May 14th, 2020

May 14th is History Day during Love Your Park at Home

lemon hill

Thursday, May 14th is History Day during Love Your Park @ Home! Here are all the things you can learn, share, and do to celebrate history in Philly parks.

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LEARN: About 6 Historic Houses in 6 minutes

Join John Sigmund, Fairmount Park Conservancy Historic House Coordinator, and Justina Barrett, Philadelphia Museum of Art Site Manager, in a whirlwind bicycle tour of six historic properties situated in beautiful Fairmount Park. In just one minute per house, learn unique facts about these historic homes!

Watch video

SHARE: Your own historic photos of your Philly park

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Woodford Mansion, 1900.

Share your favorite photos of Philadelphia park history! This can be historic photos of your neighborhood park, or a more recent photo of a fun day spent in your favorite secret park spot. #loveyourpark

DO: Enjoy a virtual Park History Happy Hour at 5pm

Grab a beer (or a stein of ye olde meade) and join John John Sigmund, Fairmount Park Historic House Coordinator, and other park historians as they kick back, relax, and spin some of their favorite Philadelphia park tales.

Join the virtual Happy Hour

BONUS: You're invited to a special webinar "Making history: The power of parks during COVID-19"

How will the COVID-19 pandemic shape the future of our urban parks?

On Thursday, May 14 from 12-1pm, join us for a conversation about resilience and the future of civic spaces with three leading park advocates:

Carol Coletta, President and CEO, Memphis River Parks
Maura McCarthy, Executive Director, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Host
Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Register for free

BONUS: Enjoy these free coloring pages of the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park!

Bring some color to these beautiful black-and-white sketches of the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park! These coloring pages are available to download for free – you can even draw your own Historic House! Share your creations by tagging us on social media at #loveyourpark. 

Download free coloring pages

Upcoming Love Your Park @ Home Events

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Community Workday at FDR Park

July 24th at 9:00am
1500 Pattison Avenue &, S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19145

Join Fairmount Park for a volunteer workday at Pattison Lagoon on Thursday, July 24th, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. In 2024, the north area of the lagoon was revitalized—clearing invasive species and trash, and with the help of the Phillies and other groups, planting native trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses to support local wildlife. This year, we need your help to care for and establish these plantings. Join us in making a lasting impact on Pattison Lagoon’s ecosystem. Let’s continue this important work together! This volunteer event is open to all ages and people of all abilities. Anyone interested is welcome to participate. Please use the Anna C. Verna Playground parking lot. Volunteers will be able to select their project, including: * Tree care, weeding & mulching * Soil decompaction * Trash cleanup as needed

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Community Workday at Mount Pleasant

July 29th at 9:00am
3810 Mt Pleasant Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19121

Join the Fairmount Park Conservancy on Tuesday, July 29th, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM for a community volunteer workday at East Fairmount Park. Together, we will work on: Removing invasive species Tree care: weeding & mulching Trash pickup We will provide all the tools, supplies, snacks, and materials for the workday, including gloves.

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Lemon Hill

Lemon Hill Community Workday

July 31st at 9:00am
Lemon Hill Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Join Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and the Friends of Lemon Hill team for a volunteer workday at East Fairmount Park on Thursday, July 31st, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. We will work around the Mansion area. This volunteer event is open to people of all abilities. Anyone interested is welcome to participate. Please only use the parking lot in front of Lemon Hill Mansion. Volunteers will be able to select their project, including: Removing invasive species Trash cleanup Tree care (weeding and mulching as needed) Raking leaves

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