We were saddened to cancel our annual native tree planting for National Public Lands Day this fall due to COVID-19, as it is one of our favorite events! However, in 2019 and 2020, volunteers have planted 32 native trees and shrubs – and dozens of woodland plants – by the Kirk Lane entrance to Glen Providence Park.

In October 2019, we completed Phase Three of our Wildlife Habitat Plantings at the entrance and along the Scouts Loop trail. In both April 2019 and November 2020, our PA State Representative Chris Quinn planted a tree for Arbor Day. And in July 2020, volunteers planted three hybrid American Chestnut trees. All of these native plantings will benefit future generations of humans and wildlife!

National Public Lands Day
Saturday, October 5, 2019

Last Fall, 40 lovely adults, teens, and kids volunteered a combined 107 hours digging, planting, mulching, installing deer fencing, raking, and watering, all to improve wildlife habitat in Glen Providence!

This was Phase Three of our Kirk Lane project, which we started on National Public Lands Days in 2015 and 2016. We expanded on previous plantings with an additional 27 native trees and shrubs, and 50 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, in addition to helping to slow down and absorb surface storm water runoff.

This project demonstrated the wonderful range of community groups and volunteers who come together to help in Glen Providence Park:

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! Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable expertise, Taylor Memorial Arboretum and Garden Influence donated additional woodland plants, and Friends of Glen Providence Park donors funded the deer fencing, posts, and other supplies for this project.

Additional groups of volunteers from Media Rotary 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 our PA State Rep. Chris Quinn both helped with the planting, and paid for and picked up pizza for lunch. We are grateful to all of these people for making the plantings possible!

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Plantings by PA State Representative Chris Quinn
Arbor Day 2019 & November 2020

Chris Quinn has planted two other native trees in the park by Kirk Lane – a Willow Oak for Arbor Day in 2019, and a magnificent “Green Gable” Black Tupelo today! He purchased both trees and planted them with us. We are grateful for his generosity, and that he chose Glen Providence Park for Arbor Day plantings!

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Trees from the American Chestnut Foundation
July 2020

Ron Brzowski and Pat Burke planted three hybrid American Chestnut saplings near two hybrids we planted with Ron in 2016. We were able to re-use deer fencing from some of our previous plantings. The trees were donated by Tyler Arboretum’s American Chestnut Nursery via The American Chestnut Foundation, and they were grown at the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware. It’s all part of a decades-long effort to restore the majestic American Chestnuts that once dominated our eastern woods, but were decimated by a blight in the early 1900’s.

To learn more, visit the American Chestnut Foundation website or read about the chestnut’s local history and the two surviving pure American Chestnuts we found in Glen Providence. Thank you to Ron and Pat for planting and tending to the Chestnut trees in Glen Providence!

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Here’s our native plant list from National Public Lands Day in October 2019. And check out our photos from our planting days!

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In honor of Earth Day, community volunteers, elementary school students, and local government officials worked together to plant canopy trees on the sledding hill in Glen Providence Park. Thank you to The Rotary Club of Media, Media Providence Friends School students and teachers, Delaware County Council, and Delaware County Parks & Recreation for planting seven trees with Friends of Glen Providence Park this Wednesday!

This winter, Media Rotary had reached out to Media Providence Friends School (MPFS) and Friends of Glen Providence Park about collaborating on an educational tree planting in the Glen for Earth Day. On March 2, when the iconic White Oak on the park’s sledding hill fell in a Nor’easter, we knew where we would plant! This beloved tree was estimated to be well over 200 years old, and the community profoundly felt its loss. As a part of succession planning for the loss of this and future trees, we planted six canopy trees – including four oak species which are particularly beneficial to wildlife – and a Flowering Dogwood to replace one that is nearing the end of its expected life. 

The native trees help control erosion, provide food and habitat for wildlife, and beautify the park. This supplements the two trees planted for Earth Day in 2015 after another large tree had fallen by the stage. The species planted are White Oak, Black Oak, Chestnut Oak, Swamp White Oak, Black Gum, Black Birch, and Flowering Dogwood – we hope some of these saplings grow to be canopy trees that provide shade and beauty for future generations!

