Category: Features

Posted on by

Poop, fences, movies, high end flower theft highlight June meeting of Friends of Overington Park

foop-june-2013-wide

The Friends of Overington Park met at 7:00 pm this past Wednesday to discuss park business.  The ongoing battle against dog poop rages on.  The Friends have been proactively approaching dog walkers asking if they’re planning on picking up after their dog.  There was a feeling that most visitors are ignorant of the fact that it’s the law that you need to pick up after your dog.  One dog walking visitor has started to as a result.  They want to work with Barbara McCabe at Parks and Rec to get “curb your dog” signs set up.

foop-june-2013-closeup

Movie night returns to the park this summer.  The fee for each movie night is $600.  The first, Thursday July 18th, is being sponsored by Philip Balderston, owner of the adjacent Parkside Apartments.  Suggestions for the move included Brave, but the title is still up for debate.  The second movie night will be on Thursday August 15th.  Being sponsored by 179th State Representative James Clay, in conjunction with a child safety night, the movie is going to be The Avengers.  Further discussions centered on whether they should give out food for movie night or sell it.  The group hasn’t sold food in the past but have been advised that it’s used as a fundraising option for other groups and is considering it.  Someone mentioned you need a permit to sell food, that statement was countered with a comment that you need a permit even to give food away.

foop-june-2013-gazette-reading

Two members of The Friends have received robo-calls from the city as a result of putting up flyers on poles around the streets near the park advertising park events.  Diane Kunze thought it was ridiculous, saying the group puts up flyers two weeks before the event and takes them down two days after.  They think they may be getting targeted by vengeful park haters.

It was noted that John Marshall Elementary School and Frankford Friends were using the park for activities before the year ended.  This is noted with delight because it speaks to the good health of the park that schools will allow children into it.

There has been the usual vandalism of the plants.  Some accounts say as much as 60% of the plants they plant are destroyed, and gleefully replanted.  They think there’s a rogue gardener poaching their rare and more expensive plants.  A variegated blue lace cap hydrangea, retailing for $25 and planted in the crescent near Pilling St was dug up with a shovel.  This has happened before.

A milkweed has been planted on the northern side of the tool shed as a weigh station for migrating monarch butterflies.

Bike cops have been seen visiting the park and writing up vagrants and scaring away mischief makers.

foop-june-2013-fence

The fence separating Parkside Apartments with the park is collapsing again.  Apartment residents are hopping the fence to get into the park and destroying the fence.  The park group would like the fence maintained to help control park access and cut down on crime and vagrancy.

The Friends of Overington Park will meet again in July.

Posted on by

Love Your Park Plant Sale at Overington Park

On May 18th we held our second annual perennial plant sale in our park as a fund raiser, and we planted our new flower bed around the shed. We had a small turnout but we made more money from our plant sale then last year! All of the plants came from 4 FOOP (Friends of Overington Park) member’s gardens. The rain held off until we were done. The JR ROTC came out to help as well as members of the Frankford Garden Club. Our thanks goes out to all the neighbors who came out to support our efforts in the park by buying a plant or two.

The new bed around the shed looks beautiful, but we have already had people pulling out what we put into the bed. It surprises us that the work we put into the park can be undone by a few bad people. Over the weekend someone came into the park and dug up a beautiful Hydrangea from our shade bed. How special for them to steal form everyone for their own enrichment. The Friends of Overington Park would like to hope that if anyone sees the destruction of our park, that they will step up and tell them to stop. We can only do so much to make this park a better place.   We need everyone who enjoys the improvements in our park to make a stand about doing the right thing and protecting what we have planted for everyone to enjoy.
If you would like to do some good in our park come out and join us on our park work day Thursday’s from 9 till noon, we would love to see you there.

Diane Kunze, president, Friends Of Overington Park

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Posted on by

DAR Awards Two for Excellence in Community Service

At their 2010-2013 Triennium Luncheon on Saturday, May 18th, the Flag House Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) awarded Excellence in Community Service Awards to Joseph J. Menkevich and Michael C. Axelrod.

