Friends of Clark Park

Registration is now open for the fall season of youth soccer at Clark Park!

The Clark Park Youth Soccer League is a volunteer-run program by Friends of Clark Park that provides soccer instruction and intramural games for children ages 4-11 on Saturdays each spring and fall at Clark Park. We emphasize enjoying the game of soccer while learning soccer skills in each session. Every child plays.

The fall season will run Saturdays from September 21 – November 9. Children are assigned to teams by age:

• Early (9:30 am-10:30 am): age 4-5 micro team (as space allows)
• Mornings (10:30 am-Noon): ages 5-6 and ages 7-9
• Afternoons (Noon-1:30 pm): ages 9-11

To find out more info go to our webpage or click here to register directly. If you have any additional questions you can email us at Soccer@friendsofclarkpark.org 

Parks on Tap returns to Clark Park from Aug 28 – Sept 2 

Make sure not to miss the special Happy Hour on Aug 28th from 5PM – 7PM where 50% of proceeds going to Friends of Clark Park!

Parks on Tap is Philadelphia’s traveling beer garden that gives back! A partnership between Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and FCM Hospitality, Parks on Tap brings a beer garden to different parks throughout the city all summer long. Each location provides fresh food, beers on tap, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages in a festive outdoor environment with comfortable chairs, hammocks, and clean restrooms. Parks on Tap is family-friendly and offers a variety of weekly programming, including free yoga in the park with Roots2Rise. Dogs on leashes are welcome.

Parks on Tap kicked off in 2016 as a way to engage the Philadelphia community and give back to the neighborhood parks. A portion of all proceeds are donated to Fairmount Park Conservancy to help restore and maintain Philly’s parks.

Learn more about Parks on Tap here!

One of our favorite summer events is back this August. University City District is once again partnering with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Friends of Clark Park to provide movies in the park every Friday. The films start at sundown (8PM) in the bowl each week. The event is free and with local food trucks it is the perfect way to enjoy a great August night in the park with your neighborhood. This years schedule is below:

• Aug 9th – Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Aug 16th – Crazy Rich Asians
• Aug 23rd – Creed II
• Aug 30th – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

For more details please check out the relevant page on the UCD website.

Clark Park Music and Arts community has been putting on festivals in Clark Park in West Philadelphia since 1970. The festival is time to celebrate West Philly and include an eclectic blend of music, kids activities, arts and crafts and vendors.

Anchored at 43rd and Chester Avenue, the festival series is an important tradition for the West Philly community that includes live music from local performers and a chance for local artisans and vendors to showcase their work. Since 1970, the Festivals have provided an excellent forum for residents to meet their neighbors and benefit from the artistic wealth of Philadelphia. Responding to the needs of a changing community, the Festival has grown in scope. Today the Festival includes children’s events and activities, arts and crafts vending, a greater diversity of performances to include all kinds of music, dance and theater, and a chance for non-profit organizations to reach out to the community on a variety of issues.

For more details check out the Clark Park Music & Arts Facebook page

We are proud to announce that as part of our health and wellness programming We Walk Philadelphia will renew the We Walk Clark Park Program on Monday and Friday Mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 AM beginning this week.  The program is free of charge – just show up at the Dickens Statue and walk with us twice for a free T-shirt!  We look forward to seeing you there! Contact Frank Chance at chancefl@gmail.com for further information!

Love Your Park Week is May 11-19, 2019. Parks across Philadelphia will host volunteer service days and special events designed to clean, green, and celebrate parks!

Clark Park will be holding our service day on Saturday, May 11th from 9:30am to 12:00pm. Every year Love Your Park is a key event for the Friends of Clark Park and one of the best ways to get the park ready for Spring. Please sign up to join us today and be part of the action!

Volunteers will be working on projects to make the grounds and park ready for Spring! We will clear park walkways, playground, and basketball court from debris, pick up litter, and spread mulch under trees. Volunteers should wear things they don’t mind getting dirty. Light snacks and water will be provided.

Love Your Park Week is a partnership among Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Park Friends Network. Check out the full overview of events at the Love Your Park website.

Celebrate Family. Fitness. Freedom! 2019 Uhuru Health Festival and Flea Market

When: Saturday April 27, 2019, 9am-5pm

Where: Clark Park, 43rd and Chester Ave, West Philadelphia

On April 27th join the African Peoples Education and Defense Fund (APEDF) for our 8th Annual Uhuru Health Festival & Flea Market in West Philly’s beautiful Clark Park with a powerful theme of Family. Fitness. Freedom! The festival will feature fitness workshops, free health screenings, live entertainment and special guest speaker, Chairman Omali Yeshitela, founder and leader of the Uhuru Movement and special guest APEDF President, Ona Zene Yeshitela.

The day long festival will also feature free health resources and information from a large number of organizations including: Refugee Health, Penn Dental, The Wedge Mental Health, Urban Bush Babies and live music by Rugrat, Raw Life Crew, Mel the Artist and more!

The Uhuru Health Festival & Flea Market is an economic development project of the African People’s Education and Defense Fund (APEDF.org).

Vendors and Volunteers wanted! Call 267-875-FLEA (3532).

Spring is here, and we are happy to announce that the spring season of Clark Park Youth Soccer will be returning to the Bowl on Saturdays starting April 27 and running through June 1.

Check out Youth Soccer for program details and online registration.

As you may know, longtime soccer Chairperson Kathleen Turner is working with a team of dedicated parent volunteers this spring to continue organizing the soccer program we all love. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Mark your calendar and join us on May 18, 2019 from 4-8pm (rain or shine) for one of West Philly’s favorite events Party in the Park. This annual event is hosted by Friends of Clark Park and is a great way to enjoy the start of spring in Clark Park with all your friends and neighbors. Party in the Park is also one of the major fundraisers for Friends of Clark Park so it is a great time to meet the team, let us know what you think, and renew your membership.

This seventh rendition of Party in the Park will be a blast. We are once again hosting a beer garden featuring Dock Street Brewery originals and additionally this year there were will be treat available from Lil Pop Shop. There will be fun for all ages with live music, pop up art hosted by UCAL, lawn games and more! Everyone is welcome and admission is free.

We would love to see you there!

Join us on March 25th from 7:00 – 8:30 PM for our seasonal public meeting taking place at University of the Sciences in Rosenberger Hall (Room 102). It is the perfect way to learn about the Friends of Clark Park, what we do, and how to get involved.

Our meetings also offer a great time to ask questions and share thoughts about the park (good or bad). We advocate for the park so this is one of the best way for us to know what you care about as a community and how we should focus our energy for 2019.

Clark Park is our community backyard so come find out more about how you can participate!