historical concert stage, then walk two blocks into town for dinner and shopping on State Street. Check out our full poster below…

Mark your calendars:

New Orleans & Caribbean Music with Gumbo Nouveau, featuring Nadine Lafond!
Saturday, September 14, 5:00-6:30pm
rain date Sunday, September 15

At the Glen Providence Park stage
Main entrance, 550 W. State St., Media, PA

Gumbo Nouveau is a Philadelphia-based band that performs music rooted in the traditions of New Orleans and Caribbean jazz. Their sound incorporates elements of traditional jazz, second line, reggae, calypso, samba, South African jazz, Afrobeat, and more. Featured vocalist Nadine LaFond’s unique sound is informed by her Haitian American heritage.

Thank you:

Thank you to our Summer Concert Sponsors Media Recreation Board, State Street Pub, Seven Stones Gallery, and Shere-e-Punjab; and to Delaware County Parks & Recreation, without whose support these concerts would not be possible. 

General Logistics:

• As with every event we have presented for thirteen years(!), this is free and family-friendly!
• Concert is at the Glen Providence Park Stage, downhill from the main entrance on State Street in Media. For Google Maps, use 550 West State Street, Media.
• Rain date is Sunday, September 15. If the rain date is used, the decision will be posted by 2:00pm Saturday on our website and Facebook. 
• Seating is on the lawn – bring your blanket or chair!
• There is a parking lot at the State Street entrance and along State Street and West Street.
• We encourage you to walk or take public transportation: the main entrance is just 2 blocks from the end of the Media trolley line, or less than a .6 mile walk from the Media train station.

Further reading…

• Read about the decades of concerts in the park, from 1937 to the 1970’s.
• Recaps and photos from our past concerts.
• Read about our September 2011 project to restore the concert stage.

Announcing… Friends of Glen Providence Park’s 2023 free summer concerts right in Media, PA! For our eleventh year of performances we offer musical variety with a Classical Flute Ensemble; New and Used Vintage Blues; Sacred Sounds; and Roots Music Panorama!

Enjoy an afternoon performance on the lawn in front of the historical concert stage, then walk two blocks into town for dinner and shopping on State Street. Check out our full poster below!

Thank you:

This summer’s 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. 

Thank you to our Summer Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board ; Performance Sponsors Sterling Pig Brewery, Seven Stones Gallery, State Street Pub, and Shere-e-Punjab; and to Delaware County Parks & Recreation, without whose support these concerts would not be possible. 

General Logistics:

• Free and family-friendly!
• Performances are at the Glen Providence Park Stage, downhill from the main entrance on State Street in Media.
• Rain dates are the Sunday after each scheduled performance. If the rain date is used, the decision will be posted by 2:00pm Saturday on our website and Facebook. Updated to 2:00 as of our July concert.
• Seating is on the lawn – bring your blanket or chair!
• There is a parking lot at the State Street entrance and along State Street and West Street.
• We encourage you to walk or take public transportation: the main entrance is just 2 blocks from the end of the Media trolley line, or less than a .6 mile walk from the Media train station.

More details on each performance coming soon!

• See our Calendar for individual event listings.
• Read about the decades of concerts in the park, from 1937 to the 1970’s.
• Read recaps and see photos from our past concerts.
• Read about our September 2011 project to restore the concert stage.

After being postponed by the rain and wind brought by Hurricane Ian, on Saturday Friends of Glen Providence Park held our 10th annual plantings for National Public Lands Day. Twenty-six adults and teens volunteered for a combined 94 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing deer fencing, and watering, all to improve wildlife habitat in Glen Providence!

This was Phase Four of our Kirk Lane project, which we started on National Public Lands Days in 2015, 2016 and 2019. We expanded on previous plantings with an additional 17 native trees and shrubs, and 13 native woodland plants – the complete list is below. The plants benefit wildlife by providing seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators, all while helping to slow down and absorb surface storm water runoff.

In addition, many of the plants provide food for humans – adding to the food forest we have started by the Kirk Lane entrance in previous years.

Thank you to the 26 volunteers who worked diligently all morning (and some into the afternoon!), and all who made this project possible:

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered a new bench and the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise, Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated additional woodland plants, and Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the deer fencing and posts, snacks, two special trees, and other supplies for this project.

Additional groups of volunteers from Penncrest High School and Springton Lake Middle School provided invaluable manpower, and neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose from their house to water the plantings. Cafe Isla donated coffee to fuel our volunteers, and Pinocchio’s Restaurant donated pizza for lunch. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

Here’s our native plant list from October 15, 2022.

And check out our photos (and video!) below:

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!

The events are designed for children ages 4 to 8, but children of all ages are welcome.

The four seasonal events are:

Winter: Winter Woods Alive – Saturday, February 26
Spring: Tremendous Trees – Saturday, May 21
Summer: Magnificent Monarchs – Saturday, August 20
Fall: Lovable Leaves – Saturday, November 19

Each event is limited to 10 children, so registration by email to FriendsoftheGlen [at] gmail [dot] com is required. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Times, details, and logistics will be posted for each event on our Calendar.

COVID notice: All of our events will follow the latest COVID protocols, and will be subject to change or cancellation due to COVID.

See the individual events in our Calendar for more information and logistics. All events are family-friendly and free to pre-registered participants. We hope to see you in the park!

