You are viewing 12 posts in the category Event
Join the Two Rivers Wild Ride!
On Saturday, November 7, join the LandHealth Institute and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, for the Two Rivers Wild Ride urban bike tour. This city-wide tour will examine the ecology of the grittiest parts of the city while experiencing first-hand the state of bicycle connectivity in Southwest Philadelphia.
The Manayunk Bridge Is Officially Opening!
It’s the moment runners, cyclists and pedestrians have all been waiting for! The Manayunk Bridge will officially open as a pedestrian and bicycle trail connecting the Cynwyd Trail in Lower Merion to Manayunk and the Schuylkill River Trail on October 30. The bridge will serve as a key link in the Circuit Trails, a unique connection between the city and the suburbs, and a site for spectacular views of the river valley. Join us on October 30 at 11 a.m. to celebrate this major milestone and be one of the first people to cross the bridge. Be sure to join the Facebook event here for more information and updates.
Join Us for Two Ribbon Cuttings This Week!
Throw those helmets on, get on your bike and head out to two new trail openings this week!
Tomorrow is the opening of the Pennypack Trail Extension, being held at Welsh Road Trailhead at Route 63. The new, 2-mile stretch of the Pennypack Trail from the Welsh Road Trailhead to the Byberry Road Trailhead is one of the most scenic stretches of the entire trail.
Then, next Thursday is the opening of the on-road trails of the Camden Greenway. This marks the addition of 4.3 miles of separated bike lanes to Camden, making connections between existing trails along the Camden Waterfront, the Ben Franklin Bridge and North Camden
Don’t miss out on both of these significant milestones for the Circuit! Find more details on our events page here.
INVISIBLE RIVER 2015 Is Almost Here!
The community arts festival takes place in, on and above Philadelphia's Schuylkill River in East Fairmount Park Saturday, August 29, combining dance, art, boating, and love of the environment.
The event begins at 2:00 p.m. at Mander Recreation Center with a drum line processional that will lead the audience from the gateway of Fairmount Park to the Schuylkill River. The audience is then greeted with a panorama of different experiences: public boat rentals and paddling lessons in canoes, kayaks, and row boats; interactive art installations about the future of the park and the river; yoga, circus, fishing and storm water management demonstrations and classes; and four local food vendors and a beer garden from Sly Fox Brewing Company.
The finale performance at 5:30 p.m. is a multigenerational ensemble of 22 dancers using stand up paddleboards and the center of the river, while two aerialists descend from above the Strawberry Mansion Bridge for the perfect grand finale. After the performance, festivities continue until 8:00 p.m.
Guests can enjoy for free from the shore but tickets are available to be a part of the Invisible River experience on the river. Book a boating ticket in advance to watch the performances seated in a kayak, canoe, stand up paddle board or a row boat.
Also, if you can, be sure to ride your bike #onthecircuit to the performance. Hope to see you there!
Invisible River 2015
When: Saturday, August 29, 2:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: East Fairmount Park and Strawberry Mansion Bridge; Main festival site, 2200 Kelly Drive
Cost: From the shore, free; From a boat, $25 and up
More info: www.invisibleriver.org
Run For a Cause #onthecircuit
Looking for an exciting outdoor challenge? Why not tackle a new challenge and support a great cause!
On September 12, runners and walkers are invited to enjoy the scenic cliff paths of the Boxers’ Trail in East Fairmont Park during the Boxers’ Trail 5K. Proceeds from the Boxers' Trail 5K benefit Mander Recreation Center in North Philadelphia, which organizes youth programs, including runs along the Boxers' Trail. Race Day registration is at 8:30 a.m. and the race begins at 9:30 a.m. Click Here to register.
Later this fall, experience views of Philadelphia unlike ever before during the Cooper-Norcross Run the Bridge Challenge on November 1! The 10K certified course begins at the base of the Ben Franklin Bridge on the New Jersey side, crosses the bridge, doubles back, takes you through the waterfront area and finishes in Campbell's Field. A two-mile bridge walk immediately follows the start of the run. Also available to runners and walkers is a Dedication Bib where $100 participants will have the opportunity to run or walk for a cause and each participant’s cause will be promoted on Run the Bridge’s Facebook page. Don’t want to leave the kiddos behind? During the race, an event for kids will simultaneously take place at Campbell's Field. Click here to register.