First a little bit of history about the Flag House Chapter of the DAR.

Mr T. Worcester Worrell, a long-time Frankford resident and member of the Sons of the American Revolution, suggested to his wife, the great grand niece of Betsy Ross, that a family chapter consisting of relatives of “Aunty Claypoole” (as they called Betsy Griscom Ross Ashburn Claypoole) be formed as a lasting tribute to the maker of America’s first flag.

The idea was well received by Mrs Worrell’s relatives and an organizing meeting was held at the Worrell’s home (Column Hall – State Rd/Church St and Tacony St) on February 23, 1901.  On June 9, 1903, the founding members met the home of Ada Cooper Dickeson where they were granted their Charter from the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution.  Ms Dickeson, a member of Delaware County Chapter DAR, became a member of Flag House to be with the Ross family group and bring their numbers to a symbolic thirteen.

In 1924, Flag House Chapter opened its membership to all Revolutionary War descendants – ensuring the chapter’s survival into the next millennium.  Members continue to participate in local, state, and national DAR activities and remain a presence in Frankford and the surrounding area.

Following are the citations for the awards. Joe Menkevich is well known to many in the Frankford community.  He will be our Focus on Frankford subject in June:

Flag House Chapter, NSDAR, proudly honors Joseph J Menkevich with the 2012-13 National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Community Service Award.   Mr Menkevich, an active resident of the Northwood/Frankford area of Philadelphia, has invested his time, resources, and considerable talents in civic/community service in enhancing the livability of his community & preserving the area’s history for over a decade.

As president of the Northwood Civic Assn, he took a firm stance in working with community leaders & City to enforce the area’s protective zoning ordinances – encouraging residents to get involved.  He convened civic meetings around development and demolition to preserve the historic, social, cultural, and economic features of the neighborhood.

Joseph Menkevich can be viewed on You Tube (02 July 2012) www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLTFAN30Yqc sharing his vision for the Frankford community in conjunction with his participation in the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program’s initiative to create six murals featuring the area’s history.    He has devoted his tremendous skills, time, and resources to researching the significance of various properties in the area to discourage their demolition and encourage productive use/reuse.  These include researching/sharing  the historic significance of the home of Dr Benjamin Rush, researching Oaklands – the home of William Overington – researching and sharing the history of Lydia Darragh’s role informing Washington of the movement of British troops www.frankfordgazette.com/doc/darragh3.pdf, and researching and encouraging the Historical Society of Frankford in the preparation of a nomination for a Philadelphia Historic Commission listing for the oldest house in Frankford.  He is a consistent and vocal presence at community meetings and a frequent contributor to the area’s on-line newspapers (www.frankfordgazette.com, and www.nephilly.com ).

 Mr Menkevich continues to generously share his time and talents with the area’s social, civic, and historical groups.  His activities have served to inspire residents to get involved in making their community a better place.   Flag House Chapter is delighted to present this national award.

Mike Axelrod is known to Frankford as a former Vice Principal at Frankford High School.  He has also made a fascinating presentations at the Historical Society of Frankford on flag history.

Flag House Chapter, NSDAR, proudly honors Michael C Axelrod with the 2012-13 National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Community Service Award.  Mr Axelrod has combined his formidable skills as an educator and administrator and his interest in and love for history to research and present a series of programs, activities, and displays on military, American, and Flag of the United States history to children, senior citizens, educational institutions, and social, cultural, patriotic, fraternal, historical groups throughout the SE PA region.

He is Vice President of the national’s oldest flag day association (Philadelphia Flag Day Association www.flagdayassociation.com/), and is an active member of the nation’s first organized military unit (1747 – Veteran Guard, Third Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania www.vg3reginf.com/). 

Mr Axelrod took the lead in establishing and expanding the PFDA Flag and Banner Collection, broadening it to include 9-11 and “Support our Troops” flags – now numbering over 200.  He has raised the funds to purchase significant flags through his educational programs, which are richly illustrated by examples from the Collection.   He has been instrumental in the planning of parades/processionals, events/activities, and ceremonies to commemorate 9-11, Flag Day, Veterans’ Day, and Washington’s birthday, working cooperatively with the National  Constitution Center, US Army, Independence National Historic Park, the Betsy Ross House, Fort Mifflin, and local universities and legislators. 