Volunteers from Rotary, MPFS, and Friends of the Glen worked together with Delaware County Parks & Recreation to organize the planting. Rotarians and Friends arrived early on Wednesday to prepare the site and start planting the trees. MPFS 3rd and 5th grade students helped dig the holes, plant the trees, mulch, and water – in addition to adding educational plant tags to our National Public Lands Day plantings from last fall! We were joined by Delaware County Parks & Recreation, and County Councilmen Michael Culp and Kevin Madden helped plant the final tree. 

In addition to all of the wonderful volunteers and students who helped with the plantings, we would like to extend tremendous thank you’s to:

The Rotary Club of Media originated the idea, and the Media Rotary Foundation and Gundaker Foundation funded the native trees and the deer fencing to protect them. Media Providence Friends School is creating educational tree tags for these and last year’s plantings, and its teachers regularly use the park as an outdoor classroom to educate and inspire their students. Delaware County Parks & Recreation provided the mulch, and a portalet so the students could extend their class time in the park. Delaware County Council helped plant the Chestnut Oak (in their suits!) and spoke thoughtfully about Earth Day. 

Seven Stones Cafe donated delicious coffee that fueled the early-arriving volunteers, and Pinocchio’s Restaurant donated enough pizza for the students and adults! Additional supplies were donated by AllScapes, Inc.; Honey Fix It, Inc.; and Pierce L. Shallis Landscaping & Design LLC. Last but not least, Garden Influence and Redbud Native Plant Nursery provided invaluable guidance on the best species to plant, and how to properly plant the trees.

Check out the photos of the morning below! 

Photos by Media Providence Friends School and Friends of Glen Providence Park

Throughout November, we have been counting down to Thanksgiving by posting daily thanks on Facebook. There is some overlap with our lists from Thanksgiving in 2012 and 2014, and so much more to add – it is amazing how much there is to be grateful for! Here are those daily posts – these were in no particular order, and it is by no means a complete list!

Day 1: … long-time park supervisor James Stokes, Jr. for his years of care for the park. He started work on October 31, 1935 and continued for at least 25 years, and by all accounts really loved Glen Providence Park. He served as park guard, caretaker, supervisor, and park ranger – personally building picnic tables, preparing for concerts, planting trees & flowers, teaching visitors about the plants & wildlife, and creating the 1941 Nature Guide to Glen Providence Park!

Day 2: … the local schools that use Glen Providence Park as an outdoor classroom and for service learning, teaching their students a love of nature, science, art, and more. Thank you Media Elementary School, Springton Lake Middle School, Media Providence Friends School, Penncrest High School – and homeschoolers!

Day 3: … Delaware County Parks & Recreation, for resurfacing the historical WPA stage last summer in time for the park’s 80th anniversary celebration, for their support of our events and activities, and for their many years of caretaking and managing their 621 acres (and growing!) of open space for the public.

Day 4: … all that Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association has done since 1970 to protect, conserve, and restore the watersheds throughout its 132 square mile stewardship area! Its initiatives include annual streams cleanups, riparian reforestation, advocacy, education, and stream monitoring. We are honored to receive their Organizational Stewardship Award this year!  

Day 5: … our Nature Walk guides and monthly event leaders who volunteered their time in the past two years: the ever-helpful Al Guarente of the Birding Club of Delaware County, Gary Stolz, David Hewitt, Shannon Davidson, Marcia Tate, Stephanie Gaboriault, Kyle Loucks, George Tate, the Media-Upper Providence Free Library, Holly Hoffmann, Aura Lester, and Charles Randall.

Day 6: … Taylor Memorial Arboretum in Wallingford, for generously growing and donating native trees and shrubs each year for habitat restoration plantings by other organizations – including for our past four National Public Lands Days!

