Author: Marketing Commitee

Farmers Market – Enjoy produce and other goods at the Clark Park farmers market every Saturday morning from 10AM to 2PM. The market’s location has shifted to the corner of Chester Ave and 43rd Street.

Uhuru Market – This monthly flea market will be in the park on April 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the corner of S 43rd Street and Chester Avenue. Visit Uhuru’s website for more information. 

West Philly Bizarre – The West Philly Bizarre is a non-profit market providing low-cost vending opportunities to West Philadelphia. They are holding their first official market on April 6th. Stop by their booths to find an assortment of goods and wares. You can find further information on their website.

Yoga in the Park – Looking for some relaxing movement this month? Join Trinity on April 14 and 28 at Clark Park for an outdoors beginners yoga class. Purchase tickets here and follow Trinity’s Instagram for updates about the class. 

Tot Music With Ry – Join pre-k music teacher Ry Noss for a fun music class with your little ones. This class offers musical activities to young children and their caregivers including hello and goodbye songs, body warm ups, songs, rhythmic patterns, dance, shakers and more. Sessions are every Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the 4300 block on Baltimore Ave. 

We Walk Philly – Join the Clark Park chapter of this free city wide walking group. We Walk Philly meets on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 a.m. at the Dickens Statue (43rd and Chester). Walks typically last 30-45 minutes. 

Clark Park’s Youth Soccer league will be back in action this fall and registration is open until April 10th. Our soccer league offers a low pressure, community oriented and volunteer fueled sports program for our Clark Park neighborhood. The league enables kids to discover soccer while engaging with a wide community of children from throughout West Philly. It is focused on creating an inclusive environment for children of all skill levels & interest levels, our coaching team finds a way for everyone to enjoy a great day in the park.

This season will take place every Saturdays from April 20th to June 8th with teams meeting at either 9:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., or 10:00 a.m. for one hour. The league covers kids from ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade. Additionally, we hold a Pre-K Clinic for four-year-olds with Coach Adi every other Saturday at 8:30 am during the season (email soccer@friendsofclarkpark.org to register). In order to participate this season you must be a member of Friends of Clark Park! Once membership is paid, the fees for soccer are $20 for the first child, and $10 for each additional child (from the same household). PreK clinic is free for members.

Sadly, some of our longtime volunteer coaches have left the neighborhood, so we really need adult volunteers to join the ranks. No experience is necessary, just the enthusiasm to help kids stay safe and have fun. Let us know during registration or email us directly at soccer@friendsofclarkpark.org. Feel free to reach out with any other questions!

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation is hiring a West Philly Parks Assistant to support Clark Park and Malcolm X Park! This position is a great opportunity to work across West Philly Parks improving visitor experience and community engagement. They are seeking an individual who is passionate about public space and community engagement. A key skill will be the ability to be good cultural traveler and good listener, who is capable of starting dialogue and building trusting relationship with the diverse communities who utilize these spaces. Additionally, this person will focus on supporting smooth operations of the market in Clark Park and organizing youth programming at Malcolm X Park

Pay is $15 an hour. Schedule will adjust seasonally, some nights and weekends. More information can be found here. Reach out to pprstewardship@phila.gov with a resume and cover letter to apply

We are sad to report FoCP has lost one of our founding members. Fran Byers, who helped organize the Friends in 1976, and was a dedicated member since, passed away February 27th. She was 83.

Fran lived her entire life in our community, one block away from the park, and was an active member in many neighborhood groups, but her dedication to Clark Park knew no bounds. She headed many of our activities, Bark in the Park, the Veterans Day celebration and Christmas caroling among them.

Fran had served as President many times and was still active at the time of her death. A threat to remove the internationally famous Dickens statue from removal triggered the original drive by Fran and fellow activists to create Friends of Clark Park; decades later, she still proudly served the cake at Dickens Birthday Party.

Newer board members will remember her for her unmatched energy and dedication to the traditions of the park, no matter her personal circumstances. We have all benefited greatly from Fran’s love for our park, and we dedicated a bench in her name at the Gettysburg Stone several years ago to show our appreciation. We will miss her – and tend the park with love in her honor.

The funeral is at St. Francis DeSales Church on March 7, 6:30pm. Burial is next day, 1pm, at Holy Cross Cemetery 626 Baily Road, Yeadon

We’re launching our annual survey to gather feedback from the community. Take 5 minutes to share how you engage with the park and what can be improved. We look forward to hearing from you!

Join us for a park cleanup on April 22, 12-3pm to celebrate Earth Day. Activities including playground cleanup, leaf raking, and garden maintenance. Meet at S. 45th and Regent (the green shed). All equipment will be provided, just show up! Contact us if you have questions.

Join the Friends of Clark Park for an MLK Day of Service event. We will be moving mulch and performing general winter maintenance for the park. See details below.

What: Mulch Distribution and General Maintenance in Clark Park

When: January 16, 10am-12pm

Where: Meet at Clark Park Basketball Court

Who: All are welcome! Equipment and guidance will be provided. 

Care about the future of Clark Park? Over the next few months Friends of Clark Park will be engaging in the Master Plan process which will set the vision for future development and investment plan for the park. Throughout this process we want to ensure we have active community involvement. Please join us for the first step of the process at our upcoming community meeting about the Clark Park Master Plan on Nov 19th at 10am. You can find the link to the survey here.