Cadence Youth Cycling Meets the Mayor!
Last week, the Cadence Youth Cycling Cycle Squad signed up to attend City Hall for Lobby Day with three goals in mind: Get the mayor and City Councilmembers to listen to them regarding the Delaware Watershed, The Circuit, and a Vision Zero policy for Philadelphia. Students Coleman Milligan, Tamia Santiago, Sykheem Adams, Marlina Hardy, Joshua Walton, Krystal Philson, Taevon Oliver, and Allen Williams, then, were largely successful in their endeavors.
Throughout the day, students met with Mayor Michael Nutter, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, and the staff of Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown, to speak about the issues with which they were concerned. Among them: Wanting to make the roads safer, cleaning up the pot holes, cleaning up the roads, (sometimes broken glass will steer them into the middle of the road, students said). They also spoke about the ideas behind Vision Zero and advocated for that to the city’s leadership. Click here for the full story.
Paoli Pike Trail Open House and Project Presentation Set for June 16
On Tuesday, June 16 area trail users are invited to participate in the planning of a multiuse, off-road trail spanning the East Goshen Township along Paoli Pike. The trail was recommended in the 2013 Chester County Bicycle and Pedestrian Circulation Plan (see here). There is hope that this will be the first step in an off-road trail linking West Chester, Malvern and Paoli, so come out and join us!
Beginning at 6:00 p.m., the township's consultants, McMahon Associations, will present for comment a preferred alignment and general design at the township building (located at 1580 Paoli Pike). Following the Open House, there will be another presentation during the Board of Supervisors meeting at 7:00 p.m.
A public comment period on the Trail Conceptual Plan is scheduled in September. The Feasibility and Master Plan project is scheduled for completion in December. It is anticipated the township will apply for grants in 2016 to fund the next steps in creating the trail.
Recap of the 2015 May Semi-Annual Circuit Coalition Meeting
On May 21, 2015, 48 members of the Circuit Coalition attended the semi-annual meeting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey at the Camden County Environmental Resource Center.
Chris Linn of Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission opened the meeting by giving an overview of the status of the Circuit and an update on the Regional Trails Program Round 2 as of May 2015. Chris reported that between May 2014 and May 2015, the Circuit added 6.5 miles and improved 1.4 miles of trails. Round 2 of the Regional Trail Program, which is $6.5 million, will provide $2.15 M to the four New Jersey counties, of which $1.5 M will be dedicted to trails in urban areas and $610,000 unrestricted. It will also provide $4.35 M in the five Pennsylvania counties, of which $3.1 M will be dedicated to urban areas and $1.25 unrestricted.
He also provided an update on Pennsylvania trail projects will be receiving some of the RTP funding this summer and which ones will be moved onto the TIP and be eligible for federal funds. Shawn Megill Legendre presented about the NJ projects. More about this effort will follow in a future blog post.
Sarah Clark Stuart provided an update on which trail projects are likely to be completed over the next 18 months (by December 2016.) It includes about 27 projects that will be adding over 30 miles of new trails throughout the 9 counties. Sarah presented on the new projects that will be coming online in Pennsylvania. Matt Norris presented on the projects that will be coming online in New Jersey. A table of all complete and anticipated projects is here.
Sarah also presented on a telephone survey on Circuit awareness recently conducted by Rails to Trails Conservancy and one a separate survey conducted on depth of support for public investment in Circuit trails projects.
Nick Rogers of the Clean Air Council provided an overview of a new multimodal transportation route planner website developed in conjunction with Azevea. The website, called GoPhillyGo.org is in beta mode and users are welcome to check in out and provide feedback.
Christine Reimert of Devine & Partners reported on the ongoing effort being led by D&P and Rails to Trails Conservancy to increase the profile of the Circuit brand and described the Summer 2015 plans and activities. One item of note is that they have prepared a new postcard to garner public support for connecting the Circuit. These postcards are designed for tabling events and can be used to ask people to provide their names and email addresses. If you would like to have postcards mailed to you, please send an email to
To wrap up, Matt Norris presented two out of four videos that Tri-State Transportation Campaign has prepared on the Circuit. The four videos are: The Circuit - What Is It?; The Circuit - A Community Place; The Circuit - Getting There and The Circuit - It's Happening
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Great volunteer opportunity with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and Cadence Youth Cycling! Details included below. Email [email protected] if interested!