Day 7: … the Delaware County Institute of Science, an amazing organization that has been all volunteer since 1833.  It has wonderful scientific and historical collections, and is well worth a visit. Its members have been studying Glen Providence Park since before it was a park – a 1928 Chester Times article about the valley indicated that “Naturalists, from all over the country, attending the Delaware County Institute of Science, make a study of it.”  

Day 8: … EllieReed Lewis and Clifford Butler Lewis, the grandchildren of park donors George and Eleanor Butler –  for sharing their recollections from childhood in Glen Providence Park, and for celebrating the park’s 80th anniversary with us last summer!

Day 9: … our Invasive Plant Removal volunteers, who meet most Friday mornings to work in the park. In the past 4 years, they have cleared over 250 packed contractor bags of invasive plants – keeping trails clear, liberating native plants from strangling vines, improving habitat, and beautifying the park.

Day 10: … those who have made our historical research possible, including the Media Historic Archives, the Delaware County Historical Society, and the Newspaper Archives of Delaware County Library – and Delaware County, PA History for sharing our history-related facebook posts.

Day 11: … the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts for their years of involvement in Glen Providence Park going back to at least 1939 – with hikes, cookouts, award ceremonies, meetings, and community service. In the past few years, Brownie Troop #5248 and Minquas District Boy Scouts have volunteered, and Girl Scout Troop #5037 and Pack 503’s Webelos II have had meetings and outings in the park!

Day 12: … our wonderfully generous Concert Sponsors: Media Recreation Board, Media Rotary Foundation, Diego’s Cantina, Seven Stones Café, Shere-e-Punjab Indian Restaurant, Sterling Pig, and Tagine, who made it possible for us to revive the decades-long tradition of free summer concerts in Glen Providence Park.

Day 13: … Media Lions Club and McCarrin Chiropractic, for continuing Glen Providence Park’s longest-running tradition – the Great Media Easter Egg Hunt started in 1954! The Lions have worked since 1917 to fight blindness, and on many other community projects.

Day 14: … the American Chestnut Foundation, for their work to restore this once-majestic native tree, decimated by blight in the early 1900’s. Chestnuts were called the Sequoias of the east, and we know from T. Chalkley Palmer’s 1889 writings that the park’s eastern hill was once “continuously wooded with oaks and chestnuts.” We have found two surviving trees so far!

Day 15:  … all of the volunteers who have spent their free time working for Glen Providence Park through the years – our dedicated committee members, the dozens of people who have helped at our 17 volunteer days, and all those who volunteered in the park before us.

Day 16: … the Pennsylvania Amphibian & Reptile Survey (PARS), for their work to gather data for the study and conservation of our amphibians and reptiles, and for leading 3 Herpetology Walks in Glen Providence Park! We’ve documented 18 species in the park so far…

Day 17: … Samuel L. Smedley, who with great foresight and wisdom in 1927 urged regional planning for open space, and spearheaded the creation of Delaware County Parks & Recreation, which was used as a model nationally for its excellent planning. He personally helped create and plan Glen Providence Park.

Day 18: … all of those who appreciate our efforts to preserve and enhance Glen Providence Park – whether by reading our newsletter and website, attending our concerts and nature walks, or saying a kind word when they see us in the park – and of course our Facebook fans!

Day 19: … the Delaware County Conservation District for their guidance, mini-grants, donations, use of their Conservation Trailer, and support for our native plantings over the past 5 years – helping us to combat streamside erosion, restore habitat, provide food for wildlife, and  beautify the park.

Day 20: … our donors, whose generous support enables us to continue our work to improve the park and plan future concerts, plantings, events, and activities!

Day 21: … the array of wildlife, native plants, and all living things in the park, which with the changing seasons provide something new to discover on every walk in Glen Providence Park.

Day 22: … Hedgerow Theatre, for their enchanting performances at the WPA stage – enacting the park’s historical Newlywed Ghost and Witch Stories for Glen Providence’s 80th anniversary last year, and bringing Shakespeare to the park this summer!

Day 23: … T. Chalkley Palmer, 1860-1934, for writing in loving detail about Scroggie Valley in 1889, enabling us all these years later to read about the geology, landscape, flora, and fauna of Glen Providence Park as it was in the 1800′s. He also had remarkable environmental insights for his time. What a gift!

