500 Volunteers Sought For Wissahickon Park 'Mega Service Day'

PHILADELPHIA — If you love Wissahickon Valley Park, you'll likely want to get in on an upcoming service day to help keep the park beautiful.

Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) is celebrating 95 years as stewards of Wissahickon Valley Park on Saturday, June 1, with a Super Mega Volunteer Service Day.

The massive effort is taking place simultaneously at 10 different park entrances.

Teaming up with local community partners, businesses, and residents, FOW is hoping to recruit 500 volunteers – 50 at each location – to help beautify the park by removing trash and recycling and clearing invasive plants.

Taking care of litter before it reaches Wissahickon Creek is a preventive measure: the creek is the source of drinking water for one in three Philadelphians.

No experience is necessary to participate.

FOW will provide the gloves, tools, and direction. The Super Mega event takes place from 9 a.m.-noon at the following locations throughout the park:

• Ten Box and Historic Rittenhouse Town - meet at the Upper Lot at Historic Rittenhouse Town-
• Ridge Avenue Trailhead - meet at the Ridge Avenue Kiosk
• Blue Bell Hill - meet at the Blue Bell Picnic Pavilion
• Saylor's Grove - meet at Wissahickon Avenue and W. Rittenhouse Street
• Wigard Avenue Trailhead - meet at Wigard Avenue off Henry Ave.
• Mt. Airy Avenue Trailhead - meet at West Mt. Airy and Mt. Airy Terraces
• Lavender Trail and Covered Bridge - meet at the Crefeld Street Trailhead
• Wissahickon Environmental Center - meet at the upper parking lot on Northwestern Ave. (Roxborough side), community partner- Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association
• Bells Mill (East and West) – meet at Bell's Mill Rd. and Forbidden Drive
• Houston Meadow - meet at Courtesy Stables

After the service day, volunteers and partners are invited to join a celebratory picnic from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Historic Rittenhouse Town.

“We are incredibly proud to celebrate 95 years of caring for Wissahickon Valley Park, one of Philadelphia’s greatest resources,” said Maura McCarthy, FOW’s executive director. “During this special year, we hope you will join our efforts to conserve the watershed, habitat, history, and sheer beauty of our beloved urban forest oasis.”

FOW partner organizations or businesses interested in supporting the Super Mega Volunteer Service Day are invited to contact Sarah Marley at marley@fow.org.