It was only a half century ago that teenaged Gene Perri sat on the stone wall on Leiper Street that surrounds Overington Park and first met Marion Ridge. He says he was cleaning his shoe which must have made quite an impression on Marion. They have now been married 47 years.
They thought it might be interesting to return to the place they first met on the 50th anniversary of that day. They had some concerns, having not been back to Frankford in quite a long time but they decided to go for it and walked into Overington Park on Saturday, September 28th.
They happened to come on one of the best days of the year for the Park. The Art Under the Trees event sponsored by the Friends of Overington Park brought out a great crowd of families and the weather was beautiful.
Their Frankford roots go back generations. Gene’s family had a candy store at Penn and Sellers. Marion’s grandfather owned one of the first Unity-Frankford grocery stores on Arrott Street. They now have two grown children, Dawn and Gene Jr. and four grandchildren; Jessica, Michael, Eric and Samantha.
It was good to have them back in the neighborhood. Anyone who recognizes them and would like to get back in touch, contact the Gazette and we’ll pass on your information.
On Saturday, September 28th, the Friends of Overington Park had their annual “Art Under The Trees” event. This year, the president of the organization, Diane Kunze, decided to use master works from Andy Warhol’ pop collection to inspire the artists. The children and young adults got to pick which picture inspired them to chalk beautiful works of art onto the blacktop.
The chalk designs that the artists produced were magnificent with vibrant colors, and the creators wore those Crayola chalk sticks down to dust. This contest had four age catagories: 6 and under, 7-10, 11-15, and 16-19. From what I observed, the judges had a tough time picking a winner from the beautiful displays of art that covered the ground. One winner was picked from each age category and received a sketch book, art supplies, and a certificate of congratulations.
Congratulations go out to:
Amyia Topping (6 and under)
Alivia Miller ((7-10)
Christian Joyce & Gavin Hopkins (11-15)
George & Tyreek (16-19)
Along with the contest, they had a craft table with handmade crafts designed & crafted by Jennifer Mohr. This table was staffed by the artist herself and Lorraine Fortino.
Meals-on-Wheels receivers had a special treat put in their lunches. The children of Frankford produced beautiful works of art on paper using Crayola crayons and their imaginations which were to put in everyone’s lunch following this event. This part of the event was created by Lisa Handy.
Thanks go out to Carlos Correa and Noah Gibson of the Jr. R.O.T.C. of Frankford High School for volunteering their time to organize and distribute the art supplies, contestant sign-ups, and giving out pretzels to the crowd. The instructor of the Jr. R.O.T.C., Joe Fraioli, made an appearance to say hello and thank you to his men staffing the table.
What a wonderful day it was with cool temperatures, sunny skies, and a love for art under the long living tree’s of Overington Park. Special thanks from the Friends of Overington Park go out to all the people who help & volunteer their time to make all their events possible; Nona Bloom, John Neugebauer, Maryanne Seifert, Linda Heywood, Jr. R.O.T.C., Janet Bernstein & Frankford Garden Club, and this is just to name of few THANK YOU.
Come out for some other events happening in Overington Park: November (Love your park clean-up) & December (Caroling in the park). Please see the Frankford Gazette website for dates, times, and other events happening in your Frankford community. Keep the Frankford spirit alive and get involved with the fun!
For more information on Friends of Overington Park go to their Facebook page at: Friends of Overington Park
Inquires and contributions can be sent or obtained at:
Friends of Overington Park
1344 Overington Park
Philadelphia, PA 19124
It all started with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC). I attended all of the meetings last year during the planning process for the Lower Northeast District Plan, a component of Philadelphia2035. The first thing I noticed was that Ian Litwin, the head planner, was actually saying good things about Frankford. The emphasis was on the strengths of the community and seeing Frankford through new eyes gave me hope that something might come of it.
After the plan was adopted, an application was made to Artplace for a grant to begin implementing some of the concepts. The grant came through and we are now about to see some results. Destination Frankford will create a vibrant public space in Womrath Park, artfully designed signage and street furniture, a storefront dedicated to local artists, and an arts-focused marketing campaign.
The project will increase exposure to Frankford’s growing arts scene, add vibrancy to Frankford’s commercial corridor, and attract new artists, businesses, and residents to Frankford.
It sound ambitious and it is but remarkably it is a reality. We are proud to be partners in this project and will be working on stories that highlight the arts, artists and artisans in Frankford.
You can read all about it on the Destination Frankford web site at this link.
Join City Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, the Mural Arts Program, muralist Cesar Viveros, neighborhood youth, and community members-turned-storytellers, for the dedication of the Imagining Frankford mural series. Partner organization the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) will be on hand to showcase the rain garden in Womrath Park, created as part of Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters plan.
This morning a pigeon did alight on my door,
I thought to myself, “What is he here for?”
Looking out at the bare frozen ground,
I saw not a morsel could be found.
The sparrows also were waiting for,
The crumbs to be thrown out my door.
Turning, I found two pieces of bread,
And broke it for the birds to be fed.
Please, little birds, when I hand my sheets white,
Remember today I gave you your first bite.