Day 24 of Thanks: We are so thankful for George and Eleanor Butler, who with great generosity and foresight in 1935 donated most of the land for Glen Providence Park as a Bird Sanctuary and Arboretum, to be preserved for future generations. There would be no park without them – we are incredibly grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

If ever there was musical entertainment designed for and exquisitely delivered from the Glen Providence Park outdoor stage, it was the reunion concert of Divas à la Carte. The dynamic trio of Heidi Starr, Deborah Snow and Linda Tripolitis wowed the audience with their incredible range of vocal styling and their masterful genre-jumping, skillfully accompanied by Marie Anderson.

On a sultry summer evening on September 10 in the Glen, the Divas – in both ensemble and solo modes – delivered a combo of hot show tunes (“I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” from the musical South Pacific), cool jazz (“Summertime” from Porgy and Bess), opera (Lakmé), and some early jump blues (“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, an iconic World War II tune considered a precursor of rock and roll).

Especially well received were the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf “La Vie en Rose” and the Yiddish tune “Bei Mir bist du Schön” (“To Me You’re Beautiful”). Heidi Starr’s turn as a tipsy chanteuse in “Vodka” was hilarious, charming and… well, just had to be seen!

With feather boa, bath towel, army cap and “vodka” bottle props in support of their exquisite voices, tight harmonies and Broadway-quality theatrics, the Divas enlightened, enlivened and entertained their audience and brought a fittingly regal close to the 2016 Summer Concert Series.

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation, Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and Media Rotary Foundation, Concert Sponsor Tagine Restaurant, our volunteers, Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage, the over 90 people who attended, our tireless Concert Chair Lisa Johnson, and of course the talented Divas!

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

As part of our 2016 Summer Performance Series, Hedgerow Theatre brought Shakespeare to the historical Glen Providence Park stage! The natural setting of the park – with its elegant Ostrich ferns – provided a charming backdrop for the strange and delightful comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, whose characters are controlled and manipulated by forest fairies.

Under the inspired direction of Hedgerow Theatre Executive Director Penelope Reed, the production wonderfully captured the whimsy, wit, and mischief in Shakespeare’s quick-moving comedy. There were multiple costume changes, cast rotations, and running on and off stage. The actors from Hedgerow’s Company, summer camp, and theatre school gave a magical performance, captivating an audience of around 125 attendees. 

We were delighted that Hedgerow returned to the  Glen Providence stage after their enchanting enactment of the park’s 1700’s Newlywed Ghost Story and 1800’s Witch Story for the 80th anniversary celebration of the park last Halloween!

Many thanks to all who made Shakespeare in the Park possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation, Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and Media Rotary Foundation, Concert Sponsor Sterling Pig Brewery, our volunteers, Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage, the over 125 people who attended, our tireless Concert Chair Lisa Johnson, and of course the talented Hedgerow actors! A special thank you to George Tate not only for taking his usual fabulous photographs, but also for all of his additional help. And thank you to The JMW Entertainment Group for once again providing excellent sound, for an action-packed production!

For the third time this summer, we were saved from temperamental summer weather on our scheduled date – it was clear and breezy on our Sunday, August 7 rain date!

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

For the final concert in our 2016 Summer Concert Series, Friends of Glen Providence Park is delighted to present Divas à la Carte! With backgrounds in opera, musical theatre, cabaret, and vocal coaching, Deborah Stimson Snow, Linda Tripolitis, and Heidi Starr sing together as Divas à la Carte, accompanied by Steve McBride. They will perform show tunes, opera, & jazz.

Afternoon Concert in the Park

Saturday, September 10
4:30-6:00 pm
Glen Providence Park Stage, 550 W. State Street, Media
Rain date: Sunday, September 11

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.

Thank you:

• Concert Sponsor Tagine Restaurant is a welcome addition this year to Media, making delicious Moroccan food. And it’s 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.
• JMW Entertainment Group has provided excellent professional sound for several of our concerts!