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When: Saturday, May 9 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (volunteer training session from 8:30-9:00 a.m.)
Where: Schuylkill River Trail (between the Water Works and East Falls)
What: High school cyclists will be engaging in a scavenger hunt competition along the Schuylkill River Trail (between Water Works and East Falls). The cyclists will stop along the route to complete challenges. Volunteers are needed to run these challenge stops. The volunteers will provide some quick info about watersheds or the Circuit trail network and then lead the students in a fun challenge (i.e. wheelbarrow race, etc.). Volunteers will need to keep track of each team’s points. Volunteers should arrive via bike in order to reach their challenge locations.
BONUS: A free lunch from Cosmic Cafe will be provided at noon. No experience necessary!
Join Rails-to-Trails and Cadence Youth Cycling #onthecircuit
Phoenixville Community Celebration On SRT Trail: April 25
Calling all Phoenixville-area community members! This weekend, you are invited to head downtown to for a whole host of family fun events on and around the new two-mile trail segment of the Schuylkill River Trail. Activities include everything from a bike tour along the new trail, a bike check and a complementary bike helmet fitting station to live music, chalk and plein air art (painting outdoors!) and more. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. near the Walking Bridge at the Foundry and the Phoenixville Farmer’s Market. For more information, visit http://www.schuylkillrivertowns.com/new-events/2015/4/25/phoenixville-trail-opening-celebration.
EAST COAST GREENWAY TO CELEBRATE PHILADELPHIA’S LEADERSHIP IN TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AT SPRING SUMMIT: MAY 1
Philadelphia is the hosting the East Coast Greenway’s State of the Greenway Summit on Friday, May 1! The Summit, held at Lloyd Hall, 1 Boathouse Row, will celebrate Philadelphia as a leader in trail development, as well as several new world-class sections of the East Coast Greenway (ECG) here in the City.
The Summit will feature special remarks from regional and national bike-ped and transportation leaders, including:
- Leslie Richards, Secretary, PennDOT
- Mark Focht, Deputy Commissioner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
- Diane Ellis-Marseglio, Commissioner, DVRPC
- Dennis Markatos-Soriano, executive director, East Coast Greenway Alliance
- Alex Doty, executive director, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
- Andrew Johnson, Watershed Protection Program Director, William Penn Foundation
- Meg Daly, founder, Friends of the Underline
When completed, the 2,900-mile greenway, which connects with the region’s Circuit trails, will link Philadelphia to major cities throughout the eastern seaboard. In PA, a car-free, 55-mile route runs from Trenton, N.J. to Wilmington, Del., through Center City Philadelphia.
Get your tickets today! Be sure to wear comfortable shoes to the Summit and take part in a walk along the Schuylkill River Trail to a reception at the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk after the Summit. The Summit and reception are open to the public; registration is $10 for ECGA members and $20 for non-members. To learn more or purchase tickets visit greenway.org.
Summit: 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Ride/Walk to reception: 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Reception at Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sly Fox Brewing Co. Releases New Ale in Celebration of the “SRT Spree”
Here’s a great way to start your weekend… today marks day 2 of the Sly Fox Brewing Co.’s SRT Spree, a week-long celebration of the recreational opportunities along the SRT or Schuylkill River Trail from Pottsville to Philadelphia. The Sly Fox launch team is traveling the trail via various methods such as hiking, biking, kayaking, horseback and more. Each day of the journey, the team is making stops to take part in efforts, such as trail clean-ups, to help build awareness and appreciation for the trail. Community members are encouraged to travel along any segment of the SRT Spree journey and to participate in any of the volunteer clean-up locations.
One stop is particularly important, as a critical two-mile segment of the Schuylkill River Trail is opening in Phoenixville on Monday, April 20 with a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. On Monday, “Spree” participants will kayak from Riverfront Park to Lock 60 then bike to the trail head to demonstrate how easy it is to transition from river to trail.
Additionally, Sly Fox Brewing Co. has joined forces with the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area for the release of its newest canned beer, SRT Ale, which will hit the market appropriately on Earth Day, April 22, the final day of the SRT Spree. Proceeds from the sale of SRT Ale will benefit the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area. For more information on how to get involved, visit www.slyfoxbeer.com/index.php/front/srtspree.
