Be a part of more Arts in the Park! Friends of Glen Providence Park and Media Arts Council are delighted to announce a new mural for the main entrance to Glen Providence Park in Media, PA. The mural will be in six panels, on the cemented windows and doors of the overlook at the State Street entrance. The four windows will depict the four seasons in the glen with native woodland plants, while the two doors will depict live music… in view of concerts this summer at the park’s WPA stage!

Help us reach our goal of $2,700 to cover the cost of this art installation that will brighten and transform the main entrance – donate to our Glen Providence Mural GoFundMe!

Thank you for your support! 

The mural designer is Laurie Kirkpatrick Doran.  She will paint the mural with Shannan McConnell, whose grandfather helped build the main entrance in 1935 as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)! They are both Media Arts Council Gallery Artists. The funds will cover the cost of the materials and payments to the artists for design and implementation. 

The mural is a joint project of Friends of Glen Providence Park and Media Arts Council. It’s an exciting year for the project – it’s the Friends’ 10th anniversary and MAC’s 15th anniversary! The mural will be painted in June, in time for the Friends’ first Arts in the Park concert this summer on June 26. 

We are grateful to Delaware County Parks and Recreation for making this project possible, including power washing the cement to prepare it for painting.

Paintings by Laurie Kirkpatrick Doran. Those shown are a portion of a musician panel for one of the two doors, and the Spring panel for one of the four windows.

Saturday was the inaugural day for the Borough’s newest event, Media Open Streets! After yet another rainy week at the end of an incredibly rainy summer, it was a gorgeous, clear morning, and families came out in numbers to ride and walk along the streets – which were closed to vehicle traffic – and to enjoy activities along the way! The route spanned from Jackson Street & Providence Road on one end to Glen Providence Park at the other. 

At the Glen Providence entrance, we were lucky to have as neighbors: plein air painters with Media Arts Council, light bike repairs with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, wool spinning with the Media Historical Society, and frisbee-throwing robots!

In the park were yoga with First United Methodist Church of Media, salsa and more yoga with Salsa in the Suburbs Dance Studio, and performances by the Media Theatre!

Thank you to Transition Town Media and other volunteers for all of their hard work organizing this event!

Here are a few photos from the event – click on any for a closer look!

Photos by author

For the second in four concerts in our 2016 Summer Performance Series, Friends of Glen Providence Park is delighted to present activist-songwriter John Flynn! He writes songs on behalf of “the lost and the lonely, the shackled and scarred.” A “quintessential folk singer,” Flynn has been compared Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, and Kris Kristofferson. He will perform a set for kids, and a set for adults.

Afternoon Concert in the Park

Sunday, July 17
4:30-6:00 pm
Glen Providence Park Stage, State Street, Media
Rain date: Sunday, July 17

UPDATE – RAIN DATE! After an initially clear forecast today, the forecast for the next few hours is not great, with thunderstorms rolling through – so we are using our Sunday rain date!!!

We will also celebrate the 5th Anniversary of Friends of Glen Providence Park! We held our first meeting on July 14, 2011 at Seven Stones Cafe in Media – appropriately enough, they are the sponsor for this concert. Join us as we celebrate our first five years with a concert and anniversary cake!

Bring a blanket or chair, and relax on the lawn by the historical stage to enjoy a late afternoon concert! After the concert, head into Media for dinner and shopping, just 2 blocks away on State Street. As with all of our events, this concert is free and open to the public.

On your way to dinner, check out the Opening Reception for Philadelphia-based muralist and paper cutout artist Joe Boruchow – that’s 6:00-8:00 at the Media Arts Council Gallery, next to Sterling Pig by the park entrance!

Thank you:

• Concert Sponsor Seven Stones Cafe is one of the most inviting spots in town! With great coffee (and artfully prepared lattes!), Seven Stones has delicious offerings to enjoy over good conversation, a meeting, or a book. And the family-owned cafe is located just over 4 blocks from the entrance to the park!
• Concert Series Sponsor Media Recreation Board does so much for Media – including summer camp for kids, movies in Barrall Field, the Annual July 4th Celebration, and the Great Media Garage Sale Days.
• Concert Series Sponsor Media Rotary Foundation has been supporting the community by contributing to worthwhile organizations, groups and projects since 1983.
• Delaware County Parks & Recreation has cared for Glen Providence Park since its creation in 1935, and their support makes these concerts possible.

If the weather is questionable, we will post on Facebook and on our website by noon Saturday whether we will use our Sunday rain date.

For logistics, and for information on our June, August, and September performances, please see our 2016 Summer Performance Series announcement!

Friends of Glen Providence Park is proud to be helping the Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association (CRC) with their 19th Annual Streams Cleanup! This year CRC volunteers will remove trash at more than 30 sites along Chester, Ridley and Crum Creeks and their tributaries, including Broomall’s Run in Glen Providence Park.

19th Annual CRC Streams Cleanup Day

Saturday, April 30
9:00-11:30am
Glen Providence Park – main entrance
* Lunch & t-shirts provided for registered volunteers – more information below *

The Annual Streams Cleanup is just one of many activities that CRC undertakes to further its mission “To protect, conserve, and restore the natural resources of the Chester, Ridley, and Crum Creek watersheds.” This is our fifth year coordinating the CRC Streams Cleanup for Glen Providence Park.

2016 Stream Cleanup information:

• ** Please register for the cleanup through the CRC website to get a free participant t-shirt and picnic lunch, and so that CRC can plan for supply quantities. **
• Meet at the Glen Providence Park main entrance on West State Street in Media at 9:00 am.
• Rain or shine.
• Gloves and bags will be provided.
• We recommend long pants and long sleeves to protect against poison ivy and ticks.
• If you’d like to tackle trash along the streambank, wear water shoes, boots, or old shoes!
• In addition to stream cleanup, we may have other projects for you to choose from – such as clearing invasive plants along the trails.

Bonus for volunteers of all ages: Nature-Inspired Art!

11:00-11:30
Before the cleanup finishes at Glen Providence Park, volunteers can have an additional reward – an art project under the majestic oak tree by the stage! Use yarn and acrylic (permanent) paint to transform sticks and rocks into art. Once dry, the art will be placed around the Park to add to its beauty.  Come back throughout spring and summer to see how many you can find on your explorations! Free and open to all ages. Led by Art For Everyone & Media Arts Council.

The CRC lunch will be held at:

Ridley Creek State Park
Pavilion 8
11:30 am

We hope to see you April 30!