Parking

When I wrote about Clark Park a few weeks ago, I offhandedly stated that in West Philly, the parks are bigger. I wrote that before having visited Cedar Park, a small community park situated on a triangle of land between Baltimore Avenue, Catharine Street, and 49th and 50th Streets. Cedar Park is on the tiny side, but that's okay. On the sunny Saturday I stopped by, children were playing on the playground, older men were arguing with each other about something in that way that makes it clear they're not really mad, and other people lounged about, keeping on an eye on the kids. Vendors were set up along the Baltimore Avenue side of the park, selling jewelry and various sundry things. It is rumored that the Carrot Cake Man is there selling his cakes in the evenings.

The park was created when the Cedar Avenue Improvement Association pressured the city to develop the land between Baltimore Avenue and Catharine Street into a park. In 1908, Cedar Park was called "one of the beauty spots of West Philadelphia." The current improvement association in that area, Cedar Park Neighbors, maintains the park through a bevy of volunteers who garden and clean during the spring and summer. Starting in 2006, Cedar Park underwent a two year renovation. A new sign greets visitors to the park on the 49th Street side and a new sitting wall runs along the 50th Street entrance. A World War Memorial at the 49th Street entrance was re-dedicated, and the eagle figurine that had been stolen off it in the 1980s was finally replaced. Perhaps most exciting of all: shiny, blue playground equipment was built in the center of the park. Two concrete tables with painted on chess boards remain from the old park, for those who enjoy a game of chess outside on a nice day.

Cedar Park Neighbors oversee several events in the park. In the summertime, there are jazz concerts on Friday nights. There are occasional movie nights, with one coming up on June 25. In the fall, the park has a fair, with a moon bounce, raffle, music and other exciting fair things. If you do the Facebook thing and want to keep up with the goings on in the neighborhood and park, you can join the Cedar Park Neighbors group and keep up with it that way. Or you could just go there one day and see what is going on.

Upcoming Events in Parks:
Movie Screening: Taxi to the Dark Side, Clark Park, Friday, 6/12, 8PM (at 45th and Chester Avenue), presented by Philadelphia International Action Center

Flea Market: Uhuru Flea Market, Clark Park, Saturday 6/13, 9AM-5PM

Concerts: Philadelphia Blues Messengers at Cianfrani Park, Friday, 6/12, 7PM. See the full schedule for June concerts on their blog

Friday Night Jazz at Cedar Park, 6/12, 7PM, 49th St and Baltimore Avenue

Get Involved: Dickinson Square Park Clean Up Saturday, 9AM, Tasker and 4th Streets.

Mifflin Square Clean Up, Saturday, 6/13, 10AM, 5th and Wolf Streets

Get your veggies: Farmer's Markets: Schuylkill River Park, Wednesdays, 3-7PM, Fitler Square (Saturdays, 9AM-1PM); Clark Park (Thursdays, 3-7PM, Saturdays, 10AM-1PM), Rittenhouse Square (Tuesdays, 10AM-1PM and Saturdays 9:30AM-3PM).

If you know of anything exciting happening in your local park in the near future, please e-mail amy@phillyist.com!

Photo by the author.