 His latest project is to offer support to enhancing and expanding the Military Museum at the National Guard Armory in NE Philadelphia as a vehicle for the preservation of the nation’s military history through the items from our nation’s military history and the stories of those who used them.   Michael Axelrod continues to explore ways to bring history alive through educational outreach and patriotic pageantry as he generously shares his time and talents with the area’s social, civic, and historical groups.   His activities have served to inspire residents to get involved in making their community and this nation a better place.  Flag House Chapter DAR is delighted to present this national award today.

 

In addition to the honors bestowed, new chapter officers were also installed as follows:

  • Pamela Rivera, Regent  
  • Patricia Coyne, First Vice Regent  
  • Colleen Kolakowski, Second Vice Regent 
  • Betty Bedford, Chaplain 
  • Patricia Coyne, Recording Secretary   
  • Bunny Riehl, Corresponding Secretary 
  • Christie Link, Treasurer 
  • Nancy Popielarski, Registrar 
  • Patricia Coyne, Historian 
  • Kathleen Zielinski, Librarian 

Congratulations to Joe and Mike and the Flag House Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

2010-2013 Triennium Luncheon

Posted on by

Focus on Frankford: Anthony Smith

At Neighborhood Advisory Council, EPIC Stakeholders, Frankford Garden Club plant sale, Frankford Parks group, Campbell AME Church, you are likely to meet Anthony Smith.  He seems to be everywhere, lending a hand in one way or another.anthony

This lifetime Frankford resident has deep roots in historic East Frankford and is a community activist. 

The Smith family founded the SW Smith Moving and Storage Company almost a century ago.  His father was a founder of the Frankford Chargers. 

Since his father passed last year, his mother Nancy continues to live in Frankford .

He lives on Mulberry Street and is active in his church, the historic Campbell AME church. 

He takes great pride in his family: Wife Lucille, son Anthony and daughters Tanisha and Aykema.

Anthony often makes reference to how he loves the diversity of Frankford.   It has always been a neighborhood with people who cared about each other. 

The Frankford of his youth was a neighborhood that you could take pride in.  It was clean and safe.  Now he works to bring Frankford back to that standard.

He was one of the first members of the Frankford Parks group and has been instrumental in working on Wilmot Park and Hedge Street park. 

This was related to one of his pet peeves, cleanliness in the neighborhood.

The resurrection of these two parks has made a tremendous improvement in the community and has fostered a better environment for all who use them.

When I asked him how he feels about the future of Frankford, he gets thoughtful.  Realistic is his reply.

We have crime to be sure but we are seeing a lot of improvement in how its being handled.  He has praise for the new 15th District Police commander.  We’ve seeing more police on the streets walking the beat where they are needed.

His other big concern is the youth of Frankford.  There is the lack of jobs for the teenagers. 

There are not enough places for recreation in the community.  The Frankford Community Y, the Salvation Army and the PAL center have all closed in the last few years. 

Another problem is that there are new people moving into Frankford who do not know how to raise children with the values. 

However, there are a lot of people who care very much about the neighborhood and that is the greatest reason for hope for the future.

 

Posted on by

Historic Night at the Historical Society

presidents

Jim Young, Debbie Klak and Rev. Paul Andell

Harry Kyriakodis gave a presentation on his book “Philadelphia’s Lost Waterfront” on Tuesday night, May 14th.  He is an engaging speaker with a depth of knowledge covering a wide range of historic Philadelphia.  If you get a chance to meet him in a future meeting of the HSF, don’t pass it up.

The history making event at the meeting was the first time appearance of three presidents of the Society.  Former President Rev. Paul Andell returned to Philadelphia for the 40th anniversary of the St. James pre-school.  Former President Debbie Klak attended and current President, Jim Young was also on hand.

The next meeting of the Historical Society of Frankford will be on June 11th at 7:30 PM at the HSF at 1507 Orthodox St.