Friends of Glen Providence Park
2022 Schedule of Events

Winter Discovery Walk with Samantha Nestory
Sunday, January 30, 1:00-2:30pm (our snow date!)
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Children’s Series: Winter Woods Alive! with Julie Smith
Saturday, February 26, 1:00pm-2:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, February 27, 1:00-2:00

CRC Streams Clean-up
Saturday, March 26, 9:00-11:00am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Herpetology Walk with Kyle Loucks
Saturday, April 16, 10:00-12:00pm
Meet at 3rd & West entrance
Rain or shine

Spring Bird Walk with Dave Eberly
Saturday, May 7, 8:00-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk Lane entrance
Rain or shine

Children’s Series: Tremendous Trees with Julie Smith
Saturday, May 21, 10:30-11:30am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, May 22

2022 Arts in the Park! – coming soon!
We’ll post an Arts in the Park announcement with details, and Calendar listings for each concert.
All Saturdays, 5:00-6:30, with Sunday rain dates

• June 4 – Roaring 20s Jazz with Blackbird Society Orchestra
• July 16 – Nothin’ But Voice with A Cappella Pops
• August 13 – Melodic Beatlesque Pop with Jim Boggia
• September 10 – Old-Timey Modern Bluegrass with The Cheddar Boys

Children’s Series: Magnificent Monarchs with Julie Smith
Saturday, August 20, 10:30-11:30am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, August 21

National Public Lands Day Plantings 
Saturday, October 1, 9:00–12:00 noon
Location TBD
Rain date Sunday, October 2

Nature Walk with Kayla Kehres
Saturday, November 5, time tba
Meet at State Street entrance
Drizzle, snow, or shine

Children’s Series: Lovable Leaves with Julie Smith
Saturday, November 19, 1:00-2:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, November 20

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 17, 8:30-10:30am
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

IN ADDITION:

Keep Media Green will be holding a spring volunteer event on Saturday, April 23 at 10:00am, with Glen Providence Park as one of the locations.

We await word on whether the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt can be held this year by Media Lions & McCarrin Chiropractic. It’s the park’s longest-running event, held annually since 1954, until it was canceled in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID.

Any updates will be noted here:

• 5/2 – Added summer concerts and times for remaining Seasonal Children’s Series

This year was our 10th National Public Lands Day volunteering in Glen Providence Park! On Saturday, October 2, 27 lovely adults and kids volunteered a combined 101 hours removing and reusing deer fencing, installing tree guards, weeding, digging, planting, mulching, and watering. In addition, eight volunteers worked on site more than 20 combined hours the Friday before, preparing the site and carrying supplies down the hill.

Over the past ten years, we had planted over 222 native trees and shrubs in the glen. At this year’s event, we prioritized the maintenance of the existing plantings – we removed deer fencing from trees and shrubs that outgrew them, replacing a number of them with tree guards. We reused most of that fencing on new native trees and shrubs! We worked in the area of our 2017 Wildlife Habitat Plantings below the sledding hill fence, and our 2012 and 2014 Streamside Buffer Plantings below the pavilion and along the streambank. We also removed 21(!) contractor bags of invasive Japanese Stiltgrass from around the plantings!

The native trees, shrubs, and woodland plants help to restore the forest, protect the stream, and stabilize the hillside and streambank. In addition to helping control erosion, the plants benefit wildlife by providing habitat and seeds, nuts, fruits, and nectar for mammals, birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. We planted 27 native trees and shrubs, and 17 woodland plants – the complete list is below.

Thank you! We have so many to thank for their help with this project… starting with all those wonderful volunteers! It is inspiring to work with people who are generous and dedicated enough to our environment to spend a beautiful Saturday morning working to care for and plant trees.

Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the funding for the plants and delivered the mulch. Delaware County Conservation District delivered their Conservation Planting Trailer full of all of the tools we could need! Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the tree guards, pizza, water, and coffee for volunteers, and other supplies for this project. Neighbors of the park allowed us to run a hose downhill from their house to water the plantings. Carol Carmon volunteered her time to video the bustle of activity. Keep Media Green and Media Rotary both helped recruit volunteers!

Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise selecting 20 native trees, shrubs, and perennials, Taylor Memorial Arboretum donated nine additional trees and shrubs, Garden Influence donated six additional woodland plants, and Patrick Burke donated five additional trees (and donuts)!

As a bonus, John Wenderoth donated three American Chestnuts, back-crossed with Chinese Chestnut pollen, which were grown at Mount Cuba’s nursery in Delaware. These were planted by the Kirk Lane entrance with our previous American Chestnut plantings – read more about American Chestnuts in Glen Providence Park and the efforts to restore this magnificent tree!

We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

The next time you are in Glen Providence Park, look for these native plants, and check out the photos below – just click on any for a closer look or to scroll through them. Carol Carmon’s video on YouTube of our planting gives an excellent overview of the morning’s purpose and activity!

Trees:

• White Spruce, Picea glauca – 4
• Arborvitae, Thuja sp. – 1
• American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana – 2
• Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis – 1
• Paw Paw, Asimina triloba – 3
• Washington Hawthorne, Crataegus phaenopyrum – 1
• Fringetree, Chionanthus virginicus – 1
• (At Kirk Lane) Hybrid American Chestnuts, Castanea dentata – 3

Shrubs:

• Virginia sweetspire ‘Merlot’, Itea virginica – 3
• Black Chokeberry ‘Viking’, Aronia melanocarpa – 1
• Black Chokeberry ‘Low Scape’,  Aronia melanocarpa – 1
• Blueberry ‘Jersey’, ‘Elizabeth’, & ‘Patriot’ Vaccinium corymbosum – 6

Woodland plants:

• Dixie Wood Fern, Dryopteris australis – 2
• Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis – 2
• Blue Mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum – 3
• Hairy alum root ‘Autumn Bride’ Heuchera villosa – 3
• Wild Geranium ‘Espresso’, Geranium maculatum – 3
• Northern Sea Oats,  Chasmanthium latifolium – 3
• Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense – 1

Photos by George Tate, Stephanie Gaboriault, and Carol Carmon. Video by Carol Carmon.

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.