As we post details for each month, we will link to that event with information and logistics.  All events are free, family-friendly, and open to the public – we hope to see you in the park!

Friends of Glen Providence Park
2017 Schedule of Events

Schedule subject to change – please check back to confirm times, details, and meeting locations.

Citizen Science: Winter Tree Mapping with Shannon Davidson & Marcia Tate
Saturday, January 28, 2-4:00pm
Meet at 3rd & Kirk entrance
Rain/snow date Sunday, January 29

Winter Naturalist Walk & Talk with Chris McNichol
Saturday, February 11, 10:00-12:00 noon
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

Early Spring Clean-up – snow date!
Saturday, March 25, 9:30-11:00am
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain/snow date Sunday, March 26

CRC Streams Clean-up – on Earth Day!
Saturday, April 22, 9-11:00
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain or shine

Spring Bird Walk with Tom Bush
Saturday, May 6, 7:30-9:30am
Meet at 3rd & Kirk entrance
Rain or shine

Arts in the Park: Master Storyteller Odds Bodkin
Saturday, June 3, 5:00-6:30
Rain date Sunday, June 4

Arts in the Park: Splintered Sunlight
Saturday, July 8, 5:00-6:30
Rain date Sunday, July 9

Arts in the Park: Jeffrey Gaines
Saturday, August 12, 5:00-6:30
Rain date Sunday, August 13

Arts in the Park: Eco del Sur
Saturday, September 9, 5:00-6:30
Rain date Sunday, September 10

National Public Lands Day
Saturday, September 30, 9–12:00 noon
Rain date Sunday, October 1

Kids Nature Walk with Holly Hoffmann & Aura Lester
Saturday, October 7, 10:30-12:00 noon
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, October 8, 10:30-12:00 noon

History & Nature Walk with Stephanie Gaboriault & Marcia Tate
Saturday, November 4, 2:00-4:00pm
Meet at State Street entrance
Rain date Sunday, November 5

Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, December 16, 8-10:00am
Meet at 3rd & West Street entrance
Rain, snow, or shine

And don’t forget the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt held by Media Lions & McCarrin Chiropractic – it’s the park’s longest-running event, held annually since 1954!  This year’s date is Saturday, April 8 at 11:00am (sharp!), with a rain date of Sunday, April 9 at 1:00pm.

Back on the 12th of April, my wife Patti & I, like many Media parents, took our two girls, Kailey (7) & Samantha (5) to the 60th  Anniversary Great Media Easter Egg Hunt in Glen Providence Park.  As soon as the signal to start was given, a wave of children spread out across the cordoned-off age-appropriate sections of the park. Like the Tom Cruise scene out of Far and Away, it was reminiscent of the mad rush of settlers moving west across our country in an attempt to claim the best homesteads. After much fun had been had and much chocolate acquired, we found ourselves making our way down to the pond at the bottom of the hill with the last stragglers of the morning’s festivities.

Here we would find our second Easter celebration, this one being orchestrated by nature.  There was a Cacophony of animal sounds emanating from the eruption of life’s rebirth and renewal in and around the pond.  The first thing we noticed was the deafening sounds of the frogs mating and searching for a mate; coming from all around.  With contrasting language ranging from the most scientific descriptions to family friendly names & phrases such as “the mommy frogs” and “the daddy frogs” hugging, I somewhat uncomfortably explained to my innocent little girls that these “hugging frogs” where in the midst of creating new life in order to start making the tadpoles or “baby frogs” we would see later in the season.

As we watched the birds dart over and around the pond, one could clearly make out the numerous types of bird calls underneath the sounds of the frogs.  Like the melody of a keyboard supporting the lead singer and guitarist of a 70s classic rock band, the sounds of children running and playing filled in behind.  The panting and trotting of the occasional pet dog added to the depth of Nature‘s great performance.

In the backdrop you could see painted turtles, huge coy, sunnies, and even a giant snapping turtle. As I watched the children, including my own, scoop up and gather the frogs that weren’t hugging, I found myself torn between a sense that these creatures should be left in peace and the knowledge that this was almost exactly the same way I had come to appreciate nature and thereby learn to share in the responsibility of stewardship in regards to these great resources.

As this Easter afternoon marched on and we marched home muddied & tired, I felt a great renewal of an appreciation of nature within myself and also reveled in witnessing the rebirth of this appreciation within my girls.

Editor’s note: the frogs in question are American Toads, which are in the order Anura (frogs). So all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.

Guest blogger Dylan Atkins is a Board Member of Friends of Glen Providence Park. See his photos of the Egg Hunt and the toads below!

The annual Egg Hunt in Glen Providence Park was started by the Media Jaycees in 1954 – making this year the 60th anniversary! In 2008, long-time event sponsor the Media Lions Club took over the event with McCarrin Chiropractic as the co-sponsor- this is their 7th year organizing the Egg Hunt.

