Friends of Clark Park

On Sunday, February 3rd the Friends of Clark Park held our annual celebration in honor of Charles Dickens’ 207th birthday. Dickens is the renowned author of Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, and other novels and stories. For more than a century our park has been privileged to have a lovely statue of him with his character Little Nell. Inspired by the statue and by Dickens’ timeless words, we throw a party every year.

This year’s festivities included actors and neighborhood residents enacting scenes from some of Dickens greatest works along with music presented by Classical Revolution Philly. We also enjoyed a performance from our perennial pals the Kingsessing Morris Men who were back with their high-stepping merriment.

Thanks to everyone who attended and enjoyed the festivities. Hope to see you again next year.

We have finally wrapped up our Clean & Green fundraiser and wanted to say a big thank you for all the community support. We raised a bit over $8,000 to keep the park beautiful and clean this year with over 40 wonderful neighborhood participants. The Friends are so grateful to have everyone who loves Clark Park pitch in their hard-earned dollars and physical labor to make it better.

A special thank you to the following donors for your contributions of $250 or more to the Clean and Green Campaign:

Paulo Arratia

Johannah Fine

Joseph Shapiro

Lisa and Bryan Hanes

Anna and Brian Selfridge

Jon and Danielle Bringhurst

With the cold weather tomorrow we have decided to cancel our MLK volunteer day. Thanks to anyone who signed up and sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

You are most cordially invited to join The Friends of Clark Park at its annual celebration in honor of Charles Dickens’ birthday — his 207th birthday to be exact! 

Sunday, February 3, 2019
Free Admission! 
1:45 pm Dickensian music presented by Classical Revolution Philly
2 pm Scenes from Dickens’ novels
3:20 pm Birthday cake and a performance by the Kingsessing Morris Men
Location: Griffith Hall, University of the Sciences, 600 South 43rd Street, Philadelphia PA 19104

Dickens is the renowned author of Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, and other novels and stories. For more than a century our park has been privileged to have a lovely statue of him with his character Little Nell. Inspired by the statue and by Dickens’ timeless words, we throw a party every year.

Actors and neighborhood residents will enact scenes from Great Expectations, Pickwick Papers, Dr. Marigold, and other works by Dickens. You’ll be treated to some familiar characters and some possibly new to you. Every word is sublime storytelling.

Something new this year….musicians from Classical Revolution Philly will join us for a pre-show warm-up performance, presenting composers mentioned by Dickens or writing during his time. And then, after the readings, our perennial pals the Kingsessing Morris Men will be back with their high-stepping merriment. Remember to congratulate the morris men when you see them: they placed third in the Mummers Parade comic division this year with their theme “Make America Rake Again.”

We conclude the afternoon with a not-very-solemn procession to the Dickens statue, just a few steps away in Clark Park, where we’ll sing Happy Birthday and we’ll place garland wreaths on Dickens and Little Nell.

Please join us for this fun, inspiring celebration

Join us this Martin Luther King Day to volunteer a little time to help us keep Clark Park clean.

• When: Monday 1/21 – 9:30am-noon 
• What: raking leaves, picking up litter, clearing walkway from debris.Tools and light refreshments will be provided.
• Where: Meet at the shed near 45th and Regent St. at Clark Park

Please contact Volunteer@friendsofclarkpark.org to let us know you’re able to join our volunteers so we have enough equipment for everyone.

Lovers of Clark Park will appreciate gifts that help them support the park! There is one full back zippered hoodie left, a Medium, @$42. There’s a $2 discount on all t-shirts for Members — including those who join or renew their membership at the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, Dec. 15, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. We have summer & winter wear, mugs, posters, onesies, doggie tees & mamny other gift items.

Friends of Clark Park are helping to celebrate the season this December. Not only can you find our tree up on top of the shed towards the southern end of the park, but please join us on Sunday, December 16th at 5PM for some hearty Christmas Caroling. It will be a merry celebration with singing as well as some treats for the attendees. Come join us and help celebrate the season.

You have seen the Friends of Clark Park hard at work this year cleaning and gardening.  We ask for your contributions to our Clean and Green Campaign to continue our park improvement programs.

Your donations will go directly toward filling gardens with beautiful, diverse colors by adding plants and having the park virtually litter-free. You will also provide our volunteers with the tools and supplies they need to get the work done.

We are committed to making the park enjoyable for everyone. Watch this video to learn more about Friends of Clark Park and make sure to become a member to stay a part of all of our events.