Summer is here, so Fairmount Park Conservancy kicked off the season – and the new Fair Play Campaign – on Saturday, June 14 with a “Gateway to Play” celebration in FDR Park!
Hundreds of people stopped by for youth sports, free paddle boating, food trucks, group walks and project tours, music, and an official-ribbon cutting ceremony.
The day started at the brand-new Gateway Plaza, where visitors enjoyed new seating, an updated landscape with native plantings, and a live DJ as well as kids’ activities led by Mister Boom Boom’s Play Patrol.
The new plaza features custom benches, bike racks, water misters, rain gardens, and a colorful six-foot-tall steel sign that makes the park more visible at the busy intersection of Broad St. and Pattison Ave. The plaza has 81 new trees and thousands of new perennials, grasses, and ferns selected for their climate resiliency and contributions to a diverse ecology.
After a year of construction, the plaza is the perfect place for pedestrians, transit users, and cyclists to begin their FDR Park adventure. Managed by Fairmount Park Conservancy, this project was designed by WRT and constructed by Rockport.
The new FDR sign served as the backdrop for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Conservancy’s Board Chair Carol Eicher kicked off the ceremony, joined by State Senator Nikil Saval, State Representative Regina Young, City Councilmember Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Chief of Staff Darren Fava, Office of Multimodal Planning District Manager Jackie Weidman, We Walk PHL leader Mildred Pitts, and Unity in the Community President Anton Moore.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Conservancy also announced the public launch of the Fair Play Campaign, a transformative undertaking to strengthen Philadelphia’s city parks and the communities they serve. This campaign aims to raise $100 million to create healthy park infrastructure, expand public programs, and sustain the Conservancy’s mission for the future.
“Our parks are so important to our daily lives and our city’s legacy, and we invite everyone to join us in creating a new era for Philadelphia public parks,” said the Conservancy’s Board Chair Carol Eicher.
Completion of the plaza also marks the completion of the FDR Park Plan’s “Gateway Phase,” the first phase of an historic effort to revitalize the 348-acre park. On Saturday, many park visitors got a sneak peek at another Gateway Phase project, the future FDR Park Welcome Center. Just across the lagoon, visitors also enjoyed the new Anna C. Verna Playground where Conservancy staff led a “BioBlitz” nature scavenger hunt.
One of the most popular events of the day was the family field day on Boathouse Lawn. Youth sports partners led activities including football, soccer, hockey, and basketball. Even Gritty stopped by! Thank you to our partners: Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative, the Philadelphia Union, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia Flyers, EPYSA, Philadelphia Youth Basketball, Sigma Sharks Youth Organization, Cool Wurld Organization, and Let’s Rock Recess.
FDR Park is a truly unique place that balances nature, activity, and water – and a parkwide celebration wouldn’t be complete without some time on the lake! Fairmount Park Conservancy and Independence Seaport Museum offered free boating excursions on the Conservancy’s new blue heron-shaped boats.
Back on land, the FDR Park We Walk PHL group led a group walk around the park. (They meet on Tuesday and Saturday mornings and the group is open to all!)
Thank you to all the partners who joined us at Gateway to Play, and to event sponsors PHLY, Philadelphia Phillies, and Comcast Spectacor.
Special thanks to all the event goers who helped us start our campaign and the summer season on a high note!
Learn more about the Fair Play Campaign at fairplayphilly.org.
