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!

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.

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.

Friends of Glen Providence Park first met on July 14, 2011 at Seven Stones Café in Media. We organized in response to the threat to the north end of the park by the reconstruction of Broomall’s Dam, and we continue to advocate to minimize damage to the park’s wetlands, wildlife, and plants. Our activities quickly expanded to nature walks, citizen science, plantings, and much more, with free and family-friendly events every month (minus a few Covid months) since September 2011!

We had a magical 10th Anniversary celebration at our Arts in the Park concert on Saturday, July 10, and we were honored that Delaware County Parks Director Marc Manfre and Media Mayor Bob McMahon attended to mark the occasion.

Before celebrating with cupcakes, we shared a list of 10 of our accomplishments and activities over the past 10 years, with an emphasis on the many people who have helped…

1. 3rd Street Advocacy: This all started when we learned the devastating impact the planned 3rd Street project would have on the northern section of the park. We spent countless hours including research and attending dozens of public meetings looking for ways to minimize that destruction.
2. Citizen Science: Over 200 plant and wildlife species documented on Citizen Science databases, including 19 reptiles & amphibians, 58 trees, and 129 birds.
3. Conservation Crew: Since 2013, our Friday morning Conservation Crew has worked more than 960 hours removing invasive plants, and on many other projects to protect wildlife habitat.
4. Communications: Through thousands of informational Facebook posts, a monthly newsletter, postings on our entrance kiosks, presentations, and now videos on YouTube.
5. Extensive historical research: Ghost stories, Scroggie Valley, a shingle mill, National Historic Register availability and more, compiled in 31 articles on our website, and counting!
6. Native tree plantings: Hundreds of native trees, shrubs, and woodland plants in the glen, with 231 volunteers working a combined 719 hours to improve wildlife habitat and stream quality, and reduce erosion.
7. Park cleanups: We have held 20 cleanups since September 2011, with 448 volunteers working a combined 837 hours keeping the park and stream healthy for its plants, wildlife habitants, and human visitors.
8. Environmental education: Dozens of free & family-friendly nature walks with 18 different guides – covering birds, trees, fungi, geology, herpetology & more… over 1,300 people have attended!
9. Collaborations: We have worked with many organizations on events and projects, including but not limited to CRC Watersheds, Delaware County Parks & Recreation, the Conservation District, Keep Media Green, Media Providence Friends School, Media Rotary, Media Business Authority, Media Arts Council, Media Presbyterian Senior Craftsmen, Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts, and Transition Town Media.
10. Arts in the Park: In addition to collaborating on this year’s lovely new entrance mural, we have presented 29 free community concerts in a wide array of musical styles; Shakespeare, storytelling, and ballet – and we have never repeated a performer!

We are all-volunteer nonprofit organization, and all of our events are free and family-friendly. Our mission is “to preserve and enhance the natural and historical resource of Delaware County’s oldest park, founded in 1935 as a bird sanctuary and arboretum.” You can find out more about all of our activities by exploring the Menu, Categories, and Tags on our website, through our numerous Facebook photos and posts (no Facebook account needed to view!), and on our new-this-year YouTube channel!

A special thank you to Marc Manfre at Delaware County Parks & Recreation for his support of our activities and efforts in Glen Providence Park, and for all he does to maintain the 800+ acres of Delaware County parks.

Thank you to all who have followed us through our website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and newsletter; attended our events; joined our committees; attended Borough meetings; lent their expertise; volunteered; led our nature walks; and even donated to support our efforts. Each one of you makes a difference!

We are happy to see so much community support for Glen Providence Park!

Stephanie Gaboriault, President
Marcia Tate, Vice President
Holly Hoffmann, Treasurer
Lisa Johnson, Secretary
Charles Randall, Board of Directors

Check out some of our anniversary photos below – click on any for a closer look.

Friends of the Glen committee – and present & past board – members shown in first photo, left to right: Aura Lester, Rich Hoffmann, Shannon Robards, Dylan Atkins, Linda Emory, Holly Hoffmann, Stephanie Gaboriault, Lisa Johnson, Paul Schlenker (in background), Marcia Tate, Charles Randall, Terry Rumsey, Nate Pentz, and (just offscreen with her dog) Robin Lasersohn. Further out of frame but in attendance: Stan Hibberd, Michael Straw, and (behind the camera) George Tate. Additional present & past members: Ron Brzowski, Krista Dimond, Susan Harrington, Kristen Keel, Mike Rolli, Jane Sleutaris, and Rick Sleutaris.

Photos by George Tate

George and Eleanor Butler donated the land for Glen Providence Park in the summer of 1935, and work started on October 31, 1935 – making Halloween Glen Providence Park’s birthday! Coincidentally(?), some spooky-strange tales from local folklore take place in and around the park, and it has hosted some spook-tacular Halloween events.

It was the local ghost and witch stories recounted in the early 1900’s by Dr. Anna E. Broomall that led us to discover the rich pre-park history of Glen Providence, from the time it was called Scroggie Valley!  Dr. Broomall was the daughter of Judge John M. Broomall, who had owned the land that is now Glen Providence Park from about 1864 until his death in 1894.  

“Back in the early days of this region before civilization had turned too strong a light on things occult, the neighborhood was peopled with its full quota of goblins and ghosts and witches…” You can read the rest of Dr. Broomall’s telling of the 1700’s story of newlywed ghosts haunting the park, and the 1800’s story of three witch sisters tormenting the local miller, and of their Witches’ Ride in the park.  Both stories are annotated with our historical research and maps.

In the 1980’s, Delaware County Parks & Recreation held frightening Halloween Hauntings in Glen Providence, with Freddy Kruger, a chain saw man, Dracula, and even water creatures in the pond! My favorite newspaper description stated, “After completing the eerie walk, visitors will receive a cup of cider and the director’s assurance that no one will follow them home.” 

Those hauntings were apparently scary enough to help inspire Penncrest grad Gary Dauberman, the horror screenwriter of the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “It”! He spoke about it in interviews, telling the Delaware County Daily Times, “I remember going on haunted walks at Glen Providence Park in Media every Halloween, which helped to foster my love of horror at a very young age. So did driving by the Heilbron Mansion on the school bus every day…”

To honor the 80th Anniversary of Glen Providence Park in 2015, we held a Halloween Birthday celebration at the stage, with Hedgerow Theatre enacting Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, and the park’s Ghost and Witch Stories! It was an enchanting evening, with the audience dressed in costumes, ready to head off for trick-or-treating immediately following the performance. 

Halloween events are just some of the park’s wonderful array of activities and events since it opened in 1935. That tradition of community events, and the elegance of the park’s design and structures built by the Works Progress Administration, are why Glen Providence Park was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places!  What a marvelous history it has had…

Happy 85th Birthday, Glen Providence Park!

And, Happy Halloween!

Click on the links in the article above for photos and much more information!