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, July, and August performances, please see our 2016 Summer Performance Series announcement!

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon on July 17 for our rain-dated concert in Glen Providence Park with songwriter-activist John Flynn! A consummate performer, John played selections from his wide body of work – ranging from songs for kids to powerful ballads about social justice – and introduced those pieces with anecdotes from the humorous to the poignant. Whimsical songs written for (and with!) children included A Manatee Sneezed on Me (a true story) and My Brother Ricky’s For Sale. He addressed current affairs, with the audience singing along to Malala and I Will Not Fear.

A Delaware County native, John has had led a life remarkable not just for his clever and eloquent songwriting, but for his social justice activism, reflected in songs such as Don’t Just Do Something (Stand There) and Mercy – about remarkable forgiveness from a man imprisoned for 11 years for a crime he did not commit. Some of his songs are inspired by his volunteer work with incarcerated men for the nonprofit New Beginnings-Next Step. Throughout his performance, John’s passion for what he does shone through, evidenced by Bury Me with My Guitar.

We also celebrated the 5th Anniversary of Friends of Glen Providence Park, with birthday cake! You can read our concise “Friends of Glen Providence Park by the numbers” to see what we’ve been up to in our first 5 years.

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation, Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and Media Rotary Foundation, Concert Sponsor Seven Stones Cafe, our volunteers, Marcia Tate for her artful decoration of the stage, the over 100 people who attended, our tireless Concert Chair Lisa Johnson, and of course the talented John Flynn!

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

Photos by author.

For the first performance of our 2016 Summer Concert Series, Friends of Glen Providence Park welcomed the Rock-Indie-Bluegrass sounds of Berks County’s Frog Holler. It was a beautiful sunny summer afternoon that greeted the approximately 250 adults and children as they arrived with blankets, chairs, and hula hoops in tow and settled in for some entertainment.

Frog Holler delivered a standout performance opening with The Sweetest Sound off of their 2003 album Railings. They went on to draw from their eight-album catalog throughout the set including fan favorites Fundamental Blues and To Turn Back Now. As the afternoon drew to a close and patrons began packing up, Frog Holler took to the stage one last time and treated us to an encore. The musically satiated crowd packed up slowly – savoring the beautiful weather and many commented that they were already looking forward to next month’s concert.

The fabulous Frog Holler: 
Daniel Bower – drums, vocals
Cory Heller – keyboards
John Kilgore – guitars, organ
Mike Lavdanski – banjo, harmonies
Josh Sceurman – bass
Darren Schlappich – acoustic guitar, lead vocals

Many thanks to all who made this concert possible: Delaware County Parks & Recreation, Concert Series Sponsors Media Recreation Board and Media Rotary Foundation, Concert Sponsor Diego’s Cantina & Tequila Bar, our volunteers, the 250-ish people who attended, our tireless Concert Chair Lisa Johnson, and of course the talented musicians of Frog Holler!

Thank you to George Tate for taking these wonderful photographs – scroll through to see what it was like!

Panorama by Stephanie Gaboriault.

For the third in four performances in our 2016 Summer Concert Series, Friends of Glen Providence Park is delighted to present Shakespeare in the Park with Hedgerow Theatre! In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, characters are manipulated by fairies who inhabit the forest where most of the play is set. It is one of the Bard’s most delightful plays!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Saturday, August 6
4:30-6:00 pm
Glen Providence Park Stage, State Street, Media
Rain date: Sunday, August 7

RAIN DATE UPDATE: With thunderstorms forecasted for Saturday afternoon, we will use our Sunday rain date. The forecast for Sunday is beautiful!

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

Thank you:

• Performance Sponsor Sterling Pig Brewery, the exciting new restaurant located on the border of Glen Providence Park, just one block from the main entrance!
• 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.

You can see photos of Hedgerow’s delightful performance of spooky folklore that took place in the park in the 1700’s and 1800’s – for our 80th Anniversary Celebration for Glen Providence Park on October 31, 2015! 

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

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!