Running this event is no small task- it involves filling and hiding over 4,000 eggs!  Volunteers also clean debris- and of course there is the traditional visit from the Easter Bunny to coordinate.  Articles show that there were once “golden eggs” hidden, with the lucky finders getting special prizes… one long-time resident told us the grand prize was once a bike! You can read more about the history of Easter Services and the Egg Hunt in Glen Providence Park.

This year’s Egg Hunt:

Saturday, April 12 at 11:00
Main entrance on State Street
Rain date: Sunday, April 13 at 1:00

Thank you to the Media Lions Club and McCarrin Chiropractic for continuing this wonderful community tradition!

While it is the longest-running, the Egg Hunt is just one of many events that have been held in the Glen Providence Park through the years- including fireworks, Haunted Woods, and fishing derbies.  Read more in our 2011 article 76 years in the park: the Swamp Man, pie eating contests & more!

The Great Media Easter Egg Hunt is Glen Providence Park’s longest-running event… the Egg Hunt has been held on the Sledding Hill annually since 1954!  The pre-hunt anticipation is captured in this 1963 Chester Times photograph, captioned “Anxious hunters prepare to stalk their prey – Easter Eggs – at Media Jaycees’ Annual Hunt”.  As far as we know, the Egg Hunt has run continuously for 58 years!

And Easter has been celebrated in Glen Providence Park even farther back than that: Easter Sunrise Services were held in the park from 1947 through at least 1950… at 6:30 am(!).  The park guard would plant flowers specifically to bloom for Easter Services!

The Media Jaycees, “the United States Junior Chamber”, started the Easter Egg Hunt in 1954, and they continued it to at least 1975.  While there is a gap in newspaper coverage, as far as we know, the Media Jaycees ran the event until about 1989.  Around 1990, the Media Business Authority took over the organization of the Egg Hunt, which they continued for almost 20 years.  In 2008, long-time event sponsor the Media Lions Club took over the event with  McCarrin Chiropractic as the sponsor- this is their 5th year organizing the Egg Hunt.

First Egg Hunt in 4-19-1954 Chester Times

Running this event is no small task- it involves filling and hiding over 4,000 eggs!  Volunteers also clean debris- and of course there is the traditional visit from the Easter Bunny to coordinate.  Articles show that there were once “golden eggs” hidden, with the lucky finders getting special prizes… one long-time resident told us the grand prize was once a bike!

Thank you to the Media Business Authority, the Media Lions Club and McCarrin Chiropractic for their years of work to continue this wonderful community tradition!

Experience it this weekend:

The 2012 Great Media Easter Egg Hunt at Glen Providence Park!
Main entrance on State Street
Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 11:00 am
Rain date: Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 1:00 pm

2013 Update:
Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 11:00 am
Rain date: Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 1:00 pm 

2014 Update:
Saturday, April 12 at 11:00
Rain date: Sunday, April 13 at 1:00

2015 Update:
Saturday, March 28 at 11:00
Rain date: Sunday, March 29 at 1:00

While it is the longest-running, the Egg Hunt is just one of many events that have been held in the Glen Providence Park through the years- including fireworks, Haunted Woods, and fishing derbies!  Read more in our article 76 years in the park: the Swamp Man, pie eating contests & more!

When Mr. and Mrs. George Butler donated the land for Glen Providence Park in 1935, it was the first park in Delaware County.  Dedicated as a Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum, this park has hosted an amazing array of events and activities in its 76 years, not to mention the habitat it provides for plants and wildlife!

Long before summer concerts in Rose Tree Park, Glen Providence Park had incredibly popular outdoor concerts, from 1937 through the 1970’s.  And the 4th of July fireworks that were held annually from 1954 to 1986 drew crowds in the thousands!

Events were not restricted to summer- the Halloween Haunted Woods in the 1980’s included a “swamp man” in the pond!  In winter, ice skating at the pond was enhanced with a cabin for warmth and lights around the pond for nighttime skating.  And generations have enjoyed the spectacular sledding hill at the main entrance!

Easter sunrise services were held in the park through the 1940’s.  Easter also heralds the longest running event in Glen Providence Park- the Annual Egg Hunt started in 1954!  Other events in the park’s past include fishing derbies, pie eating contests, even picnics for University of Pennsylvania fraternities.

The natural environment of the park is enjoyed year-round by hikers, bird watchers, dog walkers, and children.  From the park’s beginning through the present day, school classes have visited the park to study nature.  Until at least 1970 there was a park guard, whose role was part caretaker and part park ranger, helping visitors identify plants and wildlife.

Glen Providence Park was the pride of the county in its early decades.  Due to the elegance of its plan and its original structures, in 2002 it was determined to be eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places!

Yet in all its 76 years, Glen Providence Park is perhaps the most relevant today.  With concerns about gas prices, the economy, health, and wildlife habitat, a walk through this park provides a free family outing within walking distance of thousands of local residents.  Exercise and stress relief? They’re unavoidable while exploring this beautiful park.   Its land provides a haven for an array of wildlife and native plants.  Glen Providence Park could not be more valuable.

The dedication at the park’s main entrance ends with, “A gift of land is a gift eternal”.  What an incredible gift it is!

Our Letter to the Editor in September 2011

By Stephanie Gaboriault